West of the Erdtree Temple stood the circular Colosseum. It looked exactly like the one in Caelid, and whenever people came here, they could not help imagining the days when Godfrey was still around.
Traces of Godfrey were everywhere here. He had loved this passionate spectacle. He would watch warriors fight one another to determine a victor, then laugh heartily as he took the winner into his service.
Honor was an abstract concept. Words alone could not sustain it, nor would they make anyone yearn for it.
But victory, championships, and campaigning far and wide alongside Godfrey gave tangible form to honor. Only then would people pursue it.
Shedding blood and winning glory.
That was every warrior's dream. They were not farmers; they could not scratch a living from the soil. They were not merchants; they did not know how to do business. They were not artisans; they could not make handicrafts.
All they could do was cut off enemies' ears on the battlefield in exchange for military merit. This was directly tied to their wealth and status, and naturally, it was also the best expression of honor.
The Colosseum retained the primitive, rugged architectural style of Godfrey's time. It was completely different from the current lavish style, which used gold tiles even for the roofs.
There was another important reason why the Combat Festival left such a deep impression on Leyndell's residents: they could see the Elden Lord in person.
In an age without television or other convenient means of spreading information, the king's appearance was always shrouded in mystery. It was not as though they could simply go online and find a photograph.
Of course, portraits were also difficult to obtain. The main reason was that portraits of the king would not be casually circulated on the market.