Establishing Trust, Reform, Preparing for War

With the issuance of the Ministry of Education's latest bill, the entire Erus Kingdom was ignited with a passion for learning. As a result, the once empty Magic Academy dormitories were instantly filled with students.

However, not everyone immediately threw themselves into compulsory magic education, because the crucial Grand Martial Arts Tournament had not yet taken place, and the truth of His Majesty the King's promise remained to be verified. Therefore, apart from those minor nobles who had already exhausted all other options, the vast majority of nobles were still observing and waiting.

As everyone eagerly awaited the event, the days passed by, and the Grand Martial Arts Tournament competition drew ever closer.

Just as everyone's patience was about to run out, the calendar on the wall finally changed to September 4th, X765. As a result, a huge crowd gathered in the outskirts of Philiers and a tall arena was set up.

Grand Martial Arts Tournament Venue, Backstage Rest Area

Looking at Heradi and the others who were eager to fight, Old Suo said worriedly, "Heradi, remember to hold back when you start fighting, don't beat them all to a pulp!"

"Hey boss, don't worry, we know what to do!" (Heradi)

"Relax? Of course I can't relax!" (Old Suo)

"My dear boss, my men are reliable and know what they're doing. They won't ruin your important plans!" (Heradi)

Upon hearing Heradi's words, Old Suo said no. He then shook his head.

"I'm not worried about anyone else, I'm just worried that you, you idiot, won't be able to stop yourself... Ouch! No! I'm so nervous, I have a feeling something's going to happen. I think it's safer to let Kurelle replace you. (Old Suo)"

Seeing that Sordil was about to go out and call Kurelle, Heradi hurriedly lunged forward and grabbed Old Suo's leg tightly, refusing to let go.

"Boss, I've waited so long for this chance to make a move, you can't do this to me! Waaah!"

Seeing Heradi snot and tears streaming down his face, Old Suo's heart softened. He bent down to help Horadrim up, then said earnestly, "Alright! I'll trust you this once and entrust this matter to you. But let's be clear, if you mess this up... hmph!" (Bullshit! Actually, he was afraid Heradi's snot and tears would get on him and stain his suit. Humph! He thinks he can fool this germaphobe with such a small Germaphobe!)

"Boss, don't worry, if I mess things up, you can play a three-day, three-night Kaba Symphony on me!"

Hearing Old He's assurance, Old Suo nodded in satisfaction and then slowly walked towards the viewing area.

"Boss, take care, I have something to do, so I won't see you off!"

Watching Heradi respectfully see Sordil off like a shrimp, the other participating officers all laughed.

"Haha! Old Eighth is indeed a master of disguise, his face-changing speed is really fast!"

"Who says otherwise? You're all dumbfounded! Haha!"

"Ha ha"

Hearing the jeers, Heradi turned around angrily and shouted, "Old Four, fifth brother, if you laugh again, believe me, I'll have the eldest brother disqualify you from the competition!"

"Hey! No, no, no! We won't laugh!"

"Fifth brother! (Heradi)"

"I didn't laugh... I didn't laugh!"

"Then why is your body shaking?" (Heradi)

"It's too cold, I'm not wearing enough, a little... pfft!"

"Fifth brother, I'll fight you to the death!" (Heradi)

Seeing Lao He rushing over, Lao Wu and the others laughed as they moved quickly to dodge Lao He's attacks, and the place instantly became lively.

Heavenly King Guard Rest Area

Compared to the chaos on Heradi's side, it was much quieter here, with each participant staying in their seat to meditate and adjust their state.

It wasn't that they were truly detached from worldly affairs and indifferent to fame and fortune; rather, they had learned the truth about this martial arts competition from the Heavenly Kings. The thought that they needed others to hold back to win ignited a sense of pride within them, a pride that defined the strong, which made them set aside their prejudices and unite to face their formidable enemy.

They wanted to prove to His Majesty the King that they were not useless cowards, and that they were no less capable than anyone else! (Although this was impossible!)

"Thump!"

A deafening gong rang out, instantly silencing the noisy hall. Then, a mature and steady voice came from the center of the hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in order to showcase the prowess of our soldiers to the general public and to highlight the achievements of compulsory magic education, His Majesty the King has specially arranged this grand martial arts demonstration. He hopes that you will all watch attentively and appreciate its significance!"

"Now, please welcome the participants from both teams to the arena!"

As the host finished speaking, the special passage for both sides was opened. Immediately afterwards, a huge ball of flesh rolled out from the passage of the Erus Legion. A moment later, the ball of flesh crashed into the ground and turned into a human flesh Plum Blossom.

Upon witnessing this scene, the audience erupted in a chorus of jaws dropping and gasps of shock.

Special viewing seats

"What is Heradi doing? I only asked him to go easy on me, not to embarrass himself in front of so many people!"

Hearing Sordil's gritting complaints, Kurelle said from the side, "Boss, should I go up and drag those guys back?"

"Bring them back? How? The competition has already started. Do you expect me to stop the game for these unreliable guys? (Old Suo)"

"That... (Kurelle)"

"I'll remember this debt. We'll settle it with them slowly after the competition is over!" (Old Suo)

"Yes, boss! (Kurelle)"

Heavenly King Team Channel

Looking at the group of idiots sprawled on the ground, the members of the Heavenly King Team felt as if they had been thoroughly humiliated by His Majesty the King.

"Don't be fooled by their appearance; their strength far surpasses their mental fortitude!"

Hearing the voice in their minds, the members of the Heavenly King Team nodded in unison. Then, they replied in unison, "Thank you for the reminder, Lady Yelibell. We will be careful in our battle!"

After speaking, the Heavenly King Team marched in unison toward the arena.

Since the Heavenly King Team arrived at the arena via the stairs as usual, they didn't step onto the ring until 15 minutes later.

Once both sides were on the ring, the referee, who had been waiting for a long time, began to announce the rules of the match to the crowd.

"This competition will be divided into two parts: individual and team events. It will use a points system, but the scores for the two parts will be calculated separately and will not be added together."

"The rules of the competition are very simple: falling off the field, surrendering, or being knocked down all count as a failure. Being knocked down means being unable to get up within ten seconds of falling. In addition, losing track of someone or being knocked away will also result in a failure."

"Weapons and external forces are not allowed during the competition. You must not attack your opponent's eyes or vital organs, and you must not kill your opponent. Otherwise you will be disqualified from the competition."

"In the individual competition, the third place winner will receive 100,000 J and the title of Baron, the second place winner will receive 500,000 J and the title of Viscount, and the first place winner will receive 1 million J, the title of Earl, and a Golden Eagle Medal."

"In the team competition, the winning side will gain the right to name the military academy and the honor of the kingdom's first legion."

"Did you all understand?"

"I understand!"

After receiving clear answers from both sides, the referee nodded in satisfaction, then raised his right hand high and swung it down forcefully.

"The match begins!"

After an unexpected yet logically sound "intense" match, the Heavenly King Team Heavenly King Team swept the top three spots in the individual competition, only to Lily defeat in the team competition.

Thus, the highest military academy of the Erus Kingdom was unexpectedly and naturally named the Erus Military Academy. His Majesty Sordil also kept his promise and personally delivered the prizes to the top three winners of the individual competition.

As this glamorous yet comical competition came to a close, the observing nobles made their choices. Consequently, the Magic Academy's dormitories once again experienced a surge in visitors.

Just as Old Suo was carrying out sweeping reforms, the investigation teams sent by various Magic Council finally crossed mountains and rivers and arrived in Philiers.

Since Old Suo had already brought back his confidence from the Spirit World to confront the Magic Council, he didn't even bother with the pretense this time. He simply sent people to recruit them into his own forces... well, except for the rebels. (Guys, isn't this the legendary "sending someone to their death" scenario?)

Watching the Magic Council members being escorted away, Her Majesty the Queen asked worriedly, "You scoundrel, won't we be attacked by other forces on the continent if we do this?"

Old Suo raised his hands and pinched Irene's cheeks, then said gently, "Don't worry! They won't do that!"

"Of course, it would be even better if they did that, saving me the trouble of going to each of them individually! (Old Suo's voiceover)"

After dealing with the investigation teams sent by various Magic Council, the Erus Kingdom entered a brief period of quiet... well, that doesn't seem quite right. Oh, right! It should be said that it entered a relatively peaceful period of development.

With the support of his spendthrift father, Old Suo, one Magic Academy after another was established, followed by a series of poverty alleviation programs, and later military academies and magic knight training classes were created throughout the kingdom.

Oh! Right, the Western Border Army ... ugh! The Erus Legion's rule of holding Grand Martial Arts Tournament every three months has also been adopted by Old Suo for all the armies. In addition, the monthly friendly sparring Grand Martial Arts Tournament proposed by the Heavenly King Team has also been implemented. (Actually, it's just the Heavenly King Team setting up private matches, but they've never actually gotten their revenge!)

In addition, the variations of the farming and warfare system created by Old Suo have, after nearly a year of fermentation, the entire Erus Kingdom is filled with a strong warlike mentality.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Old Suo took out a document that had been lying around for a long time from his drawer and began to plan his next move to unify Ishgar.