At the training ground behind the castle, where soldiers usually train, a crowd of lesser nobles had gathered.
An elevated platform had been set up in the center for the duel.
On the other side of the platform stood the dukes, the king, and the queen, all looking forward to the upcoming matches.
From the gate, Cassian and the others entered, dressed in attire suitable for combat.
As they approached the platform, they noticed a girl holding a transparent bowl with six folded pieces of paper inside.
The girl said, "Please choose one paper. The pair with the same symbol will duel against each other."
Everyone nodded and took a paper from the bowl.
After opening their papers, they revealed their symbols:
Elisa had a circle.
Helda had a triangle.
Felix had a circle.
Vivienne had a triangle.
Theon had an octagon.
Cassian had an octagon.
Seeing his pair, Cassian sighed and muttered, "Fuck my luck."
The girl with the bowl spoke again, "Now that the pairs are decided, does anyone want to go first?"
Elisa eagerly raised her hand. "Me! Me!"
Felix, who was paired with her, muttered some curses under his breath.
Elisa shot him a sharp glare. "What?"
Felix started sweating nervously. "Nothing."
The girl nodded and announced, "The first duel will be between Elisa Evros Myrr and Felix Shadowglen Crane."
The crowd erupted into cheers, especially the boys and girls around their age, all excited to see the match.
The boys cheered for Elisa, while the girls supported Felix... with a few exceptions.
At the other end of the platform, Callista chuckled. "Look at Felix's face, he looks like someone dragged him into this against his will."
Dorian, Felix's father, sighed. "That brat."
Raul asked curiously, "So, who do you think will win?"
Nyssa, Felix's mother, answered immediately, "Of course, my niece Elisa."
Mark smirked and teased, "You really have no faith in your son, huh?"
Nyssa glanced at her brother and snapped, "Shut up."
She continued, "First, he doesn't train and just lazes around. And second, our family doesn't excel in direct combat."
Dorian nodded at the response of his wife.
-----
Felix and Elisa stood facing each other on the platform.
The girl from before stood between them and asked, "Are you both ready?"
Elisa took her stance, gripping her sword firmly, and nodded.
Felix hesitated for a moment but then assumed his stance with a dagger in hand and gave a reluctant nod.
"Then..."
"Start the battle!"
As she said this, she disappeared from the platform.
Elisa and Felix immediately infused their mana into their wooden weapons. A blue glow enveloped both the sword and the dagger.
Both charged toward each other, with Felix launching the first attack.
He slashed his dagger toward Elisa's side, but she parried it and countered with a stab aimed at his torso.
Felix leaped back, avoiding her counterattack, then sprinted forward again, unleashing a series of relentless strikes.
He kept pressing her, attacking repeatedly, not allowing her any chance to counter.
Using his superior agility, Felix tried to overwhelm Elisa, knowing he couldn't match her strength.
Elisa blocked each strike, her sword meeting his dagger with precision, but she struggled to find an opening to land a hit of her own.
Realizing her disadvantage in close quarters, she leaped back, creating some distance between them.
Then, without wasting time, Elisa charged again.
She thrust her sword toward Felix's left side, making it look like a straightforward attack.
Felix quickly shifted to a defensive stance, but her move was a feint.
In one swift motion, Elisa changed her trajectory and slapped the flat side of her sword against Felix's hand, causing him to drop his dagger.
With her sword pointed at his neck, Elisa smirked and said, "Game over, loser."
Felix clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tch, I lost."
-----
Nyssa said, "Told you he was going to lose."
Mark replied, "Says the one whose eyes were sparkling when Elisa was at a disadvantage."
Everyone chuckled at the playful banter.
-----
Elisa and Felix returned to where Cassian, Theon, Helda, and Vivienne were waiting.
Theon cheered, "That was great, Elisa! And Felix, for a second, I thought you were going to win."
Felix sighed, "Shut your happy mouth for once, Theon."
Vivienne looked at Helda with a critical eye but smiled and said, "Why don't we go next, Helda?"
Helda smirked at her. "Sure, why not?"
Both stood and stepped onto the platform.
The same girl who officiated earlier came forward, and seeing the two, she announced, "The next duel will be between Vivienne Lightspire Dane and Helda Dawnthrown Voss."
She paused for a moment and then asked, "Are you both ready?"
Both took their stances, gripping their wooden swords, and nodded.
"Then…"
"Start the battle!"
As soon as they heard the signal, both sprinted toward each other and clashed their swords.
'Helda.'
Helda heard her name echo in her mind.
"Telepathy, huh, Vivienne?" she thought and responded using her own telepathy technique.
'What, Vivienne?'
Vivienne slashed at her side.
'Why did you agree to marry MY CASSIAN?'
Helda parried the attack and countered with a vertical slash.
'Why not?' Helda replied with a mocking tone.
Vivienne sidestepped and thrust her sword toward Helda's side.
"Because he's mine! You can't be his fiancée. HE IS MINE!"
Helda blocked the attack with difficulty, sliding back slightly, then looked at Vivienne.
'Don't joke with me. You chose Theon over Cassian.'
Vivienne glared at Helda with anger.
'I was going to choose Cassian in the end! Leave him! He's all mine!'
Both infused more mana into their swords, their wooden weapons now glowing brightly.
They clashed again.
'He is not yours,' Helda retorted with a smirk, 'and now that you are gone, I will make him all mine. He will think only about me. I'm going to kiss him all day and do E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.'
Helda emphasized her words by licking her lips mockingly.
Hearing this, Vivienne lost her temper and infused even more mana into her sword.
'NOOO! YOU CAN'T TOUCH HIM! ONLY I CAN TOUCH HIM! HE IS MINE! HE IS MINE! YOU BITCH, HE IS MINE!'
Helda smirked and retorted.
'Wow, Vivienne, you're amazing. Since childhood, I've liked Cassian, but because he liked you, I never said anything... to him or to you. AND NOW THAT I'M FINALLY GETTING HIM, YOU'RE ACTING LIKE THIS.'
Helda also poured more mana into her sword.
They charged at each other with the same thought:
'I'll kill her.'
But before they could strike, the girl from before appeared between them, gripping each of their wrists.
"Draw," she announced firmly.