The interior of the colosseum was massive. It was easily capable of fitting over one-hundred thousand people, with seats built into the bedrock that spanned the entire circumference.

All the seats were arranged in a tier, reflecting the rigidly stratified nature of Arcadia's societal structure. Special viewing boxes were situated in the north and south ends respectively, built their for the sorceresses and foreign dignitaries. Flanking them at the same level was a broad platform for the senators, and below that was the maenianum primum, the place where the nobility sat. The next level, the maenianum secundum, was reserved for the commonwealth; the lower part was for plebeians while upper part was for wealthier commoners—merchants and the like.

Elincia stood in the viewing box on the south side. There was a chair reserved just for her, but she didn't feel like sitting on it. Her nerves were a wreck. At that moment, all she wanted to do was be with Caspian.

"Are you thinking about Caspian?" a voice asked behind her.

Elincia turned her head to find Lady Akane standing immediately behind and to her right. That day, the shinto sorceress was dressed in a dark blue kimono with light blue highlights, and her hair was done up in an elegant bun. She looked lovely. Elincia felt envious.

"Am I that obvious?" Elincia asked.

"Just a little," Lady Akane said with a smile.

"A little?" Lady Aakarshaka bounced toward them with a spring in her step and threw an arm around Elincia's shoulder. "This girl is like an open book. You can practically see her thoughts as if they were projected onto a screen." Leaning down, she grinned at Elincia, who squirmed uncomfortably in her grasp. "So, thinking about your hubby, are you?"

"C-Caspian isn't my hubby..."

"But you want him to be, right?" When Elincia felt her cheeks heat up like Ifrit's flames, Lady Aakarshaka laughed. "You can't fool me. We all know who you want to win."

"T-that isn't—"

"Stop teasing the poor girl, Sister," Lady Aakarshana said, appearing on Elincia's other side. "Can't you see that you're embarrassing her?"

"That's the whole point," Lady Aakarshaka grinned so widely her eyes were forced into a squint. Lady Aakarshana merely sighed.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't speak of such matters where everyone can hear you," Lady Sylvia said suddenly. Unlike the other sorceresses, she sat on a throne. Standing faithfully by her side was the ever monolithic D'artagnan.

"Don't be such a bore, Sylvie," a voice came from the stairwell.

Elincia and the others turned to see Lady Erica and her entourage enter the viewing box. Derek walked faithfully by her side like a puppy. Elincia could almost see his tail wagging as he stared at Lady Erica with an expression of reverence. It nearly made her giggle. Walking by his side was Collafloore, the half-elf who Caspian had apparently saved from incarceration. Tiffania, his little sister, was holding Lady Erica's hand.

"Erica," Lady Sylvia greeted, though it looked like doing so took effort. The wide smile that Lady Erica wore, as if she understood this, likely didn't help.

"Good morning everyone." Lady Erica's glimmering purple eye contained a spark of mischief. "Isn't this an exciting day? I'm looking forward to seeing how well Caspie does in this tournament."

"Huh? So, you're just here for that Caspian boy, then?" Lady Aakarshaka scratched the back of her head. "I never took you for the kind of gal who'd go after someone like him? Then again, you don't really have a type, do you?"

Lady Erica held a hand to her mouth. Elincia imagined she was concealing her smile. "Oh, my. Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean you'll screw anything with two legs and a dick."

"Oh, boy," Aakarshana muttered, placing a hand on her head. "Here we go again."

"How dare you!" Derek started to say. "Do you think I'll stand for your rude—"

"That is quite enough, Derek."

"But, My Lady Erica..."

"Do not worry. The words of a flat-chested little girl who can't keep her own knight satisfied means nothing to me."

Aakarshaka snarled. "Why you—"

"Oh ho ho ho, I see you sorceresses are as lively as ever!"

Another person walked into the room. All of the Knights turned, placing a hand on their weapon as if preparing for a threat. Only D'artagnan and Lady Akane's knight didn't. Elincia also looked at the person coming in—an old man with a long, wrinkled face and a fu manchu. He wore elaborate mauve robes and walked with a slight limp. Strapped to his waist was a sword, the same kind that Lady Akane's knight had strapped to his waist.

"Lord Fuzen Taiga, it is an honor to see you again," Lady Akane greeted in her amiable mien..

"Oh ho ho ho! The pleasure is all mine. You're looking as lovely as ever, Lady Akane."

Elincia started at the name. She knew who Fuzen Taiga was, the man once heralded as The Tiger of the East. He was in the most recent modern history books, proclaimed as one of the greatest warriors of his time. Although he was well past his prime, at one point, it was said that he was a match for any one of the sorceress's knights.

"And if it isn't Lady Sylvia." Lord Fuzen Taiga turned to the woman sitting in her chair like an empress on a throne. "I see that you have been doing well, though it looks like you've not made any progress with your knight."

While D'artagnan shifted, Sylvia frowned. "I am not sure what you're implying by that."

"Oh ho ho ho! I suppose not." Lord Fuzen Taiga then turned to Elincia, who froze when his eyes lit up. "And this must be the newest sorceress! Elincia, if I'm not mistaken."

Elincia felt a moment of panic. What was the proper way to address a man of his standing? She was sure there was one, but she couldn't seem to remember it.

"Ah... it's very nice to meet... you?" she said haltingly. That probably wasn't the best way to speak with a lord like him, but she'd never spoken to any of the nobles before, not even the nobles from Arcadia.

"Now, now, there's no need to be shy, my dear. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you, you know?"

"Y-you have?"

"Oh, yes. I've heard a number of things." There was something odd about Lord Fuzen Taiga's smile. "However, let us not get into those right now. We are here to see the newest batch of knight candidates in action, yes? I'm looking forward to a good showing."

"In that case, I think you'll be most pleased with the candidates we have this year," Lady Akane said, directing Lord Fuzen Taiga's attention away from Elincia. She tossed her a quick wink before engaging the old lord in conversation. Elincia realized that she'd done that for her. Had Lady Akane sensed her shyness? Either way, she was grateful.

As she looked down at the field, where the candidates were being gathered, she noticed Cleopatra out of the corner of her eyes. The woman stood apart from everyone else, leaning against the wall and staring down at the field. Even to this day, Elincia had yet to hear the woman speak even once.

I wonder what's up with her, she thought before the announcer began to speak, forcing her to focus on what was happening down below.

***

"All right, it's time you fools made your grand debut! Get your butts in gear!"

Caspian opened his eyes to the sound of shouting. For a moment, he wondered where he was, but when he saw the modest chest of a female clad in a frilly maid outfit, he realized something even more important. Someone was letting him use her lap as a pillow, but who?

"Oh, Master Caspian." Cassidy's eyes peered down at him. The top half of her head was all he could see of her. The lower half was blocked by her breasts. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Caspian answered, sitting up. "What happened?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Cassidy cast him a worried glance as she helped him sit up. "You'd suddenly passed out as I was helping you walk."

"Oh." Caspian pressed a hand to his face. He felt sick, dizzy, as if the world was spinning around him. Was he coming down with something? "I don't remember that."

"Oi! Sol! Get your ass up and get moving!"

Caspian's arms shook as he tried to stand up. It was like they were weighed down by lead, like he'd been exercising for hours without pause. Why? Why did he feel like this?

"Master Caspian, d-do you need help?"

"No." Caspian gritted his teeth. Standing up shouldn't have been this hard. "I'm fine."

"B-but—"

"It looks like you are having trouble, my stylish friend?" Adesh interrupted. "Is all well. Your stylish appearance has become most unstylish."

Caspian really wished Adesh would stop saying "stylish" so much. It was really annoying.

"Caspian!" Christo suddenly lunged at him, tears in his eyes.

"Goof!" Caspian felt the air fly from his lungs as he slammed back into the ground. "Gu... hu... he..."

"You're finally awake! Why didn't you tell me weren't feeling well? I'm your best friend, aren't I? You should have said something!"

"Gu..."

"Master Caspian!"

"What a stylish relationship! They're bonded like brothers!"

As everyone kept shouting, Caspian came to a startling realization.

If whatever was wrong with him didn't kill him, then these three might.

***

The more people that entered the viewing box, the more uncomfortable Elincia became.

It wasn't just that there were more people than she knew what to do with. It was that all of them wanted to greet her. Some of them were really talkative, constantly jabbering on about things that she didn't understand. The way they stared at her like she was a piece of meat hanging behind the glass of a butcher's shop made her want to run away. While Lady Erica took a lot of attention away from her, Elincia still had more people trying to get close to her than she was comfortable with.

Fortunately, Lady Akane seemed to have realized this as well. She did what she could to field the dignitaries trying to talk to her. Elincia was grateful for that.

Sighing tiredly, Elincia leaned against the railing of the viewing box that separated her from everyone else. She stared down at the colosseum floor, where Caspian and the other candidates stood. The crowd was going wild, cheering and roaring like a bunch of animals, as if they had lost all sense of composure. No one seemed to notice that something was wrong with one of the candidates.

But Elincia did. She was worried.

Why does Caspian look so pale?

***

Caspian felt sick. Sweat clung to his skin, which felt both hot and cold at the same time. His stomach rebelled against him, threatening to release his meager breakfast all over the colosseum grounds. Vision blurred, sharpened, then blurred again. Something was pounding inside of his. It was like a war drum bashing against his mind, turning it into a fine ooze. He swiped at his nose when he felt something run down it—only to realize with a start that it was blood.

Why is my nose bleeding?

The roaring of the crowd made Caspian grit his teeth. His eardrums rang, sending agonizing jolts into his mind, piercing it more surely than a lance thrown by the great spirit king, Izanami. He wished they would stop.

"Stand tall, you twelve," Instructor Murdok said. "You are the stars of this competition. Hold your heads high and display your pride!"

Caspian heard the words as if they came from a distance. Still, he refused to let these people see him as weak. Even as his head swam, he straightened his spine. Even though his legs wobbled, he forced himself to remain upright.

"Listen up, everyone! My name is Murdok Duvelin, and I will be your referee for this tournament. Anything I say goes. If you refuse to abide by my rules, then you will be automatically disqualified. Winner is determined by knockout or if I decide that someone can no longer battle. Killing is forbidden and is grounds rules for disqualification. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Now, then, we've randomly selected who's going to be fighting against whom. Take a look at this sheet and you'll see how these matches are going to go."

Caspian tried to look at the sheet that Instructor Murdok held in front of them, but his blurry vision made it difficult. Squinting his eyes, he was able to focus his eyesight enough to see what seemed to be a diagram. He saw his name on top. Next to his name, the name Julius was directly underneath him, followed by the others. His name and Julius's name were also linked together by a bar, which meant...

I'm fighting Julius.

Normally, the thought of putting Julius in his place would have thrilled him. Right now, though, he couldn't find it in himself to be even mildly happy. He wanted to throw up.

I can't fight like this... but I don't really have a choice.

"Will everyone except Caspian and Julius head up to the viewing box on the North side."

Everyone except Julius, Caspian, Murdok, Adesh, and Christo turned around and left the arena. The two who stayed, Adesh and Christo, looked at Caspian.

"Are you sure that you are fit to fight in this tournament, my stylish friend?"

"Yeah. Seriously, Caspian, you're not looking too good. Maybe you should—"

"If you suggest I give up, then I'm going to shove my sword up your ass," Caspian said through gritted teeth. "I refuse to back down. I can't afford to quit, not with this."

Adesh and Christo must have seen something on his face, or maybe they had noticed the way his eyes burned despite how weak he must have appeared to them. Even though they seemed hesitant, both of them eventually wished him luck and left the arena.

Instructor Murdok directed him and Julius to either side of the arena. As he stood there, his breathing was growing steadily more labored. His chest was tightening and oxygen was getting harder to come by.

"Heh..." Julius smirked at him as he drew his fencing sword. "... you're not looking to well, Sol. Maybe you should think about quitting before you get hurt."

Caspian scowled as he reached behind him and clutched the handle of his sword. It took more effort to unsheathe his blade than it should have. "Not on your life."

"Good," Julius almost seemed to purr. "I was hoping you would say that."

"Are both fighters ready?" Instructor Murdok asked. "Then... fight!"