The Gamer's POV-Chapter 261: Should’ve Asked for Five Hundred

"So, what’s it gonna be?"

Both of them stared at each other in a charged silence for a moment.

Then Cedric looked away, exhaled, and smiled. "Every time you speak, you make people appreciate your silence."

He closed his eyes and shook his head mockingly. "Let’s make a deal."

Leon arched a brow. "A deal? I’m listening."

Cedric opened his eyes and said in a sly, calculating tone, "Unlike your summon, which has been around for almost a month, mine has barely existed for two days. To make things interesting for me, especially since I would be operating under such... unfair terms, let’s set a price. If I win, or even if it’s a draw, and we succeed in getting back to the Empire, you will owe me... two hundred and fifty gold coins."

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

Evelyn and Audrey blurted simultaneously, while Dion leaned back and whistled. "Now that’s something interesting."

As for Leon, the smug grin on his face faded into a frown that he tried to hide, and his cheek twitched. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Are you serious?" Evelyn grew even more excited for some reason. "Two hundred and fifty gold coins? Damn. That’s fucking diabolical. Even my father, who’s a viscount, would lose a bit of sleep if he were to part ways with that kind of money."

Cedric smiled and licked his lips. "You think I’m afraid of you? No. Why would I be, when I’m clearly the superior between us both? If you want to bother me and mine with a duel, then you’re gonna have to put your money where your mouth is. If that’s too much for even you, Leon, then feel free to back down from this game and keep your gold."

It was silent after that, and everyone was looking at Leon.

Of course, he was rich. Rich enough that he didn’t even need his family’s wealth. As someone who had many nobles paying to use his eyes, his personal coffers were overflowing. But even that much money was too ridiculous to throw away on a mere whim. So he definitely wouldn’t accept such an outrageous demand.

"Deal."

See?

Wait... what?

"You agree to my terms?" Cedric blurted in disbelief.

"Yes." Leon’s arrogant smile returned. "It’s just two hundred and fifty gold coins. A small price to pay for the pleasure of seeing the face you’ll make after you lose."

’Tsk. ’Just two hundred and fifty gold coins?’ I thought that amount would be enough to get him off my back. Should I have made it higher? Maybe five hundred gold?’

Cedric sighed and closed his eyes. After a brief pause, he thought... fuck it.

A wide, curious, and greedy smile grew on his lips. Then he muttered, "Tomorrow, then. My summon will duel against yours in the palestra."

***

Later that night...

Cedric walked down the hall leading to his chamber while smoking from a long brown pipe. When he got to the door, he put the pipe away, but just as he was about to open the door, he heard Aika giggling from inside.

’What’s got her in such a bright mood?’

He pushed the door open to see her belly-down on the bed, kicking her heels back and forth in the air while she was buried deep in her romance novel.

When she heard him, she immediately shut the book and stuffed it under the pillow as if trying to hide what she was reading.

’Now she’s got me wondering if that novel is rated PG-18,’ Cedric thought as he crossed to the window.

"Ino made us some meat," he said as he pushed the shutter open, then he reached into his inventory, took out a wrap of meat, and tossed it to Aika. "Here’s your share. I already had mine."

Aika, who had scrambled to sit at the edge of the bed while trying to look innocent, caught it out of the air. "Thanks. I was starving."

"You could have joined us, you know?" Cedric remarked casually as he shrugged off his heavy coat and tossed it into the inventory.

Aika took a bite and, after chewing for a few seconds, she asked, "What took you so long?"

Cedric also took off his shirt, revealing his perfectly sculpted torso.

"I had to start a few conversations leading to lies so that I could earn a few karma points."

"How many?"

"Only twenty. Tsk." Cedric scoffed. Then, he sat in a meditative position on the ground. "By the way, Leon has challenged me to a summons duel tomorrow."

As he spoke, Aika turned to him and arched a brow.

"I accepted under the terms that if I win or draw, he owes me two hundred and fifty gold coins."

Aika smiled. "Sweet. Though I feel you should have made it a bit higher. That bastard is filthy rich."

"I know. I’m regretting not making it more than five hundred gold." He closed his eyes, and as he began drawing in mana to expand his core, he concluded, "Anyway, I really hope Athena doesn’t disappoint us tomorrow."

"Right? I need that money for some gambling when we get back."

Cedric opened an eye and shot her a look of unadulterated judgment. After a few seconds, he exhaled and said, "Since I’ll be busy drawing in mana until tomorrow afternoon, go check on her later, will you? Maybe teach her a thing or two?"

Aika smiled, and her expression made it seem like she was really looking forward to being with Athena. "Got it."

Cedric exhaled and closed his eye again, then he began drawing in mana.

Now that he was a Lord, he needed an even larger mana core.

Of course, his summons would all have their own mana cores that they could use for their own magic. They could also expand their cores in the same way he was doing right now. However, they could only do it in his Sanctuary as that was the only place with mana fitting for them.

The reason Cedric needed a larger core was that, in the case of emergencies, when his summons were low on mana, they could pray to their Lord for aid. Cedric could then choose to funnel mana from his own core directly into theirs.

...With the oncoming war, he suspected that he would need to do that. So, yes, he needed to increase his capacity.