"Are you planning on deciding for him, Warrior Fifi?" Seth asked with a raised brow before redirecting his attention back to Orion. "How can one call himself a leader if he allows others to make his decisions?"
Fifi frowned deeply and was about to interject again; however, Orion instantly interrupted her.
"Don't worry, I can handle it," Orion said as he looked at Fifi from the corner of his eyes.
Though curious about what Seth had in mind, Orion wasn't foolish enough to comply with anything that might put him at a disadvantage.
If the situation became unbearable, he could always return to the Village and file a complaint about Seth's leadership skills, potentially leading to his removal from the mission and placing Fifi in charge, making the mission smoother once they reached the Prismerian kingdom.
Thinking about it this way, Orion's mind slowly became calm. He didn't regret working extremely hard to spread his influence within the Village.
"Although I admit that I am not yet up to the capabilities of the strength of everyone here, I know that Warrior Seth wouldn't give me a test to prove my strength if it is beyond what I am capable of doing," Orion said seriously, focusing his gaze on Seth.
"Warrior Seth, how do you suggest I prove my strength?"
Seth, however, felt his brows tremble intensely at Orion's words. This young man!
Seeing that Orion was capable of playing with his words, Seth nodded with a smile on his face.
"Alright. Listen closely then, since we are all three-star warriors here, and you have only become a one-star warrior, one of us will have to suppress our strength to that of a one-star warrior, and you will have to fight with three moves," he slowly walked forward, passing Fifi and Orion, and drew three straight lines at a certain distance from one another.
Then, he drew another line facing each other.
"To make this a fair test, if you manage to force your opponent out of these three lines or are forced back fewer times than your opponent within those three moves, then you win and have earned the right to lead this group on this mission. It would be clear that your strength far surpasses that of an ordinary one-star warrior."
"However, if your opponent manages to do the same to you, then you lose, which means that you won't challenge my orders any longer. As punishment, you will have to participate in battle with the Vylkr vines until we reach the mountains."
"Of course, you will only have to clear away the one-star Vylkr vines and use the two-star Vylkr vines as a way to temper yourself and that attitude of yours," Seth added, looking at Orion and Fifi with a smile on his face. "I believe the test that I have made should be okay with you, right, Warrior Orion?"
"Yes," Orion responded, nodding his head. "I believe that the test that Warrior Seth has made is fair and gives me the chance to prove my strength. However, before we continue, I would first like to know who my opponent would be."
Fifi, who was at the side, felt her gaze becoming colder as she stared at Seth's smile.
Though Orion had already made it clear that he didn't want her to interfere in this, if things became more than he could handle, she would still do so, whether he liked it or not.
Seth nodded at Orion's question, "You are allowed to pick whichever warrior you want to face from the twelve of us," he responded, his eyes briefly focusing on Fifi, "Of course, everyone, except her."
Although Fifi's expression deepened into a frown, she remained silent, seeing as Orion was about to respond.
"Don't worry; I understand your concerns, so you can be rest assured that I won't be picking her as my opponent," Orion responded indifferently.
Even though he knew that Seth was planning something, the test was already fair enough for him to accept it.
As such, Orion naturally didn't care who his opponent was as long as they kept to the rules of the test. Since he was already aware of his own strength and could use this opportunity to gain control of the group, making rescuing Saria and helping the Prismerian Kingdom much easier, Orion understood that there was no meaning in holding back now that they had come this far.
"I have already chosen an opponent," Orion said.
"Oh, who is it?" Seth asked.
He could already guess that Orion wouldn't be stupid enough to pick him but would instead go for one of the other eight warriors, given that his father had praised his intellige…
"Warrior Seth, please step into the line. I would like you to be my opponent," Orion said as he walked over to the side and stood on the space near the first line.
Seth, Fifi, and everyone else were dumbfounded by his words.
Just like Seth, Fifi thought Orion would pick anyone from the other warriors except Seth.
But surprisingly, he had chosen Seth as his opponent.
Even the remaining eight warriors waiting to be chosen so they could finish this test once and for all were astounded, and silent murmurs began to float around in their surroundings.
Seth, however, could feel his veins bulging as he stared at Orion with alarming irritation.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked, looking at Orion seriously.
He could feel his irritation becoming even more intense by the second.
"Yes, I'm sure," Orion nodded seriously in response.
Gritting his teeth angrily, Seth nodded and spat out, "Fine!"
He walked over to the opposing line and stood in front of Orion.
This young man…
Seth chuckled slightly and immediately suppressed his strength to that of a one-star Vylkr warrior. "Since you are the challenger, then you should be the one going first."
When he initially conceived this test, Seth's intent was merely to demonstrate the limits of Orion's influence. However, the more Orion spoke, the stronger Seth's desire grew to make him grasp the disparity in strength and authority at this moment, instilling a sense of shame and fear.
