"Is that allowed?" Peter asked doubtfully, echoing the concerns of the Black Team faithfuls within the stadium, which was basically almost everyone here. The rules of the Grand Tourney prevented any combatant from taking substances that would serve the purpose of boosting their strengths. It was unacceptable to do so.
"Technically it is not," Maggie shook her head and replied. "But,' she added before Peter could say anything more. "That is for other Enhancement Potions. If it were any other Enhancement Potion, it would have been against the rules to take it pre or mid-match. But the Healing Enhanced Potion is a half and half potion. It partly heals, and partly enhances one's strength. It isn't as strong as a regular healing potion so it wouldn't really stop the bleeding. At most it would slow it down, but its added effect of boosting a person's strength by 20% makes it far more beneficial than a Healing Potion. Although its 20% enhancement in strength isn't comparable to the 30% average that normal Enhancement Potions give, in a competition like this that bans Enhancement Potions, it is a sneaky way of bypassing the rules" Maggie explained, and the audience who had no idea that there was such a large loophole in the Grand Tourney Rulebook were taken aback.
There must have surely been several teams who knew this, but no team had done it anyway. Why was that? Was it that the Healing Enhanced Potion was very rare?
"I'm sure that if the Black Team could think about this, then the other teams would have surely thought of this as well. So why didn't any of them use this method?" Peter asked the question that gnawed at the minds of many of those in the crowd. Of course these curious people were ordinary people, and weren't warriors. The true warriors had ugly expressions on their faces feeling Black Saga's rising aura. They were from Asher City, but Black Saga's decision disappointed them greatly. And the reason for that was simple.
"It isn't a matter of rarity, but integrity. Very few dignified warriors would resort to using such a method to win." Maggie was ruthless with her evaluation. She didn't spare any effort to salvage Black Saga's dignity. Although she disliked – no, hated – The Citadel for sending assassins after their City Lord, she was also a warrior.
As a warrior she believed that one had to do anything to win on the battlefield. And she didn't see anything wrong with Black Saga's decision – if his life or his master's life was on the line. But the Grand Tourney was different. It wasn't meant to be the stage to settle one's grudges. She didn't even consider that Black Saga was doing this to bring victory to his team so that Asher City would win the Grand Tourney. This was because she knew him well enough to know that such a thought was far from him. For him, only his anger and rage had to be sated. He didn't care how things went, as long as he had his way. Which was why he was aiming to kill from the start.
Many blushed in shame. They knew that Black Saga was being unfair. He was using an underhanded method to get what he wanted, and they felt ashamed to be supporting him. Of course, there were some of the opinion that Black Saga's passion to win the Grand Tourney for the sake of their city was what was driving him. These people didn't blame him, but rather cheered him on.
"Were you the one who gave him the permission to do this?" Madam Anna asked her husband in a soft voice that only he could hear. Even Mira was left in the dark concerning this conversation.
"I gave him no such orders," City Lord Sutton had an ugly look on his face seeing Black Saga's change. People didn't know who the man in the mask was. But he did. This was someone Ivor cherished, and from their relationship the mysterious man wouldn't hesitate to fell Asher City if anything happened to the boy.
"I must stop this right now," City Lord Sutton stated, and Madam Anna nodded her head. Although this was very much not against the rules, Asher City wouldn't be able to handle the repercussions of Ivor's wrath. Even if Ivor chose to do nothing, The Citadel would swallow them whole as soon as they lost Ivor's protection.
"Sit down. You aren't going anywhere." A powerful voice reverberated within the City Lord's booth, and the rising City Lord was forced into his seat by a power so oppressive that he couldn't even resist it. His expression grew stern and his breathing labored, as he struggled to lift his head just to catch a glimpse at the man he knew was responsible for this.
Ivor!
Standing behind the City Lord and his family was the large man. The guards meant to protect them were on the ground, all of them unconscious. And honestly, City Lord Sutton was relieved that they were still breathing. That meant that Ivor wasn't completely furious yet. For if he was, none of his men or women, or even himself and his family would still be breathing by now.
"Watch. If anything happens to the Prince, I don't know what I would do." Ivor stated with an expressionless face. His words had City Lord Sutton and Madam Anna shedding nervous sweat. Mira was terrified as well. Ivor called Lam Prince. All three knew that Ivor wasn't ordinary, and for him to call Lam Prince meant that Lam's status was above his. And if this ferocious man was a servant of another, then who was the handsome youth Black Saga dared to lay his hands on?
Ivor wasn't pretending to be happy at all. He wasn't smiling like usual because this time he was truly incensed. And he wasn't trying to hide that. City Lord Sutton thought that he wasn't truly furious yet, but he was wrong. Ivor chose to contain his fury because he could feel a fury several times powerful – just as powerful as his – billowing from within the Orange Team's waiting area. There was someone else within this stadium whose rage was comparable to his own. And Ivor felt that he wouldn't even have to make a move in the worst case scenario. But there was something else he would do.
"To think that there is such a loophole within the rules," Hildegarde furrowed her brows and said. And then she felt the anger of the one whom she was bound to. And her countenance turned grave. She couldn't stop from shivering. She was a Noble, but even she felt the threat of death creeping up her skin and caressing her with that gentle yet deadly touch. The grim reaper was right next to her. He was seething, and his aura was just like that night when he massacred an entire bandit group for Lily's sake. She thought that Lam would never force such a strong reaction from Mane, but she was wrong. His blue eyes had grown colder, and the swords that lay calmly within his scabbard before were humming in excitement.
"Calm down Mane! Nothing has happened yet!" Hildegarde pleaded hastily. How could she understand what Mane was feeling? He had finally made friends in this world – a world in which he was a complete stranger. And they hadn't disappointed him yet. Not only were they highly talented, but their innocence was almost infectious. They were kind, almost to a fault, and Mane had grown to love them. Also, he was responsible for them. He had chosen to make them stronger, and it was because of him that Lam was in this competition in the first place.
How would he explain to Elder Fan that he had been responsible for his grandson's wellbeing but had failed if anything were to happen to Lam? His fury may seem too extreme a reaction considering that nothing had even happened yet. But as someone who had trained with Lam every day for the past month or so, he was aware of the young man's weakness. Lam wasn't adaptable to situations like this. Situations where there was a change in abilities and techniques usually caught him off guard, and although he had gotten better he wasn't quite at the level Mane wanted him to be at yet. On the contrary, Lily was one who thrived in situations like these. And it was because of this that Mane was so worried. He feared that Lam wouldn't be able to cope with the sudden change in power that Black Saga was experiencing. He hoped he was wrong. But how many times had he been wrong in his life?
Next to Mane Vital Orange had taken several steps back, his gaze full of terror. He couldn't believe that Mane could cause him so much fear with his aura alone, and he was shaken by the feeling of death that had approached him from just standing close to the boy!
"Yet," Mane squeezed out of his throat, his voice several times lower and deeper than usual. He threw out the promise he made about never harming anyone for no reason and made his feelings clear.
"But if something happens to Lam," I would dye Asher City in blood!"