Chapter 163: The Prince's Palace
The Prince of Pentos's palace was located in the city center, a vast and luxurious complex of pure white marble.
The Prince of Pentos was merely a ceremonial figurehead, responsible for presiding over rituals, but this magnificent palace was undoubtedly the face of Pentos, never diminishing its prestige.
The First Company of old Magister Rotalus's guard was stationed outside the palace. Half of these men wielded spears, the other half short swords, all equipped with large round shields covering their entire upper bodies.
It was clear their weapons were uniformly issued.
In contrast, their obviously self-provided, haphazardly chosen armor looked particularly shabby.
If Steward Mills hadn't mentioned that the First Company was the most elite of the Pentos city guard, Ian would likely have mistaken them for a ragtag band.
Passing through the towering golden archway, Ian, along with many other Pentoshi nobles, was led by eunuchs into the Prince's palace.
Along the cobblestone avenue lined with carved stone pillars, they first passed through the palace gardens, their vibrant beauty not holding them for a moment, before arriving at the Prince's Square.
The tournament would take place on the arena erected here.
In this match, Ian would collect his last bit of interest before leaving Pentos—the heads of Ander Poole and Belz Poole.
Before the tournament began, Ian followed the crowd toward the gleaming, golden vestibule.
The vestibule was vast, more than three times the size of the Red Keep's throne room, and covered entirely with thick Myrish carpets. The pillars supporting the ceiling were carved with the three symbols of Pentos: the golden scales of trade, the steel sword of war, and the silver whip of law.
Rows of long tables lined the hall, laden with fine wines and exquisite food, though it was far from the dinner hour.
A colossal statue of the Lord of Light stood in the center of the hall, and the first thing many Pentoshi nobles did upon entering was to approach the statue and pray to R'hllor.
Celia stood beneath the statue, meeting Ian's gaze from afar, and nodded to him, indicating she had completed his task.
Ian knew she wasn't lying, because since they parted yesterday, Celia had indeed remained obediently within Orange's sight, her every move under Ian's surveillance.
To be honest, having only recently upgraded his skinchanger ability to intermediate level, Ian couldn't yet fully master simultaneously controlling his own body and the creature he had changed into, but fortunately, neither of his bodies needed to fight, so the strain on his mind wasn't significant.
The wait in the hall was brief. Soon, the eunuch standing at the main entrance announced the arrival of the first protagonist of the day: "Suda Tetrus, son of Magister Groiro Tetrus, has arrived!"
"Prince Hazan Moharis, son of Prince Trigg Moharis, and his betrothed, Delif Haucot, daughter of Magister Godin Haucot, have arrived!" Immediately afterward, the eunuch announced the arrival of Hazan and his entourage.
Prince Hazan entered almost immediately after Suda Tetrus, a move that both emphasized his noble status and remained appropriate.
Delif, dressed in a flowing purple velvet gown, followed beside Hazan in his military dress. A magnificent jeweled belt cinched her waist, accentuating her shapely figure. She held Hazan's hand affectionately, leaning lightly on his shoulder, appearing delicate and dependent.
Delif's appearance instantly drew everyone's attention—after all, at least on the surface, the entire tournament today was initiated because of her.
Of course, there was one exception. As soon as Ander Poole entered, his gaze fell on Darren Grafson, who was standing next to Ian.
Ian could easily see that he was declaring war—war on player Darren.
This was probably why Celia preferred to use the name Ginny Taymee to distract Ander Poole rather than eliminate him immediately.
Although the Ander brothers' alliance had made it into the top thirty, in Celia's eyes, they were clearly not players on the same level as herself and Ian.
Had Celia even intended to eliminate Ander Poole while planning this tournament?
Ian's gaze didn't linger on Ander Poole, but instead shifted to the young man on the other side of Suda—the same young man he had seen discussing the water dancers with Suda at the White Sand Arena that night.
He stood shoulder to shoulder with Suda, undoubtedly of equal status. If nothing unexpected happened, that man should be the son of Magister Cecito Moen, the agent of Volantis.
House Moen has been providing both coin and manpower for Suda's tournament. One wonders what their expressions will be after they discover that Magister Groiro Tetrus, the leader of the Volantene faction, is the biggest traitor.
As the crowd approached, Ian and Darren naturally greeted Hazan and joined his party, then went to the designated stands. These were temporary stands prepared in advance by the slaves of the Prince's Palace in the palace square, with simple awnings erected for shade.
As soon as they sat down, Ian noticed three eunuchs behind Hazan's chair carrying long warhammers on their shoulders.
Looking at the warhammers, Ian felt a sudden pang of dread. He was once again reminded of the hammer that had struck him during the battle at the Stranger's Sept, and a chill ran down his spine.
The hammerhead wasn't large, so even the not-so-strong Hazan could wield it easily.
In reality, real warhammers differ from those depicted in tales and tourneys. They are not the melon-sized shapes many people imagine. The head of a short-hafted hammer is generally no larger than the user's open hand, and its weight is usually around two pounds. Its lethality relies mainly on its shape and weight distribution.
The head of a long-hafted hammer is slightly larger, but its weight is at most six or seven pounds, and anything heavier would significantly reduce its practical value in combat.
As for why this not-so-heavy weapon requires three people to carry it, that's probably for the sake of ceremony.
A few minutes later, Magisters Groiro Tetrus and Godin Haucot also arrived at Prince's Square and took their seats on opposite sides of the fighting platform.
Immediately, the champions from both sides went to the preparation area below the platform. There were more than ten champions on each side, half of whom were reserves.
Of course, these reserves were not meant to replace the main fighters in the next battle if they were injured, but rather to provide more tactical options.
According to the rules of the tournament, each side would take turns sending one person onto the platform first, and then the other side could choose an opponent for that person, selected from all the champions they had prepared. Only when someone officially stepped onto the platform did they secure a spot in the competition.
This meant that, aside from Prince Hazan and Suda's own spots, they could choose from their reserves to form the remaining six champions based on their tactics.
Just as the two magisters were about to announce the start of the tournament, a sudden change occurred.
Two water dancers who had been standing in Hazan's retinue walked directly to the other side of the platform, causing an uproar in the stands.
The nobles of the Braavosi faction, unaware of what was happening, panicked upon seeing this and began shouting and cursing.
The nobles of the Volantene faction, though also unaware of what was going on, also stood up, cheering and exchanging insults with the Braavosi faction members.
If the two sides' stands hadn't been so far apart, the situation would likely have quickly escalated into a brawl.
Amidst the chaos, a sellsword who had originally belonged to Suda suddenly approached Hazan and loudly proclaimed to the Volantene faction's stands that he despised Suda's despicable behavior and would choose another lord to fight for.
This man was undoubtedly Bronn.
"I've never seen such a righteous sellsword," Hazan exclaimed, impressed by Bronn's actions, and nodded in agreement with Ian beside him. "He's practically the epitome of knighthood in your Andal tales!"
"No, he demanded three times the price, and I've already agreed on your behalf," Ian shook his head, pulling Hazan back to reality.
This coin would need to be reimbursed by Hazan.
(End of Chapter)
[Support Goal: 500 PS → +1 Chapter]
[Support Goal: 10 Reviews → +1 Chapter]
Your review helps the story grow.
P1treon Soulforger (30+ chapters ahead)