Unexpected Royal Competition

The ritual dipping in the red pond had come to an end, and now they stood in the grandest hall of the City Lord's house.

People, nobles and commoners, merchants and workers alike. lined the walls surrounding the center. They watched in silence as they observed the thirty-two students in their uniforms.

Most had changed during the ritual: some only slightly, others completely transformed. Sophie now had piercing green eyes, Rolf stood taller and stronger, Roland's hair had turned crimson red...

Sol was among those who appeared unchanged, yet everyone now emanated an aura that hadn't been there before.

At the far end of the hall, a massive man sat upon an ornate chair, draped in beautiful robes adorned with intricate designs. His curious gaze studied them intently.

The City Lord stood at a respectful distance beside him, rigid with attention.

"Come forward!" the man commanded, his voice deep and authoritative.

Liam stepped forward and positioned himself before the students, nervous and unable to meet the giant's eyes.

"Hmm. What is your name, boy?"

Liam stammered before answering, "Servant of the axe!"

"Ha! Licking my boots already!" The nameless man slammed his thigh and chuckled. "Tell me your real name!"

His face was filled with amusement.

Liam glanced sideways before repeating, "Servant of the axe!"

The man shook his head and looked toward the lord. "His name is Liam Rumble Steel!"

"Aha, one of your nobles." The man leaned back in his chair.

Liam had never been subjected to such scrutiny—not by someone they knew only as "Royal."

"Liam," the royal asked, "are you the best in your class?"

Liam's heart skipped a beat. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he found himself saying, "No."

The man frowned. "Then how did the axe choose you?" His voice carried disappointment. "It only selects the best."

His gaze swept over the rest of the class lined up before him. Liam stepped aside, no longer blocking their view.

"The best of the class should step forward!" the royal demanded.

No one moved. The man's eyes grew stern as he glared at them.

Sol glanced toward Rolf—surely he should... But before he could finish the thought, two hands from either side pushed him forward.

"Hey, what the—" Sol exclaimed unexpectedly.

A chill ran down his spine as he snapped to attention before the royal.

"Are you the best of your class?" the royal asked, his voice resonating deeply.

"I... don't know," Sol replied.

He desperately wanted to avoid this man's scrutiny.

The royal was intimidating, larger than his master but in a formidable way. Beautiful robes adorned his frame, yet arm guards encased his hands, and he wore sturdy boots and leg protection. This was clearly a man of war, his bearing and voice speaking volumes.

The royal's expression relaxed slightly. "Then who is?" he asked, less commanding now.

Sol turned to point at a random classmate but found the entire class pointing at him. Sophie and Roland, who had pushed him forward from either side, joined the rest in their silent accusation.

Sol couldn't bring himself to point at any of them, yet admitting he was the best felt wrong. He had been skilled initially, but eventually his classmates had matched his abilities.

Sol swallowed hard and faced the man.

"You didn't point at anyone," the royal observed with amusement. "Then you are the best!"

Sol stammered before the man shouted, "Tell me!"

"Yes," Sol's voice rose.

"Yes, what?" the man demanded, and Sol found himself saying, "Yes... I am the best."

The man leaned back with a playful smile, clearly enjoying the students' trembling.

Even the lord standing nearby appeared uneasy, let alone the watching audience.

His gaze returned to Liam Rumble Steel. "So who is second best?"

"I'm second best!" Liam quickly declared.

The students glanced at him before nodding. While Liam was competent, he excelled at appropriating others' ideas, quickly mastering them better than their originators before presenting them to teacher.

"Tell me, best of the class—how much Ei did you obtain from the red pond?" the royal inquired.

"100,000 Ei!" Sol answered rapidly.

The man stood swiftly and appeared before Sol as if he had teleported, creating no wind disturbance. His massive hand, larger than Sol's head, lifted the boy's chin.

"100,000 Ei is the limit a Zero Era can achieve," he murmured curiously. "I wonder what Oathbound you received."

Nothing occurred as his gaze bore into Sol. The boy was drenched in sweat but maintained eye contact.

"Interesting. So she is interested in you," his voice dropped to barely a whisper that only Sol could hear.

"Liam, how much Ei do you possess?" the royal demanded, turning his attention to the other boy.

"70,000 Ei," Liam stammered, his gaze darting between Sol and the giant before him.

The students were equally shocked by Sol's extraordinary Ei count. "Is there anyone else with over 70,000?" the royal asked.

They looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Anyone with 60,000?" he pressed.

Sophie stepped forward. "65,000 Ei!"

"Excellent." The royal looked down at Sol. "You truly are the best. Unfortunately, your body isn't conditioned for combat. I thought that large hand might indicate physical prowess, but I was mistaken."

He turned and instantly returned to his chair, crossing one leg over the other as he smiled. "Liam, you're fortunate he isn't equipped to wield the axe, or I would have replaced you."

Growing more excited, he continued, "Let's do something entertaining. The best student and Liam, come to my side. Lord Vern, have the remaining thirty students fight. I want the ten strongest among them within thirty minutes."

"Yes, Your Royal Highness." Lord Vern moved and organized the students into one-on-one matches, limited to using their books.

Iron Dome could be molded into shields or oval constructs for attacks. It could flow over uniforms, allowing for hand-to-hand combat.

"I will supervise. No interference!" the royal declared, his eyes crescent-shaped with enjoyment as the clumsy battles began.

Though Iron Dome spells were dangerous and could cause serious injury if misused, he subtly intervened to prevent severe harm.

Sophie formed a shield and faced another student, ramming them together. Both were blasted backward, but Sophie managed to remain standing while her opponent fell.

Another pair approached, molding their hands into iron for fist-fighting. Each landed blow would normally cause significant injury, but they continued until one emerged victorious.

Sol watched the fights, knowing he could have performed better. But why had he and Liam been singled out?

"Hey, look confident," the royal joked to Som. "Quick—straighten your back, chest out, chin up!"

Sol complied with the instructions.

"Your eyes lack confidence. Glare at them, don't look with fear!"

Sol felt like crying. Having no idea how to accomplish this, he simply widened his eyes, causing the man to laugh.

"Tell me your name."

Sol gripped his communication device and was about to speak when it vanished from his hand.

"So you're mute!" the royal asked, surprised.

Sol could only nod.

The royal looked toward Lord Vern. "This boy is mute!"

"Yes, Your Royal Highness. He is mute!"

The royal man addressed the fighting students: "You fools were outdone by a mute boy! Ha ha!"

His accusations and laughter briefly halted the combat before he waved them to continue.

He tossed the device aside. "Don't rely on that for speaking!"

Sol could only sigh. While proud to stand beside the seated royal, he was extremely nervous. Without his device, he couldn't respond to questions.

Then a man approached and whispered to him at length before departing.

Sol nodded and beamed happily—he could use his book to communicate.

Within thirty minutes, twenty students had been eliminated, leaving ten with minor injuries. The royal waved his hand, instantly healing them to their prime condition.

They gazed fearfully at the two who hadn't fought.

Sol was devastated. Were they expected to fight the ten best students?

"Liam," the royal called, "you will lead them to defeat him!"

Sol stumbled backward, mouthing 'What?' in horror. Among the top ten were noble children including Rolf and others with volatile tempers.

"The best student, stand there!" Sol was moved to another section of the hall. "Liam, join them. You have ten minutes to strategize against him."

Liam walked to the group and they moved to the opposite side. None were foolish enough to speak ill of Sol or feel arrogant about facing him.

Sol stared at them, drenched in sweat. He had never fought before. Glancing at the royal, he saw the man grinning, clearly enjoying his terror.

With only two minutes remaining as the students discussed their attack strategy—this was, after all, an order from royal bloodline—a voice echoed through the audience.

"Who is his guardian?"

A trembling mountain of flesh squeezed forward from the back, revealing himself.

"Zavien Ashkarion, you're still growing," the man teased. Zavien bowed while wiping sweat from his face.

"Calm down. I'll reward both you and your boy with my Oathbound if he wins this fight."

Sol's heart skipped a beat. Another Oathbound—from a royal he'd just met!

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness!" Zavien's voice echoed as he bowed ninety degrees, smiling from ear to ear.

For Sol, nervousness vanished, replaced by determination. He pulled out his book and flipped to a specific page.

Ideas collided as he bit his pen's tip before beginning to write.

Yesterday, he learned about cells as the building blocks of human bodies.

That meant other objects had similar fundamental units. He snuck his Eiros Glass into his clothing, mapped it, then transferred the information into his book, creating a lifelike image.

Frowning at the remaining minute, he looked around—at a knight, at the staring audience—searching for inspiration before returning to his book and scribbling frantically.

"Time's up!" The royal eyes sparkling with excitement. "In three, two, one... go! Crush each other!"

'Clap!'

Sol's book snapped shut as he faced his opponents spreading from different angles. Some formed shields, others oval constructs. Some covered their uniforms, others their fists, all advancing toward him.

Sol smiled as his body glowed with intense iron color, and a tremendous weight settled upon his opponents.

Gasps rose from the audience. Even Lord Vern looked surprised. Sol's uniform was being molded by iron force from his book, and within seconds, full body armor encased him.

Sophie didn't hesitate—she knew how Sol's brilliant mind operated and attacked with an oval construct.

'Boom!'

Her construct exploded upon contact with Sol's iron armor, sending her flying backward.

The armor resembled that of the knight standing by the door, though less bulky and perfectly fitted to Sol's body.

"Attack! Don't let him finish!" Liam ordered, raising the axe that had been with him throughout.

Sol reacted instinctively, forming an iron shield with his right hand.

More gasps rose from the audience—it resembled the decorated shield displayed in the hall.

As Liam closed in, ensuring Sol's attention remained on him, he was confident his Grade 3 axe could shatter the hastily formed shield. But iron force materialized before the shield itself.

'Bam!

Liam struck downward the iron force blast but was pushed back, sliding as fatigue settled on his muscles.