Chapter 41

“Gide! Over here!”

Gide moved towards the spot where Adler was shouting and waving his hand to indicate his location.

There, all the members of the Stonecrafter Guild were gathered and seated.

“It feels like everyone in the world is gathered here.”

“Really!? What did you say!? I can’t hear you!”

Due to the noisy sounds all around, it was hard to hear even though Adler was sitting right next to him.

Gide looked at the landscape of the arena that he had worked on not long ago at the Stonecrafter Guild.

Except for the Grand Temple, the seats surrounding the central arena were filled with people, unlike when he had been working there.

The seats on the opposite side and to the left were densely packed with humans.

Humans. Humans. Humans. Humans. Humans.

For the first time, Gide realized how many humans lived on this land.

It felt as if all the humans in the city, or indeed the world, had gathered in this wide yet cramped space.

A martial arts festival that could only be challenged once in a lifetime, determining a total of nine champions by competing between the three classes of slaves, commoners, and nobles, each divided by age into three more categories.

Using only their self-trained bodies and dedicating their martial skills and lives to the deity, the winners receive the powers bestowed by the god and are reborn as the god’s servants.

Although there were medical staff on standby to treat injuries, it was said that people often died as well.

As a makeshift platform rose in the center of the arena, the brave warriors participating in the festival stood at the front of the arena through a dedicated passage, and the audience filled with anticipation and hope erupted in cheers for these valiant warriors, filling the wide arena with the heat as if the sun had descended upon the earth.

The participants stood proudly, wrapped only in a white cloth around their loins, without wearing tops.

Among the participants of the martial arts festival were some who had just reached adulthood (13 years) and appeared small, as well as those covered in scars, emanating an extraordinary aura like seasoned warriors.

However, regardless of who they were, those competing directly in the martial arts festival were the ones who had prevailed over others in the preliminary rounds.

It was bound to be an exciting match.

As a beautiful woman ascended the makeshift platform, Gide stopped what he was doing, applauding along with the other spectators who erupted into applause and cheers.

As the other spectators began to quiet down, and the noise in the arena started to fade, the woman slowly opened her mouth.

“This year, the sacred and grand festival has returned.”

The woman’s voice was gentle, yet somehow it felt as though it resonated throughout the vast arena.

Gide was taken aback and looked around, but others seemed to be unfazed, perhaps already accustomed to it.

After noticing a few others who reacted similarly to him, he feigned calmness to avoid appearing foolish.

Did the king’s soldiers and the king’s aides all possess extraordinary abilities?

The identity of the woman was Alia, the prime minister of this country.

Although her voice was beautiful and pleasant, her lengthy speech was somewhat tedious.

Unlike Gide, who was stifling yawns out of boredom, the pious ones were listening with hands clasped over their hearts in a humble manner.

“I just want to see the fights already.”

As he distractedly scanned his surroundings, Gide’s gaze settled on the tall pillar between the arena and the Grand Temple.

It had seemed short when looking up from the arena, but it definitely stood out from the spectator stands.

“I wonder what that is.”

It’s said that the messenger of the gods looks down from above; shouldn’t it already be up there?

It seemed like it would look very odd if someone were to climb up with so many people watching.

“…I wish you glory, and I will conclude my address with this.”

As he let Alia’s speech drift through one ear and out the other while contemplating other things, Gide clapped along with the applause that erupted around him when the prime minister finished speaking.

“Finally, it’s over.”

“Next, we shall call upon the great Pohelrn, who is the seventh heir of the heavens and earth’s messenger, and the master of King Priegoss of the Elven Road.”

At the words following the prime minister’s announcement, Gide raised his head.

“A High Elf!”

Not only did he think of himself, but he also knew that even the king could not treat him carelessly!

“Of course, the king himself is also a disciple of the High Elf…”

El Araya, was it?

That didn’t sound like a strong name.

“By the way, isn’t the earth goddess named El Prigion? Could it really be a descendant of the gods?”

But they were a being that bestows strength upon the valorous king and soldiers, taking them as disciples.

Moreover, they command giants nearly 30 feet (9m) tall, do they not?

He had no idea what being a High Elf truly meant…

Gide imagined a figure towering over 20 feet (6m) with six arms, bulging eyes, sharp teeth, and the ability to breathe fire.

In that instant, awe rippled through the arena.

Following the expressions of the spectators who gasped, Gide’s gaze followed them towards the Grand Temple.

Something was rising into the air from the direction of the Grand Temple.

What appeared to be a small dot shot upwards, merging with the sun above, causing people to squint their eyes from sudden brightness.

At the apex, it began to descend towards the ground.

A bird? No… a giant butterfly?

The being that had plummeted from hundreds of yards overhead began to flutter gracefully in waves of green and gold, landing atop the pillar’s seat in the center.

It leaned lazily against the pillar’s seat with an elegant demeanor.

The arena, filled with tens of thousands of humans, fell into silence.

This silence was different from the earlier calm that had allowed Prime Minister Alia to begin her address.

Everyone in the arena was captivated by the being on the pillar, as if they had been swept into a massive gravitational force.

Hair that looked like it had been spun from pure gold shimmered and reflected sunlight, creating waves of gold beneath the sun.

Its sharp, piercing eyes looked down upon the protagonists of the day with an aura that seemed transcendent and removed from the mundane.

Could it be that this being had just reached adulthood (13 years)? No, it looked even younger.

The oversized, ill-fitting green fabric draped over its small body gave it an unusually languid appearance that seemed almost seductive in its movement.

It was undeniably present, yet at the same time, felt ethereal and surreal, leading to a bizarre sensation that muddled the senses.

The High Elf descended from the sky above, erasing the sense of reality within this vast space, as it glanced around.

“Did it smile?”

For a moment, it felt as though the High Elf had smiled, but when he looked again, its expression remained aloof and detached.

“Oh… no way…”

It seemed to have an aura of prideful grace, yet would such a being make such frivolous smiles?

The profound silence that filled the arena shattered as the High Elf lightly struck the chair.

“Huh…”

“It’s always hard to adapt to seeing Lady Araya, no matter how many times I do.”

“Oh… divine one…”

In that moment, those who felt as though they had returned to their original world began to murmur about the wondrous experience they had just witnessed.

Gide turned his head at the feeling of someone poking him in the side.

“What’s it like seeing a High Elf, the messenger of the gods?”

“Uh…”

Though Gide blushed at Adler’s somewhat mischievous question, he found himself unable to articulate the experience.

“I get it. There’s a huge difference between hearing about it and seeing it in person.”

“…Do you think I could participate in the martial arts festival?”

“Haha… you’ve really fallen for it now.”

Adler laughed when he saw Gide’s expression.

“Still, I wouldn’t recommend it. Most people don’t even get past the preliminaries, and if you’re not careful, you could end up injured.”

“…”

“Haha—don’t be too disappointed.”

Adler made a meaningful expression.

“You’re very lucky, Gide. Being close to Lady Araya doesn’t necessarily mean you have to become a servant of the gods.”

“…Is there another way?”

“Heh heh… if you can maintain solid results and earn trust in our guild, perhaps?”

Those around them who were listening to Gide and Adler’s conversation warned Adler not to say unnecessary things.

“Let’s just enjoy the martial arts festival for now.”

Winking an eye, Adler.

Gide pondered over Adler’s words.

“…Is there really a way to get closer to Lady Araya besides the martial arts festival?”

The voice of Araya announcing the commencement of the martial arts festival, although not loud, spread throughout the arena.

“Her voice is pleasant.”

It sounded relaxed yet felt clear and refreshing, like flowing water.

Amidst cheers, the martial arts festival began.

Gide ceased his thoughts and started to enjoy the festival.

The fighters employed not only fists and feet but also elbows, grappling throws, and joint locks against their opponents.

During the fights, one of the referees had to intervene to stop a fighter from doing real harm to an opponent who was knocked out from excessive excitement.

Among the matches, the duels of the slave class were the most desperate and popular.

Slaves could be freed after five years of servitude, but even as commoners, they would be left with nothing.

Moreover, even if they became commoners, they would still be subject to underlying discrimination.

Most importantly, those who had become slaves were individuals who had been captured and had resisted against King Priegoss during the war until the end.

They were desperate to escape the humiliation of being under King Priegoss and to take on a position that transcended human law under the gods.

Moreover, among the slaves were many who had once been respected individuals in their towns or cities while corresponding to nobility in Pohelrn, meaning many had been well-fed and well-educated.

Such individuals fought with the tempered ferocity of their experience as slaves after the war, and it was not a typical ferocity.

BLOOD!

The frequency of bloody scenes was common, and even if joints were dislocated and broken, many would charge in with malicious eyes until they fainted.

Every time a dramatic match unfolded, the cheers from the crowd grew louder.

And the nine champions who would take the spotlight in the martial arts festival were decided.

Though all of them had bruises all over from several battles, they stood on the arena with excited expressions.

Among the former slaves, both youth and middle-aged fighters were shedding tears.

While an individual who looked like a child, merely thirteen years old, remained expressionless.

Soon it was time for the awards ceremony for the victors.

Lady Araya, who had been silently watching throughout the matches, stood up from her seat.

“Wow…!”

“It’s a miracle!”

“Lady Araya!”

“It’s the power of the sky god Ul Kanadiel!”

Araya walked down from the pillar as if stepping onto invisible stairs in the void.

Among those who witnessed this miracle, some began to bow, disregarding the confined space of the arena.

At that moment, four women in unique attire ascended to the arena.

When he asked Adler, he said they were priestesses, the servants of the gods who were not warriors.

“Kneel!”

As the priestesses commanded, all the winners of the martial arts festival knelt.

“I have witnessed your efforts well. The gods are pleased.”

Araya adorned the victors with crowns made of intertwining dates leaves, placing them on each one’s head.

With each crown positioned atop their heads, the winners trembled in joy.

“Heal the heroes’ wounds, cleanse them, and lead them to the temple.”

As people began to enter the arena and guide the victors,

“Let the priestesses praise the fights of the newly reborn heroes and commemorate them. I shall prepare to welcome the heroes who will return to the bosom of the gods in the temple.”

Suddenly, a large deer with a divine aura approached Araya.

Araya entrusted herself to the sacred deer’s form.

The deer let out a long cry before it began leaping towards the direction of the Grand Temple.

Although the Grand Temple was surrounded by a moat with no path leading to it, even the animals serving the messenger of the gods seemed worthy of being called divine beasts, as the deer leaped across the water.

The spectators sighed deeply as they lamented the departure of Lady Araya, who had appeared as a celestial being, but soon they became absorbed in the sword dance of the priestesses wielding their swords.

“Wow…!”

“Am I seeing things? It looks like a vision of a vibrant date palm flower at the end of the swords the priestesses are dancing with!”

“I see it too!”

Even after the martial arts festival concluded, the heat of the arena continued until the sun dipped below the horizon.

As darkness began to set in and people left the arena, everyone started sharing their special experiences of the day with excited expressions, and the taverns throughout the city stayed lit all night long.

Gide was among them.

“…I must ask Adler about what he mentioned earlier.”

Gide kept filling his tankard with ale throughout the night, trying to calm his still-thumping heart as he spent the night with others.

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