Arwin was relieved to see that Arnold’s team had survived the fight after Esmerelda’s interference. That said, he wasn’t surprised that the boy had originally been on a course for death. He’d been stupid. A tournament wasn’t worth losing one’s life over, and Arnold’s team had known they were completely outmatched the moment the fight had started. Honor had kept the boy from throwing in the towel. In a true fight, that was respectable. But for something … it was pointless. Dreams could never be crushed until the one who held them gave up their grip. Losing a tournament would do nothing — but losing a life would. But that was youth. Arnold was an idiot, but most his age were. Childhood ended when those idealistic principles were crushed. Perhaps, today, they had been. Arnold had chosen not to hoist the magic sword Esmerelda had given him. His team had lost because of that — and it was the right move. Something new could not be born when the old structure still stood. Now the slate had been wiped clean, reduced to rubble and ash. Whether Arnold and his team laid in that ash and wasted away, or if they rose from it to build themselves into adults worthy of respect… that would be up to them. Interesting. I wonder why Esmerelda took such an interest in Arnold. It certainly wasn’t because of his approach to life. Honor. Hah. Exactly like what all the young warriors that once stood at my side would proclaim to exemplify shortly before they were ripped to shreds in the war. There is no honor in war. There’s only honor in man, and that honor doesn’t involve potentially getting your friends killed because you don’t want to lose a tournament round. But if he learns his lesson from this… maybe he’ll become someone worthy of note. Among the remaining adventurers was a second group. The wild cards who hadn’t revealed the full extent of their strength. Olive’s team fell into this category, as did Art’s, albeit to a lesser degree. While Art had definitely played his biggest tricks, Kien had still yet to make his full strength known. Among these groups were the monk and mage duo from the setting sun, the group of warriors in pitch-black armor, and Hein’s team. All three of the latter grouping had yet to so much as struggle in a single fight. Every single one of them had mowed through their opponents without faltering once. The fights had been completely one-sided. The victor of the tournament would definitely be one of the wild cards. Arwin knew the identities of each guild but the group who all wore pitch black armor, who had identified themselves only as Blackguard. It wasn’t a guild name Arwin recognized — and that meant they were almost certainly the team that Necrohammer had fully outfitted. Their strategy in each recent fight was to just walk right at their opponents. No attacks, no magic, had managed to pierce through their defenses. They’d just ignored everything on their way up to their opponents, who were usually defeated within a single exchange of blows. I fully thought I would like the Setting Sun’s group the least. They’re associated with Twelve… but somehow, the monk and the fire mage actually seem decent enough. They haven’t killed anyone and always give their opponents a chance to surrender when the fight starts turning. I hate to admit it, but they’re actually more merciful than my own teams. Not that I blame them for any of the kills. Olive hasn’t taken out anyone that didn’t deserve it, but it doesn’t change the fact that Setting Sun’s group doesn’t feel like they would have meshed well with Twelve at all. How odd. In comparison to Hein, who was stealing the powers of every single person he ran through with his dagger, and the inscrutable Blackguard, Setting Sun’s team actually ended up being the group Arwin liked the most. It doesn’t matter in the end. Everyone will have to fall if one of our groups is to win… and I should start thinking about what to do for the group that loses. Elias and Maeve need to find a way for Elias to stabilize. Vix needs a fix for her heart, and Anna wasn’t able to repair something that considers itself whole. The Secret Eye will only help one of them. So what do I do about the other? Arwin chewed his lower lip. It was seeming likely that he would have to make a replacement for someone’s heart. He’d taken great leaps and strides in his smithing in recent days, but that was a step beyond anything he’d tried thus far. He hadn’t even had a chance to see his Soul Guardians or Weapons in action yet. But, given the strength of the remaining teams in the tournament, he had no doubt that he was going to get his wish soon. Olive wasn’t going to be able to hold back any longer. Every single one of the remaining wild card teams would be one that forced her to go all out. There wasn’t even a guarantee she would win, even with the armor her team wore. All we can do is wait and see. Butterflies danced inside Arwin’s stomach as his fingers tapped against the armrest of his chair. He waited and watched. Teams came and went, eliminating each other one by one.