292 Dekan Suspected He Was Here to Stir Things Up

During holidays and festivals, Royal Capital Square is always packed with people at midday, like a vast expanse of surging patterns.

The ancient column standing in the center of the square, replacing the sundial, indicates that it is now three o'clock in the afternoon.

Looking at the square from afar.

All three girls sighed.

"Let's go somewhere else, Mie, Cornelia."

Alice said helplessly.

Today is the second day of the off-season.

Tomorrow, the Hero Festival will feature the final battle between the Bishop of Pain and the Imperial Sword Saint.

The organizers also capitalized on the momentum, continuously hyping up the atmosphere.

As a result, the festive atmosphere in the Feilowen Royal Capital has reached its peak today.

The three girls left the most crowded tourist spots and strolled along the main road leading to the outskirts of the city, next to a clattering horse-drawn carriage.

In the sky dotted with sparse clouds, flocks of birds flew by in the distance.

The first breeze after getting away from the crowd gently caressed her cheeks, and Alice squinted her eyes comfortably.

If you let your guard down for a moment, you might almost forget that there is a very important game for Dekan tomorrow.

In fact, based on many of the analyses she heard...

If Dekan doesn't plan to pull any off-field tricks, his chances of defeating the Imperial Sword Saint in a one-on-one duel in Phantom Canyon are extremely low.

After all, it's a fifth-tier opponent facing off against an eighth-tier opponent.

The Imperial Sword Saint is a true all-around genius, a top performer among the eighth-tier warriors.

Alice didn't know how Dekan could win tomorrow.

But for some reason, I have a feeling Dekan can win.

Because in her opinion, Dekan is much more sophisticated!

And Dekan didn't seem worried at all; he went to work on Idol Group matters with Croix early this morning.

With Idol Group being so popular, the managers and producers of the agencies have become very busy.

It's said that after tomorrow's competition and awards ceremony, Dekan will immediately head to the concert venue to make preparations.

Unbeknownst to them, during their free time, the Beautiful Soul Squad split into male and female groups, just like they had done during the previous seventh-tier team assessment.

This time, however, there was also a friend from outside the team Alice.

Alice, who was already close friends with Mie, also became familiar with Cornelia during this time.

Cornelia, though sometimes struggling to cope with the princess's eccentricities, felt deep down that she was a very easy person to get along with.

Before she knew it, Cornelia had made another good friend.

A year ago, when she first enrolled, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to make any friends until Havenlit Academy.

I never imagined that now, as long as I'm with my friends...

Even after the holiday ends and I return to school, I won't find any day boring.

"How should we spend this afternoon?"

Cornelia said to herself.

Cornelia, is something on your mind?

Mie stared at Cornelia a moment and realized that her brows and eyes couldn't hide her feelings at all.

Ever since Cornelia received a letter this morning, she seems to have been a little absent-minded from time to time.

Alice also stared at Cornelia.

"My mother seems to be sick, and I want to go back to see her..."

Cornelia hesitated, then had no choice but to tell the truth.

It seems he didn't want Dekan to worry, lest it affect his upcoming final.

Therefore, there was no intention to tell Dekan today.

"Don't worry, tell Dekan tomorrow, and he'll go with you right away."

Alice patted Cornelia on the back and grinned as she spoke.

As originally planned, after the Hero Festival competition, they would spend some time sightseeing in the Philoven Kingdom.

As the producer of the Idol Group and a special guest of this Hero Festival, Dekan has been invited to some events and card-making competitions.

However, both Alice and Mie now know this.

No matter how busy Dekan is, as long as it's related to Cornelia...

Dekan would drop everything and go with her.

Cornelia nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"It's such a pity I didn't go to the Randir Kingdom with you guys back then!"

Alice strolled around, sighing as she did so.

When she learned that Mie and Cornelia had spent their time relaxing and enjoying themselves in the Randir Kingdom during their time off from the seventh-tier team exam, she couldn't help but show a regretful expression.

She had never been to such a faraway foreign country, let alone been able to leave her guards behind and play so freely with her friends.

After all, her companions were far superior to any bodyguards.

"That time was quite dangerous."

Mie looked at Alice with a hint of helplessness, then poked her cheek and said...

Looking back now, if it weren't for that blue man, the Bishop of Corruption Fahim would probably have turned the Royal Capital into a living hell.

For a fourth-tier true civilian employee like Alice, a significant amount of combat power still needs to be allocated to protect her.

Although this time, the Feilowen Royal Capital extremely safe, with strict security checks, strong security measures, and alarm barriers.

However, the barrier protection has a prerequisite: an attack must be launched to trigger the alarm and attract the security forces at lightning speed.

If a reckless attack occurs, it still cannot provide immediate protection.

There's actually no need to worry about this situation.

With Captain Dekan in charge of security checks, the Resurrection Cultist basically couldn't get into the Royal Capital.

That's how it was originally supposed to be.

However, things have changed a little now.

There is a group of dangerous people.

They didn't hate Dekan at first, so they could easily pass through Captain Dekan's security check and enter the Royal Capital.

However, after these past few days, they now hate Dekan intensely.

They are the followers of the Lord of Calamity — the Calamity Cult.

Dekan, who publicly declared war on the Lord of Calamity and successfully "punished the Lord of Calamity," can now be considered the number one mortal enemy in the eyes of the Calamity Cult.

It's hard to imagine what kind of revenge this group would take against Dekan.

There's no need to worry about the twenty-tiered armed Idol Group; the Calamity Cult dares not make a move.

The Dekanjacroix Bishop Killer Combo requires at least one bishop from the Church of Resurrection to defeat.

So, among all the people in the group...

The only weakness is Alice.

Of course, Dekan had already instructed Mie and Cornelia not to let Alice be alone, and to remain vigilant and protect her within the Royal Capital.

Cornelia, who had served as a part-time scout in the early stages of the team, and Mie, who possessed professional scout skills, quickly realized that someone was indeed following them.

We started from Royal Capital Square and gradually moved towards the outskirts; we followed them all the way.

However, they couldn't very well abandon Alice and launch their own attack.

All you need to do is wait for the opponent to make their move and then strike them down in one blow.

Mie and Cornelia exchanged only a glance before reaching a tacit understanding.

They have extensive experience in related business.

"So, what should we do to spend our last afternoon together?"

"Seeing that there's still no clear itinerary planned, "Mie asked.

Cornelia shook her head, seemingly having no idea.

However, Alice seemed to have thought of something, and her eyes lit up as she said:

"I actually still want to try betting; I'm betting on Dekan to win!"

Mie and Cornelia exchanged a glance, both feeling awkward.

They felt that Alice just wanted to win big and then go back to the kingdom to brag about being the God of Gamblers.

She wouldn't care if she lost, and if she won, she'd have something to brag about.

For her, it's all a win either way.

Although it is prohibited by the laws of the Philoven Kingdom.

However, the Kingdom Association still advocates for adding more entertainment elements.

Therefore, certain behaviors are tacitly approved.

For example, any multinational chamber of commerce, with its branch in the Philoven Kingdom, can offer cross-border betting services during the Hero Festival.

This means you can place bets remotely in other kingdoms from the Royal Capital.

Of course, a service fee will be added.

This results in it being unprofitable in terms of expected value, and it's more for entertainment.

Alice didn't seem to care much about profits or losses; she was simply there for the experience.

So, in order to fulfill Alice's dream of becoming a gambling god...

Mie and Cornelia accompanied Alice to the Inot Chamber of Commerce.

This was a merchant guild with gang-like characteristics that I had encountered in the Randir Kingdom.

Regardless of whether some of their businesses are legitimate or not, at least their integrity is somewhat guaranteed.

Certainly.

According to Dekan.

It would be better if they were dishonest.

That would turn it into an ATM.

Therefore, after returning from the Randir Kingdom, Mie often wondered what Dekan's true intentions were when he saw that Dekan would choose to cooperate with the Inot Chamber of Commerce first on certain multinational projects.

They soon arrived at the Inotte Chamber of Commerce's branch in the capital of the Kingdom of Philoven.

Before they could even step into the luxurious Chamber of Commerce building, a manager immediately came out to greet the three distinguished guests.

"Welcome to our Chamber of Commerce to our two distinguished guests from the Happy Group and Her Highness Alice."

The manager was exceptionally polite as he ushered the three of them into the Chamber of Commerce.

After briefly explaining their purpose, the manager quickly led the three of them to a VIP passage.

However, as they walked down the corridor, they discovered that a young man was already standing in front of the VIP window.

Clearly, the other party was also a VIP.

"Damn it, is that bastard going to play dirty again in the next game?!"

Before they even got close, they could hear the young man's resentful voice.

It seems some unlucky guy kept betting on Dekan to lose.

Now, before the final round begins, I'm hesitating whether to take one last gamble.

Led by the manager, the three of them sat patiently on the sofa and waited, not in a hurry at all.

After all, they were already feeling quite idle.

Mie rested her chin on her hand, observing the young people in front of them with great interest.

Although she had never seen this person before.

However, Mie, who possessed the skills of a disguise artist, quickly realized that the young man was hiding his true appearance.

"The chances of him continuing to use underhanded tricks are slim, but what if he actually pulls something out of nowhere tomorrow..."

The young man rested his chin on his hand and muttered to himself, seemingly very conflicted.

He was serious about winning the gamble.

Just as he was thinking...

"I'll teach you! Bet on Dekan to win, it's a sure thing!"

Alice didn't rush him; she simply offered some kind advice while sitting on the sofa and giving him a hint.

Upon hearing Alice's words, the mysterious youth was first taken aback, then turned around and shouted angrily:

"I won't bet on that bastard to win!"

Alice asked, somewhat surprised:

"Hey, do you know him?"

It feels like there's some personal grudge involved...

Mysterious young man. "I don't know him!"

Alice: "Then why do you harbor such resentment towards him...?"

Mysterious young man. "Who holds a grudge against him! Don't you think this guy wins every game in a despicable way?"

Alice: "Hmph, victory is justice. Do you think you can reason with someone after you lose a bet?"

"..."

The young man seemed to fall silent after Alice's words.

Moreover, the way Alice spoke was just like that of a true old gambling master.

To project a sophisticated image.

They seemed to have sensed the mysterious young man's hesitation.

Alice took it upon herself to step forward, snatched the prepaid card from the young man's hand, and slammed it on the counter.

"Bet all on Dekan! Trust me, you won't regret it!"

Alice said in a willful yet bold manner.

"You?"

The mysterious young man quickly placed his hand on the counter to stop the manager from operating it, looking at Alice with some surprise and anger.

This isn't her money!

Besides, does she even know how much money is in that card?

To treat a high-stakes gamble of 10,000 Gold Coin as a joke is either the act of a true gambling master or the act of a complete novice!

Alice: "If you lose, I'll compensate you; if you win, give me half the winnings, and then call me the Gambling Saint. Is that too much to ask?"

Mysterious young man. "Do you even know how much money is on this card? And you're trying to compensate me? Really..."

Alice ignored the young man.

He placed his card on the counter and casually told the manager, "I'm betting ten million."

Mysterious young man. "???"

He suspected there was something wrong with his ears.

What the heck is ten million?

Even the manager at the counter was so startled he almost fell off his chair.

It wasn't until he saw with his own eyes that the manager had indeed deducted ten million from the girl's card and successfully placed the bet on her behalf that the young man was convinced that this guy was truly outrageous.

She remained remarkably calm even after spending ten million.

The respiratory rate did not change at all!

It was as if ten million meant nothing to her, or as if she was truly certain of winning.

"Are you born with a gold mine?"

The young man's eyes widened, and he asked.

"No... um, it seems so."

Alice thought about it and felt that... it might not be wrong to say that the mines of the Norton Kingdom belonged to her family.

Actually, she didn't initially plan to bet that much; she only intended to bet 100,000 Gold Coin for fun.

But sensing an opportunity to show off, she immediately decided to go all in.

This VIP must be some unknown big shot.

If she puts on a show in front of him and others, and succeeds, then someone will surely be bragging about her legend in some unknown place!

Ten million is indeed close to all of Alice's wealth to date.

The young man stared at the counter, deep in thought with a complex expression.

After receiving the guarantee from this wealthy girl, betting on the Imperial Sword Saint and losing means losing everything, while betting on Dekan and winning only halve the profit, but losing means getting your entire principal back. Based on the expected return, betting on Dekan is the better option no matter what, as it's a sure thing.

This rich girl doesn't seem like the type to renege on a debt of 10,000 Gold Coin.

In the end, the young man decided to go all in on Dekan.

Although he disliked Dekan, the young player really wanted to get his first win.

Of course, if Dekan could win him a large sum of money, he decided to temporarily stop holding such a grudge against Dekan.

After exchanging bank account numbers, the two parties left the Inot Chamber of Commerce one after the other.

The sun is setting.

The light gradually faded beyond the horizon, and today's afternoon festival came to an end.

Instead, a moonlit night rose with the zenith as its target, accompanied by a faint purple haze.

The sky was filled with countless stars, which looked like cold, luminous caves.

The streets gradually became shrouded in black, and before you knew it, the presence of passersby seemed to be hidden away, plunging into silence.

Whoosh, whoosh—the wind swept past the group of people standing at the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce.

It's summer, even though.

But it will send a chill down the spine of anyone standing at the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce.

This is a murderous aura that is no longer concealed!

Mie and Cornelia's expressions turned serious.

They knew that the people who had followed them during their time at the Inot Chamber of Commerce were already preparing to act!

The Calamity Cult is finally coming.

"Buzz!"

With a whooshing sound, it materialized and stirred up an invisible wind.

A figure swooped down from the street like a suicide bomber toward Alice, who was right in the center of the trio, while Mie and Cornelius were already prepared to fight back.

However.

The young man who had walked out of the Inot Chamber of Commerce first happened to be standing near that figure.

His eagle-like, sharp pupils instantly locked onto that figure, as if they were locking onto their prey.

Without a doubt, this figure was an assassin who wanted to attack the three girls.

In almost an instant, the young man made a judgment, grabbed the assassin by the neck like a chick, and slammed him to the ground.

But the young man didn't seem to have expected that the assassin would use such an extreme suicide attack.

After being blocked, it immediately self-destructed.

"Boom!!"

The explosion was accompanied by a tremendous sound, and sparks flew everywhere, illuminating the streets in an instant, followed by billowing smoke.

The smoke gradually dissipated after several seconds.

Although Alice and her two companions were unharmed in the distance, the young man's face was blackened by the explosion.

His physical condition seems somewhat extraordinary; the explosion didn't even injure him.

The horrifying, dried, charred bloodstains on his body appeared to belong to the attacker.

He looks like a demon from hell right now.

In less than half a minute, the huge commotion attracted a large number of security forces.

There's no escaping this situation; fleeing the scene of an accident will only lead to more trouble.

So, in order not to escalate the problem, the young man stayed put.

"Thank you!"

Cornelia and Mie, who were somewhat stunned, nodded to the young man in gratitude after they came to their senses.

Although everything happened so suddenly, after Mie and Cornelia explained what had happened, Alice, still shaken, thanked the young man with gratitude.

"If Dekan loses, I'll still have to come after you for the debt, that's all."

The young man waved his hand and said.

They seemed to think little of this small favor.

Soon, the sheriff arrived and warily surrounded the young man, asking:

"Sir, what's going on here?"

"Someone tried to attack them, I stopped him, and then he exploded."

The young man explained calmly.

It's obvious.

Do you even need to ask?

"..."

However, the sheriff looked at the scene and at the young man's Terror appearance.

The sheriff just couldn't believe it...

So they went to ask the witnesses in the vicinity.

Apart from Alice, the other two stated that they were young people who acted bravely and righteously.

The other witnesses all stated that--

"At that time, the young man grabbed a passerby at random, then slammed the passerby to the ground. 'Smack!' The passerby exploded."

After repeated confirmations, the same result was obtained, causing the sheriffs' lips to twitch.

Even so...

Both eyewitness accounts are quite outrageous.

However, based on the sheriffs' many years of experience...

Considering the current situation.

No matter how you look at it, the second explanation is more convincing.

"Please come with us."

The sheriffs couldn't figure out what was going on, so they could only keep their distance from the young man with extra caution, calling for backup while saying this.

"..."

The mysterious young man's face was as black as a pot.

He seemed to realize then that there had been a major problem with the previous move.

From a normal person's perspective, it certainly seems like a different situation...

Ha, even those who try to be brave can get arrested.

As expected of the Kingdom Association.

A disdainful smile curled at the corner of the young man's lips.

"Let's go!"

He proudly extended his hands and said that he was letting the sheriff handcuff him.

The next morning.

Dekan sat in the living room reading the newspaper; he still had plenty of rest time before the match this afternoon.

[A murder occurred in the Feilowen Royal Capital yesterday afternoon. The victim's identity remains unknown, the method of murder is extremely gruesome, and there are many suspicious points surrounding the case. The investigation is ongoing...]

When Dekan saw the photo of the arrested man in the newspaper, he felt a strange sense of familiarity about the man's pitiful yet unusually confident posture.

Cornelia, who was eating fruit and snacks nearby, came over to take a look.

Cornelia: "Ah, isn't he the kind guy who helped us yesterday? Alice and Mie are going to testify for him today."

Dekan: "Tell me in detail."

Cornelia then recounted what had happened yesterday.

After hearing the story of the mysterious young man's heroic act, Dekan...

He couldn't help but frown.

This guy, although his hair color, appearance, and identity were probably all disguised.

But Dekan felt absolutely certain that this mysterious young man was who he was.

There are people in the world whom even Dekan could not predict at all.

The first person is Cornelia.

The second one must be the freest man in the world, Clay!

"However, the Frenzy Bishop's Token I have hasn't expired yet... which means Clay doesn't have a new Bishop's Token and can't use this item to contact other bishops over long distances... So now that he's in jail and all his cards have been confiscated, without a communication card, it seems like this guy is temporarily cut off from the outside world..."

Dekan pondered.

With this in mind, Dekan could be even more certain of what actions the Resurrection Church would take regarding the Hero Festival.

After all, even the bishop came.

But...

Clay continued his consistent performance.

The Resurrection Church hasn't even made an appearance yet, but they've already started causing trouble.

My buddy got himself locked up in jail first.

Dekan could already imagine the utter devastation he would feel when the Bishop of Falsehood Carlos, preparing to cause trouble, suddenly discovered that the Clay had gone missing and was in jail...