New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 713 Twofold Bullying

Astaroth didn't have much time to ponder his pushiness, since a shriek brought him back to the current circumstances.

"Eek! What is this abomination of a person doing in our abode?!" a woman shouted from a balcony above the eastern side of the yard.

Flying down from the balcony, and landing on the ground next to the man named Elias, the young woman, with similar traits sneered at Rodney.

Her tight-fitting robe looked to be a size too small on her, as some bumps were visible through the fabric. And to top it off, her roundish face looked like she could slack on the cake and exercise.

"Sister Mariah. What an unpleasant surprise. I had hoped I wouldn't cross paths with you, either. Seems my luck is turning bad today…" Rodney said, his face in disgust.

He was sweating on the inside, memories of these two tormenting him to no end coming to mind, but outside, he stayed strong.

"How dare you show up here?! Your presence sullies our respectable name! You should leave at once!"

Astaroth couldn't believe these people were Rodney's siblings. Warm and family man, Rodney.

He just couldn't fathom they were from the same family or upbringing.

Then he remembered. They weren't.

Not in the genuine sense of the word.

"Do you believe this scum is acting like he's someone now, sister? It's bloody madness how the world outside of Themiscus lets anyone get illusions of grandeur! We should have long since bent the entire continent under our gracious heel!"

Rodney was about to scoff when he heard Phoenix's voice interject.

"I would love to see you try that in Stellar Woodlands. Our walls withstood thousands of Abnormals, who were dozens of times stronger than the both of you."

She had said those words in a calm tone, but the sharpness in them was cutting.

Rodney's sister looked at Phoenix with crazed eyes, her fists clenching.

"Who is this wench?! How dare she disparage the power of the mighty Themiscus?! You should—"

A blade cut the end of her sentence off, halting an inch from her throat, making her squeal in surprise.

"Talk about my queen like that one more time. I dare you. Your head will roll to the ground faster than those fat lips of yours can flap."

Rodney's earlier disgust dripped into his words, as his face displayed killing intent.

"Father!" Elias shouted.

But the older man was still eyes closed and leaning on the wall. It didn't seem like he was about to react.

But Phoenix wasn't going to let herself get insulted and do nothing back.

"You call me wench, and yet, you make all the fat prostitutes look noble. At least, they aren't ashamed of their weight. You make all the round girls look bad, if this is the attitude you show the world."

The woman was frothing at the mouth; the insult reaching deep into her insecurities about her weight. But the proximity of Rodney's sword made her hesitate to insult the woman back.

"I know a way to settle this," Astaroth said.

His voice brought everyone's attention to him, lowering the tension slightly. But he could see the two noble shits were not happy as he spoke.

Two waves of mana crashed into him, but he shattered them with his willpower, and sent one back, much stronger than the two combined, slamming into the overconfident adults.

They reeled from the impact into their minds, but managed to stand strong.

"Your magic is weak. Not even worth my time. As I was saying, I have a way of making things at least bearable. How about you two prove your superiority in a mock battle? You two, versus Rodney."

His words resounded like a slap in the face to the two siblings, as they felt like he had insulted them worse than Rodney did. To even think Rodney was enough for the two of them was unbelievable.

"Do you think he even stands a chance?!" Elias shouted, his face red with anger.

"Against you two sheltered brats? I reckon he should mop the ground with those cocky attitudes of yours. If not, he wouldn't deserve to be a commander of our kingdom. And before you try to slander our kingdom, think about who is in front of you. I will shatter your minds at the slightest insult."

Somehow, they felt like the threat was closer to a promise than a threat when looking into his eyes. But they couldn't stand how arrogant his words sounded.

If defeating their useless older brother shut up the young king and his wench of a queen, then the siblings would gladly oblige. Especially since they thought Rodney was no match.

Elias turned to his father, wondering what he thought about it, and the old man nodded, before walking to the running kids and ushering them further into the courtyard.

"Then I guess that answers it," Astaroth said, grinning.

Once a perimeter had been cleared, a few members of the family suddenly gathered just outside of it. They were curious what had brought about this situation.

Rodney stood on one side of the courtyard, with his brother and sister on his opposite.

"I think I will enjoy this. It has been a long time coming," Rodney said, a smile creeping up to his lips.

In front of him, both siblings looked utterly annoyed at his words.

"As if you can even land a single strike against us, you utter trash!" Elias spat.

"Yeah, you trash!" Mariah echoed, like a fat parrot.

Rodney ignored their boring insults and prepared his sword and shield. As he lowered his stance, his father walked in between the three of them.

"I will ask only for one rule. No killing, accidental or intentional. If someone's life is at risk, I will stop this duel immediately. Understood?"

He looked at Rodney, who nodded once. When he turned his head toward his second son and first daughter, they sneered.

"Then you should stop the duel now, because this is going to be a slaughter," Elias arrogantly said.

But Ulrick ignored the comment and stepped back outside the perimeter.

After he reached outside the combat perimeter, he raised his hand. And after a few seconds, he dropped it, uttering a single word.

"Fight."