A few minutes later, Kael separated from Elira and Arlan, stood in the middle of the Battle Arena, and looked around. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire
All the nobles and guests at the party had arrived, while the normal seats were all empty since normal people weren't allowed to watch. The VIP section was packed with nobles whispering amongst themselves, eager to see what the Hero was truly capable of.
After all, this would be the first time they would see the Hero fight.
Then finally, Alden walked in, a Throne that gave him the best possible view of the battle was prepared for him. The nobles turned silent at his arrival and stood up from their seats.
Only once the King sat down did the others follow. Alden nodded at a few nobles before his eyes fell on Arlan, who was supposed to act as the arbiter. The Commander nodded as he stepped on the stage with the two fighters.
"Alright, let's keep this clean—"
"A moment, Commander!"
Marcus raised a hand, stepping forward.
Kael sighed internally.
Marcus turned to the audience.
"Before we begin, allow me to say a few words."
Kael's eye twitched, already knowing where this was going.
"Many have come here today to witness this battle. They wish to know whether the so-called Hero, chosen by Lord Feraos himself, is truly worthy of the title bestowed upon him or not.
They wonder—does he possess the strength, the discipline, and the experience required to stand alongside true warriors?"
Once again, Kael turned towards Arlan for help, and seeing his pitiful expression, the Commander grinned.
"This battle, however, is not merely about power. It is about proving one's worth, about the honor of the battlefield, about—"
Marcus, completely oblivious to his surroundings, continued as he lifted a hand dramatically, but then,
Arlan announced as he jumped back, signaling the start of the fight.
He still had a lot to say, but suddenly, his expression changed as his eyes fell on Kael, who had already rushed towards him.
He thought of reacting, but it was then that he realized it.
Marcus couldn't react to his speed at all.
He couldn't even take his fighting stance, and the Hero was already right in front of him.
He tried to say something, maybe in an attempt to buy time, but Kael wasn't having any of it. He had waited long enough for this, and now,
He was going to go all out.
A fist right on the Sergeant's nose, crushing it in an instant. The Sergeant's eyes widened in horror, his body failed to react, and before the pain could even kick in,
He was sent flying out of the stage, he collapsed on the floor outside and passed out.
The impact was too much for his brain to bear, and it reacted by shutting down the Sergeant's body functions.
Yes, the battle was over.
Absolute silence fell over the Arena until finally,
"Winner, Kael Carter."
Arlan announced with a shrug, and the medic team rushed towards the fallen fighter.
That was all it took to end the battle.
The Warriors of the Eryndor felt humiliated, until finally,
One of them shouted, unable to control himself.
This began a chain reaction as the rest of the warriors affiliated with Eryndor pointed their fingers at Kael as well.
"He attacked before the opponent was prepared! That's not how a warrior is supposed to fight!"
"It was a mixed venture!
The arbiter cut off Marcus in the middle of his words and started the battle, and the Hero took this opportunity to end the battle! It was shameful to watch!"
"Yes! It was cowardly!"
"How could the Drakthar Kingdom allow this!?"
"I request a rematch, and this time, with a different arbiter overseeing the duel!"
Clearly, the representatives of Eryndor were enraged.
And Kael, who was the target of that rage, shrugged with a smirk as he walked back to where he stood, prepared for another battle.
After all, he knew this wasn't the end.
Heck, with all the political strains he sensed, he would be disappointed if this thing ended so quickly.
Even right now, as the Eryndor warriors bashed him, he could sense how the rest of the nobles were reacting to it.
Especially Edric's reaction.
The Crown Prince was silent, which the clueless would find surprising. After all, the Prince would stand up every time someone dared to sully the Kingdom's image. These soldiers pointing fingers at Drakthar were definitely something that would annoy him.
The Prince, however, just smirked.
After all, he knew what was going to happen.
"I apologize on my people's behalf, Your Majesty."
Cedric bowed his head as he glanced at Alden, and in an instant, silence fell over the place, especially the cabinet of Eryndor Warriors.
The raging warriors froze as they realized their Commander had lowered his head.
No, these soldiers didn't care about Eryndor's or the Commander's image. That was their least priority, especially right now when…
"It seems that I have allowed my subordinates to become comfortable enough to blame their defeat on other foolish factors."
Cedric then momentarily glanced at his men, and,
"I assure you, King Alden, I will look into this matter and make sure these warriors never disappoint you or me again."
The warriors' bodies trembled at those words.
They all knew what it meant.
They would soon be punished for their 'mistakes.'
"But Commander Cedric!"
Suddenly, one of the warriors raised his head with a determined look on his face. Since it was already decided that they would be punished, he decided to keep his point before going down.
"Isn't it true that the Hero used cowardly methods to defeat Sergeant Marcus? While we were wrong for losing our control, shouldn't the Hero be a bit braver and prideful than that?
He is supposed to protect Nerathis. These cowardly methods might have awarded him with a victory here, but what if the opponent doesn't fall for his trickery?
What if Sergeant Marcus hadn't lost focus and fought back? Wouldn't the result be different? Wasn't the Hero's victory reliant on luck?"
Cedric raised his eyebrow.
"Marcus was knocked down with one punch.
Do you think it is possible to knock out an Eryndor Warrior in one punch without being strong enough?"
The Commander questioned, and the warrior's expression changed.
"The Hero was much stronger than Marcus. It was a battle Marcus could have never won.
If anything, this was probably the Hero's attempt to save Eryndor's reputation, which you, with your actions, spoiled even further."
The Warrior stuttered, unable to believe what he heard.
'What in the hell...?'
Let alone him, even Kael himself was taken aback by those words.
'Is this what they call the Protagonist's Aura?'
He wondered in his head and suddenly, Cedric glanced at him and nodded with a smile on his face, Kael smiled back.
Obviously, if he was being given free credit, he would take it.
"What was I even expecting from a bunch of fools who know nothing but to recklessly swing their swords?"
Then suddenly, a long sigh was heard.
"It was embarrassing enough to see how he was taken down by such a simple trick, but to think his brutish companions would cause a scene as well,
As expected of Eryndor I guess?"
The Tower Head obviously wouldn't give up on the chance to mock her rivals.