***
The Gaun Grand Arena match stage.
“Haha, man, that’s rough… To think I’d be completely outmatched by a child of my daughter’s age…”
The unknown swordsman, defeated by Rion and brought to his knees, spoke with regret. He was a man Kelvin’s group had been wary of, a ticket-snatching group member whose name was unknown. However, in the actual fight, Rion had dominated from start to finish. Despite a few exchanges of swords, the match was decided in less than ten seconds. The deciding factor was the man’s resignation.
“I sequestered myself in the mountains for years…”
The disheveled man, who wielded a sword similar to the Korō-ryū style, scratched his head and sheathed his blade. His expression was one of either self-disappointment or a yearning for even greater strength. Rion couldn’t quite tell.
“My grandpa and Big Sister are incredibly strong, you know. I was surprised to find someone who could fight me like this, other than them!”
“Ahaha… Your grandpa and Big Sister are something else, you know, your family…”
“Yeah, they’re my pride and joy!”
The man laughed with a dry voice, and Rion responded with an unreserved smile. Though the third round made survival even more difficult, Rion, Sera, and Dahak all won without issue, following Kelvin, and advanced to the finals of their respective blocks. With this, Kelvin’s group all made it into the top 8 competitors.
“Oh, and when you say ‘child,’ I’ll be fifteen next year, so I’m an adult, you know? Don’t forget that.”
“…Seriously?”
“Seriously!”
After that, Rion was asked the same question several more times.
***
“Wow! Gordiana-player wins her third match without a scratch!”
Ronowee declared victory. Originally, Dahak’s match was supposed to be the last of the third round, but Gordiana’s opponent suddenly experienced a bizarre wave of nausea, causing the match to be postponed. With the conclusion of this final third-round match, the participants for the block finals were decided. The audience, and Ronowee as the commentator, were ecstatic—or rather, they should have been. Ronowee, however, was clearly thrown off. Next to him stood two figures.
“Lord Gordiana’s muscles have become even more formidable than last year.”
“Ah, Elder Brother has noticed as well. Even with my unerring arrows, I doubt I could inflict a single wound.”
These were Jereol and Yujil, who had been eliminated in the third round.
“…Excuse me, Lord Jereol and Lord Yujil. While I appreciate your commentary, why are you here?”
“Well, it’s… a part of my father’s punishment, you could say… Think of it as cleaning up Kilt’s mess.”
“I-I see…”
“Ronowee-san, it would be helpful if you could move a little further away. I get nervous and can’t comment properly when women are too close.”
“Ah, yes… (Is she okay…?)”
As Ronowee moved away from Yujil, he grumbled inwardly. While Jereol and the others were invaluable assets for commentary, Kilt’s incident made Ronowee naturally cautious. What if the prince’s hidden fetishes were exposed to the world? Their commentators had been causing trouble lately, starting with Kilt, and then the Shrine Maiden Delamis. Especially if the nationally beloved hero, Jereol, had something unspeakable about him, Gaun’s trust would be shattered. Ronowee, as Proud Human enlisting in Gaun and born into this country, desperately wanted to avoid such a crisis.
“R-right! All matches in the third round have concluded! Next up are the block finals! The four warriors who win these matches will advance to the Final Tournament and secure a ticket to the summit! Now then, let’s reconfirm the matchups for each block!”
A Magic Item, crafted by the now-deceased Kilt, projected a giant tournament bracket. Ronowee, incidentally, was adept at using this item.
“First, Block A! S-Rank Adventurer Kelvin-player versus Martial Artist Glostina Bourgeoise-player!”
“I am constantly surprised by Kelvin’s transcendent strength, unbefitting a Summoner. Speaking personally, since he defeated me, I hope Kelvin does his best.”
“However, his opponent, Glostina-dono, belongs to the same school as S-Rank Adventurer Gordiana-dono, so it won’t be an easy match.”
“Oh, oh… Is that reassuring then?”
“Reassuring about what?”
“N-nothing! Just something to myself! Let’s move on!”
“?”
Ronowee averted his gaze, but the manipulated holographic image spun erratically.
“Next, Block B! Rion-player, Kelvin-player’s sister and known as the ‘Black Meteor,’ versus S-Rank Adventurer ‘Mirror Image,’ the Beast King, Leonhart Gaun-player! Can the Beast King win as Gaun’s last hope!? A highly anticipated match!”
“My own incompetence has placed a greater burden on Father…”
“Oh, speaking of which, Yujil-sama, you forfeited your third-round match, didn’t you? What happened?”
“N-no, I just had some… trivial business.”
Then, Yujil began to sweat profusely. He couldn’t possibly admit that he was embarrassed to have the woman he had a crush on publicly revealed. Yujil was filled with thoughts of “How does Father know!?” about a fact he had cherished and kept to himself. He worried about the mental strain the Beast King might put on him during the match and the misery of losing to the woman he admired. As someone who bore a name, he struggled with this, but it was no use. Yujil had no confidence in his ability to recover.
“Hey, we’re running out of time.”
“Oops, that’s right! Uh, next is Block C! The Block C matchup is! Kelvin’s faction’s ‘Empress’ Sera-player versus the rapidly advancing unknown girl, Baal-player! Both possess extremely beautiful appearances, but they have dispatched all their previous opponents with a single blow! Contrary to their looks, it seems to be a fierce physical combat match!”
“…It’s hard to predict any of these matches. Everyone is stronger than me, and they haven’t shown their true power. In particular, the girl named Baal is so strong it’s surprising I haven’t heard of her before.”
“She might be from a remote region of the Western Continent. There are countries founded in places that are difficult to access.”
The Western Continent is home to numerous countries, large and small. New countries are established every year, and the exact number is unknown. Due to this situation, as Yujil points out, it is not impossible for a strong warrior of unknown origin to suddenly appear.
“Finally, Block D! S-Rank Adventurer ‘Pink Ogre’ Gordiana Pritiana-player versus Kelvin’s faction’s great hammer wielder, Dahak-player! Dahak-player, like Baal-player, is an unknown who has advanced through the ranks. Could this be Kelvin’s faction’s hidden ace!?”
“Ah, um…”
“Yes… that must be it…”
To those unaware, it would seem so. However, for Jereol, who had received reports that Trisen’s Black Dragon had become Kelvin’s subordinate, it was incredibly difficult to comment.
“However, her opponent is Gordiana-player, the previous winner of the Beast King Festival! Will a major upset occur!? Everyone, please pay close attention!”
***
Just before the start of the Block A final match. Sera, Rion, Dahak, and I were in the player entrance passage.
“Finally, the time has come to smash that man, Big Brother Kelvin! Go all out and kill him!”
“No, I’ll fight, but I won’t kill him.”
Dahak, breathing heavily, clearly harbored intense animosity towards Glostina, his temporary love rival. A dark aura of killing intent filled the narrow passage. However, within Rion’s vicinity, it was cleansed as soon as it touched, washed away by a pure atmosphere.
“But this opponent seems promising, right? After all, she’s Gordiana’s junior disciple!”
Perhaps due to her strong trust in Gordiana, Sera praised her opponent excessively. Of course, this evaluation likely included her observations from the matches. Probably, most likely.
“I’ve seen her fight a few times. If Prettia-chan is the fist of strength, then Gross-chan is the fist of softness, kind of.”
“Ah, she specializes in deflection and striking at openings. Attacking blindly won’t work. Well, I’ve eaten Efil’s cooking, and I’ve enhanced my body with magic. Everything else will work itself out.”
“Oh, Kel-ni, you’re so casual… Even so, you’re probably thinking of something, aren’t you?”
“That’s not true. Well, I’m off.”
I sheathed my longsword at my waist and turned towards the stage.
“Kelvin, win first and wait for me! I’ll be right there!”
“He’ll be incapacitated! I guarantee it!”
“Haku-chan, let’s calm down now. Here, let me pet you.”
With Sera’s encouragement and Rion’s gentle touch purifying Dahak’s resentment and jealousy, I walked out onto the sun-drenched stage. In that light, Glostina was already waiting on the stage. Not with the knuckle dusters she had worn in previous matches, but with a poisonous purple whip in her hand.
“Ufufu (sigh)”
At that moment, for the first time, Kelvin hesitated to fight.
