The next round of the competition will be held tomorrow.
Rolan had participated in six matches that day and all of them had been a landslide in his favor.
His father's efforts proved to be successful as he instantly became the hot-topic amongst the clan.
Rolan wasn't aware but many among the clan were requesting marriage proposals to his father.
If he knew, Rolan would've been speechless.
'The competition went as expected. If I had lost to these youngsters then I would have no face as a former legendary expert.'
The victories did not go to Rolan's head as he had the experiences of two lives.
To Rolan, fights at this level truly meant nothing.
It was night-time and the moonlight seeped in through his windows and shined on his face while meditating.
Rolan had never missed a day of meditation since starting and he made sure to maximize his efficiency in the technique.
Rolan was still young which limited the amount of strain he could put on his body so he made sure to push his body just enough without damaging it.
Of course, his body was already leaps and bounds stronger than ordinary humans but within the clan, he was indeed just a toddler.
Rolan's eyes narrowed suddenly feeling a presence behind him.
This was the intuition he had built from countless battles and it had saved him countless times.
"Come out shadow."
Suddenly from Rolan's silhouette, a person appeared.
The person's facial features could not be seen and all that one could make out was a human-like appearance.
"Kekeke, as expected of young master Rolan. It still amazes me how you can sense my presence."
"Enough of your banter. Is there something father wishes to inform me of?"
'Rolan hadn't been able to actually notice the man's presence but his instincts forged after countless battles warned him of danger.'
"Haha of course! Where did my mind go, Clan leader is very satisfied with your performance and he wishes you to keep it up tomorrow."
"Surely that isn't all."
'Father would only use shadow when conveying important news that had to be kept secret.
"He also wishes to inform you that Duke Gilbert's youngest will also be participating and as your opponent tomorrow."
"Shouldn't he already qualify to participate in the [Senior] section?"
"Kekekeke! That's the thing! Normally he would not be allowed to participate in the [Junior] section but it appears that the duke made a few moves in the dark."
Rolan closed his eyes in contemplation.
'Duke Gilbert making a move is not surprising and father has warned me of this matter a few times in the past. However, for him to have made a move so boldly in the open means that he has confidence."
"Have we discovered what instills such confidence in the coward?"
The shadow paused as it seemed to be thinking of how to answer.
"The investigations have strangely come up with nothing. The duke hasn't tried to cover up anything and his interactions have been clearly recorded within the clan."
"So you've found nothing."
Rolan's words were frank but truthful and he could care less about what shadow felt.
Shadow was one of father's personally trained subordinates and countless resources of the clan were spent to nurture him.
If the man couldn't gather intelligence then what was the purpose of his existence.
In addition, the man had frequently irritated him, making Rolan not have a good image of him.
"Your words hurt but they are indeed true. I will have an answer the next time we meet young master."
The shadow left those words before disappearing.
'Lunatic.' Rolan quickly cursed in his mind before continuing to cultivate.
…
Meanwhile in Viscount Tim's mansion…
Isabella stared at the holographic screen projected by a mana crystal in shock.
The six-year-old that she had coincidentally ran into before the competition was the youngest prince of the clan.
As she thought about her rude behavior, she couldn't help but shudder a bit before calming herself.
'He probably won't mind too much?'
Isabella comforted herself with such a thought but that night proved to be a sleepless one as she ended up staying awake the entire time before sending a letter, early in the morning to the prince.
…
The clan was enormous and because of its sheer size, there was an innumerable amount of influences that stood under the Dragonic Clan.
However, it wasn't a complete secret that the Duke of Iron had been recently showing ambition for the throne as of late.
It was merely a rumor but it was a rumor that reached all of those with nefarious intentions.
In an underground chamber, the Duke of Iron sat across an eerie man that wore a hood that covered his entire body.
"I hope there won't be any mistakes during the match tomorrow, Gilbert."
"Do not worry, everything will go as planned." Duke Gilbert replied in a confident tone.
The mysterious man nodded in response as he also held a certain amount of confidence in his partner.
"I also need a fair amount of compensation, after all, I am sacrificing my son here while you bunch have nothing to lose."
The mysterious man paused before tossing a leather pouch to Gilbert as he raised his eyes before checking its contents.
"Haha, here is to a merry cooperation!" Duke Gilbert raised a cup in cheers but the mysterious man simply nodded.
…
The next morning, it was the final day of the competition but the excitement in the air was heightened more than usual.
The youngest prince, Rolan would be facing the Duke of Iron's youngest, James.
It would be a fight to pay attention to for sure.
"So this is the legendary Dragonic Clan, I've always wanted to visit but I haven't had the right opportunity to do so.":
The young girl dressed in witch attire appeared to be around the age of 12 but physical appearances were often deceiving with their profession.
Her velvet eyes scanned the streets before coming across a specific poster and her expression turned into a smirk.
"Hoh...the youngest prince...."
"Young lady, are you here to watch Prince Rolan?"
Her violet eyes turned to find who was talking to her as she found a burly old man as her eyes narrowed.
A random street vendor was a blood refining expert…
The Dragonic Clan really was domineering!
"Yes," she answered sweetly.
"If so I'm still selling the crystals for his previous matches if you'd like them. Of course, the price wouldn't be cheap."
The old man knew the girl was an outsider and any outsiders that could enter at this time were definitely influential figures.
If the old man knew her real identity, he would be scared witless.
"I would like to buy them all."
The old man smiled as she paid 25 silver for them all.
"Thank you for your purchase!"
The girl left through an alleyway while watching the crystal recording in interest.
"Damn it! Where did she go?"
"Search everywhere!"
'Prince Rolan...hard to believe he is just age 6...will he become this generation's hero?'
She chuckled as her figure gradually turned translucent.