~ Chapter 125: Clearing his head before the tournament ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

I could not sleep.

It was around 3 AM in the morning but considering how long the days were on this planet, my perception could have been slightly off. Maybe it was somewhere around 1 AM in the morning? Of all the things I could make with my skills, why did it never cross my mind to actually make a clock? Either way, everyone was asleep, and I was looking at the night sky from the balcony in my room.

Except for the night patrols, a few drunk bastards and maybe one or two rats that were sneaking around to find some food, there was not much movement in the city.

This city was big, but unlike Drakaria, the streets were messy, and the people were rude. When we arrived earlier today, we were met with more than one rude remark, while some guards even thought that it would be funny to wave around their authority at some poor bastards in the back of the tavern. The fact that Coshun smashed a mug in his hand when they got close to us made them think twice before trying to pick a fight us. Of course, we paid for it.

As for the nobles and great merchants around these parts, not much could be said about them. They were playing along with the King’s ridiculous rules and laws, but they did not make it seem as though they were especially bothered by this. They were hiding their fangs and claws until they had a proper chance at striking back. Like snakes, they slithered in the grass, waiting for the right moment to show the potency of their venom on their unsuspecting prey.

Ten Swords Capital was a city that reminded me the most of Earth. Although the pollution was at an absolute minimum here, the air carried surrounding the citizens who lived here was the same. Depression, lack of energy, the weight of everyday work without a single spark of pleasure in doing it... all of these were present here. Even the birds felt as though they would just drop out of the sky and then sigh, tired of life, tired of hoping, tired of trying to get better... tired of dreaming.

Now, our own little group was also starting to show symptoms of being contaminated by this air. We did not know how to cheer up Ildea. We did not know what to say. Was it even something that any of us could imagine what it was like to end up being hunted down by your own father?

At the very least, I could not imagine it. My old man was obnoxious at best, but he had his cool moments as well, and as a child, I always looked up to him as a source of inspiration... not a source of dread.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I wondered and then let out a sigh.

“About what?” the one to ask was Coshun.

He walked out on the balcony and leaned against the rail next to me. The dragon Prince then looked up towards the Palace in the far distance. It was a big structure that dominated the scenery like a vampire that sucked out the life and color of this place.

When I looked towards it, I could not help but wonder if the old architects who built this city were geniuses or maybe just had a moment of genius when they built this place. The Palace itself was raised on top of a hill and then all the other sectors of this city were built around it, like a blanket that covered the ground in bricks and clay. The coliseum was the only building that dared to challenge the greatness of that royal building, but even it felt more like a second in command in front of its majesty.

No matter where you were in this city, when you tried to find the tallest building, you would naturally find the Royal Palace and then, if you were lucky, the coliseum.

“That...” I pointed with my chin at that structure in the far-off distance, the lair of the king who was hunting down his own daughter.

“What was your original plan?” he asked me.

I let out a sigh and then turned around, leaning with my back against the rail as I looked up at the starry sky.

“Initially, I wanted to bring Ildea here... have her meet her folks and then, maybe, just talk it out with them. You know, I didn’t think that everything would go crazy like this... assassins, betrayal, now this...” I shook my head.

“Then, using your position as a Duke in Albeyater, you would have tried to make a treaty with this country?” he asked.

“Something like that... Sigh, but now...” I lifted my hands up and shook my head “I have no idea what to do.” I confessed as I lowered my hands.

Coshun waited for a moment and then asked “What are you afraid of... messing up?”

I looked up at him and then back down at my palms as they were resting on my thighs. “Everything...”

“You can’t mess up everything. If anything, the Albeyater Kingdom won’t hold you responsible for the madness of a human king. That, I can definitely assure you of.” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but what about Ildea’s relationship with her people in this country? What about Amadeus and Drumora? What about Risha, who is just an adventurer in this land? Or what about Kalderan?” I asked.

Coshun did not answer right away, he gathered his task first, but instead of answering me, he asked.

“Would these people gather around a normal draconian... or a Breakthrough-er?”

“That...” I wanted to say a normal draconian, but was I one? No... I was a Breakthrough-er, according to my level and everything, I could even change into a half-beast form. However, what would the people want?

“Let me tell you something that my father once told me.” he said and then took a deep breath in “Ordinary dragons will attract ordinary dragons, however, those who are strong beyond measure, those who are wise beyond measure, those who by all means can’t be called normal or ordinary, they will always attract around them the extraordinary.” he then looked at me and asked “Alkelios, look at your current group... who did you attract?”

I looked back at the sleeping Kalderan and Amadeus, at least we received a bed for each of us this time, but these two... were anything but ordinary.

“Princes and princesses... Human Heroes... a nekatar... a lost adventurer... I guess... in a way, they could be called extraordinary.” I replied with a weak smile.

“So, why are you trying to hide the extraordinary individual that you are? Don’t hide because of us. We’ll follow you either way, so instead of asking yourself what someone ordinary can do about that King, about Ildea, ask yourself this...” he then looked back at me and with a smile said “What would someone as astounding as the Human Hero and Albeyater Duke Alkelios Yatagai Draketerus do?”

He patted me on the shoulder and then went back inside.

I remained outside for another half an hour, just looking up at the sky and thinking about what he said. In the end, a small smile formed on my lips as I shook my head and then called it a night.

When morning came, we woke up with the roosters, but I could not claim that I had pleasant dreams. The girls did not look any better either, especially Ildea, who had bags under her eyes. We did not comment on our deplorable looks and instead just made our way to the tavern, where we ordered for ourselves a big breakfast. Me and Coshun ate the most, while the girls barely had any appetite. Tamara was being Tamara and as long as she got her plate of fish, she was happy.

At this point, I was honestly envying her simple way of thinking. She did not need to worry about politics and relationships or even the money in her own wallet... she ate out of mine. Tamara was like an innocent child who had nothing to worry about, while we, the boring adults, fell under the weight of time and society.

While I ate, I thought back at what Coshun told me that night. His words felt odd, in a way, they reminded me of who I was, but at the same time, they were telling me that my worries might be just a simple illusion I cast upon myself.

I could not come up with an answer right now, but I knew there wasn’t that much time left before I had to make a decision. Whether I liked it or not, it was probably going to be something big enough to involve multiple countries... if not continents.

After we finished our meal, the girls returned to their room, while Amadeus went to talk with the innkeeper here to see if there was something he could help out with. He felt the need to be more active. I saw no reason to stop him or anything. There were still another two days until the tournament started, so there was plenty of time for him to gain a few coins for snacks, not that he needed to, we had plenty of spare cash laying around in my [Black Hole].

Kalderan and Coshun joined me for a visit to the coliseum, where we planned on checking up the conditions of the arena and make some preliminary preparations, like finding out who our possible adversaries were and whether or not there was anything we needed to know beforehand.

This did not take long. The rules would be announced on the first day, the fights were drawn then as well, and we were not allowed to fight in teams. Apparently, there were two fighters, twins, who tried to enter as one individual, but they were denied permission to do so even when they declared that this was the nature of their fighting style. By that logic, a bandit had to bring in his entire mob because that was the nature of his fighting style.

When reached the arena, we saw that there were already some of the Kingdom’s official contestants making use of it. They were training with wooden swords and holding out friendly sparing matches. Most of the people here were trained Knights around level 300-400, which was quite high for a human nation with no man-eating sheep roaming about. There were some adventurers as well, who at a glance you could tell that they were stronger than the Knights. Even members of the noble class could be spotted here and there alongside their own escort.

When you ignored the fact that this entire competition was made possible by a mad King, then just by looking at all these fighters who were present here, you could really feel that some of them placed their hopes and dreams in this competition. No matter their reasons, they were planning on giving the audience a good show, which was exactly what the King wanted and also what the viewers desired as well.

With nothing else left to do here, we decided to leave the coliseum and return on the day of the tournament.

“This reminds me of Rome.”  said Kalderan on our way back.

“Rome?” Coshun asked raising an eyebrow at him.

“It’s an ancient city that belonged to an ancient civilization from our home world... Back in the year 72 AD, emperor Vaspasian began to build a structure similar to this one, they named it the Flavian Amphitheatre in honor of the Flavian dynasty. Anyway, that place was a gigantic construction for that time, a true colossus that could hold anywhere between 50000 to 80000 spectators. There, just like here, the King of that ancient nation would hold competitions and shows in which people known as Gladiators would fight for their lives. Of course, there were also religious events that were being held there, but it was mostly known for being the ground of bloody battles, where life and death was left to the whim of the King.” he explained and then looked back at the giant structure behind us.

“Personally, I never saw the Colosseum in real life, and I can’t say that it left an impression on me despite probably having seen it in some book or pictures... Does it look similar?” I asked Kalderan as I looked back at the building behind us.

“It’s a splitting image of it... but bigger.” he said and then let out a sigh “Sometimes, I’m amazed of the things the people of this world can build, while other times I’m horrified by the stupidity they use them with.” he shook his head.

I glanced one more time at the coliseum and then walked away. Coshun didn’t seem to be impressed by these things, and if needed be, the draconians in Albeyater could probably build something better and bigger, maybe those in the Embryger Empire already did so.

For the next two days, I went around the city, visiting various places to try to get a better understanding of how the people lived. What I saw wasn’t Heaven, but it wasn’t Hell either. There was a general lack of motivation and a very weak will to live. There were a lot of those who felt oppressed or without a future, but there were also those who even in these conditions were able to strive and make a profit. Usually, those people were the ones who tried to ignore the political world and just try to do their best with the little they had. They did not hope for more and they didn’t expect for a change either.

When the King was mentioned, they would often put on a fake smile and pretend to be impressed with the current laws and politics. They praised the King as though he was the sun, the moons, and the stars, all at the same time, but then there were those who only spoke a few words and then refused to mention anything else.

Thanks to my luck, I was able to happen upon a disturbance in the slums. Three guards knocked down the door of a poor commoner and dragged him out tied up with a rope. The man screamed and shouted that he did not speak ill of the King that he was framed, but the guards wouldn’t listen. Once they dragged him in the middle of the road, they executed him right on the spot and the tossed his body in a ditch. They then reminded everyone there not to speak ill of his Majesty or they were going to be met with a similar or maybe even worse fate than his.

Apparently, the King gave an order for censorship... speak only praise about him but never mention the Queen or the Princess, however, the citizens were not idiots. Even when they were oppressed like this, in some corners of the city there were those who whispered words of hope about the Queen and Princess, praying with all their might that they would eventually dethrone the Mad King.

Every time I would return to the inn, I would see Ildea, the one they prayed for, sitting in her chair, looking out the window, and trying to be as quiet and as little as possible. Coshun had tried several times to speak with her, to give her hope, but it did not seem possible.

The light of hope in her eyes was starting to fade and grow dimmer with every passing minute. She loved Ten Swords Kingdom, but... she was not strong enough to do anything about it. She was not wise nor influential enough to make a change and now her own father was looking for her... dead or alive.

The night before the tournament took place, I asked Kalderan to lend me his wisdom. I told him about what I saw and what I heard as well as what Coshun advised me and then I confessed that I did not really know what to do about this.

“Throughout history, no matter the world or age, there will be at least a mentioning of kingdoms and empires that once rose to the stars and then fell down at the speed of light. Some nations are born overnight, while others still struggle to survive when time and society did their best to bury them in anonymity. Right now, we can only speculate what happened to some of them, while for others we only have the clear documents written by the victorious party. However, there’s something I noticed among the nations of this world...” he said and then looked into my eyes.

I remained quiet and waited for him to continue.

“Almost all of them have risen or fallen thanks to a myth or a legend... one or more individuals who rose above all the others with overwhelming might. Most nobles are born this way, even this country, the name of Ten Swords comes from the ten great swordsmen who were able to cleanse this land and then united to form this kingdom. Their leader, First Sword Kor, was the one who would later become the Founding King.” he explained.

“I still don’t understand what this has to do with our current predicament.” I replied raising an eyebrow.

Kalderan laughed.

“What?” I furrowed my brow in confusion.

“Well, currently, you feel as though no matter what choice you take might be the wrong one, right?” he asked smiling.

“Yes.” I nodded.

“This means that in reality, you actually have only one choice.” he smirked.

“Which is?” I asked.

“To act as yourself and give the middle finger to everything else. Do not think about what is right and wrong for others, try to think about what’s right and wrong for you.” he then patted my shoulder and continued “Alkelios, you probably forgot, but you are strong. You are far stronger than any of the knights or soldiers in this capital city, and from what I witnessed so far, I do not doubt for a single second the fact that you might be like one of the main characters from those myths and legends who can bring the demise of a nation or it’s complete change. Be fearless and bold not cowardly and bald.” he smirked.

“I’m never going to go bald.” I glared at him.

“Sure, maybe, unless you let all this stupid stuff eat you up and filling you with more stress than you can handle.” he patted my shoulder two times and then turned around. “I think I said everything that I had to, now it’s your time to figure it out, but...” he stopped and then looked back at me “No matter your choice... I think most of us will stick with you. So, whether you abandon Ildea here or not, we’re not going to blame you. You’re not a god, you’re still just a human.”

Kalderan left me to my own thoughts, and I stayed there looking at the door.

“I never planned on abandoning Ildea... was that even a choice?” I wondered as I scratched the back of my head and then let out a heavy sigh.

Tomorrow was the start of the tournament and with it the final countdown.

[Askarius Leden’s point of view]

King Kor was starting to show his mental instability more and more. Today, he cut open a maid... while she was still breathing because he thought that someone placed some sort of listening spell in her stomach. It was so ridiculous I could not even comment. Besides, there was no way that he would be aware of listening devices. If they did invent them here, I had to seriously consider the fact of whether or not it was that wise to have a maid swallow it?

It was ridiculous, but at the same time, his trust in his Queen had fallen to the ground and his suspicion of her had risen through the rooftop. It was going to be any moment now that he would make a mistake he could not correct and the whole of the Ten Swords Kingdom would fall in Akutan’s hands.

While I was thinking about this, there was a knock at my door.

“Lord Askarius, there are three officials from the Akutan Empire who claimed to have a scheduled meeting with you.” the servant announced without opening the door.

“Let them in.” I replied and then proceeded to place some of my more sensitive documents in the right drawer of my desk.

A few moments later, those three entered the room.

“Yo! Been a while, hasn’t it?” the one with a smug attitude and little to no courtesy was Bilden Skarad, a Human Hero who reached Awakened status about four months ago.

He was specialized in fighting with a two-handed sword, his ability increased his strength and agility, while most of his skills and items compensated for his almost non-existing endurance. The gear he was wearing was a direct gift form one of Akutan’s finest blacksmiths.

His mannerism, however, left much to be desired, but considering the fact that he used to be a delinquent in some school, it’s not surprising at all. On the other hand, Yoldas Makarun, the silver-haired handsome man standing next to him was an elite among elites and the son of a rich businessman. Well, all of that fame and fortune was worthless here.

Yoldas had long black hair tied in a ponytail, and he preferred to wear Asian thematic items and accessories. Even his sword was a custom-made katana that acted as a scepter. Yes, this samurai-looking man was actually a sorcerer, and a fairly powerful one at that.

“Why did you call for us, boss?” asked the third one, while Yoldas remained silent.

Zeberan Brutus, the third one, was a massive man who you would not think he was in his early twenties. The man was as bald as one could be, but his body was covered in muscles and scars from the time he was a bouncer for the Triad. Maybe this was the reason why he became a tank, but I still could not figure out why he ended up with healing skills as well. Zeberan was a veritable paladin.

“It seems you didn’t read the contents of my letter at all.” I let out a sigh and then sat up.

“We did, these idiots just forgot.” Yoldas told me.

“Is that so?” I narrowed my eyes at them and both Zeberan and Bilden looked away ashamed. “Anyway, you are here to take part in tomorrow’s tournament which was organized by his Majesty King Andarkuzzi Ammerandiel Kor. Of course, you will be placed in the later stages of the competition and...” before I could finish, Bilden interrupted.

“Wait! Wait! Wait! You called us all the way to this nowhere land just to participate in some stupid competition?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“If you had the patience of waiting for me to listen, I would have explained the real reason why I called you here.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Oh... sorry.” he showed me a foolish smile and then scratched the back of his head.

“Now, the real reason you are here is to first eliminate in secret any fighter that could be a potential threat to Akutan. Bilden, you will use stealth to accomplish this, but only after you made that they can’t be conscripted among our ranks. Yoldas, you will be in charge of this part, offer them good deals. Also, there’s a chance that rebels might sneak in among the tournament’s participants, when that happens, all three of you will take care of it in the name of the Akutan Empire. As for Zeberan, you will participate in the tournament as a contestant and crush anyone who stands in your way. Accidental deaths are acceptable but try to avoid them.” I explained to them in as few words as possible that would not result in later confusion.

“We understand.” they replied in unison, but then, Yoldas stepped forward and said something rather... unsettling.

“I don’t think you received this report yet, but the army that was supposed to arrive as a Humanitarian Aid has been completely wiped out by an unknown force.”

“What? How did you find out?” I asked.

“Several merchants noticed the damage done to the area and then I compared the location with the route the army was supposed to take... they intersect, and the timing is just right.” he explained.

“DAMN!” I cursed and slammed my fist in the desk, causing a small crack in it. “I guess we’ll have to make due without them...” I said with a grumble.