Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 163

Chapter 163: Chapter163-Explanation
Owen’s target was Rachel!

The Dragon Princess’s pupils constricted as this thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

At the same time, Rachel, who was not far behind the Dragon Princess, was startled. She hadn’t expected Owen to suddenly change direction and make a move against her!

The Protectors, who had already gathered their strength and were preparing to attack Owen, were also taken aback.

They hadn’t anticipated that Owen would miss such a golden opportunity to attack the Dragon Princess.

They had no time to react and could only watch as Owen, like a bolt of lightning, appeared in front of Rachel.

Rachel instinctively took several steps back, but Owen was faster, already in front of her. Her expression instantly turned cold.

“What are you trying to do?!”

She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a mischievous smile on Owen’s face, as if he had bad intentions.

“Obviously, I’m going to kidnap you!”

Owen suddenly reached out, aiming to grab Rachel by the throat.

…

Meanwhile, as time passed, various pieces of information began converging in Academy City from all directions.

One shocking piece of news after another started spreading across nations through the newspapers published by Academy City, causing widespread exclamations of surprise.

“The former Chief Elder of the Azure Kingdom, master-tier mage Otto, and General Stanley were defeated in their attempt to suppress Owen and Leslie—one dead, one surrendered!”

“What the hell, is this real? That Chief Elder of the Azure Kingdom was incredibly powerful, a veteran master-tier mage, and Owen actually killed him?!”

“This is from Academy City’s newspaper, so how could it be false? I heard that Edward, the historian, personally recorded the event on-site!”

“Killing a master-tier mage… Has Owen’s combat power become that terrifying?”

“I’ve also heard that this Chief Elder had some ties to the Fallen Angel, but the newspaper says that Owen has become the leader of the Fallen Angels and took seven of them to reinforce Ironkeep!”

“Yeah, didn’t Owen previously kill a Fallen Angel? The Fallen Angels are known for being vengeful and petty. The fact that they didn’t seek revenge is already surprising, let alone the fact that they are now following his orders to help him against the Kyrik Kingdom…”

“These are trivial matters; the real bombshell is about the Middle Earth mages!”

“Middle Earth mages!?”

Upon hearing this, everyone discussing the Academy City newspaper caught their breath.

Middle Earth mages were beings they had always longed to see but never had the chance to.

They were the epitome of power!

Any mage from Middle Earth who ventured outside could easily dominate their peers, making others feel utterly inferior.

However, information about Middle Earth mages was scarce, and most people knew little about them. But whenever a Middle Earth mage appeared, everyone paid close attention.

“What?! Middle Earth master mages were killed by Owen?! And not just one!”

After reading this shocking news, most mages fell silent.

They could understand the words “Middle Earth mage” and “killed by Owen,” but when put together, it seemed so foreign.

Middle Earth mages were known to have combat power several times greater than that of mages of the same tier. Whether in terms of heritage, skills, or magical artifacts, they utterly outclassed others.

Yet, Owen, who had not even broken through to the master-tier, had killed master-tier mages from Middle Earth!

This was unbelievable, and according to Academy City, Owen had killed more than one!

Furthermore, there were rumors that Owen might have killed an even higher-tier Middle Earth mage!

An even higher-tier Middle Earth mage!

That would be a grandmaster-tier mage!

But grandmaster-tier mages were nearly extinct outside of Middle Earth!

Such top-tier powerhouses were giants and leaders wherever they went, and yet Owen managed to kill such a being?

Even though this news was disclosed by Academy City and detailed thoroughly, they found it hard to believe.

“What’s so strange about killing a few Middle Earth mages?”

Unlike the other mages who were shocked, those in the Azure Kingdom’s capital found the news rather ordinary. After all, they had witnessed most of Owen’s feats firsthand. Owen had created too many miracles!

No matter how absurd something involving Owen was, they found it reasonable—after all, he was Owen!

A man who was already a living legend!

The discussions also quickly caught the attention of Diana, who was disguised as a man.

What Owen had done was enough to cause a sensation even in Middle Earth.

But what intrigued her even more were the conversations about Owen’s origins!

“You don’t know, but when Owen was born, it was said that flowers bloomed in the sky, golden lotuses sprang from the ground, and a seven-colored light appeared in the night sky…”

“The first time I saw Owen, I immediately sensed that he was extraordinary. After all, only those blessed by the heavens can be so handsome. He must have received divine blessings and assistance…”

“Bah, your stories are clearly made up. I’ve got a piece of insider news about Owen’s origins. He’s not actually from the Azure Kingdom but from Middle Earth!”

“From Middle Earth!?”

“That’s right! And he’s from the Sunluna Academy in Middle Earth!”

Hearing this, Diana’s heart stirred, and she quickly moved closer.

After all, she herself was from Sunluna Academy!

“Sunluna Academy? One of the three major academies of Middle Earth? You’re saying Owen is from there? That… that’s impossible.”

Diana couldn’t recall anyone named Owen in the academy, but this person spoke with such certainty.

Given the astonishing feats Owen had accomplished, it seemed only a monstrous talent from one of the three major academies could do such things.

“You country bumpkin! Master Owen is the chief of Sunluna Academy, that’s a secret I found out!”

Diana’s mouth twitched. Sunluna Academy did have a chief, but it wasn’t Owen.

“From what I’ve gathered, Owen rose to fame in the Azure Kingdom, so I’ll head there first. I’ve heard that the newly crowned Empress, named Leslie, has a somewhat familiar yet distant name. Could it be you? This mission is getting more interesting…”

Diana glanced toward the distant capital and vanished into thin air, leaving the mages around her dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.

…

In the capital, inside the Duke’s mansion.

Charlotte stood quietly at the entrance to the courtyard, her expression slightly anxious.

Not long after, the courtyard gate opened, and Leslie emerged, having finished her training at the Dark Tower. She looked at Charlotte, who had been waiting for a long time.

“What is it?”

“Your Majesty, General Stanley has been waiting for you in the mansion for a long time. He seems to have something important to report.”

Charlotte bowed as she spoke.

Leslie didn’t respond to this but instead asked, “Where is Owen?”

“He went to Ironkeep.”

“And then?”

Seeing that Leslie was pressing for answers, Charlotte felt a shiver of surprise.

Leslie had been in seclusion for several days.

During this time, Charlotte had carefully compiled a summary of the significant events that had occurred in and around the Azure Kingdom, knowing that Leslie valued intelligence and information.

But she hadn’t expected that upon emerging, Leslie would inquire not about these matters, nor even about General Stanley, but instead persistently ask about Owen, seemingly determined to get to the bottom of it.

Charlotte didn’t know much about Owen’s current situation.

After all, the Chrysanthemum Hotel and Black Rose’s networks hadn’t yet reached every corner of the Azure Kingdom.

Moreover, with Leslie’s recent seclusion, Charlotte had been busy assisting with domestic affairs and hadn’t had the time or energy to monitor Owen.

“Your Majesty, the intelligence network currently lacks information about Master Owen…” Charlotte knelt halfway to the ground, her voice trembling with sweat.

She knew Leslie valued Owen highly, but she hadn’t realized it was to this extent—so much so that the first thing Leslie asked about after emerging from seclusion was Owen’s detailed whereabouts.

This was something Charlotte had never dared to imagine!

“Oh?” Leslie gave her a cold glance. “Then the Black Rose can be disbanded.”

Charlotte trembled, not daring to argue. She quickly lowered her head and said, “Your Majesty, General Stanley has personally come to the mansion. He should know Owen’s whereabouts!”

After speaking, Charlotte looked up, only to find that Leslie had already disappeared.

Charlotte’s expression grew much more serious. It seemed that the level of priority assigned to Owen within the intelligence network needed to be raised to the highest level.

Judging by the Empress’s reaction, it needed to be raised to the same level as her own.