Chapter 483: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Analysis and Meeting a Familiar Mr.

"Good morning, Britannians!!"

Numerous voices echoed through the streets of the Royal Academy Main Administrative Center. Coming from restaurants, shopping stalls, and the five-star guest houses... reception halls as the morning broadcast reached people across the city.

The voices of the broadcasters mixed with the sounds of morning activity. Plates and cups clinked inside restaurants, shopkeepers prepared their stalls for another busy day, and groups of Royal Academy students gathered outside guest houses while their parents checked their belongings before leaving.

Noble and Non-Noble guests were preparing to leave for the Arena for the next round of the Combat Festival.

Some parents were already dressed in their finest clothes, while others were still rushing their children along, afraid that they would arrive late and miss the beginning of the Seventh Round.

A few children walked beside their parents while talking excitedly about the matches from the previous days, arguing over which young Alchemist had performed the best.

And while these preparations were underway, the usual analysis programs produced by the different new broadcasting groups in Britannia were already filling the morning.

Almost everyone seemed interested in watching what would be said before heading to the Arena. They still had plenty of time, after all, since the Seventh Round wasn’t going to start until ten o’clock.

For many people, the analysis programs had become almost as much a part of the Combat Festival as the matches themselves.

They allowed ordinary spectators to discuss the fights before arriving at the Arena, while nobles could listen to experienced Alchemists and analysts discuss the abilities of the young prodigies who had already made names for themselves.

Inside one of the BNC Broadcasting Group’s studios, two hosts sat before the cameras while several Holographic Screens floated behind them.

"Yesterday and the day before yesterday were packed with amazing displays of incredible fights by the students of Royal Academy."

The male host of the program belonging to the BNC Broadcasting Group spoke brightly, his voice carrying the excitement that had become common throughout Britannia since the beginning of the Combat Festival.

"You can say that again. This is why I have to say the Royal Academy is the best Academy in all of Britannia. It’s a place where only the best of the best Young Alchemists can be a part of."

The female host replied with the same bright expression.

She leaned slightly toward the camera as she spoke, while the Holographic Screen behind her continued displaying images from previous matches.

"Hmm, rightfully said."

The male host nodded, agreeing with his fellow co-host.

"But I wonder..."

He looked at her with a curious expression.

"Which fight was your favorite?"

He asked.

The female host placed one hand against the table and thought for a moment.

"Well, like we have already established, there were so many amazing fights that it’s hard to pick one, so I will pick my best three."

She raised three fingers as she began listing them.

"The first is the Young Lord of Burnwick versus Prince Charles Aethelmont. It was a fight reminding all you Lady Vera Ashenlocke and Lady Diane Bergwyn supporters that the Young Lord of Burnwick is going to win this Combat Festival."

She pointed directly at the camera as she spoke confidently.

Across Britannia, the words immediately caught the attention of the people watching.

Holographic Screens hovered slightly above Glass TVs inside restaurants, guest houses, and private residences, displaying the live program for everyone gathered around them.

Some spectators stopped eating just to listen.

Others leaned closer to their screens.

And among them, some of Lady Vera Ashenlocke’s supporters as well as Lady Diane Bergwyn’s supporters frowned at the female host’s confident declaration about Ravenor Burnwick.

A few people immediately began arguing with their friends.

The Live Chat of the BNC Group went wild with arguments over who would win the Combat Festival.

It had already become a common battle every day.

The arguments were no longer limited to the Arena either. They had spread into restaurants, Academies, noble estates, shops, and even the streets, with supporters of different young Alchemists defending their favorites as if they were personally involved in the fights.

"You like the Young Lord of Burnwick a lot."

The male host said calmly.

"He’s so cool. Why wouldn’t I be a fan?"

The female host replied proudly.

Several people watching the broadcast laughed at her answer, while others immediately began complaining through the Live Chat again.

The female host only smiled before moving the discussion forward.

"Let’s put that aside... my second-best fight..."

She paused, clearly thinking about it before answering.

"Sir Cyrus Burnwick against Prince Tristin Aethelmont."

She said calmly.

"Another Prince losing against another Burnwick, and this being the step-brother of the genius Young Lord of Burnwick... showing the people of Britannia he’s not to be underestimated."

The male host said calmly.

At the back of the two hosts, the Holographic Screen displayed the fight between Cyrus and Tristin, making the program more interesting for those watching.

The screen showed several moments of the battle, moving between different scenes before stopping on one of Cyrus’s Flame Alchemy techniques.

"He used a Flame Alchemy almost like the Instant Flame Burst, which was an amazing move, don’t you think?"

The male host asked his co-host.

The female host glanced toward the Holographic Screen for a moment before turning back toward the camera.

"Well, I’m not much of a Combat-Based Alchemist, but we do have two important guests who will give us a full dive into the analysis properly before the Combat Festival Seventh Round begins."

The Female host replied, facing the camera.

She then smiled slightly as she prepared to introduce the final fight on her list.

"Now... my last fight definitely has to be Ezra Ashenlocke’s fight against Nate Ashenlocke, and although we didn’t get to see him use any of his cool gadgets, we got to see a wonderful display of hand-to-hand movements which made my day, honestly."

Her expression became more animated.

"I still get goosebumps whenever I watch the moment Ezra Ashenlocke jumped, spinning in the air while using his momentum to twist Nate Ashenlocke through the air before slamming Nate Ashenlocke’s head onto the ground."

She said excitedly, clapping her hands together.

The Holographic Screen behind them showed exactly the moment she was talking about.

The scene replayed in slow motion.

Ezra’s body could be seen twisting through the air as he used Nate’s own movement against him, before Nate was driven toward the ground.

The female host watched the replay along with the audience watching from across Britannia, her hands still together from the clap.

"That’s it for my best three. Let’s now introduce our guests who will lead us through today’s program."

The female host said, now calm.

"Lady Silvia Ashenlocke and Sir Harrison Galehart... both are one of the top graduates of the Royal Academies and now well-known Alchemists working diligently in their respective fields."

She introduced the guests.

The studio camera shifted toward the entrance as Silvia walked in, with Harrison walking at her side.

The two greeted the hosts before taking their seats.

Silvia adjusted herself comfortably in her chair while Harrison gave a polite nod toward the cameras.

The program continued calmly.

At the same time, people were now arriving at the Arena and taking their seats.

The security team worked vigilantly.

Each guest had their pass scanned before they were allowed to enter.

The Security personnel stood beside the entrances, checking the passes one after another while directing people toward the correct sections.

Some guests moved through the gates without stopping, while others took a little longer as their passes were checked.

Professor Greg and Kent supervised all of this from the observation room with all the holographic screens showing the different angles of the whole Main Administrative center.

The outside parts of the Arena were also packed with movement.

Royal Academy parents and guests arrived in groups, many of them walking with their children while still discussing the previous matches. Some children now carried small festival merchandise after buying them the moment they got to the area of the shop stalls, while others wore clothing displaying the names or symbols of their favorite young Alchemists.

There were also groups of students moving together, their conversations filled with excitement as they continued their arguments over the upcoming fights.

The festival had become more than a simple collection of matches.

There were food stalls, merchandise stands, small entertainment areas, and other activities surrounding the Arena, giving the enormous gathering the feeling of a celebration rather than merely a competition.

Families moved together through the crowds, while Noble and Non-Noble guests made their way toward their respective entrances.

The morning air carried the noise of hundreds of thousands of people.

"Ezra."

A familiar male voice echoed brightly as the person walked closer.

Ezra turned his head.

"Good morning, Mr. Park Weber."

Ezra bowed politely, his voice sounding as plain as ever.

Park laughed when he heard him.

"Hahaha... you are still good at greeting people with that plain expression."

Park Weber smiled while looking at Ezra.

The boy standing in front of him was clearly different from the boy who had once come to the BNC Headquarters to train and plan for his big auction, the same auction for his invention that had now changed the entire vehicle production field of Britannia.

Ezra had grown since then.

His appearance had changed enough for Park to notice it immediately.

Well, except for his plain expression.

That part had apparently remained exactly the same.

Park looked Ezra up and down once more before grinning.

"You are taller and more handsome."

He placed his hands on Ezra’s shoulders and looked him over from head to toe.

Ezra remained still.

His expression didn’t change.

Park, however, seemed to find that even more amusing.

"Who is the lucky girl who is now your Lady?"

He leaned close to Ezra’s ear and whispered the words so that only Ezra could hear him.

Ezra stared forward for a moment.

Before he could answer, another voice came from nearby.

"Stop disturbing the Young Alchemist, dear."

An elderly woman in her late twenties said while carrying one baby in one arm and holding another child with her free hand.

The last child walked beside her while holding onto the casual gown she wore.

Despite being a casual gown, it still carried luxurious patterns across the fabric, making it clear that it had come from one of the top fashion stores in the kingdom.

Park turned toward his wife.

"I’m not disturbing Ezra."

Park said with a slight pout before gently taking the baby from her arms.

His wife looked at him for a moment, then smiled as though she had already grown accustomed to this behavior.

Ezra looked plainly at the people in front of him.

His eyes moved briefly toward the children before returning to Park and his wife.

"Good morning, ma’am."

He bowed slightly, greeting her politely.

"Good morning, Young Alchemist."

Park’s wife greeted him back with a warm smile.