While Lucas was still gaping in awe at the spectacle before him, Aislyra, noticing her former boy amazement, decided to explain:
"The arena and the four golden trees supporting it—just like the sacred robe you usually wear—are another divine gift from the goddess Elfidora. These trees never grow, but they also never wither. They can support any amount of weight and are practically indestructible. The arena itself is literally unbreakable. There is nothing in this world—apart from the deity who created it—that can destroy it. In fact, to create this arena, the goddess Elfidora had to seek help from Anuerre, the god of war, combat, and sports. Since arenas weren't within her usual domain, she required his assistance. The arena even has a magical barrier that makes it impossible for any attack used within the ring to reach the spectators." She spoke with genuine enthusiasm.
Lucas listened attentively, clearly intrigued.
"Are the god of war and the goddess Elfidora on good terms? I wouldn't have expected that," Lucas asked, clearly curious.
"I think so. After all, they created this magnificent structure together. But I'm no expert on gods outside of Elfidora. If you want to know more, you should ask my mother—she's very knowledgeable about these things," Aislyra replied, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her voice.
Lucas nodded, thinking to himself, 'I need to remember to ask Sequoria more about the gods of this world during my next lesson.'
With that, the two made their way toward the arena, stopping just in front of a set of massive stone-like stairs that clearly led to the main entrance.
Two Royal Knights stood at attention before them, stationed there to admit only those with authorized access. However, they had already been informed of the queen and her sister disguised visit. Upon recognizing them, they stepped aside and allowed the two to pass. Lucas offered a polite nod of thanks as they walked by.
As they reached the main entrance, they were met by two more Royal Knights. 'When Scuro said that security would be tight, he wasn't exaggerating', Lucas thought.
In addition to the guards posted at the stairs, there were about twenty stationed at the base of each of the golden trees. Though the silver leafs made it difficult to see clearly, Lucas could spot at least five Rangers positioned in the foliage of each of the four trees. In total, he had counted no fewer than eight hundred guards scattered throughout the area surrounding and beneath the arena.
The knights at the gate immediately recognized the disguised duo. One of them quickly slipped inside the arena to notify someone, while the other bowed and said, "Welcome, Your Majesty. Lady Aislyra, my colleague has gone to fetch Lady Katerina. She should arrive shortly. Please, come in."
"Thank you," Lucas replied, stepping through the gates with Aislyra.
As soon as they were inside, both of them deactivated the illusion spell that had altered their eye and hair color.
Inside the arena, the air was pleasantly warm, and the lighting was perfect. There were only two hallways they could follow—one leading to the right and the other to the left. On the wall at the start of the right corridor, a sign with an arrow read "Stands", while on the left, a sign indicated "Lodgings and Changing Rooms."
As Lucas glanced down the left corridor, he saw his familiar green-haired maid approaching, accompanied by the knight who had gone to fetch her.
"Welcome, Your Majesty. I'm glad you arrived on time. How did you find the capital? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?" Katerina asked with her usual calm and composed tone, bowing politely.
"As beautiful as always. I was truly happy to see that the citizens seemed to be in good spirits," Lucas replied with a small, genuine smile.
"Excellent," Katerina said with a nod. "Would you prefer to begin the inspection immediately, or have lunch first, given the time?" she asked with quiet consideration.
It was true Lucas had managed to grab a small snack at a café in the capital before arriving, but that had only whetted his appetite. Now, he was quite hungry.
"If you're giving me the choice, then I'd prefer to eat first," Lucas replied, placing a hand on his stomach with a sheepish smile.
"Understood. Then let's head to the dining hall," said Katerina as she turned and began walking down the left corridor, with Lucas and Aislyra following close behind. The knight who had escorted Katerina returned to his post.
As they made their way through the long hallway, Lucas noticed several doors on the left side. Each was numbered and had a card holder, though none of them displayed any information yet. These were likely the rooms designated for tournament participants—currently empty, as they wouldn't be made available until tomorrow.
Eventually, the hallway split into two separate corridors. A sign at the start of the right-hand passage read "Changing Rooms and Canteen." The left corridor, however, was blocked by a red rope and guarded by two more Royal Knights, standing rigidly at attention.
Since Katerina had said they were going to lunch, Lucas naturally assumed they would head down the right corridor toward the canteen. To his surprise, however, she approached the guards standing before the roped-off passage on the left.
As soon as the guards noticed their approach, they lifted the red rope, bowed respectfully, and allowed them to pass without question.
Lucas was mildly curious, but as someone who enjoyed surprise, he chose not to ask any questions.
Less than a minute later, the three of them stopped in front of a sleek, white door that radiated luxury. Etched in elegant golden lettering across its surface were the words: "Queen's Chamber."
"Behind this door is the room where you'll be staying for the duration of the tournament," Katerina said in her usual calm, monotone voice as she opened the door.
As soon as it swung open, Lucas stepped inside—and was instantly struck speechless. "Room" hardly did it justice. It was more akin to a luxurious suite or private residence.
The space featured a grand living area, a fully equipped kitchen, a refined dining space, a bed nearly as large as the one in his royal chambers, and an expansive bathroom that included a small hot tub. It felt like he had just walked into one of those extremely expensive hotel rooms he'd only seen in films.
At least now he understood why they had come here—the kitchen made it possible to have lunch in private.
"Mr. Lucas, please have a seat. I'll prepare lunch right away," Katerina said, before turning to Aislyra. "You too, Lady Aislyra."
The two obeyed without question and sat down.
In less than half an hour, Katerina had prepared a delicious and well-balanced lunch, which both Lucas and Aislyra devoured. Once the meal was over, it was finally time to begin the arena inspection.
Even from the outside, Lucas had sensed the arena's scale, but seeing it up close was something else entirely. The place was colossal. It boasted over a hundred rooms for participants—each furnished with its own bathroom—a canteen capable of serving more than a hundred people, and a grandstand designed to accommodate well over a hundred thousand spectators.
The level of security was also exceptional. Not even five minutes passed without encountering some form of surveillance—be it a standard guard or one of the elite Rangers patrolling the grounds.
Another detail that caught Lucas's attention was the abundance of flyers posted throughout the stands. They advertised the release of the Anti-Mutant Over Beast Spray, a product developed through the collaboration of Macro and Luvrio. Lucas genuinely hoped the product would succeed—he could see just how much effort Luvrio had poured into it.
Given the vastness of the arena, the inspection took roughly five and a half hours. By the time it ended, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.
"We're finally done!" Lucas exclaimed, stretching his arms as he made his way toward the Queen's Chamber where he would be staying during the tournament.
"Excellent work, Your Majesty," Katerina said in her usual calm tone, though this time her face carried a faint smile.
"Thank you. It was long, but I found exploring the arena incredibly interesting. It's truly an incredible structure," Lucas replied. Then, turning to her with a curious look, he asked, "Katerina, are you planning to participate in the tournament tomorrow?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. And I promise to give it my all," she responded with quiet determination.
Lucas then shifted his gaze to Aislyra. "Of course, there's no need to ask you, Aislyra—you obviously intend to compete. But among the participants you know will be joining, who are you most excited to face?"
He asked this with genuine curiosity, knowing full well that anyone his little sister named was likely among the strongest fighters in the tournament.
"Hmm..." Aislyra paused for a few moments in thought. "Definitely Fo and Enea. They're my main targets. I'm also interested in Caesar, Scuro... and, if he really does participate, the guy we saw earlier at the weapon shop," she said with a confident grin.
Lucas had expected most of those names, but two in particular caught him off guard.
"I see..." he said thoughtfully. "I expected the others, but I'm surprised to hear you mention Scuro—and especially that man from the weapon shop. What makes you want to fight them?"
"Don't underestimate Scuro," Aislyra said, her tone turning serious. "If you exclude me, Fo, and my sister, he was almost certainly the strongest person in the palace until last year. Uncle Lucrio might be close, but I don't want to face him. His fighting style is far too annoying."
Lucas had always known Scuro was powerful, but hearing this was eye-opening. On reflection, it made sense—after all, the Minister of Defense should be one of the strongest, if not the strongest, among the ministers.
"I see... But what makes you think the man we met this morning could give you a good fight? Honestly, it seemed to me that if I hadn't stepped in, you wouldn't have lifted a finger to help him," asked Lucas, tilting his head slightly. Because he was confident that Aislyra couldn't possibly have reached the same conclusion as he had.
"I would've acted the same way even if it had been Fo in that man's position. Like I said, it was his own fault for not preparing properly," Aislyra replied calmly. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't glad you intervened, big sister. From the quality of his katana and the complete absence of unnecessary movements in his posture, I could tell immediately—he's a skilled swordsman."
Lucas gave a small smile. "Well, if you're that confident, if you're so sure, then you'll get to fight him unless another participant eliminates him first. I can't wait to see your fight."
So you don't think I might be eliminated before I get a chance to face him?" Aislyra said with playful smile as she gave Lucas a light pat on the back and puffed out her chest with pride. "You are really a good girl, big sister."
As the two continued discussing the tournament, the trio arrived at the door to Lucas's room—where ten members of the Royal Knights stood on guard. The heightened security was due to Aislyra and Katerina's participation in the tournament. Since both of them needed to be in peak condition and couldn't take on their usual night shift as Lucas's personal guards, the Royal Knights were assigned to protect the queen's chamber until the end of the tournament—or until one of them was disqualified.
That night, after enjoying an exquisite dinner prepared by Katerina, the three parted ways and retired to their rooms. Lucas, feeling the day's fatigue, drifted off to sleep quickly. Despite not needing to fight until the final match of the tournament against the eventual winner, his excitement for the battles to come was undeniable. He couldn't wait to witness firsthand all the unique forms of magic that would be on display.
The Next Morning – 9:30 AM
The grandstands of the arena were filled to capacity. Spectators from nearly every kingdom across the continent had gathered to witness this year's tournament of the golden trees.
Lucas sat comfortably in a luxurious royal box that provided a perfect view of the battlefield below. To his right sat his adoptive mother, Sequoria, regal and composed as always. The seat to his left remained empty—for now.
In the center of the arena stood an elf with long, pastel pink hair tied into playful pigtails. She wore a revealing white-and-pink dress that caught the eye of many in the audience. With a theatrical flourish, she slid her finger across her lips and activated the Mighty Voice spell.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" she squeaked excitedly, her amplified voice echoing through the stadium, "Welcome to the fiftieth edition of the Golden Tree Tournament—held under the reign of our beloved Majesty, Queen Alberia!"
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, the sound crashing like a wave through the arena.
"I am Chiacchera, and I will be your presenter for this extraordinary event!" she announced with vibrant energy, pausing briefly to let the audience settle. "This year, we have sixty-four registered participants, which means the preliminaries will span two full days!"
Chiacchera raised one hand dramatically as she continued, "On Day One, we will host thirty-two matches, each with a maximum duration of twenty minutes. Day Two will feature sixteen matches, each capped at forty minutes. When that's done, only sixteen of the strongest will remain to enter the main tournament bracket!"
She gave the audience a wink before pressing on. "All matches will be one-on-one, and victory will be determined by one of the following: the opponent surrenders, is knocked out, or the referee rules that the fight can no longer continue. Be warned—killing your opponent won't result in disqualification, but ignoring a referee's call will!"
The crowd murmured, a mix of tension and excitement building in the air.
"In cases where the match timer runs out before any of those conditions are met," she added sharply, "the referee will decide the winner. The same applies in the event of a draw. Are we all clear?!"
"YES!" came the crowd's collective roar, shaking the arena.
"Wonderful!" Chiacchera grinned, flashing perfect teeth. "Since you're all bursting with anticipation, let's go over this year's grand prize before we begin!"
The cheers died down, and the crowd leaned in as one.
"In addition to a reward of one million dorae," Chiacchera declared, "the champion will earn the rare and historic honor of facing none other than our beautiful and formidable Queen Alberia—one of the strongest mage on the continent—in a ceremonial duel!"
The announcement set off another wave of ecstatic cheers and whistles from the audience.
"AND NOW—LET THE FIRST MATCH OF THE PRELIMINARIES... BEGIN!!!" Chiacchera screamed with uncontainable glee, her voice soaring above the noise as the crowd burst into deafening applause and chants of anticipation.