"What just happened?"
The commotion among the nobles who just witnessed Oliver and Elias's fight grows.
"Young Master Oliver looked really bad..."
"Young Master Elias literally destroyed him,"
"Isn't that crazy? I mean, Young Master Oliver has always been the strongest of this generation."
"He's not stronger than Young Master Edgar,"
"Huh? Maybe in cultivation, but in techniques, he's,"
"But he couldn't even beat Young Master Elias..."
"What happens next? Did the Drummonds just lose?"
"Everyone knew that was going to happen; no one can go against the Viscount and his allies,"
"But I had hoped they might surprise us in the end..."
"Hey, you guys are forgetting about the mysterious boy? He could still fight."
"But where is he?"
Arthur is currently carrying Oliver's body into a large bathroom on the first floor of the house.
"Put him in the bathtub," Aria instructs and Arthur quickly does so. As soon as the water begins to cover Oliver's body, Aria makes hand signs inside the bathtub, and the water starts to freeze.
Oliver has a strong convulsion, foam coming out from his mouth with saliva and blood, which increases Josephine's panic. "Don't let my son die, please, Aria!!"
Aria possesses a cold side she reserves for dealing with anyone outside her family and close friends, and despite her distaste for the nobles of Eldoria, she can't help but feel empathy for Josephine.
'No mother should go through this... watching her own son suffer this much...' Just imagining herself in Josephine's shoes is enough to distress Aria. 'If something like this happened to Arthur... my heart would break and could never be restored...'
"I won't let him die," Aria tells Josephine with determination.
"Thank you!" Josephine turns her attention to the servants in the corridor and sends them to fetch her family's best medical remedies to aid Aria. The elderly lady is extremely nervous, so Margaret tries to calm her down.
The Cat Maid also enters the bathroom, extremely worried about Oliver's situation. She saw the whole fight and shed many tears, her heart severely wounded due to the suffering of her beloved.
Arthur is also anxious as he watches Aria use her magic to stabilize Oliver's body. "What are you going to do, Mom?"
"I've bought us some time by cooling his body, but I need to find out what's causing his organs to fail... it would be much faster if I knew what they did to him."
"I think so," Aria nods. "Just the slightest contact is enough for the toxin to penetrate the body and reach the blood, starting the paralysis of the internal organs."
"So Elias must have applied the toxin to his body when he went to the restroom and probably ingested the antidote as well?" Arthur asks. "I saw his panicked expression until he drank a glass of wine given to him by the Viscount himself before climbing into the arena..."
"It makes sense," Aria quickly explains. "The antidote neutralizes the poison in the blood, but the toxin would still be on his skin and clothes, which contaminated Oliver through his own blows."
"That means Elias is still getting infected with the toxin..." Arthur wonders. "Is your antidote better than theirs?"
"I don't know," Aria speaks honestly. "But I suppose so... also, I can make it last longer if that's what you want."
"That's exactly it," Arthur smiles, appreciative of his mother's understanding.
But Josephine is confused. "What are you going to do?"
"Fight by their rules, of course," Arthur smiles with an excited expression, but his eyes blaze with the flames of revenge.
"This is very dangerous!" Josephine exclaims. "You don't need to risk yourself like this."
"It's not a risk," Arthur comments confidently while glancing at Aria. "Elias will drink his antidote right before climbing into the arena. I just need to do the same, and the fact that my mother's antidote is superior will ensure that I can give that trash what he deserves."
"Hmm..." Even knowing they have the antidote, Josephine fears for Arthur's safety. "Well, proving they broke the rules with an invisible toxin seems quite complicated... but are you really fine with doing something like this?"
"Yeah, it's going to be fun," Arthur says in a sinister tone.
The atmosphere becomes tense, Arthur's dark aura becoming increasingly evident.
*Cough* *Cough*
Oliver opens his eyes while letting out a few pained moans. "I like the idea of giving that bastard what he deserves. But won't they suspect something if they see you drinking something before stepping into the arena?"
"Son!" Josephine embraces Oliver tightly.
"Master Oliver!!" The Cat Maid also runs over to hug him, and he smiles lovingly at her and his mother.
Arthur also smiles upon seeing his friend well. "Good point, but I've thought of that too."
"Oh?" Aria becomes curious. "So, we're doing this?"
"Yeah," Arthur nods, feeling quite excited.
Josephine and Oliver don't mind killing their enemies to protect their family, but they don't truly understand how Arthur feels.
Aria, on the other hand, has always been cold towards her enemies and almost everyone else, but there are shadows within her that not even she can control.
'But that's not the case with him... he's merging with his shadows, embracing his most violent and cruel desires...' Aria looks at her son, her body reacting more and more positively to him. 'This shouldn't feel so good... so, why is this so exciting?'