166 Team Training Fiasco

Just as Lord Vervan was to answer, three newcomers swaggered into the training grounds. By the looks of them, they were completely nonchalant and unbothered by their late arrival. Turning his eyes to them, the Duke squinted his eyes dangerously.

"You three! You are now almost half an hour late! I hope you have a good excuse."

"Your Grace, you must pardon us. The three of our families are close so we decided to ride together in a carriage to the training ground. However, on the way, our horses got scared by a snake on the road and were thrown into a disarray. It took a while to calm them and get back on track. We apologize for the inconvenience towards the others who had to wait for us." Taking a step forward, Keaton took the lead for the three of them.

"Oh. A snake, was it?" The Duke sneered. He glanced towards the other two, who nodded in confirmation to the story yet could not hide the slight guilt and anxiousness in their eyes. Obviously, they were neither as well-practiced of liars nor as thick-skinned as Keaton. Everyone else could tell that Keaton's words were nothing but nonsense made up on the spot. Maybe normal horses could fear a snake, but the heir to the Duke Mendenhall house would ride in a carriage pulled by normal horses? Clearly, that's impossible. They would most likely be well-bred magic beasts which would never fear nor panic at a snake on the road.

"It seems the next time I see Duke Mendenhall I should recommend my horse trainer. How dangerous to have a horse run rampant like that, I'm glad that none of you were injured in the process."

"Yes, it would our honor to have Your Grace's help. It seems our beastkeeper is quite inept."

Inwardly, everyone was rather annoyed by Keaton's acting up for no reason, but no one said anything. Most of their families would not dare to offend the Mendenhall family anyways.

"Your Grace, it would be best if we start right away. We have already lost enough time waiting." Lord Vervan spoke to smooth the atmosphere. He glared a little at Keaton hoping he would stand down, but the arrogant young master acted as if he did not notice. The veins of his forehead began pulsing as Trevion held in his anger over the obvious disrespect.

"Your Grace, I believe that we should leave Greyson out of the team competition combinations." Keaton suddenly announced.

"Oh? And why would that be? You can't be thinking that he is weak, right? Since he beat you so handily that would only be insulting yourself." Zaire's eyebrow lifted with interest as he did not forget to rub salt into the wound.

Slightly choked by the sudden reminder of his defeat, Keaton took a couple deep breaths to calm himself.

"Of course not, Your Grace. Greyson's strength was out there for all to see. Thus, he should definitely take part in the individual competition. Just, I feel that this commoner would break the balance and coordination that this group has built. All of us are around the same age and power level and we have known each other since birth mostly. We are well aware of each other's powers and special moves which is why we can have great teamwork. Suddenly adding someone on would just be unnecessary."

"Then, would Eris not be the same? Why leave her in?"

"While Lady Whitstone comes from further away, she is also part of the noble circle and is someone we are also well-acquainted with." Keaton continued to drivel.

"Isn't building teamwork exactly why we are starting training right now?"

"But would things not move faster if we leave out the unfamiliar element?"

"I agree, Your Grace." Collin added.

"Me, as well." Cherell supported.

The rest of the representatives did not speak. But Trevion, Lady Tatyana Dawnbrow, and Earl of Hildebrand seemed to lean towards Keaton's side. Although they thought he was just quibbling due to personal vengeance, the nobles normally kept a united front.

"You are obviously just spewing bullsh*t. Why? Are you just bitter from losing so badly you could not get out of bed? I did not see before that you were so petty, Keaton. Can't you at least take the loss gracefully?" Known for her fiery temper, Aphina was not one to mince words to keep her manners.

"Your Highness, you should mind your identity and status. There is no need to speak so vulgarly." Keaton hissed.

"I'll speak however I want; as it seems you also just speak whatever words come to mind without thinking." Aphina shot back.

"Lord Mendenhall does not need to speak up for me. If Greyson is too unfamiliar, then I also would not dare to say I am familiar with the nobles of the capital." Eris also politely rejected Keaton's words and took Greyson's side.

"Truly, Lord Mendenhall, your argument seems like pure sophistry. Why don't we move past the petty conflicts and start training? We don't have the time to waste on this." Braiden did not fall behind and also showed his support.

And like this, the clear divide of the imperial family and the nobles once again was brought to light. Watching the imperial family taking Greyson's side instead of his own, Keaton's fury towards his so-called in-laws only increased.

"Since it has come to this, would you like to make a bet?" Calming down, Keaton suggested.

Hearing his sudden change in tune, everyone could tell that this was his aim from the start. Aphina and Braiden both stopped and did not respond straight away. They were both not dumb or impulsive enough to step right into that trap. Since he was confident enough to bring up talks of betting so calmly, it must be that Keaton had some sort of plan already prepared. Hotheaded as he can be, Keaton was still someone with tons of experience scheming against others and also is doted on by his equally wily father.

"I have already passed the selection and am one of the 10 representatives. Just because you're unconvinced does not really mean anything nor does it warrant extra attention. His Imperial Majesty approves of my presence on the team; therefore, your approval is moot. For what reason must I go out of my way to play games with you? I can already tell now that the terms of your bet will probably be something ridiculous like betting my participation in the competition this year. Well, I will tell you right now that I will not be stupidly goaded into action. There is nothing that will prevent me from participating in the competition this year. If anything, someone who lost so badly from before is the real questionable existence. Just what can you add that I cannot?" Tired of this charade, Greyson nipped it in the bud.

"You-!" At a loss for words, Keaton's whole face turned bright red from a mixture of shame and fury.

"Me, what? It's true, is it not? You, the loser, claiming that I, the winner, am a detriment just seems rather ridiculous in my eyes." Purposefully placing emphasis on their disparity, Greyson just shrugged nonchalantly.

Keaton could not even speak a word and instead his breathing got heavier. Looking about to explode into an actual fight, he started gathering mana around him.

"High individual ability does not always translate to high teamwork ability. Seeing that you are so arrogant, would you even be up for cooperating with all of us?" This time it was Lord Vervan who took a step forward.

"Oh? Are you joining in now? Can't you tell that this is just a poorly planned farce? I have nothing against any of you and would be glad to work together. It seems to be Keaton who has one-sidedly targeted me this entire time."

"Well, I for one, would like to see your great ability, then." Trevion calmly answered.

"Do you want to fight?" Greyson did not really see this guy as someone that simple-minded.

"How about a team battle? You four against four of us." He suggested.

"Oh? And what would happen if we win?" This time Aphina stepped up seeming rather interested.

"We will back down and follow the Duke's orders. Greyson can also participate in the team training. If you lose, then Greyson will only participate in the individual part of the competition."

"You seem to be mistaken, Trevion. My Uncle is already in charge and thus you should be listening to his order whether you win or lose. Greyson is also part of the 10 representatives and has no reason to fight with you to earn the right to fight. Therefore, there is no reason to participate in a fight where all we would win is exactly the power we already have." Aphina sharply pointed out.

"Princess Aphina is correct." Trevion did not seem phased by her words. "Then, how about we add in one more thing. If we lose, we will accept Greyson as the leader of the representatives at the upcoming competition. Me, along with the rest of us, will listen to his order."

"Hey! Trevion, you can't just say things like this without prior discussion!" Keaton protested.

"Yes, how could we listen to the orders of this plebeian!" Cherell added in.

"Enough! Do you think you have not caused enough of a scene?" Lord Vervan held up his hand and looked back at them sharply. Truly, if his father had not told him to help the Mendenhall family this time, he would want no part of this. Why were the nobles always so unreasonable? Lady Tatyana and Earl Efren also nodded in agreement to Trevion's words. As people entrenched in the noble side, they also had no choice but support Keaton and the rest.

"You will listen to his orders, you say?" Aphina looked a little surprised. "Well, Greyson, what do you say? Eris? Brother? Do you guys want to try out this little battle?" Turning to the people on her side, she quickly asked for their opinions.

"Hey, well, I'm always up for a little challenge." Eris smirked.

"I'm not against it if this will calm things down." Greyson also agreed.

"You guys... I guess I can't be the only one to back down, right?" Braiden looked towards the rest of them before scratching his head in aggravation and agreeing.

"Hehe, okay! Then, we will agree. When should we fight?"

"Let's meet her again tomorrow at the same time. We will fight then." Trevion decided.

"Alright. We will meet again tomorrow afternoon, then." Aphina nodded.

...

"Okay, maybe we were too hasty..." Aphina suddenly announced after the rest of the representatives walked away. Like her confidence deflated suddenly, her shoulders slumped and hints of anxiety appeared in her eyes.

"Now you realize..." Braiden sighed.

"I couldn't just back down then, could I? They were obviously teaming up against imperial power this time. Why must they always drag in the noble power and imperial power struggles into everything? Ahhhh! So frustrating!" Aphina just crouched down feeling annoyed.

"Will they be that difficult to beat?" Greyson caught onto the hint.

"I can't speak for anyone else, but those three... Tatyana, Trevion, and Efren are childhood friends and have been a team since birth. The last member could almost be ignored whoever it ends up being. We might be more powerful individually, but none of us have tried teaming up before." Braiden explained.

"All the more reason you all should start training now." Duke Zaire spoke up suddenly. The four looked towards him together.

"They never made any rules against me helping you guys. It's not that I have a bias, but I wish for the team to work together in harmony. Your team would need to win for that to happen." He defended himself albeit feeling a little embarrassed.

"Hahaha, who would have thought my strait-laced uncle would see the light today? Uncle, it's fine, who says that family should not help one another? Oh no, have I dragged my innocent Uncle to the dark side? Hehe, it feels so good, though!" Aphina burst out joyfully.

"Aphy... you..." Braiden just shook his head helplessly while Zaire also gave her a dirty look.

"Well, Instructor, I am all ears. What is your training plan?"

"I am fairly well informed on Greyson and my niece and nephew's abilities. I just need to get a clear picture of Eris's before I can come up with a plan for you all. I am confident that I can help you break apart their teamwork. As perfect as something seems, there is always a strategy against. Plus, it's not as if their specialties are a secret. For the exact same reason that we know each other too well, we also know their weaknesses well. However, they do not know Eris's and Greyson's weaknesses. This will give us a leg up." Zaire clarified.