As Arthur pours a glass of wine for Jovie, another competitor steps into the arena; this guy is also a third-grade Elite Warrior, so Oliver chooses one of his younger cousins for the fight again. The battle lasts a few minutes before ending with a victory for the young Drummond.
Dmitri and his allies start to grow concerned about their side not winning any match so far, but Edgar, Elias, and the Viscount seem quite calm, after all, they are only using the weaker members of their group.
Over the course of four more battles like that, all resulting in victories for the Drummonds, Arthur and his girls enjoy a great dinner. All the food served by Josephine's servants is delicious, but Arthur still feels that this food lacks something compared to Margaret's.
When the fourth fight ends, a stronger opponent steps into the arena, a fourth-grade Elite Warrior. Since Oliver's older cousin just fought, he steps into the arena for his first fight of the night. "I'll handle this one," he tells Arthur.
Arthur nods and watches the fight, which ends in less than a minute, with Oliver stepping down from the arena with a proud expression and his opponent lying unconscious on the arena's floor.
"What do you think?" Oliver asks Arthur.
"A bit too much?" Arthur asks in a playful tone, and both start to laugh.
Without wasting time, Edgar and Elias choose another opponent to step into the arena; there are no more members below the fourth grade of the Elite Rank available among them, so this opponent is as strong as the previous one.
"You can handle this one," Oliver tells Arthur, who stands up excitedly. "Alright,"
Little Eve doesn't like losing her spot on his lap, but Margaret gives him a kiss on the cheek for good luck. Aria also sends him a loving smile. "Have fun, darling~"
Arthur's confident and provocative smile as he steps into the arena clearly distresses his opponent. Worse, Arthur teases him like a devil, "Aren't you going to shout your name out for everyone like your friend did?"
"No, thanks," the opponent responds in a respectful tone, raising his trembling arms.
Arthur enjoys the fear in his opponent's eyes, and despite the man not declaring an interest in his mother out loud like Esmond did, he had thrown lustful glances her way at some point. So, Arthur has no intention of holding back, advancing as soon as Josephine signals the start of the fight.
*Ding* *Whoosh*
The opponent sees Arthur approaching like a shadow and attempts a kick, but Arthur easily dodges to the side. The man tries to turn, starting another strike, but Arthur ducks and lands a brutal punch to the man's stomach as he rises back. *BAM!*
"BLURP-" The man spews a mouthful of blood as he feels his insides being crushed by Arthur's unbelievable force.
The pain blurs his vision, but Arthur doesn't stop. As the man bends over, Arthur lands a knee to his face, throwing him back like a ragdoll.
Aria is so focused on watching Arthur act like a proud and brutal devil that everyone else around seems to vanish. She focuses her senses on him, only his body in front of her eyes, only the sound of his rapid breathing in her ears...
Her body heats up uncontrollably, and before she realizes it, one of her hands is already on her lap, her fingers slowly attempting to puncture a hole in her dress to quench her insatiable desire as she bites a finger on her other hand.
No one notices Aria's state except for Josephine, who becomes curious and concerned. "Are you okay?" the old lady whispers softly in Aria's ear.
"Oh?" Aria is caught off guard but quickly composes herself. "I think I need to go to the toilet." She stands up and quickly crosses the courtyard, but as she passes by the arena, her eyes meet Arthur's for a second before she continues on.
*BAM*
Arthur's current opponent falls to the ground unconscious, just like all who don't quickly surrender. The next noble hastily ascends to the arena, but Arthur quickly loses his excitement for the fight. 'She's not watching me anymore... this is pointless.'
The noble sees the violent spark fade from Arthur's eyes, leaving him puzzled. 'Is he afraid of me?'
Seeing the guy grow confident, Arthur shakes his head. "Do you really want to do this?" He shows his fist, still coated in the blood of his last opponents. "You can avoid the pain; just say the words..."
"I..." the guy stammers, confused. He just witnessed Arthur brutalizing several of his friends, so clearly, he doesn't want to endure the same. But he also knows he can't just give up, or it would destroy his reputation among the Viscounts and their sons. "Damn!!!"
Arthur looks towards Josephine and nods; she smiles and taps her spoon against her cup, signaling the start of the fight.
*Ding*
That sound echoes in the young noble's mind like thunder before a fearsome storm...
"Alright, you asked for this..." Arthur advances towards the guy with a devilish smile.
'SHIT!! Is he a psychopath?!?' The guy panics and swiftly steps back, raising his open hands. "Okay, okay, I give up!!"
"Good," Arthur doesn't look back at the guy before leaping from the arena and approaching Oliver. "I need to pee; you take the lead now."
"Sure," Oliver nods quickly.
Arthur nods in return and then leaves the courtyard; nobody notices it, but Josephine's eyes don't miss the fact that even though there are many bathrooms in the house, Arthur is heading in the same direction Aria just went.
'Hmmm... am I overthinking it?' The old lady is sharp, but even she dares not imagine certain things.