Oliver gave her a gentle smile. "You need not say so just for the sake of cheering me up, Nila," Oliver said. "It is not a single victory that I seek but the means to snatch that victory repeatedly. As of yet, it seems to me that I am still as far away as I once was from all of that."
…
…
There was planning the tournament to be done, but there was also ensuring that the preparations went well enough. Oliver had to admit, though they were taxing, he found a certain amount of enjoyment in both parts of those preparations.
The planning was exciting, as far as coming up with new ideas, but walking around the village afterwards, and seeing the enthusiasm with which the people of Solgrim were welcoming the tournament, that quickly grew to be his main driving force.