39 Chapter 39: Anger and laughter.

Focusing back on the battle ahead, I waited for the announcer to start the battle royale, which he did after he regained his composure, though the moment the match started, no one moved a muscle; all of the contestants stayed still and looked at me.

'Tsk, if they're already like this, then no one will fight me, although I would've been surprised if someone dared to fight me this early.' Thought Elif while sending out a Royal Elf's Palm into the middle of the crowd, which sparked everyone into battle.

With my attack starting the battle, everyone begins fighting; however, just like I expected, the area around me is entirely void of anyone; not even the remnants of techniques made it close to me.

I was disappointed with this outcome, as I wanted to fight against other people to gain more fighting experience, though with how things are currently playing out, even if I tried fighting someone, they would either run away or stop fighting altogether.

'Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow before I can actually experience a fight against members of the same generation as me.' Pondered Elif, annoyed at the participant's cowardice in fighting against him.

Since I had nothing to do, I just hovered and began doing some light meditation, all while occasionally sending out some weak attacks randomly; this continued for about another ten minutes until there were just eleven of us left, which was when I stopped my meditation and watched the final battle to see who would be eliminated.

Both of the contestants were decently strong and decently experienced, so the fight continued for a while with both of them being equally matched; however, eventually, it seemed like one of them got fed up with battle and pulled out a talisman that shot ethereal chains towards the opponent, causing them to get entangled and having their movements severely hindered which allowed for the other person to effectively land their attack on them, successfully knocking the person unconscious and ending the battle.

Once they knocked the person out, I left the arena and flew back to my private room, passing through the window before eventually landing on my throne with Illumia standing right next to it.

"How was it, your highness?"

"Did you not watch the battle Illumia? It was disappointing and a waste of my time; I should've just skipped the battle royale tournaments." Answered Elif as he vented his emotions out.

Once again, five more minutes passed before another battle royale started; this time, there were a few powerful opponents, such as Kare Sigurda, Starlet Voldir, Felecia Hilda, and Osborn Freyr. Each one of them was powerful, though I would have to fight with all of my power to win against Kare, and even then, the chances of that happening were still fifty-fifty. However, I wasn't distressed when I saw them; if anything, I was happy at the prospect of having opponents that'll force me to fight with everything I had. Only by testing my limits will I be able to see where my strength truly lies before eventually surpassing it; I learned that during my clash against the final heavenly tribulation.

Anyways back to the battle below me, well, it was pretty much the same as the previous two battles; practically no one tried attacking Kare, Starlet, Felecia, or Osborn; those four just stayed in their own little sections and watched the rest of the contestants fight amongst themselves. The battle eventually ended, and once again, there were some decently powerful people, but that's it; no one caught my interest like Idonea did.

"Your highness, I believe you'll be interested in who's participating in the fifth battle royale." Commented Illumia during the five-minute intermission.

"Hm, that's good; who is it?" Asked Elif with interest after he stopped meditating.

"Marley Eve."

'It's her, huh? Sarah told me she would participate, so I'm not surprised.' Thought Elif with an unusually serious expression while tapping his finger on the throne's armrest.

Marley Eve is someone I highly detest and despise, though I must admit, she is pretty talented, at least compared to the rest of the nobles; she's incredibly arrogant and egotistical but has the power to back it up with being the strongest among the younger generation. However, the most important thing to me is she is the only one among the nobles I have no confidence in winning against. The difference in our raw power is just too big for me to overcome currently; I'm sure with all of the talisman, pills, and artifacts grandmother gave to me, I could easily defeat her, but this isn't a life and death battle, this is a tournament to show off our strength, not show off our wealth, besides I would gain no pride in defeating Marley that way.

While I was in deep thought about Marley, the five-minute break finished, and all the contestants of the fifth battle royale started pouring onto the stage, with Marley showing up last. However, her presence alone caused a different sensation to echo throughout the coliseum; while my presence brought awe, shock, and reverence, Marley's presence brought fear and respect, mainly to the nobles in the arena, as they had witnessed her strength firsthand.

Once the announcer started the battle, no one even dared to approach Marley's vicinity, however contrary to what I thought she would do, she made her way to the edge of the arena and stared at my private room with a smile, arrogantly provoking me while looking at me as if I was beneath her. Her actions didn't go unnoticed, as some of the contestants stopped fighting to see what was happening.

'Is she really provoking me!? The Crown Prince of the Empire she resides in!? Does she think that just because she was born four years earlier than me, she's someone special!?' Thought Elif angrily, as even though he was young, all he's ever experienced was people constantly submitting themselves to him, yet when someone who he considered beneath him dared to look at him the same way, it elicited his anger.

Throughout the whole battle, all Marley did was stand there, doing nothing but provoking me; even when the match finished, she was the last to leave. I must say, throughout the six short years I've lived, I've never been angry, I've definitely been highly annoyed, but I've never truly been angry, and this is the first time.

"Your highness, are you okay?" Asked Illumia, slightly worried as this was the first time she had ever witnessed Elif act like this.

"I'm fine; I would just like some peace and quiet." Replied Elif, very calmly, as he sat still on the throne with his eyes radiating slight coldness.

As time passed by with the sixth and final tournament preceding, I began calming down, and once the sixth tournament had ended, my emotions returned to normal. Letting out a breath of air; a smile adorned my face as I started laughing.

"Hahahahaha!" Voiced Elif with a soft chuckle before slowly turning into loud laughter; however, it caused Illumia to give him a weird look.

"Your highness, are you sure you're alright?" Asked Illumia, a little more worried than before.

"Hahahaha, I feel great; I was just thinking of stuff that's all Illumia." Replied Elif as he finished laughing, though a large smile stayed plastered on his face.

While the sixth tournament was going on, I took that time to think about what Marley did and why it caused me to get so angry; however, the answer I came up with angered me, but I also found it even funnier, and that is why I laughed. The only reason I got angry at Marley is that I've been treating her as someone equal to me, and that is something I find hilarious because how could someone like Marley be equal to me? She merely has had more years to cultivate than me, that's all. However, I'm also angry at myself for ever thinking she could be my equal because, with my talent, how could anyone be my equal?

Standing up from the throne, I fix my hair and make my way to the exit as the tournament for today is over, and the announcer is just talking about stuff I don't care about. As I headed out of the room, all of the nobles stopped what they were doing and stared at me carefully; however, I could tell they were looking at me differently than last time, though if I had to guess, it was to see how I handled Marley's provocation.

I ignored them and continued heading towards the exit, but halfway through the room, Marley and her father, who I forgot the name of, but I know his last name is Eve, stopped right before me.

"Prince Elif, I would like to apologize for my daughter's actions; I hope you can understand; Marley is just a very competitive person at heart; she didn't mean to anger you." Said Nordan with an apologetic smile though he didn't once bow, nor did Marley, as she just stood beside her father and continued trying to provoke Elif; however, Illumia wasn't one bit pleased.

"If you wish to make an apology, you should bow before his highness unless you need my assistance in the matter." Said Illumia threateningly while looking at Nordan.

"Ahh, yes, my mistake." Said Nordan with an ugly face while looking at Illumia before smiling once again with a bow.

I haven't had enough interactions with people to be able to accurately tell when someone is lying, but even with how inexperienced I am, It was pretty easy to see that he didn't truly mean anything he said; however, that didn't bother me much as I was currently in a good mood.

"There is no need to worry about that, Eve; Marley was just proclaiming her desire to battle with me, which is something I would enjoy." Said Elif with a smile, which prompted Nordan's face to twitch slightly. Don't know whether it was because he realized Elif didn't know his name or if he realized Elif seemed completely fine after Marley's stunt.

Walking past Marley and Eve, who just stood there, I told them my true thoughts before leaving the room full of nobles.

"Besides, why would I ever feel angry at someone who is inferior to me? They should already be happy they managed to acquire my attention." Declared Elif, causing every noble in the room to feel awkward, while Nordan sported an ugly face and Marley looked livid.