Chapter 17: Royal Capital: Dirty Slander

"John! You threatened me! How dare you threaten me!"

Duren was furious and glared at John Dill: "Don't think that just because you are His Highness's confidant you can—"

"Master Dean, do you know why, after receiving sponsorship from His Highness, the Royal Medical Department has fresh cadavers every month for students to dissect and study? And why is it that the Magic Guild, which is loyal to the Holy Family, never lacks drug testers and new apprentices?"

"Why?"

"because--"

John Dillard paused.

"—The Holy Family, which has existed longer than the Sun Empire and has countless ties to the Eternal Empire, which was destroyed by divine retribution six thousand years ago, is both a symbol of glory and the embodiment of darkness. Its depth is beyond the comprehension of the Yura Dynasty, which has only existed for a mere three hundred years."

"Please be extremely careful for the next three days. I don't want you to be a corpse lying on the dissection table in the medical department the next time we meet."

"According to my research, after death, the body does not immediately lose the sense of pain. With certain magical methods, it is even possible to transmit the pain sensation to the soul far away in the underworld."

After saying that, John Dill walked up to Lucien and said respectfully, "Sir, it's time to go back to class."

"——I want to rest for half a day longer."

"Can't."

John Deere smiled gently.

(If I refuse...will Professor John, who just made the cruelest threat in the gentlest tone...?)

Xiao Yun subconsciously glanced at Duren - he was trembling all over and his face was pale.

Feeling Lucien's gaze, Duren gritted his teeth and said, "Lucien, John, don't even think about asking me to lift the ban... This is His Majesty's will, I... I won't... I absolutely won't..."

"After your death, His Highness will appoint a new dean through the Science Guild, and have the new dean repeal the ban you issued."

"--you!"

"Sir, let's go back."

John Deere asked Lucien in a low voice.

Xiao Yun nodded and prepared to leave the office accompanied by John Deere.

Dean Duren was completely ignored and became so angry that he spoke without thinking.

"Why do ordinary priests need to serve the temple for their entire lives, while the most honorable high priests return to the secular world at the age of thirty and have children with the person designated by the oracle!"

"Why would a child born to a woman while the high priest was in office be put to death? He himself would also be severely punished!"

"Why are the high priests of all generations unwilling to leave any records related to the ninth floor of the Divine Tower?"

"Because your family is called Saint! But it's actually a prostitute! The high priest was carefully cultivated by the gods using the secret magic of the way, so that you can have sex with them-"

"--shut up!"

Xiao Yun was furious and drew his sword, pointing it at Duren: "Speak nonsense again! I will kill you!"

"Nonsense? What nonsense am I talking about?!"

"Have you never doubted it? Your brother looks chaste, behaves reservedly, dresses modestly, and has a slender figure like a girl, yet he always gives people a sense of seductiveness and demonic power, like a fruit so ripe it's about to rot. I have only one explanation for this phenomenon: every time your brother enters the ninth floor of the God Tower, he is—"

Duren stopped suddenly.

Because the tip of Lucien's sword pierced the tip of his nose, it could rise up and cut through his eyebrows or rush through his head at any time!

"Don't irritate me!"

"You...you...even if you...killed someone, it's still..."

Duren's breathing was rapid.

"Killing is indeed illegal, but what about a duel? A duel to defend the family's honor?"

John Deere suggested calmly.

"duel?"

Xiao Yun understood instantly and grabbed the scabbard with his left hand and threw it at Du Lun: "Dean Du Lun, you attacked my brother and slandered my family. I want to ask you—"

"Dean Kanoa Duren!"

Adrien's voice suddenly rang out.

The young and impulsive heir of Dalavia stormed into the dean's office, his eyes blazing with anger: "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Adrian, you're going to—"

"For the honor of His Highness Jarris and the Holy Family, and for my friendship with Lucien, I now challenge you to a duel. You can refuse, but I will not give up! I will challenge you again and again, until you agree or I die!"

Adrien shouted.

…

…

The news that Adrian, the son of Duke Dalavia, challenged the president of the Royal Academy to a duel to defend the honor of his best friend Lucien's brother, the respected "Light of the Empire" Prince Jaris, quickly ignited the court.

The sparrows, whose purpose of survival is gossip, are in a frenzy.

The topic was about Adrian.

As everyone knows, Adrian's father, the majestic Duke Adlon of Dalavia, dedicated the Sword of Loyalty to His Highness Jaris's mother, Grand Duchess Anna, when he was young. Even after Grand Duchess Anna obeyed the oracle and married His Highness Ilex and gave birth to the beautiful and weak His Highness Jaris, his love for Grand Duchess Anna never faded.

He hated Prince Ilex who had taken away his beloved, and he hated Prince Yaris who had made his beloved woman suffer the pain of childbirth. He would show a look of disgust when he heard these two names.

Now, Adrian, the beloved only son of Duke Adlon and the only heir of Dalavia, actually...

"It must be because of love! The father fell in love with Grand Duchess Anna, and the son, guided by fate, fell in love with Grand Duchess Anna's child! Ah! This romantic, beautiful, yet fatefully painful love!"

"I've never understood love between men, but if the object is His Highness Yaris... it seems normal..."

"It's a pity that Your Highness cannot have any unclean behavior with men or women in this world before the age of thirty. Adrien's love is destined to be filled with bitter longing."

"Isn't that better?"

The sparrows screamed excitedly.

"Pure love that exists only on the spiritual plane, unadulterated by desire! So sacred! So beautiful! I'm so intoxicated I almost fainted!"

…

While the sparrows screamed and cheered about the gossip—

In the Royal Academy dormitory, Xiao Yun asked Adrian in confusion.

"Why? Why challenge the dean to a duel? This is clearly my—"

"I promised His Highness Yaris that I would be your best friend!"

"Then you don't have to—"

"His Highness Yaris said that you have hemophobia."

Adrien looked at Lucien worriedly: "I'm worried that you'll faint when you see blood during the duel."

"you……"

Xiao Yun was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

(No wonder Yaris called Adrian a simple little dog. He is really so simple, so pure, so...)

"Tomorrow evening, I will make Kanoa Duren pay with his life for his vicious slander!"

Adrien patted Lucien's shoulder, a sunny smile on his freckled face.

"Adrien..."

Xiao Yun was moved by Adrian's purity and took the initiative to hug his roommate.

"Thank you! You're the best person I've ever met!"

"And you are the cutest person I have ever seen... because the most beautiful person is His Highness Yaris..."

Adrien smiled brightly.

"Cough! Cough!"

John Deere accompanied Count Lias to the dormitory door.

"Master Lucien, Master Adrien—"

Count Lias, whose father was the late emperor's trusted Minister of the Interior, but whose own talents were mediocre, approached the two men and said, "His Majesty demands that Master Adrian enter the palace immediately."

"Your Majesty wants to stop the duel between me and Duren?"

Adrien showed an unhappy expression.

"After all, Dean Kanoa Duren is His Majesty's mystical mentor—"

"But he attacked and slandered His Highness Yaris and the Holy Family! He used the most vulgar, filthy, and vicious words that even the red-light district of Kukuchia wouldn't use!"

"this……"

Lias took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face: "Mr. Lucien, Professor John, what exactly is Dean Canoa Duren..."

"I stabbed Dean Durham's nose because he used obscene words to slander my brother and insult my family in front of me!"

"If Mentor John hadn't stepped in to stop me, I would have killed him on the spot!"

Xiao Yun's face was gloomy.

John Dill added: "Prince Lucien was afraid of blood, but when he drew his sword and stabbed Durham, his anger made him forget his fear of blood."

"……Understood."

Lias put away his handkerchief with a wry smile and said to Adrian, "I suggest you go to the palace immediately and explain to His Majesty in person."

"no problem."

"I want to—"

"His Majesty only invited Master Adrian."

Lias, who was well aware of the bad relationship between the emperor and Lias, was worried that Lucien's presence would exacerbate the conflict.

Adrian also believed that going to the palace alone would help solve the problem.

"Lucien, don't worry about me, I know what to do!"

…

…

After Adrian left with Lias, John Dill sat next to Lucien.

"You look glum. Worried about Adrien?"

"I... I was thinking... what Duren said... he..."

(Duren’s slander was not without reason. The ninth floor of the divine tower must be hiding a terrible secret! That’s why I was so painful and desperate when I died in Yaris’ arms…)

(What am I worried about?)

(Yaris's fate...a fate born to endure suffering...what does it mean?)

Xiao Yun couldn't think of an answer, so he asked John Deere indirectly, "Do you believe his nonsense?"

"I don't believe it. I never believed it. Or rather, no one with a righteous heart would believe such a vulgar, obscene, and dirty slander."

John Deere said without hesitation.

"Your Highness is a noble man—I'm not talking about nobility in terms of birth, but nobility that comes from the soul—given his noble character, he would not trade his body for profit, even if the other party were a god. If forced, he would rather die."

"I'm not completely ignorant of His Highness's other side. In fact, I've served as his advisor more than once, assisting him in formulating cruel plans. Therefore, I can declare with absolute certainty that your brother would never do such a thing."

"...What if...what if it's love?"

"love?"

John Deere gave a mocking smile: "Sir, would you consider your horse, your cat, and your dog as your lovers?"

“…”

"In the eyes of the higher-dimensional beings we call gods, we are extremely lowly and inferior beings, even less so than cats and dogs in our hearts. Even I understand such a superficial truth. How could Your Highness, who is smarter than me, believe that there is an equality between gods and us?"