Damn, I Have to Marry the Strongest Antagonist at the Start? - Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Chapter73-After the Aftermath
The originally highly anticipated three-year appointment was now completely overshadowed by Owen’s glorious feat of defeating hundreds of prodigies single-handedly.

The major kingdoms, top factions, and even the reclusive Mountain Forces were all paying close attention to this event.

The level of importance they placed on Owen reached unprecedented heights!

After all, the combined forces of the prodigies from various factions couldn’t defeat Owen, illustrating the vast gap between them and him.

However, what surprised everyone even more was the sudden news from Academy City early the next morning, which caused an uproar in the imperial capitals.

“Did you hear? Owen seems to have been ranked on the Celestial Leaderboard by the masters of Academy City!”

“Celestial Leaderboard? You must have misheard! He should still be ranked first on the Genius Leaderboard. To enter the Celestial Leaderboard, one must at least reach diamond-tier!”

“That’s right, the Celestial Leaderboard is reserved for the continent’s top-tier powerhouses, requiring at least diamond-tier strength to qualify. Owen’s talent and combat prowess are undeniably extraordinary and unprecedentedly powerful,” one mage remarked.

“But he admitted himself yesterday that he is only gold-tier level 8. While this is top-tier among the younger generation, it’s still far from diamond-tier!”

“Above gold-tier is platinum-tier, a gap that most mages find insurmountable. The difference in power is immense. Listing Owen on the Celestial Leaderboard seems unrealistic and misleading…”

“Academy City is known for its rigor. They wouldn’t make such an unreasonable move just for hype.”

The mages in the imperial capital discussed this hotly.

Every change to the Celestial Leaderboard drew immense attention, and the fact that it involved Owen added fuel to the fire.

Amid their heated debate, the daily newspaper published by Academy City began circulating among various kingdoms and factions.

When people read the newspaper, from commoners to nobility, they were momentarily stunned and confused.

Owen had indeed made it onto a leaderboard, but it wasn’t the Celestial Leaderboard.

Instead, he was ranked first on the Domination Leaderboard!

“Domination Leaderboard? What’s that? I’ve never heard of it before!” Many mages frowned, wondering if there had been a printing error.

While such a possibility was highly unlikely, they were well-acquainted with the leaderboards published by Academy City, and the Domination Leaderboard was unheard of.

Upon closer inspection, they found a brief explanation of the Domination Leaderboard in the newspaper:

The Domination Leaderboard is ranked above the Genius Leaderboard, reserved for super geniuses who dominate all peers of the same tier!

Such individuals are too exceptional to be listed on the Genius Leaderboard alone.

Only by creating a new, higher-level leaderboard can their extraordinary talent be properly recognized!

After reading Academy City’s explanation, everyone was dumbfounded.

The Academy City’s leaderboards had remained unchanged for thousands of years.

During that time, there had been proposals to create new leaderboards, but they were all rejected by Academy City with stern refusals, citing the traditions and rules set by their ancestors and predecessors as unchangeable.

But now, for Owen, those stubborn old conservatives had made an exception!

They created a new leaderboard just for Owen! And he was the only one on it!

This showed how highly they valued him.

It was an incredible honor!

As long as Academy City existed, Owen’s name would be immortalized with this leaderboard until someone comparable or superior appeared.

Neither the elder mages of Academy City nor the major factions and kingdoms believed such a person would appear again.

Owen was too extraordinary, a unique figure in the annals of history.

While the appearance of the Domination Leaderboard created a storm of emotions among the masses, Owen, the center of it all, seemed indifferent.

He lounged in the Duke’s mansion, sipping tea and enjoying a life of luxury.

It wasn’t that he had become complacent.

His popularity had surged, with numerous factions eager to meet him and countless mages idolizing him.

The Duke’s mansion was surrounded by layers of mages, all waiting for a glimpse of Owen.

Owen didn’t like such scenes, so he stayed within the mansion, waiting for the excitement to die down.

Additionally, Leslie had already spread the news about the treasure map auction through Academy City.

The plan was progressing smoothly, without needing Owen’s intervention.

All he had to do now was wait for the right moment.

Owen had heard within the Duke’s mansion that the Azure royal family was furious about the treasure map leak and was taking it very seriously.

They had mobilized guards to search for the culprits who had entered the Kingdom Vault.

To prevent the treasure map from falling into the wrong hands, they had prepared six months’ worth of tax revenue to take to Academy City for the auction.

Although six months of Azure Kingdom’s tax revenue was an astronomical figure, it was a mere drop in the ocean compared to the treasure.

Meanwhile, Kyrik had already mobilized his forces, marching towards the border with great momentum to avenge Prince Billy and Grand Protector Bryan. This issue had also caused a significant uproar in the royal court. General Stanley had been called back to defend the border, and the Azure Kingdom’s army was being mobilized. The royal court was incredibly busy.

Owen took a sip of red wine, enjoyed the sun for a while, then waved to dismiss the serving maids. With a thought, his mind power delved into his storage ring.

Several days had passed, and the snake egg in the incubator looked more round and full, emitting a strong mana wave.

Flames traced along the eggshell, resembling lava, emitting heat waves that accelerated Seraphina’s hatching.

Clearly, the Fire Dragon King’s beast core was significantly aiding Seraphina’s incubation.

It wouldn’t be long before the future Queen Seraphina would emerge.

“If I get more beast cores, the hatching speed should increase, and Seraphina’s development would be even better…”

Owen rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, and decided it was time to gather more beast cores for the snake egg.

After all, he had nothing else to do at the moment.

With this in mind, Owen got up and headed towards the back gate of the Duke’s mansion.

The mansion was vast; while the front gate was packed with people, the back gate was relatively free of onlookers. With some caution, he could easily slip away.

As Owen entered the courtyard and approached the back gate, a stooped steward immediately bowed and said, “Owen, His Majesty summons you. Please follow me immediately.”

Hearing this, Owen’s eyes narrowed slightly. The king wants to see me? This is the first time! Could it be about Marry?

Owen shook his head.

The steward glanced around and then whispered, “Owen, the royal envoy is already waiting outside. Please proceed immediately.”

Guessing wouldn’t help, so Owen turned and left the Duke’s mansion, heading towards the royal palace.

…

As soon as Owen left the courtyard, Charlotte, who moved like a shadow, appeared beside Leslie and briefly reported the situation.

“You said he was taken away?” Leslie murmured.

“Yes, the king sent an envoy to the mansion to fetch Owen,” Charlotte reported in detail.

“What do you think King Aldric wants with Owen this time?” Leslie asked casually.

“It should be about Princess Marry,” Charlotte replied cautiously. Rumor had it that Princess Marry was very fond of Owen, and their ambiguous relationship was widely discussed in the imperial capital.

Hearing this, Leslie nodded first, then shook her head before asking again, “Charlotte, how many strong members of the Council of Elders have entered the imperial capital now?”

Charlotte thought for a moment and said, “Besides an elder and four platinum-tier mages who arrived initially, Mac has also arrived with another elder.”

“Mac has come too?” Leslie raised her eyebrows, a hint of surprise flashing across her stunningly beautiful face.

“Yes, Mac is here as well.”

Everyone in the imperial capital knew that Leslie and Mac were childhood friends.

Back then, Leslie was a mischievous troublemaker, and Mac was the son of the Council of Elders’ grand elder.

Both were renowned for their looks in the imperial capital!

At that time, to outsiders, the two of them seemed like a perfect match.

“No… something’s not right!” Leslie furrowed her brows, pacing back and forth. An inexplicable sense of danger slowly spread through her mind.

“Charlotte, has anyone unusual entered the imperial capital recently?” Leslie suddenly asked.

Unusual people? Charlotte thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Kyrik has sent the Penal Minister.”

Hearing this, Leslie abruptly stopped. Her cold, stunning face was filled with icy determination.

“Something’s happened!!!” Leslie exclaimed, pulling a few badges from her storage ring and tossing them to Charlotte.

“Order Benedict to cut off all communication between the imperial capital and the outside world.”

“Command the Eagle Guard to surround the imperial capital.”

“Order the Duke’s mansion’s Lion Guard to mobilize fully. I want the imperial capital under control within twelve hours!”

“Direct the Black Rose underground organization in the imperial capital to coordinate with Benedict and the Lion Guard.”

“Contact the Bounty Guild with a large reward. Kill anyone who dares to block our way on the spot!”

Charlotte took the badges, stunned as she listened to Leslie issue command after command.

Her mind went blank.

She had been anticipating this moment for a long time, but she hadn’t expected it to come so suddenly!

“Is there a problem?” Leslie asked, frowning.

At that moment, she resembled a true empress, exuding a powerful aura with every gesture.

“Lord, are you… are you planning to…” Charlotte’s throat tightened as she asked in a low voice.

“Yes, the plan has been accelerated,” Leslie said coldly.

“Understood!” Charlotte, receiving confirmation, hesitated no longer. She disappeared from the courtyard in a flash.