"So … who am I fighting in round 1?", Milo asked, rubbing his wet hair with a cloth and taking a seat opposite Renny.
Renny picked up a sheet of paper and scanned it, "Says a 15-year-old girl named Ilya Lux … she's from an earl family".
Milo reached into the middle of the table grabbing hold of a cold jug of water and a glass, "I see, I don't need to hold back, do I?", he asked pouring himself a drink.
Renny grunted, "As if you were going to hold back anyway".
Milo watched Renny continue to read through the countless sheets of paper. It was a growing concern for him that fighting and destroying a high ranked child might reflect poorly on him. Well, it was either destroy or be destroyed, and he certainly didn't take kindly to losing.
Despite his new title, Milo wasn't quite convinced that everyone would accept it as easily as they made out. The main factor being his age, and the fact that he was participating in this tournament. If he was to lose at any point, not only would it be immediately overblown and made out he somehow coerced the King, but also the child who beat him would have to be treated at a similar standing.
Now he had even more reasons not to lose.
Milo grumbled beneath his breath before speaking again, "What about Pavlor, who is he fighting?".
Since he had returned from his bath, Milo hadn't seen Pavlor anywhere. Not even in the usual spots he would be, like the kitchen.
Renny's face visibly twisted, "Agaris Beau. He is the Kings son and also 15 years old".
Milo fell into thought. He had suspected that the King had a lineage, it only made sense, but hearing the name first hand … it felt weirdly familiar to him somehow.
He couldn't pinpoint where exactly he had heard that name before, but even the unique features that the King possessed, his golden hair and deep blue eyes remined him of another human he met years ago in the courts. As luck would have it, that very same human belonged to the celestial court, the very court that ended his life.
'That's it! Beauro'.
Beauro was a unique man that piqued even Azure Dragons interest. Unlike many other humans, he didn't possess the desire to grow stronger and dominate, all he wanted to do was learn more about the way the universe came to be.
Drawing on memories of his previous life, Milo was able to put together an image of Beauro's face. It was unbelievably similar to the current King's, although Edmunds was much less defined.
"Anyway, I take It that means that Pavlor is going to struggle?", Milo asked Renny, who looked up shocked hearing these words.
"Why do you say that?", Renny asked.
Milo shrugged and scribbled down on a piece of paper. Renny picked it up and on it was a diagram of a vial, the word prince and countless knights.
"You see Renny, Agaris or whatever his name is has had a much more lavish upbringing than Pavlor. Call it luck of the draw", Milo traced his finger towards the vial, "The first reason is that Agaris has probably been fed these kinds of boosters from birth".
From what Milo had read, it was possible to create potions that boosted your mana potency and expanded your core, yet they were incredibly risky to make and even more dangerous to drink. This didn't matter as the King was more than capable of finding the best apothecarists around.
Milo moved his finger along to the word prince, "Second is his title, that alone is enough to scare many people. It's a placebo, Pavlor will likely assume that he is innately powerful simply because he holds a higher standing than himself. It may seem easy to overcome but this hurdle isnt one to get past so easy … especially not when your own mind is trying to convince you of something".
"Third is Agaris' training. It's no secret that the King will have played favouritism with his own son, and this means forcing him to train with seasoned knights. Pavlor has trained with me, but I could only teach him so much before needing to focus on my own development".
"So, are you suggesting Pavlor can't win?", Renny asked with concern.
"Not so much cant, but the probability is certainly low", Milo replied without hesitation.
Renny remained silent for a moment, "What about you, could you beat Agaris?".
"Easily", Milo responded confidently.
…
After the night had passed and morning broke, Milo and Pavlor were quickly gathered and escorted through a passageway behind the castle. All around them knights continually tapped their spears on the floor and a choir burst out into song from the other side of a wall.
The song's pitch continued to elevate and flames lit up a walkway leading out into a stadium. One by one, each of the children formed a line and trickled out into the stadium. Fierce cheers and applause erupted as they all lined up alongside a bench, awaiting their next command.
Milo looked through the crowd. The seating was strange thanks to the stadiums oval shape the seats curving upwards forming something akin to a roof.
'Are they strapped in? How is that possible?'.
His eyes continued to dart around the crowd until he finally settled on Renny and Marcos. A smile crept onto his lips as he noticed Melissa, Rebecca, Sion and Sheila had also joined them.
His breath was taken away each time he looked around.
'Theres got to be nearly 100 thousand in here!'.
The thunderous applause increased as King Edmund settled in a throne overlooking the platform in the middle of the stadium. To his right, a slender woman with bright red hair and deep hazel eyes peered down at Milo with a wry smile on her lips. To the King's left, another younger girl who was no older than 13 watched on with excitement, her hair and eyes matched that of the older woman.
'His wife and daughter I assume'.
It was the only logical conclusion Milo could think of. At this time nobody else would even be allowed to get close to the King beside his immediate family.
The same blue projection appeared above all sides of the stadium. The King cleared his throat, "Hello my citizens. I welcome you all today to a grand event, the royal selection".
He paused for applause, which again sounded thunderously throughout the stadium.
After they had died down, he spoke again, "After a prolonged period of anticipation, I will now announce the first bout … step forward! Pavlor Van Belched and Agaris Beau!".
Without hesitation, a red-haired boy with fierce brown eyes leapt onto the stage. Pavlor trotted up the wooden stairs meekly, stealing looks towards Milo and desperately scanning the crowd.
Milo rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "This will be over quickly, he's as nervous as they come", he mumbled to himself.
A knight stood between the two boys, looking at them and uttering a few words of encouragement. He stepped back and swung his arm down, "BEGIN!".
As soon as the word's left his mouth, Pavlor condensed the mana beneath his feet and shot forward. He feigned a right hook but pivoted on his foot, turning into a sweeping kick.
Agaris leapt into the air and clicked his fingers, a pale blue flame shimmering to life. He reached behind it with his other hand and pulled back like an arrow on a bowstring. Releasing it, a torrent of flame arrows shot towards Pavlor who was sent scurrying backwards, struggling to maintain his balance as the surface beneath him began to crack.
It was now Milo was beginning to regret not teaching Pavlor how to utilise an elemental attack. Pavlor was innately talented when it came to close combat and was an elite assassination type. Admittedly, Milo knew he had gotten carried away and essentially made him into a 1 trick pony.
Although he hadn't expected the trick to be found out so early.
Pavlor was left scampering across the platform as Agaris stood on the opposite side, continuing to release the arrows at Pavlor. Milo heard Pavlor click his tongue in frustration. Pavlor dashed forward, condensing the mana into his fist he batted the oncoming arrow away and skidded to a stop in front of Agaris. Pavlor cocked back his fist and swung, but Milo noticed a smirk on Agaris' lips.
'No!'.
A dull clang echoed around the stadium as Agaris abandoned the bow technique and conjured a flame sword, blocking Pavlor's blow.
Pavlor leapt away and shook his hand that was seared across his knuckles.
"So, you have an entire arsenal?", Pavlor asked Agaris, stepping towards him.
Milo felt the mana in the air cry out as Pavlor lowered his body towards the ground. From his waist he pulled out two daggers similar to Milo's and held them across his chest.
"That's perfect", Pavlor laughed, "This wouldn't have been any fun if it ended too quickly".
'No way! Did he hide his abilities from me!?'.
Milo's eyes lit up as he watched Pavlor dash across the platform, the ground behind him being torn up by the speed he was travelling. Even for Milo it was growing increasingly difficult to track it with his eyes. Pavlor was moving at such a frightening speed that even Milo may have trouble dealing with him.
The same clang resounded, and a cloud of smoke kicked up as Pavlor and Agaris fell into a pattern of blows. Through the smoke, Milo could see the sparks flickering from Agaris' blade as well as the slashes of Pavlor's daggers as he desperately slashed away.The Smoke cleared and Milo's eyes widened in horror at what he saw. Pavlor had retreated a few steps but was knelt on the floor with blood trickling from his right side and left shoulder.
Agaris was stood with a single slash beneath his eye.
Agaris walked forward, a maniacal grin emerging on his face, "You did well", he muttered as he lifted his blade.
"ENOUGH!", The King bellowed from the stands.
The knight rushed in between them and another knight pulled Agaris away. The knight helped Pavlor to his feet and escorted him off the platform and sat him down on the bench behind the children.
Milo rushed over, "Pavlor …", his words trailed off when he saw Pavlor's hardened expression looking back at him.
"Milo", Pavlor said, catching Milo off guard, "Be careful, he's the same as you".
"Huh?", the sound escaped from Milo's lips.
"Powerful, I couldn't land a clean hit on him and he was able to deflect my blows without much issue at all", Pavlor said, clenching then unclenching his fist, "It felt exactly the same as when I fight with you, as if there is some invisible force preventing me from reaching you".
Milo bit his bottom lip, an unfamiliar feeling of anger overtaking his mind.
"On my level? You must have hit your head too hard, stupid child", he seethed, turning and walking back to where the other children stood.
Pavlor watched him, stunned into silence at Milo's words. "Was he just … jealous?", Pavlor asked a knight behind him.
"It did seem that way", The knight responded without looking at Pavlor, continuing to call over a medic.
Milo continued to brush past the other kids until he was at the front. The feeling hadn't left his chest yet. He didn't know how to handle it, it was the first time since being reborn he felt this way. He caught a glimpse of Agaris at the other side of the stadium getting his eye treated.
'He can't be that good'.
It didn't make sense to Milo. How could he, someone who had been reborn with 10,000 years worth of experience, possibly be bested by a child who only had his lineage going for him? He refused to accept it.
The Kings projection repeated, "First bout winner, Agaris Beau". A round of applause and cheers resounded from the crowd.
Milo still couldn't believe it. It was the worst-case scenario, how could Pavlor be so unlucky as to be drawn against Agaris, and for Agaris to be a powerhouse.
'Well, I'm still here so there's that'.
As Milo was in thought, another two children stepped onto the platform and got themselves ready. The girl wore a bright yellow gown, and the boy she was facing wore brown overalls with countless weapons hanging from the pockets.
'Who were these guys again?'.
The knight stepped up and spoke to the children again. He swung his arm down again, "BOUT 2! BEGIN!".