The Dragon of Dreams

Chapter 406: The Cold Rose

Early Evening - Mid Winter : Eikasía | Eastern Bahamut

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-Wow...- Looking around at the sea of dragons completely filling the plaza and even flooding the streets around the center of the town while hundreds of others watched from the sky, I was almost reminded of the prayer in Siratha.

With so many announcement areas around the city, one would expect the population to have been more spread out.

But that was only if you failed to realize that all the dragons in more rural areas would be coming into the city for the festival as well.

Even though Eikasía only had a population of about three thousand, just looking at the other areas with my aura showed close to six or seven thousand dragons, all clumped up around the handful of plazas around the city where the festival's announcement would be made.

-It almost makes me wonder...- "Do you think the festival will help bring more people into the city?"

Hera quickly gave a prideful nod. "Of course! It's part of the benefit of this festival. Not only can people make connections, they can find a place they want to live." Looking at all the people glancing around at not just the crowd and merchant stalls, but the structures with curious looks, her smile widened.

Given that the city was oversized enough for land to be fairly cheap, especially when you considered how close it was to the Cabinet, it was more than just a somewhat appealing spot.

-The climate is nice, and with all the cabinet members moving here, the concentration of wealth will be insane.- Given all of the absolutely massive estates being built by highly esteemed nobles, it was clear that land would inevitably explode in price. -It makes me wonder how many people have already swooped up land.-

But while it was certainly food for thought, before long, the time for such questions came to an end.

"Welcome everyone!" Hearing a deep, booming voice amplified over the city, we all looked in the air to see a huge, pure-crimson-scaled ancient with orange feathers around his crown, and along his back similar to my fur. "My name is Ktírio Péra, the newly appointed Industrial Advisor of the newly established Cabinet, and it is truly my pleasure to be given the privilege of making this announcement this year."

Flying above us, bathed in the sunset's glow as the city fell into shadow, he glanced at Hera before smiling and averting his eyes.

"This festival, as I'm sure many of you already know, will be a special one. For those who have not already received a letter detailing the rules and functions taking place in the city, please turn your attention to the wonderful helpers currently flying around handing more of them out." *Flash* Almost instantly, several younger dragons flying around with large duffle bags of paper were engulfed in huge columns of light. "If you need a flyer, please signal to them with a basic firefly spell."

Unsure what that spell was by ear, I looked around and noticed faint, glowing specks above some dragons' heads, and quickly mimicked them. -I may as well get one to see what's happening around the city...-

After receiving the paper from the panicked young girl, I skimmed through it while Ktírio continued a lengthy speech about the festival rules, essentially summarizing what Mother had already told me.

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"Among the events, we will be holding tours of the Cabinet, doing tournaments on everything from traditional combat to designing architecture, and even hosting debates where you can share your thoughts on the current state of Bahamut directly with members of the Cabinet, or even apply to get recruited by a branch! I know that I for one will be on the lookout for promising talents among the next generation, and I'm sure many others are as well, so make sure to take advantage of all the opportunities you can! You may not have a second chance!"

Riling up the crowd, his voice boomed, and the air was flooded with the excitement of countless young dragons eager to take the next step in their lives.

"Anyway, I think I've rambled enough, right? It's about time we got the ball rolling!"

*Rrrrrumbbllee* The ground literally shook as the younger dragons that surrounded us excitedly tapped their tails on the ground and fluttered their wings.

"Alright then!" Smiling wide, Ktírio straightened up his posture and glanced at the setting sun just as his face was covered in the shadow of the horizon. "Let's all welcome the next generation, cheer as they finally begin writing their own stories, and start anew as we enter a new era! It's time for you all to become the main characters of your own stories, and become the new pillars of Bahamut!"

"""RAAAH!!""" Everyone simply exploded with cheers as the entire city quaked.

And before anyone knew it, over every single plaza, the sky was lit aflame with spells akin to massive fireworks, and the official beginning of the festival was marked.

Finally dispersing with many taking to the air, the crowd started spreading out, flooding the surrounding streets, swarming the taverns, and grouping around other areas where events were planned.

"So, where do you guys want to go first?" Looking at Hera and Krystallo, I tilted my head with a smile.

But while I wasn't sure what to expect, Krystallo somehow picked what I hadn't even considered an option. "The combat tournament!" She instantly hopped up and pointed at an event on the flyer. "The 'Generational Unbarred Sparring Competition'."

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-Huh?- "Really?"

She nodded fervently. "I haven't had the chance to do much when it comes to fighting. Besides you teaching me to defend myself with railgun magic and Mother showing me some movement techniques, I haven't ever really been taught how to fight."

Given that Mother wanted her to go down a more politically oriented path, it made sense. -But I guess I riled her up during the flight to the Cabinet...- "Sounds like it could be fun then." -I could use it as an opportunity to figure out what she's talented in.-

But after we flew across the city and found the huge, half-constructed colosseum where the tournament would be held, I had to reconsider my assertion.

"Miss," At the gate, there was a young man registering people for the tournament, while also giving them all some warnings so they knew what they were getting themselves into. "The tournament is divided into leagues by size, but you will be at the bottom of your league, and as a disclaimer, the spars don't necessarily end when blood is drawn." Pushing forward a sign, he bluntly motioned toward it while looking at Krystallo, clearly expecting her to withdrawl. "Lethal or highly dangerous attacks and spells are prohibited and will be stopped, so please don't worry about being seriously injured, but it's very likely you will take damage of some kind."

Advertised as a serious sparring tournament, all but attacks that would lead to serious physical damage or implicate the crowd would be stopped, meaning it was quite unlikely that Krystallo would escape unscathed.

"If you wish to continue, you agree that you are liable for your own injuries, and will only receive the medical treatment you are able to pay for."

But regardless of the risk, "I agree." Krystallo signed up without an ounce of hesitation, and neither Hera nor I said anything.

Only planning on stopping serious attacks, we decided to let Krystallo do what she wanted and learn from the consequences. After all, it was the fastest way for her to grow.

"Alright then, what name do you wish to go by for the span of the event? Most people just use their names."

She paused to think before her gaze lightened with a smile. "How about Anthisi."

"Hm..." The man, hearing the name meaning 'bloom', paused to look her up and down for a moment before reluctantly letting her pass. "Alright Miss Anthisi, you can head inside. Best of luck to you."

"Hehe~," Continuing inside with a cheerful trot, she held her head with confidence.

But after being led to an adjacent arena where she could warm up while Hera and I were seated in the stands of the colosseum, and she was shown what she would be up against, that overwhelming confidence wavered. Over the course of the next couple of hours, she was given an opportunity to warm up, but only ever watched the others train.

It honestly made me a bit nervous, but Hera didn't even bat an eyelash, casually buying us both a small barrel of piotita to savor while we watched dancers take to the arena and put on a show before the fights began.

"Looks like Krystallo is in for a bit of an awakening." Hera somewhat smugly looked toward the training area as the dancers started their routine. "I must say though, for her to fight first... She really is quite unlucky at times like this..."

I was quick to nod. "Yeah, but it should make for a more interesting experience." Looking at her in the training area, finally starting to realize she had to get serious, I smiled. "It'll certainly be a challenge for her, but it's not like she'll take it like a weakling." Gently tossing the small barrel of piotita under my tongue, I turned my attention back to the group of young, synchronized dancers.

But eventually, the times for such entertainment came to an end.

"Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the performance!" Right after the dancers had left the field through one of the many gates, the voice of the announcer filled the air and we all looked up to see a younger elder flying above us. "The dance group that came out was known as the Eastern Flowers, and I hope you all give them your praise after the event! They certainly earned it!"

""Woooo!!"" Cheers were quick to ring out.

"But now, I'm sure you all are ready for the thing you came here for, right?! So let's get it underway!" Quickly going over the rules of the spars, the man was quick to explain the way things would work, saying it would start with a traditional bracket for the first few days of competitions and morph into a king-of-the-hill style tournament later on. "So, for the first fight of the Generational Unbarred Sparring competition, please welcome our first competitor, Miss Anthisi!"

*Cl-l-l-l-lunk* Loudly opening the gate and having Krystallo somewhat hesitantly walk out, the crowd roared to life once more.

"Having kept a vast majority of her techniques hidden during the warmup, many of the 'noble observers' are already curious to see what she has to offer!" Essentially being recruiters for nobility, countless noble observers were present and looking to use the tournament to sift through the younger generation.

And while Krystallo may not have realized it, because of all the observers being present, during the first several days, it wasn't some random tournament, but rather one where the best combat-specialized dragons would gather to show the world what they had to offer and start making a name for themselves.

"So, in hopes of an exciting fight, let's cheer on the flower and see what she has to offer!"

Finally making her way out to the central, raised stone arena, Krystallo sat down and looked over the crowd somewhat anxiously, before letting out a deep breath and turning her gaze turned stern and cold.

She was ready for a fight, at least mentally.

But after a moment of cheering, the crowd calmed back down. "Now, for her opponent, we have a young man touting a specialty in bladed combat! Yes, the new trend passing through the youth! So let's make some noise for Atticus Sidero!"

The crowd once again exploded with cheer before the gate eventually opened to let out an almost twenty-two-meter, stout, spikey brown dragon covered in scars while dragging along a huge hunk of metal with his mouth. *Cr-r-r-runch*

It was a hunk of iron roughly formed into the shape of a sword, so heavy that when he got up onto the stage and dropped it, *CLANG-CRACK* The dense marble platform cracked.

"I greet my opponent." But while he looked incredibly rough, he was quick to give a very noble-looking bow with one leg lifted, and his wings slightly raised. "I hope we can make this fight a good one." Raising his gaze, he most certainly wasn't caring about Krystallo's softer outer appearance. "I have many people I need to make an impression on, so I apologize in advance if you get hurt. I don't plan on holding back."

But while he expected Krystallo to respond somewhat nervously, she was quick to stand up and bow just as he did without a slight shiver in her form. "I plan on doing the same, so best of luck to each of us."

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