Bathing under the rays of the early morning, Nero kept waiting for his maid, standing nearby to the gates of the manor complex. While servants, knights, and other personnel woke up and started working, Nero looked in a certain direction. Finally, after the month since his arrival to Wingville, it was the first time he could see the city he saw many times from above in real with his own eyes.

Of course, he was glad. Besides, the youth tournament, which will be the first in his life, Nero clenched his fists, remembering the meaning behind his grandfather’s words.

‘Prove that you are a warrior, first before dreaming about the position of my heir.’

A resolute flame flashed through his eyes when the person he was waiting for finally arrived. Clara appeared with a bright smile on her lips, tagging together with two horses.

“Your horse, Young Master,” said Clara as she gave the reins to him. She had no worries about his skills because Nero had already shown them once.

After climbing the horse, Nero spent a moment getting used to it before turning at Clara.

“So, what’s next?” asked Nero.

“We will register first, and then I will show you the city,” said Clara, raising the reins. “Follow me.”

Following her words, the decorated gates opened, clearing the way. Now, nothing blocked the path of two riders.

When the wind passed through his hair, reminding him about so familiar feeling just like it was at the village, his hands gripped the reins. Soon, he already overtook Clara, galloping down the hill.

“Clara, catch me if you can,” cried Nero with a smile on his lips as he increased his speed when Clara approached him.

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As soon as they started approaching the hill, manors and houses started appearing at the sides. It was the district where the rich lived in their manors and houses. So, as Nero and Clara entered that district, they slowed down, walking towards the main road, connected to the center where they could find the arena.

As they moved through that street, Nero kept throwing curious glances at those buildings. Even though he got used to seeing such buildings and manors thanks to his stay in the Lord complex, there were many things to learn. Each manor differed in size, color, or architecture, but they all had one trait in common, they were beautiful. That’s why Nero enjoyed their short walk through the rich districts before they entered the main road leading to the center.

Unlike the rich district, which was relatively quiet, the districts following that were noisy. There were more people, floored buildings in which few families could live, and carriages that moved with their cargo.

“Get out of the way.”

“Fresh, tasty. Hot bread.”

“Load the carriage. Don’t let the cargo fall.”

This was an ordinary thing for the city, the bustle common to any city after a certain threshold. This was the first time Nero met with such a thing as bustle and, of course, he just couldn’t stop from looking on all sides.

Wingville, a city with two hundred thousand citizens, was just too much for the Nero who never saw so many people in one place. So, it was inevitable before Nero lost his focus off the road and almost bumped into the opposite rider, if not for Clara’s timely help.

“Be careful,” said Clara with an understanding smile when she caught his reins and stopped the horse’s movement.

Nero only nodded gratefully before following Clara, who started showing the way.

The further they moved, the more merchants they met along their way together with the youth. Overall, Nero had an impression that Wingville was a trade city because of the huge amount of merchants, their goods, and areas for trading. Of course, there were some elite and rich-looking properties, but besides them, Nero also wanted to see poorer people compare their life with the life he had in the village.

Besides, Nero also noticed people with long spears and Claus family insignia who patrolled the streets.

As a result, after some time in the city, Nero slowly got used to it and Nero calmed down. Now, he was no longer the boy who wanted to see and learn everything but started looking for the potential direction towards the arena and back to the Lord complex.

Even though his knowledge was restricted, a certain fact didn’t miss his gaze when another group of boys and girls appeared in front of him. He wasn’t sure, but his hutch told him where they moved. So, if he was here alone, he could find a way towards his goal.

Satisfied with that, Nero started looking for other things to remember. Gustav’s words flashed through his mind.

‘You never know when a certain knowledge might help you.’

So, Nero spent the rest of the time looking and noticing different things. He memorized where the metal gnashing sound was coming, where he could find different food, where it was possible to buy clothes and other things.

That’s why he failed to notice when Clara climbed down her horse and approached him, pointing in a certain direction.

“I will wait for you here. Register and return,” said Clara with a smile, pointing towards a long row of boys and girls standing in front of the huge white building.

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“Next,” said a clerk, taking a new paper.

Thanks to the push from behind, Nero returned from pondering and hurried to register.

As soon as he approached the table, he could see the clerk’s face. It was a short man with an ordinary face and enormous nose which cried to look at.

“Name and age,” said the clerk, already used to such gazes. If he could get one coin every time a child looked at him, he would have a huge fortune.

“Nero. Seven years old,” said Nero, while the clerk jotted the information.

“Put your arm on it,” said the clerk, giving a certain stone to Nero.

Nero followed his command, and soon two lines appeared on the stone’s surface.

“Second rank, eligible for participation,” said the clerk as he gave a certain paper to Nero. “All the information regarding the contest is on the paper.”

Nero could only nod when the clerk took another paper.

“Next,” said the clerk, forcing Nero to leave and look for Clara.

Several minutes later, he was standing with a document in front of his maid.

“A tournament starts in an hour,” said Clara. “Where do you want to go? A restaurant, a park, or some other place?”

Nero spent several moments thinking where to go when a certain idea struck his head.

“Inn. I want to visit an inn,” said Nero, as a smile appeared on his lips while Clara raised a brow in surprise.

“Fine, I know a right place, follow me,” said Clara climbing on her horse.

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A short time later, both Clara and Nero were sitting inside a small inn nearby to the arena, occupying a table on the terrace on the second floor. A nice view on the eastern side of the arena and the rows of children opened from here.

“So? Do you know the rules, Young Master?” asked Clara as she threw a glance at the paper which Nero was now reading.

“Partially. I just started reading this document,” said Nero, raising his glance at Clara, understanding the meaning behind her question. His maid wanted to help him. “Do you know them?”

“Of course, I do. I also took part in it several times when I was your age,” said Clara with a smile on her lips.

“Then, you don’t mind telling me about this contest and what to expect when I enter the arena?” asked Nero, while Clara nodded.

“First, there will be stronger participants there. It’s possible to meet third, fourth, fifth rank squires. So, you should be morally ready for that,” said Clara while Nero nodded, expecting something similar.

“Second, there will be fifty squares where participants will fight. You gain victory through disabling your opponent or pushing him off the square,” said Clara. “Third, this contest isn’t about victory, but about prove of talent, skills, and mindset. You can use different tactics to earn the victory.”

“I see,” said Nero, as he memorized her words. “What about weapons? Will we fight with bare hands or they will give us something?”

“The arena personnel prepared a variety of blunted weapons, starting from swords and finishing with exotic ones. But you can always fight with bare hands,” said Clara.

“How far do you think I would get?” asked Nero after some time.

“Hmm... The first two rounds won’t be hard, but it will become problematic to move further. There won’t be second-rank squires surviving after that threshold,” said Clara. “But it’s always possible to meet a strong opponent at the start.”

“I know. My goal is not to win, but to show what I learned and what I can do,” said Nero as he clenched his fist.

“What a right mindset. Even if you lose, I know it won’t take long for you, Young Master, to leave your victor in dust after some time,” said Clara with a clear conviction in her words.

Nero only nodded, feeling no lie in her words.

In such a manner, Nero and Clara spent the time before the official start of the contest.

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As soon as Baron Claus finished waving to the audience from his platform at the center of the eastern part of the arena, he quickly returned to the personal seating area where only his guests could enter.

Stein, Primus, and his old friend were the only ones who were there.

“Who do you think will win this year?” asked Leonid Atreides as he inclined on his seat and sipped wine.

“Do you need to ask, my friend?” asked Nero.

“Ha, I am just happy I can boast about daughter’s progress,” said Leonid with a grin on his lips, reminding him about distant times when he was on the baron’s place with no heir, meeting the standard when his friend boasted about his prodigious daughter Tiona.

“How old is she?” asked Baron Claus, ignoring his previous phrase and changing the topic.

“Already ten years old,” said Leonid.

“She is approaching that age. Do you already have a right candidate?” asked Baron Claus.

“Not yet. I would like to keep her to myself longer,” said Leonid, with a smile on his lips.

“Let the tournament start!” said a voice, passing through the arena, pausing their conversation.

Soon, a clerk started reading one name after another, inviting the first participants to the arena and their squares.

“Eris Atreides, thirty-fifth square.”

As soon as Leonid heard his daughter’s name, his focus moved right to the tall blonde girl who just entered the arena.

Before Baron Claus could say anything, another name resounded across the arena.

“Nero, thirty-fifth square.”

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When the voice started calling names, Nero was sitting on the free seat and drinking water. While other participants talked among each other, he preferred to stay alone. So, he only rose his brow when he realized his opponent came from the Atreides family, a family he learned not a long ago from Stein.

Because he didn’t speak with others and it was his first time taking part in such contests, Nero did not know who was on the list of strongest. So, he just stretched his limbs before smiling and moving towards an arena.

After passing several corridors, Nero ended up passing through a small gate, and his legs touched the sand.

At that moment, a loud noise reached his ears, making a pause for a moment to look around.

There were thousands of people on the tribunes and they all were crying different names right now. Just looking at such a scene made his blood boil, but Nero whiffled his head and started looking for his square.

A short time later, Nero choose a blunt sword from the weapon stand and climbed on the firm square where his opponent was already waiting for him.

Just a glance at her made him rose his brows because it was the first time he saw such a beautiful girl. His opponent had bright yellow hair, green eyes, a fit body, and tender skin from which he just couldn’t take his glance.

Nero already wanted to greet her according to the sparring tradition when a girl in front of him smirked after evaluating him with her glance.

“You better stop looking at me like that or I will break as many bones as I can. You mustn't even breathe the same air I use,” said Eris with a smirk on her lips.

Those words alone shattered everything. His first impression of her will now forever stay as an arrogant girl, asking for kicking her ass.

Even though her words weren’t pleasant, Nero just nodded before raising his sword.

“I can’t do that, lady. How will I fight without seeing my opponent?” asked Nero as he looked right into her eyes.

Eris only harrumphed before raising a wooden mace and a small shield.

At that moment, a gong resounded across the arena, launching many battles in the squares.