Chapter Eleven: Honored Citizen

“Hasn’t Mr. Kardalin ever heard of Miss Cleopatra, the Holy Lily?” Although he knew Komer came from the north, Karmado still thought that a merchant who traveled back and forth between the north and south like him should be aware of such a famous figure in his kingdom. “Miss Cleopatra is the highest priestess of our Athena Temple. She can facilitate communication between the Goddess of Wisdom and our Sparta kingdom, ensuring that our kingdom remains under the favor of the Goddess of Wisdom forever.”
So she’s a priestess of the Athena Temple! Komer sneered inwardly. He didn’t believe in any nonsense about communicating with the Goddess of Wisdom. At most, she might possess some magical spells and skilled martial arts, using the image of Athena in the minds of these Spartans to maintain her lofty status. But why was Helena, clearly in the guise of Vero, serving under some so-called Holy Lily?
This made Komer suspicious. He didn’t believe such people could exist without any connection between them. He needed to find an opportunity to meet this Miss Cleopatra and see who she really was. It seemed his visit to Athens was indeed worthwhile—avoiding the gaze of the Light Church while encountering so many events.
As the armored girl rode slowly along the circular track of the grand arena, one hand holding the reins and the other raising a translucent silver spear, deafening cheers rose from the crowd. Her exquisite phoenix-wing helmet couldn’t conceal her dark hair, and her shiny silver armor shimmered in the sunlight as the chariot moved, resembling the reincarnation of the beautiful Athena. No wonder the entire crowd was captivated.
After circling the arena once, the girl accelerated the chariot, no longer following the flat, fixed route but racing through a challenging path filled with obstacles, like a graceful reindeer. The chariot sped up and turned sharply, with huge rock barriers and winding paths prompting loud exclamations from the spectators.
Even Komer was amazed. The girl’s skill in controlling horses was unparalleled. The rugged track seemed effortless for her, and the agility of the celestial horses further enhanced her mastery.

“Mr. Karmado, is Miss Helena also going to compete in the Olympic horse races?” Comer could hardly contain his astonishment and excitement. This girl’s driving skills were truly remarkable—so superb that he couldn’t believe anyone else could take the championship from her.
“No, no, Mr. Kaladin. Only those who win championships in the tournaments are eligible to experience the true essence of competition alongside Miss Helena. Yet over the past three years, no champion has even come close to matching half of her speed. They consider the chance to race against her to be the greatest honor of their lives.” Karmado spoke with pride and absolute confidence, clearly believing no one would dare challenge this young girl’s racing skills.
“That makes sense. It seems Miss Helena is indeed invincible. Her skill in driving chariots has reached a masterful level. I think even among male competitors, there’s no one who can match her,” Comer agreed.
“Mr. Kaladin, you’re right. Our Spartan racing is different from elsewhere—racers can use their chariots to fight each other. Do you see that row of javelins attached to the back of the chariots? Those are the racers’ weapons. Throughout the race, just because your driving skills aren’t as strong as your opponent’s doesn’t mean you have no chance. As long as you can use your weapons to attack—whether by destroying their chariot, killing their horses, or even killing the racer themselves—you still have a chance to win the championship.” Karmado was deeply fond of this unique form of racing in his country and explained it in great detail.
“From what Mr. Karmado says, it seems that if a competing racer faces Miss Helena, they can also use these rules?” Comer was surprised.
“Of course. But don’t think using weapons will give you an advantage over Miss Helena. In fact, this rule almost eliminates all possibilities. Miss Helena is a disciple of Miss Cleopatra, and her Sword Qi has reached an extremely high level—so much so that it has even been recognized by Mr. Aristotle. Even Mr. Phru, the greatest magician in our Spartan kingdom, isn’t confident he can defeat her.” Karmado said proudly, “If any racer tries to compete with Miss Helena in this regard, they’re simply seeking their own destruction.”

Aristotle is recognized as a genius martial saint in the south of the Azure Continent. It is said that his swordsmanship has reached a divine level, attaining the realm of heaven and man. With his dark, lightless Ink-Eroded Sword, he single-handedly faced a pair of newly matured Red Dragons and slaughtered them within three hours, shocking the entire continent. Even the Pope of the Light Church later admitted that without Aristotle’s intervention, if those Red Dragons had broken free from their bonds, the Light Church would have had to sacrifice countless mages to subdue those enraged adult dragons.

“If Miss Helena truly possesses such superb martial skills, then indeed few would risk their lives for a mere title, as life is far more real than any title,” Cohmer nodded in agreement.

“That’s wrong, Mr. Cardalin. If that contestant can defeat Miss Helena, he won’t just gain a title—he will receive the status of Honorary Citizen of our Sparta Kingdom. This is the highest honor in our entire Sparta Kingdom. No matter what humble status you once had or what crimes you committed elsewhere, once you earn the title of Honorary Citizen, you become the most esteemed citizen of Sparta. Anyone who dares to harm or insult you is challenging the entire Sparta Kingdom.”

Kamado said proudly, “Twenty-eight years ago, a bandit from the north infiltrated the Iberia Kingdom’s racing team and won the championship. He then challenged the Holy Maiden of that time and, by sheer luck, succeeded. He became an honorary citizen of Sparta. He had committed the grave crime of raping the Princess of Attica. The Principality of Attica even threatened war against our Sparta Kingdom, demanding that we hand over that bandit, but we refused. This even sparked some controversy within our Corinthian City-States Alliance, yet we stood by our decision.”

“Oh? What happened to that honorary citizen?” Cohmer was slightly intrigued upon hearing this.

“We don’t know. After receiving his honorary status, he stayed in Athens for only a month before leaving. In fact, we had no way of handing over that bandit, as we didn’t even know his true identity or whereabouts,” Kamado said with a wry smile. “We’ve never met such a carefree person before.”

Komer’s gaze returned to the grand arena. The Pegasus chariots had withdrawn amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd, replaced by a magnificent formation of warriors in the center of the field. Komer knew this was Sparta’s most famous gladiatorial performance.

Spartan gladiators were renowned across the continent for their bravery, ferocity, and wildness. Gladiatorial combat was also most popular in Sparta, and this warrior ethos was highly esteemed among the lower and middle classes. Regardless of their background, gladiators who became famous had the chance to gain the favor of the upper classes and even rise to become full citizens of the city. In the Kingdom of Sparta, only city citizens had the right to vote and stand for election, and thus the qualification to become city councilors.

Kamado also proudly introduced Komer to the origins of Spartan gladiators. In fact, the culture of gladiatorial combat was quite widespread throughout the southern part of the continent, but none of the other nations or cities embraced it with such passion as the Kingdom of Sparta. Gladiatorial combat had become one of Sparta’s most distinctive sports. Many from the lower and middle classes rose to become city nobles through this sport. A significant portion of Sparta’s city nobles came from families of gladiatorial heroes who became nobles through royal grants. They even formed their own faction among Sparta’s nobility.

“Mr. Kamado, what rewards are there if one wins a gladiatorial competition?” Komer asked casually.

“Oh, Mr. Kaladin, winning a gladiatorial competition allows one to become an honorary citizen of any nation. If the winner is a wanderer from outside our Southern Lands, they can choose any nation or city in the region and become its honorary citizen,” Kamado explained. “Every nation will welcome them with great enthusiasm. But no competitor has ever managed to take this crown from our Spartan fighters. None of the invincible warriors of the Kingdom of Sparta can be defeated.”

“Invincible warriors? Mr. Kamado, your confidence in your Kingdom of Sparta is truly extraordinary. Don’t you know the saying that there are always those better than us?” Komer laughed. This guy was indeed very confident.

“Hehe, Mr. Kaladin, you’re really ignorant. Don’t you know that two of Aristotle’s disciples were Spartans?” Kaladin glanced at Komer with a proud and smug smile.