A makeshift arena with ten elevated platforms had been constructed for the mock tournant, allowing multiple matches to proceed simultaneously and offering the audience a variety of fights to enjoy.
At the sa ti, Nathan had instructed Elvin and Eve to keep watch on the walls for beasts or any suspicious individuals that would interrupt the mock tournant.
Eve was puzzled by Nathan's unusually cautious deanor. She glanced at Elvin, expecting him to provide insight, but he rely looked away and whistled suspiciously.
"Skully," she brought out her Communication Crystal and contacted the skeleton butler.
"Yes, mistress?"
"Did anything happen recently?" she asked. Skully was not only a butler but also had several undead minions under him who notified him about happenings in the western region and kept an eye on the authorities, who were known to dislike Necromancers with a passion.
"Yes, a few days ago, an Assassin from the Silent Whisper Guild tried to assassinate the Duke," Skully reported his findings.
"An assassin? Then that old man starts acting weird," Eve murmured to herself as a sharp glint of suspicion flashed through her eyes. She'd stayed in the barony for years now and knew about the beef between Nathan and Duke Felix… thus, it was very easy for Eve to put two and two together and understand the reason for Nathan's anxiousness.
'This old fool, did he try assassinating the duke?' Eve thought and dashed to the western wall to carry out the assignnt, though she doubted anyone would disrupt the fight. Her only regret was that she couldn't watch her disciple demonstrate his skills in front of everyone.
"Master, there is the transmission Crystal, rember?" Sensing his master's distress, Skully suggested.
The transmission Crystal was like a cara that could transmit live feeds and images to anyone in any place.
After ordering Skully to do just that, Eve went to the western wall as instructed. Nathan had specifically instructed Eve to lead the western region because it was in the sa direction as the Armstrong Duchy. With her there, Nathan was confident that no one or beast could sneak past the walls.
anwhile, the denizens of Cromwell started to fill the seats. They whispered with excited expressions because it was a rare occasion to watch the youngsters of the town battle each other. So were even speculating about which kids would be among the top 5.
"I say the Baron gives Nox free qualification to enter the top five, what do you think?" one man comnted. "After all, he definitely has an edge over the others since he awakened his class earlier."
"But that wouldn't be fair, would it? I think no matter what, he should also participate like the other kids, even if he's stronger than them."
"I don't know, man. I've seen so of the other kids training, and they're pretty strong too," another spectator replied. "I think it'll be a tough competition."
"Hey, look! There's Wendy, Celine's daughter. She's participating too," soone else pointed out.
"I heard she's been attending the Vermilion Royal Academy since she was ten… I think if we're to look out for anyone, it should be her," a woman whispered. "She might be a dark horse in this competition."
Looking in that direction, the spectators could indeed see a beautiful white-haired girl of about 14 who had a striking resemblance to the kind town healer. She was wearing a crimson blazer with gold trim adorned with the academy crest, a golden phoenix rising from flas, on her left chest.
This was the standard crest of the Vermilion Royal Family and it was well respected. Just by wearing the uniform, the other kids stayed out of her path out of fear.
The Vermilion Academy only accepted the best of the best in the kingdom, so for her to get in, she was definitely a prodigy.
Most of the kids were offering silent prayers not to be paired up with her; with all the resources from the academy, they strongly doubted whether they'd even last a second against her.
If you were to give them an option to choose between Wendy and Nyx, they would definitely choose the latter.
"Hey kids, this is your big sister, don't be afraid of her, okay?" Celine said when she saw the children who clearly felt inferior to Wendy.
Wendy wasn't like those snobbish noble brats. Seeing their anxiety, she displayed a smile and said, "Hello everyone, I'm here to have fun and make new friends. Let's enjoy this tournant together."
Her warm smile, very similar to Celine's, put others at ease, and they even started chatting with her, asking questions about the Royal Capital and the academy.
Of course, Wendy, who had a soft personality like her mother, answered all their questions to the best of her ability, sothing that put a smile on Celine's face. She was glad her daughter hadn't inherited her father's personality.
anwhile, Eve reached the western wall and began to scan the surroundings, her eyes narrowed in concentration. She could hear the distant hum of the crowd and the occasional shout of excitent.
"Skully, can you hear ?" she asked, using the Communication Crystal.
"Yes, mistress. I'm transmitting the feed from the arena now," Skully replied.
Eve watched as the images flickered to life on the crystal, showing her the various arenas and the matches that were about to begin. From the crystal, Eve noticed the match officials, Nathan, Hans, and Gordon, predicting the kids that would be in the top five based on their past training.
The na they were mostly calling was Wendy. Just like everyone, Eve knew Wendy was a first-year student in the Vermilion Royal Academy and was in the top 500 out of over two thousand students; certainly, she wasn't soone to be trifled with.
"What about Nox? What are they saying about him?"
"I didn't think you were a fangirl, mistress?" Skully said in a teasing tone, but when Skully felt her cold aura, he quickly said.
"Yeah, after her, he's the most hyped one," he quickly answered. "But if the two were to face each other, I think Pipsqueak would lose."
"Would he?" Eve thought. She'd seen Nox's discipline in the past month and saw him grow in strength gradually. Even if he would lose, the Necromancer was certain Nox would be a tough nut to crack.
At that mont, the children were beginning to climb the fighting platforms as the matches were about to begin, and the boisterous chant of the parents chanting their children's nas reached an all-ti high.
Although this was rely a mock tournant to select the main fighters that would represent the barony, it made their blood boil with excitent!
Currently, the announcer, a middle-aged man, had climbed onto one of the platforms. Channeling mana into his throat, he said in a booming voice, "And now, ladies and gentlen, welco to the Cromwell Baron's Mock Tournant! I'm your announcer, and I'll be guiding you through the excitent today!
We have 42 young warriors competing for the top 5 spots, and it's going to be a battle for the ages, so fasten your seat belts!"
"To explain the rules, we...
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