Conquering The Novel

"...What kind of skill did he use to wipe out the entire abandoned kingdom at once? Seeing the destruction, doesn't it seem that his power has already surpassed that of an SS-Level?" Sarah's voice trembled as she spoke.

The room fell silent for a moment when they heard her.

"...."

"...Good luck to the Adventurer Association, mate. You can only hope he isn't a petty person who would wipe out the entire association just because of your sister.

Because, even if you offer them a fortune, adventurers won't risk their lives fighting a losing battle. And as the Hero Association is already on bad terms with the Adventurer Association, they wouldn't want to offend their valuable ally who could help them defeat demon lords," Rick, the beastman, looked apologetically at Marshal as he explained,

"...."

Marshal just stared at the beastman with a blank expression, wondering how his brain worked so well in this kind of situation. But hearing his words made him even more anxious.

Clink—

!?

The sound of a shattering wine glass abruptly drew their attention, causing them to pivot toward its source. There, they beheld Elaine with her eyes aglow, a wide and ominous grin spread across her face.

'Ah, shit, this crazy woman is up to something again,' they all thought at the same time.

Elaine suddenly got up from the sofa and took her jacket, which was hanging on the back of the sofa, before beginning to leave.

"W-Where are you going, Elaine?" Sarah asked hesitantly, but she already knew Elaine's intentions.

"I'm going to find that Marz, of course. I'm curious how strong he is," Elaine replied.

"What about Ares? Weren't you interested in him a moment ago?" Joseph inquired.

"Well, it seems I have found someone who is already stronger than me. I don't need anyone else now," Elaine said, donning her jacket and smoothing down her hair.

The whole group just gave her a silent stare for a moment as she began to leave.

But the sound of Elaine's footsteps faltered as Marshal's words reached her ears. "He already has a girlfriend," he stated, causing her to stop in her tracks.

She turned to face him, her expression curious. "Who is she?" she asked, a hint of intrigue in her voice.

"It's Silvia Ursula, daughter of the president of the Merchant Association," Marshal replied, watching Elaine's expression closely.

Elaine's face contorted slightly, but she quickly composed herself. "I... see. Don't worry, I will deal with it. Do you have the last location where he was seen?" she inquired, her tone steady.

"His last known location was in the Khaldor Kingdom. After news of his search spread throughout the monarchies, he likely went into hiding to recuperate from his use of such immense power," Marshal explained.

"Did you try to reach out to his girlfriend for assistance?" Elaine inquired.

"We did, but unfortunately, she's also missing," Marshal responded with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

He had hoped to convince Silvia to assist them and to persuade Marz not to take her sister's words to heart. He was even willing to pay a significant sum to the merchant association for her help, but he had been unable to meet with her.

"...Maybe they went on a vacation together to help him recuperate," David speculated.

"Hmm, that does seem like a plausible explanation," Elaine agreed, and the rest of the group nodded in unison.

As they conversed amongst themselves, they were suddenly interrupted by the booming voice of the announcer.

Ting!—

"Attention, ladies, and gentlemen! The first match of the tournament has been determined, and it's none other than...the Dungeon Crawl!" The announcer's voice reverberated through the microphone as he pointed to the roulette on the screen.

"The Dungeon Crawl as the first match, huh? Looks like things are going to get bloody right from the start," Sarah muttered to herself.

***

During the team meeting to decide who would participate in the first match, Lucas spoke up with a displeased expression, questioning Ares' decision to challenge all the academies at once.

"Why did you have to be so arrogant? Aren't you afraid that now all the academies will come after us? It wouldn't hurt to be nice sometimes," he said, voicing the concerns that many of the other students shared.

Kevin chimed in, adding, "We all know you're strong and can deal with them, but what about the rest of us if they gang up on us when you're not in the match?"

"Tch, weaklings!" Ziona clicked her tongue in disappointment.

"What are you all worried about? The matches are in the VR world, so you won't actually get hurt. Are you afraid of losing?" she added.

Claude nodded in agreement. "Now that everyone's power levels will be equal, it will be a good opportunity to learn how to fight multiple enemies at once and improve ourselves."

Erina spoke up. "...Ares, we know you must have had a reason for challenging all the academies at once. Can you at least tell us your plans so we can understand?"

Ares replied with a smile, "Because ...I just felt like it."

His response left the group speechless, unsure of how to react.

"...."

"I am the representative of this Academy, and as such, you are all under my command. So, just shut the fuck up and don't question my authority or disobey my orders. If anyone has a problem with that, there are plenty of other students who would gladly take your place on the team," Ares declared in a commanding tone, sending chills down everyone's spines.

The room fell silent, and even Erina looked taken aback by Ares's demeanor.

Ziona and Livia, on the other hand, grinned and nodded in approval of Ares's words.

"Actually... I think our Representative is right," Ayla spoke up suddenly.

!?

Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.

"Sister? What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"Let me explain," Ayla said. "Our academy has been one of the reigning champions for the past decade, so it's only natural for all the other academies to first come after the toughest competitor, which is our academy."

"In fact," Ayla continued, "he helped protect the rest of us from being targeted and drew everyone's attention to himself instead."

"...."

"W-Wait... so he provoked everyone for our sake?" one of the students exclaimed in realization.

Erina felt a wave of regret wash over her hearing Ayla. 'Was that really the case?' she mused inwardly, 'He was willing to go against every academy for our sake?'

"I'm such an idiot for not realizing his intentions," she scolded herself silently. Despite her previous doubts, Erina couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for Ares, knowing the extent of his loyalty to their cause.

As the others began to see Ares in a new light, he couldn't help but wonder, 'What the fuck is wrong with them? How could they so easily buy such a ridiculous lie?'

It surprised him that everyone seemed to take Ayla's words at face value without questioning her or considering other possibilities. It was as if they were all under some sort of hypnotic trance.

Ares observed with a mix of irritation and admiration as the others around him seemed to hang on to Ayla's every word. It was clear to him that she now held a great deal of influence over them.

'It only shows how much control she now has over them,' Ares thought as he glanced at Ayla, who beamed at him in response.

"Did I do right, Ares? You want to praise me, don't you?" she murmured to herself.

When Ares offered his hand to Ayla, she felt conflicted. On one hand, she knew that two strong personalities like theirs couldn't coexist in the same space. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel drawn to his charisma and conviction. As she took his hand, she felt a sense of excitement and anticipation for what they could accomplish together.

And upon learning of Ares's plan to go against Hercules, Ayla felt a sense of validation. Finally, someone who had the courage and strength to challenge the unbeatable Hercules, and perhaps even defeat him.

Ayla's own ambitions aligned perfectly with Ares's goals, and she was determined to work alongside him to achieve their shared desires.

His determination and fearlessness only strengthened her resolve to join forces with him and use him to accomplish her goals.

'Oh Ares, thou be the king and I be the queen. Let us use the pawns to our hearts' content,' A sinister smirk crept across Ayla's face as she thought to herself.