The officers and people responsible for the event didn't dare to do anything and just had to accept the man's actions. Truly, the power of freedom for those who have it allows them to do whatever they want.
Astolfo began to levitate towards his master and Kayden found himself going along with him. The spearman seemed to be trying to get out of the man's control and run, but nothing he did was enough to free himself from the old man's magic.
"Kayden greets the elder", the boy tried to bow, but due to the lack of control in his body, he almost ended up lying in the air.
"Hi Kayden, how are you?" The old man greeted Kayden with a friendly smile, even more so seeing the boy's politeness in bowing even though he had no control over his body.
He didn't even look at Astolfo as he propelled himself into the air. After traveling a few kilometers and the stadium was no longer in sight, the old man stopped.
"Astolfo," the old man called in a friendly manner.
"Yes, master!", which was automatically answered by the boy.
"What's the rule about using family art in public?" A shiver ran down the spearman's spine.
"Only in cases of emergency, master," each word that left his mouth seemed to dig deeper into the hole he was digging himself into.
"In your fight just now, were you in any danger to your life?" The same calm tone came out of the elder's mouth.
"No, master", that's it, Astolfo was sure it was over.
"Wait a minute please Kayden, I'm going to have a private chat with Astolfo." As soon as the elder said this, a bubble blocking Kayden's vision appeared around the two.
The boy didn't worry too much and used this time to mentally review his last fight. This was the first time he used the second version of transcendence and he had to admit that the price he paid was beyond what he expected.
He was practically unable to sense mana, even his heart was beating at an excruciatingly slow speed, almost as if it was about to fall apart.
The boy sighed and put it aside. His next goal was to reach the sixth apprentice rank. There wasn't much left due to the epiphany he had. After that, he would go to the life and death fights in the arena.
With all his assets, he was sure he could stand out from most opponents. His main goal here was to raise money, lots of money. Astolfo's techniques were not something he could buy monetarily, but there were still others.
They may not be similar, but over time, and with a large repertoire of techniques, Kayden could begin to formulate his sword art. This path would just take a little longer.
A few minutes later, the bubble disappeared, revealing a smiling old man and a completely depressed Astolfo. It looked like he had just taken the biggest beating of his life.
"Kayden, I will extend my offer to next year," as soon as the elder left the bubble, he addressed Kayden with a friendly tone.
"Thank you, elder," Kayden thanked him for the unexpected offer. Even with plans to develop your art, it wouldn't hurt to learn one more.
"Elder, if it's no trouble, could you take me home?" Kayden asked politely, his body practically unable to move.
********
The next day, Kayden was prepared to just stay home and rest. Firstly because he hadn't even managed to get to his bed alone the day before. Right now, the one who was bringing food and helping with their basic needs was Han.
The man became ridiculously angry when he saw Kayden's condition and if he didn't know Astolfo's master, he would probably attack him. Only after Kayden explained that this was done by himself did the old man calm down.
He didn't express any reaction when he found out that Kayden was among the best in the championship, but the boy knew that the old man was happy, since he made pizza for dinner and it was Kayden's favorite flavor.
That was how Kayden stayed in his bed for a week without being able to move or use mana. During that time, he slept and took the opportunity to read some books about mana to increase his knowledge.
"The mayor summons Kayden to receive the championship reward," a booming voice resounded from outside, waking Kayden from his afternoon sleep. He couldn't do anything, so what better way to pass the time than sleep?
"Who dares to scream in my orphanage?" Another booming voice filled with mana came from inside the house, making the officer shake with fear. He was relatively new to the government, so he hadn't been around long enough to know about the monster that was hiding outside the city.
"Sorry, elder," the officer quickly bowed and showed respect. He didn't say anything else and waited for Han's words.
Kayden found himself floating from his bed out of the house.
"Kayden, go with him, the reward is worth it", Han's voice was heard only by Kayden, reminding him that the championship had a prize. The boy just didn't know what it was.
The officer caught Kayden with a wind hand and bowed in apology to the house again and quickly left the scene for fear of the elder changing his mind and wanting more than just a simple apology.
"Hello, Kayden, in case of your weakened condition, I will be your helper throughout receiving the reward," the officer was extremely respectful towards Kayden after meeting Han.
"Thank you, sir officer," Kayden showed respect at the same level. The trip was peaceful, the only difference was where they were going, as the direction taken by the officer was opposite the city.
It wasn't long before Kayden saw what looked like a festive event fair. There were several food and entertainment stalls arranged in a large area around a rectangle.
In this rectangle, there was nothing but green grass and some seats like benches and chairs. It looked similar to a garden, just on a slightly larger scale than normal.
The reward was still unclear to Kayden, was it a happy day at the park? The officer took him to one of the tents, and when he entered it he saw the members of his team resting on a sofa. He was the only one missing.
"I'll be back in 30 minutes to help you with the start of the event", the officer left and left Kayden next to Astolfo, who greeted him cheerfully.
"Hi, Kayden", it didn't even sound like the same person who came away completely defeated from the conversation with Sasaki. "How was your week?"
"Good and yours?" Kayden and Astolfo continued talking while waiting for the event time. At no point did the three of them approach each other or say anything, mainly out of embarrassment.
"Astolfo, what is the reward?" Kayden finally had the opportunity to ask the boy.
"I forgot that you are disconnected from the world, the reward is being able to stay inside that rectangle for 6 hours. It has several matrices that increase your mana concentration by at least 10 times and, in addition, other spells for concentration and mental clarity. My advancement to eighth place was last year in it."
This... was too good to be true, especially as a mere championship prize.
"All this just for a mere championship?" Kayden asked Astolfo doubtfully.