Chapter 26: A Gathering of Many
Noon.
In the center of the academy, the arena.
The full name of the arena is the Knight’s Heart Arena. From the early days of the academy’s establishment, there has been a tradition: during school hours, students should not engage in conflicts. If disputes arise, they are to draw their swords, don their armor, and come to the sacred arena to settle their differences, with the God of Justice and Judgment as witness.
This tradition has been maintained to this day, and the high entertainment value of duels has kept the excitement among the student body consistently high.
One of the parties involved in this duel is Angelica, further ensuring a high attendance rate in the arena.
The arena resembles the grand coliseums of ancient Rome, overall shaped like an ellipse, supported by numerous stone columns adorned with patterns and reliefs. It occupies a vast area, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of spectators, akin to an oversized opera house.
At the top of the arena’s structure, a scale-shaped pattern is engraved, symbolizing the mark of justice and judgment, indicating that the duels that take place here will be conducted under the watch of the deities, ensuring absolute fairness.
At this moment, the noisy atmosphere has turned the entire venue boisterous. Groups of students, three or five together, are entering this grand building with friends.
Looking around, the arena already has a significant number of attendees, almost an equivalent of over half the academy, all eager to witness the duel firsthand.
Among Shaya’s few friends, Tilius is one of the spectators.
He sits in a somewhat distant back row, feeling quite forlorn, with no one around him.
The arena is so vast that even if all the faculty and students gather here, there are still many empty seats.
Watching the students excitedly discussing the duel, Tilius, with dark circles under his eyes, sighs in despair.
He had spent an entire night persuading Shaya, almost crying out for him to consider the consequences, but the latter was determined to proceed with the duel.
In the end, he was even chased out by a maid, who said he was disturbing the young master’s rest.
Does this guy really not fear losing the duel?
“I heard that this event even caught the attention of the school authorities and certain high-ranking officials. It seems many powerful characters have indeed come.”
Just then, a voice suddenly reached his ears.
Looking up unexpectedly, Tilius noticed a blond boy with a smile seated a bit behind him, leaning forward slightly.
Efi Dominic, whom he had met once in the academy’s cafeteria, is one of the members of the Blood Rose Association.
Not just him, several other familiar members had appeared around Tilius, sitting with varied expressions.
Seeing this scenario, Tilius swallowed hard.
Am I in a den of wolves?
He pondered for a moment, deciding not to show weakness, and then coughed lightly, saying in a low voice, “Shaya will definitely win.”
“Don’t harbor unrealistic fantasies. Although I don’t like Angelica, objectively speaking, she won’t lose.”
A sweet and delicate laugh came from the side, accompanied by a hint of mockery.
Tilius glanced with his peripheral vision and found a captivating girl in a purple form-fitting long dress, elegantly crossing her long, slender leg, her high heels half-off, dangling at her toes, revealing an elegantly arched foot.
Her name is Selly, the eldest daughter of the Violet Family and the fiancée of the fifth prince. Not someone to mess with.
Tilius, being a prince, unconsciously shrank his neck at the sight.
…
Deyora, dressed in her everyday clothes, arrived early at the arena and chose a front-row seat close to the entrance where the duelers would enter, hoping to see her young master make his appearance at the earliest opportunity.
Surrounded by several noble students, she can vaguely hear their blatant disdain for Shaya in their discussions, prompting her to lightly snort.
Moreover, a student named Sergey even opened betting, but due to the discrepancies in odds, there was essentially no winning or losing bet available.
The only bet possible was how many rounds Shaya could last against Angelica.
“I heard that guy probably has the skills of a close-to-knight. He can’t possibly withstand a single spell, right? I bet three rounds!”
“Are you kidding? That’s Angelica, the senior! Under serious conditions, even knights can’t get close to her… two rounds.”
“Twenty gold coins, I bet one round. I believe in the senior.”
“Hey, at least give the newbie some hope, right? Uhh… I’ll also bet one round, ten gold coins!”
Hearing these comments, Deyora felt a surge of discomfort.
“Excuse me, can I sit next to you?”
A pleasant female voice called out, causing Deyora to instinctively look up.
She saw a girl in a black cloak with wavy golden hair underneath. The cloak concealed an ornate court gown, and her pure, lovely appearance made her look like a princess escaping from a castle.
Deyora, feeling a bit bashful, nodded, “Please, go ahead.”
“Thank you!” The girl removed her cloak and smiled sweetly at her, “My name is Xivista, a friend of Shaya’s. I’m here to cheer him on today.”
Then, Xivista pouted slightly, looking towards the opposing stands with some embarrassment.
She quietly said, “Actually, I sneaked over here, because many people from my family are also here. If they find out I’ve ‘defected’, my brother will probably lecture me for a long time.”
…
“I was just mentioning it casually, but I didn’t expect you truly came.”
Sital looked at the person in front of him in surprise before breaking into a smile.
He was a man in silver light armor, with a somewhat feminine face, tall and appearing a bit aloof, with a scar on his profile.
“Regarding the request of a former teammate, how could I, Rod, ignore it?” The silver-armored knight chuckled lightly, “But in return, I hope you will refer to me as your Lord Justice from now on.”
“You’ve been promoted? Haha, impressive indeed!”
Sital laughed loudly and patted Rod on the shoulder.
As the administrative hub of the empire’s judicial system, the Judgment Tower is undoubtedly the most fearsome law enforcement agency in the country. There are only nine judges, each overseeing different regions of the empire, all of whom are powerful knights.
Only when a judge dies or retires can a new person take their place.
As one of the most powerful figures under the Tower Master and the Chief Justice, Rod is undoubtedly close to the pinnacle of the empire.
“This duel seems to have quite the spectacle.”
After exchanging pleasantries, the two found a relatively empty spot to sit down. Rod looked at the bustling arena scene, a bit surprised, “This is indeed unexpected. Not only that, look, those individuals have arrived too.”
Sital’s attention wasn’t on the duelers, but he pointed in another direction to indicate something.
Following the direction of his finger, Rod nodded, “Lucius, the old headmaster goes without saying. Archbishop Edmund from St. Augus Church, and the newly appointed Sorcerer from the Mage Tower… huh? The leader of the Holy Radiant Knights is also here?”
“I’m starting to get curious about just how talented these two kids really are.” Rod pondered, reclaiming his gaze and locking eyes with his old friend, “One of them is still your student.”
Sital coughed lightly but ultimately didn’t reveal Shaya.
In fact, most of these individuals were there for Angelica.
Sorceress Mevis and Headmaster Lucius, of course, needed no introduction. Even the leader of that knight order is Angelica’s biological brother.
As for Archbishop Edmund of St. Augus Church, perhaps because he was just a street away from Norton Academy and was simply too idle, he came to take a look around.
Perhaps it was due to the unprecedented stakes of a noble title in this duel, combined with Shaya’s status as a war orphan and Angelica’s prominent family background, that attracted these high-ranking individuals to gather.
This had also achieved Shaya’s initial goal of drawing attention.
That kid took a pile of junk and left yesterday. I wonder if he can win the duel as he claimed.
It feels a bit unreliable, doesn’t it?
…
“Teacher Mevis, Angelica just signed a magical contract with her elder brother and is currently waiting backstage to enter.”
Naya, expressionless in her oversized mage robe and wearing a classic wizard’s pointed hat, walked towards a woman in a dark veil.
The woman was dressed in a moon-white mage robe, intricately embroidered with elaborate patterns. Her face was not clearly visible, but judging from her slender figure and relatively young attire, she should not be very old, but her status was sufficient to astonish everyone present.
A Sorceress!
There are only a few strategic-level powerhouses throughout the entire empire capable of casting forbidden spells, which can easily alter the terrain and weather of a city, each of their actions bearing devastating omnipotence!
Being a Sorceress, with the word “god” in her title, is destined to denote the most noble and powerful existence.
Mevis rested her hand on her cheek, calmly observing the scenes in the arena, “This duel may have some twists and turns, but overall, the suspense is not significant.”
After learning that Shaya had returned to the academy alive, Mevis was not particularly shocked; after all, everyone has their secrets, and surviving under an assassin sent from her side was not something extraordinary.
Of course, she was unaware that the assassin had already met his end at Shaya’s hands.
“There is an absolute power gap between senior sister and her elder brother.” Naya stood unperturbed, like an exquisite puppet, “Even if he can barely resist at the beginning, defeat is just a matter of time.”
Upon hearing this, Mevis chuckled, looking at her most prized disciple, “Your opponent is your brother, Naya. Don’t you have any thoughts about this?”
“This is merely a duel.”
Naya’s words were simple yet revealed her stance.
Seeing her behaving like a puppet that follows commands, Mevis nodded in satisfaction, “Once you inherit the title, the Emperor will personally confer a reward upon you. In a few years, when you are promoted to Great Magus, I will have you enter the palace and become the youngest member of the Council of the Mage Tower.”
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Naya articulated her gratitude emotionlessly, leaving her thoughts ambiguous.
“Have you been taking your ‘medicine’ on time lately?”
Mevis raised her delicate fingers, observing her neatly trimmed light pink nails, and inquired.
“Yes.”
Naya calmly nodded.
“That’s good. Remember, the ‘medicine’ helps you maintain inner tranquility, allowing better communication with elemental forces… Ah, it’s starting.”
…
Finally, after a long wait, with the adjudicator taking their seat, the duel was announced to be about to begin.
The discussions and cheers in the arena grew quieter, interspersed with some trash talk directed at Shaya.
Clearly, almost everyone believed this duel held no suspense.
No one believed that this rural “noble” from the countryside could break down the class barriers built by innate talent and family background.
Because the vast majority of students present came from noble families, in a certain sense, Angelica represented their interests.
They all came for Senior Angelica.
On the contrary, Shaya, in the eyes of noble students, was merely a country bumpkin from the southern provinces—rude and unsophisticated, not even regarded as a peer.
Moreover, most of them were completely unaware of the events leading to this duel, merely viewing it as a reckless rural boy attempting to challenge the noble class.
After a moment, accompanying the rising cheers and excitement in the arena, a slender figure gracefully emerged from one side of the competitive passage.
It was a striking girl with golden medium-length hair, who wore the ever-constant rose-colored mage robe with a goddess-like charm. Her lower legs were elegantly revealed, adorned with women’s mid-calf boots, giving her an inexplicable sensuality.
At the same time, the cheers in the arena reached an unprecedented peak.
“Ahhhhh! Senior Angelica!!!!”
This was from the normal male students.
“Wuwuwu, so handsome! So cool!”
This was from the normal female students.
“Queen, please step on me hard!”
This was from the guys with unusual tastes.
“Hehehe, hehe…”
This was from the creeps.
In summary, Angelica’s popularity and acclaim at this academy were evidently unmatched.
As Shaya slowly stepped out from the opposite competitive passage, the cheers and discussions instantly turned into relentless mockery.
“Pfft—hahaha! What’s that guy carrying on his back?”
“Let me see, huh? It looks like a bunch of scrap metal?”
“What kind of look is that? Is this a joke or what?”
“Is this what rural people are like? They don’t even have money for magical devices? Where’s the dignity of being a noble?”
“I think he’s insulting Senior Angelica, trashing this sacred duel!”
Even Tilius, Xivista, and others in the audience shared these strange notions at the same time.
Could it be that Shaya never even thought about winning?
