Chapter 203: Looked Down
(Before we start the tournament, let us hear a few words from our beloved ruler, the noble King Radcliffe of the Fluer Kingdom.)
All the crowd stood up and clapped their hands as the king's name was called, as a sign of respect. I looked up at the highest floor of the colosseum and saw a quiet, cachectic middle aged man with a white beard, fully adorned in royal attire. He looked like a standard king from movies, except he was not as healthy looking as others.
Behind him, many nobles were seated, each with their own flags on the wall behind them.
King Radcliffe raised his hand, and the crowd stopped clapping and fell silent.
"Cough. Ehem. First of all, I want to give my utmost gratitude to all who have spent sweat and effort in preparing this grand event. Without them, this event would not have happened today."
"As you already know, in recent weeks, the situation in our kingdom has been quite chaotic. However, worry not. We have caught the perpetrator behind these ill deeds, and we will make sure that peace returns to the Fleur Kingdom."
"Yeaahh! Long live the king!"
The crowd cheered.
"And for the next few days, enjoy your time during the tournament. I promise, this year it will be one of the best events ever held."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The king was escorted down by his assistants. From the way he walked, it seemed he was not well. Is he sick? The princess did not mention anything about her father.
(Thank you for the great speech, my King. Now, without further ado, let us introduce all the guilds that will participate in the tournament. First of all, the reigning champion, Primal Beast!)
"Yeahhh!" A burst of cheers erupted. It seemed the Primal Beast guild was very famous.
The members of the guild paraded in the arena and waved at the crowd. Bob beside me was very excited and really regretted not being able to take any photos. Suddenly, my eyes locked onto the front of the parade, and I saw a half rabbit girl who looked completely blank. She must be the one William mentioned before.
---
At the area below the section of the king and the nobility, there was a lounge for all the guildmasters. And right now, Katarine, the Primal Beast guildmaster, was avoiding eye contact by covering her face with a fan as Salim glanced at her.
"I remember telling you not to involve Ursula in your team. Why can I see her in the parade right now?" Salim asked.
"Actually, we tried our best not to let her know. It was going well at first. But then, news broke out that Dawnbloom Guild suddenly has a new S-Rank, and somehow it reached that girl's ears. Well, rabbits and their hearing. So she insisted on joining. You know what will happen if she gets upset. So I think this is Dawnbloom Guild's fault," Katarine explained.
"Huh? Why is my guild suddenly responsible for that?" Mirinda said, irritated.
"I like it better this way. It will be more satisfying to trample your guild at full strength. Hahaha." Gabriel, the Red Eyes guildmaster, laughed.
"In your dream!" Katarine smirked. "Anyway, don't worry too much, Master Salim. She will only enter the Solo Duel category. Expect less destruction and chaos from her this year," she continued.
"Sigh. I hope that is the case," Salim sighed.
---
More and more guilds paraded into the arena. Until lastly…
((And the last guild, and the home team for this year, Dawnbloom Guild!!)
Finally, it was our guild's turn to parade, and the reaction was not as loud as before. The reception was only warm, with just some parts of the crowd cheering. Among them was Princess Reika, clapping her hands.
"Dawnbloom is only entering the tournament because they are the home team."
"They are just here to complete the roster. I don't have any expectations for them."
"Come on! Walk faster already!"
I could clearly hear the words from the crowd. All of them were insulting our guild. Somehow, I felt a burning sensation in my chest. I wanted to prove right now that our guild was not that weak!
"Yeah, that's right! Hate us more. The more they look down on us, the stronger the impact will be when we win this whole thing." Bob smirked, still clinging to his idea of making a comeback.
And this time, I was with him. I wanted to show that the Dawnbloom Guild right now is not the same as before. This G-rank adventurer will silence all their mouths.
(And with that, we have finally finished the guild introductions. Next, this is what all of you have been waiting for, I know it. As a tradition, an exhibition match will be held. And this year, it will be the same rivals. The Master of the Guilds, Master Salim. And his opponent, the one and only, the favorite of all, The Champion!!)
The commentator's voice echoed through the colosseum, mixed with the roaring cheers of the crowd. Suddenly, a huge, tough man jumped into the arena. He had dark skin and wore attire similar to a red Indian tribe from my world. He was Master Salim, and he looked powerful.
"Alan, there's your answer to your question just now." Maya pointed to the top of the colosseum.
I looked up and saw a man standing at the edge of the roof, wearing a red mask and holding a spear. He must be the Champion. All the kids and women were shouting his name as he appeared.
"Champion! Champion! Champion!"
The Champion jumped and performed a somersault in the air before landing in front of Salim. As I looked at him more closely, I suddenly noticed something.
Why do I feel like I know him?
Then it clicked.
The spear.
I had seen it before. There was only one person I knew who wielded that golden spear.
"Prince Reymond!" Bob and I said at the same time.