53: Choice

"You may rise."

The moment Abel Morningstar spoke, every spectator in the Colosseum rose and took their seats, with the entire becoming so silent a drop of needle could be heard from anywhere.

"As some of you know, we are here today because my grandson, Silver Morningstar, is going to undergo his rite of passage today."

Murmurs instantly spread throughout the Colosseum when all heard the King's words.

[At The VIP Section]

"So the rumors were true." A male merchant with multiple gold rings and chains spoke with a surprised tone while swirling a red wine glass cup.

"I never expected the young prince to undergo his rite of passage at such a young age." A female wealthy merchant to his left remarked, also with a surprised tone. Behind her were two male servants who constantly fanned her while holding a tray of exotic fruits.

"But I heard the young prince is not as talented as his brothers. Why would the king allow him to undergo his rite of passage at such a young age? Wouldn't it still be a devastating loss to Sparta and even the Morningstar family if he dies despite his average talent?" An old man with a fairly long beard spoke while stroking his beard. He was wearing a black suit while holding a walking stick, and on each of his fingers were various rings.

"Because you're a foreigner you probably don't know…" The male merchant with the red glass cup paused, and then he looked at Abel Morningstar with a gaze filled with respect and also fear.

"... Everybody might think the king is a nice and benevolent king, but that is not entirely the truth. The king is also extremely ruthless, and his family are no exceptions to his ruthlessness. In fact, due to the high expectations he has of them, it can be said that he's more ruthless to his family members than to outsiders."

The old man stroked his beard once more as he gazed at the king with a tinge of intrigue. The female merchant was the same.

"But I also heard the king treats the young prince very kindly and is not ruthless to him." The female merchant spoke, and then she gestured to her servants and one of them fed her.

The male merchant swirled the wine in his glass cup with a chuckle, "From what I heard, the reason why the king is so lenient to the young prince is because his brothers are already so outstanding and he doesn't really expect much from him. Since his brother's are already so outstanding, it doesn't matter whether the young prince's talents are average or not. His brothers feats have most likely satisfied the king more than enough."

The male merchant took a sip from his cup, and then he chuckled, "In my opinion, that is much worse since it basically means the young prince is not even considered to be in line for the throne. The best he can achieve is most likely a high position in the army."

"But even that would be difficult since there are no lack of geniuses among our youths. Not only are there talented youths from the noble family, there are also talented youths among the commoners."

The female merchant smiled as she spoke, and the old man in a black suit chuckled softly.

"This is really a golden era for Spartans. So many geniuses."

Just as the old man in black suit spoke, the male merchant suddenly glanced at the center of the arena and his eyes flickered.

"Seems like the king has finished the introduction speech. The young prince is with him right now."

The moment the male merchant spoke, the female merchant and the old man looked at the arena, and just as the male merchant said, the young prince, Silver Morningstar stood beside his grandfather, the King.

----

After listening to his grandfather's speech which lasted for about five minutes, Silver was called up by his grandfather to make a decision.

Choosing his rite of passage.

As he walked to the arena, he could hear the murmurs of his present family members around him.

He could hear the voices of his present brothers, Gabriel, Nathaniel, and Sebastian. He could hear the voices of his Aunts- Gabriel's mother, Nathaniel's mother, and Sebastian's mother.

He could also feel the gaze of his mother which was filled with warmth and concern. He could feel his father's gaze which was filled with belief and hope. He could also feel his grandfather watching him as he approached his side, though he could not understand the gaze in his grandfather's eyes.

But he was not bothered.

While he walked to the arena, he recalled the details of the rites of passage.

There were three rites of passage a Spartan could choose from:

The first rite of passage was a death match in the colosseum. The death match was usually between the Spartan and a prisoner. Rows of prisoners would be brought before the Spartan, and the Spartan would choose the prisoner he or she wants to fight. The prisoners were also at the same level as the Spartan.

The second was to spend a month in the forest near the Spartan capital, and before the end of the month, the Spartan must bring back a beast he or she had killed. The stronger the beast he or she had killed, the more reputation and honor a Spartan would gain.

There have been Spartans who had tried to fool either the king, the nine family heads, or a rite of passage official, but they were always caught and put to the death.

Even if the Spartan was the king's favourite child or the heir of one of the nine noble families, he or she would be executed without fail.

Attempting to cheat in a rite of passage was punishable by death.

The third rite of passage was the least chosen rite of passage- Spending a month at the northern sea. This was the most dangerous rite of passage because of how unpredictable the sea could be and also because of the monstrous creatures and beasts that inhabited the depths, most Spartans rarely chose the third rite of passage.

If a Spartan chose this rite of passage, he or she just had to survive in the sea for a month. There was no need for the Spartan to bring back a sea creature he or she had killed. Just surviving in the sea was a feat on its own.

Silver stood in front of grandfather, and looked at his grandfather with a calm gaze. The chatter from the commoners could not be heard as his mind was only on his grandfather's next words and his reply.

"Silver Morningstar, what rite of passage do you wish to undergo?"

Silver blinked, and with a deep inhale, he replied,

"I choose to undergo all three rite of passages."