"...There was no mention that there would be this many people."
Meanwhile, Leonardo stood in a notably stiffened state, looking up at the towering outer wall of the arena. It was because of the crowd beyond the wall that he could sense without even looking inside. So many energies were tangled together that it was frighteningly overwhelming. Though it was still early and nothing had started yet, the cheers and heat of the spectators flowed out from inside.
As the drums that heightened the atmosphere sounded thump, thump, his arms moved involuntarily to bring the backpack slung over one shoulder and hug it tightly. His own figure, diminished before the magnificent architecture, felt particularly small today.
He wondered if he had taken participation too lightly. Just how many pairs of eyes would he have to endure?
Today, he wore an ivory military cap to naturally cover his blonde hair that sparkled in light, and donned a suede jumper of a similar color. With a special mask made by his partner Mirail controlling silkworms, he had draped cloth to cover his face and neck, leaving only his eyes exposed.
He was bundled up so thoroughly that he wouldn't feel cold even in Agrizendro territory, which boasted cool and pleasant weather year-round. However, Leonardo realized that his two legs, stopped alone among the people entering the arena, were trembling slightly.
He hadn't been like this even when standing on the front lines, but some unknown sensation, whether strange excitement or fear, enveloped his entire body. Because of this, the mana that leaked out created weak hot winds and static electricity over his hair and clothing.
Just then, Council members controlling the entering spectators shouted in front of the checkpoint that had to be passed before entering the arena.
"Opening ceremony spectators, please enter through entrances A-1 through B-15 located on the south and west sides! Please check the main entrance listed on your ticket!"
"All other test participants, please proceed through entrances C-1 through 8 on the east side! This is entrance B-11!"
Leonardo, who had been staring ahead, looked around. Signs reading [B-11] were posted everywhere. Not far away, the direction to entrances for test participants was marked with arrows. These had been markers continuing along the path, but perhaps because he was unconsciously nervous, he was only noticing them now.
Leonardo turned and walked trudgingly following the arrows. Even so, his mind constantly worried and worried again.
'Should I just forfeit even now?'
He doubted whether his identity could really remain hidden in a place where so many crowds gathered. The military, Imperial Knights, and uncomfortable relationships might all be mixed in there.
When he had been locked in a prison cell a few months ago and escaped from the middle of the imperial capital, though he had worried about future movements becoming inconvenient, his concerns were brief. Since there were greater goals and aspirations in the outside world, he had no fear of appearing before the public.
But... now he didn't know why his steps felt so heavy. Was it because he had to continuously expose himself not just once, but throughout the entire league period?
They would even watch his battles, predict victories and defeats, and bet money on them. His combat style had always focused on eliminating targets. He was also worried he might accidentally kill an opponent by failing to maintain proper limits.
'Still, I practiced with Teo for several days...'
Tergio was a good sparring partner when it came to hand-to-hand combat. What Leonardo had practiced with him were techniques for controlling strength, such as twisting someone's neck just enough not to kill them, and striking pressure points 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 surely be watching the matches, and he wanted to show only an incredibly cool appearance.
While walking for a while with such thoughts, he began to faintly see Section C. The distinction from Section B was easy. A huge temporary wall had been erected between the two sections.
He considered just jumping over it, but not wanting to stand out from the very beginning, he went around the temporary wall to enter Section C. Then the atmosphere of the people walking around him changed accordingly. Instead of faces full of harmony and excitement, competitive gazes searching for and sizing up rivals busily scanned the surroundings.
The fearsome weapons listed in the league outline document also began to appear one after another. There were those with burly builds, wearing strange costumes, or walking leisurely while holding the leash of a fierce-looking wolf.
'What, did animals also count as "match assistance items"?'
At this rate, they'd bring monsters too. If he caught a Dermocas from the peninsula, wouldn't that be worth a hundred men?
He had such thoughts, but suddenly realized he couldn't tame a Dermocas. Those creatures would rush at him with the intent to kill before being tamed, trying to devour even their master, so that method would probably be difficult.
After indulging in such trivial imagination, he took out a black cloak from his backpack and put it on. If he dressed like this in front of entrances A and B, he'd be considered suspicious, but coming here, perhaps because there were many mystical concepts, even a cloak felt relatively ordinary.
Since there were frequently emerging characters who clearly had some swagger, the number and build of the members guarding the checkpoint also changed.
"This is entrance C-1. Test participants, please prepare your identification in advance and cooperate with baggage inspection."
Their voices had cave-like low tones and possessed enough charisma to suppress disturbances just by appearing. Thanks to this superior control, all the participants trying to enter the arena flocked toward them as if enchanted. Leonardo decided to walk a bit further and use the less crowded C-4 entrance.
He passed by entrance C-1 and went through the fence installed between numbers 3 and 4. And then, suddenly, he stopped walking.
'...?'
He instinctively looked back.
Though sparser than entrance 1, the vast waves of applicants still filled the wide plaza densely.
Usually, noticing a tail begins when one makes an uncommon choice and detects a presence that seems to be following. Moreover, if one had recently experienced being tailed, their senses would be more developed in that direction.
'Is it that guy from before?'
Leonardo looked around in all directions with narrowed brows. He felt as if someone was staring intently at the back of his head and secretly following him. But in a place so crowded with people that they could trip over them, it was difficult to identify a tail.
"Damn... no time to shake them off."
"What are you standing around gawking for?"
Just then, a large figure roughly pushed Leonardo's shoulder as he passed by. Leonardo, who had momentarily let his guard down due to paying attention elsewhere, was pushed back a step. He then looked up at the other person as if incredulous.
It was the build of a pig with thick flesh covering a bulky body and crudely made muscles. Moreover, with a toad-like face glaring at him, that thing was also calling itself a face.
The words "You ugly bastard should get out of the way" rose to his throat, but Leonardo calmly replied instead.
"Ah, sorry. I was looking for someone."
Since he apologized obediently, the man who had been picking a fight to the end grumbled and headed toward the checkpoint first. Judging by the quietly audible sounds and lip movements, he was perceived as something like "all sorts of weaklings are participating these days."
Leonardo, whose muscle mass didn't grow well compared to his exercise and intake due to his naturally high body temperature and active metabolism, had always disliked being called pretty, saying it was also a form of looking down on him, but being called "weak" was almost tantamount to a declaration of war. However, beating down a participant in a place where everyone could see before the matches even started and receiving a warning in advance would be even worse.
'In the preliminaries, whichever team you're on, I'll definitely eliminate you.'
He muttered while maintaining an expressionless face but gritting his teeth. That was brief, as Leonardo immediately looked around. The presence that had been following was already lost, and the gaze that seemed to pierce the back of his head had also disappeared.
He suspected that the toad might have been in cahoots with the tails and picked a fight to draw his attention. If so, that was actually good.
He'd pull out his teeth one by one and make him confess who had sent him.
The unexpected incident instantly hardened Leonardo's wavering heart. He followed the large figure and lined up at the checkpoint in front of entrance C-4, keeping watch for presences. Though six or seven people had already been added between them, creating some distance, it didn't matter.
"There isn't much time left for participant entry! Please prepare your identification in advance for swift entry!"
Leonardo took out his registration card from his inner pocket and adjusted his hood and cloak. His narrowed gaze fixed on the back of the large figure's head. He also occasionally turned around to look at his surroundings.
He resolved that this was a good opportunity to reveal what the stalker who had followed him from Riverside really wanted from him.