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"Ahh. That's right, thank you." Lilian says, looking at Sebastian, and her weary expression seems to fade for a moment. "I shouldn't be entertaining you here with such somber topics. We need to hurry because you will lose your place in the tournament if you do not show up for the pairing round. Follow me. If you come with me, you can skip the entry queue."

"You guys aren't participating?" I ask, puzzled, as we follow her into the stadium.

"Nope. The queen is participating in the tournament… and no nobleman wants to risk hurting her," she says, but seeing my expression, she adds, "But it's nothing you need to worry about! Nothing will happen to those who participate in the tournament... If it wasn't like that, no one would participate. Besides, there's no point in Sebastian or me participating, since equally most of the nobles who are capable of fighting will be going on the expedition"

"Is Sebastian of nobility?" Deirdre inquires.

"He is not, but he comes with me everywhere," explains Lilian. And, when she says it, we see how Sebastian, who walks a few steps behind Lilian, nods, "so if I go, he goes too".

As we walk, we see Charity and Raila talking a little apart in one of the corridors we are walking through.

Raila seems especially surprised to see me. I don't understand the reason but, who cares...

Deirdre wanted to talk to her, but Lilian urged us to follow her.

"Is the queen going to the new continent?" I asked, puzzled that the kingdom's highest authority figure was about to leave her position.

"No. That was her intention, but we convinced her otherwise..." sighs Lilian as we enter a spacious room full of people. "I just hope she doesn't win this tournament because, otherwise, it's going to be very difficult to convince her that she's not needed on the expedition. Well, you should wait here until they call you. When you are called, they will explain the tournament rules and how the fights will be organized. I have already made certain arrangements for your comfort."

...

The rules are simple.

The tournament will last for nine days and have four stages.

The first is the group stage, which will last 5 days, where they divide all the participants into different groups. Then, they divided those groups into each of the six days. That way, we will all have plenty of time and space to fight and give our best performance. Our groups had to fight on the first day, so we will have five days of rest until the quarterfinals.

I guess Lilian will have had something to do with this…

We were asked to take turns fighting the other members of our group until only one person was left as the winner.

In the end, the winners would face each other in the quarterfinals and semifinals over the next three days.

Until there are only two people left, who will face each other in the final on the ninth and last day.

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During the tournament, no outside help is allowed, so Azur can only watch my fights, but not help me.

The beginning of the tournament was colorful and interesting.

In my group, there were subjects who, despite not being able to compete with my strength and speed, had very elaborate techniques.

And although the fights were not outdoors, it seems that each of the rooms where we are going to fight had its own grandstand, which is full of spectators.

I don't know if this system is very efficient. Because, this way, it will be impossible for those interested to see all the fights of the opening round of the tournament...

But I guess the priority is to get the tournament done in the shortest time possible…

My first opponent was a subject who used some sort of fragmented sword that he manipulated with earth magic to use his weapon as a whip.

The second was a person who seemed to have the regenerative abilities of a troll combined with the strength of an ogre that carried a large mace as a weapon, which he constantly waved around effortlessly.

And the third was a swordsman who channeled holy magic into his weapon. Which, according to the guy, increased the damage and speed of the weapon. Although that contradicts what I know about holy magic… But it's not like I know much about it either.

And so on, for many more.

At first, I found it a little strange to fight while hundreds of people were watching me. But after the first three fights, I didn't pay any attention to it.

It's not that the fights require a lot of my attention since I can defeat my rivals effortlessly. But I don't want to get hurt unnecessarily through overconfidence.

In the end, my first day in the tournament was colorful and interesting, but the most interesting part of this day was my conversation with Raila.

The woman was in the same group as me. And, when I saw her, I went over to talk to her, but she mocked me and patronized me.

Apparently, she thought I was weak, and that I was just wasting people's time.

But she came to apologize when she was eliminated in her second bout, and I later beat the opponent who disqualified her.

Justifying herself by saying that she knew I'd learned from Julia, but she couldn't believe someone could become so strong and skilled in such a short period of time.

I accepted her apology, but wouldn't talk to her anymore if she wasn't Julia's girlfriend. I don't like the kind of people who mistreat others because they think they are stronger than the rest.

Deirdre and I were split into different groups. That's why we didn't see each other fighting, so I don't know how she must have fared in her matches.

I am descending the stairs to leave the large room where my group's fights took place, and I see that Deirdre is waiting for me in the underground anteroom that serves as a meeting point for the various rooms with bleachers where each group has been separated.

It seems that we are the first two groups to finish because there is no one else here…

Or maybe people are leaving as they finish. At the end of the day, there's no point in staying here for those who have finished, unless they are waiting for someone from another group.

"How did it go?" I ask as I approach her, "Were your fights hard? Were you able to size up your opponents and not use excessive strength?"

"Nah, and yes.... They didn't have time to do anything." She says, a smug smile on her face. "They were all too slow. So far, the only one that can beat me in speed is you, master. I was the best in my group."

"I'm glad to hear that. I was the best in mine, too. But remember, don't get overconfident." I say, looking at her seriously, "It doesn't matter how skilled or fast you are if you willingly fall into your rival's trap."

"yeah, yeah..." she says, and she starts pouting. "I just wanted you to congratulate me..."

"And what will that do for you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

" It would be good for my self-esteem," she says without stopping to pout.

"Well... Congratulations." I say smiling, "Happy?"

"No," she says with her usual playful smile. "If I have to tell you, it doesn't count. But thank you for thinking of me; I appreciate it.

"Aha... Let's go home." I say as we leave the stadium, and I walk Deirdre home.

"Hmt, you're such a killjoy..." she says with an annoyed expression.

"Do you want to do anything else?" I ask quizzically. "It won't be long before dark. But I'll go with you if you have something on your mind."

"Hmm," she says, as she seems to ponder if we will have time to do whatever she wants to do. "Nope. I can't think of anything."

"Ok. Do you want to come with me tomorrow to watch the other groups' fights? Or do you have any other plans in mind for tomorrow?" I ask her, to find out where we will meet tomorrow. If we meet tomorrow...

"Is this the invitation to a date?" she asks, looking at me with a smirk.

"Huh?" I say. I am dumbfounded by the question because I never saw Deirdre as a romantic interest. And, given her life story, I didn't think she would think of that. We don't have time for that sort of thing... Deirdre has to help her family, and I have to focus on getting to the end of the labyrinth. "No, I just wanted to know what your plans were so I could get organized."

"I know. I was just joking," she says laughing at my expression "Yeah, I'd like to come and watch the fights with you"