Out of the three hundred contestants, one hundred and fifty won and one hundred and fifty lost. Those who won moved on to the next round of the competition. Those who lost were out of the contest. Among the one hundred and fifty winners, another round was held. From them, only four contestants reached the finals. Out of those four, only one would be the winner.
Raghuveer and Manas had both reached the finals. Neither of them had lost a single round. Today was the fourth and final day of the competition. Many people had been defeated. Among the spectators, discussions began about who would win.
On the right side, the upper-caste people were talking.
"I think Manas will win," one person said.
"Yes, he will be the next commander," said another.
"But look at that Shudra boy — he hasn't lost a single round either," said a third.
"Do you think he can defeat Manas?" asked the first.
"Has any Shudra ever won this competition?" said the second.
"But that boy reached the finals without using a sword," said the third. Hearing this, the other two fell silent. Because even they understood — defeating Raghuveer wouldn't be easy.
"But… but… still, Manas will win," said the second person.
Such discussions were happening everywhere. No one wanted Raghuveer to win the competition, because he had attacked soldiers. People began to feel that if Raghuveer won, he would continue attacking people and oppressing them. Not just the upper castes, even the Shudra people wanted to see Raghuveer defeated. For everyone, he was a demon — someone who attacked people without reason.
Manas helped everyone, regardless of caste. That's why people wanted to see Manas become the commander.
Raghuveer was new to this kingdom. He had only been here for ten days. As soon as he arrived, he attacked soldiers.
"Today is the final day of the competition. The winner will become the next commander of the Mukt Kingdom," said the announcer.
The final four contestants were: Manas vs Pardh and Raghuveer vs Pratiksha.
The first match was between Raghuveer and Pratiksha.
"So the first round of the finals will be between Raghuveer and Pratiksha," said the announcer.
"Pratiksha is entering from the right gate, and Raghuveer from the left," the announcer said.
Both entered the arena. Pratiksha held a sword. Kamratna was Pratiksha's father.
She was twenty years old. Her hair was long and black. She had placed a rose in her hair. She wore a blue and white outfit, decorated with golden edges and floral embroidery. Around her neck was a green gemstone pendant. In her ears were golden earrings. Her eyes were a mix of red and green. Her beauty mesmerized people — just as much as her swordsmanship.
Raghuveer showed no expression on his face. Pratiksha drew her sword. Raghuveer also drew his sword.
I've seen him fight. He's truly powerful, Pratiksha told herself.
Pratiksha had reached the finals, and Kamratna was very happy.
"Kamratna, your daughter made it to the finals," said Vikram.
Kamratna was sitting behind Vikram, watching. His face showed joy, because his daughter had reached the finals.
"Yes, Maharaj," Kamratna replied.
The spectators were mesmerized by her beauty — especially the children her age. But Raghuveer was unaffected.
"So, are both of you ready?" asked the announcer.
Both gripped their swords tightly.
"Then begin…" said the announcer.
Both ran toward each other. Pratiksha struck at Raghuveer's sword, but before her sword could land, Raghuveer was already behind her. Pratiksha turned around.
When did he get behind me? she asked herself.
Raghuveer's speed surprised her. He struck her sword. Their swords clashed. Raghuveer kept attacking her sword repeatedly. Pratiksha used her sword like a shield, and Raghuveer kept trying to break it. His continuous strikes caused pain in her hands.
Now Raghuveer aimed at her neck. Pratiksha brought her sword up to block, but her sword was already damaged. With that strike, her sword broke and fell to the ground. Her pendant also broke and fell.
"The winner of this round is… Raghuveer," said the announcer.
Except for the kings and ministers, no one clapped. Kamratna did not clap.
Pratiksha sat on the ground, not because she lost — but because the pendant was her mother's last keepsake. It had broken and fallen to the ground. She couldn't find it. Tears flowed from her eyes. She searched around, but still couldn't find it.
Among the spectators, the young children became angry. They started cursing Raghuveer.
"You bastard, because of you that girl is crying," came a voice from the right side of the stadium.
"He should be removed from the competition," said a Shudra boy.
"This demon should leave…" said an upper-caste boy.
Voices like these came from all sides of the stadium. Some called Raghuveer a demon, others a murderer. People from outside kingdoms were silent. They didn't understand why these people hated Raghuveer so much.
The ministers began to smile — because this was exactly what they wanted.
"Vikram, why do your people hate that boy so much?" Varun asked.
"Because he killed two knights and injured twenty soldiers," Vikram replied.
Vikram looked at Raghuveer.
Raghuveer stood in a place where everyone was his enemy. He showed no reaction. He placed his sword back into the sheath on his back and walked away.
As he walked, he saw something shining on the ground. He bent down and picked it up.
A gemstone… looks valuable. If I sell this, I'll get a lot of money, Raghuveer told himself.
But then he looked at Pratiksha. She was crying.
Isn't this hers? Raghuveer asked himself, and walked toward her.
Pratiksha looked up. Raghuveer stood beside her, holding out his hand. She looked at his hand. In it was the pendant.
"Where did you find this?" she asked softly.
"I stole it," Raghuveer said, and walked away.
Pratiksha watched him leave. Her tears had stopped. She kept looking at Raghuveer. Her cheeks were red — maybe from the tears. She tied the pendant back around her neck and stood up, walking away.