Chapter 238 - 237 : Arina’s request

Chapter 238: Chapter 237 : Arina’s request

Diana and Layla stepped forward.

Layla moved with her usual composed elegance. Diana, on the other hand, looked like she was walking toward her execution.

The moment she reached Arthur, Diana flinched.

Her eyes darted nervously toward him.

"Wh-what is it?" she asked. "Do not tell me you are going to ask Miss Athena to expel me."

Arthur let out a tired sigh.

"Do not worry. I am not as petty as you are," he said. "But I can do that if you are going to cause problems for me."

Diana’s breath caught.

She opened her mouth, ready to snap back at him.

Before she could, Layla spoke in a cold, annoyed tone.

"Stop scaring the poor thing and just tell us why you called us."

Arthur blinked.

Then he nodded.

"Ah, right."

He looked toward the gathered first-years, second-years, and third-years.

"From now on, you will learn how to work as a team under Layla," Arthur said. "And Diana will be in charge of strategies and planning."

For a moment, the training ground fell silent.

Layla’s eyes widened.

Diana’s mouth fell open.

Then both of them understood exactly what Arthur was doing.

The bastard was dumping his responsibilities on them.

Layla was ready to object.

But Arthur looked directly at her first.

"Do not forget that you owe me quite a bit," he said. "I am the one protecting you from getting killed at any moment."

Layla’s expression darkened.

Her fists clenched at her sides.

But she said nothing.

Arthur had stolen her Resurrection ability and forced her into a corner when she had no choice but to accept his offer of protection from the unknown assassin.

She knew he had played her, and she had fallen for it like an idiot, too.

But she could not deny that, right now, she needed him.

So she had no choice but to follow his orders.

Arthur then turned toward Diana.

"And you," he said. "Let me tell you the truth. Your physical capabilities are trash."

Diana’s face instantly turned red with anger.

Her hands curled into fists.

Arthur continued before she could explode.

"But I acknowledge your intelligence and academic ability," he said. "That is why I am giving you this responsibility."

Diana paused.

Arthur looked at her calmly.

"And to be clear, you can say no."

The anger on Diana’s face slowly faded.

She stared at Arthur with suspicion.

Then she lifted her chin.

"So you acknowledge that I am more intelligent than you, huh?"

Arthur’s mouth twitched.

"I did not say that," he replied. "But yes, you will be useful in ways the others cannot be."

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"So do not make me regret this."

Diana remained still.

Arthur continued.

"I am giving you a chance to prove yourself to the world. If you do not want the position, then this is your chance to refuse."

For several seconds, Diana said nothing.

Then she spoke quickly.

"Who said I will not do it?"

Her expression became determined.

"I will show you that having muscles does not mean anything if you do not have a brain."

Her voice grew louder.

"Not only to you, but to everyone. Even my father and my entire family."

Arthur watched her quietly.

He understood Diana better than most people did.

Her family valued strength.

Raw combat ability.

Power.

And compared to her brother Damian, Diana had always been treated as less impressive because she lacked overwhelming physical talent.

But Diana had another kind of strength.

Her mind.

In the future war, when powerful monsters poured into the world and nations began collapsing under endless battles, Diana would become one of the sharpest strategists of her generation.

She would lead people through impossible situations.

She would see opportunities where others only saw defeat.

’But we are not at that stage yet,’ Arthur thought. ’That will happen years later.’

Arthur turned to the rest of the students.

"Does anyone have any objections to Layla and Diana leading us?"

No one answered.

Layla was already the recognized leader of the third-years, so no one dared question her authority.

Diana’s appointment was more controversial.

Under normal circumstances, the second-years and third-years would never allow a first-year to handle strategy for them.

But after hearing Arthur’s threats, and after agreeing to follow his orders, none of them dared object.

One by one, they nodded.

Arthur looked satisfied.

"Good."

He clasped his hands behind his back.

"We only have four days left," Arthur said. "From now on, we will focus entirely on teamwork and strategies. You have already trained enough individually inside this academy."

He glanced toward the academy buildings.

"If any of you need specific assistance, the professors will help you."

Several students sighed with relief.

Then Arthur’s voice turned cold.

"But all of you had better train like hell."

The relief disappeared.

"If even one of you drags us down," Arthur continued, "then I will make that person’s life hell."

His gaze swept through the gathering.

"Whatever grudges you have against each other, forget them until the Inter-Academy Competition is over. Do you understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"Yes."

Arthur nodded in approval.

"Good."

He looked toward Layla and Diana.

"From morning until evening, all of you will train in teamwork and strategic coordination. Do you understand?"

"Yes," the students replied.

Arthur was satisfied.

Then Victor stepped forward.

"I want to train with you."

Everyone turned toward him.

For a moment, they thought they had heard him wrong.

Victor Blackthorn was known for his pride and arrogance. He was the type of person who would rather start a fight than follow someone else’s instructions.

Yet now, he was asking Arthur to train with him.

The others were shocked.

But they were curious too.

They wanted to know what kind of training Arthur had endured to become powerful enough to use a domain at such a young age.

A technique that normally required an SS-rank awakener.

Arthur smiled.

"Alright," he said. "Meet me later after you are done training with Layla on teamwork."

Victor nodded without hesitation.

Damian stared at Victor with disbelief.

It was hard to believe that this was the same rebellious Victor who would punch someone without thinking twice if they annoyed him.

Then Arion stepped forward.

"Can I join later too?"

Before Arthur could answer, Aaron raised his hand.

"I want to join too."

Soon, several second-years and third-years raised their hands as well.

Arthur looked at them.

"Suit yourselves," he said. "But it is nothing special like you think. You will understand when you see it."

The students nodded.

"Alright," Arthur said. "Now go. Follow my instructions to the letter."

In the next second, everyone began to disperse.

Layla led the students toward another section of the training grounds, where there was enough open space for group formations and coordinated combat drills.

Diana followed beside her, already beginning to observe each ranker with sharp, calculating eyes. She gathered everything she could about their talents, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and individual capabilities so she could formulate strategies accordingly.

Arthur watched them leave.

He was curious about how Layla would force such a divided and prideful group to cooperate.

Part of him wanted to follow.

After all, Layla possessed an extremely powerful system. Watching her lead might reveal something useful.

But before Arthur could move, a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Can we talk for a bit?"

Arthur turned.

Aiden stood behind him.

The seriousness on Aiden’s face immediately told Arthur that this was not about training.

Arthur glanced around.

There was no one close enough to hear them.

Only Arina remained at a distance.

She stood near the edge of the training ground, staring toward the ground. She looked unable to meet Arthur’s gaze.

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

"Let me guess," he said. "She made a request through you."

Aiden gave a bitter smile.

"Quick to catch on, as always."

Arthur looked toward Arina.

"You realize this has nothing to do with you, right?"

"I know," Aiden said.

His voice became quieter.

"I am grateful to you. Because of you, I was able to meet my sister again."

Arthur listened.

"That is also why I understand something now," Aiden continued. "When I was searching for my sister like a madman, I saw that same worry and anxiety in Arina’s eyes."

Aiden took a slow breath.

"I am not asking you to free Adrian Evan Imperius. But at least let her see him. Let her tell the Imperius family that he is safe and alive."

His expression became serious.

"Otherwise, who knows what those people might do? They might come after us, try to harm us, or attempt to free him by force."

Aiden placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

"I do not know how much you suffered because of them," he said. "So the decision is yours. No matter what you choose, I will support you."

Arthur fell silent.

Aiden was right.

It had been a long time since Arthur had trapped Adrian.

The Imperius family would not remain patient forever.

If Arthur completely refused to negotiate, they might act recklessly.

Letting them know Adrian was alive could ease their panic.

It would also give Arthur an opportunity.

He could speak with Adrian inside the containment ring.

He could negotiate.

Make deals.

Arthur had been delaying.

But now there was no reason to delay any longer.

Arthur looked at Aiden.

"Thanks," he said. "I can feel my head clearing."

Aiden nodded.

Then he walked toward the others, joining the group that was beginning to coordinate under Layla.

Arthur watched him go.

Then he walked toward Arina.

She still could not raise her eyes to meet his.

Arthur stopped in front of her.

"Come with me," he said. "I will let you meet your dear father."

Arina’s face lit up.

Hope appeared in her ember-colored eyes.

Arthur looked away, his voice lowering into a murmur.

"I am curious too. I want to know how he is doing inside the ring."

A slow, devilish smile formed on Arthur’s face.

Only months had passed in the outside world.

But inside the containment ring, time flowed differently.

Arthur’s smile deepened.

’Let’s see how you’re doing, dear father.’