[52.2] Felix POV: Supporting Friends as One Does

I arrived at the stadium and looked over the magic circles hidden in the concrete arena.

Wow. The King really prepared this time.

I wonder who he got to set all of this up in time for the test.

I turned to the man who usually follows me in secrecy in order to protect me. He had been serving me for several years now and his youthful appearance was starting to fade. My lips curled in a smirk, "Tex. You're not hiding today?"

"There are many people. It's better to be close."

"What people?" I laughed to myself, "We have a personal viewing balcony. There's no one around to ambush me."

He pursed his lips, "You can never be too sure. That woman might be prowling around."

I nonchalantly looked away, "You told the King the plan for Vira?"

"As was requested by the Duchess." He had a dark look in his eyes and responded dully, "He still is scared though. He insisted there was more protection by creating places she couldn't enter."

"Hm."

I looked back over the stadium.

I can't blame him, but isn't he starting to act a bit too obvious?

She's going to catch on.

I let out a sigh, "That King of ours always has acted irrationally when he's nervous."

I perched myself on the edge of the stadium and looked down at the contestants on the field. The numbers had dwindled significantly as the competition was getting too dangerous. However, the main players were all still there.

An excited smile surfaced on my face as my eyes caught sight of Reika jumping up and down in excitement. She was wearing a sporty outfit perfect for movement. Beside her, Cyrus stood stiffly and although he wanted to appear carefree, even I could make out the slight curve of his lips while he watched Reika hop around.

Eh? Is she holding something in her hands? They look like glowing branches…

Is that her way of cheering Cyrus on?

Hah. How interesting.

I pulled my eyesight away from her and scanned the crowd below. My smile slowly faded as a flash of reddish blonde hair hit my eyes and filled me with disgust.

My guard noticed my revulsion, "That boy is such a disgrace to their family. All he knows to do is to chase skirts."

I snickered, "Disgrace? He's probably the only good one who has been born into that family."

He looked at me quizzically, "What do you mean?"

I smiled and gave a shrug.

I noticed someone below pacing back and forth and squinted to see them. Cyrus's uncle, Uncle Albert, was pacing and muttering to himself. Sweat was pouring down his forehead profusely as he was holding something strange in his hands.

I frowned when I saw him acting so suspiciously.

What exactly is that?

A trap?

Is he going to interfere with the competition to help that no-good son of his?

I tapped the edge of the stadium, "He's up to something again."

He followed my gaze, "Should I do something about it?"

I hummed with a slight smile, "Let's just watch for now. That fat idiot is so foolish, he's sure to slip up."

"We should tell the King about his questionable loyalty."

I shook my head, "Don't bother. The King already knows."

"Then why is he still letting him get away with everything?"

I laughed, "You have to keep your enemies close."

I finally pulled my eyes away from his unsightly figure and glanced back at Tex, "How's your daughter doing by the way?"

His face finally lit up, "Oh she's wonderful! She just finished a new section of my bookstore. Soon she will have read every single book in this Kingdom!"

I smiled at him, "I am glad to hear that."

He bowed his head, "It's all thanks to the Young Master that I was able to gain such a bright young child as a daughter."

I hummed and glanced away. The smile on my face slowly faded as remorse tugged at my subconscious.

Why are you thanking me?

"Brother Felix!"

I felt someone collide with me, knocking the air out of me. I turned to see Priscilla clinging to me with such a pitiful expression. She cried out, "You left me!"

I laughed and ruffled her hair, "You were too slow."

The rims of her eyes reddened, "You're so mean!"

I smiled at her with affection then turned around to watch the arena, "They're starting."

Priscilla snuggled in close to me and peered over my shoulder, "This is going to be a fast test since everyone dropped out."

I hummed as I counted the teams.

There were five in total.

The King made his way to the center of the arena and suddenly, the ground lifted up under his feet. Everyone gasped in amazement at the platform that appeared from the ground. Invisible trumpets blared around the stadium, sounding as if it was coming from a box. Ribbons fell from the sky causing it to look like it was sparkling and flowers floated down delicately.

Priscilla reached out to catch a floating flower. It hovered above her hand without touching it. She whispered in awe to herself feeling inspired by the scene, "Wow! It's so beautiful…"

It certainly is theatrical.

I held my hand out as a golden ribbon slowly made its way down. It touched my hand, dissolving into nothing.

It's just an illusion.

The King beamed with joy and bellowed out, "Good day to everyone! We are here for our third test. Only three contestants will be able to progress from here. The rules are simple. You must knock off the other opponent to proceed. Each contestant will be randomly selected to compete with another until only one winner is left. It is a competition of both skill and luck. All magic can be used as long as it's not lethal. That brings me to the final, most important rule… You must not kill. Death is strictly off-limits! Any contestant that causes another's death will face the harshest of punishments!"

I scoffed.

You soft man. You wouldn't know a harsh punishment even if it bit you on your-