Chapter 11 - Knight tournament

I could not believe we had gone to such an extreme within our own family.

I would have never imagined his own brother wanting to kill him. I guessed it was because Leandro was born into the royal family.

— "It must be a shock for you to hear that, Amy, but I wanted to be honest with you."

— "Thank you for sharing your story with me, Leandro."

After we finished eating, we left the restaurant. The night air was pleasant.

Leandro suggested we walk around the city so he could show me Olbi.

We went through the city by carriage first, then continued on foot.

He showed me the downtown area and the historical district.

It was such a big city compared to my hometown.

After we finished touring the city, Leandro offered to take me to a famous dessert shop I really had to try in Olbi.

He walked me back to Linden's place and left.

I went back to my room, and the moment I sat down on the bed, I got a call from Rick.

— "Hey Yuli, how are you? I went by your hotel but couldn't find you, what happened? Where are you right now?"

He sounded worried.

I told him what had happened and tried to reassure him. He asked if he could come see me right away.

I gave him my new address and waited for him.

While I waited, I looked out the window of my room, which had a nice view of the city.

Suddenly I had chills, I felt like someone was watching me.

I didn't know if it was just my imagination. It probably was, I tended to overthink things.

Then Rick arrived. I went outside to greet him, and we walked a little before stopping on a bench.

— "I was worried when I heard you weren't at the hotel. I'm glad to see you're okay."

I felt bad for having worried him. I should have let him know, if I'd realized he'd be that anxious.

As we talked and caught up, I felt happy to see him, as if he had missed me.

After he walked me back to Linden's house, we said goodbye.

I didn't go back to my room right away. I wanted to enjoy the fresh air outside, alone.

I sat on the bench.

Suddenly, an attack came at me. I had the reflex to activate my protective magic.

Fortunately, I had trained with my new spells before.

It was a kind of magic I didn't recognize, aimed straight at me.

Rick came running toward me. He saw my protective shield and immediately launched a fire attack at the assailant.

His attack was really impressive, it was the first time I had seen Rick use magic.

The fire attack drove the attacker back, but he managed to escape.

— "Yuli, are you okay?"

I answered, my voice trembling:

— "I'm okay."

I couldn't process what had just happened. I couldn't believe someone had attacked me.

— "Why me? How did he find me? Is this about my family? Because I refused the wedding?"

My whole body started shaking.

Rick came closer, pulled me into his arms, and tried to comfort me:

— "It's okay, Yuli. It's not your fault, don't worry. We'll find out who's behind this."

Rick walked me to the courtyard and stayed with me until I calmed down.

Then he left. I went to my room and tried to sleep.

The next morning, I hadn't been able to close my eyes at all. I had spent the whole night thinking about what happened.

Rick came to see me for the next three days and had breakfast with me each morning.

— "You know, Rick, you don't have to come every morning. I'm fine now. I've almost forgotten what happened that day."

I told Rick that, but in truth, I couldn't forget. I was still afraid.

I knew he was worried about me, but I didn't want to be a burden to him. It was easier to swallow my own fear than to risk becoming one more thing he had to worry about, one more reason for someone to grow tired of me.

— "By the way, Rick, when does the Knight Tournament start?"

— "In two days. It will take place right next to where the herbalist test is held. Are you planning to go?"

— "Yes, I have a friend who is competing in the tournament too."

— "I see, maybe he'll end up being my opponent, then. Oh, and I saw the date for the next herbalist test. It's in two weeks."

— "I see. Thank you, Rick."

After breakfast, Rick left.

Two days later, it was already time for the Knight Tournament.

I was curious about the tournament, but I also felt a flicker of apprehension about going, knowing how crowded it would be.

Some part of me wanted to say I wasn't ready, that a few days wasn't enough to feel safe in a crowd again.

But I had already promised Leandro and Rick I would come, and breaking that promise felt like a bigger risk than anything the crowd could throw at me.

So I would go, and if anything happened, I still had my magic with me.

I arrived at the tournament, and the venue was impressive. It was a huge arena, and the crowd filled the stands, cheering on the competitors.

I found a spot and waited for the tournament to begin.

One of the organizers spoke through a microphone and introduced the tournament.

He explained there would be several trials to determine the best knight.

First, there would be an equestrian obstacle course.

Then the second trial would be a magic trial, where each knight and their pet would have to demonstrate their synergy while defending themselves from magic attacks.

After that, the third trial would be a sword-fighting duel.

The winner would receive an incredible new companion, if he did not already have one: a phoenix.

And as tradition dictated, at the end of the tournament, the winner would give a flower necklace to someone he considered special.

Before the first trial began, there was a beautiful magic demonstration with the four elements, forming striking shapes to open the tournament.

The organizer speaking through the microphone introduced the fighters, including the strongest competitors from the previous final.

I hadn't expected Rick to be the strongest fighter and the previous tournament's winner.

Leandro had also been among the strongest fighters in the past, alongside the others.

So they all lined up, ready for the first trial.

Each participant wore a color to represent them. Rick's was red, and Leandro's was blue.

Then the first trial began. I could see Rick and Leandro in the lead, they were remarkably fast and agile on their horses.

As expected, they won the first trial easily.

Next came the second trial. There were noticeably fewer competitors than before.

They launched several magic attacks. Rick and Leandro were clearly the best of the group, dodging every attack with ease.

They both qualified for the final trial.

For the final trial, there were twelve fighters, so there would be six matches. The loser of each match was eliminated, and the winner advanced to fight again, until only the final match remained.

As expected, the final was between Rick and Leandro.

I was genuinely surprised they had both made it that far.

They began fighting, and it was clear Rick came from a family of knights, given his flawless technique.

Surprisingly, Leandro was just as skilled as Rick, fighting in a completely different style, but no less impressive.

It was hard to guess who would win, they were both incredibly strong.

Rick was powerful, and every blow he landed carried weight.

Leandro was fast and precise in his technique.

It was a beautiful fight to watch.

After a long battle, Rick finally won.

Even though I knew nothing about fighting, I could tell it had been an impressive match.

Rick won a beautiful phoenix, and as tradition dictated, he was given a flower necklace.

Rick had never given the flower necklace to anyone during previous tournaments.

Rick scanned the stands, looking for someone. When our eyes met, he walked over and placed the necklace around my neck.

I was mortified in front of everyone.

After the tournament ended, just as I was about to leave, Rick came over and invited me to dinner that night, to celebrate his victory.

At that exact moment, Leandro walked up and said:

"Do you know each other?"