The Clan Leader gave one last indifferent glance before letting out a deep breath. In an instant, everything returned to normal—there was no blood-red sky anymore.
But still, the terrifying aura from that man had made everyone truly understand what power meant, and just how strong the Jenkins Clan was.
A great Clan's background should never be judged by the strength of its knights or children, but by its Clan Leader.
Only the Clan Leader's power was enough to prove that anyone who dared to invade this place would face only one path—death.
Of course, the royal family was a perfect example.
They were arrogant and proud.
At this moment, the nobles could only gulp in fear. No one knew whether the royalty would be able to leave the Jenkins Clan's territory alive.
"D-Damn! How could he reach that level?" Waldo clenched his jaw, shivering in dread.
Even the King of the Handey Kingdom had only recently reached the first white mana core. Now, Waldo finally understood why his king had ordered him to come here, without any other intentions.
His king clearly knew their position in this world—and Waldo himself had made a grave mistake.
He had acted on his own, trying to gauge a great Clan without the King's permission.
Now, only God knew what kind of aftermath he would have to face.
"I hope my grandchildren will survive. They're the hope of the Hanley Kingdom."
His thoughts made sense.
"Today is a day of celebration, so I shall not take your life… however."
The Clan Leader narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Waldo, who was gasping while waiting for the Clan Leader's answer.
And sure enough, Waldo's face turned as pale as death when he heard the next words.
"Leave one of your children here. And tell your King—if he wants to see your child alive, then come here himself."
"P-Please, Sir… anything, b-but—"
"I don't repeat myself." With those cold words, the Clan Leader vanished. Meanwhile, the elders and knights exchanged glances and began heading toward the arena.
Brad, the commander of the guard, spoke to the nobles.
"The founding anniversary ends here. Sorry for the trouble this time. Each noble who attended our Clan will receive a reward to make up for the incident."
"10,000 gold coins."
"Hopefully, next time we'll have a better celebration."
…
"Great! Ten thousand gold coins and we got to witness the true power of this world. I guess no clan out there is this generous—or gives a show like that."
"Sure!"
Pretty soon, the nobles left in a good mood, and no one showed bad behavior toward the Jenkins Clan. For sure, Brad had handled the diplomacy with the other nobles very well.
"It's quite good." Hector smirked, satisfied with his actions. He glanced at the royalties, who were frozen in shock, and said,
"Best of luck!"
At that moment, Waldo snapped out of his daze. He clenched his teeth in anger and powerlessness, glaring at Hector.
Humiliation and embarrassment churned in his mind.
His limbs trembled nonstop as he struggled to hold himself back, stopping himself from lunging at Hector and tearing him to pieces.
He wanted to kill and devour that bastard right now. All of this trouble came from Hector.
Hector had defeated Ralph and humiliated the royalty in front of all the nobles of the world. Moreover, he had forced Waldo into making a huge mistake.
Angering the Leader of the Great Clan.
"FUCKING BASTARD!… I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU WHEN I GET THE CHANCE." He roared in his own mind.
***
Hector lifted the corner of his lips and shrugged, then left the arena floor.
He didn't know whether what he did to Ralph and Luna was right or wrong. In the end, he had simply used their weaknesses to defeat them.
And humanity always evolved—meaning he had merely helped them evolve faster.
Next time, Ralph's faith would surely be firmer, and Luna would be stronger and experienced enough to face him.
The knowledge about the novel might not be useful again. But he had exploited his knowledge at this time very well.
"I must be stronger too." He clenched his fist.
To make that happen, he needed to complete the last step of his plan.
"Let's talk with my father."
***
Clock! Clock! Clock!
Hector cleared his throat before speaking in a polite tone.
"Father… it's me."
Silence.
But Hector understood that the silence meant he could step in the door. Without hesitation, he opened the door and entered.
A large room decorated with lavish items spread before him. His eyes swept over the animal leather hanging in several places, along with ancient paintings.
It was a strange atmosphere—one he had never encountered before. Well, this body had never come here. The three sons of the clan leader were afraid of him.
Well, all three of them were cowards… they knew that clearly, but changing such things was impossible. Because they were weaklings.
He blinked as his gaze landed on the man sitting ahead.
A blue-haired man with a sharp face, exuding the aura of a monarch. He had taken off his bearskin coat, revealing muscular lines beneath a thin shirt.
Norris Jenkins.
He looked at Hector for a moment before asking,
"Why are you coming here?"
Hector nodded and answered, his voice filled with no fear.
"I want my gifts."
He asked directly, because he knew his father hated roundabout questions. On top of that, he hated weaklings and cowards. That was why he had never paid attention to his sons at all—they possessed the very things he despised the most.
To him, his son was just a tool to maintain the bloodline—no more, no less.
"You're misunderstanding. Even if you won the match against royalty, it means nothing to me or the Clan."
"Fighting among children has no effect on the Clan's reputation."
Norris spoke lazily while flipping through his book.
Hector simply smiled when he heard that. He understood it perfectly, yet he also knew what his father had gained.
"I knew it."
For the first time, a glimmer of interest flashed in Norris's eyes. He placed the book on the table and said,
"So…"
Hector replied,
"I helped you capture a child of royalty… I think you'll use that child to bargain with the King of Hanley Kingdom."
That was right. Hector had provoked Waldo, pushing that foolish duke into attacking him. In the end, his father had a legitimate reason to capture a royal child.
Ralph or Luna—either of them was priceless to the Hanley Kingdom. Their father would use everything he had to save his children.
Norris closed his eyes for a moment. He hadn't expected that Hector's actions during the match were deliberate. Maybe his son was smarter than he had thought.
"That's right… What do you want? Say it. But I'm not a god, so don't expect some absurd gift."