As I stepped outside the inn, the town had transformed before my eyes.
Glamorous, flashy, bustling.
What a strange feeling it was. Shops lined the streets, one after another. There were stalls where fortune-tellers beckoned customers, and others that wafted delicious aromas, each more enticing than the last.
“Grilled Swooping Bird skewers! Just 2G each! How about it?!”
“Poporu Syrup Shaved Ice! What do you think?!”
“You can only get the local specialty, Tentaculus Squid Ink Yakisoba, here!”
With so many vendors shouting their promotions all at once, it was overwhelming. As I walked, I felt compelled to stop and check out their offerings, as if it would be rude not to. But Roel was currently occupied, her hands full and unable to eat.
“Lua-chan, bring that over here!”
While I held the squid ink yakisoba, she devoured ten skewers and a bowl of shaved ice. Just when I thought she was done, she was already eyeing her next target. The crowd was thick, making it hard to walk, but this was all so refreshing. Back in the village, I had never stepped outside, so discovering this vibrant world was astonishing.
Suddenly, I spotted a shop that caught my interest. It seemed that if you could knock down a distant item with a toy bow, you could win it. Just that? Alright, I’ll give it a shot!
“This is easy… take this!”
The arrow veered wildly off course. One more time!
“I want that Ice Brand sword! Roel, let me try again!”
I thought the target was large enough to hit, but this time I ended up breaking the bow.
“Oh, um, I’m really sorry about that…”
“Don’t worry, I have a spare. By the way, kid, you’ve got some strong shoulders… I’ve been running this stall for over five years, and I’ve never seen anything like that!”
“Lua-chan is super strong!”
Roel said this nonchalantly while munching on her Golden Apple Candy. In the end, I tried five times but didn’t hit a single target. Just as I was about to cry from frustration, the shopkeeper, feeling sorry for me, gave me a healing potion as a consolation prize.
“I never knew bows were that difficult… Mai was amazing for hitting a moving monster.”
“Lua-chan, you’re terrible at anything other than swords…”
She struck me with her words again. Meanwhile, Roel had managed to hit an item with ice magic effects and a Royal Jelly on her second try, and she was already savoring the Royal Jelly.
Maybe Roel has a talent for archery. If she practiced seriously, it could expand her combat capabilities, I thought lightly.
“Hey there, you lovely pair! Please take a moment to check out my stall!”
Just as she had announced yesterday, Cynthia had set up her shop. A variety of healing potions, Royal Jelly, and even some items whose uses were unclear were lined up.
“What kind of shop is this, Cynthia-san?”
“An adult shop.”
“Ah, an adult shop, huh?”
“Ugh, you’re so pure that I can’t even hope for a blush-worthy reaction!”
“What do you mean by an adult shop?”
Sometimes, I couldn’t quite grasp what Cynthia was saying. She dodged my question, and since there didn’t seem to be much food, Roel didn’t seem too interested, except for the Royal Jelly.
“Royal Jelly, just 200G each, a steal!”
“That’s expensive… let’s go over there, Lua-chan.”
“W-What?!”
Roel, who had hoped I would buy it, turned away and took my hand. It seemed financial matters were more important than her appetite. But I wondered how much food she had consumed on the way here. Was that okay?
“Oh, right! The Combat Tournament!”
“Waaah! Can we make it in time?!”
“Just twenty minutes left…”
“We won’t make it if we walk… that’s it!”
I gave Roel a piggyback ride.
“W-Wait, what are you doing, Lua-chan?!”
Roel clung to me tightly as I leaped onto the rooftops of the houses. We jumped from roof to roof, heading toward the castle.
“What the heck is that?! Is it part of the festival?!”
“Whoa!”
“Hold me!”
People below shouted in excitement, but I had no time to pay attention to that. I didn’t understand what “hold me” meant at all. Roel remained quiet, tightly pressed against me.
“Lua-chan, this is embarrassing…”
“We’ll be there soon…”
In about five minutes, we arrived at the castle. The two guards at the entrance were momentarily startled when I landed in front of them, weapons drawn.
“W-Who are you two?”
“We’re here to participate in the Combat Tournament.”
“I-I see. The entrance for participants is to the left.”
Following the soldier’s directions, we found the paths separated for participants and spectators. There were barriers, and a long line of people formed along the way.
“Hey, don’t push! Don’t push, please!”
A girl soldier was desperately trying to guide the crowd, but her small frame seemed to struggle against the throng.
“Are you participants?! This way, please!”
Just as she tried to guide us, she got swept away again. Only a single strand of her light red hair peeked out from the crowd. Another soldier, seeing her plight, pulled her out and began scolding her. The girl bowed her head in apology.
“Is she about our age? Yet she’s a soldier here…”
“She seems to be in trouble… that must be tough.”
Thinking that, I parted ways with Roel and walked toward the participant route. The waiting room was already overflowing with competitors.
“By the way, didn’t they say there would be preliminaries?”
“Hey, you actually came!”
There was that guy with the club. The weapon I had broken yesterday was fixed. Or maybe he just bought a new one.
“I was feeling a bit under the weather back then! Look! We’re set to face off in the B Block preliminaries!”
“B Block? What’s that?”
“Uh, what?!”
The guy with the club nearly fell over in shock.
“Oh, my name is written here. So I just need to go here.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“What’s this lottery thing?”
“Listen up! Your name is written here, right? Next to it is this Benkei guy. That means your first opponent is him. If you win, you’ll face the winner of the match over here.”
“Wow…”
“Seriously, you didn’t know that before entering?”
“I’ve never left the village since I was a kid, so I don’t know anything about this. My parents passed away…”
“I-I see… I’m sorry.”
The guy with the club suddenly softened. Whatever roughness he had shown when we first met was gone.
“There’s no need to worry. Lua, was it? Unfortunately, your opponent is this Benkei.”
Standing behind him was a young man draped in a scarf-like garment, carrying multiple weapons on his back. He wore oversized armor that looked uncomfortable.
“Gah! A-Rank ‘Thousand Tools’ Benkei!”
“Both of you are C-Rank? Sorry, but this tournament doesn’t allow amateurs. If you’re just here to test your skills, you should leave now.”
“Having that many weapons won’t make you strong.”
“W-What did you say?! Do you not know who Benkei, the wielder of a thousand weapons, is?!”
“Don’t you remember how you got utterly defeated in last year’s tournament?”
The one resting his hand on Benkei’s shoulder was Hecaton.
“H-Hecaton…”
“Hecaton-san, right? Just a lowly A-Rank.”
“Ugh…”
For some reason, Hecaton’s interruption made the surrounding crowd go silent, all eyes on us.
“Are you the Lua they speak of?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Hecaton suddenly turned his attention to me. He was huge, but in terms of size, Grundom was bigger.
“…So Seigel lost to a kid like you. What a disgrace for an A-Rank.”
“W-Wait, what did you just say…?”
“The preliminaries will now begin. Those participating in the first match of each block, please come this way!”
A soldier announced loudly. The first match was… oh, that’s me.
“Alright, let’s make this a formality.”
Benkei laughed mockingly at me. I didn’t understand what he meant by a formality, but it was clear he was belittling me. Just you wait…
///
The arena for the matches was specially set up, established in a coliseum away from the castle. Spectators sat in a circular formation, able to watch our battle from there. The preliminaries were divided into Blocks A through H, each starting their own matches.
“Let’s begin the first match of Block B. The match ends when one side concedes, and killing your opponent will result in disqualification.”
“Lua-chan! Do your best!”
“Lua-chan, fight!”
I could even hear Cynthia’s voice. I wondered what happened to her shop.
“Seigel-san, please sign this!”
“Handshake! Handshake!”
“Now, now, I won’t treat you differently. But I only have two hands, so I’ll shake with one and sign with the other.”
Seigel was being fawned over by the girls in the audience. It was distracting, and I wished he would just go away. Was he not participating?
“You seem awfully relaxed, looking away like that.”
Benkei stood ready, one hand holding a sword and the other a spear. I guessed he used all those weapons on his back that way. But if he could only wield two at a time, it didn’t seem very practical.
“Let me tell you something: Adventurers rely on strength. Those without strength lose their lives. This is a match, and it’s just right. I’ll teach you that.”
“Let the match begin!”
“I’m sorry, but think of this as experience!”
With that signal, Benkei swung his spear to keep me at bay, occasionally thrusting it forward. However, his movements were so sloppy that I barely felt threatened. As I deftly dodged his attacks, I could see the irritation growing on his face.
“You seem to be managing to evade me?! Right now, you’re thinking about how to get into my range! But too bad for you!”
He flaunted his sword in his right hand, clearly indicating his strategy to strike me down the moment I slipped into his range.
“And even more!”
Just when I thought he had thrown his sword into the air, he pulled out a circular weapon from his back and hurled it at me. The sharp, spinning blade curved through the air, aiming straight for me.
“Here comes another Crescent Ring! Take this!”
Three Crescent Rings suddenly surged toward me, accompanied by a fierce assault from his spear.
He must have put in a tremendous amount of effort to reach this level of skill. I couldn’t help but admire his dexterity. His movements were almost acrobatic, captivating the audience around us, who erupted in cheers. Benkei caught the sword that had fallen from the air right after launching the Crescent Rings. He seemed to think there was no escape for me. Just before the spear and the Crescent Rings struck simultaneously, I darted from the side of his spear to his flank. He was completely unaware of my approach, moving at a speed he couldn’t comprehend.
The Crescent Rings sliced through the air, crashing down onto the stone ground. Benkei finally realized that the opponent he had been facing was now right beside him, but it took him a moment too long to notice. I had given him that moment.
“I see, there was a purpose behind all those weapons.”
“Wha—when did you—?!”
He lost his balance as he turned to face me.
“But I’ve fought just as hard. No, I’m stronger!”
I slipped behind him and lightly tapped the nape of his neck. He swayed and collapsed without a sound. The previously raucous crowd around Block B fell silent.
“Lua-chan! Congratulations!”
“Well, that was nothing special.”
“Look, that’s the girl I had my eye on. She may be as green as an unripe fruit in terms of beauty, but she’s steadily maturing.”
His last comment was a bit too loud. Only Roel and Cynthia’s cheers maintained a consistent level of excitement.
“Um, um… Block B, Match One… Winner, Lua!”
The crowd erupted once more.
“What the heck! That was a total upset! I bet everything on Benkei!”
“A long shot just came through!”
I could hear the confused voices, but everyone was clearly surprised.
“That girl didn’t even draw her sword…?”
“Could it be that Benkei threw the match on purpose? He did hesitate for just a moment.”
“Huh?! No way! Give me back my money!”
“Now, let’s continue with Match Two!”
Should I head back to the waiting room? But I also want to see the other matches. I’ll just watch from the sidelines so I don’t get in the way.
“Hey, so you were competing too, Lua.”
“Oh, Gantetsu-san?!”
In the audience, Gantetsu had appeared. He plopped down next to Roel with a grunt.
“You made it all the way to the Avangarde Royal Capital. If you had called out, I could have arranged a cheap inn for you.”
“Really?”
Cynthia, who I had just met, seemed to be trying to get in on the conversation. Or maybe she knew him somehow.
“Oh, you’re the daughter of Queemil’s shopkeeper. With an A-Rank, it would have been easy.”
“But I wouldn’t even know where to find you, Gantetsu-san…”
“Oh right, I forgot about that! Gah hah hah hah!”
“Aren’t you competing, Gantetsu-san?”
“I’m not as young as I used to be. Plus, with all those strong contenders lined up, it would be tough.”
In Block B, where I had just fought, I noticed that the club-wielding fighter had already collapsed. When did that happen…?
“Block B, Match Two, Winner: Baste!”
“Heh, with my Weakening Magic, even a muscle-bound fool like him was no match. Battles are won with the mind, my friends.”
A round-faced magician with glasses dramatically opened his robe, striking a pose for the audience.
“Baste, the ‘Sealing Mage.’ A technician who controls the battlefield without relying on offensive magic. An A-Rank mid-tier fighter, and my next opponent.”
“Wow, that club guy really couldn’t do anything and lost, huh?”
“Weakening Magic, huh? I wonder if Lua has ever fought against that.”
“An average warrior would be completely overwhelmed by Weakening Magic. He’s a specialist in that field.”
He was a completely different type from the last fighter. With a confident expression, Baste approached me.
“You’re Lua, right? I watched your last match, but brute force alone won’t be enough to defeat me. You might as well start packing your bags.”
He spoke condescendingly before walking away. So, he’s my next opponent. I owe that club guy for the lesson he taught me, and I’ll make sure to avenge him. Oh, it looks like the next match is about to begin.
///
“Ugh, I need to…”
“What’s wrong, Roel? Need to use the restroom?”
“Stop checking up on me…”
Roel stood up and hurried away.
“Drinking ten cups will do that to you.”
“But seriously, how can she eat and drink that much without gaining weight? I wish she’d be a bit more careful about that…”
///
“Um, I think it was this way… Ah!”
We bumped into each other around the corner.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!”
“…No.”
Roel, feeling overly guilty, bowed her head several times before continuing on her way. The other person quietly watched her retreating figure. From beneath a deep black hood, pale skin and a snake-like black pattern were faintly visible.
“That girl is interesting.”
The figure licked its lips and slowly followed after Roel.