It was a day for celebration!
The sun shone brightly on the streets of the Central City of Elrod. Many stalls were opened, festival signs were put up, decorations looked lively, and the overall theme of Elrod was outgoing and happy!
Many people crowded the streets of Gold Borough due to it being opened to the general public.
People from Copper Borough, Silver Borough, and Diamond Borough looked forward to this day the most..
Still, security was tight as knights patrolled every corner of the street!
That's right.. Today was the day of the For Honor Tournament or rather... the second day.
Many people from outside Central City made their way to Elrod to celebrate the yearly tournament between their future prospects.
This week-long event transpired earlier than usual.
It meant that the students were still preparing their bodies and Souls for the tournament. Although some trained rigorously, straining their physical capabilities to the maximum. Some also trained strategies and studied books for their battles.
Wits equated Strength in battle after all and one possessing both would triumph.
Many people walked on the celebratory streets of Elrod, hearing the loud voices of the people which made it seem like a marketplace.
"Selling fried chicken pops! 5 Black Elrodite a piece!"
"Come get your For Honor merchandise here! It is as cheap as it gets!"
"Newly found recipe: Ramen Noodles. Now selling here for 30 Black Elrodite!"
The shop owners and their advertisers did their best to gather as many customers as possible.
With the large number of people in Gold Borough, they would all surely be sold out!
And that included a particular gambling ring..
After the gates opened, a figure with short and wavy brown hair and crimson red eyes walked in with two others.
One had deep black hair and crystal blue eyes, and the other had light brown hair, and was wearing glasses to pair with her curly-brown hair that made her look modest.
For the last hour or so.. the three had been gambling. Well, actually, it was the boy with short and wavy brown hair that kept on pursuing and spending his wealth.
The other two stopped when they doubled what they spent.
"Come on! Just one more.. I'll win for sure!"
"Theo! It's time to go!"
The black-haired boy and the girl that was wearing glasses was pulling Theo out of the establishment.
Apparently, he had spent all of his money and was down to his last one Gray Elrodite.
"Let me go Bello! Let me go!"
Therese, his sister, grabbed his arm and pulled along with their friend, Bello.
"You too Therese?! How dare you betray me now!"
People inside and outside looked at the commotion that the three of them made. In their eyes, Theo was probably a crazed gambling maniac that did not know when to stop.
Yet, they were right.
As soon as the three of them finally stepped outside, Theo.. started to lay on the ground and cry.
"I was.. this close to winning! This close!"
He raised his hands up and made a pinching motion with his fingers, staring at Bello and Therese with anger.
The two of them were in disbelief.
"What a pain in the ass..."
"I know right."
They ganged up on Theo, who was clearly losing it on the ground.
Suddenly, a knight wearing a black skin-tight body suit walked towards them, clearly concerned about the problem.
"Is something wrong here?"
His knightly stature immediately silenced the situation and made Bello reply instantly.
"Ah- no no, it's just our friend here wouldn't stop gambling. I'm sorry for bothering you Sir.."
"Then it is of no problem.. Just make sure that-"
The knight squinted his eyes and stared at Bello directly. It seemed that he was familiar with the boy, and noticed him from somewhere.
"You are.. Bello Agalia right?! The Head Wielder's apprentice?"
"Pfft-"
In a fraction of a second, it seemed that Theo almost burst out into laughter. But upon inspecting the miserable boy on the ground, the knight merely saw tears coming out from his eyes.
Bello bit his lips and replied:
"...that's right."
Hearing his name out loud, the crowd began giving them stares - more specifically at Bello.
"Is that really him? I heard that he and his team were ranked number 1 in the first stage of the tournament!"
"That's him! That's Bello!"
"Please! Please! Sign my arm! Beast King please notice me!"
"Gosh, he's so handsome!"
Bello laughed awkwardly and waved his hand due to the sudden uproar.
He whispered silently..
"Veritas... help!"
The boy on the ground turned back and smirked at him.
"You're on your own.."
He stood up and grabbed Therese's hands and ran away before the crowd got even wilder.
Bello gritted his teeth and cursed silently, "You bastard!"
Then, he let out an awkward smile and appeased the crowd right in front of him.
"Now now, everyone.. Ahahaha."
Theo and Therese, or rather.. Veritas and Alice ran out of that situation and made their way back to the Knights Academy.
Yesterday, the first stage of the Tournament commenced.
A subjugation quest where there are teams formed with 5 people! In it, the teams could earn points by killing the abominations that were sent out on the field. Of course, it wasn't any normal field but a rather large one!
Although it was not located at Knights Academy itself, the event was streamed using light devices and was shown on the stadium of Knights Academy!
The entire stadium was filled with thousands of people, and there were barely any space to sit in! As for the other parts of Central City, it was also streamed on their light devices at home where it portrayed the battle with a considerable amount of quality.
So with that, everyone in Elrod watched as the events unfolded in real time!
And in that very event, one team piqued the interest of many!
It was a team consisting of Bello Agalia, an Impure Pathbearer from Alfar, a 3rd year from Knights Academy, an Impure Pathbearer from Wilden, and...
Veritas looked at the Knight's Academy while running with Alice.
The last person of that team was Veritas Alpas Elrod, the Prince of Elrod!
With their wits and brawn, the two first years of Knights Academy decimated the competition!
Bello caught everyone's eyes by revealing his Path to the public. He controlled hundreds of beasts in the forest, destroying the competition and earning many points along the way!
Veritas almost felt useless if not for the fact that he acted as the mastermind of the team!
He used the Winds to located the location of the abominations, and tasked Bello with attacking from afar!
Their combination was brutal for a subjugation quest.
In the end, they managed to gather 2040 points, leading the score by a large margin of 1230 points.
'I'm glad that I'm wearing a disguise or else..'
As he made his way through the crowd, Veritas and Alice shortly arrived at the Knights Academy and made their way towards the participants hall.
They entered the castle and upon seeing that nobody was around, the two of them removed their disguises and went back to their regal and elegant looks.
Veritas wore proper royal attire, a golden laurel hanging from his waist and down to his white and golden rimmed pants. While his white long-sleeved silk polo that had buttons of gold and ornaments that showcased his royalty, made him look even more gracious.
As for Alice, she wore a particular red blouse with black frills, and then paired it along with black slacks that were of the highest quality!
"Why are you wearing such royal clothing, Veritas?" Alice asked with her monotonous voice.
"Oh this?" Veritas stared down at his attire, "I'm supposed to meet up with the Dukes again, along with my father and mother."
He looked up at her.
"Were you not informed by your Mother?"
"I-I was.. But I was informed that it'd be later this afternoon right before the event starts..?"
Veritas mouth was suddenly wide open.
'..afternoon?! I thought it was in the morning!'
"R-right. I knew that."
They walked together along the halls and suddenly.. a loud running footstep could be heard behind them.
Turning around, Veritas saw a black-haired boy with crystal blue eyes running along the halls.
"Bello Agalia.. Why are you running in the halls?"
He arrived near them and glared at Veritas.
"I apologize, your majesty.. Are you two on your way to the participant hall?"
"Yes we are..."
"Mind if I join you two?"
Veritas shook his head.
"Not at all.."
With that, the three of them made their way to their destination. Preparing their minds for the second stage of the tournament.