Chapter 378: The Patriarch (3)

By the time Aiden's group made their way through the crowd and entered the arena, there were only quite a few people taking up spots in the upstairs balcony. Excited chatter and whispers, bets were taking place as everyone looked forward to the Tale of Revenge, the fierce might of the Roaring Lion, Sir Arthur Sonovan.

The man in question, however, as if oblivious to the crowd's words, was standing at the center, instantly revealing a warm-looking smile as the small group finally made its appearance. 

His turquoise gaze scanned the group, ultimately resting on the golden-eyed, long black-haired boy at the center. Strangely, there was nothing but warmness coming from his look, Aiden could not find anything amiss. His presence radiated a positive feel, he looked like a gentle, kind grandpa and not a general, a commander of countless people, nor the arrogant leader of one of the strongest noble families in the kingdom.

"Welcome guys! First of all, let me thank you! I'm happy you accepted me as your examiner for this test!" As the group got closer, he exclaimed, his mighty tone filling the room and silencing the crowd upstairs in an instant.

He reached out with his trunk-like arms, gesturing for the group to step in and take their places.

"Aiden… right? Please, stay with the girl and come up together. I would like to ask you to listen to this old man's humble request!" Before the group could walk down and leave the applicant, Galina to face him, Sir Arthur spoke up, surprising the crowd with his humble, kind tone and strange request.

"What is going on? Does he want to shame and humiliate both of them?"

"A test? I thought this would be a duel!"

"What is going on?"

There was a growing displeasure and confusion spreading atop the balcony as they listened to the old legend's words. Many were now puzzled at what they actually bet on, and what they came to look at. Wasn't this supposed to be a big fight between the dark horse, the boy that came from nowhere and defeated his grandson? Was this only a test for a newly registered adventurer? 

If so, many weren't too sure if they should be wasting their time here, yet they still did not want to leave. It's incredibly rare to see a legend, a hero in person. Such an event was already well worth it.

Aiden didn't mind the request, nodding he walked up with the masked and hooded figure to face the towering, robust man, whilst the rest of the group joined with Mary and the silently following pair of dogs took their places at the side. Besides the dogs and Lily, the others had a look of worry on their faces as they looked at their friend. 

Though they knew he was strong, he was still facing against a walking myth, a legend this time.

As they lined up in front of him, Sir Arthur calmly looked at their figures, taking his time in scrutinizing both.

Eventually, his gaze landed on the masked feminine figure. With a calm, wide smile stretching his bearded face, he asked.

"Miss…. Ehrm Galina, right? You are the one facing the test this time if I am correct."

Instead of responding, Galina hesitated, unsure of what she should be doing. Fidgeting, she turned to look at her Young Master for guidance. 

Seeing her actions, Aiden sighed, smiling at her gently, before turning to look at the old man.

"Yes. She is the one, though she is a bit shy. After all, this was supposed to be only a test, not a grand event to be witnessed by such a crowd." His tone was calm, however, in the end, the people could feel a threatening undertone causing many to shiver and take a step away from the railings.

"I can only apologize for this." Shocking the spectators, Sir Arthur bowed his head, apologizing to the boy that tarnished their family name. "I did not want to cause such inconvenience, I merely wanted to personally witness the genius that started to make a name for himself in this hidden part of the Kingdom."

"If you would like, we can reschedule this matter and have it done in private." Sir Arthur offered, the smile not leaving his face.

"No, there is no need. While it is quite inconvenient, I don't mind the flies." Aiden shook his head, responding with a matching calmness throwing a jab at the prying, bored adventurers. Whilst there were a couple of frowns spreading at their faces, none voiced their displeasure, afraid to offend that monstrous boy and earn his ire. 

After witnessing his debut yesterday, not many were keen on facing him and earning a similar fate as Sir Michael.

Sir Arthur on the other hand, smiled and nodded approvingly at Aiden's words. He too seemed to think similarly as him. 

"I see. In that case, might I offer a change in the test?" He asked again, looking at both youngsters facing him.

Seeing both of them looking at him, waiting for him to go on, he continued with the same, gentle, warm smile.

"I would like to have the fight against both of you. Seeing as how Miss Galina is supporting, I think that forcing her to fight one on one against an examiner or an adventurer would not be a fair way to measure her skills."

He spoke, causing another wave of murmur to ripple through the crowd. Still, he ignored them and continued on.

"Instead, you Aiden, would be the one to fight face to face with me, whilst your partner would be responsible for providing support. So? What do you both say?"

He looked at both of them, his face showed no signs of ill intent but genuine interest. Even his presence was still the same. Unlike his grandson, he seemed much different. Aiden could not find any fault in him, the way he acted or in his words.

The only thing that bothered him was the fact that he couldn't feel any power from the man, he could not gauge the difference in their power levels. He had absolutely no idea how strong this old man was.

Seeing their lack of response, the old man continued.

"Obviously, I would not expect you to win, nor will I go overboard. I will match your strength, and only slowly increase the pressure, so Miss Galina here would be forced to go all out in keeping you up. Does that sound fair to you both?"

Finally, after thinking about it a bit more, Aiden decided to go with the flow and nodded to accept the old man's challenge.

"Fine. It sounds okay."

Taking a step forward, he turned to look at her masked partner. He did not speak out loud, but in the next moment, his voice resounded in Galina's head.

"Get ready. I'm still not sure what this man's aim is, nor can I measure his strength. Try your best, and watch out for anything. You might need to go all out, but also keep in mind many are watching us, and we don't want to reveal the fact that neither of us is… you know, human."

"Yes, Young Master. I will be careful." Galina responded mentally, nodding on the outside before both shifted their attention to the eagerly-looking old man in front of them.

He had a strange smirk over his face as if he was aware of something he shouldn't be… Still, he didn't say anything about it but looked at the young boy in front of him.

"Are you ready? I have heard you prefer to fight barehanded, so if you want, I can also-"

"No need for that. Pull your weapon out, Sir Arthur." Before the old man could finish, Aiden responded.

In the next moment, under the gasping eyes of many, an exotic blade appeared in his hands. The obsidian blade, with the beautiful and unique dragon markings over its hilt could be seen. A strange ominous aura surrounded it, causing the crowd to look at it with a mixture of wonder and fright.

However, what grabbed the old man's attention and caused his smile to widen was the small vermillion-colored glowing pair of bead-like eyes at its pommel. It was lightly flashing, he could feel a sentient presence in it, causing his smirk to widen.

"Beautiful sword, Aiden. I am astounded, incredible craftsmanship." He spoke, his words felt honest, truly appreciative.

"It seems, I need to also respond in the same manner."

In the next moment, he raised his right hand in the air. A bellowing war cry, a mighty lion's roar could be heard reverberating in the spacious hall, filling it up and causing the crowd to cower as a bright blinding light exploded from its raised palm in the next moment.

The light-filled the room in an instant, covering the arena below, though only for a brief moment. 

A few seconds later, the light faded, revealing a huge broadsword in the old man's right hand. Despite its huge size, he was holding it one-handed, shoving his incredible strength.

As the light faded and the legendary armament was once again shown to the public, the crowd turned dead silent…