The masses were immensely curious about Melania, perhaps even more than August and Valerie.
After all, those two's origins couldn't be traced. They were commoners, but they didn't come from places close enough to the central region for them to be registered or investigable.
Melania came from Arragon. She was in the slums, sure, but she'd been working in and around the city for many years.
People were able to understand who she was and where she came from. They had access to almost her entire history.
It wasn't a problem for Melania, since she was able to hide on the training island just like her friends, but her family wasn't safe.
Melania had a mother and two young siblings. They had been moved to a better area of Arragon using the money August gifted her, but what difference did that make?
In the grand scheme of things, they were simply too vulnerable.
Melania and August both realized the potential dangers that came with their participation in such a televised event.
When she left the heir wars arena under the scrutinizing gazes of many others, she immediately returned to her home and took her mother and siblings to the Shadow Lounge.
Since Melania spent more time outside than August and Valerie, she had more of an understanding of just what they received for being members of the prestigious organization.
The lounge was backed by strong people unaffiliated with the Holy Clans. As an independent entity, they needed a way to assure their customers.
Everyone who had the privilege of staying in the Shadow Lounge's accommodations would be protected by their staff.
After all, if one person was compromised, then the rest could be compromised just as easily.
To ensure the maintenance of its reputation, the lounge's upper administration kept its existence hidden from even the highest elites in Arulion.
And if someone happened to find one of their establishments…
Well, nothing more needed to be said.
That person would become an enemy of the lounge, which barely any one organization in the world could handle.
The Shadow Lounge was a more powerful entity than the three young geniuses would realize for a long time.
Damien had chosen this place specifically because of how great it was.
Others didn't have the same guts or ability as the people who ran this lounge. If it was them, Damien could be assured that August and his friends would have a bastion of safety even in their darkest days.
Nevertheless, Melania put her mother and siblings into one of the Shadow Lounge's safe houses. She needed to pay a fee to keep them there, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle with her newfound power.
And since her family was secured early, Melania was able to focus on the more positive side of the second round.
Lucas Stroll participated alongside her. Though he had not a single good opinion of her based on the elimination round alone, he was forced to change his harsh attitude the second Melania reappeared in the spotlight.
This kind of change was genuinely insanity-inducing. It wasn't a feat that could be replicated easily.
After seeing how Valerie blew everyone out of the water with her ability, even he found himself doubting if he wanted to stand up to her.
But, it wasn't like he had the chance.
Lucas was defeated in the final round. He was just a second behind the person before him, but that still scored him a position equivalent to fourth place, though anything under the podium was practically the same.
Lucas was disappointed in his performance. He wanted to improve like Melania had to truly show the world what commoners could do.
That was why he accepted her offer despite being humiliated by it.
Melania approached him after the round and gave him a choice.
She, as someone who now understood August's goal and had a far more mature mentality than both him and Valerie, knew that they needed to form alliances if they wanted to properly make it through this competition.
The commoners would be discriminated against by their noble competitors no matter their results. Perhaps some would show different appearances, but the majority would be furious to see them succeed.
As such, it was best for all of them to stick together, for them to help each other when they could so that they didn't have to worry about suppression from the other side.
Melania wasn't averse to recruiting nobles, but the commoners would always be more open.
Lucas was a good first choice. Once she'd convinced Lucas, Ophelia would absolutely join them as well. There wasn't a question about it.
So, she proposed it to him in secret as the final ceremony took place, giving him some time to think it over before answering.
Though, he didn't really need it.
Forming alliances was obviously an advantage. There weren't any cons to it.
Lucas was also a commoner, though one with a bit more fortune than others. Whether he stood alone or with a group, he'd be seen with the same hostility.
So when he thought of Valerie, whose performance he'd seen in the first round, August, who dominated the labyrinth challenge, and Melania, who had just obliterated the second round…
Was there any real reason for him to not want to be allied with these people?
He voiced his agreement as they walked through the tunnel that would lead them to their respective homes.
It was a simple alliance, not something that provoked any feelings but mutual benefit.
At least, that was how it started.
Within two weeks, another two rounds were held.
Ophelia also participated in hers. She scored lower than most, but she still got one point, which put her on par with most.
She had heard from Lucas before the round started, and after experiencing the heir wars for herself, she returned home and immediately agreed to join their alliance.
And, by the time a month had passed, the first stage of the heir wars had ended.
There were three people in each of the five groups who had scored no points at all, adding up to a total of fifteen geniuses.
This stage ended, and their time in the competition ended along with it.
With fifty participants left, the competition would continue into its second round.
The impact that the first elimination had was a lot larger than expected.
There were a total of fifteen commoners participating in the heir wars at the start.
Usually, by this point, that number would have dwindled to zero.
It was definitely close. Seven of the fifteen who were eliminated came from common backgrounds.
But, the other eight were nobles.
For the first time in history, more nobles were eliminated than commoners in a single stage of any competition.
It was monumental.
Though subtle at first, a shift that started with the elimination round started to show more prevalence.
Pride.
Those commoners who never had an ounce of it suddenly learned what a dragon's pride felt like.
And as they reveled in that feeling, they unintentionally got closer to their roots.
Dragons were always solitary creatures who revolted in the face of oppression.
Dragons were creatures that would rather die than be enslaved or mistreated.
The common people had just forgotten the instincts in their blood.
It really didn't take much to change Arulion.
All the people needed was spirit and someone strong enough to put their hopes in.
One of those requirements was being fulfilled with every round of the heir wars.
As for the other one…
It had not come yet, but soon, everything would change.
A spiritual leader, a person who could bring all of dragonkind together to fight oppression…
That person already existed.
And it wouldn't be long before they returned to the scene.
The masses were immensely curious about Melania, perhaps even more than August and Valerie.
After all, those two's origins couldn't be traced. They were commoners, but they didn't come from places close enough to the central region for them to be registered or investigable.
Melania came from Arragon. She was in the slums, sure, but she'd been working in and around the city for many years.
People were able to understand who she was and where she came from. They had access to almost her entire history.
It wasn't a problem for Melania, since she was able to hide on the training island just like her friends, but her family wasn't safe.
Melania had a mother and two young siblings. They had been moved to a better area of Arragon using the money August gifted her, but what difference did that make?
In the grand scheme of things, they were simply too vulnerable.
Melania and August both realized the potential dangers that came with their participation in such a televised event.
When she left the heir wars arena under the scrutinizing gazes of many others, she immediately returned to her home and took her mother and siblings to the Shadow Lounge.
Since Melania spent more time outside than August and Valerie, she had more of an understanding of just what they received for being members of the prestigious organization.
The lounge was backed by strong people unaffiliated with the Holy Clans. As an independent entity, they needed a way to assure their customers.
Everyone who had the privilege of staying in the Shadow Lounge's accommodations would be protected by their staff.
After all, if one person was compromised, then the rest could be compromised just as easily.
To ensure the maintenance of its reputation, the lounge's upper administration kept its existence hidden from even the highest elites in Arulion.
And if someone happened to find one of their establishments…
Well, nothing more needed to be said.
That person would become an enemy of the lounge, which barely any one organization in the world could handle.
The Shadow Lounge was a more powerful entity than the three young geniuses would realize for a long time.
Damien had chosen this place specifically because of how great it was.
Others didn't have the same guts or ability as the people who ran this lounge. If it was them, Damien could be assured that August and his friends would have a bastion of safety even in their darkest days.
Nevertheless, Melania put her mother and siblings into one of the Shadow Lounge's safe houses. She needed to pay a fee to keep them there, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle with her newfound power.
And since her family was secured early, Melania was able to focus on the more positive side of the second round.
Lucas Stroll participated alongside her. Though he had not a single good opinion of her based on the elimination round alone, he was forced to change his harsh attitude the second Melania reappeared in the spotlight.
This kind of change was genuinely insanity-inducing. It wasn't a feat that could be replicated easily.
After seeing how Valerie blew everyone out of the water with her ability, even he found himself doubting if he wanted to stand up to her.
But, it wasn't like he had the chance.
Lucas was defeated in the final round. He was just a second behind the person before him, but that still scored him a position equivalent to fourth place, though anything under the podium was practically the same.
Lucas was disappointed in his performance. He wanted to improve like Melania had to truly show the world what commoners could do.
That was why he accepted her offer despite being humiliated by it.
Melania approached him after the round and gave him a choice.
She, as someone who now understood August's goal and had a far more mature mentality than both him and Valerie, knew that they needed to form alliances if they wanted to properly make it through this competition.
The commoners would be discriminated against by their noble competitors no matter their results. Perhaps some would show different appearances, but the majority would be furious to see them succeed.
As such, it was best for all of them to stick together, for them to help each other when they could so that they didn't have to worry about suppression from the other side.
Melania wasn't averse to recruiting nobles, but the commoners would always be more open.
Lucas was a good first choice. Once she'd convinced Lucas, Ophelia would absolutely join them as well. There wasn't a question about it.
So, she proposed it to him in secret as the final ceremony took place, giving him some time to think it over before answering.
Though, he didn't really need it.
Forming alliances was obviously an advantage. There weren't any cons to it.
Lucas was also a commoner, though one with a bit more fortune than others. Whether he stood alone or with a group, he'd be seen with the same hostility.
So when he thought of Valerie, whose performance he'd seen in the first round, August, who dominated the labyrinth challenge, and Melania, who had just obliterated the second round…
Was there any real reason for him to not want to be allied with these people?
He voiced his agreement as they walked through the tunnel that would lead them to their respective homes.
It was a simple alliance, not something that provoked any feelings but mutual benefit.
At least, that was how it started.
Within two weeks, another two rounds were held.
Ophelia also participated in hers. She scored lower than most, but she still got one point, which put her on par with most.
She had heard from Lucas before the round started, and after experiencing the heir wars for herself, she returned home and immediately agreed to join their alliance.
And, by the time a month had passed, the first stage of the heir wars had ended.
There were three people in each of the five groups who had scored no points at all, adding up to a total of fifteen geniuses.
This stage ended, and their time in the competition ended along with it.
With fifty participants left, the competition would continue into its second round.
The impact that the first elimination had was a lot larger than expected.
There were a total of fifteen commoners participating in the heir wars at the start.
Usually, by this point, that number would have dwindled to zero.
It was definitely close. Seven of the fifteen who were eliminated came from common backgrounds.
But, the other eight were nobles.
For the first time in history, more nobles were eliminated than commoners in a single stage of any competition.
It was monumental.
Though subtle at first, a shift that started with the elimination round started to show more prevalence.
Pride.
Those commoners who never had an ounce of it suddenly learned what a dragon's pride felt like.
And as they reveled in that feeling, they unintentionally got closer to their roots.
Dragons were always solitary creatures who revolted in the face of oppression.
Dragons were creatures that would rather die than be enslaved or mistreated.
The common people had just forgotten the instincts in their blood.
It really didn't take much to change Arulion.
All the people needed was spirit and someone strong enough to put their hopes in.
One of those requirements was being fulfilled with every round of the heir wars.
As for the other one…
It had not come yet, but soon, everything would change.
A spiritual leader, a person who could bring all of dragonkind together to fight oppression…
That person already existed.
And it wouldn't be long before they returned to the scene.
