It was now the third round of matches, and the common folk were cheering loudly, their voices growing louder as Agnius approached his opponent, who had a spear.

"I feel bad for that guy", Tushar

"Why is that?" asked the emperor

"Well, the boy is fierce towards spear users."

The emperor raised a brow and turned his head towards Tushar, his face expressing concern and confusion. It was as if he knew what Tushar was about to say, but he couldn't believe he would.

"I trained him myself; my boy is a spearman's worst nightmare," Tushar noted, smiling, showing a father's pride in his son.

The emperor, on the other hand, was furious. Tushar had told him earlier that he didn't know where his son was, and he was angry that he had been lied to. The emperor didn't feel betrayed; there was no trust to betray, but he thought he had at least bought Tushar's honesty with gold, land, and a title.

"Sir Solomon, earlier you said you didn't know where your boy was; you lied to me," asked the emperor, who was trying to remain calm and composed.

"That was true, Your Majesty; I hadn't heard from him, but I assumed he was out and about alive and well. I didn't expect him to show up married," Tushar said, wearing a fake smile.

"Then why didn't you call out to him or gesture to indicate it was him?" The emperor's anger was slipping through

"I'm on duty right now. I take my job very seriously," Tushar replied straight and clearly, with seriousness and honesty.

"I'm cutting your pay this month," said the emperor

Just then, the shout from the crowd drowned out the sound of Tushar falling to the floor, weeping that the emperor was unfair for cutting his pay, but the threat of unemployment straightened him out. The young prince was amazed by how Agnius moved on stage; Agnius had walked into the spearman's striking range, looking him in the eye; the knight appeared short in stature as Agnius towered over him, with a sword in hand. The fear and intimidation overwhelmed the novice knight, making him flinch. That was Agnius's chance. He stepped to his right, and the spearman thrust at him to follow. Still, it was a feint from Agnius, who hopped from his right leg onto his left and dashed at the man; the spearman could not pull his spear back or defend himself, Agnius knowing this, slashed at the knight's eyes with his blunt blade scattering his nasal bridge and sending him thumbing out the ring.

"That's another win for Agnius", the announcer declared, and the crowd went wild, cheering his name. The head of the family said the knight represented was ripping his hair out. A mere mercenary had managed to defeat a knight from three noble families. Sure, these were novice knights, but they were knights in the eyes of nobles; the disgrace and missed opportunity made them red with anger. Wania was cheering louder than anyone else; she was mocking them and would wait until the crowds finished cheering and signing Agnius' praises. Still, it was just his third win, and she was stirring the pot of their emotions and pride. A nameless, self-proclaimed mercenary enters the arena of honoured knights and defeats them one after the other. Oh, the nobles were angry, and it showed the knights were more furious, and they cursed at him. However, Agnius stood still on the stage, waiting for the next person to come out, for man must meet his end, not the other way around.

The next knight stepped forward with a shield and a longsword.

"I am Michael, loyal knight to Baron Gold-flute. I will be the one to bring you down", he loudly proclaimed as he took his stance, shield ready and stable right in front of him.

The drum signalled the start of the match; Michael didn't move a step; has been watching the previous matches closely, with that much skill. The man was strong and fast, but that was it; mercenaries were all like that. They had to be quick to dodge attacks from monsters, and they had to be strong cause that is all they knew; no mercenary is truly skilled with the sword, "All I have to do is wait for him to attack, and then I'll parry is sword and victory is mine, I shaking thinking of what I could ask for"

Agnius approached the man slowly, Step by Step, "That's it, come, walk right into your defeat, fall to me as I rise to fame" Agnius reached the knight, stepped to his side, holding his sword by the blade and swung it like a hammered square towards the centre, the knight still attempted to parry. Still, it was pointless cause the sword's guard pierced through the shield and his forearm; Michael uttered a ghastly scream. Still, Agnius didn't pull out; he turned and shook the sword one way to the other, torturing the man; Baron William Gold-flute had to stand and shout.

"Stop that at once, you feral swine." The other nobles joined in, shouting and cursing at him, but Agnius didn't listen. He kept going until he broke the ulna and radius in Michael's forearm. Michael's tears and screams made everyone uncomfortable and silenced the nobles. After finishing what he set out to do, he walked towards Wania's viewing box and took a knee.

"My love, forgive me; this coward was soiling the honour of those who passed, and I thought it an opportunity to entertain you by punishing him."

Agnius's words caused another outburst; the nobles shouted again, but Wania raised her hand and silenced them.

"Oh, I love you!!" she jumped from her seat and slammed her hands against the railing guard.

"He just stood there, planning his rewards without seeing the risk; what did he take a battle for, Agnius, my dear? Stop holding back; show them the terrors of war."

Agnius stood up and faced the gate where the opponents came out. He finally took a stance, raising the sword above his head with his right hand and pointing the tip downwards to his left side.

"Send in the next one, honour those who passed with your sweat and your effort, call them with your soul and bless their path and sacrifice with your blood."

Words that inspire play the strings of the heart for its music of passion and uncertainty, that was the noise and cheers from the ordinary people, knight after knight that came from this point on came for battle, for war, not seeking a reward from the general but to honour their master's ad those who came before. At least, that was what you'll expect to happen from the true knights; the common people told tales of some true coming forth to face the challenger without greed in their eyes, but the reality was that the nobility was pissed that a mere common mercenary humiliated one of them. The general was protecting him; at last, they could do anything to her, so they settled to kill Agnius in the arena. They came one after another with their actual weapons, not the tournament-issued ones, and one after another, Agnius embarrassed them; each who entered left with broken bones like dame Mary, who Agnius broke her collar bone and several ribs with a downwards slash, some left with missing limbs like Sir Pol who loss three fingers when Agnius sliced his mace in two and then sliced off his right leg. Still, he was lucky, unlike Sir Tom, who spat in Agnius's eye when they crossed swords, so Agnius retaliated by bashing his skull in repeatedly. Wania didn't cheer but laughed loudly, and when complaints came, she silenced them and laughed some more; the nobles turned to the emperor to do something, but by Tushar's advice and the emperor himself seeing Sir Tom spit in Agnius's eye, the matter was laid to rest.

Like the dukes and margraves, the higher-ranked nobles didn't say anything. A knight is meant to be honourable, but Sir Tom didn't show that. The grand duke himself praised Agnius for punishing the knight.

"That's ironic," Said Wania

"What is? My lady," asked Helga as she poured Wania a drink

"Jabbar is talking about honour when he used the cruellest means to obtain victory during the war. He once destroyed the bridges of a city, poured oil into their moats and told the people that if they didn't surrender their king and his royal family, he would cook the people alive by raining fireballs on them."

"Did they surrender?"

"Not until he burnt the whole northern part of their capital….after waiting for 4 hours."

Helga gasped. "I expected more patience for a man of his brief stature."

The fights continued on, and then the expelled recruits from Wania's knight order started to come out; Agnius turned his head to look at Wania, who just waved her hands to say, get rid of them, so Agnius did; as they entered matched started, he didn't hold back and quickly disposed of them, until a lady made her way on stage and scream.

"General Sapphire, I beg you, please let me return to the order."

Wania looked at her closely; it was Dame Claris. She was kneeling, her forehead to the ground, begging before the match started. She was representing her family in the event, the Viscount of Sedan. They were a respectable family and were considered highly among the other viscounts.

"I humbly apologise for insulting your husband; I just want to return to your knightly other."

"Silence", Wania shouted. "My judgement is final. If you want to return to my knight order, defeat Agnius."

"My lady", Helga leaned and whispered in Wania's ear, "perhaps you could use this to boost his standing."

Wania paused and thought for a moment. Raising Agnius to her husband's status by showing that his words carry weight in my house would help her later control other noble houses. His words would be viewed as her words, as the will of the Sapphire house.

"Agnius, dear, what do you think? She offended you, so it should be your forgiveness she seeks. Whatever you decide, I support it."

Agnius didn't get what was going on with him. The words of nobles were like games played with life at stake; they felt like trickery and mockery mixed together, "Wania is asking my opinion on this" he looked to Claris with tears in her eyes, remembering how she took her training more seriously than others, how although she associated with her fellow noble she did not share their sentiment towards the ordinary people, her eyes looked like those of prisoner wanting escape, and her escape is standing before her.

"Lord Agnius, please, I beg you. I meant no disrespect. I was careless with my words and my actions. I sincerely apologise. Please allow me to return to the knights of Sapphire." Her eyes opened with flowing tears and a face of desperation. He turned, searching for her look-a-likes. "Where is your family? What do they think of this?"

She bowed her head. "They did approve of me becoming a knight in the first place and stopped other families from accepting me into their knight order, but General Wania accepted me and allowed me to fight."

"Then how come you're representing them in this tournament?"

"I am not. The knight who was to represent them is unconscious in his changing room. I quickly took his spot before he awoke. Please accept me back as a knight."

"Stand up and draw your blade."

Claris looked up at Agnius. "Does that mean you'll allow me to return as a knight of Sapp-"

"No, Wania was clear on her judgment; if you want to return as a knight, you must defeat me, but if you're willing to fight with everything on the line, I'll let you come back as a warrior."

Before Claris could reply, Agnius kicked her abdomen, raising her to her feet. She coughed to catch her breath, "Sir Agnius, Ple-" The flat side of his blade slapped his cheeks.

"Claris, if you do not fight, just step off this stage; there is no place for you as a knight, talk less of a warrior."

He pointed his sword at her. "Claris, do you want to be a warrior of House Sapphire?"

Claris's body and vision were still shaking; the slap of his sword had knocked a tooth out, and her mouth was filling with blood, but she heard his words clearly, so she resolved herself, held her blade tight and took her stance.

"I am too weak to become a knight of house Sapphire, too weak to dream or want for myself. Sir Agnius, if it will make me strong enough to want for me, then make me a warrior."

Claris declared her words loudly and then charged at Agnius. She was not without training from her time under training, but her strikes and slashes did not overwhelm Agnius; she did not relent. Still, Agnius took her unaware when he kicked her knee, causing her to stumble. He lightly slammed his pommel on her back, but it was enough to send her to the ground.