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“Still, what makes you so confident against others of the elder realm? And why waste such possible talent doing mercenary work in place of the Mortal Championship?” Mertin asked again.

Sighing, Oli nodded, “True, that’s a decent line of thinking. But what if I prefer to work in the shadows? And what if I don’t like the idea of playing loyalty roulette and hoping the king that submits me actually gives me a choice when asking for me to pledge to them? I think that’s an even better line of thinking.”

Jonon chuckled, “Hey, I can get behind that.”

Oli’s eyes darted around the room once more. He spotted Johan and Melinda at the edge of the gathering but not Leon or Pauller.

There were four more people standing by and Oli had no clue who they were. Bowing his head, Oli asked, “I’ve got my share of tricks and skills that get me out of tight spots. But who’s everyone else? I don’t like sharing my secrets with such a large audience.”

“These four are some former mercenaries turned patrons of Iron,” Hurman explained. Lambier, Marsel, come say high.”

Smiling, the brothers in arms dropped their rugged persona while walking up to the drake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Lambier. “I hope we’ll be able to work together.”

.....

Marsel remarked, “And I hope you don’t end up looking like a fool during the test.”

Herman continued, “These two were a key part of the brief war that Iron Territory faced more than two years ago, to both the battlefield and to the investigation that followed. The two women behind them are their wives, who relocated to Iron Town after their husbands accepted titles and small estates under Iron’s banner.”

“I’m Ceela,” A blonde woman walked up, taking Lambier’s hand. “It’s been a while since I participated in a raid or battle, but I couldn’t say no after they told me our goal.”

“To bring down Prodson and expand Iron Territory!” the other woman boomed with somewhat maniacal laughter.

Standing almost a head taller than the brawny Marsel, the muscular, red-haired woman threw her arm around her husband. “The name’s Opal, and I hope your power stands up to your appearance. If you were a perennial, I might actually think twice about taking you on.”

Squinting and smiling, Oli asked, “So, you know the Prodson Territory? Does that mean you’re from there?”

All four of them nodded.

Lambier spoke up, “Yeah, that’s where we’re from. That’s why we were a little too eager to cross what used to be the prefecture border and give our lives a fresh new start.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Marsel reached around his wife to squeeze her butt. “And now that we’re offered the chance of a lifetime, we couldn’t say no to an all-out siege! Victory is our only option!”

“I agree. But what terms were you offered that I wasn’t?” Oli asked, pretending to be somewhat offended.

“After Prodson falls, both couples and their families will found patrician clans. They’ll help us rule and manage over the former Prodson capital while also beginning their own clan bloodline. So it’s a win-win scenario between them and Iron Territory,” Herman explained.

“Ahhh… Well, either way, I would’ve probably turned down such an offer anyway. So there’s no need for me to feel wronged or frustrated,” jested Oli.

“You talk pretty big for someone we still haven’t tested,” Mertin stated. “It’s time we put you to the test–”

“Sorry we’re late!”

Just then, the door swung open, letting Pauller and Leon race into the big room training room. Pauller tried to stop near the drake but Leon dragged Pauller to the side, saying, “I’m so sorry for our late entrance.”

“There’s no need to worry. Now close the door and sit down. We’re starting Vero’s test,” Mertin remarked, giving a nod to his daughter. “This is Melinda, my daughter, and Johan, Jonon’s son. Melinda will be your opponent and test.”

Oli sighed and glanced at the two of them. “Just Melinda? Not both of them?”

“Careful,” Jonon smugly chuckled, “you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.”

“And you don’t want the test to end in an instant,” retorted Oli. “She’s a high-elder and he’s a mid-elder. Put them together and that should roughly be the same as fighting a peak-elder. So what’s wrong with that?”

Irked to hear that, Melinda stepped forward. “I’ve only just met you, Vero, and you’re already pissing me off. I get that someone with your bloodline can be cocky, but you have a terrible way of reading the room and evaluating opponents.”

“Do I? Then, what happens if I defeat her in under a minute? Will you make me fight them both then? So why not just send them both from the start,” reasoned Oli, unperturbed by Melinda’s comment.

“... What realm are you, Vero?” Melinda asked, keeping her cool.

“I’ll tell you. But the moment I do, you’ll underestimate me and make the battle end all the quicker…”

“Please, enlighten me,” Melinda replied.

Shaking his head with a sarcastic smile, Oli stated, “I’m a mid-elder that can kill a peak-elder in a single strike. This test is merely sparring, right?”

“Yes,” Herman answered, “just sparring.”

Rolling his shoulders, Oli sighed, “Alright, well I’m ready whenever. Let’s get this over with.”

All the perennials nodded and moved to the side of the room, giving Oli and Melinda plenty of space. The only person that was hesitant to move was Mertin, who approached his daughter and whispered, “I don’t think Vero’s request is a simple brag. If you don’t want Johan joining the fight, then please be careful.”

“Okay, Dad,” Melinda flashed a soft smile for her father, glad to see that he both cares and respects her decision.

Once Mertin joined the others at the side, Herman took out a coin. “When this coin lands, you may begin. Ready…”

Tink... Clink, clink.

The moment the flipped coin hit the floor, Melinda retrieved her sword and doused it in ice. From the get-go, she unleashed the Practor Family’s specialty, Revolving Frost. The chainsaw of a blade lashed out toward Oli with impunity.

But Oli wasn’t scared or hesitant.

Before Melinda could reach him, shadowy tendrils reached out of Melinda’s shadow to drastically slow her down. At the same time, Oli flapped his wings and rushed the girl with baffling speed. She had Oli’s claws wrapped around her neck before she had a chance to retaliate.

“I believe that’s the end,” sighed Oli, maintaining his Shadow Puppet art and physically holding her until she admitted defeat.

“... You win.”

Johan was about to step up but Jonon stopped him. “No, son. Vero was right from the start. You two together would barely be a test. We underestimated his speed.”

“Though it was a combination of his natural speed and some kind of battle art, that burst was still damning to most any elder realm cultivator. Your self-estimate wasn’t so inaccurate after all, Vero. I’m glad that most of my suspicions can be proved wrong so quickly,” Mertin stated. “But now you’ll face a slightly harder test.”

“Alright,” Oli commented while loosing Melinda and dissipating his essence.

Melinda was dejected but didn’t say a word. She silently sulked while walking over toward her sitting cousins.

Taking a slow, prolonged breath, Lyle stepped forward with an ecstatic grin on his face. “I’ll be your opponent this time. It’s still a sparring match, so no killing. But we hope you’ll only hold back at the last second. If you find an opening to threaten my life, then we’ll end the match there. I’ll do the same for you.”

Oli nodded. He took a moment to relax and refocus himself.

*This fight will be different,* Oli immediately thought.

Despite never having the chance to witness Lyle fight during Oli’s brief time spend with the Practor Family in the past, Oli knew Lyle was an opponent incomparable to Melinda. He was only a single level stronger than her in terms of cultivation. Yet Oli could tell that Lyle was actually on the cusp of becoming a perennial from his astoundingly solid cultivation.

If he hadn’t already learned about Lyle’s bedridden history, then Oli would’ve never guessed or believed it to be true.

Also, from Lyle’s stance and gaze alone it was evident that Lyle wasn’t just confident in himself. He knew and fully understood his own abilities. And standing before Lyle as a sparring partner felt like Oli had stepped into a live trap fully knowing that it would trigger at any moment.

Sensing the silent tension and noticing Oli mentally and physically preparing for a good fight, Herman smoked. He took out another coin. “Same as before. The moment the coin hits the floor, tear each other to shreds.”