The air in Coh was competitive.
For some reason, Nel wanted to fight the strongest Kommáti and see who was stronger.
This alone wouldn't be a problem, but he wanted to do it in front of as many people as possible.
I had to spend several days creating a coliseum-like arena in the outskirts of Coh where Nel stood opposite Umbris.
They were both half naked and this allowed me to see that Umbris, apart from his bald head, looked like an ordinary Rendaro, albeit a lit taller.
I'd heard that he was one of the many Rendaro we saved from Petrus and that before he became a Kommáti, he had a very deep hatred for Golden Knights.
Perhaps this match would allow him to confront that hatred a little.
The coliseum was filled with Rendaro and it also served the purpose to allow people to release a little bit of the tension brought about by the war.
Food and drinks were served to everyone as we all sat in the afternoon sun.
I also planned on having the arena host more fights in the future. People would be able to win prizes, but my main goal was to get people to relieve some tension.
As a precaution, a barrier was erected above the arena and around the place where I sat, the VIP section.
Yna sat to my right while Anhai sat to my left.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, the fight between Nel the Blood Raven and Umbris the Kommáti will soon commence!"
The commentator yelled prompting the crowd to cheer as Nel and Umbris paced around each other.
A flash of light then bathed the arena and I watched as Nel dashed towards Umbris at an incredible speed.
We all knew that the Kommáti were significantly weaker than Golden knights and so Umbris's victory depended entirely on whether he had enough skill to keep up with his opponent.
I watched in awe as Umbris deflected one of Nel's punches, but the golden knight had two fists and so he sent the other forward only for Umbris to use Yna's signature kick to send him stumbling backwards.
Umbris then dashed forward before sending Nel a quick jab.
Nel tried blocking the attack, but it hit him a little harder than he expected, which sent him stumbling backwards a little.
Umbris tried punching Nel again, but at this point, it seemed as though the knight had fully gauged his opponent's strength.
Nel, deflected Umbris punch before punching the Kommáti in the stomach with so much force that it tore the air apart in a loud explosion.
The crowd gasped, but I looked closer and saw that the punch that should've blown open Umbris's stomach hadn't.
Umbris quickly clasped his hands together before striking the side of Nel's head with so much force, it caused the ground to shake a little.
The crowed cheered loudly but Nel's eyes then flashed brightly signalling the next phase of the fight.
Nel's body became engulf in flares of light.
He sent out another punch towards Umbris who knew that he wouldn't be able to safely touch Nel anymore and so the Kommáti hurriedly dashed backwards and much to the crowd's dismay, Nel leapt into the air before raising his fist once more to strike a concerned Umbris who stood by the edge of the ring.
Nel landed on top of Umbris causing him to fall backwards but to my surprise and to the surprise of everyone, his body instantly stopped glowing.
He then stood up before offering Umbris a hand.
Umbris accepted it and stood alongside Nel, who raised both their hands, prompting the crowd to cheer.
I thought back on the fight as Nel and Umbris left the arena.
The Kommáti were indeed weaker than Golden Knights, but they could still go toe to toe for a bit.
"A bit" wasn't enough, but I was far too afraid to ask how Yna even made the Kommáti, let alone ask her to make improvements.
Also, Kenos's Anti Caligo Ordinate, the gigantic sword in the sky, wouldn't work.
Even if we had several in the sky, a golden knight could just dodge it and according to Yna, a single Helma knight would have no trouble taking on half our army at once.
"Katsíki?" Yna called with a concerned expression.
"Mmm? Don't worry, I'm fine. Just thinking about a few things. Let's go congratulate Nel and Umbris on their match." I said before accompanying Yna and Anhai to the changing rooms where Nel and Umbris were.
Umbris changed into his armour while Nel changed into a set of casual clothes.
I had made him and Anhai special sets of armour that were similar to the custom set I'd made for Yna, but these were only to be used in emergencies, so no one had seen them yet.
"How was the fight?"
"Mmm?" Nel sounded with an expression that could only be described as boyish delight.
He then wrapped his arm around an expressionless Umbris.
"It was great! This guy is as solid as a rock and I bet he's gonna get even stronger once he does a little bit of training." Nel said with a grin.
Umbris then made a pained expression as he looked at Yna.
"Ma'am, may I-?"
"Go." Yna said and Umbris disappeared almost instantly after, leaving Nel to stand by himself.
"Aww… anyway, I have a squad to manage now, so I guess I should get going." Nel said as he walked towards the exit.
"Sir- Nel, there is something I want to say." Anhai suddenly said. Her face twisted in what appeared to be sorrow.
"I'm pretty sure we could have thus conversation elsewhere." Nel said without turning around.
"But sir-"
"Come on." Nel said before leaving the room.
Anhai clenched her jaw so hard that we could see he jaws flex in a grotesque display of pure rage.
She then briefly glared at Yna before storming out of the room.
I sighed while folding my arms.
I knew that Anhai had some sort of grudge against Yna, but I wasn't going to dedicate any of my thoughts to it.
I pinched my small chin while looking up in thought but before my thoughts settled, Yna picked me up and took me out of the coliseum.
We then made our way back to her cabin while my thoughts stewed but before we could enter it, Ower suddenly appeared next to us.
"A suspicious man has appeared in the Kauretia Valley." He reported.
"How strong do you think he is?" I asked with a weary frown.
"Golden Knight."
I nodded and I didn't even need to say anything, Yna simply teleported us to the war room where Yna's students, Volta and Dama stood.
These two were Black Blades and assisted Han and I in governing Coh.
Dama helped in general administration while Volta was the head of intelligence gathering.
Dama was a tall, handsome Rendaro, who's hair was combed neatly backwards. This, plus the fact that he was so muscular, one could see some of his muscular definition through his uniform, gave him a rather intense look.
Volta was intense but in a different way. She was far smaller than Dama, but she had her hair styled in a similar fashion to his and she wore a pair of black leather gloves. These plus her rather heavy brow made it seem as though she was moments away from punching someone's teeth out.
"Where's Han?"
"He's visiting the Oasis to see if their defences need any further reinforcement." Volta explained.
"OK, what about our guest?"
"He is currently being held in the western tower. Watching him are four Kommáti and several scouts. He says his name is Mikael and that he is a religious pilgrim who has come to teach us the ways of the Flamouriá."
"Heh?" I sounded.
"Yes, he claims that the Dragons are the rightful rulers of Edenton and that they are divine beings who were betrayed by mankind and the Rendaro after the first Collison." Volta explained. I glanced at Yna saw that her eyes were narrowed slightly.
"I see. So all he wants is to spread the word of his religion… the Ia used to worship the Black Flame, right?"
"Yes. The Ash Wraiths have a similar concept, but where as our Black Flame is all consuming and all birthing, they have a the Flame of Darkness that supposedly exists at the centre of the world and the Flame of Light that burns brightly above. Are you trying to see if our views will clash with those of Mikael?" Volta asked.
"Astutely observed. I wouldn't particularly mind if people started worshipping dragons, but I don't really want to have to deal with a wildcard right now."
"Mmm?" Volta sounded.
"Regardless of what Mikael tells us we'll never truly know what he truly believes in. He's human remember? It's not hard to imagine that he, like the others, looks down on the Rendaro. Then there's the fact that he's as strong as a golden knight… do you think he's a Knight gone rogue?" I asked.
"Perhaps. All we know for sure is that he received Golden Knight augmentation and his body is covered in tattoos depicting dragons." Volta said.
"Mmm… I guess I'll have to meet this guy and see for myself-"
"That's too dangerous." Yna suddenly said.
"Oh? Then I'll gave to make a decision based on what the two of you feel. So?"
Volta's eyes narrowed.
"I think he should be allowed into Coh but under strict supervision. Remember, Katsíki, you wanted this place to become a home for everyone, not just the Rendaro. If he truly means to teach us the ways of his faith then I see no reason in stopping him." Volta said but before I could respond, her face twisted into a smile.
"And if he dares to cut even a hair of any of your people, I would like to ask that he be handed over to me so that I may teach him fear."
Heh?
What happened to all the positive energy from before? I cried internally.
"A-alright. What about you, Dama?"
"I agree entirely with Volta, although I would prefer if no one was hurt."
I nodded before standing up to leave, but before I could even turn to leave, Ower appeared next to me.
"Sir, he wants to meet you. Well, he said he wants to meet the leader of Coh and wouldn't speak with anyone else further." He reported.
"Of course he does." I sighed before making my way to the towers north of Coh.
We eventually arrived at the eastern tower where we were led into a special, heavily reinforced room and there I saw him.
A man that was almost as tall as Yna and like her, his dark skin was lined with golden lines and tattoos that resembled the scales of a dragon.
I entered the room and sat opposite him with Yna by my side.
"Greetings. I assume you are the great Katsíki." The man referred to himself as Mikael said with a warm smile, but unlike Yna, his eyes were grey.
Could he not use light magic?
What kind of golden knight can't use light magic?
I knew that some golden knights could use space magic, like Yna but I thought all of them were required go be light magicians.
"Hello. You wanted to see me?"
"Yes. I was curious as to who led the force that successfully repelled the armies of the Sun and Moon and I must say… you are far… smaller than I expected you'd be." Mikael said with a gentle smile.
"Are you talking about me or my army?" I asked while scratching my cheek sheepishly.
"You, of course. Your army, this place is immaculate. Your men have eyes that burn with a fire that resembles that which once burnt within true dragons." Mikael said with a raised nose.
"Alright, this little talk of ours is great and although we could talk for an eternity, I do not have the time. What do you want?" I asked and I could've sworn I saw Mikael's eyes flicker a little.
He crossed his arms before leaning backwards.
His smile then disappeared.
"I would like to help forge an allegiance between you and we who follow the path of Drákosyngenís." Mikael growled.
"You see, I originally came here with the intention of assassinating Red Death since her head is worth ten thousand gold coins. This money would have gone to the my brothers in Medelona who would have used it to further build our order. However, any hopes of success I had were dashed as soon as I stepped into your territory. I was met with dark blades and cold glares that would have surely killed me had I not stalled by saying that I was a pilgrim." Mikael sighed before glanced at Yna who simply stood with crossed arms.
"Mmm… what would we gain from allying ourselves with you?" I asked.
"Did I not mention it before? We are situated in the heart of Lanceberg. With our position and your resources, we could infiltrate the capital and take down those who turned against their true masters." Mikael said.
I glanced at Yna and she simply shrugged prompting me to sigh.
"I will consider what you have to say. I will allow you to stay while I gather my thoughts."
"Many thanks!"