A thing about enemies was that, even if they couldn’t stand each other—couldn’t breathe the same air without wanting to tear the other apart—they also couldn’t stand the thought of the other getting a head start.
It was obvious once Kai had learned how Baroness Marren had seized her title from her father, not out of duty or timing, but purely to one-up Viscountess Vaessa—who, despite being married to a Viscount, only held a nominal title with little real power until the death of her husband. He’d seen more than a few examples of such petty rivalries in the records he’d read about them.
And that was exactly how he planned to get them both on his side.
Not by giving them separate advantages that might interest them. No, that would never work. They’d sooner spite him than allow the other even the smallest gain. The trick was to make them realise that if they did nothing, the other woman would gain something significant. Something they could not afford to let happen.
Hence, when he went to speak with Viscountess Vaessa, he’d made sure Killian and Leopold were in the adjoining room with Baroness Marren. Two rooms with walls thin enough for each to catch the gist of the other’s conversation. And Kai, naturally, made sure to speak in a loud, clear voice, so that every single word would come out clearly.
Now, as he sat in the room with Viscountess Vaessa, the door burst open.
It revealed a reddened Baroness Marren. She was followed by Killian and Leopold, both of them looking shocked.
Like the Viscountess, she looked far younger than her years, that even her skin was smooth and unlined, not a single wrinkle on her face apart from the deep frown. Her hair had a streak of vivid blue that cut through her otherwise rich red hair. And the striking contrast caught the eye instantly. In a grand ballroom, she could’ve easily passed for an elegant noblewoman who’d come to dance and exchange pleasantries.
But now? A whole different story. Now she looked more than ready to burn the entire place to the ground.
Mana gushed out from Baroness Marren in crashing waves, the unrestrained force chilling Kai to the bone. Even the air seemed to thicken under the bite of her fury. She made no effort to temper it—not here, not now—as her glare stayed locked on the Viscountess. And if looks could kill, she would have done a massacre by now.
Viscountess Vaessa rose sharply from her seat, her own expression just as lethal. An even more petrifying flare of mana surged from her in response, clashing with the Baroness’s in the air.
For two long seconds, neither woman spoke. The hostility between them was so palpable it felt as if the floor itself might crack under the weight of it. Words, at this point, were unnecessary.
The mana radiating from Viscountess Vaessa shifted—subtle, but enough to draw Kai’s attention. Her right-hand fingers were curling, and thin blue lines of a spell structure began to take form in the air.
That’s quick, Kai thought, watching as the Viscountess took a step forward, ready to strike.
It was escalating far too fast. The last thing he wanted was to watch these two women unleash spells on each other. Without a word, he stepped between them.
His frown carried the weight of weary disapproval, as if he had walked into an unwelcome scene and was now forced into the role of mediator.
“Baroness Marren, Viscountess Vaessa, please stand back,” he said, keeping his tone calm while his facial expression stayed edged with caution. “You are in Duke Blackwood’s estate. Starting a fight here is beyond rude. I’d like to think you are both wiser—and far less reckless—than that.”
Viscountess Vaessa huffed in annoyance but her eyes didn’t leave her rival, but slowly, ever so reluctantly, she let the glowing lines of the spell fade from her hand. Even so, neither woman pulled their mana back to their Mana heart. It still poured into the room, clashing and sparking invisibly in the space between them like the pressure before a storm.
Kai considered, for a fleeting moment, binding them both in place. But forcing enemies to cooperate never ended well. They’d only turn on him instead. He kept his position between them, becoming a wall of calm in the middle of their seething animosity.
“Bitch! If not for me being in the other room, you’d have sold your soul for Magus Valkyrie’s inheritance,” Baroness Marren spat. “I know you’re a low-life nothing who’s always wagging her tongue to everyone, but that—” she jabbed a finger toward the Viscountess “—is low even for you.”
Viscountess Vaessa scoffed, lips curling. “You’re just projecting what you’re like. I was simply considering an offer Count Arzan made to me. Not to you. So kindly get out.”
“Oh, please,” Baroness Marren shot back, stepping closer. “Do you really think he’s here to talk to you alone? Do you think you’re that special? If that were the case, he wouldn’t have had his personal Knight escort me around all evening. Not to mention the Duke’s first ones.”
At that, both women turned their eyes to him, and Kai knew instantly it was his move. If he handled this right, his scheme would finally start to take shape. If not, he’d walk out having alienated them both, and the banquet would end in nothing but wasted effort.
And after all the trouble he’d gone so far, that was the last thing he wanted. So, just like he practiced he spoke up.
“It’s true,” he looked at Baroness Marren, confirming her words. “I wanted to speak with you both. But please understand, I’m trying to gather as much support as possible. You two are among the most powerful nobles in the kingdom.”
“You’re overestimating this bitch’s capabilities,” Viscountess Vaessa’s lips curled in scorn. She placed her hands on her hips in frustration.
“Oh really? You say that after you failed to contain a dungeon in your own territory? Didn’t you almost manage to kill your own son?”
“We all know you tried to sabotage that—”
She didn’t finish.
Kai’s mana swept through the room like a sudden, crushing weight. He pressed it down on both women, cutting through their words and pinning them in place, not enough to harm, but more than enough to silence.
Their eyes widened at the pressure.
If he let them keep going, they’d fight until the walls shook and his carefully laid plan would be nothing but ash. He couldn’t let it happen. And this was one way to do that; to let them know and show who was in control.
“If we can’t talk like civilised people,” he said, moving his eyes back and forth between the pair, “then there’s no point in having a discussion at all.”
The weight of his mana didn’t ease.
“It’s true I wanted to speak with both of you,” he went on, “and you both know why. But if all you’re going to do is fight, then I’ll find other nobles. I’m sure there are plenty who would be very interested in what I’m offering.”
The implication hung in the air, and his words clearly drew a line that made Viscountess Vaessa eyes’s widen.
“I won’t try to start a fight, Count Arzan,” she said, straightening her shoulders. “I want to go back to the conversation we were having.” Then she turned to Baroness Marren. “You’ll get your chance. Now leave.”
Baroness Marren raised both her eyebrows and took a small step forward. “I don’t think I will.” Her entire posture turned towards Kai. “Count Arzan, I’m assuming you were going to have the same conversation with me, for me to vote in the Assembly, yes?”
“Yes. That’s true.”
“Then,” she said, stepping even further into the room. “Do you mind if I participate? I’m sure you don’t.”
Kai looked like he was weighing the idea, his brow faintly furrowing. “I wanted to speak in private to avoid certain… situations.” he sighed, rubbing his palms together.
“Trust me, Count Arzan,” Baroness Marren said smoothly, “I have no intention of starting a fight. Now, why don’t we go back to the discussion? I doubt you have much time before more nobles arrive.”
And without waiting for his agreement, she crossed the room and took a seat, the faintest smirk tugging at her lips as she glanced at the Viscountess.
The latter huffed through her nose but didn’t speak.
Kai guessed both women had decided that, for now, continuing to fight would just waste time neither of them could afford. The current argument was conceded, for now.
And that worked perfectly for him.
He took his seat again, settling in, trying his best to appear as uncomfortable as possible. “I’m thinking Baroness Marren heard what I was discussing,” he said.
The Baroness nodded. “I did, true. I was an admirer of your mother, Count Arzan. Getting even a single book written by her would mean a great deal to me.”
Kai inclined his head slightly.
The only reason he had considered this plan viable at all was because of this one thing—both women were similar kind of Mages. The Viscountess specialized in ice magic, the Baroness in water magic. And Magus Valkyrie had been a towering figure in both fields due to the closeness of the aspects.
And to them, she was more than a name in the history books—she was an idol.
Both of them wanted the research of a Magus. That alone would be enough to grant them unimaginable power—power that could let them challenge for higher noble positions, perhaps even threaten the standing of those who had long kept them in check.
“So,” Kai said and cleared his throat, “it’s pretty clear. What I’m offering is part of my mother’s inheritance—something I believe will benefit you both. I could offer other things, but I know the magical aspect of this deal is what you truly care about.”
Both women gave small, almost imperceptible nods.
“I just want your votes—and the votes of the nobles under you—in my favour during the Assembly,” he continued. “I know it will alienate you from your current factions, but if you wish, I’m forming my own. You’d be welcome to join.”
“Uhm,” Viscountess Vaessa’s eyes narrowed. “You speak as if this faction will be far more permanent than just for the Assembly.”
“It’s for the Assembly right now.”
Her lips curled faintly, as if she were silently weighing whether there was more to that answer.
“What I will share with you,” Kai went on, “will undoubtedly help you both increase your strength by a great deal. Enough to push you toward the next circle. I know you’ve both been trying to reach it for years now.”
Neither of them said a word at that. But their silence was telling enough. He’d done his research enough, and throwing what someone wanted in front of their face was one way to get what you wanted. And Kai followed the oldest trick in the book.
“So,” Kai asked finally, “what do you think? If you agree, I’ll send you one book within a week, and the rest after the Assembly. If you have more demands, we can always negotiate after the banquet.” He gestured to his side. “Francis here is very good at that sort of thing.”
Francis gave a small nod.
Instead of noises of agreements, a strong silence stretched across the room. Both women sat there, thoughtful, eyes lowered and possibly calculating just how far they were willing to go with what they were being offered.
From time to time, the two women would break from their thoughts just to glare at each other, their eyes meeting like drawn blades before flicking away again. Then, in perfect, ridiculous unison, they spoke at the same time.
“I accept the deal, but this bitch can’t have it.”
The words hung in the air like an echo, and as if realising they’d said the same thing, both women looked even more furious than before.
Kai exhaled slowly, forcing himself to keep his tone steady. “I can’t accept such a demand. What I’m offering isn’t something I can share with only one person. You can’t bring your enmity here—that’s between the two of you. What I’m offering is between me and each of you separately. You need to understand that.”
The Viscountess leaned forward slightly. “You can’t expect me to agree, knowing you might make the same deal with this woman. You’re just trying to play both sides, Count Arzan, and that doesn’t end well for a lot of people.”
“And that’s because,” Kai said evenly, “the parties being played find out about it after the fact and feel betrayed. I’m putting everything out in the open right now. You either accept it or reject it—I’m not forcing you. I didn’t want this situation to happen, but since it has, I’m showing all my cards without any tricks.”
There was a sharpness in his tone now, frustration deliberately bleeding through. In truth, this was exactly the situation he had been aiming for from the start, but the role he needed to play now was the man reluctantly forced into being blunt.
The two women glanced at each other again, the tension in the air refusing to ease. It was uneasy, annoying and boring to everyone in the vicinity. But neither gave up for a while until Baroness Marren crossed her arms.
“Why don’t I give you my answer later, when it’s more appropriate?”
“You’ll just try to offer him incentives later to cut me out of the deal. Despite knowing you don’t have anything that would please him.”
The Baroness’s lips curved into a mocking smile. “Oh, I have plenty of things. You should worry about yourself, old hag.”
“You don’t even come close to my wealth.”
“Wealth isn’t everything,” Baroness Marren shot back. “I have much more to offer Count Arzan than you ever could.”
Kai exchanged a glance with Killian and Leopold, then another with Francis. The argument was spiraling fast, and he was witnessing firsthand what many nobles had already seen at banquets and parties—these two women simply could not exist in the same room without bickering.
But unlike most, Kai knew exactly how to make them behave.
A wave of mana rolled out from him, heavy and unyielding, pressing down on both of them until their voices fell silent. They looked at him now, not at each other.
Kai sighed, letting just enough weariness into his tone. “To stop you from overthinking, let me make something clear. I won’t speak to either of you alone after this. I’ve already said everything I needed to say. The only further discussions will be negotiations, if you agree to help me in the Assembly.”
Viscountess Marren frowned. “But if I agree now, then I’ll have nothing to play during negotiations.”
“I’ll make sure you get good value out of your vote,” Kai said evenly. “And I’m fairly certain that if you reject my offer… Baroness Vaessa will accept it.”
The Baroness smirked at that, clearly enjoying the implication.
But Kai could tell both women understood the real message. If one of them tried to play hard to get, the other would simply take the deal, and they’d be left behind.
And both of them hated the idea of falling behind.
He also knew they’d each been chasing a power increase for some time now. In this moment, with the threat of the other gaining Magus Valkyrie’s research first, they were trapped in the perfect stalemate he wanted.
It was fragile, yes.
But he only needed to hold it together for a few days.
Seeing that there was nothing more to be said, Kai rose to his feet.
“It was really good to meet you both,” he said, modulating his voice with a finality that wasn’t there before. “But I’m afraid I need to return to the banquet now. Think it through and give me your answers—we’ll be here all night.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode out of the room, the conversation left hanging behind him. Killian, Leopold and Francis fell into step at his sides, the door closing softly on the tense silence they’d left.
Once they were clear of the corridor, Killian glanced over. “Do you think it will work?”
“It should. They can’t stand the thought of the other doing well.”
He exhaled slowly, a quiet sigh. “Either way, we’ll know in a few hours. But for now, there’s more to deal with. I’m pretty sure half the nobles in this estate are just waiting for me.”
And with that, he kept walking, the low hum of the banquet growing louder with each step.
***
A/N - You can read 30 chapters (15 Magus Reborn and 15 Dao of money) on my patreon. Annual subscription is now on too.
Read 15 chapters ahead HERE.
Join the discord server HERE.
PS:
Book 2 is officially launched!
If you’re on Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free—and even if you’re not buying, a quick rating helps more than you think. Also, it's free to rate and please download the book if you have Kindle unlimited. It helps with algorithm.
Click HERE.