The Mishra family's war arena was filled with people at this time.
Abhijeet, being the most talented disciple of the family, had caused the elders to arrange a special battle between him and Veer in a unique arena.
This arena was made of green, shiny stones, and matches were only held under special circumstances. Since both of the contestants were sons of the family elders, their battle was arranged here.
"I never thought that the elders would gather today to watch the battle between two young disciples of the family."
"You're right! Not only the elders, but even those family members who were away in other cities for business have come back to Sanchi village to watch the battle. Such a large gathering doesn't even happen during family weddings."
"As I think about it, they have all come because the Seventh Elder invited the Head of the Family and the First Elder to this battle. If they hadn't come, it would have been an insult to the Head of the Family."
...
The arena was arranged with seating for all the spectators. Some had chosen spots that gave them a clear view of the battle.
Among them were the important family members who had kept the family connected through trade and martial arts. In the midst of them sat the Head of the Mishra family, Vardhan Singh.
Apart from a few selected spots, the rest of the seats were occupied by the elders and disciples of the Mishra family.
Among the elders sat Revati as well. Being the 9th Elder, she had a seat on the edge. Her face was expressionless, as if she wasn't affected by the battle taking place today.
"Revati, you've kept yourself well composed. I never knew you could control yourself this much," said the Seventh Elder Aman with a sly smile. It seemed like he already knew the outcome of the match.
Revati didn't respond to Aman's comment. She ignored him as if he wasn't even there.
"Well... I'll see how long you can ignore me. Soon, your arrogance will be shattered when my son, Abhijeet, defeats your son Veer in front of everyone," Aman muttered to himself angrily.
He had complete faith in Abhijeet and was sure his son would defeat Veer today. Even if Veer somehow survived, he would be in such a state that he would never be able to get out of bed again.
...
"Greetings, Elder!"
"Greetings, Elder!"
A senior member of the audience stepped out and walked toward the Head of the Family, Vardhan Singh.
This elder was none other than the First Elder of the Mishra family, Amar Singh.
In this world, to show respect to the First Elder of a family, people referred to him as 'Senior' rather than using his name or title.
Amar Singh wasn't just the most powerful warrior in the Mishra family, but also the only ninth-level physician in the entire Mishra family.
In the Somali continent, only those who reached the ninth level of a physician could be called a physician. Becoming a physician was extremely difficult. It was said that out of a thousand warriors, only one would become a physician.
To become a physician, a warrior needed knowledge not only of martial arts but also of herbs and chemicals. This meant that the warrior couldn't focus solely on practicing martial arts, and thus, their energy could not enter the next level.
Among the three most powerful families in Sanchi village, each had one ninth-level physician. However, the Mishra family was the only one whose family member was a physician. The other two families had hired physicians who could leave whenever they wished for a fee.
Amar Singh slowly walked toward Vardhan Singh's position and sat down, looking toward the arena.
"Abhijeet... now that the Senior has arrived, you should quickly enter the arena and start the battle!" Aman commanded loudly to Abhijeet.
Upon receiving his father's order, Abhijeet walked toward the arena.
"The Senior has arrived, and Abhijeet has entered the arena. So, where is Veer? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Does Veer think he's some big deal... keeping everyone, including the Senior, waiting?"
"Could it be... that Veer is afraid to face Abhijeet and has hidden somewhere?"
One by one, the members of the Mishra family began to talk about Veer.
...
"Revati... now that the Senior has arrived, where is your son Veer? Could he be afraid to face Abhijeet?"
Aman deliberately raised his voice so that everyone could hear as he spoke to Revati.
"Don't worry about it, Aman. When my son has accepted your son's challenge, he will definitely show up to face him," Revati responded angrily.
"Revati... I think we don't need to have this match. Instead of your son, you should enter the arena. At least this way, you might save your son from getting hurt."
Ashutosh, the Sixth Elder, with a large scar on his face, spoke in favor of Aman.
"Ashutosh, it seems like you're so confident about Abhijeet's victory," said the Fifth Elder, Somdatt, supporting Revati.
"What's there to be confident about! Everyone knows how much stronger Abhijeet is compared to Veer. Perhaps you just don't have the ability to see the truth," Ashutosh mocked Somdatt.
"If that's the case, Ashutosh, why don't you place a bet with me... If Abhijeet wins, I'll give you 500 silver coins... and if Veer wins, you'll give me 500 silver coins... what do you say?"
Everyone looked at Somdatt in surprise. Mishra family elders received only 20 silver coins a month for their expenses, meaning the 500 silver coins Somdatt was betting were a huge amount, likely accumulated over many years.
Both Vardhan Singh and the Senior, Amar Singh, looked at Somdatt in astonishment. From his words, it was clear that Somdatt had complete faith that Veer would win. But the question remained—why did Somdatt have such trust in Veer? Was there something about Veer that only Somdatt knew?
Meanwhile, Ashutosh's eyes sparkled with greed upon hearing Somdatt's bet!
Ashutosh was very fond of gambling. Hearing Somdatt's bet made him feel like Somdatt was giving him silver coins as a gift. But the problem was that Ashutosh didn't have 500 silver coins at the moment.
"What happened, Ashutosh... are you afraid of losing? I think you should ask your mother to place a bet with me instead... that way, you won't lose any silver coins," Somdatt taunted, taking revenge on Revati.
Ashutosh's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. He didn't know how to respond to Somdatt's remarks and looked helplessly at Aman.
"Ashutosh, don't worry about the silver coins. I'll give you 500 silver coins. Additionally, I also want to place a bet of 500 silver coins with Somdatt... Somdatt, would you like to accept my bet?" Abhijeet said arrogantly.
Hearing Abhijeet's words, Somdatt was a bit surprised. Despite his years of savings, Somdatt had only managed to save 800 silver coins. Yet here was Abhijeet, a disciple, ready to offer 1000 silver coins for a bet. If Somdatt lost this bet, he would lose all his life's savings. It was a difficult decision for Somdatt.
On one hand, he was confident, but on the other hand, he was risking everything he had.