Brandon's Turn

"Even though the Banquet is a serious event, I have no interest in working for someone like Alec who doesn't take it seriously,"

Agnes blurted out angrily, her pointing finger directed at Arthur.

Arthur didn’t back down, retaliating with his own outburst.

"Ah, so the true colors of this unworthy person finally show, You claim you want to lead the Gordons Clan, but when pushed forward, you cower in fear and attack us instead, Nothing but excuses, pathetic!"

Agnes clenched her teeth, at a loss for words on how to respond to Arthur's criticism without escalating the situation.

Overhearing their argument, someone from the Fridall clan leaned toward a companion, pointing discreetly at Alec, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully at the back seat, as Bryan lanzt silently left the stage.

It was evident that the one being talked to was the younger generation leader of the Fridall Clan.

"That's him, Bree," the person whispered.

"That guy who's sleeping like he has no care in the world is the one the Blaze enforcer wants dead, He even mentioned taking full responsibility for the person who manages to kill him, promising hefty rewards instead of punishment."

Although killing was forbidden in the Banquet, the fact that someone from the capital desired Alec's death meant the rules could possibly be bent.

After all, Fridall Clan served as a vassal family and branch for the Ancient Blaze Clan that is in the capital, making them duty-bound to carry out any mission with utmost efficiency.

Bree expressed his annoyance, concerned about the potential losses the patriarch might face as a result.

"I worry that the patriarch will suffer even more on account of this."

The companion scoffed, responding with a smirk.

"You needn't worry too much, The patriarch has been promised benefits that could aid his advancement to the Tier 7 mage realm if we successfully eliminate Alec, It's all Alec's fault for being too impressive."

Bree's curiosity was piqued.

"I wonder why I've never heard of this guy before?" he pondered aloud.

"Well, you know you've always been planning to achieve the next rank to match the other guy in the next city, which made you go into seclusion."

" That's why you're not aware of him, After all, he just rose to fame recently in a zombie test that we never took part in, Instead, that glory could have been ours for the taking," the Fridall guy explained to Bree.

"Remind me why we were not involved again,"

Bree asked, prompting the guy next to him to blush in embarrassment.

"Well, we were scared to participate in that assessment since you were still in seclusion. So most of the clan members decided not to participate, and that's how the opportunity was given to them,"

the guy said, twisting his words towards the end to make it seem like the Gordons stole their achievements when it was actually them who were too scared to fight zombies.

"Well, let's just hope this Alec guy is not a letdown," Bree sighed.

--

"I will fight!"

"Hmm!"

Arthur exclaimed upon noticing that it was the usually quiet Brandon who volunteered to fight.

Even Agnes was surprised by his boldness.

"Don't even think of disgracing the Gordons Clan's name on the stage!" Agnes snorted.

"You don't have any right to scold me, you scaredy-cat. If there's anyone to be accused of disgracing the Gordons Clan name, it would be you."

" You claim you want to rival Alec, but you don't even dare to fight. Please, don't make me laugh,"

Brandon retaliated, surprising Agnes with his unexpected response. After all, he was the one who rarely spoke.

Arthur pumped his fist in excitement upon hearing that Brandon had decided to fight. \

He knew Brandon used to be more of a lone wolf, but everything changed when he started training with Alec.

It had transformed him, and also giving his tongue a sharp edge every time he spoke.

Agnes simply snorted as she walked down from the stage, not wanting to cause more trouble since she wasn't participating in the matches.

Instead, she helped a knight up and poured a healing elixir into his mouth to help speed up his recovery.

Brandon slowly rose from his chair, each step he took filled with purpose and intentional slowness, causing the onlookers to grow increasingly anxious.

Eventually, he reached the stage and gazed at the audience, each family in their designated seating areas.

"I welcome any challenger who dares to face Alec, If you can defeat me, you will earn the right to fight Arthur, Alec's second general,"

Brandon declared, going along with Arthur's playful remarks.

These remarks were originally voiced by Alec himself during a drunken escapade, where he considered both Arthur and himself as generals, with Agnes being a commander at best.

Alec had also mentioned that he reserved the captain position for Knight, stating that if they became stronger, they had a chance at a promotion.

Arthur decided to bring these playful words into the banquet, and Brandon chose to play along.

After all, he had made a promise to follow Alec, who was not only the next patriarch but also incredibly powerful and treated them as brothers.

During the few days he had spent with Alec, Brandon had developed a sense of closure, making it easier for him to stand up for Alec whenever necessary.

"Are there any cowards among you who are scared to come forward and face Alec?" Brandon questioned with an icy tone, dropping his massive great sword onto the stage.

The sword slammed into the floor with a thunderous thud, shocking everyone with its weight.

Brandon had been carrying the sword on his back for quite some time, and they couldn't believe he had been enduring such a heavy burden.

"Go and test him,"

Bree remarked to the person beside him, prompting the individual to leap onto the stage.

"Who is that guy?, He's got some incredible moves," someone from the Lanzt family area inquired to no one in particular.

"Of course he has moves," another person sitting nearby chimed in.

" He's from the Fridall clan, known for their fiery temperaments due to their innate element being fire, I believe he is Felix, the Violent Flame brother."

Felix gracefully landed on the stage, making Brandon's grand entrance seem insignificant.

He bowed his head and introduced himself.

"My name is Felix from the Fridall Clan, and I wish to challenge you."

"Challenge accepted!"

Brandon responded without hesitation, However, Felix hesitated, waiting for Brandon to pick up his sword before proceeding.

"Oh, that? I won't be needing it to deal with you," Brandon sneered, dismissing the importance of his weapon.

"You... That's it! You're dead for underestimating a member of the Fridall Clan!" Felix exclaimed in anger, unable to accept the fact that someone from the Gordon family looked down on him.