Valerian heard the name of the game, and he chuckled. He asked, "How does it work?"

The Lady nodded and said, "Now and then, a male will take a liking to a female. Our tradition allows women to decide whether to marry a man. If they say no, and yet the man is insistent, the woman in question will bring them here, the game field.

The two people will spar; if the Lady loses, she must marry the man. If the man lost, then it was over. He will be asked to leave and not bother the Lady again."

Valerian raised his brow and asked, "What if the guy is still persistent?"

The Lady replied with a shrug, "Bring someone who can defeat the woman he likes. Because we also have a special category of battle where the loser will give up their rights over themselves to the winner."

Valerian frowned and spoke solemnly, "You mean, like subduing a slave?"

The woman nodded and replied, "Yes, something like that."

Valerian clenched his fists and turned around when he saw Vertex approaching him with an excited face. The guy narrowed his eyes, and the second prince stopped. Valerian walked slowly as he said, "Did you know that if I battle that girl and she loses, her status will be a slave?"

Vertex gulped and took a step back. Valerian said, "If you move, I will relay this matter to Mother right now." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The second Prince stopped and said, "I did not come forward for a second duel. She requested it on her initiative."

Valerian approached closer to Vertex and placed his hand on his shoulder. He asked, "Are you sure you are not lying?"

Vertex nodded heavily and said, "I swear in the name of Vita."

The silver-haired young man sighed and let go of him. He said, "When will you stop worrying the others? Cannot win the battle of love, and you are a magnum magister, for god’s sake."

He was exasperated by the dramatic situations he faced because of Vertex. He shook his head and asked, "Who is this lady you want to marry?"

Vertex smiled and pointed behind Valerian. The latter turned around and found that the woman he was talking to earlier was the object of fascination. He sighed, and the Lady asked, "Are you Valerian Verus, the prince who vanished after killing Tyrant Immortuous?"

Valerian replied, "I battled with him, almost defeated him, but the bloomkin killed him. Also, yes, I did vanish. Nice to meet you."

He replied very calmly but found that after the Lady questioned him, the people turned their heads to look at him. They stopped cheering and began whispering. On the battlefield, the warrior in the armor had lost the fight. The woman was looking in their direction with curiosity too.

The Lady said, "I am Makina, the chief of Azotians. Greetings, Prince Valerian."

Valerian was surprised and said, "I did not know you were the chieftain. Pardon my offense."

Makina shook her head and asked, "So, are you here to fight with me and give me to your brother after you win?"

Valerian shook his head and said, "I do not have the right to stop you from having a will of your own, even if I win the fight. I believe that no human has the right to do such a thing. No human is made superior or below the other. That is just bull shit."

Makina smiled and asked, "If you believe in such a thing, then why are you still a member of the Verus family? Why not abolish imperialism?"

Valerian gazed at her for a long second. This woman was looking to make trouble for him. He said, "You probably do not realize that if there is no one to set an example or to maintain order. The people would live a life of anarchy."

He paused, and Makina wanted to say something when Valerian raised her hand and stopped her. He communicated and said, "You might not know, but not every human is as good as you are at fighting and defending themselves. They need help. I do not know about the other imperial families, but Lumen does not treat their citizens like someone below us."

He turned to Vertex and said, "Let’s go. Tell me about the situation on the continent."

Vertex nodded, gazed at the Lady, and then the two brothers walked side by side. Makina furrowed her brows, and she did not expect this young man to have such a temper. She said, "I heard that your birth mother was from the eastern continent too. She was a battlemage who fought till her last breath. You failed to avenge her if you could not kill her murderer with your own hands. What are you acting so proud of?"

Valerian stopped and turned around. Vertex thought he would attack Makina, but Valerian smiled and said, "Tyrant Immortuous loved his family. I love mine. Do you know I killed four of his sisters before fighting with him?"

Makina was surprised and did not expect Valerian to retort at her like this. The young man continued, "Over the years, the things and people I have killed cannot be counted, so before you try and piss me off, ensure that you do not have someone who will be left alone if you die."

The guy threatened her. Hundreds of her people watched Valerian threaten the chief of Azotians. She was humiliated, and her face was lost. She was the clan chief if she let this matter go. It will bring her a lot of shame. She clenched her fists and said, "Fine, I should not have spoken out, but you humiliated me before my people. You cannot leave here without a competition."

Valerian sighed and said, "Lady, the humiliation was self-incurred. Why must I compete?"

His voice was calm and did not sound like he was looking down, and the Lady said, "If you leave like this, I will not be eligible for the position of the clan chief. Give me a chance to defend my honor. I apologize for my poke, but you cannot humiliate me."

Valerian looked at the people behind her. It seemed as if his speech only made the people discredit her. This was an odd situation. When he was hesitating, Vertex said, "Val, women must not be humiliated."

The silver-haired young man turned to look at his brother and sighed, "Disappointed but not surprised. Fine, I will fight her."

Vertex nodded, and Makina said, "The game field is open. Let’s fight?"

Valerian nodded and walked over. The people opened space for him to pass, and the guy thanked everyone while he moved. Makina also came to the field. She said, "Once you cannot fight or are pushed out of bounds, you will lose the battle. Agreed?"

Valerian looked around and found that small wood stumps marked a circular boundary of the field and nodded. He watched Makina properly. She had waterfall-like hair reaching her waist and was only one head shorter than him. Her legs were long and slender. She was wearing a blouse and black harem pants.

He found that Makina was very beautiful, but she was now holding the five-foot-tall sword’s hilt. He asked, "What is the name of this weapon?"

Makina replied, "This is a dueling sword that we all use called Serpent Moon Sword."

Valerian nodded; he could tell why this sword was called the serpent moon sword. After all, the weapon was curved like a moon, and a black serpent was engraved. He thought of something and said, "I will not use magic. I have not used it in a long time. My control is not good. Nor will I use battle aura. Do not think I am humiliating you. My strength is not like that of the others."

Makina furrowed, "Are you sure you are not looking down on me because I am a commoner?"

Valerian chuckled and said, "I spent five years in a place where I was a commoner and fought things you cannot imagine. I met many people who fought as commoners, so I am not looking down on you. Since you do not believe me, let me give you an example."

His battle aura channeled through his body the next moment, and the surroundings became gloomy. Valerian said, "This is not the full extent of it. Do you want me to go on?"

Makina replied, "I can still handle it with ease."

She was not to be underestimated, either. Their clan members have been fighting against warriors and mages all these years. Their skills were good enough. Valerian nodded, and his battle aura began to condense outside his body as if red flames were covering him. The people felt suffocated. They did not expect this young man to be so strong.

When a crimson veil completely surrounded Valerian, many felt a mountain pressing against their backs. They could not help but gulp, and Valerian said, "This is around a quarter of my strength."

Makina was shocked and did not expect this guy to be such a bane.