I Have been Reincarnated As a Lazy, Arrogant Noble, but When I Destroyed The Scenario Through Effort, I Became The Most Powerful With Extraordinary Magical Power - Chapter 257: Before the Storm

Chapter 257: Before the Storm

After finishing our discussion at Noblesse, we visited the Antwerp family’s mansion.

It was a pair of grand estates in the mountains outside the city.

One interesting thing was the large Battle Universe pieces arranged near the fountain in the courtyard.

Both of Cecil’s parents were famous players who had won multiple championships in the Ostrava Kingdom’s tournaments.
Though, not as much as her.

Right now, they were away, and even the butlers and maids had been given time off.
That was all part of the plan—to lure the enemy out.

We could have taken the Ancient Magic Tool elsewhere, but the reason we chose to set up here was because of Shari—someone who didn’t exist in the original story.

“I put up a pretty strong barrier. But wow, the spirit energy around here is amazing.”
“It’s always been said to be like that, but I never really noticed.”

By coincidence, the area around Cecil’s house had a high concentration of magic.
Rather than moving around recklessly, setting traps and reinforcing defenses was the smarter choice.

Winning was always important, but this time, we had to win.

“I LOST AAAAAAGGGHHHHHHH!”
“Fufu, but haven’t you gotten stronger, Duke?”
“Guh… One more round, Cecil!”
“Duke, that’s unfair! It’s my turn next!”

Turning to the side, I saw a bunch of idiots playing Battle Universe with not a shred of tension.
Cecil looked genuinely happy, like she was just hanging out with friends.

Shari watched with a slightly amused smile, while Alan stood beside her, observing.

Meanwhile, Cynthia, Lilith, Tula, and Karta were soaking in the bath.

Watching these guys, what stood out the most was their mentality.

Even with the real possibility of dying, they could stay this calm.
Maybe that’s what made them strong.

…Well, not stronger than me.

“I lost…”
“Thank you, Olin. Now then, Fancent-kun, how about you?”
“I’ll pass.”
“You’re just scared of losing, huh, Weiss?”

Sasami started running his mouth, so I stood up and glared at him.

“You have any idea how strong I am? I even beat the undefeated Battle Uni old man of the Edonia region.”
“W-Who are you talking about…?”
“Huh? You want me to snap your muscle fibers?”
“P-Please don’t do that!”

I left the terrified Sasami alone and sat across from Cecil.

“Let’s have a good match.”
“Yes, let’s.”

At this moment, I focused more than usual.

When playing a game with Cecil, I had no idea how many moves ahead she was thinking.

As we played, moving one piece at a time, Cecil murmured quietly.

“…Fancent-kun, you’ve gotten stronger.”
“Really?”

In battle, instead of thinking, what would I do?, I had started thinking, what would Cecil do?