"Me? Do you want to hear something from me, a broken man? What can I offer you guys apart from empty words and a shit ton of my sorrow? Hahahaha!"
Tuan opened his speech with wild laughter that didn't sound joyous at all. He then drank from his Frostfoam bottle till it was empty before breaking it on the ground.
"Mr Tuan, no littering on this sacred ground of warriors."
Gladius said with a face that screamed he was not happy with the way Tuan was behaving in front of his audience. This event was going to get recorded. Its recordings were to be sold throughout the kingdom. He cared about the event's image after all.
"Hahahaha! The sacred ground of warriors. No littering allowed you say. Adept Gladius, forgive me for saying this. But I don't recall you calling someone out because they chopped off their opponents' limbs."
Gladius had a blue vein popped on his forehead when he heard Tuan speak. This was supposed to be an event about people fighting. Now because of one guy, it had turned into a moral dilemma.
"Mr Tuan, chopping off limbs and other body parts, spitting of blood, and other such instances wouldn't be considered littering because they are part and parcel of the competition.
Your heavy drinking and breaking of your ale bottle, however, cant be considered part of the championship, can it? I suggest you join a drinking competition if you want people to celebrate the way you drink."
Gladius spoke without any flinch in his voice. Tuan seemed to have been thinking a bit. He then hid his face behind his stretched palm before replying in a voice that sounded shaky, as if he was crying
"You… you are right, sir Gladius. I'm sorry for my rude behaviour. Guess, I'm just looking to vent these feelings of frustration I have."
As he uncovered his face, Tuan said. One could see that his eyes had suddenly turned watery. His facial expressions also indicated that he was about to cry.
Gladius thought he should apprehend Tuan and possibly kick him out of the competition. The guy wasn't steady. He was just beginning to walk in that direction. Just then, he received a voice message.
'Gladius, don't do anything, you idiot. This is a spice we shouldn't miss out on. Do you even understand the entertainment value of such a scene?
The Extols we'll earn this time will soar through the roof. Hehehe! Keep going. Oh! Even better. Make that Tuan guy talk more.'
Gladius stopped when he heard the voice. He sighed and returned to his position before speaking up.
"Tuan boy, I see that you are in a lot of pain. Although this battleground has witnessed many men cry and scream in physical pain, you are probably the first person I have seen that has been hurt by something much more profound.
None of us can help you deal with what's creating a mess in your head and eating away at your heart. But we can lend you our ears. At least I'd like to.
Dear guests, what are your thoughts? Do we lend this man our time and listen to his story or do we continue with our competition?"
As the host of events at the Colosseum, Gladius asked in a serious voice that no one had heard before. His voice was enough to do half the job. The other half was taken care of by Tuan's mind-blowing acting performance.
"Tuan… we are here for you. Tell us what happened…"
"This Adept ranker promises you, Aag boy. If you were blackmailed for being one of the finalists of the tournament, I swear to…"
"Tuan, my heart breaks when…"
The audience started imbuing mana in their voices, addressing Tuan and showing their support. The mortals too cheered and made a cacophony of noises their way, that collectively sounded meaningless.
The competitors, on the other hand, have a variety of emotions. Some wanted to listen to what Tuan had to say. Some others were neutral about it. While some just wanted to get on with the competition. Introducing each participant and making them communicate with the audience had already consumed a significant amount of time.
Then some competitors wanted to listen to what Tuan had to say for their own beneift. So that they can use it against him if and when he is pitted against them.
Yet, no competitor came forward to stop Tuan from speaking up any further. They all looked at serious-looking Gladius and decided to reign in their reactions.
"Alright. That's enough. I, Gladius, in my capacity as the host of this year's event, thank the audience for showing its support to one of our tournament's participants."
Gladius's brief speech quieted down the restless crowd once again. The host of the event then looked at Tuan before speaking up.
"Tuan, you have about five minutes to say whatever you have to say. Then we shall start the tournament, with you or without you. Is that understood?"
Gladius narrowed his eyes on Tuan and released his Adept rank mana sense. It wasn't meant to harm him. But warn him. Tuan nodded at the guy and released a fire snake at the broken shards of the bottle. The shards were heated rapidly before dispersing.
Tuan coughed a bit and shook his head as if he was trying to shake the drunken haze he was currently gripped by. Then he looked at his dedicated fan booth before replying in the same shaky voice.
"First of all, I'm deeply sorry to all my supporters about losing my self-control at such a crucial time in my life. But know that it wasn't intentional."
Tuan said and wiped the tears from both of his eyes with his hands before they could roll off of his cheeks. He then made a few nasal sounds of taking deep breaths before continuing to speak up.
"I… I don't know how to say this. Hahaha! I feel humiliated by this situation. I'm sure half of my supporters would change sides if they knew what had happened to me."
Tuan said and started pacing about on the ground with his hands behind his back. His 10-meter giant live spectral image was following his movement above him in the space too.
"The thing is… I was cucked by my wife."
