Chapter 82: Those in Power are Confused, Observers are Clear

Chapter 82: Those in Power are Confused, Observers are Clear

The time had come to the following day.

Just like yesterday, Airael disguised herself early in the morning to visit the Grand Arena.

While she still had to handle those tedious political affairs, this situation wasn’t just a personal matter for Airael, but also a significant issue for the Elven Race.

Therefore, Airael could not afford to take it lightly.

In the absence of an appropriate opportunity for her to show herself, she had no choice but to don a disguise.

Unlike yesterday, today she was accompanied by only Celia, as she had sent Aurora on an errand.

Settling into her seat in the stands, Airael and Celia quietly awaited the start of the competition.

Soon, the competitors began to enter.

Today, there were four fighters, perfectly scheduling two matches.

The first match pitted Arthur against Hannah from the Musler Kingdom.

In the arena, Arthur stood firmly with his sword in hand.

Hannah, holding a round shield in one hand and a curved sword in the other, watched Arthur warily.

He had certainly heard of Arthur’s great name.

After yesterday’s exhibition, he needed to be cautious, not only of Arthur’s already formidable skills but also of that long sword he wielded.

Facing such a magical weapon, even though he was confident about his own equipment, he didn’t think they would withstand Arthur’s attack for long.

Seeing that Hannah had no intention of launching an attack, Arthur took the initiative.

He tightened his grip on the sword and charged toward Hannah, delivering a ferocious slash.

Hannah deftly dodged Arthur’s strike with a nimble sidestep.

As Arthur swung, he took advantage of his agile frame to get in close and jab the curved sword towards Arthur’s right flank.

Arthur retreated to avoid the blade, pulling back his sword to strike at Hannah once again.

Hannah skillfully evaded once more.

At the start of the battle, both were only utilizing fifty to sixty percent of their abilities, preserving considerable leeway.

Especially Hannah, who was particularly cautious.

It couldn’t be helped; Arthur had placed a lot of pressure on him.

Under the extreme caution of Hannah, Arthur didn’t want to apply too much pressure either.

It was evident that Hannah was focusing on a more agile approach today.

If Hannah kept avoiding, Arthur would have to expend tremendous effort to achieve any results.

Thus, Arthur’s strategy was simple: present the facade of weakness.

Although his previous battle had been quite flashy, Arthur clearly understood.

Everyone involved had confidence, some even to the point of arrogance.

The belief that others couldn’t defeat them didn’t imply they couldn’t either.

As long as he made Hannah believe he wasn’t insurmountable, Hannah would shift from defense to proactive offense.

In the stands, Airael observed the two combatants closely.

Although she could vaguely sense Arthur’s tactics, she found it hard to muster any interest in such a mundane fight.

Even though one of the fighters had a very close relationship with her.

Not only Airael, many others also perceived that Arthur had ulterior motives.

Seeing Airael looking lethargic, Celia pondered before asking, “Miss, do you think Hannah will fall for Mr. Axi’s scheme?”

Hearing Celia’s question, Airael shifted her gaze from the arena to Celia and replied, “Celia, I wonder if you’ve heard this saying: Those in power are confused, observers are clear!”

“What does that mean?”

Celia inquired out of curiosity.

She had merely aimed to spark a conversation to stave off the boredom for Her Majesty, not expecting an unexpected gain.

“Observers are clear means that as spectators watching the battle from the stands, we can see the entire situation and analyze the battle from an overall perspective.”

Celia nodded in understanding.

“And those in power are confused means that once you’re in the fray, you can only see a part of the whole, unable to grasp the entire view. With a limited perspective, certain things become hard to comprehend. Moreover, once warriors get caught up in the heat of battle, they often neglect the bigger picture.”

Celia nodded empathetically after hearing this.

That was indeed true.

She had her own moments of being swept up in the heat of the moment.

After explaining to Celia, Airael shifted her focus back to the arena.

In the ring, the battle between Arthur and Hannah had begun to intensify.

Having initially managed to avoid significant losses and gradually gaining some ground against Arthur, Hannah started to become bolder.

He began to forget the strength of Arthur, his excitement burning fiercely within him.

And with such a long journey to the Elven Race, he was unwilling to give up just like that.

Since he could fight, why not go all out!

With this thought in mind, Hannah’s fighting style became increasingly aggressive.

From initially attacking with only fifty to sixty percent of his strength, he gradually escalated to seventy to eighty percent.

Throughout this process, Arthur maintained his composure and continued to guide Hannah.

Though the pressure on him increased, Arthur bore it for the sake of ultimate victory.

This was reflected in the fight as Hannah relentlessly swung his curved sword, pushing Arthur to retreat again and again.

And Arthur wasn’t pretending.

He genuinely felt significant pressure.

Apart from the advantage of his weapon, he didn’t have a huge edge over these competitors.

Everyone was elite among humanity, not to mention that some were older than him.

Hannah was one of them.

This signified they had more time to hone their skills.

If these individuals truly unleashed their full potential, Arthur was not without the possibility of stumbling.

As the battle continued, Airael’s heart began to race.

Although she already knew this was a trap set by Arthur, gradually, everyone was getting drawn into it.

“Miss, it looks like Mr. Axi is in danger,” Celia said worriedly from beside her.

Clearly, she too had become enmeshed in the situation.

Airael did not respond.

Inside, she was conflicted.

If Arthur lost, she could proceed with her plans as originally intended.

But if he won, she’d be torn!

While it seemed they had communicated well that day, Airael was still quite troubled.

Her identity as the Elven Queen meant she couldn’t be completely irrational.

She held a considerable amount of rationality within her.

Not hearing a response from Airael, Celia turned to glance at her, only to find Airael intently focused on the two fighters in the arena.

Then, a smile crept onto her face.

Everything was unsaid but understood.

Misunderstood by Celia, Airael was still tangled in her inner thoughts.