Chapter: 23. The Night Before the Competition (Please vote in the beginning of the month!)
The gladiatorial tournament at Aulus Kingdom was originally a grand event, and this year’s competition is even more so.
With explosive news being released one after another, the classic competition that was already heating up added an unknown amount of fuel to the fire.
— Various merchant associations gathered funds to offer rewards to the winners of the competition; all participants would receive monetary compensation.
— King Celtic and members of the royal family would be present to offer maximum encouragement to the contestants and select potential talents for the nation. Those who performed excellently would have the opportunity to directly join the Capital City Knight Corps.
— The Pope of the Corea Church State announced their attendance at the event.
— The Second Princess of the Demon Race, Belis Halder, declared her intention to attend the competition.
— The Adventurers’ Guild announced that they would dispatch their elite adventurers to participate in the competition to expand the guild’s influence and attract more people to become adventurers.
………
News like this flooded in over the past two days.
In an instant, it seemed like all eyes in the world were focused on Aulus.
Focusing on this competition, who would ultimately claim victory?
In fact, it no longer mattered who the victor would be.
After all, the gladiatorial arena, originally meant for entertainment, had subtly taken on the flavor of a great power struggle in this competition. Even the spectators had to undergo strict checks to enter, indicating a significant change in nature.
And the most sensational news was officially announced today.
This news completely ignited the competition that had already been pushed to the forefront of attention.
— The First Princess of the Demon Race was officially released and would participate in the gladiatorial tournament as a Peace Ambassador.
Upon hearing the news, the citizens of Aulus Kingdom and the Demon Territory were basically stunned.
The Demon Territory celebrated the princess’s regained freedom throughout the night.
However, they felt quite confused about the title of “Peace Ambassador.” Popular sentiment leaned towards the belief that the princess was coerced by the kingdom. Lacking evidence, a considerable portion of the nobility from the Demon Territory prepared to travel to the Aulus Kingdom’s gladiatorial arena to confirm the situation in person as spectators.
The situation in Aulus Kingdom was even more chaotic. The citizens went into a panic upon hearing the news; they didn’t understand the upper echelons’ decision to release the witch, feeling that disaster was imminent.
Had it not been for the Kingdom Knight Corps urgently spreading the word that “there is absolutely no risk in this matter, and the princess’s identity as a Peace Ambassador is genuine; the Aulus royal family can guarantee this,” many in the capital would have likely fled with their belongings overnight.
The citizens couldn’t grasp the risks behind the decision, but they at least understood that with so many national dignitaries attending the competition, the level of danger would surely be substantially lower.
After all, the nobility valued their lives more than they did and wouldn’t joke around in such a manner.
So, amidst the expectations of people from various nations, the time had arrived on the eve of the gladiatorial competition.
That night.
A crimson flame pillar rose from the forest outskirts of the capital, piercing the night sky and dispersing the clouds.
Passersby on the bustling streets who witnessed this scene were all left speechless.
— But very few ran away in panic.
A few days ago, such a sight would have terrified them to death, but now, on the eve of the competition…
They could only say that they had somewhat gotten used to these strange occurrences.
What else could they do?
Who didn’t know that experts from all nations had gathered around the kingdom?
What’s wrong with warming up before the competition? If someone got scared and ran away due to the warm-up sounds, they would definitely be laughed at by others for not being worldly-wise. The capital was now filled with powerful guests; do they understand?
Because of this, the Kingdom Knight Corps had been extremely busy lately as they patrolled the areas causing disturbances, repeatedly warning contestants to adhere to the kingdom’s prohibitions on magic release. However, occurrences like the earlier one hadn’t ceased.
After all, not all contestants in the competition were from Aulus Kingdom, and participants from other nations or races might feel a sense of superiority. This stubborn mindset led them to display their strength before the competition as a means of intimidating their opponents.
Of course, awaiting them was the arrest led by Ecklight and the Light Family’s patrol knights.
Those who could escape would rely on their own abilities.
Those who couldn’t would be confined in the knight corps until the competition started and might only be released then.
Even so… the earlier flame that pierced the heavens still attracted many citizens to stop and watch.
Among all the exaggerated magics seen so far, that was indeed the one with the most momentum.
Without a doubt.
Although the magic had dissipated for several minutes, people marveled at the spiraled smoke still lingering in the sky, distorting the heat waves that conveyed a subtle warmth to every onlooker’s senses.
Some speculated that the person capable of casting such magic was likely impossible to be captured by the Kingdom Knight Corps.
Others ridiculed that he was exaggerating; after all, Knight Commander Ecklight was a significant figure of the Tenth Stage and couldn’t possibly have anyone he couldn’t apprehend within the kingdom.
However, in reality…
At this moment, Ecklight, riding on his warhorse and arriving at the location where the flames had erupted, wore a frown.
His speed had been rapid enough, but all he found was a burnt forest. Even spreading his sensing magic to the maximum range, he couldn’t find any trace of the magic’s caster.
This could only indicate…
Leaving aside the strength, in terms of speed, the opponent was faster than him.
Strangely, the opponent had also used magic to extinguish the flames burning the forest without causing a wildfire.
“This is really…”
“Commander? Should we expand our search area?”
“Forget it.” Ecklight swung his broad sword towards the ground, cutting through the grass with a crisp sound, “There’s no meaning in chasing. A character like this will leave in a few days. Sigh… the world is broader than we imagined…”
“You mean…?”
“Return to the palace. There will be no troublemakers tonight. Everyone, rest well and prepare to ensure the safety of His Majesty and the princes tomorrow.”
“Yes!”
…………………………..
On the trees at the other end of the forest, a slender red-haired girl lightly tapped the branches with the tips of her shoes, gazing at the full moon with crimson vertical pupils.
After retracting her fiery wings, which were adorned with proud patterns, Timani simultaneously canceled her [Spatial Leap] and [Super Acceleration].
She quickly left the spot where she had just unleashed her high-tier flame magic, [Spiral Dragon Blast]. It wasn’t that she was timid, but that she knew she should try to avoid causing more trouble at this crucial moment; less is more.
If she truly were to exercise utmost caution, she wouldn’t have released such a flashy spell.
But it couldn’t be helped…
Timani looked down at her palm, which was still slightly smoking from a magical backlash due to the previous spell. She lifted her hand to her mouth and licked the burned area, much like a wounded little animal soothing its injury with its saliva.
In her naive clumsiness, there was also an inconspicuous bitterness that she was completely unaware of.
Then…
A miraculous thing happened.
The swollen, hurt palm glowed with a healing green light and soon returned to its original smoothness.
This was a unique healing secret of the high-level Fire Dragon Clan.
There was no need to learn healing magic; the saliva of the Fire Dragon Clan itself was a potent remedy for quickly healing wounds, quite miraculous indeed.
With her palm feeling no discomfort, Timani propped herself up on the tree branch with one hand and allowed the other to hang naturally while her vertical pupils contained a fierce determination.
Flames encircled her, and the sound of scorching air accompanied her low murmurs.
“Not enough… still not enough, why haven’t I made any progress… I can’t continue like this…”
Timani raised her hand, gathering intense flames once more.
— But as she noticed the bustling town of the capital in the distance at night…
The magic in her hand slowly transformed into particles and dissipated.
The earlier [Spiral Dragon Blast] was her exercise in honing her magical control ability.
Timani’s magical reserves were fully deserving of the title of high-level race.
But in terms of her control over magic, she likely couldn’t even match a beginner’s level.
It was common for her delicate magic to go out of control. It was only after several days of calm and fasting in the woods to refine her mindset that she finally managed to control the [Spiral Dragon Blast] to a fixed angle upon release.
Cough… the fasting definitely wasn’t due to a lack of money for food! It was truly because she was refining her mindset!
However, if her spell casting was accurate, it shouldn’t have affected the surrounding trees or burned her hand.
These were all attributed to her still immature control over her magic.
“I can’t afford to make any more mistakes… I absolutely must win.”
I absolutely must win…
I need to let the news of victory reach the Northern Region, allow my kin to hear of this glory, so they can recognize… my qualification as a member of the Fire Dragon Clan.
The wind lifted Timani’s crimson hair, which had been clinging to her head—revealing her pointed ears that shouldn’t belong to the Fire Dragon Clan.
Timani quickly covered her head, her expression flustered as she covered her ears with her long hair and used her scarlet tail to smack the trees, making a rustling sound as if declaring her identity.
Looking down in thought… her expression was as troubled as water.
The days of being homeless were truly hard to endure.
Timani had had enough of the life of a drifting boat.
As a wave of bitterness washed over her…
— Gurgle~~
Timani covered her stomach, which grumbled from hunger, her face showing a grimace.
She still couldn’t imagine that as a Fire Dragon, she would go hungry every day!
Well… to ensure a smooth competition tomorrow, she should catch a wild rabbit to roast. She seemed to have seen some wild mushrooms on the way over, and if she could find them, it would make for a balanced meal.
The roasted duck Summer had treated her to flashed across her mind, and drool slipped from the corner of her mouth.
Oh… how she wanted to eat roasted duck again.
Hmm?!
Timani suddenly snapped back to reality, hurriedly wiping away the drool from the corner of her mouth and shaking her head to dismiss those ungrateful thoughts.
No… how can I have such a weak emotion!
Quickly catch a wild rabbit and be self-reliant; that’s the way of survival for the Fire Dragon Clan!
………………………….
Meanwhile, Xue Fei, seated at the window sill of a villa in the outskirts, was enjoying some roasted duck legs paired with doughnuts. She also took notice of the magnificent flame magic that had just lit up half the sky.
She looked up and waved the half-eaten duck leg towards the sky to send her blessings.
“Looks like that girl Timani is getting fat off of good food. She must have made a fortune to be so arrogant.”
Then, she continued nibbling on the duck leg, her silver hair swaying as she appeared quite satisfied with such a meal.
“Eh? Was that magic just now cast by Timani?” Xiya turned back to ask upon hearing Xue Fei’s words.
“Yeah, the nature of the magic is the same; it must be Timani. Just look at her energy; she still has the leisure to set off fireworks, so she must be plenty full. She probably won’t even bother with this duck leg anymore… Hehe, then I’ll enjoy it all myself! Slurp… so delicious.”
“Ah… Miss Timani is so hardworking; she’s certainly not starving.”
