Evolution begins with an ant colony

Back in the border town, the crescent moon hung overhead, casting its silvery glow over the snow-covered homes. In an alley away from the inn where Leona and Hestria were sound asleep, Oliver was carrying out a little interrogation of the guards whom he had knocked out of their horses.

Oliver, with a cold expression, stood over the two guards he had subdued. The alley was dimly lit, and the chilly night air added tension to the scene. He crossed his arms and spoke with authority.

"Now, gentlemen, I hope you've had a good nap. We need to have a little chat," Oliver said, his eyes narrowing. "I want answers, why don't you guys tell me here you were headed and what you were up to."

The guards, groggy and disoriented, struggled to focus. One of them managed to stammer, "The hell, aren't you that guy we met at the gate?" He began to tremble as he then added, "What do you want? Hope you know if you do anything to us, you won't be able to leave this town ever again." He paused momentarily, searching for more words to threaten Oliver.

"A-and if you do end up doing anything, this city will become your grave."

Suddenly, Oliver interrupted him, saying, "Not the answers I was looking for." In that split moment, he gave the guard a resounding slap to the face.

In response to the vivid red imprint of Oliver's hand on the guard's face, he turned towards the other guard and inquired, "What about you? Are you going to share what both of you were up to? If you don't, the next punishment I'll be delivering involves hanging your heads in front of the town gates."

Oliver's bold words sent a chill down the guards' spines, as his threats seemed both audacious and implausible. Despite the fear, the bolder guard managed to muster courage and stammered out a response, "H-Hey, don't go throwing around random threats like that. You're messing with the wrong people." Explore new worlds at My Virtual Library Empire

Oliver, upon hearing the guard's words, paused briefly. The guard, interpreting this as fear, smiled confidently. However, Oliver's response was unexpected; he began to laugh slowly, the laughter gradually escalating into a loud belly laugh. This action intensified the chills running down the guards' spines, and their eyes widened with fear. The guard on the left questioned, "W-what's so funny?"

After a sigh, Oliver replied, "Oh, sorry. Your words were so ridiculous I couldn't help but laugh. You threatening me? It was simply hilarious."

Oliver then leaned in, his hazel eyes glowing with his green mana as he asked in a cold tone, "Why don't we try this again?" This time, a loud booming noise echowed from the alleyway.

The cause of the sudden loud noise was Oliver punching his hand on the ground, completely shattering the cobblestone covering the floor, revealing the regular earth beneath. The guards became increasingly terrified with the sight and became frozen with fear. Oliver then spoke to them, his tone even colder and more serious than earlier.

"I'll ask you both one last time." The glow in his eyes further intensified, and he added, "What exactly were both of you up to?" He demanded, making the air in the alleyway increasingly hard to breathe.

Several hours later, it was dawn, and the sun hung overhead, its bright rays illuminating the surroundings. In the Holy Empire's royal castle, in the meeting room, the king and the nobles had gathered to talk about the end-of-year tournament, a large event that had originally been created by the first king and founder of the Holy Empire.

It was an event hosted in the Holy Capital, where swordsmen from all around the nation had the chance to showcase their skills. It was also an opportunity for skilled swordsmen to secure a job serving under a noble house, the church, or perhaps become a royal knight, serving under the king and working in the royal palace. It was a truly amazing and momentous event.

Unfortunately, the nobles had twisted its original and pure intentions into something else, using the event to obtain more resources from each other – a sort of gamble. They would send in their best knights, wanting to see who would make it to the final rounds and claim the top spot, giving the victor all the resources the rest of them had put on the line.

Although it might seem like that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was the process that made it vexing.

By sending in their top knights into such a tournament, it resulted in the knights easily defeating the beginners in battle. This led to not many upcoming talents being able to shine or even get a chance to work for any of the noble houses, the church, or the royal palace, thus causing the number of participants to drop as the years went by.

King Nevi Von Valistine, seated at the head of the grand table in the meeting room, leaned forward, his regal gaze sweeping across the assembly of nobles. Lord Frederick Alderway, a vehement noble with blond hair and emerald eyes, and Sir Geoffrey Ravenscroft, a calm noble with sapphire hair and steely gray eyes, were among those present.

In a commanding tone, King Nevi addressed the assembly, "Ladies and gentlemen, we gather today to discuss the annual end-of-year tournament—a tradition that was instituted with noble intentions. However, it has come to my attention that the true spirit of this event is at risk."

Lord Frederick, known for his vehement demeanor, interjected, "Your Majesty, with all due respect, the tournament has become a key battleground for showcasing the strength and prowess of our knights. It's a means for the nobility to display the might of their respective houses."@@novelbin@@

Sir Geoffrey, adopting a more measured approach, added, "While that is true, Lord Frederick, we must also consider the impact on the recruitment of new talents. The current format discourages participation from upcoming swordsmen, as the top-tier knights dominate the competition."

Nodding sagely, King Nevi continued, "Indeed, Sir Geoffrey. The tournament was originally conceived as a platform for promising swordsmen to shine, potentially securing positions in noble houses, the church, or even the royal palace. We must revisit the format to ensure its alignment with the initial purpose."