Chương 146: Chapter 140. Matches

The worst part about being followed in a place like Valers wasn't even the danger itself. It was the fact that Rayne couldn't properly confirm who was following him. The streets of the capital were packed constantly with people. Merchants pushed carts through crowds while travelers moved between districts and city guards constantly moved in groups. With so many bodies everywhere, it was incredibly easy for someone to hide in plain sight.

If not for the constant feeling of eyes on his back, Rayne honestly wouldn't have noticed anything wrong at all. Still, one thing at least gave him a little comfort. Whoever was following him wasn't staying too close. If they were, Rayne felt like he would have noticed them already. Instead, the pressure remained distant but consistent, lingering just far enough away to avoid suspicion. Also, the person had been trailing him for nearly half an hour now.

As Rayne continued walking through the streets calmly, his mind kept circling through possibilities on who could it even be? Unfortunately, the list of people who might want him dead wasn't exactly small anymore. It could be Gredrick. Maybe the man had decided it was safer to kill him now instead of waiting for the godless ruins to finish the job naturally. It could also be Atticus.

Honestly, after knowing their relation, Rayne wouldn't even be surprised if the man simply wanted another excuse to beat him bloody again. Or maybe it wasn't either of them. It could easily be some random noble. Someone who heard the last surviving bastard of the Fraysers was inside the capital and decided it was better to erase him permanently. And honestly? The kingdom probably wouldn't punish them much for it either. At best, they might receive a temporary sentence or a fine.

Rayne understood his position inside Valeria very clearly. His life was cheap. That reality had been shoved in his face repeatedly ever since he stepped foot here. Still, despite the danger, Rayne truly hoped things wouldn't turn violent in the middle of the streets, especially because he currently didn't even have his sword on him. That mistake alone annoyed him now. The only reason he left it behind was because he genuinely hadn't expected trouble today.

After all, the kingdom had already sentenced him to what was basically a suicidal deployment. Apparently that wasn't enough. Hence, Rayne abandoned the idea of visiting more blacksmiths and slowly started making his way back toward the bridge leading closer to the military district. Even after crossing it, the feeling behind him didn't disappear. Rayne forced himself not to look back. Doing that would only confirm he noticed the tail. So he simply kept walking.

At this point, the longhouse wasn't that far away anymore. Once he reached there, he would get inside and be safe. But just as Rayne turned another corner and entered a much wider street, he suddenly spotted several familiar figures ahead and paused. Nate, Kesh, Jason, Bran, and Heins were all walking together through the road while talking amongst themselves. The moment they noticed him, the group paused.

"Oh, you're here," Nate said first.

"We thought you wouldn't be back till midnight." Kesh immediately grinned afterward.

"I thought you would return tomorrow morning instead," he said shamelessly.

"Looks like capital girls aren't for you after all." Rayne scoffed instantly.

"I didn't go to a whorehouse." Nate snorted.

"Don't blame me for thinking that when you wanted to explore alone." He smirked.

"I thought you were embarrassed to admit it." Rayne rolled his eyes.

"I just don't want weeds growing on my cock." Jason burst into loud laughter at that while even Bran shook his head with amusement. Kesh clicked his tongue dramatically.

"A few bad rumours from a brothel and suddenly the man fears all women." Rayne ignored his words before glancing between all of them.

"Where are you all heading?" Bran answered first.

"The arena. You should come with us. It'll be interesting." Heins nodded enthusiastically beside him.

"I've never seen proper arena battles before," he admitted.

"Apparently there are several matches happening today." Rayne almost asked why there were so many battles scheduled suddenly. But before the words could leave his mouth, he felt it again. That same lingering gaze pressing faintly against his back from somewhere behind him. Though, he controlled his expression and simply nodded once.

"I'll come with you all." Jason immediately threw an arm around Rayne's shoulder for half a second before moving ahead again.

"Now, since the party leader has joined us, you can shut up Nate when he acts like he's better than us at betting which fighter will survive."

"I'm better at knowing who will win," grunted Nate.

"I don't even think you have ever betted in the arena here."

"It doesn't matter," he replied.

"I'm still better than you all." As the group continued arguing amongst themselves, Rayne quietly walked with them through the crowded streets. He had planned on returning directly to the longhouse, but honestly, staying with the others was safer right now. Unlike him, most of them had actually brought their weapons with them while going around the city. And more importantly, whoever was following him would think twice before trying anything against an entire armed group. At least, Rayne hoped so.

Besides, part of him was genuinely curious about the arena too. Ever since first entering Valers, the massive structure had stood out in his mind. Even from a distance, it looked enormous. And now, as they kept moving closer toward it, Rayne noticed more and more groups heading in the same direction. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Soldiers, adventurers, merchants, a few commoners carrying baskets of what he assumed was food.

The closer they got, the louder the streets became. Somewhere ahead, beyond the buildings and crowds, Rayne could already hear faint roaring echoing through the air. But despite that, Rayne still felt the gaze at his back. It was not as prominent as before, coming and going as if the man trailing him was stopping to wonder if he should continue before moving again. He could only hope the man would give up completely soon enough.

With that thought in mind, Rayne forced himself to focus on the road ahead instead of the uncomfortable feeling lingering at the back of his mind. Then he felt Bran shift closer beside him. The scout glanced toward him briefly before lowering his voice enough that the others wouldn't hear.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"Are you in trouble?" Rayne resisted the urge to wince.

"How do you know?"

"Your shoulders are too straight to be relaxed," he replied.

"And you've spent the last ten minutes trying not to look behind you. Are you being tailed?" For a moment, Rayne was genuinely impressed. The old man had figured it out so easily. Still, he only nodded faintly.

"It should be nothing, especially once we get inside the arena. Just keep your senses sharp just in case." Bran nodded once, and the conversation ended there. Knowing that the old scout was paying attention eased some of the tension in Rayne's chest. Bran had spent decades surviving battlefields and quests. If someone truly attacked, he trusted the man to notice first. The group continued walking.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the foot of the arena finally came fully into view, and up close, it looked far more impressive than it had from a distance. Both Kesh and Heins let out low whistles. The structure dominated the district around it. Massive stone walls rose high into the sky, forming a gigantic circular fortress capable of holding thousands of spectators. Huge archways lined the exterior while countless staircases wrapped around different sections of the arena.

Colorful banners fluttered from poles mounted along the upper walls. The banner of the crown hung highest of all, visible from almost every angle. Beneath it hung several other banners displaying noble crests that Rayne could take an easy guess with. Those belonged to the ducal houses who had probably funded portions of the arena over the years to gain the right for every citizen in Valers to immediately know their crest. The entire place buzzed with activity. Lines stretched everywhere.

Some crowds moved toward the stairways leading up into the spectator stands while others followed routes around the sides of the arena. Guards patrolled constantly through the masses. Whenever someone tried cutting a line or causing trouble, the guards stepped in immediately. Rayne even saw one guard smack a man across the shoulder with a baton before shoving him back into place. Nobody seemed surprised by it. The crowd itself was equally diverse. Humans made up the majority, but they were hardly alone.

Rayne spotted elves, dwarves, and several races he didn't immediately recognize. One group particularly caught his attention. They stood barely half the height of normal humans and had short spikes protruding from their heads where hair should have been. Several of them sat behind small counters at the top of the lines, collecting money and directing people toward different sections. Rayne stared for a moment.

"What are they?" Nate glanced toward them.

"Halfgars," he said quietly.

"A slave race tied to the kingdom." Rayne immediately wanted to ask more. But before he could, the flow of people pushed their group forward. Soon they joined one of the longer lines and waited alongside hundreds of others. At some point while standing there, Rayne realized that the feeling was gone. The constant gaze that had followed him for nearly an hour had completely disappeared. He kept his expression neutral, but relief settled inside him.

Either the arena crowds had finally forced the man to give up, or whoever had been following him didn't want to enter such a heavily guarded place. Maybe both. Either way, Rayne wasn't about to complain. After around ten minutes of waiting, the group finally reached the front of the line. A halfgar sitting behind a wooden booth held out his hand. Nate stepped forward and paid twenty copper coins for each member of the party.

The halfgar quickly counted the money before pointing toward one of the entrances deeper inside the arena.

"Third floor, last stand," he said.

"Keep moving." Without wasting time, the group followed the directions and headed toward the entrance along with the growing crowd around them. Jason immediately moved to the front of the group as soon as they entered the arena proper. The burly soldier cleared a path almost effortlessly. Most people took one look at the giant man leading the way and decided not to argue over space. A few individuals who had been pushing through the crowd quickly stepped aside instead.

Rayne followed behind him along with the rest of the party. The arena interior was even larger than it had appeared from outside. They climbed several flights of stairs, eventually reaching the third level before arriving at the stand assigned to them. The seating area was built from rising stone platforms that stretched upward in rows, allowing spectators at the back to still see the arena floor clearly.

Since the lower sections were already filling up quickly, the group moved toward the rear and claimed a spot there. From that position, Rayne finally got a proper view of the entire arena. And it was impressive. The main fighting grounds occupied the center of the structure, covered entirely in golden sand that had been flattened carefully. Two massive iron gates stood opposite each other at either end of the arena floor. Those were clearly where the fighters would enter from.

Several benches had also been arranged around the edges of the fighting grounds, likely for participants waiting for their matches or officials overseeing the event. Yet what caught Rayne's attention most were the differences between the stands themselves. Most of the spectators sat on simple stone seating like the section he occupied. However, directly across the arena, several raised platforms stood above the other sections.

Those areas contained cushioned seats, decorative railings, and private viewing spaces separated from the common crowd. Rayne didn't need anyone to explain who those were for. Nobles, or anyone wealthy enough to pay for such luxury. The contrast between the two areas was obvious—One side sat on cold stone. Another watched the battles from comfort. As Rayne continued looking around, he noticed that the arena was already filling quickly.

Hundreds of people occupied the seats, and more were still entering every minute. Judging by the crowds still moving through the entrances, over half the arena would probably be full within the next hour. That seemed excessive for what he assumed was a simple arena fight. Eventually, Rayne turned toward Nate.

"Who's fighting today?" he asked.

"This doesn't look like a normal battle." Nate immediately grinned.

"You guessed right. Though it's less about the fighters and more about the event itself."

"What event?"

"The half-yearly tournament," Nate replied.

"It starts tomorrow. Today's exhibition match is just meant to get everyone excited."

"A tournament?"

"Yeah. There are tournaments all the time, but this one only happens twice a year. We got lucky catching it up." He pointed toward the arena floor below.

"Three fighters per party. Sixteen party in total. If you keep winning, you fight four times before reaching the end." His grin widened slightly as he spoke.

"And if you survive all of it, the rewards are incredible. I've heard of people who built entire careers off a single tournament victory." Rayne slowly nodded. That actually sounded far more interesting than he expected. It also explained the size of the crowd. A major event like that would naturally attract attention from all over the capital.

"Can anyone participate?" he asked after a few seconds. Nate opened his mouth to answer, but Bran spoke first.

"Yes." The old scout folded his arms while staring down at the arena floor.

"Anyone can register." For a moment, Rayne thought that was all he intended to say. Then Bran added casually,"Actually, I've been thinking about registering myself." At those words, the entire group immediately turned toward him, not believing what they heard for a second.

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