I couldn't leave Joyle alone with chreshield, she had enough as is with Arthold so I ran through the streets of Narayal. It was a big island city, I could see people selling a huge variety of stuff. Different colors of fish, bugs and spices to eat. Different shades of silks lining the road. Kids running around, it was a pretty average sight. What was unexpected was that the variety of species, from demons, faeries, giants, to weird mechanical looking people-like beings moving around doing the oddest jobs. Pulling carts, selling vegetables while the ones I'm used to sat behind them on a hammock tied or sleeping while these did the work. They kinda looked like the mechanical beasts demons summoned in the great war.
I had no time to check everything but this city seemed to have 3 entrances, one in the North, one in the west and one in the east, each heavily guarded. There seemed to be a hierarchy of 3 types of the guards. The common guards with blue badges who patrolled the city from time to time with a trumpet across their waist. The yellow ones who seemed to have some skill and training who stood mainly at the city gates, then a single purple badge. I'm pretty sure the purple badge guy saw me. I could tell that he was strong so I'm assuming he's a commander of sorts.
Anyway, he decided to ignore me so I decided to be along my way. I finally reached the academy; I guessed that the students were on holidays or something as it was pretty barren. I reached just in time for the test considering they were closing the gates. The academy itself was quite large covering almost more than half the island. It seemed to have multiple small buildings surrounding the biggest one like a connection of buildings. When I entered, I had to go to the academy office first to actually apply for the test.
I got a registration form from the clerk working there who gave me quite the side-eye I wondered why. I filled it up quick. Name: Kevin Fallenhyde, occupation: Ex-mercenary, place of birth: -, skills: blood energy; commanding armies; killing, Notable points: spent 5 years in an army in the North. Last of the Everlast mercenaries (name of the regiment I had in my previous life).
I quickly gave it to the clerk who then told me to go to the fields outside. I hurried out where a whole bunch of people stood in a huge crowd of people.
All of them had those posh royal dresses you'd see nobles wearing. Yea fuck that, I didn't give two shits about what they wore. I'd seen a lot of pricks wearing pricey rich clothes in a lifetime and none of them survived a day or two on the battlefield. Either they couldn't handle the heat of battle or they died at the hands of their own soldiers. Though I did stick out like a sore thumb among this crowd. Until I didn't, a few people did have weird different styles of clothing I've never seen.
This very place we were standing in was built like a gladiator's colosseum and I did not have good memories with such places. In my previous life, they mostly contained people who were slaves, children who were separated from normal lives as children. It wasn't permitted for any one gender and people had to fight for their lives every day. This place was more brutal than any battlefield because it could always bring out the darkest parts of the human heart. Some would feel pity while others would feel ecstatic from the fights but none of them would interfere.
This colosseum seemed to have the name "Ratchorn colosseum". It was at least 600 years old based on the markings and carvings on the walls, the tally lines indicating days survived and bunch of other stuff. High up on the main podium, where most big shots sat were 2 men and a woman excluding the guards stationed across the stadium at almost equal intervals of space. You might ask how I know that they're equally placed, yea I just know that they're equally placed. The guards weren't that strong but I could sense the presence of a few who were above par. Some hiding different parts of the colosseum while others in the walls, like literally in the walls which was weird as hell. I knew very few people who could manipulate earth that well.
In all fair honesty, I'd expect humanity's overall power to have watered down under the absence of war but they seemed to be pretty strong from what I've seen though not as strong as those I'd faced in my previous life and there were still the "apostles of sin". First to gain supreme power to protect not just myself but also Joyle so after I manage to start attending this academy as a professor of sorts, I will have to travel to Entacron (refer early chapter for context).
The 3 standing at the main podium seemed to be really strong, maybe the strongest in the colosseum at this point. One of the three was an old man with a semi hunchback, he wore a dress similar to me which was basically rags like a beggar but appearances can be deceiving. The second male wore a regal dress which made me assume he was a noble but uh, his behaviour seemed quite the opposite considering his heart was beating really fast for some reason and he was also swooning over the lady. He had worn layer over layer of expensive silk clothes which also got me wondering how the fuck he hadn't melted off. The lady on the other hand wore simple clothes like a mercenary. Efficient, non-dragging, light leather clothes. Her scars seemed to indicate that she'd spent a fair amount of time on the battlefield herself and she had few concealed knives hidden in her pants as if it wasn't 'obvious'.
The old man, rose up from his seat and came forward "I assume you all know me but to those who don't, I am Armond Ratchorn, the Principal of adam academy (he said all this while keeping quite the straight face but from his blood flow, it was evident that he was quite happy). Today marks the 32nd Birthday of the founder of adam academy, Adam Ratchorn. He fought for his life everyday in this very stadium and when he was strong enough, he proceeded to execute all those who had wronged him and chained him down.
He then created this academy in hopes of fostering the next generation but left this stadium alone as a reminder of the sins of humanity. Now as you all have applied to teach a newer generation, I know teaching isn't something most of you have tried but it's a rewarding practice and you will be remembered as the teachers of heroes. so now my colleague (he said that with quite the distasteful look) will host the 'scholar Trials' of this year.