Episode 156: Athena Hopper (3)
“So, you and I are going to fight.”
Damian was in the middle of breakfast at the dormitory when he heard something completely unexpected.
“Let’s not drag this out. Meet me this evening at the clearing in the center.”
Caught off guard, Damian could only stare blankly at Athena Hopper, his food half-chewed in his mouth.
“Oh, and I’ve already taken down all the others. So if you beat me, you win the bet. Not that it’ll happen.”
With that, Athena turned and left.
It wasn’t until she was long gone that Damian snapped back to reality.
“What on earth just happened?”
After Neil Hopper’s provocation yesterday, Damian had anticipated challenges from the other first-generation bloodlines. But he hadn’t expected Athena to defeat them all and come to him.
“Just like the Mercenary King.”
The audacity was familiar. The Mercenary King had also approached him out of the blue to hire him as a free knight.
Just as Damian was about to resume his meal, the tent flap opened, and the Mercenary King walked in. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes from whatever had transpired overnight.
“Damian Haxen, let’s have a chat.”
The Mercenary King plopped down across from Damian, who continued to eat his stew.
“Rude kid. Aren’t you supposed to ask if I’ve eaten when an elder arrives?”
“Have you eaten?”
“Forget it. It’s not like I’m begging for it.”
The Mercenary King grumbled, then glanced at Damian and muttered, “What’s so handsome about that face… It’s driving me crazy.”
“So, why are you here?”
“Athena was just here, wasn’t she?”
Damian nodded as he swallowed his food.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Forfeit the duel.”
Damian looked at the Mercenary King, surprised.
“Are you threatening me because if I beat Athena, you’ll lose the bet?”
“What nonsense! You’re going to lose anyway, so why would I threaten you?”
The Mercenary King scowled, clearly irritated.
“Then why are you asking me to do this?”
“Well… it’s because… sigh…”
The Mercenary King let out a deep sigh.
“Athena’s interested in you.”
Damian nearly choked on his food.
“What did you just say?”
“I didn’t want to say it either! But it’s the truth!”
The Mercenary King shouted, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Damn it… Why would that adorable girl be interested in someone like you…”
“You seem to forget that she’s listening to all of this.”
“Fortunately, it’s just a passing interest. Just a little curiosity, so don’t get cocky!”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of doing that over something like this.”
The Mercenary King’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“This kid… saying whatever comes to mind! My daughter shows interest, and it’s ‘something like this’?”
“Make up your mind.”
Damian replied, looking weary.
“So why do you want me to forfeit the duel?”
“What if her interest grows during the duel? I want to eliminate that risk completely!”
The Mercenary King shuddered at the thought.
“I get the gist of it, but why should I back out? There’s nothing in it for me.”
At Damian’s question, the Mercenary King pulled out something he’d been holding onto—a worn book.
The cover read “Cheongsu Martial Arts.”
“It’s a mana cultivation technique created a hundred years ago. You can learn it alongside other techniques without any issues. Master it, and you can enjoy the benefits of a youthful body.”
The Mercenary King spoke with confidence.
“The elixirs you wanted are too rare to give away. But I’ll offer you this instead.”
Damian glanced from the book to the Mercenary King.
“I assure you, if you duel, Athena will win. Then you’ll lose the bet and everything with it.”
As they talked, Damian finished his meal and set his spoon down on the empty plate.
“So, just forfeit and take this mana technique. Then…”
“I’ll pass on your offer.”
Damian cut him off.
“What?”
“You said I’d lose everything if I lost, but I think the opposite. Backing out now would be a huge loss for me.”
The Mercenary King stared at Damian, incredulous.
“Is this confidence or arrogance?”
“You seem to forget. I’ve beaten every bloodline challenger so far.”
“Ugh.”
The Mercenary King had no retort for that.
“Fine, don’t come crying later.”
The Mercenary King tucked the book away and left.
“Should’ve brought something better.”
Once he was gone, Damian muttered in dissatisfaction.
He didn’t need a technique for youth. What he needed was a core mana technique to reach the master class.
“So, the Mercenary King really does care for Athena Hopper.”
He’d heard it from the mercenaries but hadn’t quite believed it. It was different from what he knew.
“In a past life, I heard they were estranged.”
When the Fafnir Mercenary Corps split, Athena Hopper had chosen to oppose the Mercenary King, leading to their estrangement.
Even after the internal conflict ended, they acted separately for a while before reuniting due to various interests.
“Maybe it’s because the Pandemonium hasn’t started its schemes yet.”
The split was due to the machinations of Pandemonium’s dark wizards.
Since joining the mercenary corps, Damian had been trying to track Pandemonium’s traces.
But he found nothing. It seemed they hadn’t made a move yet.
“Better to catch them early.”
As Damian pondered, rubbing his chin, the tent flap opened again. Someone he vaguely recognized entered.
It was Maxwell Hopper, one of the first-generation bloodlines.
“Damian Haxen, you need to come with me.”
Maxwell Hopper spoke with a mix of anger and irritation.
“My aunt wants to see you.”
According to the information Damian had gathered from the mercenaries, the Fafnir Mercenary Corps had several factions.
Each faction was led by one of the Mercenary King’s lovers, who banded together to form factions and check the others.
The largest faction was the one Maxwell Hopper belonged to.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Clea Fowler.”
A middle-aged woman greeted Damian.
Clea Fowler.
The Mercenary King’s first lover and the mother of his first son.
And the leader of the largest faction within the mercenary corps.
“Please, have a seat. We can’t have a valued guest standing.”
Damian sat down, observing Clea Fowler.
On the surface, she seemed like a kind middle-aged woman.
“I’m not sure if I should be here.”
Clea Fowler had invited Damian to a place where the Mercenary King’s lovers resided.
It was a male-restricted area, yet here he was.
“It’s only forbidden without permission. Invited guests are fine. Though not alone, of course.”
The tent wasn’t just occupied by Damian and Clea Fowler.
Maxwell Hopper and another woman were present.
The woman glared at Damian with clear disapproval.
‘A master class.’
She wasn’t hiding her aura, making it easy to tell. She was undoubtedly a master class.
“Why did you want to see me?”
“You’re quite direct. Let’s get to the point, then.”
Clea Fowler gestured, and the master class woman tossed a pouch in front of Damian.
He opened it to find three black pills inside.
“They’re special elixirs made by the Alchemy School. Just one can significantly boost your mana.”
Damian examined the pills and asked, “Why are you giving these to me?”
“Because I want you to put Athena in her place.”
Damian looked up at Clea Fowler. She still wore a gentle smile.
“I’ve heard you’re quite interested in the mercenary corps. You know the situation here, right?”
“I’ve heard there’s a power struggle over the successor position.”
“You know quite a bit.”
Clea Fowler sighed.
“As if there weren’t enough competitors, the Mercenary King suddenly started favoring that girl. You can imagine how displeased I am.”
Damian didn’t respond, and Clea Fowler didn’t seem to expect one.
“So, I want to see her get a reality check… but she knocked Maxwell out cold.”
“Aunt, that’s…”
“Silence, will you?”
Clea Fowler’s voice cut through the air like a knife. Maxwell Hopper clamped his mouth shut.
“After losing so pathetically, you think you can just butt in?”
Her eyes, now as cold and menacing as a viper’s, made her earlier warmth seem like a lie.
“Oh, I’m sorry. To continue… Athena’s talent is far more impressive than I anticipated. But you know, I’m really rooting for you to win.”
“Is that why you’re giving me this?” Damian asked, eyeing the pill.
Clea Fowler nodded with a smile. “I like things to be certain. This is just a friendly gesture, so there’s no need to feel any pressure.”
Damian let out a dry laugh.
As if he could feel pressured.
After all, this pill was crafted with dark magic.