Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Chapter176-Negotiation Rights
When Owen led Rachel alone to the secret chamber, the Dragon Princess and Ymir felt a jolt of unease, suspecting Owen had ill intentions. They immediately moved to intercept him.

Owen, having anticipated their actions, glanced back at them with a sharp look that locked onto the two.

The mind power he had enhanced through the Silver Tear was released, exerting a mental pressure that twisted the void like two invisible hands, pinning them firmly in place.

The men in the group, including Henry, were momentarily stunned by this display, followed by a tinge of envy.

Who wouldn’t want to abduct a stunning beauty?

Moreover, seeing Owen deliberately stopping the Dragon Princess and Ymir while taking the defenseless Rachel into the secret chamber alone made them think all sorts of things.

After all, in the eyes of Henry and the other prodigies of Middle Earth, Rachel, with her unparalleled beauty, was a goddess beyond reach.

Many of the female mages present, meanwhile, gazed dreamily at Owen’s departing figure, unable to hide their admiration as they started to drool.

The mere thought of being taken into a secret chamber by a handsome man like Owen, to be at his mercy, made their faces flush and their thighs involuntarily tighten.

…

Inside the secret chamber, Rachel’s heart pounded as she faced Owen’s cold expression.

Feeling at a loss, she kept retreating until she found herself against the cold wall of the chamber.

“What… what do you want?” Rachel put on a facade of bravery, but her trembling voice betrayed her fear, as though she might bite her tongue and kill herself if Owen came any closer.

Seeing her in such a state, Owen realized that her spirit was under significant pressure, and her former arrogance had dissipated.

Only then did he speak: “Listen to my orders carefully, and I promise not to harm you. But if you don’t cooperate, don’t blame me for what happens. Do you understand?”

“What… what do you want me to do?” Rachel hesitantly asked, noticing that Owen’s gaze lacked any lecherous intent.

“First, bring out the heirloom of your Melodic Academy, the [Lunar Disc], and then contact your academy’s dean,” Owen ordered, gesturing for her to proceed.

According to the original intel, Rachel had been using this disc to quickly level up, and it was also the medium through which she communicated with the dean and the academy’s higher-ups.

The Lunar Disc! Hearing that Owen had set his sights on this treasure, Rachel’s heart skipped a beat.

The fact that she carried this heirloom was a closely guarded secret.

How could Owen be so certain?

Or was he merely testing her?

Feigning confusion, Rachel replied, “The Lunar Disc is the academy’s heirloom. Even the dean cannot easily access it. How could it be with me…”

Before she could finish, Owen’s expression darkened slightly, and an invisible mental force rippled out from his eyes.

Rachel barely had time to react before the Slave Chain around her neck quivered, emitting a powerful suppressive force that made her feel as though she was carrying a massive weight, rendering her immobile.

“I told you not to play tricks, but you just wouldn’t listen, would you?” Owen shook his head slightly. Under Rachel’s fiery gaze, he reached towards her back.

Owen’s hand was rough, and as it approached, Rachel’s pupils shrank.

As the top student of Melodic Academy, she had never been so humiliated.

But no matter how much she struggled, the Slave Chain’s suppression prevented her from moving.

All she could do was watch helplessly as Owen’s hand traced from her white neck down to the special circular sigil on her back.

As soon as his hand made contact with the tattoo-like sigil, it flashed with a dazzling pure white light and transformed into a palm-sized disc of light that shot towards Owen’s neck.

Rachel, who had been full of rage, now showed a hint of cold satisfaction in her eyes.

This Lunar Disc was one of the divine artifacts, and even she, as its temporary wielder, handled it with great caution, fearing its backlash.

How dare Owen, an outsider, try to take it by hand—he was courting death!

However, to Rachel’s shock, just as the disc’s sharp white light began to swirl, it was caught in Owen’s palm, forcibly subdued, and its glow dimmed slightly.

The disc’s innate arrogance was crushed in Owen’s grip, weakening considerably.

“How is this possible? The Lunar Disc is a divine artifact! How could you suppress it with your bare hands? What did you do?” Rachel’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her.

The Lunar Disc, being a divine artifact, was known for its arrogance.

Even the dean, a formidable figure, struggled to fully tame it.

Rachel herself had spent considerable effort to gain its approval.

But now, Owen had subdued it with just his hand? How could this be?

Rachel’s outburst was ignored by Owen. Ever since he had merged the Godslayer Staff into his body through Armament Merge, he had acquired the Supreme of All’s unique constitution.

Even though the Lunar Disc was a divine artifact, it couldn’t pose any threat to him, nor would it dare act out in his presence!

After playing with the Lunar Disc for a moment, Owen infused it with his mana.

Sensing the unfamiliar mana invading, the disc shuddered slightly, and a seal deep within it cracked with a creak.

Following this, the projection of an elderly man in a white mage’s robe with silver hair and a white beard emerged from the disc.

His eyes were deep, as if they had witnessed the changes of eons, and the shimmering visions of the cosmos occasionally appeared and vanished around him, exuding an air of profound mystery.

As soon as the elder appeared, the air in the secret chamber seemed to boil.

An unimaginable pressure emanated from him, shaking the void like molten lava.

Then, he glanced at Owen, and a murderous intent flashed in his deep eyes.

He clenched his right hand in the air, and the space around Owen began to collapse, shrinking like a prison, warping Owen’s body as if to crush him on the spot.

“Dean!” Seeing the projection of the dean appear and attack Owen directly, Rachel’s heart surged with excitement.

No matter how powerful or strange Owen’s abilities were, what did it matter?

The dean’s power was unfathomable, ranking among the top in Middle Earth and revered by countless mages.

Even a mere projection of his was beyond Owen’s ability to contend with.

However, to Rachel’s surprise, Owen remained calm despite the attack from the renowned dean of Melodic Academy.

He casually glanced at the elder and said, “You must be the dean of Melodic Academy, Rictor, correct? I’m Owen. If you don’t want anything to happen to your top disciple, I suggest you behave yourself.”

As he spoke, the figure of Owen trapped in the collapsing space suddenly dissolved into mana and vanished.

At the same time, Owen stepped out of the void behind Rachel, placing a hand on her shoulder with a confident smile.

The Melodic Academy’s dean, who had been prepared to kill Owen, slowly relaxed his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“No wonder you dared to kidnap Rachel and threaten Melodic Academy. You do have some skill,” Dean Rictor remarked calmly, eyeing Owen with his confident and relaxed demeanor, making no further move to attack.

Although Owen was despicable for threatening one of the three great academies of Middle Earth, Rachel’s safety was paramount.

From the brief exchange, it was clear that Owen’s methods were peculiar, and it would be difficult to eliminate him quickly.

Moreover, the Slave Chain around Rachel’s neck was already causing him concern; any rash action could result in irreparable harm to her.

Therefore, to be safe, he decided to talk things over with Owen, especially since Owen didn’t seem intent on killing Rachel.

After a brief pause, he looked around the secret chamber and said cautiously, “You brought Rachel here alone and summoned me. Whatever your intentions are, just say it clearly. If your demands aren’t excessive, I might consider them.”

Dean Rictor spoke conservatively, suspecting that Owen’s intentions were likely related to the Pyrothrone Kingdom, which had recently taken an interest in him.

Seeing the dean’s caution, Owen smiled slightly, “Actually, my demands are simple—just two. As long as Melodic Academy agrees, I’ll release Rachel and all your academy’s prodigies unharmed.”