Carefully bypassing the colossal structure, I headed towards the Guild house. Clearly, this was the event that Vina had mentioned, but I needed to make sure. Inside the house were Katrina, Kurone, and Vina, who was intensely calculating and scribbling on pieces of paper.
"Vina, can you tell me what this is?" I asked.
"Hmm, quiet! I haven't finished all the calculations yet," Vina replied, waving me away without looking up from the papers.
"Respected Lady Vinila, could you enlighten this dark and ignorant person about what has risen in the center of the Academy?" I asked politely.
"Krito, you don't have to humiliate yourself. She said, 'Wasting time by telling everyone one by one is beneath the intellect of a great merchant. I'd rather explain to all together,'" Katrina said, shaking her head sadly.
"Well, I heard it's some kind of tournament for novices, but I think she can better explain the rules," Kurone said, joining us on the couch after pouring tea for everyone.
"Yes, yes, yes, and I expect all of you to participate!" Vina calmly sipped her tea without diverting her attention from the papers. "In fact, everyone, if things go well, I'll become rich!! He-he-he-he-he!"
Amid her suspicious laughter, the merchant delved back into the papers. Within half an hour, the entire guild had gathered in the house, including our regular guests, "Yukitori no Hana."
"Hello, how do you like the Asura's lands?" I addressed the twins, but they nervously exchanged glances.
"It's very beautiful there, and the inhabitants are kind and treat visitors well," Vivien said as she talked about the journey, but Asura's face became darker and darker. It seemed that this return home wasn't particularly happy for her.
"By the way, now that we're all here, I wanted to announce something!" Katrina went to the back room and returned with a large piece of fabric she brought from Koroldayne. "Krito, don't just sit there, help me hang it up!"
I shrugged, but still helped the princess hang up the quite large piece of cloth, taking up a significant portion of the guild hall's wall.
"What's this?" I asked, looking at the huge canvas with rivers, lands, mountains, and names.
"I made it as a parting gift, turned out pretty good, don't you think?" Katrina pointed at the canvas. It depicted a map of the entire continent with major settlements marked, along with a few images of doors. "It was a real challenge for my weaving skills. I decided to make a map of three countries and marked all the portals leading to a wanderer's path."
"Wow, I didn't know you were so skilled," Asura was genuinely surprised by the talents of the wealthy princess.
"I did it as a practice for my magic, but then got carried away, and this is what I ended up with. But that's not all!" Katrina took a scroll from the table and handed it to Aileen. "You are now an official member of our guild, and this is your distinctive sign."
"Hmm, a diploma, is it?" Aileen took the scroll depicting a little person with a mischievous smile, short hair, and adorned with a bunch of weapons, mostly knives and arrows. "Is this supposed to be me?"
I looked at the scroll and understood what Katrina was implying.
"Princess? Are you sure? After all, she's from a country that may soon start a war with you, and those are important strategic data that could be used against both sides," I said.
"Huh? Is it that important? Then it's better not to give it to me. I don't want to raise unnecessary suspicions," Aileen handed the scroll back to Katrina, but she returned it to the engineer.
"I said take it. Now you're our friend. You helped us on this mission, even saved us in the battle against the assassins, and I hope it will be a pledge of our friendship," Katrina solemnly presented the scroll to Aileen and hugged her. A faint blush appeared on the guard's cheeks.
"Thank you, but what is this?" Aileen opened the scroll, but all the explanations seemed quite blurry.
"On this continent, there is a magical passage that can take you to different ends in just a couple of minutes. One door is located in the basement of our guild. By the way, that's where we hid when you collapsed in our house. Well, you've been there already, albeit unconscious. You won't be able to use it to reach the empire, but if you want to see how the northern tribes or southern merchants live, you're always welcome," Katrina explained.
"Thank you, this is indeed very important, and I am grateful to you for the trust. I promise that if a war breaks out, I won't use this information to harm your country," Aileen said.
"All right, enough with the pessimism!" Vina proudly stood up and displayed a huge poster in front of us.
"Ta-dah!!" Vina exclaimed with some victorious cry and proudly pointed at herself. "Well, what do you think?"
Everyone was puzzled, not only did it look like some tournament table, but we were also included in it without permission.
"And what's this?" I glanced at Vina, and she raised her nose even higher.
"As you may have noticed, the landscape of the Academy has mm... slightly changed," Vina said.
"It was hard not to notice!"
"Yes, yes, yes. As you noticed, the majestic Colosseum has risen on the central square! The pinnacle of architectural mastery."
"Can I ask, where did it come from overnight!?"
"Oh, it's usually hidden underground, and complex mechanisms raise it to the surface."
"Hmm, it would be interesting to see them," Aileen said thoughtfully, scratching her chin.
"But in any case, what does all this mean? Vina?"
"Ha-ha. What can the appearance of a huge stadium capable of accommodating over a million spectators in the Academy of martial and magical arts mean? Only one thing! The beginning of a great tournament between outstanding fighters of the Academy of martial and magical arts!"
In the room, silence fell as the greedy merchant had just signed us all up for battles against each other.
"And what does that have to do with us?!" I glared at the merchant angrily. "Aren't the seniors supposed to participate in it?"
"Oh no no no. You're poorly informed," Vina coquettishly wagged her finger. "For many decades, this annual tournament has turned into a competition to determine the strongest among the freshmen, hence the nickname 'Novice Tournament'!"
"Why the sudden change?"
"Well, senior students unexpectedly discovered the immense benefit of having only freshmen in the tournament. You see, the prize for winning is not that significant – a fifth-level stipend and a thousand gold coins on top. But senior students can earn much more by working in a guild or already joining government service. So, the only benefit is the glory that the winner receives, and all the fighters who showcase incredible abilities. As a result, an unwritten rule has been established that only freshmen participate in the tournament, with two main objectives – to gain fame and receive an invitation to a top-tier guild or to bring glory to their own guild and earn fame for themselves and their comrades. Rarely do those already part of well-known guilds take part, which is why all of you are perfect candidates. So, I signed you all up for the tournament; you just need to confirm your participation, and everything will be fine."
"Hold on! Won't it raise suspicions when most of the tournament list is from one guild?!"
"Yes, there were many disputes about that, but the rector decided everything with his decisive order: 'It doesn't matter; it will make things more interesting.'"
"What is that old fool thinking?!"
"So, are you all in agreement? The tournament will feature all the important figures from different countries, even the three kings will be present, along with the archbishop, the supreme inquisitor, leaders of major guilds, wealthy nobles, and if our Aileen can send a message to the empire, even the emperor himself might come?"
"Hmm, that could be very interesting for him."
"By the way, I also invited those whom we helped to come and cheer for us. The kids from Koroldayne, Duke Ricardo Vizer from Valenwood, and Leira's family. But I decided not to invite anyone from the village of Ragni."
"What? Even Ricardo?" Rizel noticeably became nervous.
"Yes, you don't know him. It was the guild's first major victory when they killed an ancient hydra in the swamp and saved hundreds of people. Well, don't you all want to know who among you is the best? Seli, don't you want to find out who is the superior Red Princess or Black Princess? Grain, didn't you want to prove that earth magic can not only build but also destroy? Krito, don't you want to put that arrogant inquisitor in his place?"
"Hmm, you're trying to persuade us," I suspiciously glanced at the others. "What's in it for you?"
"Me? Nothing at all, really. I just wanted to help the guild," Vina innocently waved her hands.
"She's lying, and not even blushing!" everyone nodded in agreement with my remark.
"And, by the way, there weren't many volunteers to participate in the tournament, so I signed you all up."
"Why is that? Didn't you say that glory in this tournament guarantees a bright future?"
"Well, it's all about the tournament rules. The fights will be one-on-one, and any weapon can be used. The battle is considered over if one of the participants surrenders or can no longer continue the fight."
"Hmm, that's quite vague. And if a person refuses to surrender and doesn't lose consciousness?"
"Then the most unpleasant stage of the battle begins – torture and humiliation."
"WHAT?!" Vivien angrily stood up. "How is that even possible?! What is the rector thinking?"
"These are the ancient rules. The entire arena is covered with powerful magical barriers, and you can only leave it if the winner is declared. Of course, you can simply knock out your opponent, but..."
"If there's a chance, why not try it in front of everyone's eyes? After all, no one will interfere."
"Yes, Krito, you're absolutely right. When the tournament includes outright sadists, you need to be especially cautious. I would advise being careful with the Church trio; those people join the tournament to destroy their opponents," Vina pointedly gestured towards the three names. "But that's not all the unpleasantness. There have been cases when killers signed up for the tournament with a specific target."
"But shouldn't they be punished for murder, especially with so many witnesses?"
"Ha, you wouldn't believe it, but YES! After all, it can be presented as an unfortunate accident, especially if the opponent is an arrogant noble who refuses to surrender. Indeed, after such incidents increased, the Rector banned murderers from participating in the tournament. But that doesn't rule out the possibility that someone from other faculties might take such an order."