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The old man was sweating profusely, unable to stay calm as he did earlier. His thoughts were now torn between screaming “help” or “there’s a pervert here”.

In the presence of the world’s most powerful being, the Demon King who had once single-handedly conquered numerous territories, the old man realized that neither of these ideas would be of any use. Even if the Demon King suddenly stripped himself naked and told him, “It’s a beautiful night, why won’t you invite your daughter over so we can all have fun?” while laughing lecherously, the old man would be utterly helpless to defy him. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and comply with the Demon King’s demands.

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t eat you alive,” the tall man reassured the old man, placing a hand on his shoulder. His voice was gentle, like that of a caring older brother.

“I only wished to have a conversation with someone who shares a common language with me. The other two I just met were too short-tempered. They rushed up to me and tried to attack me before I even said anything. Do you think I’m such a ferocious person?”

Even the two imperial guards were…?

The old man dropped his hands. The magical power he had just gathered instantly dissipated.

In the face of absolute strength, all his efforts were futile. Even if he found an opportunity to ask for help, it would be meaningless. The Demon King could easily kill him and leave this place before the Aurora Dragon arrived.

Moreover, provoking and fighting the Demon King would probably lead to the destruction of Jeorgetown City.

“What are your intentions, sir?” the old man asked, no longer afraid after realizing the futility of the situation.

He looked directly into the Demon King’s eyes and said, “You may be able to trick a child by telling him that you’re only here to have a nice chat, but an old man like me isn’t naive enough to think that you, the Demon King, are here to participate in the Great Celestial Rite.”

“No, I’m really here to participate in the Great Celestial Rite.”

The old man merely stared at the Demon King in silence.

“Fine, I know you don’t believe me. No need to worry though, I have no intention of causing trouble at the moment.” The Demon King sighed before continuing, “By the way, where were we again? Ah yes, daughters. You have a daughter, right?”

After a moment of silence, the old man admitted truthfully after knowing he could not possibly lie to the Demon King, “Yes, I do.”
“Is she beautiful?”
“Yes, she is.”
“I see.” The Demon King nodded, then whispered softly, “That’s really nice.”

The old man’s fear intensified as he stared at the tall man, dreading that the Demon King would make an inappropriate request such as asking his daughter to spend the night with him later.

What a beast! My daughter is almost seventy years old! Are you really fine with that?

However, the Demon King merely looked at him and said, “I have a daughter too. She is the most beautiful girl in the world, but she has gone missing.”

The old man’s eyes widened, and he suddenly felt a wave of unease wash over him as if he were on a cruise ship in the midst of a turbulent ocean!

The disappearance of the Demon King’s most beloved daughter was a major incident, comparable to the theft of the goddess statue from the Luminous Theocracy, or the scandal of the Empress of the Holy Dragon Empire. It provided the Demon King with a pretext to incite the wrath of the demon race and initiate another devastating war!

The continent was on the brink of chaos!

“Do not panic. I never said it was a human who did it. Given their capability, they lack the competence to abduct my daughter right under my nose.”

The old man let out a sigh, relieved that a human was not responsible for the abduction. Otherwise, he would have to consider sacrificing himself by self-detonation in order to weaken the Demon King before the impending war.

“However, the person who has abducted my daughter is here.”

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Guardian! This old man still has two tons of gold hidden under his bed, please raise my two sons well on my behalf!”

“I never said anything about punishing that person.” The Demon King let out an exasperated sigh as he restrained the old man, who began tearing his clothes off in preparation for self-detonation.

“I am here because the person who abducted my daughter is also here. The Great Celestial Rite is the perfect opportunity for the thief to reveal themselves. I will participate in the tournament, and if no one recognizes me, we’ll treat it as if this never happened. However, should any unexpected incidents occur and my true identity is exposed, then… I’m sure you know what will happen, right?”

The Demon King looked at the old man and gave him a meaningful smile.

“You mean…”

The old man suddenly grasped the Demon King’s intention… The Demon King intended to get him to manipulate the tournament!

How absurd it was for the formidable Demon King to stoop to such tactics! He was actually asking the judge to help him cheat in a tournament organized for kindergarten kids!

How to win a kindergarten contest: Hold a knife to the teacher’s neck and threaten to harm their family if they do not award you first place.

“I’m not threatening you,” the Demon King said meaningfully, locking eyes with the old man. “I’m threatening the entire Holy Dragon Empire.”

Realization hit the old man like a ton of bricks.

(Updated) How to win a kindergarten contest: Blow the entire kindergarten up if you aren’t awarded first place!

The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence. After a moment, the old man gritted his teeth and nodded his head with great difficulty. “Your order is my command.”

“Heh, I’m glad you catch on fast.”

The Demon King’s demeanor returned to that of a caring older brother again, smiling as he looked at the old man. With a wave of his hand, a projection appeared in front of them.

“Come, take a look. These are my teammates.”

The old man gaped at the projection of the blonde girl with her face covered, cradling a little mongrel dog in her arms. As soon as she let go of the dog, it transformed into a monstrous creature with terrifying claws and teeth!

At first glance, it was clear that this monster was a formidable fighter, especially in a place where an anti-magic array was in place.

Isn’t this clearly against the rules? Wait, is there a rule against allowing dogs to bite people? There isn’t!

The old man paled at the realization.

“Huh? This little sister of mine actually has banned drugs?” It must have been a really expensive type of drug, considering its ability to turn ordinary dogs into fierce beasts. Due to the scarcity of its ingredients, such drugs had almost completely disappeared from the market.

“Ohh, how generous of her.” Skast marveled at the projection while rubbing his chin. An idea suddenly struck him, causing a mischievous grin to appear on his face. “In that case, I’ll do something too.”

The Demon King pointed at the monster happily running up the stairs. An absolute command that could not be defied transcended infinite realms and etched itself into the creature’s mind.

This was the terrifying ability of a demigod-level expert.

Whether it was the Demon King who had personally fought against the dragon race or the old man, who had a trace of dragon blood flowing through his body as a member of the Holy Dragon Empire’s imperial family, they both subconsciously ignored the changes in the creature’s dragon nature. They did not even consider that aspect at all.

It seemed that the will of heaven was at play.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

The hall located on the thirteenth floor had been transformed into a cafeteria for the participants.

Rather than a cafeteria, this place was more like an elegant restaurant.

Beautiful classical music echoed in the restaurant, and all the waiters were well-dressed. They stood straight, always offering smiles whenever someone took drinks from their trays.

The food was laid out on long tables on both sides of the room, set up in a buffet catering style. The empty space in the middle of the room naturally became the best place to socialize.

With music playing, the participants chatted with each other about their aspirations in life, world affairs, and of course, some of the “gossip” that had been circulating in private.

Some of the gossip revolved around the participants from St. Caroline Academy, the disciples of a certain old monster in their midst, as well as the best moves of some princes and princesses from certain nations. There were also people talking about the son of a certain city lord from a small town acquiring a strange ability after being relentlessly pursued and pushed off a cliff. The young man rushed back to his hometown the next day and retaliated by annihilating all his enemies. It was imperative that such a terrifying competition be removed from this tournament as soon as possible.

The warm-up match for the Martial God Tournament of the Great Celestial Rite, known as the intelligence battle, had quietly begun.

The door of the hall suddenly opened again, and a young man dressed in gorgeous clothes came in. He looked around the hall, observing those of humbler backgrounds who did not usually attend banquets. He could not help but find the behavior of these people, who had purposely dressed up to fit in for the sake of gathering information… repulsive.

Fortunately, he had obtained the participant list from the Grandpa Seven, so he did not have to engage in this distasteful activity.

Despite this, he still found it rather intriguing to observe these vicious dogs acting all friendly with each other while hiding their ulterior motives.

After leaning against the wall for what felt like an eternity, a beautiful woman’s eyes lit up as soon as she spotted Yeager entering the hall. Without waiting for Yaeger to reach her, she walked over and took his arm.

“Prince Yeager, did you get what we needed? Lord Hurd didn’t give you a hard time, did he?”

Inhaling the pleasant scent of the beauty beside him, the young man’s mood instantly lifted. He playfully smacked her seductive butt and said, “Of course. There’s nothing I can’t handle. Were you doubting me by asking me that question, my dear?”

“Of course not.” The beauty, named Wengie, pouted her lips and pretended to look offended. “I was only worried about you, Lord Yeager.”

“Haha, don’t worry, I’ve already got what we needed. I, Yeager, will surely astonish everyone during this Great Celestial Rite.” A hint of malice flickered in his eyes. “I’ll show my snobby elder sister what I’m made of!”

Wengie gazed at Yeager, her eyes filled with admiration and affection. “Of course, how could that little b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲ compare to Lord Yeager?”

Yeager glanced around and whispered to her, “This is not the appropriate place to discuss this.”

Wengie blinked and nodded obediently.

“May I ask… are you Prince Yeager, the eighth prince and the grandnephew of Hurd, the Grand Duke?”

“Hmm? Who are you?” Yeager furrowed his brow at the commoner who dared to block his path. Annoyed, he asked, “Is there a problem?”

“It really is Prince Yeager!”

The commoner seemed oblivious to the unwelcoming aura surrounding Yeager as he waved his hand and shouted to the crowd, “Everyone, look! It’s Prince Yeager who ranks 121st on the prediction list!”

“Wow!”
“It’s really Prince Yeager!”
“It’s Prince Yeager, in the flesh!”

The crowd quickly gathered, their faces filled with excitement. It was as if they had spotlights on, eagerly scanning Yaeger’s body as if they could not wait to take a piece of him home as a souvenir.

W-What’s happening? Are these commoners trying to assassinate a member of the imperial family?

Yeager’s face turned pale, his legs trembling. Just as he was about to cry out for help from his seventh granduncle, someone suddenly shoved a tattered book that had been flipped through countless times in his face.

“What the hell?!”