NOVEL WEB Chapter 369: Lioran's Plan
"Oh? So in fact, other than you, three more people were attacked?" Daniel's eyes shone with a flash of realization.
It really wasn't hard to guess who the other person was who had been attacked and had actually managed to kill his attackers. Naturally, it could only be Lioran.
Now he fully understood that guy's scheme. The whole plan was to ruin the reputation of all the other successors while at the same time building up a positive reputation for himself.
However, in the middle of this, an anomaly appeared—Andreas. Contrary to what was expected, he had also managed to repel the attackers and force them to retreat.
Of course, that was only the surface of the matter and not the truth. The real anomaly was Daniel, who had killed those attackers, though they had decided to keep this hidden.
"That's right, Lioran was attacked as well. Honestly, I can't understand how they managed to pull it off when he was inside the Central Magic Tower," Andreas sighed.
The Central Magic Tower was practically an island under extreme protection. Entering without permission from the tower leaders was completely impossible. Not even a Heavenly King could do such a thing.
"I told you, this was Lioran's plan, and it was completely successful," Daniel sighed while gently petting Fino.
Even though it might look like the Lionheart family's impression of Andreas had improved because he managed to repel his attackers, if you looked deeper, it wasn't the case.
Andreas had only forced them to retreat, while Lioran had actually killed his attackers. In the eyes of the Lionheart family, it was obvious—Lioran was far superior to all the other successors.
'Coming here was a mistake. If I had known that Lioran was also attacked, I would've gone to the Magic Tower with Serys to deal with him directly,' he thought to himself.
The other two rivals could basically be considered eliminated. Maybe they still had a few supporters left, but after what had happened to them, it was impossible for them to still have any chance at succession.
Now it was only a competition between Andreas and Lioran. Without Daniel's interference, Andreas didn't have even the slightest chance of winning.
'Such small tricks can create such a massive impact.' He sighed again. What Lioran had done was nothing more than a simple scheme, but the effect was terrifying.
Looking at Andreas, who seemed so happy, Daniel decided to tell him the harsh truth. He didn't want this boy to delude himself and let his guard down.
As expected, after hearing Daniel's words, Andreas's expression darkened, and he finally understood what had truly happened.
"So what do we do now?" He looked at Daniel with hope, clearly wishing for a way out of this situation.
"The only thing we can do is raise your family's evaluation of you. You have to become the best candidate for succession in their eyes. To put it simply, you need a chance to show off."
Andreas fell silent, sinking into thought. Ilaris, seeing how downcast he looked, let out a sigh. She knew there was nothing she could do to help in this situation—she could only watch.
Now that she thought about it, she really was useless. During all this time, it had always been Daniel and Andreas who were handling everything, while she had just been extra baggage.
For a moment, sadness filled her heart. Daniel's words about his opinion on her going to the Elf race replayed in her mind.
Maybe that really was the only way she could somehow be of help to either Daniel or Andreas.
"Actually, when I went to report to the Elders, they told me that soon each successor candidate might be given a mission. The one who completes it the best will be chosen as the heir," Andreas said after thinking for a moment. He had wanted to mention this earlier, but because of the good news he had heard, he had completely forgotten.
"Oh? Seems like they're in a hurry to choose a successor," Daniel said in surprise. This decision clearly showed they were rushing things.
"Well, it looks like my aunt forced them to make the decision. Apparently, there will soon be many large-scale events, and all forces will be sending their heirs to compete, to gain fame and power on the world stage. But our family still hasn't chosen a successor." Andreas explained.
"I see. But your aunt? For her to be able to force the Elders' hands, she must be someone very important," Daniel agreed, though in his heart he had doubts.
He felt the real reason the Lionheart family was suddenly rushing to pick a successor was something else, though it seemed they wanted to keep it hidden.
"Well, more than important. My aunt is known as the White Whale and the Lady of the Bloody Night. Gaining such titles isn't something easy."
"Oh? The White Whale? So that woman is actually your aunt?" Daniel asked with curiosity.
"You know her?" Andreas asked, confused. Though on second thought, he realized his question was stupid. After all, the White Whale was famous across the entire world.
"Well…" Daniel told him how he had come to know of her by that title.
"I see, so her strike impressed you that much. Well, that attack was back when she had only just become a Divine Climber. By now, her power is surely even more terrifying," Andreas said with admiration.
"She might even be stronger than my father now. After all, she's spent so many years training in forbidden zones, the White Sea, or the Black Sea. Still, it's been a long time since she's revealed her true strength to the world."
"How hard is it to meet your aunt?" Daniel asked with a calm face.
"Impossible. Unless she chooses to come see you herself, there's no way you could meet her."
Daniel nodded slightly and sighed. Though he didn't dwell on it too much, and instead they continued talking about the possible mission. According to what was said, it seemed like next week the missions for each successor candidate would be announced.
After that, Ilaris, Andreas, and even Rynor left the room, leaving Daniel and Fino alone.