News of the Gladiatorial Festival’s upcoming commencement reached the Kingdom of Tubant.
“Didn’t the Gladiatorial Festival happen in a different year?”
This was Marius’s first question.
Lovisa was the one who answered his doubt.
“Yes. While it usually is, this time the primary focus seems to be on talent scouting.”
Many people had died due to the invasion of demons, and the nation had not yet recovered from the blow. The damage was too severe to be healed in less than a year. This event was an attempt to find buried talent and fill the void left by those lost. Normally, the tournament would showcase the high-level combat of the best warriors from each country. However, for this event, those seasoned fighters were not eligible to participate. Eligibility was limited to individuals who were not affiliated with their country’s military and had never participated in a previous Gladiatorial Festival. The idea was to scout promising individuals and potentially recruit them into their nation’s service.
“…Just to be sure, do you think there’s any promising talent in this country?”
Although he was merely a figurehead, Marius was the King. It was natural for him to be concerned.
“Unfortunately, no.”
Emma lowered her eyes and shook her head.
“This country was essentially built on accepting refugees. There might be some who can fight, but it would be unreasonable to expect much, wouldn’t it?”
This was Barra speaking. Of course, there were immigrants besides refugees, but virtually no one was recognized by other nations as a valuable combatant. This was to avoid situations where skilled individuals would be poached. While some regular training was conducted, it was still incomparable to the elites of Filat or Ranleo. They would likely only be capable of fending off bandits or goblins. However, one could argue that this was sufficient, as no country would likely consider attacking them anyway.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Marius shrugged. While he wasn’t privy to the intricate details of statecraft, he knew such things existed. Thus, he said nothing more.
“Marius, want to enter?”
Lovisa suggested with a mischievous grin.
“Am I allowed to?”
Marius asked, slightly surprised. Barra quickly interjected.
“Magic is prohibited, though. Ah, but physical enhancement and recovery are allowed.”
“Are attack and defense prohibited too?”
Everyone nodded in unison at Marius’s question.
“Then, no thanks.”
Marius promptly replied. His self-assessment was that even with physical enhancement, his abilities would be limited. Moreover, considering the purpose of the Gladiatorial Festival, he wouldn’t even qualify. Lovisa had made her suggestion as a joke, knowing this.
“Just so you know, you’re not qualified either, Auraniess.”
“Hm?”
Auraniess, who had been munching on a banana, swallowed before speaking.
“Strong people aren’t participating, right? I’m not interested. I’d be interested if it was a tournament with a Demon Lord, though.”
“Would a human even be able to host something like that?”
Marius offered a perfunctory retort before addressing his wives.
“We need to gather participants, right? What should we do?”
“Let’s put up notices for a public recruitment,” Lovisa replied.
“Will that actually attract anyone?”
As if to say Marius’s doubt was understandable, Barra responded.
“Because people affiliated with the military can’t participate, our options for reaching people in general are limited.”
“How much can we really expect from those not in the military?”
Marius murmured with a glimmer of hope, but Lovisa cut him off coldly.
“It’s best not to expect too much.”
The rest of them nodded in agreement. Emma explained to Marius, who looked surprised.
“If they were skilled in combat and willing to serve, they would have already found a master. Those remaining in general society likely lack either ability or motivation. It’s not impossible that some have honed their skills or found themselves in a situation where they need to seek employment, but I doubt there are many such individuals.”
“There might be some who were dismissed from their posts due to causing trouble,” Lovisa added. The world wasn’t that forgiving. The fact that the festival was proposed despite this indicated the severe shortage of personnel. Marius surmised this. However, he couldn’t think of any reason why he himself would want to participate at this time.
While there were more participants than expected, after the unremarkable preliminary matches concluded, Marius and his retinue headed for the Gladiatorial Festival. Similar to the Demonplay, royalty from various countries gathered to spectate.
*Does the King of this world have nothing better to do?*
It wasn’t unreasonable for Marius to have such a thought. However, the gathering wasn’t solely for assessing talent; it also served as an opportunity for subsequent information exchange. In a sense, that objective might be even more important. Marius thought this as he alternately enjoyed the knee pillows of Lovisa and Barra inside the carriage. Auraniess did not accompany them. She apparently saw no point in the act of traveling by carriage.
“When there’s a way to move instantaneously, why bother taking the time?”
She had asked Lovisa and the others with a genuinely puzzled expression. If she unleashed her full power, she could travel in an instant. Marius was the same. This was because the host nation for this tournament was the Kingdom of Filat.
“It’s perhaps a matter of decorum as royalty,” Lovisa said, and Barra nodded.
“It’s like Auraniess only wanting to fight strong opponents.”
At those words, the Demon Lord’s expression shifted to one of understanding.
“Ah, I see. It’s a form of aesthetic principle they must uphold.”
Everyone felt she was slightly mistaken, but no one corrected her. They probably realized the difficulty of making her understand correctly.
“This feels nostalgic,” Marius’s first words upon entering Filat made Lovisa and Emma smile.
“Indeed.”
For the consorts and the maid, it was their homeland. For Marius, it was the place of his reincarnation. They had lived in this country only recently. While it had only been a few months for Marius, it had been most of their lives for the two women. Their sense of nostalgia was profound. Unfortunately, the soldiers who greeted them and the people on the streets were unfamiliar. The soldiers and generals he had once known had either been transferred or retired.
“Seeing Filat like this, I realize how far behind our own country still is,” Barra commented. She was not sentimental but calmly assessed the difference between Tubant and Filat.
“Well, it is the foremost country on the continent, after all.”
Marius said so, but Barra was not persuaded.
“That’s a naive view. If we don’t strive to catch up and surpass them, we’ll never develop.”
“Is that so?”
Marius, aware of his own inadequacy in political acumen, didn’t dare to argue with his wife.
*If I do almost no work, isn’t it impossible?*
He thought this but didn’t voice it. His skill as a king and politician was, unfortunately, incomparable to his prowess as a mage. At the very least, he should have been useful in developing Magic Items. Even if he wasn’t as skilled as Isabella, a girl in the West. However, he wasn’t even doing that currently. In a sense, their strongest asset was completely non-functional, so it wasn’t surprising they couldn’t catch up to other nations. He still couldn’t voice it, though. He assumed Lovisa and Emma knew and were simply letting it be. While it sounded nice to say they trusted him, the lack of communication was undeniable. Marius understood his own immaturity and was holding back, but it was backfiring. Lovisa and the others were also likely prioritizing other matters, leading them to postpone addressing this. It was a wonder their marital relationship hadn’t deteriorated.
*Perhaps I should provoke them into an argument at least once?*
El contemplated this as she observed her master and his consorts. She didn’t flatter herself into thinking the absence of cracks in their relationship was due to her own excellent management of hate. It was because they were still holding back to some extent. Just as the saying “even close friends maintain courtesy” exists in human society, even married couples should maintain a minimum level of reserve. In El’s estimation, the three of them were perhaps a bit too reserved. To truly become a group of close confidants, a bit of unrest might be beneficial. In that case, it would be better to prod the wives. Marius’s actions were somewhat difficult to decipher.
*Maybe I’ll wait until after the Gladiatorial Festival is over.*
El thought this with a serene expression.
As their carriage entered the Royal Capital of Filat, a great cheer erupted. Marius and Lovisa were figures of deep respect for the citizens of Filat.
“My ears hurt…”
Marius winced, but the women saw through it as embarrassment. His smile betrayed him. Barra and the others had effectively shielded themselves, showing their experience.
“Marius’s popularity is amazing,” Barra remarked, her lips curling into a smile. Marius felt a pang of recognition, that it was the same look of a magic enthusiast he’d seen before, and he hastily denied it. She should have settled down after marriage and childbirth. That was how it should be. He repeated this to himself twice, for it was important.
“He’s a hero who saved the world, so it’s natural,” Lovisa stated, and the women all nodded in agreement. Marius felt uncomfortable, as they seemed genuinely proud. This was something that never changed. The women thought it preferable to him becoming accustomed to it and taking it for granted. To break the prevailing atmosphere, Marius spoke.
“Speaking of which, do we have a list of participants from each country?”
“Yes. Here you go.”
Emma handed him a document. He scanned it, expecting not to recognize any names, when suddenly…
“…Huh?”
He stopped at one particular point and uttered a stunned sound. There was a name he recognized. It was Catherine von Boltner.
