Emilya and Lucius were looking forward to participating, but Melvis was not very enthusiastic about the idea.
However, she had no choice but to go.
The three of them then headed toward the center of the city.
There was an arena there, and from outside, they could hear the crowd screaming.
Lucius liked that.They entered the arena and arrived just in time to see the end of a fight.
The three companions climbed up into the stands to watch the next matches.
Inside the arena, all kinds of fighters were facing each other: mages, warriors, close-combat fighters… Several different species were represented as well.
Orcs, goblins, ogres, elves, and humans were all gathered in the same place.
Emilya wondered just how powerful “the champion” was to bring so many different species together in one place.
The rules of the tournament were quite simple: the participants fought in pairs and were eliminated as soon as they lost their match.The problem was that most of the participants had come alone.
They therefore had to team up with someone they knew absolutely nothing about.
Unsurprisingly, the first pairs were particularly poorly coordinated.
Some of them did not even communicate.
Others kept getting in each other’s way.
Only the fighters whose abilities truly complemented one another managed to progress.
Then came the final.
Emilya straightened up as the final duo entered the arena.
When the champion entered the arena, the crowd erupted in cheers.
He was a large orc, but he didn’t really look like one.
He looked more like a mixture of several magical creatures.
A few seconds later, the fight began… and it was over almost immediately.
The champion defeated them with astonishing ease.
Silence fell over the stands for a few seconds.
Melvis stared at the arena, worried.
Emilya, on the other hand, said nothing.
She was thinking.
Lucius, meanwhile, seemed almost impressed.
— We’re signing up, Emilya suddenly declared.
— We’re signing up, Lucius repeated.
— But you can’t be serious!
You saw what he just did, didn’t you?
Melvis said.
— Melvis, do you know how many coins are at stake?
We’re talking about two thousand gold coins, Emilya said seriously.
— But, Miss, doesn’t it seem strange to you that they’re offering such a large amount?
Melvis asked worriedly.
— Come on, don’t worry.
It’s not like we’re going to lose, Lucius said.
Melvis looked at him as if asking what business this was of his.
She tried to convince Emilya, but Emilya had already made up her mind.
When they arrived at the registration desk, they were told that they could only participate in pairs.
The three of them looked at each other in silence.
Then Emilya and Lucius looked at each other.
Melvis wore a proud expression, ready to be chosen.
When she found herself holding both of their belongings, she looked at Emilya.
— But, Miss?!
Why?!
— You’ve been sleeping badly for three days.
I don’t want to tire you out even more over a simple tournament.
— Don’t worry about me.
I’m fine, she said.
— I clearly saw you sleeping in the stands before the final fight.
— I… I was looking at the floor, she said as an excuse.
Emilya placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her and told her that it would not take long and that they would win for sure.
She left her cloak and belongings with Melvis and took only her staff with her.
Lucius also handed her his belongings, which she reluctantly took, before going to sit in the stands.
Emilya and Lucius went to wait beside the arena, since the matches were two-on-two duels until the final.
There were twelve teams, and each one had ten minutes to neutralize the other.
Among them were some rather unusual pairs: an elf and a human, a human and a dwarf, an ogre and a goblin…Since they had come alone, they had been paired with someone chosen at random.
Of course, they complained about it, but quickly calmed down when they were told they would be banned from the tournament if they continued.
Emilya and Lucius watched carefully.
They analyzed the fighters, the way they moved, their attacks, and their weaknesses.
Suddenly, the count of the city appeared in the arena to make an announcement.
— Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming in such large numbers to participate in our tournament.
I would like to make a quick announcement.
This is the last tournament of the year.
We will hold the same event again next year, so do not lose hope if you lose, because you will be able to come back next year.
And if someone manages to defeat our champion this year, they will be invited to stay at my castle for as long as they wish.
With that, I’ll let you enjoy the tournament.
He went to sit in the stands, in a place reserved for him.
He sat high above the arena and watched the spectacle.
The fights soon began.
The first participants were quickly eliminated because they were poorly coordinated.
There were not many pairs that stood out.
Emilya and Lucius’ first round soon arrived.
They were facing a duo made up of an ogre and a goblin.
But since the creatures were not particularly strong, Lucius eliminated them without Emilya having to do anything she did not complain.
Because shortly after the count’s speech, Emilya had given Lucius only one instruction.
— We have to win at all costs, she said with determination.
— At your service, madam, Lucius replied casually.
— That damn count thinks we won’t be able to defeat his champion.
We’ll see about that.
He underestimates us.
I need time to think of a strategy.
I don’t have much information, so I need to come up with an attack plan.
Considering his strength, charging in headfirst would be a mistake.
— You can think peacefully in your corner.
I’ll take care of beating all of them, he said confidently.
Neither of them knew that nothing would go as they had planned.
During each of their matches, Lucius eliminated their opponents very quickly.
The crowd therefore began cheering for him, but they wondered why Emilya was doing nothing.
She ignored the criticism because she was focused on something else: how to defeat the champion.
He was huge, probably around three meters tall, and weak magical and physical attacks did nothing to him.
They would have to go all out from the very beginning.
But he had incredible endurance, which was not Emilya’s strong point.
She continued thinking while Lucius dealt with all of their opponents.
Some of them gave him a little trouble, such as the elf-ogre duo.
It was an unusual combination, but with one attacking from long range and the other from mid-range, Lucius was a little overwhelmed.
But after a while, he figured out their attack pattern and got rid of them.
Emilya did nothing but walk back and forth between the arena and the area where they had to wait for their turn.
The others began to wonder what was going on.
Then some of them decided to go after her.
After all, she seemed to be the weak point of the duo.
Lucius immediately intervened.
He blocked their attacks again and again.
His defense was impressive.
But Emilya did not even look at the fight.
She was still thinking.
Until a sound pulled her out of her thoughts.
— Emilya!
She suddenly raised her head.
Two attacks had been launched simultaneously.
One came from the left, the other from the right.
Lucius blocked the first one, but he did not have time to stop the second.
It was heading straight for Emilya too fast she only had a fraction of a second she instinctively raised her hand.
The attack was about to hit her then a shield appeared in front of her and deflected the attack.
The audience fell silent.
She had activated her shield without saying a single word.
Whispers began spreading through the crowd.
Who was she?
Mages capable of activating a spell without saying a word were rare.
That meant she was at least level 4.
Emilya looked at her own shield then at the spot where the attack had passed and Lucius froze.
— Oh boy… Emilya slowly raised her eyes toward their opponents.
Her expression had changed.
— You managed to distract me.
Her voice was calm but slightly irritated Lucius swallowed.
Oh no.
Emilya raised one hand and a fireball appeared.
Then she launched it.
The attack shot across the arena at incredible speed.
The two opponents barely had time to react.
The mage quickly cast a shield and tried to block the attack.
She was being pushed farther and farther back.
The elf came to help her.
The two of them joined forces.
— What is this power?!
Even the two of us can’t stop it!
the elf exclaimed.
— Wait… I recognize her, the mage began.
She stared at Emilya.
— Those black-as-night hair, those golden eyes, and that firepower… There’s no one else like her.
As she realized who she was facing, she froze and was no longer focused enough to maintain the shield.
The elf told her to pull herself together.
She watched as cracks spread across the shield.
She looked at the mage and asked who she was.
The mage simply answered: — The Eternal Flame Mage.
Hearing that, the elf did not know who she was.
But when she saw the fear in the mage’s eyes, she understood that Emilya was someone dangerous.
She tried to resist, but the attack hit her head-on.
Emilya controlled the flames of her spell because she did not want to seriously injure them she sighed.
— Now I have to start all over again.
She turned toward Lucius.
— Is this what you meant when you said you would take care of everything?
He apologized and said that he had not expected that attack and that next time, it would not happen again.
But deep down, he could not stop wondering where that nickname came from and why the mage had been so afraid of Emilya.
Emilya returned to her thoughts.
A few moments later, a voice echoed throughout the arena.
— Ladies and gentlemen!
The final two participants are requested to enter the arena!
Emilya raised her head.
She looked at Lucius.
— It’s done.
— You found something?
A slight smile appeared on her face.
— I think I have a plan that might work.
They went back into the arena, and the entire crowd cheered for them.
Some had recognized Emilya because of her attack, while others were impressed by Lucius’ strength.
When their opponent arrived, they both froze.
He slowly climbed the stairs and stood in front of them.
He was nothing like the monster Emilya had imagined.
She had expected to face a creature like an ogre, or something that would explain the incredible power they had witnessed earlier.
Emilya remained silent.
Lucius narrowed his eyes.
Because standing before them was…a human.