The Tales of Draconic Warlock

Of course that can be countered as long your skill levels and attribute values are very high. There is also a constraint known as Rank.

As long as your Tier is two ranks above the opponent's, there is a high probability of the opponent's skills ending in failure. This is not a guarantee. There are various factors that decides the outcome of a battle.

The first one obviously is strength. As long as your rank is high, you are the one to win the battle but that's not always the case.

Long ago, people discovered that rank hopping can be done. A low rank awakener can defeat someone of higher rank but the rank disparity shouldn't be very high. If there was too much rank disparity, then the outcome is obvious.

Battle not only depends on ranks and skill levels but also on attribute values.

Not every person would have the same attributes as the next person. It depends mainly on their background and the grade that they gained in the Tier promotion mission.

A person with a poor background wouldn't have good resources in the early stages that can improve attributes. If attributes can be improved at an early stage, the more advantageous it would be in later stages.

This is why someone with a rich background would have an advantage as long as they continue to improve, and not lag behind.

This is to say that they have to find many resources on their own and reach S-grade evaluation in the promotion missions. Only in this way that they can keep themselves on the top.

Increasing attributes to a very high level at an early stage and getting good evaluations in the promotion missions, both are important.

This is the path I prepared for myself. I should always get an EX-grade in the promotion mission evaluations, no matter what.

---

The days went by. Most of the week, I was helping my father with regard to the upcoming ceremony. My mother is not here and that means that the work of being a viscount has to be his sole burden. So I helped him here and there.

I was doing some work in my father's office when a middle-aged person walked in along with some elders and other relatives who appeared in the compound these days.

Hmm, who is that?

Why is he giving me a weird look?

Something is wrong with him. I feel a bit of malicious intent from him. It was not just directed at me but also at my father.

It looks like he is from the faction that is against my father. It looks like the list of people that should be eliminated is growing bit by bit. I hope by the end of the marriage, I can eliminate all those tumours that have been causing damage to the family from the inside.

There are enemies outside and they would always be there. It's not a problem but having enemies inside the family who could damage the family is not a good thing.

I have only the basic details of a few people who oppose my father. It won't do.

Thought there should be opposition as a head without any opposition could turn into a tyrant but the opposition should be the kind that opposes bad policies not good ones.

I need to collect all the details of the people who belong to the latter category as soon as possible and prepare for their termination or at least expulsion from the family.

Though this may cause some damage to the family, it is a necessary damage. The family can recover as long as all the parasites are removed from the family.

"Magnus, you may leave. We need to discuss something", my father's words rang out.

I need to know about this one, the one who subconsciously emitted malicious intent towards me and my father. I don't think that Dad missed that. I need to ask my father about him but now is not the time.

"See you later father", I spoke and exited the office.

Since I am young and not an official working for the family, there are things that I can't know.

---

Later that night...

"Master, can we speak?" Inari's voice came as soon as I entered my room.

Due to a lot of people in the family compound, I couldn't pull out either Inari or Asya. They could only come out when we were alone in my room.

It was sound-proofed and no one could enter the room easily.

This also caused me not to be able to send Inari back home. I feel bad about that but I can't risk others knowing about her existence. It could be a disaster for the family. Of course, nothing matters as long as there is a Tier-9 powerhouse in the family.

So improving my rank quickly could remove those troubles but I also know that doing so would only hurt my foundation and my development to later stages. There is no need to worry about things for the next year or two. Only after things might get a bit hard.

"Yes, Inari speak freely as you would always and I am sorry that I can't probably send you in the near future, probably only when the next semester holidays start", I apologized to her.

"No master, it's okay. I understand the problems that you are facing now. Consorting with a demon, no matter what tribe the demon belongs to or what's the purpose behind that, people would blame you and your family. It's not like I miss much by returning home a bit later but that's not what I wanted to talk about", she said.

"Oh, then what do you want to talk about?" I asked her.

"It's about that person, who viewed you and your father with a malicious gaze", she said.

"Ah, what about him?" I asked her.

I am intrigued about why she picked him specifically.

"He has a demon scent, master", she said.

"Say what?"