1409 On A Tight Rope
In front of two high rank 9s who could kill him with a sneeze, Varian didn't show any weakness. Instead, he raised his chin and pointed at them with an arrogant expression.
"If you want to lay a finger on me, go ahead. No matter how busy Isadora is, she won't let you see the next sunrise. But it won't stop there. How far she will go for the husband of her beloved sister…I can't even imagine."
The Archdukes trembled in anger at his blatant disrespect and threatening words.
Varian didn't care how they felt.
It's not that he's really become the arrogant young master he's been portraying.
At his rank, there wasn't any difference between offending a high rank 9 Archduke and peak rank 9 King.
Yet, he treated them very differently.
Because while both of them had the power to end him, only one of them seemed to show the guts to do it.
These Archdukes, the so-called pillars of the kingdom, were far too entrenched in their vested interests and political games to flip the board and destroy their own pawns.
These guys wanted stability, order and predictability.
Killing the Princess' brother-in-law was an activity of great risk. They might still survive, if they played their cards right and luck favored them, but their life would be the only thing they'd have left.
They couldn't even predict the future that would unfold if they went down that path.
If what they were looking for was Order, what would come out of touching Varian was Chaos.
"The Archdukes are not so bored that they'd attack a weakling such as yourself." Kriad's single eye squinted hard. "We just want to express our interest in the proof you presented. I presume you have no objections for it to be tested in a controlled environment so that we can do our duty propertly and announce the news to the kingdom's residents."
"Or…" Archduke Coronthian, the man with platimum blonde hair and skin tone, lowered his voice. "Are you not confident in the evidence?"
Varian lowered his head and tried to control himself, but a muffled chuckle leaked out.
"What?"
"Why are you laughing?"
Wiping the corner of his eyes, he said with an amused expression. "Such a cheap tactic, I never thought that Archdukes would use them."
Their expressions darkened.
"Stop sulking too much. You aren't pretty women, so don't expect people to cajole you." Shaking his head, Varian threw the grain at them. "Here you go, the ironclad evidence."
The eye-pathed archduke caught up with utmost caution, like that creepy fan who would collect the nails of his idol.
The two didn't say another word and disappeared like ghosts.
Even with his senses running at full capacity, Varian couldn't capture their movements.
In other words, if they attacked him, he wouldn't be able to defend against even a single attack.
'I'm literally playing with my life here. Fuck!'
At least, their reactions so far except the king's were all under expectations.
Martial Saint Kong was the backer of Prince Rudolph's faction and the man behind these Archdukes.
When they spoke of testing the evidence, they meant submitting it to that man and letting him verify it thoroughly.
It would take a while but eventually, Martial Saint Kong would find the discrepancies in the evidence.
The truth that Isadora, while alive, hadn't yet reached the divine ranks would be grasped. And there's a good possibility that her actual rank—8—would be guessed.
What would happen from there?
If they hadn't escaped by then, chances were, all of them would be captured and killed at best or tortured for an unpleasantly long time at worst.
It's a risky plan but the best one Isadora could come up with.
Staying anywhere else when he's on the hit list of Zahara Onyx was not just dangerous, it was suicidal.
"Don't think too much." Enigma interlocked her fingers with his and whispered in a sweet, soft voice.
"You're right." Varian nodded, pushing away his thoughts.
The group stepped out of the central palace's garden and headed down a beautiful path lined by waterfalls on both sides.
Rather than calling them waterfalls, however, it was more accurate to describe them as 'liquefied aura overflowing with life force' which if taken would accelerate the ascension of a celestial ranker during the first three ranks.
A precious resource that would cause a bloodbath in any province. And now that stuff was used to water plants here.
To give an analogy, it's like feeding a cat food so expensive that even the most rich humans could not afford it.
The palace complex was luxurious even for the royal district. Each building was vast, luxurious, and pristine. It showed the decadent charm of a civilization that had been prosperous for too long and pulled you in with its gorgeous architecture, marvelous roads, and amazing art pieces.
Sonya started to explain the housing. "The best residential quarters are the core ring, for rank 9s. The next is rank 8s. The higher your strength, the better your residence. And this is where the rank 7s start."
Varian wanted to fight rank 8s since he could but winning against a low rank 8 would put him at the end of the tail.
"Brother-in-law, are you listening?" Sonya asked, noticing his lack of focus.
"Huh? Brother-in-law? Me…? Ahhh!" Varian slapped his thigh and changed the direction from the area of rank 7 to rank 8 residences.
"W-Wait! Those aren't something you ca—"
Standing outside the gates of a 100-acre estate dedicated to the strongest rank 8 of the kingdom, Varian yelled.
"Hey pal, I've come to give you an amazing, amazing opportunity. Pack your bags and leave this mansion to me, the one and only brother-in-law of Princess Isadora. If you don't, don't blame me if anything happens to you. You don't have to bow down and thank me. But if you do, well, you're welcome."
The large gates slammed open and a middle-aged man with a red scar running down his yellow face stomped out with undisguised killing intent.
"Who the fu—Y-You…"
The outburst of the man halted and he stuttered as if he was having a glitch. He quickly tapped his bracelet and checked the latest news in the chat group.
And then he stiffened.
"M-Mister V-Varian Konstant…"
Unlike the Archdukes who still behaved arrogantly, a rank 8 didn't have such courage. This particular man certainly did not.
He looked middle-aged but was actually very young relative to his rank and was seen as a promising candidate who could reach rank 9 in a few more decades.
According to the rumors, even the Archduke Corinthian famous for his arrogance, did not clash with this man.
If even they didn't dare, how could he?
Gulping down his saliva, the man rushed back into his mansion. "Just a minute!"
Working at a speed that he didn't even know was possible, he cleaned up the 100-acre estate and rushed out in a few seconds.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!" It wasn't physical exertion, it was the mental toll that caused him to pant.
"T-Thank you for picking my humble residence." Bowing deeply, the man ran away, as if fleeing for life.
"Welcome, welcome. Now scram!" Varian waved his hand as if this was how it was supposed to be.
Sarah, Enigma, and Sonya entered the estate, heading to the mansion.
Varian on the other hand stayed back, telling them he had a small business to take care of.
When they went inside and closed the doors, he turned around with a smirk. "How about you rats roll out already?"
