DAISUKE AND HIS FRIENDS were all too shocked by the fact that Emilia was royalty. She was the sister of the current emperor, and yet she was living in one of the Traeux villages.

“So, may I have your names?” asked the emperor.

The quartet introduced themselves politely. Although they were all nervous at the presence of the emperor, they all managed not to stutter.

“If I may ask, how did the emperor know about what happened yesterday?” asked Raijin.

“We have crows that specialize in delivering messages. You will not believe but they are a good means of message transportation. All Traeuxian village leaders are required to report to their respective Lagaian village leaders, which in turn reports to the Capital.”

“That’s a lot of reports,” said Daisuke.

The emperor burst into laughter. “Yes. And I hate reading, so I have people who summarize them for me. Now come on. It’s still a few hours before the feast at the temple of Aquillus, but I want you all to be well-rested as you four, along with the leaders of Traeux XII, will be my guests of honor. My eagle can take two more people. Mind If I have you Emilia and Riku?”

Emilia and Riku had no objection, but Daisuke felt something different with Emilia. Indeed, Emilia looked uncomfortable, but Daisuke decided not to bring it up.

Daisuke and Jack went with Tarius, the friendlier eagle rider than Aries, while Raijin went with Aries, who was so obvious that he did not want to let any of the elves ride his eagle (except for Riku maybe).

It would have taken the quartet half a day just to reach the Capital if they went on foot. But thanks to the eagle ride, they’ll reach the Capital in just half an hour.

* * * * *

“This is amazing!!” Daisuke shouted.

Tarius laughed. “First time flying?”

“Yeah! I never thought that riding eagles would be this much fun!! How did you all manage to tame giant eagles?!”

“That's a secret, dear elf.”

Raijin and Riku were having fun as well, but Jack already passed out.

In a few moments, three other eagles joined them. On those eagles, they saw Faustus, Julius, and Quintus.

“Hey, guys!” shouted Riku as she waved at them.

The three Traeuxians leaders waved at them as well.

“Sir Tarius, why are there so many eagle riders going north?” asked Daisuke.

“For temporary protection at Traeux XII while the leaders were gone. They are not only invited for the feast but to be awarded as well, just like you and your friends.”

In just a few minutes, they could now see the Capital below them. They flew past the Capital Wall and saw the beauty of the Capital itself; the place was lined with different buildings and houses with tiled roofs. There were also a lot of people outside looking up—civilians, nobles, and even soldiers.

While Lagaian settlements had one Eagle Tower each, the Capital boasts its fifty Eagle Towers for their elite eagle riders scattered all over the Capital. They also saw the glamorous palace where the emperor resided and the ivory-white Senate House, and at the center of the Capital, the huge circular infrastructure—the Colosseum Arena.

The eagles then landed near the palace. As soon as they dismounted from the eagles, they were greeted by high-ranking officials, senators, nobles, and a handful of soldiers who were waiting for their arrival.

“My Lord, welcome back to Capital,” said one of the senators.

“Are those the elves that fought the barbarians, My Lord?” asked one of the nobles.

“Indeed. These are Daisuke, Riku, Jack, and their human guide Raijin. The four of them fought five hundred barbarians together with just forty Colossan soldiers!”

The people applauded them. Raijin seemed to be proud, even though he didn’t do anything back in Traeux XII. Everyone surrounded them and asked questions, with Raijin answering most of them.

While they were being interviewed, the emperor looked at his sister Emilia who was standing at a distance. He walked towards her. “How are you, Emilia?”

“I have never been better, My Lord,” Emilia replied.

“Please, you do not have to call me that,” The emperor insisted. “Am I not your brother?”

Emilia glared at the emperor. “The moment you became the emperor, My Lord, I have no choice but to respect the title, family, or not.”

“I’m just glad that these new friends of yours arrived when those barbarians tried to invade Traeux XII. If only I knew it would have happened, I would have not ordered the soldiers that were assigned in Traeux XII to patrol the nearby lands.”

“We must protect the border, even if it costs our life, My Lord.”

“I respect your loyalty, Emilia. But always remember that the Capital is and always will be open for you. You should come back. The border is no place for royalty like you.”

Emilia walked closer towards his brother and whispered. “I would rather die…than be associated with a murderer like you. My Lord.”

The emperor smirked, then faced the crowd with an innocent smile. “Everyone! If you do not mind, I wish for the heroes of Traeux XII to be well-rested before the feast.”

* * * * *

Daisuke’s group and the Trauexian leaders were escorted to the palace where extravagant rooms were waiting for them.

They all took a bath inside a thermae, a facility with a wide pool-like structure that people used to bathe, separated by gender (much to the boys’ dismay).

After the bath, they all relaxed as they were massaged. Jack, Daisuke, and Riku especially enjoyed it as it was their first time to be massaged.

They were also given a few grubs to eat before the feast.

As the time for the feast arrived, the quartet and the Traeuxian leaders were escorted to the temple of Aquillus. They were all wearing luxurious clothing and rode a carriage pulled by pearl-white horses with a golden mane.

The temple was near the Colosseum Arena. It was a wide, open space surrounded by pillars. As the people entered the temple, they immediately saw the long dining table filled with food and, at the center of it all, a literal fountain of wine; truly a banquet for the royalty and nobles.

At the far end was a statue dedicated to Aquillus, the Arianic god of wind and victory, facing the Colosseum Arena.

The quartet ate their hearts out together with the Traeuxian leaders. They have never seen anything like it before. The foods just kept on coming in hot and the fountain of wine was just so marvelous. Everybody seemed to be enjoying it, except Emilia.

“Emilia, are you okay?” asked Daisuke. “You haven’t touched your food.”

“Is there a problem, Emilia?” added Faustus.

“Oh. No, I’m just...not hungry, that’s all.”

“May I have your attention, please?” announced the emperor as he tapped his golden goblet with a silver knife. When everyone has his attention, he continued. “Today we celebrate not only the bountiful harvest this quarter but also the coming of four guests that saved one of our Traeuxian village and the great leadership that our people displayed during a battle against barbarians.”

The people cheered and applauded.

“We would like to call on Raijin, his elven friends, and the leaders of Traeux XII,” announced one of the high-ranking officials.

The guests continued to clap and cheered.

“I, Augustus Vitellius Tiberius, forty-seventh emperor of Imperium Colosseum, awards these Medal of Aquillus to these eight individuals who showed such valor and leadership. May Aquillus bless us with more victories in the future!”

After they all received the Medal of Aquillus, Daisuke and his friends continued to eat with the Trauexian leaders. Emilia, albeit unhappy and suspicious of his brother's intention, decided to have fun with her co-leaders and newfound friends.

From time to time, a group of nobles, senators, and soldiers would approach them and ask questions about the elves. And during one particular conversation, the emperor overhears that one of the elves would like to fight in Colosseum Arena for the prize money.

* * * * *

The feast from the temple can be heard up to the Colosseum Arena where the gladiators' cells were also located.

“Celebrating again,” said one of the gladiators.

“Those nobles are the worst. Eating and wasting so much food when many Colossans commoners are starving,” said another gladiator.

“Ha! No wonder most of them are obese!”

“There are even rumors that they purposely puke just to eat and drink some more.”

“Hey Siegfried, you still awake?”

……..

*Psssssst*

……..

“Siiiiiiiiiegfriiiiiiiied”

Siegfried sighed in annoyance. “What do you want, Brutus?!”

“Silvanus is right. You should just escape from here, you know.”

Siegfried sighed once more. “I am a Drasgardian. A proud member of Dragon Raiders, and of a family that has been part of the King's Guard. We do not escape. We fight ‘til death. And I will—”

“—earn my freedom,“ Brutus said along with Siegfried. “Yes, yes, you said it the first time. But that's different from what you told me when you get separated from those Dragon Riders when they escaped from the United Alliance.”

“Raiders. It's Dragon Raiders. And they did not escape from the U.A. It was a tactical retreat.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Besides, why escape if you will have two fights tomorrow, right? You're practically a free man!” said another gladiator.

“What will you do once you got out here?” asked another.

“Leave and never come back,” Siegfried answered.

“That’s...pretty straightforward.”

“But before that, I’ll make sure to cut one limb from that bastard emperor,” he added.

“Take one for me as well. I really hate that guy.”

Siegfried looked outside his cell. From where he was, he could see the brightly lit moon. He remembered the night he and Brunnhilde got separated from the Dragon Raiders and ended up in Colosseum Empire.

* * * * *

It all began when the Dragon Raiders, the official explorers of the kingdom of Drasgard, departed from the Dragonheim continent to explore the northern lands. The crown princess, Brunnhilde, joined the expedition that was supposed to last for nine months. Siegfried was assigned personally by Brunnhilde’s father to be her personal guard.

In fact, the family of Siegfried, along with other families, was known as the King’s Guard. Over many generations, Siegfried’s family has served the royal family and his family was proud that he got to protect the princess, especially his father, Volstag, who was the personal guard of the queen of Drasgard, Frigg.

At first, the expedition did not encounter any problems. But in just their first month of expedition, the United Alliance - Aria Division spotted them on a beach near Colosseum Empire's territory. Being a member of the Hunters' Horde, the Dragon Raiders were immediately attacked.

There were many factions in the world of Laniagaea as taught by his father, but what's considered to be “the Big Three” were the United Alliance, the Hunters' Horde, and the Supreme Council.

The United Alliance was an association formed by over one hundred countries that fend off treasure hunters. But they also served as the main explorers of these countries to uncharted lands.

The Hunters' Horde, on the other hand, was started by nine groups of treasure hunters who fought the United Alliance. Like the United Alliance, they also went through uncharted lands.

The Supreme Council was a special and unique organization that was formed thousands of years ago, even before the United Alliance and Hunters' Horde. But since the Hunters' Horde has no problem with them, Siegfried has paid the Supreme Council less attention.

The Dragon Raiders decided to retreat from the United Alliance as they were outnumbered, but Siegfried and Brunnhilde got separated when they escaped inland.

Amd After four days of running away from treasure hunters, bandits, predatory beasts, and barbarians, they reached the village of Traeux VIII. The people of Traeux VIII were, however, less hospitable compared to Traeux XII.

With barbarians on their tail, Siegfried and Brunnhilde decided to escape even further inside the village, but they were surrounded by a cohort of the empire's army. Siegfried managed to deal with almost five hundred men alone.

Then, two more cohorts arrived.

Siegfried defeated both cohorts as well. But the fatigue took a toll on him. At the last minute, the empire's elite eagle riders arrived and caught them.

The emperor heard what happened and how one barbarian single-handedly defeated three cohorts. The senators decided that this news should not leave the empire, or many other barbarians will try to siege the empire.

The emperor decided the turn Siegfried into a gladiator and was promised to be released after winning one hundred fights consecutively. He was threatened as well that if he tried to escape, Brunnhilde will be burned in a ring of fire.

Six months have passed since then, and Siegfried has been the only gladiator that has ever managed to win ninety-eight wins consecutively, the longest winning streak by far in the history of the Colosseum Empire.

“I will free us, Princess Brunnhilde. I promise.”