All alone under the early morning sun, the streets were filled with peculiar smells that came from the merchant stands.
Even when the sun had just started illuminating the city, the crowds were already flooding in.
It has been quite a while since I walked alone... but I can't take Mim. I had a feeling what kind of people would go there.
I need to return before she wakes up... I could almost picture how she would react to me leaving her.
I had asked the innkeeper—while fighting the urge not to look to my side—for the location of the tournament beforehand, because this city was far too big—I had already passed four roads, big enough to be main roads anywhere else I had been.
He had shown me a map of the city, where he pointed to the south, at the neighborhood between the second and third road—the place should be impossible to miss.
There was a visible difference between the road I'd been before, and the one I walked on.
The amount of sunlight that lit the streets was different, nothing could be heard as no merchants stood around.
The entire ambiance had changed.
What is this place? That thought crossed my mind—until I turned the corner.
A gigantic square building, with gates all around on the bottom floor that led inside.
I peeked through the gates from a distance,
The inside looks empty—is this the place? I continued walking towards the crowd in front of me.
There were around twenty people, waiting for the man or woman to call them forward,
They're working pretty quickly—perfect! I held a straight face as I stood between the people.
The day had just started, it's impossible that she has already woken up.
I could hear murmurs around me as I waited between them,
"Boy, you're in the wrong place~" "You want to die, don't you!?" "Aren't you too young to fight here..." "A noble who is not supposed to fight with us."
At least they are not coming up to me.
I looked around, and one thing was true—I was the only one around my age.
The youngest beside me looked to be around fifteen, and the following ones were already in their twenties.
This really isn't popular under young people—
"Next." A female voice called out—my turn came.
"Good morning, please your ag—"
"Do you know where you are?" She interrupted after lifting her head up from the paper she held.
"Yes? The tournament registration—right?" I tilted my head.
"Exactly..." She stared me in the eyes.
"So how do I register?"
"Uhm.. are you sure? I doubt whether you're informed enough." She narrowed her eyes.
"Uhm... criminals can join—but that's okay with me." I nodded my head.
"Also—this is for commoners, not for nobles. If your family wanted you to join they had to sign you up a while ago, but for some an exception could be made."
"I am not a noble... I just have the clothes of one." I forced my lips to curve up.
Should I not have dressed as a noble...?
"Look, kid—it is not my problem what you are dressed up as, but this can be quite troublesome." She brought her hands up as she buried her forehead in her palms.
"Yes—I know, but it's no problem."
"It's your choice—so what is your age, and what do you wish to be called?"
"I'm eleven years old, and you can call me Tjer."
"Are you sure about this?" She lifted her head away from her hand, and looked straight at me.
"Yes. Yes—I am." I stared back at her.
"Okay, in that case, here. Show this at this entrance tomorrow and you'll be able to enter." She handed me a copper plate that showed a number.
She finished by explaining the tournament rules, and its structure.
"Okay, thank you very much." I lowered my head to her, and turned away.
"Good luck kid." She showed her first smile.
"Next!" She held a plain face again.
A man with a scruffy beard, carrying two knives underneath his torn clothes, came up to me, and said,
"Kid I hope we can fight each other tomorrow!" He bared his brown, holey teeth between his lips.
"Yes sir, I hope so as well."
"It has been a long time, since I've killed a kid after all! HAHAHAHA." He yelled out as he looked around at the others who were grinning, while others simply turned away.
"Good luck—in case you get unlucky enough." I walked past him.
"What did you say boy!?" He held my right shoulder.
"Sorry, I'll make it easier to understand."
"I mean that you'll be unlucky if you were to come up against me." I continued to walk, after brushing his hand away.
"SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" He held a knife in his hand, hidden away from the workers.
I turned back to him,
"Sorry—I'll make it easier. You will d—"
I was interrupted by the hissing from my blade that cut through the air.
AGHHH!!! His scream drowned away the sounds of the small knife hitting the floor, followed by his hand, bouncing before it lay still.
He collapsed next to his hand.
There was no resistance... I stared down at the man's empty arm.
Has my body already grown even stronger... I brought my empty hand to my mouth—covering the expression I held.
I turned to the workers, and lowered my head,
"Sorry madam and sir. But this was self defense—right? And I didn't kill him. So I can just leave right?" I showed them a smile as I finished.
"Don't worry he couldn't hold himself back, so you can just go..." She responded, drops of sweat fell down her forehead, as she held an even smaller knife between her fingers—ready to be thrown.
"Will he still fight tomorrow?"
"No, he won't—we don't want people to die unnecessarily."
"Great to hear." I turned away, and crouched before him,
"See, my prayer came out—you were lucky enough not to come up against me." I showed him a grin, my head tilted.
"s-s-SORRY!" All the muscles in his face trembled, with a face wet enough to seem like it had rained.
Tsk—even here the same behavior is required as in Kage... My hands trembled slightly, while I walked away.
I couldn't hear a single sound coming from the others as they watched me turn the corner.
I followed the same streets I came through, I just walked through the crowd, unable to take anything in around me.
"Sigh..."
Would Mim be awake..?. I continued walking.