The battle ended quickly, and the scene fell silent.
Everyone was absorbed in Logo's swift, decisive movements.
Elegant and deadly, he had brought out every advantage of the polearm scythe!
"Good!"
The folds on the old earl's face nearly bunched together. Anyone with eyes could see how pleased he was.
"That's how we of the Gendaya People should carry ourselves! Swift as the wind, fierce as fire. You've truly mastered the essence of combat!"
Logo silently glanced at his own Lv45 [Epic Combat Skills].
Then he looked at the old earl's Lv27 [Combat Skills] and said nothing!
You're the boss right now, so whatever you say goes. I won't argue!
Logo's calm expression pleased the old earl even more. Neither arrogant nor impatient. A fine prospect, truly a fine prospect!
What a pity. Why did he have to be that old bastard Augustus's descendant?
Was he even worthy of having a grandson like this?
After taking a jab at his old friend in his thoughts, the old earl announced before everyone, "In accordance with the royal court's laws of succession, from this day forth, Logo Campbell shall be the first in line to inherit the Campbell Family of the Red Maple Clan. After his fifteenth birthday, he shall succeed as clan leader!"
"Bastard! Bastard! That damned little brat! How is he so lucky? His bloodline actually awakened at the last moment. Why?
"Why are Ment and his son both so lucky? Ment took my position as clan leader back then, and now Logo is going to take Xisi's position as clan leader too. This isn't fair..."
At the Howard Family residence, Catherine vented her emotions wildly. The servants huddled in a corner, trembling with fear, not daring to make the slightest sound.
"Darling, don't be angry. We'll think of something else.
"If nothing else works, we can apologize to Logo and get on good terms with him. His position is higher than ours now anyway, so there's no shame in backing down."
The speaker was Gurian Howard, Catherine's partner and a direct descendant of the Howard Family.
Unlike normal members of the Gendaya People, however, Gurian had a delicate air about him, and his skin was pale and smooth. The word "sissy" could not have suited him better.
Catherine shot Gurian a fierce glare, feeling somewhat helpless. How had she fallen for such a good-for-nothing back then?
He was useless at everything except sweet-talking women.
If she had followed her father's arrangements and married Baron of the Borgia family, she would have been the future Viscountess Borgia.
The thought made Catherine even more irritable. A surge of intense negative emotions rose in her heart, and the curse power that had been suppressed emerged once more.
At the sight of the blackish-purple curse mark appearing on his wife's face, Gurian's already pale face turned even whiter!
He hurriedly took a bottle of silver potion from the medicine chest beside him and gave it to Catherine.
The curse mark finally began to fade.
"Darling, things have come to this. Whatever we say now is too late. It's not like we can kill him, is it?" Gurian urged.
He had meant for Catherine to swallow her pride and make peace with Logo. After all, she was his aunt by blood. With family ties like that, what grudge could they not resolve?
Besides, how old was Logo?
How much of a grudge could a twelve-year-old hold?
What Gurian had not expected was for a terrifying gleam to appear in Catherine's eyes when she heard those words.
She glanced at her husband and snorted. "At least you're good for something!"
Catherine rose and left the hall to find her close friend Doria Russell.
Night fell!
A grand celebratory banquet was held at the Campbell Family castle.
All the prominent figures of the Red Maple Clan attended. Logo, dressed in his finest, flitted through the crowd like a graceful butterfly.
In a corner of the banquet hall, Barto Melier swept a cold gaze back and forth over the passing crowd. His terrifying, intimidating presence struck fear into anyone who saw him.
He was one of the Bearfolk, from the [Far North] of the Winter Continent. A full four meters tall and as massive as a mountain, he had four sharp fangs, each as long as a finger, protruding from his mouth. In a hand as large as a washbasin, he held a giant axe six meters tall, with a blade as large as a door.
Barto was a follower the old man Augustus had taken in while adventuring in his youth.
He also had an older brother, Barati. Both brothers were seventh-tier transcendents who had traveled far and wide with Augustus, and their bond ran deep.
Barati had served as a personal guard and died in battle alongside Augustus eight years ago!
Barto was responsible for guarding the family castle and rarely showed himself. He did not like crowds.
Once the family's next heir had been decided, Barto promptly swore allegiance to Logo.
The burly Bearfolk was just as his name meant in the northern tongue.
Dependable and loyal!
By comparison, the Campbell Family's remaining three high-ranking transcendents fell far short.
They still put on airs and insisted on following the royal court's rules.
They said they would wait until Logo turned fifteen, formally inherited the title of viscount, and became clan leader before swearing allegiance.
Their reasoning was flawless: they were doing everything by the rules, so Logo could hardly say anything.
Everything else went well enough during the banquet, and Logo handled the social obligations with ease.
But the many young women were more than he could bear.
Logo was the future viscount, and more importantly, he was not yet engaged.
That made him an instant catch in the eyes of the Red Maple Clan's young women.
The Gendaya People were uninhibited by nature, and the girls were bold and passionate too.
At that one banquet, more than twenty of them publicly declared their love for him.
As a transcendent race famed for their courage and skill in battle, the Gendaya People's women had figures and looks beyond reproach.
Their figures in particular left Logo dazzled: slender waists, pert bottoms, and two great swaying evils. In the end, he used Crassus, who had returned from a stroll, as a shield and finally diverted the young ladies' attention.
"Heh, these young people really are full of energy." In a corner, several old fellows sat together, chatting and shooting the breeze.
Kevin Herbert, Reynard Carvin, Ron Russell...
They were all important figures of the Red Maple Clan.
"Hey, Melier, come have a drink!" Reynard called to Barto nearby.
Barto shook his head and remained where he was in silence. His duty tonight was to guard the hall, and he could not slack off.
"Honestly, this guy!" Reynard shook his head helplessly.
"Augustus was really lucky. He went off traveling and came back with two Bearfolk of high-ranking bloodlines," Ron said with a sigh, his tone tinged with envy. After all, such loyal subordinates were incredibly useful and hard to find.
"Sooner or later, Augustus must be avenged!" Reynard said fiercely.
"And how are you going to do that?" Ron rolled his eyes and said irritably, "That's the Morning Light Knights we're talking about, the Dawn Empire's elite force. Just one of their legions could crush us, and you want revenge? Are you joking?"
Reynard's face flushed bright red at those words. He opened his mouth, but could say nothing.
He was not one to put on a brave front. He knew Ron was telling the truth. The Red Maple Clan and the Morning Light Knights were opponents in entirely different leagues.
Even though only seven legions of the Morning Light Knights were stationed in Leyn City, they were still an immensely powerful force.