The Grand Duelist

"Are you two done there, yet?" 

The awkward atmosphere was dispersed by Alice's cold voice.

It seemed like she was still angry about Joseph's mention of the Kingdom of Burning Heaven earlier, but you really couldn't blame her.

After all, the Kingdom of Burning Heaven was considered as the sex capital of this Kingdom.

A man wanting to go there could be considered as double entendre.

"We're not even doing anything..." Joseph turned to look at Alice.

"Really? I thought you two were doing some kind of a play... I even heard him say that he wanted to be punished." Alice swept her gaze at Ezreal and revealed a meaningful smile.

Joseph felt a shiver down his spine and even Ezreal who normally didn't get embarrassed shivered, and cringed. It was one thing for Joseph to admonish him, but for Alice, who was the granddaughter of his sworn brother whom he respected...

It was incredibly embarrassing to be looked at by her like this.

Speaking of my sworn brother, just where is he? 

Ezreal furrowed his eyebrows and swept his gaze across the Palace Halls.

After finding no traces of Krid...

Ezreal opened his mouth and asked.

"Joseph, where did that brother of mine go? Did he run away while I was defending the fort for him?"

"No, that's impossible, my brother wouldn't possibly run..."

"But just where is he right now? Where did he go?"

Joseph trembled when he heard Ezreal's words.

Alice who didn't know who Ezreal meant by his words quickly grew forlorn when she saw Joseph's trembling.

She hung her head low and hid her expression from everyone.

"Grandpa... Grandpa passed away... He passed away after fulfilling his life-long dream..."

"What...?"

Ezreal subconsciously mumbled.

"He... passed..."

"He passed away?"

Ezreal whispered in utter shock.

His figure trembled and a look of pain and grief surfaced on his face. 

Actually, Ezreal had an inkling as to what Krid planned on doing.

But he didn't stop Krid from doing what he wanted since he was also pursuing his dreams like Ezreal. Ezreal also didn't think that Krid would sacrifice himself for he often told Ezreal how excited he was to meet his granddaughter again and how they would spend their time together.

But Ezreal really didn't expect that.

"He died...?"

... He really didn't expect that Krid would sacrifice his life.

"Was he happy?"

Ezreal turned to look at Joseph.

Joseph quickly averted his gaze and didn't dare to stare at Ezreal.

Ezreal turned to Alice and Alice lifted a sweet smile on her lips as she said.

"Yes... He was happy..."

"He passed away smiling and without regrets."

"I see..."

Ezreal heaved a deep sigh.

Joseph made a sidelong glance at Alice and noticed that hidden behind her sweet smile was a bitter and cold pain that would probably never go away for the rest of her life.

"What do you plan on doing? Where will you go after this? If you don't mind me asking."

Ezreal faced Alice.

Alice trembled for a moment, but she quickly regained her wits as she said, "I will be following him."

"Him?" Ezreal raised an eyebrow, it seemed like he was angry, "You do realize that you are speaking to a deity, right? As a fellow follower of the Grand Duelist? How dare you address "Him" directly?" 

Alice was astonished by the sudden admonishment, but she didn't back off.

She also raised her eyebrow and promptly replied, "What do you mean by I can't address him directly? He may be the Grand Duelist right now, but he is still not a deity! A true deity is up there in the world above the skies! Have you ever seen a deity walk on land before?"

"How disrespectful!"

"Cut it off, you two!"

Joseph intervened.

He turned to look at Ezreal and said, "As I said earlier, Ezreal..."

"I don't want to be treated as a deity by you, that also goes for Alice..."

"Both of you are important people in my life and I can't just have you worship me as a deity since I will become paranoid in the future that the only reason why you are with me is because of my position as a deity, not because of who I am..."

"If you want me to believe that both of you genuinely want to be with me because of who I am, and not because I am a deity, then think of me as a friend! Not a god or a deity!" Joseph explained.

Clear looks of shock emerged on the faces of the two.

Ezreal revealed a light smile, shook his head, and said, "If that is what you want, then I will call you Joseph from now on, my liege."

Alice puffed her cheeks and pouted, "I don't want that..." 

Ezreal snapped at her, "Hey, you really are disrespectful, ah! Joseph here wants us to be friends with him, yet you don't want that to happen? Are you trying to disobey the will of the Grand Duelist, you heretic!"

"You also calm down there with those accusations, Ezreal..."

"Let her speak."

Joseph admonished Ezreal before he turned to look at Alice.

"What's wrong? You don't want me as your friend?" Joseph asked.

Alice shook her head in disapproval, but then a cheeky smile surfaced on her lips as she said, "I want to be more than friends..."

"You... Heretic! You and Joseph only met for a little over a month, yet you already want to be his best friend! That's cheating, I am not willing! I met Joseph earlier than you, but you want to take over the position that's supposed to be for me!"

"I should be the one that must become his first best friend, not you!"

Ezreal pointed a finger at Alice.

But Alice merely glanced at him as she continued, "I want to be your lover..."

Hearing her say these words in such an amorous tone made Joseph speechless.

Ezreal, on the other hand, directly lifted another finger as veins bulged on his forehead.

"Now, you're not just a heretic anymore, but a vixen! How dare you seduce a deity, no- How dare you seduce Joseph like that? You two only met recently, yet you already want to climb onto his bed and warm it for him? Damned you..."

"You vixen!"

Ezreal went livid from what he had heard. He wanted to say more, but Joseph interjected and said...

"Stop it, Ezreal..." 

"Master..."

Ezreal was so astonished by Joseph's intervention that he forgot that he wasn't supposed to call him master anymore.

"I promised Senior Krid that I would take care of her in my entire life. I promised Senior that I would make her the happiest woman in this world and that probably involves turning her into my wife." Joseph promptly explained to prevent even more misunderstandings.

Ezreal froze, he stood there, rooted as if he couldn't believe his ears. 

However, when he saw the slight smile on Joseph's face.

He confirmed that what he had said was indeed the truth.

Joseph really did plan on taking Alice as his wife.

I see... I understand... If that's the case, then I will need to take a look at her in a new light. Ezreal inwardly thought as he turned to face Alice, kneeled down on one knee, and said, "Madame... I apologize for being disrespectful."

Alice was astonished by the sudden change in attitude as she turned to look at Joseph for help.

"Ezreal, this is an order. You must treat Alice as a friend. You don't need to call her Madame. Can't you see that she's uncomfortable being called like that?"

"Just call her Alice and she'll thank you for it."

Ezreal nodded his head, but he suddenly dropped a bombshell.

"In that case, then I will call Madame as Alice from now on. But now that I think about it, Joseph..."

"Do you have a date for the marriage already? If not, I can help you think of an auspicious date, day, and time to marry! Trust me, I have a lot of knowledge regarding that! Let me be the wedding manager!" 

Fuck...

Joseph almost blurted out a curse.

Alice trembled and a furious blush spread from her cheeks down to her neck. 

She hung her head low and was trying to hide her expression from Joseph.

"Can we not talk about something like that for now, Ezreal? It's still too early to consider marriage. I still have a lot to do..."

Ezreal lightly chuckled, "Ah, yeah... I forgot! How about we just talk about all of these after Joseph becomes the King?"

Joseph furrowed his eyebrows, "The King? Why would I want to be the King?"

"Why not?"

Indeed, why not? Joseph inwardly blurted what Ezreal had said.

"Wait, why can I be the King? There's already a..." Joseph paused amidst his sentence for he remembered details that he received from the system notifications that appeared in front of him earlier.

"Yes, that's right... It seems like you finally remembered... The Kingdom of Nether is nothing, but an Abandoned Kingdom. It is a territory without a ruler and since you are a Myth. You can declare to the world that the Abandoned Kingdom of Nether is your territory..."

"Why not do that, Joseph? If you really want to make Alice the happiest woman in the world then I suppose, having your own territory and the security of it must be essential, right?" Ezreal winked at Alice.

He acted like he didn't have any argument against her earlier.

Alice wasn't even angry at Ezreal anymore. In fact, she was grateful.

Her bad impression against Ezreal disappeared and they were all replaced with gratefulness. 

"I suppose that makes sense, but being a King, eh..."

Joseph hesitated.

He wasn't even sure if he could properly lead a Guild much more an entire Kingdom. But it was a lie to say that he wasn't attracted by Ezreal's offer of him becoming the King. But taking a look at the long-term effects of him being a King.

It was safe to say that he may become the worst King in the entire history of Victory.

After all, he knew nothing about being a King and was a complete layman about it.

"Joseph, you do not have to worry about being a King for now. Declaring that this place is now your territory just protects the Royal Palace from being burglarized. You won't directly become a King. But if nothing is done and no restrictions are placed by anyone..."

"I'm certain that the treasures of the Kingdom of Nether would disappear in the next few days due to thieves..." 

Ezreal subconsciously swept his gaze to the people behind Alice.

He recognized some of them, but as for the others. It was the first time that he saw them.

However, one thing was for sure...

The people behind Alice only came for the treasures within the Palace Halls, nothing else.

If Joseph made them continue on what they were doing then Ezreal was sure that these people could empty out the treasures in the Palace Halls in just a few days.

A Kingdom without money was a huge joke.

If Joseph wanted to become a true King then he needed an astronomical amount of money.

Ezreal's gaze turned cold as he furtively glanced at the men behind Alice.

As long as Joseph gave the order...

He would make sure that none of these thieves could escape this place alive.

Apart from Kayn who was an immortal being, of course...

"Really? I won't directly become the King, right? But if I declare this Kingdom as my territory, wouldn't everyone know about my name, and wouldn't that give me a lot of enemies in return?" Joseph asked with a frown.

Ezreal lightly chuckled, "Master, ever since you became the Grand Duelist, you should've known that you would definitely have a lot of enemies. If you planned on being a pacifist, then you should've not taken the mantle of the Grand Duelist and inherit her will..."

"Having enemies is completely normal when it comes to you, master... You shouldn't be surprised about that. In fact, you should even welcome them, make them your stepping stone. Step on their dead bodies, use them as your stairs to the summit of world domination... Hahaha..." 

Ezreal cackled and everyone felt a shiver down their spine.

Joseph had a look of utter shock on his face, when did Ezreal become this terrifying? But now that he thought about it, what Ezreal said actually made sense.

But it was also quite ironic...

Joseph wanted to reach the peak because he wanted a secure and peaceful life. He may be able to achieve that dream of his in the future, but it was certain that his path towards that peak wouldn't be peaceful at all.

In fact, it would definitely be a path paved with blood.

Joseph wasn't that naive to think that he could achieve the summit without stepping over the dead bodies of others.

"Fine... I will declare this place as my territory. It would be a pity if the treasure that this Kingdom holds falls into the hands of others, right? But are you sure that I won't directly become a King, Ezreal?"

"I don't really want that to happen for now since I really have no idea about what a King was and what are their duties..."

"Further research about it is needed since I don't really want to be branded as the most foolish and incompetent King in the history of Victory."

Ezreal nodded his head, there was a smile on his face.

Alice also looked quite happy and excited.

It seemed like she was looking forward to the day that she becomes a Queen.

Joseph opened his Main Menu and tapped on the icon of [Logs].

He opened the system notifications that he dismissed earlier and a smile appeared on his face.

[As a Mythical Ranked Player, you have a secured spot in the Universal Rankings! Do you want to spread your name to the world and make them know your name? Yes/No.]

[You own the strongest weapon in the world of Victory. You have a secured and guaranteed spot within the Universal Weapon Rankings! Do you want to spread your name to the world and make them know your name? Yes/No?]

[As a Myth, you have the qualifications to claim an Abandoned Kingdom as your territory. Do you want to claim the Abandoned Kingdom, The Kingdom of Nether, and proclaim it as your territory? Take note that qualifications do not mean that it will be given to you immediately! You will still need to complete a series of quests and objectives!] 

[Your qualifications as a Myth only gives you the ability to skip the process of obtaining a Kingdom-Establishment Token. It does not pardon you from completing the quest and objectives required for claiming the Abandoned Kingdom! Ruling a Kingdom is extremely hard and stressful, please be careful on your choice!] 

It seems like Ezreal really wasn't lying when he said that I won't directly become the King.

As for entering the Universal Rankings and revealing my name to the world. The time that everyone will know my name will eventually come, so why delay the inevitable? Now that I have the strength, it's pretty stupid to act low-key when there's I won't gain any benefit from doing it. 

Joseph repeatedly nodded his head as he steeled his resolve and mustered his courage.

"Yes to all!"

He whispered and several world-shaking system notifications suddenly appeared in front of everyone.

[The Player, Joseph#4269 has entered the Universal Rankings! Rank: 1000]

[The Player, Joseph#4269 has entered the Universal Weapon Rankings! Rank: 1] 

[The First Mythical Ranked Player, Joseph#4269 has declared the Abandoned Kingdom of Nether as his territory! It is now under his protection and everyone who invades the Royal Palace of the Abandoned Kingdom of Nether would be subject to strict punishment courtesy of the Mythical Ranked player!]

These system notifications also appeared right in front of Joseph.

When he dismissed them, another set of system notifications appeared right in front of his eyes...

[You have decisively declared the Abandoned Kingdom of Nether as your territory.]

[The system has gauged that you have no wisdom nor knowledge to run an entire Kingdom.]

[System adjustments have been made...]

[You will now be entering, The King's Trial...]

Fuck, what the fuck?! I thought I won't directly become the King? What the hell is going on?! 

Joseph panicked and he found himself being swallowed by a dazzling light comparable to the light of the sun.

When he awakened...

He found himself sitting in a Palace Hall that was vastly different from the Palace Halls of the Kingdom of Nether.

[Welcome to the King's Trial!] 

[Being a King is not a job that those with qualifications are worthy enough. You may be a myth and possess sufficient qualifications for the job, but that does not mean that you are suitable for it!]

[However, the system is willing to give you a chance!]

[Pass the King's Trial and earn your rewards!]

[The difficulty of your King's Trial has been randomly chosen.]

[Difficulty: Maximum.]

[Information for the King's Trial is now available.]

[King's Trial: You are now a King of a failing Kingdom.]

[Clear Conditions: Address all the issues of the Kingdom and gain enlightenment of a King's duties.]

[Failure Conditions: Die five times.]

[Good luck and we hope you have fun!]

[Sincerely, P.H Works.]

Joseph trembled in anger...

He was about to violently curse the P.H Works when a voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Your Majesty! Please, please grant justice to this loyal citizen of your Kingdom!"

The voice attracted Joseph's attention and he raised his head.

There, he was greeted by the sight of...

A beauty.