Three days later.
Olympia. This was the name that was currently captivating the entire continent.
Some said that it was the most luxurious city they had ever seen. Others said that it had an unprecedented range of shops where one would be able to find almost anything and everything available in all the Kingdoms of Angaria.
Regardless, one thing was for sure: those who were lucky enough to obtain seats and live in the city were envied by all.
Although these people with dwarfed by the enormous crowds that were making their way over constantly to this location, the sense of being special that came from holding a precious ticket was really something else. Even those that had normal tickets had taken to flaunting them in front of the others who hadn't been fortunate enough to obtain one.
In the bustling crowds of the city where there was a festive atmosphere both due to the colorful decorations all along the streets and the numerous types of tasty food and drinks that were available everywhere, two men stood side-by-side while looking at everything with smiles on their faces.
They were situated on the rooftop of a building in the Royal section, but they were veiled from the sight of all those who looked up.
Turning towards each other, the two men smiled even wider before hugging each other like they were brothers.
"How is being King treating you?", asked the one on the left, while the one on the right smiled and said, "It's a pain to handle all the committees and councils, but I'm getting along quite well. You know, you're all the rage in the Kingdom now. Everyone is already impressed by everything you've managed to accomplish with this event, and they're looking forward to see just how powerful the Lanthanorians are. You would think that they would already know the answer to that, as they are being ruled by one."
His stoic friend who was used to not saying one word more than necessary, had actually cracked a joke?!
As the King of Lanthanor tried to wrap his head around this, he realised that the changes in his friend had become even more pronounced in the time that they had spent apart.
Indeed, these two individuals were the rulers of the two Kingdoms who were originally supposed to participate in this event.
Daneel had asked Faxul to come to this location discreetly, both because he missed his friend and also because he wanted to check on him.
After all, the events during the takeover of the Black Raven Kingdom were still fresh in his mind, and the anomalies that he had seen then were still things that he thought about now in his idle time.
The spies from Lanthanor had also not been removed from the Black Raven Kingdom, with the obvious excuse that doing so would make it seem too suspicious.
Hence, Daneel knew that his friend had occupied himself with becoming a ruler who was loved by his citizens.
According to the reports, he constantly toured the Kingdom and identified problems which he solved swiftly with whatever limited funds he had available. He even frequently visited the Army and bolstered the spirit of the remaining soldiers, telling them that they would soon be back to their former glory.
All in all, Faxul was being an excellent King, and he seemed to be a natural at it. More than anything, the pure happiness that he seemed to get from seeing people benefiting from his actions was something that was unmistakable.
Of course, Daneel noticed this because it was something that he also felt. Hence, he was overall happy with the decision of having Faxul take the throne of the Black Raven Kingdom.
As for any trouble that might arise in the future, he was confident in the countermeasures he had placed.
Smiling awkwardly because of the surprise from seeing this pleasant change, Daneel said, "How are your soldiers? You do know that I'm not going to go easy on you, right?"
"They are ready. I've been training with them myself, and actually, I wish that I could participate."
At these words, Daneel shot a guilty glance at his friend and rubbed his nose sheepishly.
After all, not everyone could have such powerful clone and camouflage techniques to be able to fool everyone and participate under the guise of someone else.
Although Faxul was definitely not capable of this, Daneel had long had the suspicion that the other kingdoms might try something similar to obtain victory.
Still, he wasn't afraid in the least bit.
Turning back towards the crowd, both of them sighed together as they realised that they had a long week ahead.
All of their enemies, all in one place. And both rulers weren't so naïve as to think that no trouble would come.
Yet, they were determined to handle everything in the best way possible so that the Olympics would be talked about everywhere for as long as possible.
Faxul knew clearly just how much this meant to Daneel, from the effort he had put in to everything he had done to make it as big as possible. Hence, he was ready to help in every way he could to make the Olympics a grand success.
"Want to make a bet?", he asked, surprising Daneel whose thoughts were also on the days that were going to come.
"Oh? Since when do you make bets?"
"It's a long story. In short, one of my commanders is very avid in placing bets that he seldom loses. I've picked up the habit. So, do you want to place one or not?"
Feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks, Daneel smiled again and said, "Yes. But the wager has to be large. We are both Kings, after all."
"Very well. And let's use Lanthanorian currency. I bet 10,000 Gold Lans that Axelor is going to make some sort of trouble. And, another 10,000 Lans which say that Axelor will be in the second place."
Daneel raised an eyebrow on hearing this. If Faxul had placed this bet three days ago before his meeting with Queen Arafell, Daneel might have backed off, saying that he was not ready to take it.
Yet, after that meeting, he felt something from his gut instinct that told him that the Giants were not to be underestimated.
Even if the Giants were out of the equation in the most crowd-pulling event, he suspected that they had something up their sleeves.
Hence, he said, "The first is a no-brainer, so there is no way I'll accept. But the second - you have a bet. I'm not going to say who might come in second place, but I'm pretty sure that it won't be Axelor. Do we have a deal?"
Faxul had only brought up the matter of this bet to lighten the mood and relax a bit before they dived into all the responsibilities together. He hadn't expected Daneel to take either bet, so he was quite surprised on hearing his answer.
Of course, having no intention of giving up so much money, he said, "Yes, we do. In my Kingdom, we spit on our hands and shake. Have any interest in doing that?"
Daneel looked at his friend oddly as he heard this, as this was also something that they did back on Earth.
Assuming that it was just something formed by some sort of coincidence, he nodded as he had always liked the feeling of raw manliness that came from seeing things like this happen in the movies.
Yet, as he shook his friend's wet hand, he realized that it only looked good but didn't feel so.
Immediately using water to clean his hand, he asked something casually.
"What about the first place, though? No wagers on that?"
This question actually made Faxul chuckle, before he turned around and prepared to walk away after leaving behind an answer that made Daneel grin.
"There's probably no fool on this continent who would have any doubt that Lanthanor is going to win if they have known you for any period of time. Congrats in advance. Don't make me eat my words."
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The next day, at the crack of dawn, Norcet, his son and the Mage all woke up and quickly freshened themselves before wearing their best clothes and heading out of their quarters.
Joining the large group of people who were already heading to the stadium, the three chatted among themselves, excited about the opening ceremony that would be held before the games began.
"Watch everything closely, son. This is something that will be talked about for decades, and I suspect that you will even be telling your children and grandchildren about it. When you do so, I want you to have all the details possible."
With chests puffed out with pride, the trio made their way to the stadium, with their heartbeat increasing and their blood beginning to boil, knowing that this would be a spectacle that they would never forget.