In the blink of an eye, dawn had arrived.
The eastern side of the Sanctuary was packed with people, most of them from several nearby city-states. Those from farther away were still on the road.
Those who gained a Cloth's recognition could wield power comparable to that of the gods. Faced with such temptation, few could bring themselves to refuse.
It was easy to imagine that even more people would gather here in the days to come.
And where there was demand, there would be a market. It was only natural that a town would eventually spring up at the foot of the mountain.
No one knew where the news had leaked from, but it was no longer a secret that four of the twelve Golden Cloths had already been taken.
Taurus, Gemini, Leo, and Virgo all had their corresponding Saint Seiya. Among them, Gemini had suffered the worst damage to its reputation. Because it refused to let challengers enter, it had been saddled with countless derogatory labels—arrogant, jealous of talent, bullying the weak with strength, and so on.
Euxis knew the truth, but he did not care about outside opinions, nor could he be bothered to explain himself.
Russell was even less likely to explain. He said Euxis had finally learned how to get ahead in life: little brothers were meant to take the blame. What else were little brothers for?
As the number of challengers grew, more and more people broke through the second palace, Taurus Palace. It was no longer rare to see people gathered around Delmor's Golden Cloth. Fed up with it, he abandoned Taurus Palace and went to Virgo Palace to visit his sister.
That was what he said, anyway. As for the truth, those who understood, understood.
Euxis, stationed in the third palace, Gemini