They all call me Great Master

The lingering winter chill, mixed with spring breeze, passed through the vents and entered the secret chamber.

The candle flame began to sway.

The charcoal in the firepit let out a crisp crackle.

Dieudonne Hamlet picked up a piece of charcoal with tongs and tossed it into the firepit. With a loud pop, the sparks erupted and rolled up.

A screen of sparks and ashes.

At this moment, in Pistri Hamlet's eyes, his brother's face became blurred.

But he didn't have the usual fear and retreat.

Instead, he mimicked Arthur in his mind, displaying a smile that was neither entirely amused nor offended—he wanted to imitate his father, but the Old Lion's majesty filled this Young Lion with terror; the mere thought made him tremble, rendering any imitation impossible.

It was different with Arthur.

The Young Lion's fear of Arthur had long transformed into a sense of security through the signing of numerous contracts.

A security with support above and behind him.

With this security, the Young Lion's confidence reached a certain extreme.

As if the force was mutual—

The flames, sparks, and ashes rising in the firepit formed a curtain, blurring Pistri's view of his brother's visage.

Similarly, when Dieudonne looked at his brother, he also felt a blurriness.

Especially that confident smile, which gave the Old Lion's second son a sense of bewilderment—

'When?

At what time did Pistri gain his own forces?'

The Old Lion's second son's gaze swept across Sean and Bonte again.

Two adept individuals at the Great Arcana level—being the Old Lion's second son, Dieudonne naturally dismissed them.

However, this Old Lion's second son cared about the implications behind this.

In his eyes, Pistri had always been an idle and extremely naive fellow.

Yet such a fellow surprisingly had a group of subordinates even he didn't know about.

So...

Was it all an act before?

Realizing this, the Old Lion's second son started to feel nervous.

Because he wasn't sure how many subordinates his brother truly had.

At the very least, it was not just the two standing before him.

'These two should be quite skilled among that group!

The truly powerful must be hidden in the shadows, and more ordinary ones sheltered within the shadows.

Is there at least one Entrant, with six to seven Arcana-level individuals with supernatural power serving Pistri?'

Following his habit, the Old Lion's second son began to make guesses.

This was precisely what Pistri wanted.

When Arthur lent Sean and Bonte to him, this Young Lion immediately thought of how to bluff.

When the dust and sparks settled, and he saw his brother's contemplative face clearly, this Young Lion stepped to one side, moved a chair to face his brother, sat down directly, and stared at his brother without blinking, yet his voice became gentle and calm—

"Originally, I planned to gather more power.

But...

Our Uncle Baluo really caught me off guard."

When Pistri said this, he squinted his eyes, and his voice paused.

Dieudonne detected the anger in his brother's words.

Immediately, this Old Lion's second son smiled.

"I should thank our Uncle Baluo, otherwise I probably wouldn't have seen this hidden side of yours!

An alliance?

I'm in."

Throughout the conversation, this Old Lion's second son's gaze never once left a fraction of his brother.

Watching his brother's confidence and calmness on his face, he sighed internally.

'No wonder he's my brother.

Completely tricked both me and our elder brother.

Really should thank our Uncle Baluo.'

If his earlier words of thanks were sarcastic, now Dieudonne truly felt gratitude towards his Uncle Baluo.

He couldn't imagine what the situation might be if his brother hadn't been disrupted by the sudden attack from the opponent.

What sort of scenario would there be when his brother completely laid out his plan?

Moreover...

There's also his father.

It was under his father's indulgence that he managed the sealing and enjoyed 'genius' qualities.

Thus, he only borrowed Pistri's talent and didn't truly acquire it.

This was a promise he made to his father.

And because of this, he completed the sealing.

At the time, he felt it was his father's love.

Back then, he believed he could become the true heir of Inner Bay.

At that time, he thought his elder brother was merely paving the way for him.

But now?

He felt he was merely the sharpening stone for his brother.

His father perhaps always valued this brother, who appeared idle to others.

And he and his elder brother?

Smoke screen!

His father's smoke screen.

Thinking of this made Dieudonne's chest swell and his breathing became slightly labored.

Then, this Old Lion's second son lowered his head.

He was concealing the murderous intent in his eyes.

Having come to this point, he certainly couldn't give up.

Hand over everything?

Impossible!

Unless his father explicitly spoke such words, he would never give up.

'Wait!

Father's sudden departure from Inner Bay this time wasn't a test for us three, was it?'

When this thought suddenly emerged, Dieudonne's eyes brightened.

The more he thought, the more possible it seemed.

Moreover, his chances were increasing.

Because Gleisa was already dead.

'Father's attitude towards us seems fair, or more importantly, our excellence made it difficult for him to easily choose the rightful heir.

That's why he suddenly left Inner Bay.

Letting us compete on our own.'

Dieudonne kept thinking and solidified his previous guess.

The Old Lion's blind admiration made this Old Lion's second son believe it was a test from the father.

Otherwise, just Baro Hamlet?

He was merely a pitiful pawn firmly held by father.

"How should we proceed in the current situation?"

Having his own guess made Dieudonne quickly calm down.

This Old Lion's second son again looked at his brother.

Pistri easily discerned the probing tone in his elder brother's words.

Regarding this, this Young Lion was not worried.

Before coming, he'd already prepared.

No!

To be precise, Arthur had prepared everything for him.

A faint smile appeared at his lips, Pistri softly said—

"A demonstration from St. Joan of Arc Girls' College against Uncle Baluo is about to begin."

Dieudonne's eyes flickered a bit.

This Old Lion's second son quickly grasped the essential point.

Then, calmly asked.

"When?"

"Gather at nine fifty, depart at ten.

Less than an hour left."

Pistri answered.