The result dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the others.

  "What? How could this happen?"

  "Even the princess lost......"

  "Damn it! Is there no one who can teach those three bastards a lesson?"

  No matter how unwilling everyone was, the matter was already settled.

  "Hehehe, Your Highness, did you really think you stood a chance against me?"

  Odo walked to the edge of the arena and looked down at Miko.

  "How boring!"

  At that moment, Rajas and the other man walked over.

  Rajas looked at Odo with an impatient expression.

  "Alright, Odo, hurry up and come down. This boring match is making me sleepy. Let’s finish this and go drink!"

  "Fine, fine. Seriously, I was actually having fun......"

  Odo complained as he jumped off the arena.

  As for James, he walked over to Miko and said with a smile: "Your Highness, are you satisfied now~?"

  "You......"

  Miko clenched her fists and glared at James.

  "Wow, so scary~!"

  James immediately put on a "frightened" look.

  "Alright, stop messing with her, James! Hurry up and start the next match!"

  "I know! Odo, really—she’s the esteemed princess. You should have gone easier on her. By the way, do you need help getting up, Your Highness?"

  "I don’t need it! Get away from me!"

  "Hehe! Alright then, I’ll go to the match. See you later, Princess Highness~!"

  James turned around and walked toward the arena.

  "......"

  Miko sat on the ground, filled with unwillingness. She clenched her right fist tightly, then pounded the ground hard.

  "Damn it! Why am I so weak......"

  The subsequent matches were without any suspense. Rajas and the other two defeated all their opponents, securing the top three spots. They would ultimately represent the White Cat Royal Clan in the grand tournament.

  ......

  Outside the venue, Hulim had witnessed everything from start to finish.

  "......"

  After thinking for a moment, she went to ask the same guard for more information.

  "You mean those three men?"

  Hulim nodded.

  "Yes. Could you tell me about them?"

  "Of course! Those three jerks are......"

  The guard told Hulim about their origins with an indignant expression.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  It turned out the three were not people of any special status—they had been recruited by the White Cat Royal Clan.

  With the quadrennial Royal Martial Arts Festival approaching, the White Cat Royal Clan had failed to find suitable candidates for the Youth Division. Helpless, they had no choice but to seek external aid.

  The three had answered the call and were the strongest among all who came. However, their character was highly questionable.

  They had already aroused dissatisfaction among some people in the royal castle before. Now...... it was likely that even more people resented them.

  "Are they a team?"

  Hulim asked further.

  "Uh...... I think so. They came together and seem very familiar with each other. But this is quite common—after all, people of similar strength tend to stick together."

  "......I see. Thank you."

  "You’re welcome! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me again!"

  After leaving the guard, Hulim turned around and left the training ground directly.

  On her way back, she kept thinking about what she had seen.

  "......No, I really need to find out more details."

  So she turned around and walked in another direction.

  ......

  Eperu’s room.

  "You want to ask about the tournament?"

  Eperu was still sitting cross-legged on the blanket, motionless as before.

  Hulim sat on another blanket opposite her, following her request.

  "Yes. Could you explain it to me, Grandma Eperu?"

  "Of course."

  "You should know the origin of the Royal Martial Arts Festival—it has become almost like a traditional festival for the beastmen."

  Hulim was indeed well aware of this.

  This quadrennial event had evolved from an ancient youth arena duel. Over time, it had grown larger and more formalized.

  Later, when the Indam Federation was established, this duel officially became an official event. And because it was held in the presence of the kings of all tribes in the Indam Federation, it was named the Royal Martial Arts Festival.

  "I’ll tell you about its relationship with the Federal Council and our tribes."

  "Unlike the Pasara Empire, our Indam Federation is a country formed by the union of numerous tribes. To unify all tribes, we established the Federal Council. Within the council, tribes are divided into Upper Seats and Lower Seats based on certain criteria."

  "The Upper Seats hold far more power and speaking rights than the Lower Seats. However, their number is limited—only the strongest tribes among all are eligible for them."

  "......Could the Upper and Lower Seats you mentioned be related to the Royal Martial Arts Festival?"

  "That’s correct."

  Eperu nodded gently.

  "There are many criteria for judging a powerful tribe: population size, number of strong warriors, abilities, etc. These are the main factors."

  "In short, we have established many benchmarks to secure Upper Seats—and the Royal Martial Arts Festival is one of them."

  "......Our White Cat Clan has not had anyone qualify for the quarterfinals for many consecutive tournaments. This is unacceptable for an Upper Seat tribe. In fact, a lot of opposition has emerged within the council."

  "The White Cat Clan is already struggling to maintain its legacy. A tribe without potential is not qualified to hold an Upper Seat......"

  "At first, these were just rumors spread by tribes wanting to move up. But unexpectedly, they also took this opportunity to incite other Upper Seat tribes. The council has discussed this matter. Although we strongly opposed it, the final decision was that if no one from the White Cat Clan enters the quarterfinals this time, the council will reassess our qualification for an Upper Seat."

  "So that’s why you needed external aid?"

  "Yes. Although the council says it’s a ‘reassessment,’ that’s just a polite way of putting it. There are some tribes with sufficient strength who are eligible for Upper Seats. So once the reassessment begins, the White Cat Clan will have no chance. Unfortunately, the White Cat Clan still has no suitable candidates today. Miko...... is still too young."

  "Speaking of external aid, this is not uncommon among various tribes. It’s extremely difficult to compete against young talents from all over the world and become one of the strongest. In the past, our White Cat Clan has always adhered to the idea of earning glory through our own strength and has never sought external aid."

  Is that why they’ve lost so many consecutive tournaments......

  "Now, forced by the crisis, we have no choice but to compromise. In the end, we recruited strong individuals who meet the criteria from outside."

  "But......"

  A hint of dissatisfaction crept into Eperu’s tone.

  "The result of the selection turned out to be people like them."

  Clearly, Eperu had already learned the specific outcome of the selection.

  "......Grandma Eperu, couldn’t you directly recruit other famous strong warriors?"

  Eperu shook her head.

  "It’s difficult."

  "Famous strong warriors under the age of twenty-four are very rare. Even if they exist, they are not so easy to find."

  "......"

  Hulim lowered her head and thought for a moment.

  "The selection results are already out—will the candidates not be changed?"

  "Well, normally that’s the case. But if a candidate encounters any unexpected circumstances, we must ensure that we can replace them with someone else."

  "In other words...... if something happens to those three, a new selection will be held?"

  "Yes, that’s right......??? Child, why are you asking this?"

  "Nothing...... I’m just a little curious."

  "......"

  Hulim stood up from the blanket and bowed.

  "Thank you for answering my questions, Grandma Eperu."

  "You’re welcome. If you want to know anything else in the future, feel free to come ask me."