Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 134: Alex, the Ruthless and Trustworthy

CH134 Alex, the Ruthless and Trustworthy

***

Alex let the soldiers echo the family motto thunderously for a moment—

To let it sink into the hearts and minds of all present.

Only after that did he slowly turn towards the arena entrance.

"Come and treat them. Their lives still have use to the family."

His voice was calm, but his tone, backed by his True Name aura, carried the weight of undisputed authority.

Perhaps it was the gravity of the moment, or the command in his voice, but the healers rushed forward before they even realised it.

When they examined the fallen heirs, a wave of shock rippled through their ranks.

They turned to Alex in disbelief.

Not a single one of the heirs was dead.

With some treatment, all the heirs began to stir—rising slowly into seated positions.

Even they couldn’t believe it.

Each of them had genuinely believed they were dead.

After confirming the heirs were alive and stable, Alex pulled his hood back over his head—returning to his Brotherhood persona.

Without further word, he turned and walked out of the arena.

The crowd could only watch in stunned silence as he exited.

The events of the duel replayed over and over in their minds like an imprint branded into memory.

They had all believed Alex would struggle—six opponents to one.

But reality had shattered that belief.

He had dominated.

"I will crush you at the things you believe you are best at."

Those were the words Alex had once spoken to Kurt.

But now it was clear...

He hadn’t just spoken them.

He had embodied them—

Against Kurt,

Against the heirs,

And even against Viscount Lars.

He took down the female Rogue with a vicious sneak attack.

He overpowered the Berserker with explosive force.

He finished off the two swordsmen with a swift and lethal strike.

He went toe-to-toe with the armoured knight.

And, most impressively—

He stole Viscount Lars’ own spell and retaliated with a version so terrifying that it left nothing of the man behind.

The crowd slowly recalled something even more telling.

The warning Alex gave wasn’t just to Kurt or the heirs.

It had begun much earlier—before the duels ever started—when he stood before Earl Drake and said:

"I am worried... worried some fool won’t be able to accept the result if I defeat him as a mage. I’ll humour him. I’ll fight as a warrior... in the way he is most confident."

Back then, most thought it was empty bravado.

Now?

They realised it was a prediction.

Judging from his display of magic against Viscount Lars, Alex could have won with a single spell.

Had he done so, some may still have doubted the result.

They might have called it luck.

Or chalked it up to the trickery of mages.

But now?

None of the survivors could say a word.

They had been defeated—utterly, without excuse, without ambiguity.

They had been outmatched.

Outclassed.

"That’s not all," Ulfman said, his voice cutting through the hum of post-duel murmurs.

"The duels also show he’s a man of his word. He did everything he said he was going to do.

"From the condition he placed on himself for the duel...

"To how he said he would face Kurt.

"To how he warned the heirs they’d have only themselves to blame.

"And finally—his overt promise to kill Viscount Lars.

"He did everything. Every. Single. Thing."

Ulfman, Seraphina, Sophia, and Wilbert remained in the private box where they had witnessed the entire duel unfold.

Alex’s number one fan, Wilbert, was practically glowing.

It was as though every praise Alex received was praise aimed at him too.

Sophia, however, wore a far more serious expression.

"I’m more concerned with how ruthlessly he kept his word," she said quietly.

"The way he killed Kurt and Viscount Lars... he made sure to break them—completely—before putting them out of their misery."

"That’s another level of ruthlessness," Seraphina added, her eyes narrowed in wary respect.

Sophia nodded.

"We have to make sure he promises never to target us. But for that to happen, we can’t just show that we have no intention of standing in his way—we need to make sure our mothers do the same."

Ulfman smiled wryly.

"It’s not your mothers we have to worry about. It’s mine.

As long as my mother doesn’t make a move, yours won’t either."

Neither girl argued.

Their mother was a peaceful woman. She didn’t hunger for power—she simply wanted safety and stability for her children.

It was only due to Joselin’s scheming that she had aligned with Ulfman’s mother at all.

She had no ambitions beyond what she already had.

But if Ulfman’s mother insisted on something, she might support her—for old times’ sake... and as a fellow Fury woman.

"I’ll talk to her," Ulfman promised. "I’ll make her swear to stay out of it."

"That’s for the best," Sophia agreed. "It’s unlikely, but we’ll speak with our mother as well."

Once again, the group quietly reaffirmed their stance.

They would not oppose Alex Fury’s claim to the heirship of Earl Drake’s line.

All that remained now was to ensure their mothers didn’t do anything foolish that might ruin that position.

---

With the end of the duel came a flood of reactions from all who had witnessed it.

The most common reactions?

Awe.

Fear.

Alex Fury had stamped his name into their hearts.

But just behind those emotions were the cries of gamblers—

Wails of joy and despair echoed alike.

Surprisingly, a few madmen had actually bet on Alex winning both duels.

Most winners only bet on him defeating Kurt, while refusing to stake anything on the duel against the heirs and Viscount Lars—

Much to their regret.

But the vast majority?

They lost.

Most had bet on Alex losing to Kurt.

The rest had bet he’d win against Kurt but fall in the second round.

Whether they won or lost, everyone walked away with one truth burned into their soul—

You do not underestimate the new, undisputed heir of Earl Drake.

Speaking of Earl Drake, he—along with the four other nobles seated with him in the VIP gallery—each had their own thoughts.

Count Gordon?

He was thoroughly entertained. He had come for the festivities, and Alex’s performance more than delivered.

Count Vincent, ever the gloomy and unreadable one, took special note of how Alex fought hidden behind a hood the entire time.

A part of him quietly wondered...

’Could I recruit this youth into the Umbra Claw Legion?’

Baron Aiden, however, was secretly appalled.

Alex’s performance had not only displayed his terrifying strength, but also his unyielding spirit—

—a trait that resonated deeply with those of the Furor Bloodline.

If the youth continued in this vein, it would not be long before he was no longer just the undisputed heir of Earl Drake’s line...

But the widely accepted heir of the Fury Family itself.

Baron Aiden never had ambitions of becoming the Fury Family Head.

But that didn’t stop him from disliking Alex’s dogmatic loyalty to the Fury laws—a loyalty he found outdated and utterly incompatible with his more... enlightened vision for the family’s future.

To put it mildly:

Baron Aiden would rather the Fury Family not continue under the stewardship of unrepentant warlords like Earl Drake and now, it seemed, Alex.

Countess Megan, meanwhile, sat in quiet contemplation.

Subtle lights flickered in her eyes as she studied the youth walking away from the arena—

Trying to find the shadow of the boy she once knew... and failing.

It was like the boy was simply gone.

The transformation was so drastic, she almost couldn’t believe it—

But the truth was clear.

She had seen it with her own eyes.

And despite everything, Countess Megan was genuinely happy for Alex.

Because she knew better than most...

To survive in this world...

One must shed the naïvety of childhood.

Cold calculation.

Cunning.

Power.

These were the tools one needed to survive the cruel, unforgiving adult world of Pangea.

And from the looks of it...

Alex Fury was now equipped.

---

Earl Drake wore a faint smile.

It would be a lie to say he felt nothing over Kurt’s death—

But he had already rationalised it.

’The strong feed on the weak. This is the nature of our world.’

The stronger of the two had survived.

He would grow stronger from this.

As for the weaker one?

Death is an escape... a sanctuary.

This loss simply proved he wasn’t ready to face the world.

In Alex, the Earl saw what he needed to see—

The raw dominance required to subjugate and rule the Fury bloodline. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

And more than that—

The talent to chase power.

To pursue the peak.

To one day inherit, and perhaps even surpass, the legacy of the Mad Earl.

Whether as a warrior or as a mage—

Alex stood above his peers.

Only such a man could one day take his throne.

With this duel, Earl Drake was convinced—

He had found a worthy successor.

’Now... all that remains is to put the finishing touches to his development...’

Drake thought to himself.

’Before that, though...

I should go see what’s going through his mind—

—after claiming his first truly worthy victory.’

**

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om