112

"Commander Faith, I asked you a question. Is this kid deaf?" The mage asked again, this time with a louder voice.

Faith immediately stood up but kept her head down as she spoke. "N-No, sir. This kid is not deaf at all."

"What?"

"He is not deaf, then why is he not bowing down?"

"He is simply courting death."

"Who is this kid?"

The audience started discussing Anon as they observed him carefully.

"Kid, if you are not deaf, I, as the speaker of this Royal Court, speak on behalf of the Queen herself. Bow down now, or we have other ways to get you on your knees." The mage shouted in a high and deep voice.

Faith walked up to Anon, touched his shoulder, and whispered into his ear.

"Bow down, or this thing will escalate too much."

Anon looked at her and smiled. His face was gagged with a special cloth that blocked his mouth from speaking. So he just nodded his head in a 'No.'

"Did he just nod his head 'No'?" One of the Royal ministers spoke with a very loud voice.

"Soldiers, use your javelins to pierce through this kid's ankles and get him to his knees now," the other mage shouted.

"N-No, please wait. He will bow down. Jule, please bow down... you are a bright kid. If you show this rebel-like behavior here, your future will get destroyed," Faith spoke.

Anon lowered his neck and faced toward the floor.

"Good, now just bow down," Faith spoke with a smile.

Titch

Suddenly, she heard a weird noise coming from Anon's hands. She immediately looked down and observed that Anon was pulling his hands away from each other, trying to break free of the golden ropes.

"N-No... Jule-"

Twitch

Twitch

Twitch

Twitch

All five ropes were broken before Faith could say anything else.

Everyone inside the Royal Court was shocked as they observed Anon doing this.

"He broke the golden ropes."

"Who is this kid?"

"How much physical power does he have to actually do this?"

"Don't you know? He is a Level-Three Threat."

"What? Level-Three?"

"Wait... You are really saying that this kid is a Level-Three Threat?"

"Everyone, silent," the mage shouted at the audience and the Royal ministers.

Even the Queen herself was shocked at this view. Her eyes widened as she observed Anon breaking the mana-disabling ropes very easily.

"Fuck..." Faith cursed as she observed Anon removing his mouth and eye coverings.

"Hah... What a pleasure to see the world again," Anon spoke as he inhaled the air and exhaled it.

"Commander Faith, I am giving you the last chance to get this kid to bow down in front of our Queen, or he will be disabled from the legs by our Royal Soldiers," one of the mages warned Faith.

"I am sorry, sir, but he is out of my reach now," Faith spoke as she walked back to her position and went down on her knees.

"Oi, old man. Talk to me... Why are you talking to the ladies?" Anon spoke with a smile.

"I don't talk to weaklings like you. Soldiers, attack him and destroy his legs. He shall become the example of what happens when you reject the Queen's orders," another mage ordered.

Suddenly, four guards started walking towards Anon with their fragile spears in their hands. They positioned themselves in the front and back sides of Anon and pointed their spear's blades toward Anon's ankles.

"Attack," the mage ordered.

All four guards struck Anon's ankles at the same time, but before the spear's blades could pierce through his ankles, the blades broke into thousands of pieces and fell down.

"What? How can he?"

"What is this kid even made of?"

"Soldiers, cut down—"

"Wait..." Before the mage could say anything else, the Queen spoke up and interrupted him.

"Yes, my queen?" The mage asked in a polite voice as he looked at Fiona.

"Kid, what's your name?" The queen questioned.

"Jule..." Anon answered.

"Why won't you bow down to me?" The Queen asked.

"I bow before no one," Anon answered with a smile as he directly looked at the queen.

"How dare you—" The mage immediately got triggered and wanted to say something.

"Shut up. What if I made you bow down before me with force?" The Queen asked Anon with a smile.

"You can't, neither can any of your Royal Ministers," Anon answered with a straight face.

"You dare say this in our court? You are asking for death, kid." One of the Royal Ministers stood up and shouted at Anon.

"I can make you bow down. Don't say nonsense in the court, kid." Another minister stood up and spoke.

"Make him," the Queen spoke.

"W-What? My queen?" Both of the ministers spoke at the same time.

"I said, make him bow before me, and I will give each of you a chance to take anything from the royal treasure," the Queen spoke.

Both of the ministers looked at each other with wide smiles. They thought that making a kid bow in front of the queen was no big deal, and thanks to this kid, they now had the opportunity to choose one weapon from the royal treasure.

"You have 1 minute, and your time starts now," the Queen spoke.

Suddenly, one of them walked up to Anon and unsheathed his wand.

"Oh god of Gravity... may you give me the power~" He started enchanting a spell.

[Your Opponent has used the skill [Gravitational Pull]]

Suddenly, Anon felt gravity increasing over his body, just like he did in that training room, but it was nothing compared to what he felt in the training room. Anon just stood there and continued to feel the gravity pulling him down with every second.

'Link, Please show this man, what actual gravitational force feel like.'

[Yes, Master.]

[Your pet link has used the skill [Quantum Reflect]]

Suddenly, the Royal Minister felt his body getting crushed by the same spell that he was just using on Anon.

"H-Hey.... What's happening? Why am I feeling this?" The minister spoke as he felt immense pressure on his body.

Crack

Suddenly, the floor under him started cracking.

"Stop." The Queen ordered as she noticed that Anon has turned the Minister's attack on himself.

Anon ceased the quantum reflection, releasing the Royal Minister.

"My Queen, shall I attempt to make him bow before you with my physical power? These magic-using kids are nothing when it comes to physical strength," another Royal Minister spoke. He possessed a well-developed and muscular physique.

"Yes," the Queen ordered.

"As you wish, my Queen," the Royal Minister said, rising from his chair with a smile on his face.

Approaching Anon, the Royal Minister placed his hands on Anon's left and right shoulders.

"Bow down to my Queen, you pathetic weak kid," the Royal Minister spoke as he pressed both of Anon's shoulders downwards simultaneously.

'Now, go down, kid,' he thought, but suddenly something felt wrong.

Forget kneeling, he couldn't even get Anon to budge from his position.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" Anon asked with a smile as he looked at the Royal Minister.

"Y-You, how dare you make fun of the strongest man in this court?" The Royal Minister said, pressing down on Anon's shoulders with all his strength.

Anon's body appeared fragile in his clothing, but no one knew that he had compressed muscles, brimming with so much strength that this Royal Minister was like a child in front of him.

"W-Why aren't you yielding to my power-?" The Royal Minister spoke, his face turning red.

"Don't worry... it happens," Anon said as he placed one of his hands on the minister's back and applied slight pressure.

Crack

Thud

The minister immediately fell to his knees, feeling his kneecaps crushed.

Everyone inside the Royal Court stood up, shocked as they observed Anon's feat.

"Who is this kid?"

"How can he make a Royal Minister kneel so easily?"

"He's a menace."

"I think he's a master in disguise."

The audience murmured various things about Anon.

"Kid, do you know where you're standing?" One of the mages asked.

"I do," Anon replied with a smile, looking at the mage.

"We can—" before the mage could respond, the Queen interrupted him.

"Wait, what was your offense again?" She asked with a smile.

"My Queen, he kill—" Faith began to speak, but she, too, was interrupted by the Queen.

"Not you, Faith. I asked him," the Queen said, turning her gaze to Faith.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Faith said, going down on her knees again.

"Speak up, kid," the Queen said.

"I killed all the members of the Paradise family, except one," Anon spoke without hesitation or guilt.

"Oh, you mean Peter's family?" The Queen asked.

"Yes," Anon replied.

"How many of you were together when you killed his family?" The Queen asked.

"What do you mean?" Anon asked with a confused expression.

"I mean, where are your partners? Did they get killed inside the mansion by Faith or by the guards of the Paradise Mansion?" The Queen asked, her smile designed to traumatize Anon by reminding him of his deceased companions.

"What nonsense? Who needs companions to kill a family like that?" Anon asked without hesitation.

Suddenly, the whole court fell silent at this statement.

"Faith... Can you explain what this kid means?" The Queen asked.

"H-He... he killed them alone, my Queen," Faith informed as she stood up.

A shocked expression suddenly appeared on Fiona's face.

"Aren't you an interesting kid? What did they do to you that you had to do this?" The Queen asked with a smile.

"This guy named Ares Paradise from the Paradise household killed my father and then kidnapped my mother and sister. After this, he threatened me that he would kill them if I didn't go to his designated place on time. I have this letter that is written by him," Anon explained as he showed the letter to the whole court.

"Bring me the letter," the Queen ordered.

"Yes, my Queen," a mage said as he cast a spell on the letter, causing it to vanish from Anon's hands and reappear in front of the Queen.

The Queen read the entire letter in one glance.

"This letter is indeed written by Ares. I know his mana pattern... he used magic to alter his handwriting. This kid is telling the truth," the Queen said as she examined the letter.

"Hey, why does the Queen know Ares's mana pattern? Is he also a criminal?" Anon asked Faith.

"... You idiot, she is Ares's long-distance relative, Aunt," Faith replied.

"Oh... that's why," Anon said.

"Wait, this place is on the coast of the Elven Kingdom, right? Why did you go to his house?" The Queen asked.

"Well, he kidnapped my family, so I took his family as hostages in their own house," Anon explained.

"How did Faith even find you?" The Queen questioned.

"Well, he killed my father and two of my neighbors... after that, he threatened my neighbors to lie to Faith about me murdering my own father, and he was the one who reported me to Faith in the first place..." Anon explained everything that had happened to him until now.

"So, you played with Oxmaul's mind and turned him into a lunatic, then Ares kidnapped your mother and daughter. But before he could do anything to them, you made a trade with him, in which you killed his whole upper noble family, right?" The Queen spoke.

"No, not the whole family. I let his mother go.... you see, I am a man of my word," Anon said.

"My Queen, this kid should be punished by the death penalty for killing an entire upper noble family, right?" the mage asked.

"No, I want to see a witness of this event. Call Ares's mother," the Queen demanded.

Suddenly, the gates of the court opened once more, and Ares's mother entered the court.

She immediately went down on her knees and greeted the Queen. "Long live the Queen."

"Stand up and tell me everything that happened..." The Queen asked again.

'What's the point of repeating it? I just told you the whole story?' Anon wondered as he sighed.

After another ten minutes, Ares's mother finally stopped speaking.

"...and then he cheated my son out of the deal that he made with him and cut his neck right off."

"Very well, I have heard the stories from both sides. Now, I will pass the judgment—" The Queen spoke, but suddenly, another mage started whispering something in her ear.

"Very well, Mr. Jule, you are charged with the crime of killing three upper noble family members, which carries a penalty of death. However, since you have this letter written by Ares, you won't receive a death sentence because it shows that this was a mutual revenge plan from both sides, and your neighbors have also confirmed that they were indeed threatened by Ares in the first place.

Still, you will receive a life sentence of 80 years within the city prison, and—" The Queen continued, but suddenly, the other mage started whispering something in her ear.

"Hmm.... interesting. Mr. Jule, are you planning to participate in the upcoming Academic Exchange that is two days from now?" The Queen questioned.

'Hehe... I was waiting for this,' Anon thought as a smile appeared on his face.

Half an hour ago...

Anon sat inside the carriage as it carried him toward the castle. Suddenly, he heard a sound in his mind.

'Master, can you hear me?' It was Jessica's voice, and she was using the psychic connection skill to communicate with Anon.

'Hmm...? Jessica, is that you?' Anon questioned.

'Yes, Master. I am right above your carriage at this moment with No.300 and Mike. We are ready to break you free at any moment, just say the word. Mike can take care of the guards, and we can escape in that time,' Jessica suggested.

'No, Luv. I am going into that castle by my own choice. I want to infiltrate the castle from the prison. I can easily gain access to the castle after corrupting the jailor. Once I've corrupted the head maid, I'll get Lucy back to her job. With her inside the castle, it will be easier to influence the Queen, or should I say, your sister, Fiona,' Anon explained.

'Master, the crime you committed carries a death penalty. You're not going to prison for killing three upper noble men,' Jessica explained.

'I know, but according to the Elven constitution, if I possess a threat-proof given to me by the noble I killed, my death penalty will be commuted because of the mutual revenge feelings, and I'll be imprisoned for only 80 years. Didn't you read your own constitution?' Anon asked.

'F-Fiona betrayed me before I could read it,' Jessica stammered.

'Well, you can get your revenge after I corrupt her, but for now, get off this carriage... it's fortunate that it's at the end of the line, so no one will see you. Go,' Anon ordered.

'Master, you said you want to get inside the castle, right?' Jessica asked.

'Yeah... Why? Do you have another plan for me?' Anon asked as a joke.

'I do,' Jessica replied seriously.

'Hmmm...? Are you serious?' Anon asked.

'I am. Do you know about the upcoming 'Academic Exchange tournament' in two days?'

'I do. What about it?' Anon asked.

'Okay, listen to this. The Queen can choose her own representative every year for this Academic Exchange.' Jessica explained.

'Why would the Queen represent her own representative? Isn't this a competition for academies?' Anon questioned.

'Indeed it is, but the Queen selects a child each year to train as her personal counselor, someone who can advise her personally on every matter. The counselor remains by her side, even at night, and serves as her bodyguard,' Jessica explained.

'Jessica, Luv, what exactly are you trying to say?' Anon asked.

'Well, what I mean is that the Queen chooses a child each year to become her counselor and has them compete in the Academic Exchange as an independent participant. Now, if she chooses you as her candidate, all you have to do is win the Academic Exchange, and you'll become the counselor to the Elven Queen. Won't that be great? It will save you a lot of time,' Jessica suggested.

'Well, it's easy to say, but how will I get her to choose me as her candidate, and doesn't she already have a counselor?' Anon asked.

'No, the role of counselor is very important. To become the Queen's counselor, you need to meet two conditions. First, you must be the chosen candidate of the Queen. Second, you must win the Academic Exchange. These two conditions have never been met, which is why no one has filled the role of Queen's counselor since my great-grandmother. Either the winner of the Academic Exchange isn't the chosen candidate, or the chosen candidate doesn't win the Academic Exchange due to increased competition,' Jessica explained.

'What do you mean by increased competition?' Anon asked.

'Well, what do you think happens when the Queen herself chooses a candidate and makes them compete in the Academic Exchange? Everyone wants to defeat that candidate because when the chosen candidate is defeated, the winner gets a position boost in the Academic Exchange, advancing directly to the finals without competing in other matches during the event,' Jessica explained.

'Wow... that's a lot to take in. How do you plan to make me the chosen candidate of the Queen?' Anon questioned.

'Well, for the past 50 years, my sister has been choosing the candidates for this tournament, and she's faced defeat each time. She wants to fill the position of the Queen's Counselor to become the perfect Queen because a Queen without a counselor is not considered a proper Queen. You just need to impress her with a display of your powers and speak to her with confidence. Leave the rest to me,' Jessica explained.

'Well, if you say so. I don't mind showing off my skills and talking to someone with attitude but what happens if I get defeated in this Academic Exchange tournament?' Anon asked.

'Well, at best, your prison sentence will be increased by 50 years, I believe,' Jessica said.

'Wait, I'll get my time increased by 50 years if I'm defeated in that event?' Anon asked.

'Yes... though I think it might have been 150 years. Ah, I can't remember exactly, but it won't matter to you since you can continue with your previous plan, right?' Jessica asked.

'Hmm... you're right. If this idea succeeds, it will be a great opportunity to get close to the Queen without wasting extra time and effort. If it fails, I can always fall back on my other plan. When did you become so clever, Jessica?' Anon asked.

'I was the Queen before her, Master, and a fully-fledged assassin too,' Jessica replied.

Back to the present time...

"You didn't answer the question, Mr. Jule. Are you going to participate in this year's Academic Exchange?" The Queen asked with a smile.

"I am," Anon answered with a smile.

"Well, then I have a deal for you. Today's court will be adjourned here. I want a meeting arranged with Mr. Jule in the meeting room," the Queen ordered as she stood up and walked toward her room with her maids.

'What now, Jessica?' Anon asked.

'Just stand there; the guards will automatically escort you to her meeting room'

Anon now sat within the castle's meeting room, alone, on a grand and luxurious couch. A maid waited outside, ready to tend to his needs, while a cup of tea and some snacks lay on a table in front of him.

Anon patiently waited for the Queen's arrival.

'Is she here yet?' Jessica's voice echoed in Anon's mind.

'For the 49th time, no, she hasn't arrived. Could you please stop asking? At 40 times, I thought it was a joke, but now it's crossing the boundaries of humor,' Anon replied.

'I can't help it. I'm eager to exact revenge on my sister. I want to make her suffer just as she made me suffer. I want her to experience the same pain I endured back then,' Jessica shared.

Creak

'Calm down, someone is coming,' Anon warned.

The doors to the meeting room opened, and Fiona entered with two bodyguards.

"Hello, Jule. I notice you haven't touched your tea and biscuits. Either you don't like them, or you're being cautious. Which is it?" Fiona inquired.

"Well, I'm not hungry," Anon answered with a composed expression.

"Cautious it is, then," Fiona remarked as she took a seat in front of him.

"What do you want to discuss?" Anon asked without hesitation.

"A contract," she replied, extending her hand to one of her bodyguards.

The bodyguard promptly handed her a stack of papers.

"Here you go. Please read this and let me know if you're willing to sign it or not. I'll return in 30 minutes," Fiona said, handing the papers to Anon before promptly leaving the room.

Anon silently took the papers and glanced at the first heading.

'The Chosen Candidate of the Queen.'

"Should I go through this agreement, Jessica?" Anon asked.

"No need. Just turn to page 34 and read me the fourth line from the bottom," Jessica advised.

Anon promptly flipped through the agreement to page No. 34 and located the specified line.

"Okay, I found it. It says... The candidate agrees to become the chosen candidate for the Queen and will show no attraction toward any academy in the future. They will not accept any amount of money to betray the Queen's trust, or they will be solely responsible for the punishment," Anon read aloud.

"Good. Now, turn to page 57 and read the 11th clause from the beginning," Jessica instructed.

"Okay," Anon replied, proceeding to turn page after page to reach page 57.

After an extensive search, he finally arrived at page 57 and couldn't help but comment, "What is this? An agreement or a detailed history book on the extinction of dinosaurs?"

Ignoring the bulk, he began searching for the 11th clause as instructed.

"Alright, I found it. It says... If the candidate disagrees with the contract and chooses not to sign it, they will face punishment. However, it doesn't specify the nature of the punishment," Anon explained.

"Hmm... that's new. Well, flip to the second-to-last page and read the final clause," Jessica directed.

"Wait, what's new about it?" Anon inquired.

"That term 'punishment,' she's using it for something specific. I can't discern what, but for now, just turn to the second-to-last page and read the last clause," Jessica clarified.

"Okay," Anon acquiesced, navigating to the second-to-last page to find the final clause.

"Here it is. It says... If the chosen candidate does not win the Academic Exchange Tournament, he or she will face 'The Punishment.' What the heck is this 'punishment'?" Anon questioned, his frustration apparent.

"Its meaning will be specified on the last page. Just turn it over," Jessica replied.

Anon promptly flipped to the last page and found only two words inscribed on it.

For a moment, silence filled their connection.

'What does it say?' Jessica asked.

"It says... The punishment = Death," Anon revealed.

Both of them remained silent for a moment.

'Jess, you understand what this means, right?' Anon inquired.

'I-I do...' Jessica stammered.

'It means I'm stuck. I have to sign this contract or face death. And even if I manage to avoid that by signing, the next clause stipulates that if I don't win the Academic Exchange, I'll still be sentenced to death. Jessica, you've disrupted my plans. Now, I don't have a backup plan because of you. You were the one who suggested this idea,' Anon expressed his anger.

'I-I'm sorry, Master. I didn't know she would replace an extended prison term with the death sentence, but you still have a plan,' Jessica tried to pacify Anon's anger.

'Yes, I do have a plan, and this is my only plan now. You better be prepared to accept the consequences of this mistake. You know how I deal with mistakes like this, right?' Anon retorted with a harsh tone.

'Yes, Master. I'm ready to face your punishment,' Jessica responded, her voice flushed with embarrassment.

'Is there anything else important in this contract that I should be aware of?' Anon asked.

'No, Master,' Jessica replied.

'Good,' Anon declared as he picked up the pen and began signing the pages.

After signing every page, Anon finally put the pen down.

Creak

The doors of the room swung open, and Fiona re-entered. She glanced at Anon and then at the contract.

"Have you signed it?" Fiona inquired with a smile.

"I have," Anon confirmed.

"Excellent. Now, I'll take care of everything. This maid will show you to your room. You'll be staying inside the castle for the next two days. The maid will attend to your every need, from bathing to your attire. Good luck, and I hope you thoroughly reviewed the contract," Fiona said as she exited the room, still smiling.

"Sir, please follow me. I'll escort you to your room," the maid instructed Anon. She had Blue hairs, blue eyes, a good figure.

She had big boobs and Giant ass, it's like God made her to be used by the males.

'Heheheh... she'll take care of everything, huh? Let's see if she can warm up the bed,' Anon mused, an evil grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, i will follow you." Anon said he started following her.