Although she said they were going to compete, Shu Yue had no intention of being the one to suffer a loss.
She immediately proposed her own conditions.
“However, a mere duel is too boring. Why don’t we place a bet?”
Shu Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Her eyes were beautiful, though they didn’t quite match the face she wore after her disguise.
Her amber pupils were exceptionally clear as her gaze swept over everyone present, especially those dressed in expensive clothing.
In Shu Yue’s eyes, they looked like a flock of fat lambs.
‘Just slaughtering one would be enough to feast until my mouth is dripping with grease!’
Her gaze was also incredibly provocative.
These young masters, who were used to the flattery and honeyed words of others, felt their emotions stir.
Originally, they had only stood behind Sada with the intention of watching the excitement, but now they were firmly on his side.
This, in turn, cornered Sada, forcing him to agree to her terms.
They all wanted to gamble on the outcome now.
“Haha, and here I thought someone from the countryside would be desperate to integrate into our Grey Pine City.”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect him to be so arrogant!”
“You certainly have a lot of confidence. Lord Sada is a genius who can be compared to Lady Emily.”
“…”
The group chimed in one after another, all firing back at Shu Yue’s offensive gaze from a moment ago.
The originally heavy atmosphere suddenly surged like a stormy sea.
Sada’s mind didn’t quite process things in time, but he was very confident.
“Fine, a bet it is!”
The current situation was no longer up to him.
If he didn’t dare to bet, it would be the same as losing half the battle before it started, giving Shu Yue a reason to back out.
Therefore, he had to agree to this wager.
Sada sneered inwardly.
He believed that few people among his peers could compete with him; the handful who could were all famous geniuses within the circles of Grey Pine City.
Of course, that list included Emily, though Emily had never competed with Sada in this regard.
It was because Emily found Sada too crude.
Sada interpreted this as a lady’s excuse to maintain her elegant image.
He felt his talent was definitely not inferior to Emily’s, and because of this, he was determined to win her over.
‘Only I can protect Lady Emily!’
However, all his attempts at flirting and his various acts of devotion had been ignored by Emily.
Yet, Sada never gave up, because he truly believed it was just a lady’s reserve.
He was sure Emily liked him and that this was her way of testing her future partner.
One could only say…
He was truly deluded!
Belang, however, frowned imperceptibly.
He realized that Shu Yue was not as simple as her appearance suggested.
Seeing them take the bait, Shu Yue felt cheerful.
“Since everyone agrees, start placing your bets!”
Since they were betting, there had to be stakes.
Naturally, they were all going to bet on Sada to win.
“I’ll put up one gold coin.”
“Two coins!”
“Then I’ll… do five, haha.”
“Five for me as well.”
“…”
With everyone chipping in, the stakes quickly accumulated into a rather high number.
The group pooled together twenty gold coins.
After each of them stated their bet, they began to jeer, asking about Shu Yue’s stakes.
They had already placed their bets, but no one had bet on her to win.
If no one bet on her, what would they win?
If the stakes were too low, their winnings would be small.
Disproportionate odds wouldn’t be any fun.
One of the more troublesome individuals said to Shu Yue with a smile, “What are you going to bet? The portion of assets the Baron transferred to you? That would work.”
“Heh…”
Shu Yue gave a faint smile and shifted her gaze toward Belang, who was trying to stay out of it.
“Master Belang, in a few days I will marry Emily. We’ll be family after that. I don’t have an equivalent amount of gold coins or items on hand, so why don’t you place a bet on me?”
“…”
Belang was stunned.
He hadn’t expected Shu Yue to drag him into the line of fire.
If he hadn’t intentionally mentioned to Shu Yue earlier that he was her “future brother-in-law,” Shu Yue wouldn’t have thought to use him as a betting stake.
Who told Belang he liked to play the prominent figure?
One look at Belang’s expression and Shu Yue knew he was someone who cared deeply about his reputation.
This “sheep” was just too easy to shear.
All eyes turned toward Belang, waiting to see his reaction.
He had been very friendly toward Shu Yue earlier, acting like a good older brother, which was the persona he maintained daily.
“Sure. Since my father chose you to be engaged to Emily, you must have some extraordinary qualities.”
As someone who cherished his reputation so much, how could Belang discard his persona for a bit of money?
He even generously brought out ten gold coins to bet on Shu Yue.
Shu Yue was almost laughing with joy.
How much was she going to make?
Thirty gold coins was a lifetime of wealth for many people.
It could only be said that nobles really did spend gold coins like water.
Shu Yue took the opportunity to cast a grateful look his way.
Belang could only respond with a stiff smile, maintaining his expression of complete indifference toward money.
The others marveled at Belang’s wealth.
In reality, while Belang could spend one gold coin without blinking, ten gold coins was actually pushing the limits of his tolerance.
Gold coins were used for major transactions, yet he was spending them like this.
He silently noted this debt in his heart, waiting to take it back from Shu Yue with interest later.
Shu Yue knew this would draw resentment, but she didn’t care because she planned to run away later.
Besides, who said she would lose?
Sada was already poised and ready, his fists clenched tightly.
When Shu Yue said she was going to marry Emily in a few days, he was so infuriated that he almost reached out to grab her.
His face was extremely dark now, his eyes filled with ruthless intent, and his entire aura was surging with power.
Shu Yue, however, kept her aura restrained, remaining as calm as still water.
The two arrived at the center of the Training Field, while the others retreated a certain distance to give them space.
Shu Yue squeezed her fists, testing her own strength.
After absorbing the Dragon Blood, her bloodline had become much stronger.
If she activated her bloodline, the doubled strength and speed would allow her to easily kill Sada in an instant, but she couldn’t use it in public.
Without activating the bloodline, her base physical strength was similar to that of an average person, perhaps only about 20% higher.
However, that was enough.
Besides, she still had a Firefly Grade spell.
In an instant, Sada, dressed in black, grey, and white, lunged forward, thrusting a wooden sword toward Shu Yue’s eyes.
Shu Yue ducked to the side to dodge.
Sada stopped the sword and transitioned into a horizontal slash, again aiming for the eyes.
Aiming for the eyes during a duel was far too vicious.
Injuries elsewhere could be treated, but the eyes were delicate organs that common healing magic couldn’t easily repair.
Sada’s goal was clear: he wanted to blind Shu Yue.
Shu Yue leaned her head back and lowered her waist to dodge.
With a flip, she jumped back 1 meter.
Simultaneously, several pieces of crushed stone rose from the ground.
‘I’m technically a girl now, and he’s actually attacking a girl’s face…’
‘He has a death wish!’
The floating stones suddenly erupted with incredible speed, all of them shooting straight toward Sada’s face.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Sada was forced to go on the defensive, using his sword and arms to block the attacks of the physical spell.