Outcome

[Chapter 25 Comment]

[Midday_Eclipse: Excited for more chapters to come.]

Theo was sitting lazily on his bed, looking at the comments. He said, "I apologize for not replying to some comments on previous chapters. Though, I'm quite curious about Xinhuan's case. How is it becoming a weird symbol? What did you use to make such a thing? Or did you type the exact thing?"

After leaving that question, he continued to read the other comments. "Ahaha, once you experience enough battles, you should know that once your movement is predicted, the opponent might take advantage of it and defeat you. It's especially true when you're an illusionist. The moment they realize it's an illusion, you're dead. So, you have to make them believe in one way or another."

"And yes, you can expect some consequences for Gareth… Though, I doubt that he can handle it." Theo smirked. As he said those words, Mia came to him with a question.

"Dad. Are you sure we're going to let Victoria handle the rest? I mean, you sent the Lumina to Count Hargel, but it might cause a diplomatic issue, you know." Mia tilted her head in confusion.

"What do you think will happen after this?"

"Hmm… Count Hargel will bring it up to the king, and the king will punish Gareth. However, that's all. Gareth will remain in power. While he might be changed by another teacher, it doesn't change the fact that Gareth is still powerful. And he will use his connections to somehow find his way here and scheme against you. Besides, for this embarrassment, the king will become a bit hostile as well. So, we have to watch out."

"Your answer is good enough, but you haven't seen that far ahead." Theo patted her head. "First of all, what do you think about Victoria?"

"Hmm… she is strong and influential. But I think that's all… She can't directly influence another kingdom, I think."

"That's where you are wrong. Besides, my intention is not about that. You should know that we are in a story, right? I have thought about it and calculated that our story should be something about me meeting the author. In that case, it will be fine if I cause some problems for myself."

"Huh?" Mia became even more confused. "I don't understand."

"I'm talking about the plot armor."

Mia looked down for a moment before gasping in realization. "Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, what if the story is about a guy who wants to die and ends up offending everyone? But whenever he does it, there will be a plot armor that just strengthens him to the point where he can't die. That's the kind of story, and the plot armor will appear throughout the story."

"Exactly. In that story, the protagonist doesn't know that he is the main character and the plot armor, right? On the other hand, we know that the plot armor will come to us. And we have to somehow utilize it to our advantage."

"Don't tell me… the reason why you left everything to Victoria?"

"Yep. She has that plot armor's halo on her head. She is extremely strong and influential, and to be able to persuade all realms to create an academy and send their talented people is enough to know that her background is deeper than people can imagine. That's why she will definitely solve the issue with the king. I bet they are discussing this in the castle… and this is probably what is happening…"

...

Knight Realm.

In the Linkeldonia Kingdom, a huge castle stood tall, occupying a vast land.

The king sat on his throne, looking down on the man who knelt in front of him. The king was muscular like that of a true knight, exuding fighting intent from his body. His sharp gaze could see through everyone and make them feel like they were being preyed upon by a wild beast.

"Begin." He gestured to the minister on his right to read the edict.

The minister opened the scroll and declared, "Marquis Gareth Woodbead has caused an international issue and challenged the stability of the kingdom. In addition, he has behaved contrary to his knightly beliefs. The Linkeldonia Kingdom can't tolerate such behavior. As punishment, Marquis Gareth Woodbead shall be stripped of his title as a Marquis and demoted to the rank of Baron. His land shall be confiscated, and he will be relocated to the Southern Ridge Territory."

Gareth's body was shaking. There was no way he could accept it. But there was completely nothing he could do to stop it. This was the edict directly from the king.

He didn't know how the other party did it, but it was clear that they managed to force the king to such an extent.

After all, he was previously a Marquis, and he had a lot of connections in the upper noble circle. Yet, he was demoted so severely to the point where he almost lost that noble title.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that he would lose almost everything the moment he returned to the kingdom.

The king looked at Gareth with a sharp gaze, but his mind was recalling the intense conversation he had with Victoria.

Before that conversation, the king actually received the Lumina from Count Hargel.

The Lumina contained videos about the bet, Gareth's behavior, and the possibility of a war with other realms. After all, the other party was a possessor of a Royal Grade Demon.

Although he was known to be the weakest due to his nature as an illusionist, when he saw the fight, he knew that the rumor was not true. There was no way a man who could possess such refined swordsmanship, unpredictable illusions, and a quick-witted brain would be so low in the rankings.

That was why he knew Theo was like a lion in sheep's clothing. One wrong move would make this problem extend to multiple realms, not just Theo's Demon Realm.

The video had clearly shown Gareth's bad behavior. In addition, due to the advancement of technology from other realms, the commoners could now gain a lot of information. While it might revolutionize the kingdom, it didn't change the fact that commoners gained more power because of it. If the video was spread, he was afraid that the entire country's stability would be shaken.

And that was when Victoria came in.

A blue screen popped out in front of him, with Victoria bowing to him.

"I greet Your Majesty, William De Lionheart. My name…"

Before she finished, the king stopped her. "I already know who you are. You are Victoria Hastings. I've been informed about you. Let's skip the pleasantries and talk about the main issue right away. No need to talk politely if it makes the conversation too long."

Victoria paused for a moment before nodding her head. "Certainly. In that case, I shall explain this matter to you. The teacher who harmed Teacher… Ahem, Marquis Gareth is Theodore Griffith, one of the possessors of the Royal Grade Demon. His background is clear, but I believe that not everything is correct after I got to know him personally."

The king didn't mention the Lumina and the fact that he had already seen the video.

"To resolve the situation, I believe that punishing Marquis Gareth is enough. He is currently the only teacher who has made a lot of progress in the new curriculum, so he is someone I would like to keep no matter what. So, I would like to ask Your Majesty to avoid provoking Marquis Gareth to launch a counterattack. After all, I'm afraid that this situation will become bigger than it is now…"

The king squinted his eyes before shaking his head helplessly. "Your brain is filled with wisdom, and your eyes can see one's talent. However, you have yet to see one's true nature. In any case, I'll handle the problem that a noble from my country has created. Does he want anything?"

"He didn't tell me anything."

"In that case, tell him that Marquis Gareth wouldn't be able to do anything to him. So, he can rest assured."

"Understood. I'd like to thank Your Majesty. I know that this is a hard decision—"

Before she finished, the king continued. "Miss Victoria. Let me give you one piece of advice. You currently don't know what you're dealing with… so be careful."

Victoria looked surprised and confused, but she still bowed her head. "Thank you for your advice."

"If I'm not wrong, one of his students…"

"Yes. He is Avalon Pendragon, Marquis Pendragon's son."

"I see. In exchange for taking care of Gareth, tell him to properly teach him."

"I shall relay your request to him." Victoria nodded with a serious expression.

The king waved his hand, closing the blue screen.

With a blink of his eye, he returned to the throne room after recalling the conversation. He couldn't help but realize the potential that Theo had. It was beyond Victoria's imagination.

And that reason would soon startle the kingdom.

...

Meanwhile, Theo had finished narrating what was happening in the Linkeldonia Kingdom to Mia.

She noticed something. "Dad. I still think it's not a good idea to leave your enemy alive. I mean, even if he is demoted, he is still a noble. There is a chance that he will make a comeback and scheme against us? I mean, I don't think you are going to be tricked by him, but what if he comes after me? I can somehow fight back, but he is too strong for me currently."

Mia's concern was not without basis. She knew that leaving the opponent alive would just make him even stronger, especially with the fact that they were inside a story.

"You should know about the cliche of leaving your opponent alive and he somehow returns as a big antagonist with a ridiculous power-up that can't be explained by the established power system, right? There might be an evil organization that takes him in and does this and that…" Mia explained.

Theo chuckled.

"Dad. Why are you laughing? I'm serious here!"

"Yeah. It seems that you don't know your dad well enough." Theo smiled. "Do you think your dad will spare his life?"

"Huh?" Mia still didn't understand, considering Theo told her that the king would only demote him.

"Do you remember when Avalon mentioned that he was a cruel noble and he had a lot of enemies?"

"Ah?!" Mia's body shook, realizing what was going to happen.

Without even Theo explaining the rest, Mia could imagine it in her head.

…

A few days later.

The Linkeldonia Kingdom was shaken by multiple requests from territorial kingdoms, with Count Hargel being one of them.

And all of them were targeting one noble, Marquis... No, Baron Gareth Woodbead. With a lot of opponents, Gareth had nothing he could do to resist.

Within a few days, the entire barony was destroyed. Even his wife's family had to sever their relationship with him if they didn't want to be included as one of the potential targets. Baron Gareth's head was hung on the city wall for a week, and his body was left to rot without a burial.

There were three people who had foreseen this outcome. They were Theo, Mia, and the king of the Linkeldonia Kingdom. It was the exact reason why he warned Victoria. He had already known that the moment Gareth was demoted, he would meet his demise. That was the reason why Theo sent the Lumina to Count Hargel.