Right as Aptera interjected, the Lances began their attack on the lions. The fighting was fierce, but the Lances were doing a good job of mowing down the monsters. Still, there was a lot of them to go through, so the dungeon core was protected – for now. Meanwhile, Nishem was making her move.

“[Bail Out]!” she yelled.

A translucent sphere engulfed her and Nekhtu before vanishing, appearing next to Nuhem’s group.

“Wait, WHAT?!” I said as my jaw fell to the floor.

They could use that skill like that…?

Immediately, the three members of Nuhem’s group rushed to Nishem, where she prepared to use her skill once more.

“[Bail Out]!”

The same scene repeated itself, and the five of them were transported directly behind the Lances.

“Go! [Shield Ram]!” Nuhem yelled, moving to strike at the exposed back of the Lances.

Nekhtu cast a flurry of acid attacks while Netos fired a barrage of arrows.

“Hu-Guh!” the petite woman gasped as both she and her mount were bashed by Nuhem’s shield.

“Shit, behind us!” a member of the Lances yelled, but they struggled in vain.

Caught between a horde of rank A monsters and the Tameryian Gale, the Lancers were pinned down and unable to use their mobility or devastating charge attacks.

From that moment, the match’s results were set in stone.

***

Akila Amset

“The Tameryian Gale have won the match!” the referee announced.

The crowd and the commentator were both celebrating loudly, and so were the noble team members.

“Alright, time to review the match. Ki-”

My command was interrupted by the vibration of the communication device in my pocket.

“Change of plans.” I said.

“Discuss the match amongst yourselves for now. I have something to attend to. If I am not back by the next match, do the same thing again.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” they said.

Satisfied, I turned around and stepped out of the room. I then made my way out of the coliseum and back to my room in the inn, where I had privacy enchantments set up. I then pulled out the communication device from my pocket and placed it to my ear.

“Major Akila Amset, reporting.” I said.

“Major Amset. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken.” A familiar, regal voice said.

“I am honored, Your Grace.” I said, bowing my head in fealty.

Her Grace, Lady Hatshepsut, the Pharaoh of Tamery, was speaking to me personally.

“I am sure you’ve been in contact with my secretary for the last few days, but I thought it best I drop by to check in personally – that way, I can make sure details weren’t lost in a bureaucratic game of telephone.” She chuckled.

“I live to serve, Your Grace. I am at your service.”

“I am sure you are, Major. Our nation is blessed to have hands like yours to labor for it. What can you tell me about the mission’s progress?” she asked.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I will strive to be worthy of your praise, Your Grace. Regarding the mission, we’ve achieved varying degrees of success in each objective. While we did not have an opportunity to see what the whole Republic was like, we noticed that there was a complete lack of monster activity on the road from the border checkpoint to Romellus. That said, we also found hundreds of thousands of people, most of them mundane humans, making the trip to the city, which implies that the security situation of the rest of the Republic was not too different.”

“Hmm… If the Republic doesn’t have to worry about rampant monsters, then what was the reason behind the change in their attitude? They cited the Revenge of the Abyss as a common threat and a reason for solidarity. I am concerned about their intentions.”

“The diplomats and I believe the same, Your Grace. As you’ve surmised, it is unlikely the monsters were the reason behind their change of heart. I’ve given orders to learn more of their intent, but we have yet to make progress on that front. My sincerest apologies.”

The Pharaoh laughed softly.

“There’s no need to apologize, Major. I trust that you are already doing what you can. If you can’t find out more, then that’s unfortunate, but intelligence gathering isn’t something you can force.” The Pharaoh sighed.

“More importantly, we need to be prepared regardless of the Republic’s intentions. To that end, we should show the Republic that we are good friends and terrible enemies to have. How have the youth representing us done to that end? The people in Tamery are generally proud and impressed, but I’d like to know how the Republic’s streets sees them.”

“Both the commoners’ team and the nobles’ team have made a strong first impression, Your Grace. The commoner team has repeatedly used their sharp wits and defensive abilities to defeat superior opponents, earning a reputation for cunning and resilience.” I said.

“The noble team only had a single match so far, in which team member Kiara Azoth achieved a total victory by shutting down the Tyrian main team. People are impressed and wondering whether it was just her personal strength, or if the rest of the team are just as strong. There are some who think that it was a fluke or that the Tyrians lost intentionally, but today’s match should hopefully dispel those notions.”

“Good, good!” the Pharaoh said jovially.

“I am glad to hear that. If they can keep this up, I am sure our relationship with the other nations as well will improve, and not just the Republic. As an aside, have you informed the Republic that Ms. Azoth and Mr. Durreg are from the Draconic Isles?”

“No, Your Grace. I haven’t done anything to that effect yet.”

“I see. For now, restrict everyone from releasing that information for now. The results of this tournament will also affect our relationship with the Isles, so I would like you to learn more about the Republic’s motives for the tournament first. You have my permission to withhold or release that information as necessary, depending on if you deem it beneficial to Tamery and the Isles.”

“By your will, Your Grace.”

“One last thing and I’ll be out of your hair; how have our two young guests been faring so far? Have they made any friends?”

“Ms. Azoth and Mr. Durreg are both doing well, Your Grace. They have been enjoying their time with their teammates and have been acquainted with each other. A sense of camaraderie is slowly budding between them.”

“Thank you, Major Amset. I am glad to hear that. One thing to keep in mind though; while you shouldn’t shy away from disciplining them as necessary, since they are representing us abroad, they are also citizens of the Draconic Isles. They are the key to expanding relations with the Isles and putting an end to the cold peace between the Republic, the four nations, and the Isles. Their safety is your top priority, even to the detriment of everything else. Do you have any questions or objections?”

“None, Your Grace. I will guard their lives with my own.”

“Splendid! Thank you for your time, Major. Good luck, and may the gods be with you.” The Pharaoh said, and the device went silent.

I put the device back in my pocket and sighed.

“I’ve got to figure out what the Senate is up to without alerting or offending them. What to do…”

***

While the Major headed off to deal with something, we celebrated the commoner team’s victory and watched as the Romellus Legionnaires beat the Brittania Knights. Soon enough, it was finally our turn to compete.

“Ladies and gentlemen, entering from the red gate…” the commentator announced, though I tuned him out to look at the opponent’s gate.

There, the Kengir Bulls were waiting for us.

When both teams arrived at the arena, both captains stepped forward to meet the referee. The referee then tossed a coin.

“The Bulls get first choice!” the referee announced.

It didn’t take a professional analyst to predict what the captain of the Bulls was going to choose.

“The Bulls have chosen a team relay battle as the match type!”

Asten looked over the Bulls before making his own choice.

“The Suns have chosen the open desert at noon as the setting!”

The crowds cheered as Asten made his way back to us.

“So, am I going to go and beat them up again?” I asked.

“No. We’ve already proven your strength in case your identity as a dragon is revealed. Now, we have to prove Tamery’s. We also don’t want to reveal too many of your abilities or make people think you’re the only strong member of our team. Nicotris, you’ll be going in. Crush them all and achieve a total victory.” He said.

Nico nodded and wordlessly stepped forward.

“And if she loses…? The Bulls are much stronger at one-on-one fights than the Torrents. It won’t be easy for Nico to beat all six of them.” Durreg said.

“That won’t happen. Nicotris will win.” Asten said.

“And if it does, I’ll go.”