Cenn sat down on the floor in front of the big table. Today he had been invited to breakfast at the house of the head of the family, the house of his uncle Velin. Something that hadn't happened for a long time.

Besides him, Velin, Hog and Aydor sat at the table.

There were also a few servants in the room, responsible for serving food and drinks.

Although today's breakfast was much better than what he usually ate, Cenn couldn't really enjoy it because of the tense atmosphere around the table.

From the moment he entered the room, he heard nothing but meager words of greeting. From then on, breakfast passed in complete silence. And while that wasn't unusual for Velin and Aydor. Uncle Hog's silence for fifteen minutes in a row raised suspicions that something terrible had happened.

[Damn, I shouldn't have told him about Manager Copen's words.] Cenn glanced stealthily at the people at the table from time to time. But Velin and Aydor clearly avoided his gaze. And Hog didn't pay any attention to anything other than the contents of his plate.

Finally, when everyone had finished eating, the head of the family motioned for the servants to clear the table. He added.

"You will go out and close the doors behind you."

[I see. So the conversation will not be for outsiders...] Cenn tensed up even more.

As the servants left the room, Aydor suddenly spoke.

"Brother, I'm sorry. I was so excited about the victory that I forgot to call you." The words flew out of his mouth with such speed that they were barely audible.

Velin sighed heavily.

"What Aydor meant was that we're sorry we couldn't celebrate your victory properly. I didn't know that the Orist family was planning a celebration. That you weren't with us is my fault, but I can't fix it now."

Velin looked at Hog, who continued to ignore the people around him and stared into his wine cup.

"What I can do is throw a big party for you and Aydor after the tournament. No matter what the result is. After all, this is your first tournament and your first real fights. It's worth celebrating."

A heavy weight was lifted from Cenn's heart. Just a moment ago, it seemed like he was in big trouble. But suddenly, things turned out in a way he had never dreamed of.

"It's all right, Uncle Velin, Aydor." Cenn looked at the young man. "Anyway, Uncle Hog and I had a great training session yesterday and he taught me a very cool move. So I don't regret not making it to the feast." Happy with the turn of events, Cenn smiled carefree.

A bright smile appeared on Aydor's face as well. Even though he didn't think he had done anything wrong, he felt remorse. Uncle Hog had caused a scandal in their house that morning, and he had not hesitated to say what he thought of his parents. But since Cenn didn't take offense at them, there was nothing to worry about.

"But that's not all. After seeing the way you fought yesterday, I realized that we need to spend more time preparing. All of us together." Velin continued. "We still have a few hours before the fights start. The judges drew lots yesterday, so we know who you'll be fighting today. And we can help you prepare..."

Suddenly, the head of the Bael family fell silent. His eyes were on Hog, who was still staring into the wine bowl. In a momentary rage, he grabbed the teacup in front of him and threw it at the fat man.

"Fat bastard, stop ignoring us!"

The cup flew straight at Hog's head, but didn't shatter.

"Hm. You can't even throw a cup properly. What a pussy."

Carefully placing the cup on the table, Hog looked around at everyone and added.

"Alright, now that we've taken care of the feast, we can talk about the tournament."

...

Soon the emotions subsided and it was possible to discuss future fights.

Velin held a note in his hands, the contents of which he wanted to share with the others.

"I asked one of Mizra's clerks to gather information about your opponents, I think we could use it."

He took a few sips from his cup and continued.

"Cenn, your fight will be first, so let's start with you. Your opponent is Bavin Kernak. This is his second tournament. Last year he was eliminated in his first fight, so there isn't much information about him."

"Get to the point, stop boring me." Hog cut in.

"Okay, okay. Here's what we've learned. Bavin uses a spear, as does Cenn. In yesterday's fight, he used Sigil of Ice and Sigil of Shield. Unfortunately, no one remembers which ones he used last year.

His fighting style can be described as cautious. Yesterday, he was on the defensive for most of the fight, waiting for his opponent to make a mistake. And when he did, he knocked his opponent out with one punch."

"That doesn't sound very threatening, don't you think, Cenn?" Hog interrupted Velin again.

"I don't. I've never fought any of the other spearmen before. Well, to be exact, some of our family's guards have used spears during training, but it wasn't their primary weapon. So this fight could be considered a first."

"That's not what I asked you, brat. What do you think of your opponent?" Hog was clearly unhappy with the answer.

"Uh, Uncle Hog. I don't know. I haven't seen him fight. If it was a normal spear duel, I'd definitely win. But the sigils make it too unpredictable."

"Sigils are just another weapon. Imagine if your opponent had a knife in addition to a spear. Would that have much effect on the outcome of the fight?" Hog asked.

"I don't think so. But if your opponent has 27 different knives, that's a different matter." Cenn replied.

"But he can only use 2 of them. The other 25 are idle for the rest of the fight." Velin interjected.

"But if I knew which sigils he would use, it would be a little easier." Cenn replied.

"And what would have changed?" Velin asked.

"I would have been able to think about which sigils would be best to use in advance..."

"Huh. Kid, you think wild beasts send us letters before they attack, telling us how many are coming and who they want to bite off? All that awaits you on the real battlefield, whether against beasts, nomads, or bandits, is the unknown." Hog jumped back into the discussion.

"Hog is right. Cenn, you can't know what the enemy is up to. But you don't have to. Each sigil has its strengths and weaknesses. And in the arena, you're playing a game of who's smarter and who's faster. You make a move, your opponent responds. Your opponent makes a move, you respond. Let's say your opponent uses Wind Sigil to speed up. How do you react?" Velin asked the boy again.

"There are many possibilities. I can strengthen my defenses with the Bear Sigil, if the speed allows him to land blows that I can't block. If he gets close, it would be great to tie him up by the roots with Wood Sigil, but I haven't learned how to do that yet. If he escapes from the fight, I can limit his movement by setting traps with the Ice Sigil. Cenn replied without hesitation.

"See, it's not that hard. All the information you need is already in your head." Velin was pleased with his answer.

"Aydor, it's time for you to join the conversation. The enemy used the Sigil Spider spell." Velin turned to his son.

"Awww. I hate that spell. A sword won't cut that web. I suppose you could burn it with the Fire Sigil, but I'm afraid I might catch fire myself. Hmm, I'd try to push myself out with an Earth Sigil spell, I think that should work." Aydor hadn't expected his father to ask him the same question, so he answered a little confused.

"What are you mumbling about, you little bum? You think in battle the enemy will wait for you to decide whether it's better to burn your own feet or kick your own ass?" Hog remained unhappy with the boy's indecision.

"Hog, stop muttering. You'd better say something useful." Velin stopped the fat man's attacks.

"Something useful? Hmpf. Remember one thing. You don't have to figure out how to react to your opponent's move if you make the move first. Be aggressive. Make your opponent nervous. Back him up against the wall. And when he makes a mistake, finish him."

At the last sentence, the fat man slammed his fist down on the table.

"Well, that tactic has its place, too." Velin added.

He looked at the note again and continued.

"Aydor, now let's talk about your opponent. If I remember correctly, you have fought Rehadal more than once before."

"Yes, and in the last three sparring matches I emerged victorious. Besides, he only recently formed a second seal. Is it surprising that he made it to the second round?"

"There is nothing surprising here. The report says that he used his father's sword with magical inscriptions in the battle. These writings allow him to use the Wind Sigil's spell - Wind Slash, by using half as much qi. So Rehadal was able to use it 4 times in one battle."

"Wow, he really was entrusted with such a valuable artifact. Dad, can I borrow your sword for the duration of the battle?" Aydor was nervous. He was jealous that his long-time rival was able to get his hands on such a powerful artifact, even if only temporarily.

"Ahah. I'm afraid not. Even I can't handle the full power of that sword, and you're not even close. So I'm afraid you'll have to rely on your own strength. Cenn, what would you do if your opponent had such an advantage?" Velin turned to Cenn.

"To be able to use a spell 4 times, even if it's the same spell. That doesn't sound fair. I think the only chance to win is to prevent him from using it." Cenn replied.

"Take my advice, Aydor. I'm afraid your only chance is to get close to your opponent as quickly as possible and get him into a clinch, blocking his sword. And finish the fight in close combat. If he breaks the distance, you're in deep shit." Hog backed up Cenn.

"All I can say is that this is the best choice. But exactly how to proceed is up to you, son."

"I understand, I guess I really don't have any other options." Aydor replied.

"Well, we should be getting out by now. We'll be waiting for you at the main gate of the manor in fifteen minutes. So hurry up." said Velin.

...

A couple minutes later when the boys left and only Hog and Velin remained in the room.

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"Hog, is there anything you want to tell me? About last night for instance."

"I? There doesn't seem to be much to tell." Hog replied, sipping wine from his cup.

"Yeah? Surprising! I heard rumors that someone beat up one of our servants in a fit of rage. Do you know anything about that?" Velin spoke calmly but insistently.

"I don't know what you're talking about, buddy." Hog replied nonchalantly.

"So it wasn't you who beat up Manager Copen last night? And it wasn't you who tried to intimidate all the servants through her?

"Ahahahahahahahaha. Are you kidding me? If I had beaten her, there'd be pieces of her body lying all over the estate. But all I did was teach her a lesson in manners." Laughing, Hoge and got up from the table.

"Dovor, I'm not kidding. You can't beat up whoever you want in this manor." Velin stood up grabbed the fat man by the shoulder. And addressed him in an already threatening tone.

"You know, if you'd grow some balls and put your bitch in her place, I wouldn't have to beat the servants. I've had enough of her petty shenanigans." replied Hoge angrily. "And don't worry, if something like that happens again, I won't beat anyone. I'll just burn the rascal on the spot." With those words, he pushed Velin away and left the room.