F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 277: Crossing Words

"Well, it seems like someone has finally decided to be my wife. Good call." Skylar’s voice pierced through the murmurs, a myriad of reactions born from the scandalous claim.

"You!" Iris snapped, tears threatening to fall. She had never felt so betrayed and angry. "Shameless...scum! You’re scum, Skylar!"

"Why, thank you for the compliment, wife. Now, I’ll answer your question for you. You have been disqualified, so why don’t you go over there and watch while your husband wins the entire thing, hmm?"

Smiling without guilt or remorse, the bastard was.

Iris was tongue-tied, caught off guard by the twisted prince’s shameless evilness.

She instinctively felt her subsequent words would be of no purpose. That there was no use in even denouncing him further.

Not to mention, her vocabulary for the said action was not too deep.

This bet...she was relying on it to rid herself of Skylar’s clutches. Her family was but an average household.

How can they disobey the Ashwind when threats are involved? To make matters worse, her remaining family was in support of the other party, believing that marrying into the Ashwind Family would be a blessing from the gods and goddesses.

Iris had always argued with her mother about this.

She was an S-ranker, and given time, she will be able to give Vicky a good life easily. Yet, her mother remained adamant in giving her hand to Skylar, claiming her arguments made no sense.

Iris couldn’t make sense of her mother’s mind, either.

They were not in a desperate situation, so why was she so eager to grasp at daggers?

The world had come crashing down upon Iris today. She could not even fight for their freedom, as her own mother had robbed her of that right.

Iris was aware that it was probably naive of her to rely entirely on winning the competition to make Skylar and his family give up without resorting to their overwhelming influence.

However, she was sure that it would’ve at least bought her some time, perhaps enough to find a lasting solution.

But all hope is lost now...

Or maybe it wasn’t?

Just when she was falling into furious despair, she caught someone approaching in her peripheral vision.

A blonde young man. Daru Finnley, her training partner.

"Iris," he called, prompting both the Sky Prince and Iris to turn to look.

The audience’s eyes flashed with curiosity, then excitement. This...

Was another spicy drama about to unfold?!

They hoped so. Nathalie hoped so, too, as this was good for her career. The more famous the event was, the better.

Only Jebroham, who had just returned, watched with caution.

The scene looked like some small-time squabble between teens, but there were two huge forces behind two of the youngsters, and things could escalate quickly.

"Do you need help?" Daru asked as he stopped beside his acquaintance, probably a friend if stretching things by his standards.

Skylar met his eyes a moment later with cold amusement.

"I know some things, Daru Finnley, but let’s not discuss them here. How about you make your intentions clear for meddling and not hide behind your indifferent facade, yeah?"

Iris seemed to be locked in an internal struggle.

She knew what would happen if she asked for Daru’s help regarding this matter, so she was hesitating, even leaning a bit more towards politely rejecting.

The Ashwind Family was known to be regional tyrants. It was difficult for Iris to drag an innocent young man into her mess.

While she was lost in the chaos of herself, the two young men exchanged minds.

"What do you mean? Haven’t I made my intentions clear enough already? If my training partner needs my help, I am willing to help." Daru’s brows furrowed in confusion.

The Sky Prince sneered in suppressed derision. He seemed to have a different thought in mind as to why Daru was stepping up like a knight in shining armor.

"That’s what I mean by hiding behind an indifferent facade. You’re a coward, Daru Finnley. A coward who can’t even admit his true motives. A weasel."

Daru’s puzzlement, however, only deepened.

"Stop speaking in circles." He snapped back, starting to run out of patience."I’m not hiding behind any facade, I’m not a coward, and I’m definitely not a weasel. I am coming out here to help a friend in distress. How is that being a coward and a weasel? Aren’t you the one hiding behind mysterious words? Just speak clearly."

The Sky Prince scoffed in amusement. How is it that he sensed genuineness in Daru’s tone?

Can someone really be so dumb and dense?

"Hahaha! I don’t know if your acting is simply top-tier, but...whatever the case is, you’ll fail, Daru Finnley. Also, remember that crossing me doesn’t end in a single encounter."

"Hmph." Daru snorted coldly. "Your threats don’t scare me, Skylar Ashwind. Come at me with whatever you have. I’m not afraid of you, your family, or your rogues. If you want to win someone’s heart, do it like a man. You disgust me."

A brief moment of silence later, the Sky Prince turned and left with a cold smile.

"Let’s see then, Daru Finnley. Let’s see..."

If he was infuriated by Daru’s daring, he did not show it.

Perhaps schemes were already forming in his twisted head.

Daru watched for a few moments in cold indifference before turning to Iris. Her fists were clenched so hard that her palms were leaking small amounts of red cubic particles.

This was not her intention, but it had already happened. She should have been more decisive...

With slightly reddened, teary eyes, she turned to Daru, still hesitant to speak.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Daru’s world slowed momentarily at the sight. Something he could not explain tugged at his chest.

"Well, you clearly need help, since you’re so distressed. Come."

Without hesitation, he pulled Iris by the wrist back to the entrance she came from, unaware of the aftermath of his boldness. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

His actions were solely for the sake of efficiency and appropriate privacy.

However, to the eyes of the crowd...

"H-Holy sh*t!! L-L-Look! He’s pulling her away right in front of Skylar!"

"This guy’s dead! He’s simply dead!"

"What of it!? I’ll come to his grave every weekend to pay respects to the Grandmaster!"

An F-ranker pulling an S-ranker fairy away from an SS-ranker. What could this be, if not a live-action adaptation of a romantasy epic?!

The crowd was blown away with mixed reactions.

More than half the male students of Noravia Southern Bladeborn Academy seethed, while the remainder, along with a majority of the outsiders, were deeply impressed.

This F-ranker was a living legend! At least for now, as he would probably transition to a legend soon.

Even Nathalie suddenly found herself invested.

Cody and Elune slowly turned their heads and looked at each other with gaping mouths, while Caleb instinctively leaned forward in pleasant bewilderment, as if a bit proud of his boy.

He knew Daru was bold, but not this bold!

Soon, under the dumbfounded gazes of the crowd, the two disappeared into the entrance.