Chương 139: Chapter 134. Arena in the city

When Rayne first heard the verdict, relief actually hit him for a brief moment. At the very least, they weren't sending him to some battlefield to die immediately against minotaurs. Compared to what he had feared while sitting outside the room earlier, surviving the trial itself already felt like a victory. But that relief only lasted a few seconds before another thought followed right after it. He had absolutely no idea what the godless ruins or the Sanctum of the Sage even truly meant.

That alone was enough to make the relief weaken quickly. Before Rayne could ask for further explanation, all three council members stood from their chairs. Gredrick was the first to leave the room, carrying the parchment with him without even glancing back toward Rayne. Duke Hellar followed shortly after while muttering curses quietly under his breath, though he still caught the word "Bastard" and "Traitor" mixed somewhere within them. Only Captain Verella paused.

She stepped toward him calmly before taking out a small key and unlocking the black cuffs around his wrists. The strange pressure suppressing his mana disappeared almost immediately, and Rayne resisted the urge to sigh in relief as mana flowed naturally through his body once again.

"Report back to Captain Edran," she said simply. Rayne opened his mouth, wanting to ask her what exactly the godless ruins were, whether he had actually gotten off lightly or not. But before he could, she was already moving toward the door. A few seconds later, he was left standing alone in the room. For a moment, Rayne simply stood there silently before finally deciding there was no point remaining inside any longer. So he left the Magister's Office.

Without the crimson soldiers dragging him around and without the cuffs marking him as a prisoner, nobody paid him much attention anymore. People simply walked past him normally as he made his way through the building. Finding the exit wasn't difficult. The real problem only started once he stepped outside. Rayne quickly realized he had absolutely no idea where he was inside Valers. He already knew the capital was massive, but what part of the place he was in? What street?

If he had to guess, Captain Edran and the rest of the warband were likely already in the army longhouse somewhere inside the city, but that didn't help much when he didn't even know where the longhouse was located. Thus, after stepping out onto a long stone street lined with towering buildings, moving carriages, and narrow watchtowers placed at intervals along the roads, Rayne simply started walking until he found someone who looked approachable enough to ask.

Eventually, he spotted a carriage driver leaning lazily against his vehicle while smoking from a pipe. After a short conversation, where Rayne's shiny and clean armor probably helped convince the man he wasn't some random beggar trying to waste his time, he finally learned where the army longhouse was located. Unfortunately, it turned out to be on the complete opposite side of the city in a street called Varlan. After thanking the man and getting rough directions, Rayne immediately started walking.

And then he kept walking. One hour passed, then another. The deeper he moved into Valers, the more ridiculous the size of the city started feeling. The roads stretched endlessly in some places while narrowing sharply in others. Every district looked slightly different from the last. Some streets were lined with expensive stone buildings with colored glass windows and carved statues near their entrances. Others were far rougher, packed tightly with smaller homes stacked almost on top of each other.

The architecture constantly shifted around him. Some buildings had pointed rooftops and narrow balconies hanging above the streets while others looked almost fortress-like with thick stone walls and iron reinforcements. Once Rayne reached the more crowded parts of the city, he actually became glad he hadn't hired a carriage. The roads there were packed. People moved constantly through the streets in dense waves, and carriages barely advanced more than a few feet at a time before stopping again.

If he had been riding inside one, he would have likely spent hours trapped in traffic alone. Even on foot, moving wasn't easy. At times, Rayne felt like he almost bumped into someone every few steps. He eventually found himself walking through one of the major connecting streets that linked several parts of Valers through narrower roads, alleyways, and bridges. And while walking through it, he couldn't help but notice the sheer variety of people around him.

There were wealthy-looking merchants wearing decorated robes trimmed with gold or silver. There were poor children in dirty clothing running between crowds while trying to steal food from distracted vendors. Adventurers of all kinds walked the streets carrying swords, axes, and spears without anyone paying them much attention. At one point, Rayne even saw a large man with a tower shield strapped directly onto his arm like it was part of his body.

City guards stood at major intersections watching over everything carefully, their steel armor reflecting light whenever the sun struck them properly. There were also noticeably more races inside Valers than in Haven City. Rayne spotted half breeds moving through the crowds, dwarves carrying crates larger than themselves, and even a few elves dressed in dark robes speaking quietly amongst themselves. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Still, despite how overwhelming the city felt, Rayne mostly stayed focused on reaching the longhouse. From time to time, he stopped to ask for directions just to make sure he was still heading the correct way. Eventually, after hours of walking, he finally paused for a short break. Not because he was tired, but because while crossing a massive stone bridge dividing two sections of the city, something in the distance caught his eye. A gigantic arena rose high above the surrounding buildings.

Even from far away, it looked enormous. Massive stone walls curved around it like a fortress, and tall banners fluttered from towers surrounding the structure. For a few moments, Rayne simply stood there staring at it silently while the sounds of the city echoed all around him. The people crossing the bridge barely spared the massive arena more than a glance as they passed by, but Rayne found himself looking at it even after a minute.

The structure towered above the surrounding buildings like a fortress made purely for spectacle, and even from this distance, he could faintly hear noise coming from that direction. No one had told him there was such a large arena inside Valers, though the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The capital was filled with nobles after all. And in a world like this, even with mana and monsters, there honestly wasn't much in terms of entertainment.

Duels, tournaments, and spectacles involving combat were probably among the few things powerful people actually enjoyed watching. From what Rayne knew, most noble sons—especially male heirs—were pushed toward combat classes from a young age anyway. Strength meant status in Valeria. A weak noble was barely respected no matter how old his bloodline was. Which naturally made duels common. After giving the arena one final look, Rayne eventually continued across the bridge.

The moment he entered another district, it didn't take him much longer to finally locate Varlan Street, and the reason the army longhouse had been placed there became obvious immediately. Soldiers were everywhere. Men wearing armor moved through the streets constantly, most of them dressed in lighter equipment than battlefield gear, though still easy to recognize as army personnel. Some ran through the cobblestones while others walked in groups talking loudly amongst themselves.

Several large longhouses stood on both sides of the street, each one built from thick stone and dark wood with military banners hanging near the entrances. At once, Rayne understood that this entire district had likely been built specifically for the army. Not every warband spent all their time on the borders or inside dungeons after all. Thousands of soldiers probably passed through Valers regularly for reports, assignments, or recovery between campaigns.

Rayne moved through the busy street quietly while keeping an eye out for familiar faces. Part of him wanted to avoid speaking with random soldiers if possible. There was always a chance someone might recognize his name after all, and then rumours will spread. They would either way, but he wanted at least a few days of rest. Fortunately, he didn't need to ask anyone for directions in the end. After a while, he spotted two familiar figures walking through the street together. Bran and Hobbs.

The moment they noticed him, both visibly widened their eyes. Then Hobbs suddenly burst out laughing loudly enough that several nearby people turned toward them for a second.

"So you aren't even dead after a truthsayer trial, Rayne," Hobbs said with amusement clear in his voice.

"Truly a gravewalker." Rayne walked closer toward them, shaking his head slightly.

"They certainly tried their best to give me an execution. You know, Fredrick's brother was part of the trial." Bran raised an eyebrow.

"Gredrick?" Rayne nodded immediately.

"You know him?"

"Not personally," Bran replied calmly.

"But he's been in the army long enough for me to have seen him and his warband around." He paused briefly before adding, "They mostly move between noble territories helping different houses with problems." Hobbs scratched at his beard before adding, "Gredrick's also not exactly known for being an easy person." He looked at Rayne for another second before asking, "So how did you even survive the trial?" Rayne rubbed the back of his head slightly.

"Captain Verella was part of the council too. I think that helped." He paused briefly before continuing.

"And I don't think I got out completely unscathed either. They punished me for killing Fredrick instead of subduing him." Hobbs frowned.

"What punishment?" Before Rayne could answer, Bran spoke first.

"Later," he said calmly. The older soldier looked like he wanted to ask more himself, but he restrained it. Instead, he pointed toward one of the larger longhouses on the left side of the street.

"Go inside," Bran said.

"Second floor. Third door on the right. Captain Edran's waiting there. Actually, the captain sent us both to the magister's office to see what happened to you." Rayne nodded before giving both of them one final look and making his way toward the longhouse. The moment he stepped inside, the familiar smell of wood, metal, and food greeted him immediately.

Soldiers moved through the lower floor carrying equipment or speaking loudly amongst themselves, and Rayne recognized a few faces from other squads of the warband, but nobody from his own party seemed to be downstairs yet. Rayne moved up the staircase and quickly reached the second floor. After finding the third door, he knocked against it lightly.

"Captain," he said through the wood.

"It's me." Almost immediately, Captain Edran's voice came from inside.

"Rayne, get in here." He pushed the door open and stepped inside before shutting it behind himself. The room itself was fairly simple. A table stood near the center while several bags and pieces of equipment rested against the walls. Captain Edran sat near the far side of the room while Casper leaned casually against the window nearby. Both immediately looked toward him. Rayne straightened instinctively and saluted as taught. Captain Edran studied him for a moment before speaking.

"I was starting to get worried," he admitted.

"But it seems you survived the execution." Rayne lowered his hand slowly.

"Yes, I survived," he confirmed.

"Though I did receive a punishment."

"That was always going to happen," Casper replied immediately. Then she folded her arms and glanced toward Captain Edran before looking back at Rayne.

"So, why don't you tell us what happened?" Captain Edran nodded as well.

"Start from the beginning," he ordered.

"From the moment the crimson guard dragged you away." Rayne took a slow breath before explaining everything. From the moment Atticus kicked him to the floor and cuffed him, to the carriage ride, and to entering the trial room itself. Both Casper and Captain Edran grew noticeably more serious as he went on. He explained the questioning, Gredrick's methods, Duke Hellar's hatred, Captain Verella stepping in during certain moments, and every important question they had asked him.

At several points, Casper frowned while Captain Edran remained completely silent, listening carefully without interrupting once. Finally, Rayne reached the verdict itself. The room became quiet after he finished speaking. Captain Edran sat there for several long seconds looking like he genuinely didn't know how to react. Eventually, he rubbed his forehead slowly before looking back toward Rayne.

"So," he said carefully, "you met Prince Caelan right before the trial… and then got sentenced to treasure hunting inside the godless ruins." Rayne nodded once. Captain Edran frowned deeply, rubbing his head again before suddenly doing something he had never seen him do before. He cursed.

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