Wielder Of The Dragon Flame

Chapter 14

"How many times are they going to delay it?"

"I think they're scared of us." 

A voice called out,Asta couldn't see who, but the speaker's tone was thick with sarcasm. The comment drew scattered laughter from the crowd.

"Yeah!" 

Another voice agreed, louder this time. 

"They're chickens! They know we'd embarrass them, so they keep finding excuses!"

More laughter, but it had an edge to it,bitter, frustrated laughter.

Asta wasn't laughing. His jaw had tightened, and his earlier good mood was evaporating like morning mist under harsh sun. 

"Not again." 

He muttered under his breath, though no one near him was paying attention. 

"This is the fifth time they're postponing this tournament. The fifth time!”

His mind was already cataloging the previous postponements, each one more absurd than the last. The first cancellation had come three months ago, right when everyone was excited and ready. 

A higher-up official,Asta couldn't remember his name now, just that he'd been in the Elite Flame Division,had gone on a rampage after using a forbidden potion to enhance his flame power. The idiot had lost control, his flames burning far hotter and wilder than he could manage, and he'd ended up burning down the entire arena.

 The whole thing had collapsed in on itself, wooden beams and stone pillars reduced to ash and rubble. It had taken weeks just to clear the debris.

The second postponement had been even more dramatic. Empress Valerie herself had been responsible for that one. 

The story went that her personal chef had prepared a meal that displeased her,something about the seasoning being wrong or 

the meat being overcooked, the details varied depending on who was telling it. In her anger, the Empress had accidentally summoned Solaris, a flaming wind of devastating power that she normally kept under tight control. 

But in that moment of fury, her control had slipped, and Solaris had torn through the newly rebuilt arena like it was made of paper. Nothing left but scorched earth and twisted metal where the stands had been.

The third postponement had been an earthquake,a massive one that had shaken the entire region. 

The ground had literally opened up beneath parts of the arena, creating cracks you could fall into and never climb back out of. That one hadn't been anyone's fault, just terrible timing and bad luck.

The fourth had been an infestation of poisonous flame beasts,creatures that had somehow breached the academy's outer defenses and taken up residence in and around the arena grounds. They'd had to call in specialist hunters to clear them out, and even then, two people had died in the process, their bodies found burned and poisoned beyond recognition.

And now this. The fifth postponement. What could it possibly be this time?

"So what happened?" 

A voice cut through Asta's thoughts, loud and dripping with sarcasm. 

"Did the Empress summon her ancestors or something? Did they decide the dead needed to compete first?"

The crowd burst into laughter,genuine laughter this time, the absurdity of the suggestion breaking through the frustration. Even Asta felt his lips quirk into a small smile, letting out a soft chuckle despite his annoyance.

Old Man Kael waited for the laughter to die down, his expression patient but serious.

 "No." 

He said simply. 

"That's not what happened."

"So what happened this time?" 

Another person called out, and others echoed the question.

"Yeah, what's the excuse now?"

"Did someone sneeze and blow up the arena?"

"Did a butterfly land on the Empress's nose?"

Kael raised his hand again, and gradually the questions and jokes faded. When he had everyone's attention, he took a breath and explained.

"The Elders of the Crimson Academy held a council meeting." 

He said, his tone indicating this was official business, not another disaster.

 "They discussed the tournament schedule at length, and they came to a decision. They believe that having a tournament this quickly isn't the right approach right now."

"Why not?" 

Someone demanded. 

"We've been training for months!"

"Because." 

Kael said, his voice firm.

"They believe you all should be in guilds first. Real working guilds, not just training groups."

Confusion rippled through the crowd. People exchanged glances, shrugging, shaking their heads.

"What's a guild?" 

A man near the front asked, voicing what many were clearly thinking.

Before Kael could answer, movement at the side of the platform caught everyone's attention. The higher official who had burst into Asta's room earlier,the one who'd yelled at him to wake up,was stepping forward. 

He moved with the self-important stride of someone who enjoyed his authority, his pristine coat swishing around his legs as he took position beside Kael.

"A guild." 

The official said, his voice carrying that particular tone that people in authority often used when explaining something they considered obvious.

“Is a registered group of flame wielders who work together to complete missions and assignments. Think of it as a more formal, more official version of a squad."

He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts, then continued. 

"In a squad, you train together, you drill together, but that's mostly it. You're preparing for something, waiting for assignments that may or may not come. In a guild, you actively take on jobs,everything from escorting merchants and protecting villages to hunting flame beasts and investigating disturbances in the outer territories."

The crowd was listening now, the frustration giving way to curiosity. This was new information for most of them.

"Guilds are ranked." 

The official went on, warming to his subject.

 "From E-rank at the bottom all the way up to S-rank at the top. Your guild's rank determines what kind of missions you can take, what kind of rewards you can earn, and what kind of reputation you build. Do well, and your guild rank increases. Fail or perform poorly, and it drops. It's a system based on merit, on actual results rather than just potential or bloodline."

He crossed his arms, looking out over the crowd with something that might have been approval in his eyes. 

"The Elders believe that real-world experience,actual missions with actual stakes,will prepare you far better for the tournament than just more training drills. In a guild, you'll face unpredictable situations, learn to work as a true team, develop problem-solving skills under pressure. You'll gain practical experience that no amount of practice fighting can provide."

Someone in the crowd raised a hand hesitantly. 

"So... we have to join guilds? Is that mandatory?"

"If you want to participate in the tournament when it finally happens, yes." 

The official said bluntly. 

"The new requirement is that all participants must be members of active, registered guilds. No guild membership, no tournament entry. Simple as that."

Murmurs swept through the crowd again, but this time they had a different quality,not frustration, but consideration. People were actually thinking about this, weighing it against their expectations and plans.

Old Man Kael stepped forward again, reclaiming the focus.

 "I know this isn't what you were expecting." 

He said, his tone understanding. 

"I know many of you are frustrated with yet another delay. But I want you to think about what this opportunity actually represents."

He gestured broadly at the assembled laborers. 

"How man

y of you have actually been on real missions? How many have faced actual flame beasts in the wild, not just training dummies? How many have had to make life-or-death decisions with only your team to rely on?"