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So when Dean Bruce effortlessly reduced one of these so-called geniuses to such a pitiful state, it naturally left them all stunned.

"That\'s enough! Stop that disgraceful screaming!"

Obona Jones barked, his voice sharp, instantly silencing the young man, who shut his mouth, biting back the pain. His brow furrowed in agony, and his face twisted with discomfort. When he looked at Dean Bruce again, fear now lingered in his eyes.

Dean Bruce sighed, "Is this the hospitality of the Jones family? I\'ve barely set foot inside, and already you\'re trying to make me look bad. Is it that I\'m not welcome here?"

Obona Jones responded coldly, "The Jones family has its own reasons for how we treat guests. Young man, do you truly love my daughter?"

"Is that something anyone would lie about?" Dean Bruce shot back. "And what would I gain from it?"

"..."

Obona Jones fell silent.

He wasn\'t foolish. Who would risk making enemies of the Nine Provinces Alliance, the Lord\'s Manor, and even the Jones family by deceiving them?

But if Dean\'s claim was true, it was still strange. Until now, Lina had never mentioned having someone she loved.

If she had, Obona would never have arranged this marriage without consulting her first.

Lina understood her father\'s doubts and spoke up, "Father, Dean\'s background is somewhat unusual, and it wasn\'t appropriate to reveal it before. I called him here now because I feared you would think I was making excuses. There was no intention of keeping this from you."

She then turned to her brother and said sharply, "Ezra, aren\'t you going to apologize to Dean?"

Ezra Jones, still writhing in pain, was dumbfounded. He stared at Lina in disbelief.

He couldn\'t fathom that his sister, of all people, would ask him to apologize after getting hurt.

Then again, he had brought this on himself.

"What are you looking at?"

Lina\'s eyes hardened, sending a shiver down Ezra\'s spine, nearly making him buckle to his knees.

In this situation, Ezra knew he couldn\'t disobey, so he reluctantly faced Dean Bruce and muttered, "I\'m sorry, it was my fault earlier."

"…"

Seeing Lina\'s clear favoritism toward Dean, much of Obona\'s suspicion faded.

"Alright, it\'s a minor issue, nothing to make a fuss about," Obona said, now directing his attention to Dean. "Someone, prepare a room for Dean and make sure he\'s treated well."

He then turned to Lina, his tone firm. "Lina, get ready. After you\'re dressed, we\'ll head to the Lord\'s Manor."

"I don\'t need to get dressed up," Lina replied, shaking her head. "It\'s just a banquet, and I\'m not the main guest. There\'s no need for any special preparations."

Lina Jones had no interest in impressing anyone at the Lord\'s Manor. She despised everyone there and didn\'t get along with most people in Stanlow City. So, why would she bother with something like getting dressed up?

"You…"

Obona Jones was so angered that his breathing became heavy, but as much as he wanted to reprimand her, he held back. Lina was the designated saintess of the Temple of Wisdom, and even as her father, he couldn\'t scold her as freely as he wished.

Suppressing his frustration, Obona Jones said in a low voice, "Fine, as long as you\'re prepared to go to the Lord\'s Manor."

Then he turned to Dean Bruce, saying, "However, you weren\'t invited to tonight\'s banquet. The Jones family isn\'t in charge of the event, so we can\'t bring you along. It seems we\'ll have to neglect you tonight."

"But rest assured, tomorrow the Jones family will host a grand welcoming ceremony in your honor."

"..."

Dean Bruce exchanged a knowing glance with Lina, and both of them smiled.

Obona\'s intention was all too clear.

If Dean Bruce didn\'t attend the banquet, his presence would remain unknown, and the engagement could still proceed as planned.

After all, Dean wasn\'t a resident of Stanlow City and would likely leave soon.

Lina chuckled softly and said, "There\'s no need for that, Father. Dean has a spot reserved under the Temple of Wisdom, so he\'ll be attending the banquet with us."

"Is there anything else, Father? If not, I\'ll take Dean on a little tour."

"..."

Obona Jones was at a loss for what to do. With a frustrated wave of his hand, he dismissed all the servants.

For a moment, the entire courtyard was emptied, leaving only Dean Bruce and the members of the Jones family.

Sensing the shift, Dean\'s eyes narrowed slightly, readying himself for a possible confrontation.

Lina, too, felt tense.

But her concern wasn\'t for her safety. She feared that her parents might not be on her side after all.

Obona let out a heavy sigh and said, "Lina, what are you really thinking? Just tell me. If you\'re certain about him, and you don\'t want to go through with the engagement to the Lord\'s Manor, I\'ll go today and break off the arrangement."

"..."

Lina was momentarily stunned by her father\'s words. Just yesterday, he had been so adamant, yet now he was completely changing his stance.

Blinking, Lina asked softly, "Father, are you truly saying you\'ll end the engagement, and not simply dismissing the servants to attack me and Dean?"

Obona\'s face tightened in shock. "Do you really think that\'s the kind of man I am?" he sighed deeply. "Earlier, I was firm because I thought you didn\'t have anyone you loved. But now that I know you do, I won\'t sacrifice your happiness for the sake of the family\'s future."

"That\'s right!" Lina Jones nodded. "Dean is the man I love, and he\'s the one I plan to marry!"

Obona Jones looked toward Dean Bruce, speaking in a calm voice, "Young man, I don\'t wish to deny my daughter her happiness. However, if you want our approval, you\'ll need to prove that you\'re strong enough."

"Herbert, Erla, both of you, test this young man\'s strength!"

Hearing this, Dean Bruce couldn\'t help but laugh.

If Obona Jones had personally stepped forward, Dean might have had to take the challenge seriously. But two young mages? That wasn\'t even a concern.

A single spell would be enough to control them easily.

Lina\'s face turned pale, and she exclaimed, "Father, Dean\'s strength is exceptional. Even if he holds back, my brothers may not be able to withstand him."

Before Obona could respond, Erla scowled and retorted, "Sister, I may not be as strong as you, but I\'m still a second-tier mage and have mastered advanced magic. Even if I lose, I can at least hold my own against him, right?"

"Besides, Herbert is already a ninth-tier grand warrior, just a step away from becoming a master. If we team up, we can certainly hold our ground for a while."

Obona nodded in agreement, confident in his sons\' abilities. He assumed Lina was merely exaggerating Dean Bruce\'s power to make him seem more impressive. In a firm tone, he said, "Enough talk. Young man, do you dare face my two sons in battle?"

"Calling it a battle seems a bit extreme," Dean Bruce replied calmly. "If you\'re just testing my strength, why don\'t both of them come at me together?"

"Arrogant!"

"You think just because you\'re older and stronger than me, you can act like this?"

Erla Jones\' pride flared as he shouted, slamming his hands together while chanting, "O mighty lightning, strike with fierce intensity! Become serpents of despair and consume my foes! Thunder Serpent\'s Dance!"

In this world, tools like staffs or crystal cores could enhance the speed and power of spellcasting, but they weren\'t strictly necessary.

Though Erla\'s words were sharp, he recognized that Dean wasn\'t an enemy. This fight was only meant to be a sparring match, so he didn\'t use a staff.

As Erla Jones completed his incantation, the magical energy he summoned transformed into bolts of lightning descending from the sky, converging behind him.

The thunderbolts crackled and shifted, morphing into serpentine shapes under the influence of his magic.

At the same time, Herbert Jones licked his lips, clenched his fists, and the muscles in his arms bulged, his entire presence becoming more menacing by the second.

"Dean, I was born with great strength, and you, being a mage, probably have a more fragile body. Be careful—I\'m coming at you!"

With those words, Herbert Jones stomped the ground, launching himself like an arrow from a bow, tearing through the air as he charged directly at Dean Bruce.

Hearing Herbert\'s warning, Dean Bruce couldn\'t help but feel a sense of respect for him.

While his own strength was undeniable, Herbert\'s warning showed that he saw Dean as an ally, not an enemy.

With that in mind, Dean Bruce decided not to let Herbert get hurt.

As Herbert hurtled toward him like a bolt of lightning, Dean raised his right hand and cast The Compassion of Heaven and Earth.

Buzz—

Rumble!

The ground beneath their feet trembled, causing surprise among the onlooking members of the Jones family. In an instant, the earth rose, forming a shield wall that stood directly in Herbert\'s path.

No matter how powerful Herbert\'s body was, he was still made of flesh. There was no way he could break through the earth, especially when it was reinforced by a high-level spell.

In that instant, Herbert\'s momentum came to an abrupt halt. He crashed headlong into the earthen wall, his charge broken, leaving him dazed and sprawled on the ground.

"Instant… instant-cast magic?!"

Cries of astonishment echoed from the members of the Jones family, who couldn\'t believe what they had just witnessed.