By Zephyria “…There was no mention of this many people.”
Meanwhile, Leonardo Blaine was standing in a very stiff state, looking up at the distant high outer wall of the stadium. It was because of the crowd beyond the wall, which he could tell even without looking closely. So many energies were intertwined that he felt a sudden fear. It was still the time before anything had started, but the cheers and excitement of the audience flowed out from inside as they were.
As the sound of drums to heighten the atmosphere echoed, his arms moved on their own and brought the backpack he was carrying on one shoulder to hug it tightly. His appearance, shrunk in front of the magnificent building, felt particularly small today.
He wondered if he had taken the competition too lightly. How many pairs of eyes would he have to endure?
Today, he wore an ivory-colored military cap and a similar-colored suede jacket to naturally hide his light-reflecting blond hair. He also covered his face and neck by hanging down a cloth, except for his eyes, with a special mask made by his business partner, Miraile, by manipulating silkworms.
He was dressed warmly enough not to feel the cold even in the Agrigento Territory, which boasts mild and pleasant weather throughout the year. However, Leonardo Blaine realized that his two legs, which had stopped alone among the people entering the stadium, were shaking slightly.
This hadn’t happened even when he was on the front lines, and a strange excitement or fear, an unknown sensation, enveloped his whole body. As a result, the Magic Power that leaked out caused a slight hot wind and static electricity on his hair and clothing.
Just in time, in front of the search area that had to be passed before entering the stadium, the Council members controlled the entrants and shouted.
“Opening ceremony spectators, please enter through entrances A-1 to B-15 on the south and west sides! Please check the main entrance listed on your ticket!”
“Other test participants, please enter through entrances C-1 to 8 on the east side! This is entrance B-11!”
Leonardo Blaine, who had been staring ahead, looked around. The signs set up in various places read [B-11]. Not far away, the direction of the entrance for test participants was indicated by arrows. It was a sign that had been following the road since earlier, but he had been so nervous that he was only noticing it now.
Leonardo Blaine turned around and walked slowly along the arrow. Even so, he was constantly thinking and thinking in his head.
‘Should I just forfeit now?’
He doubted whether his identity could really be hidden in a place where so many people gathered. The military, the royal guard, and uncomfortable relationships might be mixed in there.
When he was locked in a cage a few months ago and escaped from the heart of Zodiac, he was worried that his future movements would be inconvenient, but his worries were brief. He had greater goals and aspirations in the outside world, so he had no fear of appearing in front of the public.
But… why is his pace so heavy now? Is it because he has to constantly expose himself throughout the entire period of the League, not just once?
They even watch his battles, predict his wins and losses, and bet money. His combat style has always been focused on assassinating a target. He was worried that he might not be able to keep the line and end up killing his opponent.
‘But I practiced with Terju for a few days…’
Terzio was a good sparring partner when it came to hand-to-hand combat. What Leonardo Blaine practiced with him was techniques related to controlling his strength, such as twisting a person’s neck just enough not to kill them, and stabbing their blood vessels just enough to make them faint.
In a way, it was no different from putting restraints on himself, but he didn’t want to create the League’s first death in nearly 20 years with his own hands.
And above all, ‘that person’ would definitely be watching the game, so he wanted to show him only the coolest side of himself.
After walking for a while with various thoughts, C District began to appear faintly. The distinction from B District was easy. A huge partition wall was erected between the two sections.
I thought about just running and jumping over it, but I didn’t want to stand out from the start, so I went around the partition wall and entered C District. Then, the atmosphere of the people walking around me changed as well. Instead of faces full of excitement and anticipation, eyes searching and comparing competitors busily scanned the surroundings.
The terrifying weapons listed in the league overview also began to appear one by one. Some had bulky physiques, wore bizarre costumes, or walked leisurely holding the Leash of a fierce-looking wolf.
‘What, do “competition support items” include animals?’
At that rate, they might even bring demon beasts. If you catch a Dermokas from the peninsula, wouldn’t it be worth a hundred men?
I had such thoughts, but then I realized that I couldn’t tame a Dermokas. Those guys would rush to kill you before you could tame them, trying to devour even their master, so that method would be difficult.
While indulging in trivial fantasies, I took out a black cloak from my backpack and put it on. If I had worn this kind of outfit in front of the A and B entrances, I would have been regarded as suspicious, but here, perhaps because there were many people with a mysterious concept, even a cloak felt ordinary.
Guys who looked like they had some power in their shoulders frequently appeared, so the number and physique of the members guarding the search area also changed.
“This is C-1 entrance. Test participants, please prepare your identification cards in advance and cooperate with the inspection of your belongings.”
Their voices were cavernous and possessed enough charisma to suppress riots just by appearing. Thanks to that, the participants trying to enter the stadium were all drawn to them as if possessed. Leonardo decided to walk a little further and use the C-4 entrance, which was less crowded.
He passed straight through the C-1 entrance and passed through the fence installed between numbers 3 and 4. And then, suddenly, he stopped walking.
‘……?’
Instinctively, he looked back.
Although sparser than the No. 1 entrance, the vast wave of applicants was still densely packed in the wide square.
Usually, noticing a tail starts when you make an unconventional choice, sensing a presence that seems to be following you. Moreover, if you have recently experienced being followed, your senses will be more developed in that direction.
‘Is it that guy from then?’
Leonardo narrowed his brows and looked around. He felt like someone was staring intently at the back of his head and secretly following him. However, it is difficult to identify a tail in a place with so many people.
“Damn it… I don’t have time to shake them off.”
“What are you staring at, standing there blankly?”
At that moment, a large figure brushed past Leonardo, pushing his shoulder hard. Leonardo, who was momentarily careless because he was paying attention to other things, stepped back. Soon, he looked up at the other person in disbelief.
It was a pig’s physique, with a thick body and clumsy muscles covered with plump skin. Moreover, with a toad-like face glaring at him, it was hard to believe that was a face.
The words ‘A bastard like that should have avoided me’ rose to his throat, but Leonardo calmly replied.
“Ah, sorry. I’m looking for someone.”
When he apologized so readily, the man, who had been glaring at him until the end, grumbled and headed to the search area first. Judging from the small voice and lip movements, he was perceived as ‘Some weaklings like him are participating.’
Leonardo’s body temperature was always high, and his metabolism was active, so his muscle volume did not increase well compared to his exercise and intake. He hated being called pretty because it felt like being looked down upon, but being called ‘weak’ was almost a declaration of war. However, it would be even worse to beat up a participant in a place where everyone could see before the game even started and receive a warning in advance.
‘In the preliminaries, whichever team you’re on, I’ll make sure you get eliminated.’
He muttered while clenching his teeth, maintaining a blank expression. After a moment, Leonardo immediately looked around. The presence that had been following him had already been missed, and the gaze that seemed to pierce the back of his head had also disappeared.
He suspected that the toad might be in cahoots with the tail and picked a fight to draw his attention. If so, that was even better.
He would pull out his teeth one by one and make him confess who ordered him to do it.
The unexpected incident immediately solidified Leonardo’s wavering heart. He, who had been watching for any signs, lined up at the search area in front of the C-4 entrance, following the large figure. There were already six or seven more people between them, so the distance had widened a bit, but it didn’t matter.
“Participant entry time is running out! Please prepare your identification cards in advance for quick entry!”
Leonardo took out his registration card from his inner pocket and adjusted his hood and cloak. His narrowed gaze was fixed on the back of the large figure. He occasionally turned around to look around.
He was determined that this was a good opportunity to reveal what the tail, who had been following him since Riverside, wanted from him.