After two full weeks of peaceful and quiet travel, we finally arrive in the nation of Centria. I gasped as what stood before us were crowd-filled streets with the sounds of cheer and celebration for the Summoner Games. It would seem that the entire nation was hyped up for the Summoner Games as crowds of humans, elves, humans with animal ears, and even some form of human-dragon hybrids filled the streets as far as the eye could see. Thankfully, everyone made way for the thousands of carriages that cut through the river of different beings.

As I skimmed my eyes outside the carriage and past the crowds, I could see multiple different sports stadiums of shapes and sizes.

Huh, it’s just like Aquaria said, it really is the nation of stadiums.

However, apart from the large crowd, instantly catching your eyes as soon as you enter the gates of Centria is a gigantic golden stadium in the direct center of the whole area. Now, I’ve seen and been to a couple sports stadiums in my time on earth, but none of them could compare to the size of the golden stadium that glistened under the sun.

Naturally, I began to feel nerves starting to crawl over my body.

Of course, I had anticipated that there would be a crowd of people watching the Summoner Games, but I never realized how big of a deal the Summoner Games were to the people of Lastaria.

For someone who had only recently stopped being a loner, anticipating the millions of eyes watching me fight was nerve-wracking.

“Amazing, what a crowd,” I mutter under my breath.

“Aww, getting some nerves?” Liz teases as she elbows my side.

“Aren’t you guys also nervous?”

Hilde and Roy reply with a shrug, while Liz softly chuckles while scratching her head.

“W-well to be honest, I am a tiny bit nervous,” Liz admits.

At least I’m not the only one.

“Hey look! It’s the new rookie sister of Luke!” A man with fluffy ears and a tail shouts out loud as he points toward our carriage.

The fact that Isabel is royalty sinks in again as the already tight crowd pack even tighter together as they flock to get a look at Isabel, who was hiding her face with her cape. I guess it makes sense that even if Isabel were to simply hide her face, someone in the crowd of millions would be destined to recognize her.

A group of beings with papers and pens gets within touching distance of the carriage.

Reporters?

“Isabel! Is it true that you went to Eskal to train your party?” One began to ask.

“Lady Isabel! Do you think you can beat your brothers even though you’re a rookie?”

“Young Isabel! Is it true that you were seen in a room alone with one of your Spirits?”

“Th-that’s not what happened!” I accidentally yell out at the human, causing him to drop his pen in shock.

I look towards the front of the carriage to find Roy and Hilde politely looking away while Isabel glares daggers at me from behind her cape. I instantly shrink back into the carriage to hide my embarrassment.

Without a single reply to any of the questions, the reporters had to ask, Isabel guides the carriage straight into the golden stadium in the center.

* * *

As we approach the entrance of the golden stadium, a knight clad in gold stops our carriage to question us.

“Halt! Only Summoners are allowed to enter at this time!” The knight shouts.

Isabel gives the knight a cold glare, one that I was getting familiar with, and the knight instantly recognizes Isabel. Realizing that he had just raised his voice at royalty, the knight hastily gets on his knees and lowers his head.

“S-sorry, Lady Isabel,” He says in a softer tone, “I didn’t expect you would arrive in a carriage like this.”

“Give me a break, not everyone needs a fancy mode of travel.” Isabel sighs as she rides past the guard who doesn’t get up until we’re deep inside the parking lot of the stadium.

Once I looked around the carriage parking lot, I began to understand why the knight would’ve thought Isabel wasn’t a Summoner to begin with.

All the carriages around us were so luxurious that they basically scream “Important and rich person here!”. I could feel the eyes of other Summoners and Spirits burning holes straight through our poor wooden carriage as we parked alongside the other luxurious carriages.

“Rookie Summoner Isabel! Allow us to show you to the private rooms, we’ll send a guide to give you and your Spirits a tour of Apollo Stadium once you’re all settled in!” Another knight in golden armor shouts as Isabel steps out of the carriage.

A bunch of golden knights begins to surround the carriage and offer their hands as they carry our equipment of potions and clothes gifted by the Queen of Eskal. I follow my party members out of the carriage as the knights quickly hurry us towards our rooms, almost like we were celebrities trying to hide from the paparazzi.

Well, Isabel technically is a celebrity here.

“Come on Rin, you don’t want to fall behind now.” Liz warmly says as she unexpectedly grabs onto my hand.

I wasn’t against the gesture, but I really wasn’t expecting it.

I wish you were a bit taller Liz. I probably look like I’m being dragged by a younger sister who found something she wanted to buy.

The knights guide us towards a flight of stairs, and after climbing a seemingly endless number of stairs, we find our way into a hallway filled with doors like a hotel.

The knights bring out a set of keys and unlock a door to reveal a room that was bigger than the room I was given in Eskal, but not nearly as grand. It was still grand and beautiful like a suite, but it clearly wasn’t meant for a single person as four beds were built on top of each other like a bunk bed on the two walls opposite of one another.

“You guys get comfortable in the room.” Isabel orders us as she turns around with another knight, “I’m just going to fill out more paperwork to sign us up for the Summoner Games quickly.”

“I call top bed!” Hilde excitedly exclaims as he storms into the room and jumps onto one of the top beds without even using the ladder that was built into the wall.

Roy salutes the knight who carried our luggage up the endless flight of stairs as he drops them off in the room with a heavy sigh.

Liz simply makes her way towards the large window in the room and gasps at the view, and although I wasn’t directly in front of the window, I could see that our room was gifted with the view of the entire stadium overlooking the crowds of people parading who reminded me of ants surrounding the golden stadium.

As Roy closes the door, I notice something.

Something so important that it could affect my morale and condition on the battlefield. Dread seeps into my soul as I open my mouth to speak.

“Wait,” I begin, “There are only 4 beds.”

“What about it?” Roy asks as he walks beside Liz to admire the view.

“Aren’t there 5 of us?”

Liz and Roy turn around at me, realizing as well what I was implying.

I sigh and sit down on a chair.

Damnit, Isabel! At least let me have a bed as well!