As the candidates were called up one by one for their hand-to-hand combat tests against the instructors, Bel watched the fights closely, trying not to get too nervous. But maybe that only made him more nervous, because he was slowly becoming convinced that he wasn't as good as he thought he was.
Each of the contestants had their own peculiarities, and some fighters showed frightening dexterity and skill, yet didn't even qualify for the next stage.
Because of this, the atmosphere became more tense than ever.
"Why are they being so hard this year?" A man in formal attire watching from the stage asked a man next to him.
"I don't understand either. The kingdom is preparing for something, and they want to raise the level of selection?"
A brown-haired woman leaned against the wall next to him, also watching the tests, but she couldn't help it when she heard these two nobles theorizing. Then she said:
