Unedited chapter. It will be edited soon.

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"A person who doesn't use their specialty to get into the top 16, huh... This must be the first time I've seen that," Robert said, frowning.

"Haha, she can still move up in the rankings without showing her weapon," he said.

"I see. Although the difficulty is already noticeable, she could still win one more match without any problems."

"My other little one isn't far behind, is she? Although she had to show her weapon, it was only her secondary one," he said, looking at Laura, who was now wearing a complete black suit that completely covered her albino features.

Although the last fight was difficult to win without her main weapon, she still managed to win it using her shotgun and some rather daring moves.

"She has benefited greatly from having Louis around. Her level has skyrocketed, as has her overall strength. In addition, her dexterity has improved dramatically. She may get a ridiculously high position this time," Hardrial thought, quite proudly.

"There are several new faces in the top 16," said Hardrial, noticing the big differences between the previous top 16 and the current top 16.

Of the previous top 16, seven were completely new, which meant that there would be at least one new member in the top 10.

"And this time it's more varied. We finally have an enviable variety in this ranking," said Hardrial. "Armamentists, Mages, Martial Artists, and Swordsmen. Before, with only one Armamentist, it still felt empty, but now with two, the situation has changed."

"You've done a good job, Mr. Hardrial." Robert smiled. "Do you think the era of Armamentalists has arrived?"

'The era of Armamentalists, huh,' he thought and looked at Louis.

With his help, it was possible that it would arrive. He was too talented and perhaps came from the most prominent family in the world. But the issue was that he didn't know if he would reach that age.

When geniuses stand out so much, the difficulty of their existence increases. The powerful fear geniuses, so they either kill them or turn them into their slaves.

That's why he couldn't be sure, even though the boy's talent had proven it to him.

Robert took his silence as a refusal to answer, so he didn't pursue the question.

"I hope to see this new generation shine, now more than ever. The world is moving very fast these days, and the great families of the continent will not stand idly by in the face of our rapid advance," he said.

"Especially the church," Hardrial reminded him.

"Yes. The danger of theocracy looming over us is truly terrible. I fear that things will not turn out well for us in the coming century. Whether we survive or not may depend on our unity," said Robert, as he prepared to leave. "Or on the strength of a single being."

Hardrial remained silent in the room. Almost all the fighting was over, and Laura and Louis had already finished, so he wasted no more time here and went to talk to them.

-

Louis returned to his mansion late at night, after listening to several magical lectures from Hardrial, who was putting a lot of effort into helping them these days.

He even gave them a lot of material to learn magic, grimoires, and things he had made himself, which contained a wealth of magical knowledge.

Although neither of them understood why, they gladly accepted it.

That night, as he returned to his mansion, Louis frowned.

"Did the Lockwards send people to follow me again?" he thought, noticing that he was being pursued by a series of rather powerful figures.

He quickened his pace and began to move quickly through the alleys, recalling all the maps of the district he had seen in the House of Shadows and the House of the Ancient Moon.

To move stealthily, there was nothing better than mafia houses, so in a moment, he ended up walking at a distance from the guys who were following him.

He had fooled them.

"They're not Lockward," he thought.

They wore black clothing covering most of their bodies, so it was difficult to tell which faction they belonged to, but they were quite powerful.

"I can still kill them if I get close to them and manage to fire several shots in quick succession at point-blank range."

Although he considered doing so, he quickly realized that there was no benefit in doing so. And since he had no idea who they were, killing him was not a good idea.

Besides, even though they were chasing him, they had no intention of killing him for now. It seemed they just wanted to guard him.

"Although that's just as annoying, getting into trouble with some top-level organization just to get rid of guys who will probably be replaced is of no use to me. Better to avoid trouble," he thought, and hid in the shadows once again.

He took a different route and first walked around the main street, visited Jessy's company, Mr. Gon, and after a while returned to his mansion.

About an hour later, Jessy arrived and prepared dinner, finding Louis studying magic with astonishing concentration.

"He really likes magic," she thought, shocked. She had been watching him for 30 minutes, and he still didn't seem to notice her presence here.

At one point, Louis found himself at a dead end and leaned back on the sofa.

He smiled at her. "I'm sorry for not paying much attention to you. If you said something to me, you can repeat it. I was facing a complicated problem," he said.

"No, no," Jessy shook her head. "I didn't say anything to you. Dinner is ready. Would you like to eat?" she asked.

"Okay." He smiled at her, and she brought several dishes to the table where they ate until they were satisfied.

Jessy got up and went to wash the dishes.

"When you're done, come see me for a moment. I want to ask you something," Louis said from the armchair.

"Right away, Mr. Louis."

She hurried through her chores, while Louis took the opportunity to clean the table and tidy up a few things in the kitchen. Although she liked doing those things, they would take time, so to save time, he did them.

It was no trouble for him, anyway.

After several minutes, Jessy sat down in front of him again.

"You've been associating with the nobility for over a month now, haven't you?" Louis asked.

"Yes, sir. Different nobles have come to the store during this time, and the store has been able to expand. Several are asking us to open more branches, but we are in the process of expanding. Even so, I recently met someone of impressive status," she said.

Louis frowned. "Who?" he asked.

"He is high-ranking nobility, Lord Sackville, Duke of Sackville," she replied.

"The Dark Duke," he thought and frowned.

In the Empire, Dukes who are not subordinate to the Nevilles and the Castles are rare, but there are a few scattered here and there.

Among them is the Dark Duke, who reigns over a region governed by mafias and somewhat independent organizations, where there are no castles. He is a great nobleman who has little interest in vain matters.

What is that guy doing around here?

"Did he come for you to make outfits for him?" he asked.

"Yes, but a little different. Apparently, his daughter is a frustrated designer, as I was in the past, and he believes I can create her peculiar designs. He seems to want to give his daughter a nice gift, he's paying a lot for each outfit."

"I see." Louis frowned.

The Dark Duke is often known as the Mafia Duke on the streets, but the reality is completely different. He is not associated with the mafia, he simply rules them with an iron fist.

Although it is worth becoming an ally of this guy, the fact that he was in town these days did not mean that was the only reason.

Knowing the kind of man he is, if he had heard about Jessy from so far away, he would have sent someone to bring her to his territory. But if he came... it's because he fears something.

"Professor Hardrial's actions, the arrival of all those powerful figures, the pursuers, the appearance of the Dark Duke... It all fits together. Something could be happening," Louis thought.

"Jessy, have you noticed any recent changes in the city? In the industrial district, specifically?" he asked directly.

Faced with such a sudden change in questions, she frowned.

"There are a lot more people, and among them, there are a lot of people who seem nervous. There are many foreigners, but the biggest change is in the north. The nobles of the north are very quiet, and there have been sightings of strange characters."

"The north. I have to talk to Jacob," he thought.

He nodded to Jessy. "All right, then. I've also noticed some strange things happening recently, so go back to your room and get some sleep. Avoid drawing too much attention to yourself, and come see me at the tournament tomorrow. The final is being played tomorrow," he said, then put on a jacket.

"Where are you going so late, Mr. Louis?" she asked in shock.

"Hehe, just out for a walk. Don't worry," he said.

Although she was not convinced, Louis was not going to give her many explanations. "I have a gift for you, the one I promised you before I left for the Tower. I'll give it to you when the tournament is over," he said, before leaving without saying anything else.

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