The joint training session ended, and it was time for everyone to sleep.
“…There are too many.”
I couldn’t help but complain about the contents I had finally finished reviewing.
I was staring at my PC, so I rubbed my tired eyes to soothe them as I organized the information I had just read.
“As expected of the Demon Lord’s Army, where the law of the jungle prevails, huh? There are plenty of people aiming for the General’s position.”
My investigation was based on the vague reason of curiosity.
It was like a fishbone stuck in the back of my throat that I couldn’t dislodge.
It felt like forgetting some work and not being able to recall it.
It was like trying to recall a word that was about to come out of my mouth but wouldn’t.
I had been feeling a sense of frustration, so close to grasping that discomfort, but unable to reach it, ever since my fight with Carter.
Driven by that feeling, the first thing I did was the usual gathering of documents, following his advice.
My fight with Carter had given me sufficient stimulation and could be said to have been fulfilling training.
My body was tired, and I felt like I wanted to rest well today.
Despite the end of such training, here I was, staring at my PC and reviewing the gathered documents.
“Ogre, Dark Elf, Lizardman, Insectoid, Beastkin, Oni… Is this a showcase of the races belonging to the Demon Lord’s Army?”
I had asked Suella and the others to sleep first.
The result of reviewing the information I deemed necessary was that the tournament I was about to challenge was far more dangerous and important than I had imagined.
What was displayed on the PC was the list of participants for the tournament to decide this time’s General.
Looking at the contents, I couldn’t help but sigh at the lineup, which made me regret not gathering any information, acting on a naive sportsmanship of participating for the sake of it in this competition.
The documents were filled with names, origins, and brief information, but the sheer volume of information accumulated into a massive amount.
Although the investigation was prompted by Carter Isperio’s advice that I should pay more attention to my surroundings, the result revealed that my perception had been too lenient, as per his warning.
I was late in receiving the documents that other participants would have obtained first, and after reviewing them, it was clear that this competition involved various ulterior motives and that the personnel had been carefully selected.
Even a quick skim showed that everyone seemed to have their own quirks and secrets.
However, since this was information available to all participants, and therefore limited, my impressions were merely subjective and superficial. Conversely, it also meant that such a lineup of individuals could evoke such impressions even with just this basic information.
I reconfirmed the information, which was written in a format that could be called a simple resume.
“*Sigh*, well then.”
I took a deep breath, as if to relieve my fatigue.
I displayed again the resumes of those Suella had warned me about.
Thanks to her ranking them, they were easy to read.
The resumes of the opponents to watch out for were listed in order from the top.
This was a ranking based on overall strength, knowledge, status, and rumors, adding to the information Suella had.
The accuracy of the information was considerable.
In other words, it could be called a prediction table of the championship contenders.
“Kizan Kuyo, the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard in the capital, an Oni. His personality is serious, and he can be called a warrior.”
The one at the very top was the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard, who could be considered the President’s bodyguard.
He was the strongest candidate according to pre-tournament hype, both in name and reality.
While hearing “warrior” might sound like he’s only focused on fighting, he excels not only in combat but also in civilian administration, truly embodying both martial and scholarly arts.
He was evaluated as someone who could immediately handle the position of General without any issues.
In other words, he possessed the same level of skill as the Generals.
However, there was already a General who was of the same Oni race, the instructor who was the Oni King.
It seemed like this individual, who had been kept on standby as a potential successor to Instructor Kio, was finally making his move. I was curious about what kind of person he was.
“I wouldn’t say the probability of winning is zero, but it’s definitely low…”
My reaction to this information was rather detached, thinking “What else is new?” that there were strong opponents.
I accepted the possibility of losing, and the important thing was to learn from that defeat.
I wasn’t without the desire to win, but I had to face reality.
However, I would never give up on winning.
Conversely, if I acted with the assumption of losing, I would lose even what I could have won.
I reminded myself to at least not lose in spirit as I continued to read the documents.
It was difficult to memorize everything, so I decided to focus on the key points.
The individuals listed below him were also formidable contenders, though perhaps a step or two behind Kizan in terms of strength, they were still strong enough to be considered rivals.
Should I call them seasoned veterans? In a world where such beings flourished, the possibility of me winning was too small to even mention.
“It’s natural to strive to win… but the problem lies over here.”
Amidst such prevailing existences, I brought up the resumes displayed in red.
These were the ones commonly referred to as headaches.
“No matter the world, there are always troublemakers.”
These were the resumes that Suella had insisted I absolutely had to read.
They were for individuals she knew who harbored the most animosity towards humans.
“Land Basarunte…”
I opened the page of the one identified as the biggest troublemaker.
The photo showed a Dragonkin with black scales and numerous scars, looking like a villain.
The documents stated his military strength was unquestionable, but his conduct was poor.
He was ambitious, defied any command he slightly disliked, and caused trouble every time.
And yet, even when he caused problems, his proven abilities allowed him to get away with it.
He was a prime example of someone with ability but difficult to handle.
Furthermore, he looked down on humans as weak beings with no value and seemed to be against the current use of Testers.
It was almost certain that trouble would arise if I met him.
“…I should be careful not to get involved.”
I honestly felt that I wanted nothing to do with such a troublesome individual.
There might be a time when he becomes necessary, but it wasn’t now.
I thought it would be sufficient to show the minimum required courtesy.
After that, I continued to pore over the documents.
Then, I suddenly realized something.
Perhaps because I was staying up so late, my thoughts became erratic, and a strange line of reasoning flashed through my mind.
“…Could it be that one of these individuals marked for attention caused the magic sword incident… No, that can’t be it.”
I thought of a predictable plot twist: someone who didn’t want a human like me participating in the tournament to decide the honorable position of General might have orchestrated the recent incident.
“No, that’s not it. I’m being too self-important.”
Based on the pre-tournament hype, my strength was not exactly a long shot, but if I were to win, it would be considered a surprise.
If I were to face Kizan, a top contender, I would likely be eliminated as expected.
There would be no point in causing such a significant incident.
I shook my head, dismissing the thought, thinking there would be better ways to achieve such a goal.
“Ah, I really need to sleep soon.”
The fact that strange theories were starting to surface was proof that my thoughts were becoming disorganized and that I needed rest.
I decided to shut down my PC, thinking that if I didn’t sleep soon, it would affect me tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I needed to confirm one more thing that was bothering me.
“Honestly, you show up and then ask about something like that?”
“I was a little curious. After all, I’m involved. I wanted to investigate, even if only for a little bit of safety.”
“Is that so?”
I had come to the shopping street early in the morning.
It wasn’t that I had any business with Memoria; this time, I had business with Giant, Hands, the owner of the weapon shop.
The reason for my visit was…
“Even so, there’s nothing I can tell you from my end. Not about the magic sword, anyway.”
“Don’t be so stingy. We’re friends, aren’t we, shopkeeper?”
“We aren’t *that* close, are we?”
“I favor you, though.”
“Don’t give me that. You’re nurturing a blacksmith-frustrating problem in a way I’m not happy about, but what is this? You made a sword that’s far superior to the one my disciple forged.”
“It’s probably not a match for what you made yet.”
“Hmph.”
I had come to ask Giant about the magic sword.
The superficial reason was a routine maintenance check on the Ore Tree, a weapon.
No matter how much I took care of it myself, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t visit a weapon shop.
Unless I became a blacksmith, I would inevitably need the perspective and skills of a professional.
So, I had it regularly checked for its growth and maintained.
Hands’ expression was pleased when I assigned him this task, but the moment I brought up the magic sword, he understood my hidden motive and became quite displeased.
It might also be because it was a topic he didn’t particularly want to discuss.
However, it was probably because he was a professional that he didn’t cut corners on his work.
The shop owner, Hands, intently examined the blade and confirmed its condition. I spoke to him, but he replied without even looking at me.
“…About the magic sword, you said.”
Hands seemed to sigh with a sense of resignation and was about to answer my question.
“Yes, I would appreciate it if you could tell me about the performance of the magic sword that suddenly disappeared.”
“It’s enough.”
“Honestly, to ask me to reveal something that disgraces your own kin. Well, I only know what the person who made it told me, but is that okay?”
“I’m sorry, I appreciate it. After all, the only information available is that it can disappear from sight and erase recognition. I wanted to know what kind of purpose it was made for.”
“You already know most of it, don’t you? What I know isn’t much different. To begin with, that magic sword was initially created for reconnaissance, for spies to conceal themselves. The person who made it also just thought it would be convenient to have. They probably never imagined it would be used like this. So…”
He seemed reluctant, letting out a sigh and giving a preamble, then began speaking as if making small talk.
He spoke little by little, without looking away from the Ore Tree, and I absorbed every word he said, leaning against the counter and organizing the information.
Although I asked questions intermittently, they were only to supplement what was missing from his explanation.
“Well, that’s about all I can say. Here, the inspection is finished. Honestly, why don’t you buy a weapon or two sometimes instead of just getting maintenance? You must have a lot stashed away.”
“Unfortunately, I’m short on funds right now, and I can’t even enter the dungeon. So, I can’t afford to waste money.”
About thirty minutes passed, and by listening, I was able to gather a considerable amount of information.
“Tch, you’re already being bossed around, huh? What kind of man are you?”
“According to advice from an acquaintance, the secret to marital harmony is for the man to be henpecked?”
“That’s a mystery to me, man! Women should just follow orders!”
“This is a different world. Values are different for everyone. I’ll be back.”
“Alright, if that thing on your back snaps, come anytime.”
“Don’t say such ominous things.”
“It’s just my nature. I’m bored, so feel free to stop by anytime. I’ll be waiting.”
In fact, with the tournament approaching, it wouldn’t be strange for the Ore Tree to be broken.
However, it was natural to not want it broken.
Especially after hearing what I did.
“Ah, that’s right. Hey, you money tree.”
“Money tree… what do you mean?”
“You know, I remembered something my buddy told me.”
“?”
“Apparently, that magic sword has terrible magic power consumption. If a novice uses it, it’ll disappear in about an hour.”
“…Are all the magic swords you guys make useless?”
“We make them because they’re interesting. That’s what Giants are like!”
“Geez, I’ll be back.”
“Alright! Next time, buy at least one weapon.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Doubting whether that was good business sense, I stepped out of the shop after receiving rough treatment and put a cigarette in my mouth.
With a fluid motion, I took out my lighter, lit the cigarette, and inhaled deeply, then exhaled all at once.
That simple routine was enough to suppress the anxiety born from the ominous premonition that had formed in my mind.
“Seriously, now I’m thinking something might happen at the tournament.”
I would never say I should not have asked, but I regretted the confirmation process slightly as I started walking.
Up ahead.
“Son-in-law! It’s been a while!”
“Muil-san?”
Muil Henderberg, my grandfather who didn’t look like an old man, waved energetically and walked towards me.
Today’s quote:
Learn from failure, apply it to the next task, and engage in your work.
To do so, it’s necessary to sometimes look back, not just forward.
That will be all for this installment.
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