[Aiden's POV]
The scene after entering the gate was much livelier and in stark opposition to the battle of words that occurred outside. It gave a sense of relief, even if just for a moment.
Seraphine was the first to ask this time, "Who was that person, Master? He talked sweet, but there was a threat or taunt behind his every word."
"I have to agree with the Angel spawn here, Boss," Thane showed agreement.
"He was what you call the bane of my existence in my academy life…" I spoke, first telling them about his background while we strolled through the road.
Our destination wasn't fixed, so I decided to shake off the disturbing memories by walking and maybe sharing with my companions.
"When I joined the academy, I was top of the class in both fields, theory and physical. My hand-to-hand combat was second to none, and no one could catch up to me in theory." I started sharing my academy life, although there were some memories I would like to forget.
"There's a reason, Arclight Clan didn't expel me even after I openly disliked their policies. I was the prodigy Arclights never had."
"In physical, Zale was my second. He always came second, and that's why he started to resent me. He said I stole his spotlight. I just ignored it, as it didn't affect me."
"Why didn't you pummel him, Boss?" Thane interjected.
"Oh... I did, but never unofficially, always in the ring of the Academy, in front of everyone." I answered, "Anyway, the problem arose in theory. When I topped in class, my second was Nathan."
"He first tried to befriend me; I was happy to talk to someone in my usual alone life. But suddenly, I started hearing rumors about 'my standing in the Arclight clan.'"
"Up until now, only those close to my family and some higher officials of the family knew that I was called "trash heir."
"But as that rumor spread like it had wings of its own, and despite being the top student of the batch, I was isolated just like I was in the family." As I spoke, my fist clenched as I remembered the jabs and remarks of those students.
At that time, I was still used to being naive, so it pained a lot more when suddenly, I became the one person everybody could gang up on psychologically.
"Even amidst all that, Nathan continued to be my friend. So, my days still went by; however, one day, about 2-3 weeks after rumors started."
"When I was approaching Nathan like usual, he suddenly spoke in a loud voice, "How dare you, trash heir of the Arclight, approach me?" Those were the exact words."
"I still remembered them vividly, as if it happened yesterday. From that day onwards, you can say, I truly realized my naiveté. Everything clicked; the only person I shared my life with was Nathan."
"Earlier, I assumed that it was done by some clan members of mine. But that event was a hard wake-up call for me."
"But, I guess, I am still a little naive because even remembering that event is still hurtful to me." I ended my long explanation.
My legs halted as I finished speaking; all the pain and bitterness, something that I had bottled away, threatened to spill over again. I reeled myself in, trying not to appear so weak in front of them.
Seraphine interrupted the cold silence, "Pardon me, Young Master; my curiosity caused you to remember such troubling times again."
"Yeah, don't worry, boss; next time I see that Nathan guy. I am giving him a full dose of my nightmare spell," Thane consoled me.
A small laugh escaped my lips. "Look at you, trying to cheer me up. That's okay; it's just a painful part of life." I stated.
"The real worry is what he said at the end and all my tries to silently reach the demon continent. That all is down the drain now because he is going to announce it anyway."
"Let's look for an inn to have breakfast and make our way to the seaport." I added.
"Young master, I noticed a decent inn some steps back," she suggested.
"Okay, lead the way," I agreed.
Soon, we stood in front of the Wandering Kraken Inn; it was a pretty good place with maintained hygiene and a lively atmosphere. We sat at the table of two; I put the cloak on the back of the chair as I sat.
We sat in silence after ordering sandwiches for breakfast; my thoughts were torn between leaving for the demon continent immediately or increasing my cultivation before traveling.
While I was in my thoughts and Seraphine sat in silence, suddenly a loudmouth group of 4 sat beside us. They looked a bit experienced from their clothing and body language.
"I am telling you, man, he went to Kronesthion to participate in that tournament that was announced some days ago." Spoke the well-built guy sitting beside me.
Hearing "tournament" and "demon continent name" together piqued my interest; I paid attention to their conversation.
"But he just reached Expert rank; why is he taking so many risks?" The one sitting on the left side with a thin and long beard questioned.
"He is crazy if he thinks he can win or something with just Expert-Rank strength," the thin-build guy on the opposite side scoffed.
"No, he was. If he survives the first round, then his chances to get employed by some powerful nobles or even the rich demon class will increase," the fourth guy with the muscled body defended.
"Maybe, in the month until the deadline, he'll get some skills or buy some techniques after clearing dungeons in the demon continent," the first guy offered his thoughts.
If they were talking about what I thought they were talking about, it could give me a chance to hasten my plan of establishing my city. But I needed more information, so I decided to butt in.
"Sorry for the interruption, but I think I heard you guys talking about some tournament in Kronesthion. Could you guys tell me more about it?" I spoke as I adjusted my chair to face the group.
Their faces were filled with confusion and slight annoyance; I could understand their chain of thoughts.
"You see, I and my friend here are fighting enthusiasts and like to bet against each other. If there are such big fights going on in the near future, we obviously need to know about it," I immediately added to remove their confusion.
They looked towards Seraphine for a moment, their eyes remaining glued to her sculpted face. However, the guys with the beard spoke first.
"If you are such fight enthusiasts, shouldn't you guys know about such a big announcement already?" He spoke with suspicion.
They looked a bit experienced, so I should have expected that.
"You see, we just reached this city today; we were travelling from the west side for some time, so we didn't exactly stay anywhere much longer," I quietly added my excuse.
"It's all good. What do you want to know?" The fourth muscled guy said with a supportive voice.
After getting an opening, I took out a B-rank Mana Stone and tossed it towards the muscled guy.
"Whatever new we have? We don't want to miss out on the chance of a fight if it's happening in Kronesthion. This is for your troubles," I spoke confidently.
Seeing their friend get a B-rank crystal for speaking positively, the other three also changed their tone into a welcoming one.
"Of course, you can ask us anything," the guy with the thin build supported.
"The tournament name is The Mandate of Kronesthion," the guy with a well-built body added further.
As soon as the name of the tournament reached my ears, a spark appeared in my eyes. I could see the way to creating my city, although maybe a bit dangerous, but a way nonetheless.
"What else do you know about it, my friend?" I leaned in further, trying to get the complete information.