The main corridor of the coliseum was crowded with participants, spectators, and officials.
The matches of the first phase were still ongoing in the arena, and the rumor of my victory against Roderick had already spread like wildfire among those who had not witnessed the fight themselves.
"Look, that's him."
"The bastard of House Britain..."
"He broke Roderick's sword. With a single strike."
"Impossible. Roderick was ranked among the twenty best swordsmen in the tournament."
The whispers surrounded me, some filled with admiration, others with suspicion. I kept my head high and my gaze fixed straight ahead. Lisa walked silently at my left side. Her presence reassured me.
Since our arrival at the heart of the Tower, she had hardly ever left my side.
Even when she said nothing, her mere presence was often enough to calm part of the turmoil raging inside my mind.
Today, however, even that seemed less effective. I could feel the stares. They were everywhere.
As if my victory had suddenly turned my name into something interesting.
The farther we advanced through the corridor, the more conversations stopped as we passed.
Groups of nobles turned around.
Participants stepped aside slightly to let us pass.
Even some guards seemed to observe me more attentively than before.
All of this because of a single fight. I thought back to Roderick.
To the moment his blade had shattered.
To the incredulous expression that had crossed his face.
To the heat that had flooded my body.
I unconsciously clenched my fists.
I had won that fight by the skin of my teeth and ended up injured.
If I wanted to last long enough to be useful to my uncle and prove the worth of our house, I would need to do better. Much better.
The rest of the day continued, punctuated by fights in the arena until midday.
The heat began to rise as the sun reached its zenith.
A thick red canopy was then stretched above the spectators to shield them from the sun. Only the competitors fighting in the arena remained exposed beneath the blazing sunlight.
The large red cloths swayed slowly in the wind, casting moving shadows over the spectators.
I ran a hand across my forehead. Even in the shade, the heat was difficult to endure.
The fatigue accumulated during the days of training had not disappeared.
"Here."
I turned my head. Lisa was holding out a bottle of water.
I took it.
"Thanks."
She looked at me for a few seconds.
I drank a long gulp of cool water. Strangely cool.
I frowned slightly.
"How did it stay cold in this heat?"
Lisa looked away.
"A small enchantment."
"Since when do you know how to do that?"
"There are many things you don't know about me."
"Huh?"
She blinked.
Then shook her head slightly.
"I mean... someone showed me how."
A voice echoed through the stadium.
"NEXT MATCH!"
The glowing board changed.
Several names disappeared and others appeared. My gaze immediately stopped on one of them.
Kael [Britain] V/S Elena Voss [Valoria]
A light murmur spread through the stands. I stood up.
Lisa immediately looked at me.
"Be careful."
I smiled.
"I'll try."
"Try harder."
I let out a laugh before making my way toward the arena.
This time, my opponent was a woman. A young woman with red hair tied into a long braid. She looked to be in her twenties. She was much older than me.
I swallowed my saliva.
A short sword hung at her waist. But that wasn't what caught my attention. What did were the three metallic rings floating behind her back.
They slowly revolved around her. Like satellites orbiting a planet.
Several people applauded when she stepped into the arena.
The crowd already seemed familiar with her name judging by their reaction.
The referee raised his hand.
"Positions."
I stopped at a reasonable distance from Elena.
She smiled at me.
Although warm at first glance, her smile seemed devoid of any real emotion.
"You're the boy who defeated Roderick?"
I nodded.
"And you're the one who blew up a wall during your first match."
She laughed.
"I see my reputation precedes me."
The referee sighed.
"Save your conversation for after the match."
We obeyed and stared into each other's eyes in silence.
The referee gave the signal.
"Begin!"
The rings behind Elena immediately lit up and moved from behind her to float in front of her.
Bluish filaments appeared across their surface.
I instantly sensed danger.
I dove to the side on instinct.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted where I had been standing a second earlier.
The stones making up the arena shattered under the force of the impact.
The crowd gasped.
I rolled heavily across the ground before getting back up and immediately leaping aside once more.
A second explosion erupted.
Then a third.
She gave me no time to breathe. The projectiles kept raining down.
Elena continued walking slowly toward me, her rings doing all the work for her. It was as though she possessed dozens of invisible hands.
I ran and jumped.
Again.
And again.
Each explosion shook the arena and made the spectators roar.
I couldn't even get close to her. The only thing I could do was dodge her rings at the last possible moment.
The explosions suddenly stopped, giving me a chance to catch my breath.
I was exhausted.
"You dodge well."
I replied between breaths. "Thanks!"
"I wasn't expecting a reply."
A smile appeared on her lips as her rings shot toward me once again.
Then she raised a hand.
The three rings began spinning faster and faster.
My instincts immediately screamed.
[Danger.]
I leapt backward.
A massive spear of ether pierced through the space where I had been standing. The projectile continued forward and struck the stadium barrier above our heads.
The magical protection vibrated under the impact.
The crowd fell silent.
Elena was smiling at me. She knew as well as I did that if that attack had hit me, the fight would already be over.
She was the predator, and I was the prey. There was no doubt about that hierarchy.
[Kael.]
I know.
I took a deep breath.
Then I slowly raised my hand in front of me, trying to materialize that familiar warmth in my mind.
That blaze.
Deep within me.
Buried inside my soul.
The thing that had continued growing for days.
[The skill 'MONARCH'S FLAME' (Lv.5) has been activated.]
A wave of heat flooded my body.
Black cracks appeared beneath my skin.
My muscles tightened and hardened.
The world seemed to slow around me.
Everything felt distant compared to the warmth flooding through me.
I opened my eyes and saw Elena staring at me.
Her eyes widened.
"What... Your aura!?"
The ground exploded beneath my feet. I launched myself toward her, crossing the distance between us in a single second.
For the first time since the battle had begun, her smile disappeared.
Her rings repositioned themselves in front of her.
My sword struck first.
The metal rings cracked.
I planted one foot firmly on the ground and transferred part of my ether from my sword into my supporting leg.
I pushed with all my strength.
Elena narrowed the gap between her rings. "What is..."
The ether clinging to the metal of my sword allowed me to feel every change in pressure. I felt her rings crack more and more.
I transferred the rest of my ether into my legs and pushed harder.
CRACK!
The rings shattered.
Caught off guard, Elena fell backward without being able to recover her balance.
The heat roared through my veins, as though something was laughing deep inside me.
Elena's face had turned pale.
"What are you..."
I didn't let her finish.
My sword caught up to her as she fell and stopped a few centimeters from her throat.
Silence fell over the stadium.
The referee raised his hand.
"Victory goes to Kael!"
The applause exploded. I immediately stepped back.
The heat was already beginning to fade.
As the strength left my body, my legs began trembling.
I did my best to hide my condition. I looked toward Elena as she got back to her feet.
She stared at my legs intently.
She looked at me for a few seconds. Then smiled.
"You're going to pass out."
"I hope not..."
"I'm serious."
I smiled and replied confidently.
"So am I."
We both burst out laughing.
Elena saluted me before leaving the arena.
Once I returned beneath the stands, I leaned against a wall.
My legs felt heavy.
A window appeared before me.
[Condition fulfilled.]
[Monarch's Authority +1]
I frowned.
That authority thing again.
Before I could think further, another window appeared. This one was red.
[Hidden Quest Detected.]
[Observe the Observer.]
[Accept.]
"Huh?"
The window vanished immediately.
I felt something watching me from the side.
I raised my head and frowned from the sight.
At the end of the corridor, a motionless figure dressed in black was watching me.
My heart skipped a beat.
Just like when we arrived.
Again.
This time, however, the figure did not remain still.
It slowly raised a hand. Then turned around and began walking away.
[Hidden Quest Accepted.]
"Huh?!"
[Follow the Observer.]
"I never accepted!"
[No other option available.]
...
[Good luck.]
A sarcastic system on top of everything else.
At the end of the corridor, the masked figure had already disappeared behind a corner. And despite all the alarms screaming in my mind...
I started following it.