"Alright, out with it mister," Alma said, once she got Haiser in a private place. "Don't tell me it's nothing, I can see it from your eyes."
"I'm not going to deny it," Haiser laughed. Long before the two had become lovers, they were friends. Now they were husband and wife. Suffice it to say, there was little he could hide from her.
Everyone was happy that the group now was famous and had much renown. The problem with fame was, it was a double-edged sword. One one hand, with their exploits, they stood to rise, but on the other hand, there were those of them who had demons in their past. If they got too famous too fast, they would only attract unwanted attention.
Haiser was even more concerned now that his face was out there. As prince, while he was not the most public figure, he still had some renown. To protect the royal family and their affairs, there was not much information that was released to the public. For instance, despite such a public devastation, which included the destruction of a planet, Haiser's "death" was only known by a select few.
This was the good part, but the problem was, since he had gained such renown, there were bound to be a number of people out there who would recognize him. There was not much footage with his face on it, but it was trending in most social media places in the planet.
In fact, some people had recognized the fact that the new guy's lead warrior looked a lot like the crown prince. Some even called him a prince. There were even busybodies online who made memes identifying the various differences between the two.
I mean, if you think about it, why would the eldest prince, the heir apparent to the throne, come to such a lowly place masquerading as some expert. It was more believable that the man was a lookalike of the prince.
Actually, this had helped Haiser somewhat. He was now considering wearing a skin mask when fighting in the competition. He wouldn't make much difference to his face, just enough to prove the doubters wrong.
Unfortunately, while people might be fooled, what about those that weren't. What about those that knew the truth? What if the people after them decided to check him out, eliminate him just in the off chance that he might be really him.
With this in consideration, he had set some pretty high expectations. Not just in his team, but even Iresal and the entire planet were waiting to see his performance. How was he supposed to perform?
He could choose to showcase his abilities. With his level, strength and fighting abilities, there was hardly anyone who could threaten him, especially in such a backwater location. It was safe to say he could win this thing with his eyes closed.
However, doing so would only expose his identity. As prince, there were fighting fanatics who had observed his fighting styles. With his face showing him to be the prince's lookalike, if his fighting style was similar, then it would be a dead giveaway.
He could try changing his fighting style, but there was no guarantee he would win anything if he did not give his all. With the expectations he had set, if he did not follow through, the team he had formed, the corporation that believed in him, they would all be a joke. He owed it to them to deliver as best he could.
Hearing his thoughts, Alma did not immediately respond. Instead, she curled up close to him, cradling his arm. She then snuggled up, holding him close, her head on his shoulders. Seeing all this, Haiser did not know what to think.
"Wow, you're such great help," Haiser muttered sarcastically.
"I trust you," she answered.
"Trust me to do what?"
"I know you're figure this out, I am with you 100%."
As Haiser looked at Alma quizzically, another man was smiling as he read the most recent report. With a glass of whiskey on hand, the man savored his drink as he read on. Without a doubt, this year's battle of the five families was going to be a spectacle.
Like clockwork, Duma had been sending regular updates to the higher ups. He did not know that his report would land on the chancellor's desk, who would look forward to reading what the people he was monitoring were up to.
For one, Kai Tres was more than sure that the man who the guys from the military ship was the same guy that had caused such a massive uproar in Lake Heart City. Given how the men had come with fury and rage, he expected they would hide and lay low. Instead, they were busy making a spectacle every waking moment.
Not for the first time, Kai considered making contact with the person, and his lady friend. Clearly, they were not only well connected, they had quite a lot of skills to boot. However, this was not the time yet.
Like many other major powers, the Tres family were also very curious about this man. However, with the information he had on hand, Kai still did not understand a lot, if anything, about this new arrival.
The smart thing was to sit back, wait for more information. The good thing was, given the level of competition that was coming ahead, Kai was sure much of their secrets would be exposed. With this, he could know what hand to play when meeting the man, or if it was wise to meet the man.
Other than these, multiple powers dug into Haiser's past, seeking to glean any information. Unfortunately, they came out empty every time. Even as they did, they did not forget to prepare their own teams and try as much as they could to increase their teams' likelihood of success.
With this, several days passed. Like a flash, the day of the launch of the competition quickly came. The D-Day was finally here.