Chapter 77: Beginning of the Team Competition
The venue for the swordsmanship tournament will be the same as the previous year, the arena of the Knights Order. Although there was still some caution against the Anti-Hero Alliance, the purpose of the competition was to ensure that the guests would be well protected. After all, the guests attending the tournament were the king and princess of the Izrim Magic Kingdom, the crown prince and princess of the Luine Kingdom, and the princess of the Lemberg Empire, all of whom are royalty from major countries.
Not only the Knights of the Church but also knights from various countries stood around the guests' seats as guards, far outnumbering those of the previous year. The sight of knights in armor from various countries lined up in a row was more gallant than imposing, and it was fortunate that they were able to play a role in enlivening the atmosphere of the swordsmanship tournament.
In fact, the venue was filled with excitement. This was another difference from the previous year.
The participation of adventurers indicates that the danger of an attack by the Anti-Hero Alliance has been eliminated. For some reason, such information, which should have been generally unknown to the general public, was spreading in the form of rumors.
And that is not all. Around the arena, many stalls that normally open on the main street gathered, giving the area the appearance of a festival. Even ordinary people who had nothing to do with the tournament participants came in large numbers to watch the competition, adding to the excitement of the event, and some of them were even drunk even though it was still mid-morning.
"It's not quite what I expected, is it?"
Elected King Selim, who was sitting in the guest seat, was a little taken aback by the state of the venue.
"It’s completely different from last year. Last year, there was a lot of caution against the Anti-Hero Alliance, but still, this is different."
Not only Elected King Selim, but also Princess Milianea, who had been to the tournament last year, was perplexed by the atmosphere of the venue, which was different from last year.
"It's like a festival, isn't it?"
"His Majesty Elected King Selim, I apologize for the commotion."
Pope Mikhail, who was listening to the conversation between Elected King Selim and Princess Milianea, apologized with a humble expression.
"No, it's not for His Eminence the Pope to apologize."
"No, the church is also a little complicit in this commotion."
"What do you mean the church is complicit?"
The Church is involved in these festivities. This was a surprise to Elected King Selim. He thought it was the church that liked the formal atmosphere.
"The arrangement of stalls around the arena. The people of the capital have been suffering from a series of dark incidents, so I thought I would create an opportunity for them to have a little fun."
"...That's right. Your country has been through a lot."
The church has changed a lot in the last two years. It was a situation that no one expected before the hero was summoned.
"Yes. And once this competition is over, the only thing left is the bidding. And for the hero candidates, it will be their last event as students."
"For us, it will be the last opportunity for evaluation."
"Yes. I hope it will be the culmination of these four years."
"I hope so too."
It seems that Elected King Selim did not notice Pope Mikhail's concerns. In Pope Mikhail's eyes, Ren was waiting at the entrance of the arena to prepare for the first match. Pope Mikhail knows that as long as Ren participates, it will not be a normal competition.
"How do you decide who wins and who loses?"
Unaware of Pope Mikhail's inner unease, Elected King Selim returned to his conversation with Princess Milianea.
"The one who knocks down the stick in the enemy camp wins."
"A mage has an overwhelming advantage."
"Magic is forbidden. They will fight only with a sword."
"If that's the case, then mages are useless, aren't they?"
It's the same in Izrim Magic Kingdom that mages are useless in close combat.
"But this year we are changing the rules a little. Instead of forbidding all magic, we have decided to limit it to offensive magic only."
Pope Mikhail, who was listening to the conversation between the two, announced the rule change.
"They can use support skills? If so, the mage's skill will affect the outcome."
"I wonder? Last year, Yuya Kisaragi's power was overwhelming. I don't think support magic will make up the difference."
"Yes. That's not good for our country."
"Well……"
"Now, it looks like the first match is about to begin."
The regular sound of drums began to resound in the arena. The sound of the drum, which had been beaten slowly, gradually shortened its interval. The atmosphere of the venue increased with the beat of the drums.
"War drum?"
Even though different countries had different ways of beating the drums, Elected King Selim quickly realized that the sound of the drums was that of the battlefield.
"Ladieees! Aaaand! Gentlemeeeen!!"
What followed was an incomprehensible word. It was the voice of the hero candidate standing in the center of the arena and shouting.
"Come on, everyone! Are you ready!?"
"Oooh!?"
The crowd responded to the hero candidate's voice, but the voice was mixed with confusion.
"Your voice is small!! Are you excited??"
"Oooohhh!!"
"Alright!! Finally! The swordsmanship tournament! It's the beginning of the first team match!!"
"Oooooohhh!!"
"First! The entrance to the east!! Eastern army! Class A hero! Teppei! The team was led by Nishiyama―――! Kniiii! ghtsss! Of Bluuuuueeee!! Draaaaaaaaggoooonnn!!! Enter!!!"
"Uooooooooohhhhh!!!"
Led by the call, the hero candidates, members of the team [Knights of Blue Dragon], appeared from the east entrance. The audience was very excited, but those who were the target of the cheers seemed quite embarrassed.
Also reacting differently from the crowd were the people in the guests' seats.
"…Your Eminence, what is that?"
"No, well, the hero candidate says that in the other world's fighting arena, they perform a ceremony like that. I gave him permission to do it because he said he would make sure it would be a great success."
"...They sure are excited. By the way, what was he shouting?"
"That’s the name of the team. [Knights of Blue Dragon], if you put it in another world’s language…it is Knights of Blue Dragon. He said it would be cooler that way."
(TN: The first one is being pronounced in English.)
"I see……"
There is no way Elected King Selim could understand that commitment.
"Next! The entrance to the west!!"
After waiting for the cheers to subside, the hero candidate acting as the announcer moved on to the next entrance call.
"Western Army is from the Adventurer’s Guild!!!"
"Ooooooooohhh!!"
"Young adventurers!! The team [Pack of Wolves] led by Silver Wolf!!! Noooww! It's the entrance of the Wolves!!!"
"Uooooooohhhhhhh!!!"
"Silver Wolf! Don't lose!" "Don't lose! Kids!" "Good luuuuck!!" "Kill theeem!!"
Rough cheers, which had not been present during the entrance of the Eastern Army, poured from the spectators' seats. The voices were coming from adventurers from the guild. Amidst their cheers, Ren and his team entered the venue in a calm manner.
"……Him?"
"Yes, Father. It's the silver-haired guy in the middle."
"He's young."
In order to find out about Ren, Elected King Selim came all the way to the church capital. But at first glance, the person looked like a child younger than his daughter.
"He looks young because he's small, but he's the same age as the other hero candidates."
"I see. What about the other children?"
"The orphans he is taking care of. They are younger than he is."
"Can they fight?"
"They have already taken care of subjugation requests to kill magical beasts. The information is half swordsmen and half mages. Their ability is hidden and unknown. But among adventurers, it is said that they are Silver Wolf's treasured children, and is talked about."
"You know a lot about it."
"Lang looked into it."
"Hmph, if you had time to investigate someone who wasn't even a hero candidate, you've got better things to do."
Members of the Elected Council were also present in the guest seat. Remembering their existence, Princess Milianea's face distorted.
"Both armies! Get into position!!"
The conversation in the guest's seat was halted by a well-timed voice.
The voice changed to that of the referee. At the referee's order, the two teams lined up in front of the poles that had been set up on their own positions. The East Army left two men to defend the pole, and the other three stepped forward as the attackers. As for Ren and his team, Ren alone was in front.
"Ready!"
A chanting voice floated through the silent arena just before the start of the battle. The chanting of the Eastern Army is support magic chanted to the hero candidates who are magic swordsmen.
On the other hand, Ren――
"You impure ones who have sunk to the depths of the earth! You household of darkness! Respond to my voice!"
He started chanting an eerie chant with one hand straight up in the air. A commotion spread through the arena at the words of Ren's chant.
Naturally, upset voices were heard in the guests' seats as well.
"……Father?"
"I don't know that chant. Is that his unique magic?"
"I don't know..."
If Elected King Selim, who is considered to be the best mage of his generation, does not know about it, then no one else knows about it. Ren's chant came to an end as the people waited to see what would happen.
"Now rise and follow me! Spirits of the dead, summon!!"
"Wha!?"
A jet-black sphere floats at the tip of his hand, which he raises into the sky. The sphere slammed into the ground with a downward swing of the arm.
Fragments of the sphere shattered like glass and flew through the air, then fell back to the ground.
The black pieces fell to the ground and became a black stain, expanding in size. Eventually, hands were thrust out one after another from the black stain that had spread. Some arms had only bones, and others had bones exposed in places.
"W-what is this!?"
"Watch out! Stay away from the hole!"
Dozens of arms were sprouting from the ground, and the other hero candidates hesitated to step forward.
The arms stretched out in front of them were lowered to the ground, and just as they were crawling up from the depths of the earth, they were exposed. Dozens of eerie beings appeared on the ground, moving in a slight cloak of rotting skin.
"U-undead!?"
"Zombies!?"
"Skeletons!?"
"Silver Wolf! Summoning something like this!"
It was not only his opponents who shouted in surprise. Adventurers and escort knights in the audience were also surprised.
The escort knights are more than just surprised. In preparation for an emergency situation, they began to form a line in front of the guest seat in a great hurry.
"My risen servants! Your enemy is at hand! Destroy them!"
Regardless of the turmoil around him, Ren gave orders to the undead. Hearing that command, the undead horde slowly stepped forward.
"They are coming! Intercept them!"
"How do we do it!!? They are undead! Can we beat it!?"
The vanguard hero candidates, who are swordsmen, cannot find a way to fight the undead. In fact, there are several ways, but they had no experience in fighting the undead, so they could only come up with one way.
"Fire attribute magic! Undead should be weak against light and fire attributes!"
"Alright! If it's a fire attribute, I'll do it!"
"Hurry up! They're coming!"
It's slow progress, but the undead horde is definitely approaching. For them, that scene is exactly what they saw in a horror movie.
"Hurry up! Hurry up!"
"Fireball!"
Several fireballs are fired at the approaching group of undead. The bodies of some of those hit by the fireballs burst into flames.
"Alright! It works!"
"One more!"
Seeing the damage inflicted, the hero candidates tried to continue firing their magic.
"Referee! Attack magic!"
"Eh? Ah, disqualified! The East Army lost by foul play!"
The referee hurriedly declared that the East Army had lost after Ren pointed out the situation.
"Wha!?"
"The winner is the West Army due to a foul by the East Army!"
"Eeehhh!!"
"That's absurd!? Why!?"
"Using offensive magic is against the rules."
"That's... but the opponent is undead."
"It's against the rules."
"No way..."
The protests were in vain, and the winner was never overturned. The first match was won by the East Army, which had used attack magic and lost due to a penalty. Ren's team was victorious.
Seeing the unexpected conclusion, Elected King Selim is amazed.
"...I see. So this is what they were aiming for."
"Aim?"
"Milia, perhaps you don't understand?"
"What?"
"I see. Well, you're skipping training."
"Father?"
Elected King Selim sees something Princess Milianea does not understand. Something that is only possible because he is the best mage.
"His value is his resourcefulness?"
"And the ability to gather and analyze information."
"Yes. More of a charlatan than a genius, isn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's not worth explaining. You'll probably see it in the next round."
"But……"
The suggestive words of Elected King Selim. No one in the guests' seats understands what that means. Everyone looked puzzled.
"No way, no one has noticed?"
Elected King Selim's complexion changed when he noticed this.
"What do you mean we didn't notice?"
"What were his special skills?"
"Several resistances"
"Any magic skills?"
"None"
"…Maybe you haven’t investigated his most recent skills?"
"Yes"
"I see. That was a bit of an oversight."
Elected King Selim's face changed to a slightly satisfied one. Princess Milianea still doesn't know what her father's intentions are and has a dubious face.
"Why?"
"Why? If you're interested, you should always keep the information up-to-date."
"No, I can't look it up, so I just haven't looked it up."
"I think you were able to inquire about his skills at the church?"
"Even if I inquire, I can't get any convincing information."
Elected King Selim didn't understand the circumstances surrounding Ren.
"......That's a problem. Your Eminence the Pope, is it true what my daughter said?"
Elected King Selim turned his gaze to Pope Mikhail with a somewhat sharp look.
"I don't understand what Her Royal Highness Princess Milianea is not satisfied with."
"She is saying that you didn't pass the correct information, though?"
"If that's what you're talking about, I'll say it's a misunderstanding. The church is telling her the truth."
Pope Mikhail said firmly. The line of sight of Elected King Selim who received it turned to Princess Milianea.
"His Eminence says this."
"Ren Takashiro's title, skills, and information about his suitable occupation haven't changed at all since the time he was summoned. Do you expect me to accept that?"
"Because that's the truth."
Pope Mikhail replied with a quizzical look even though Princess Milianea gave him a harsh look. Pope Mikhail is also unconvinced, but he has no intention of speaking honestly about it on this occasion.
"Are you saying he hasn't grown at all?"
"That's the information on the status board, nothing more, nothing less."
"Are you saying that the information on the status board is incorrect?"
"I don't have the answer to that. The church operates on the assumption that the information on the status board is correct."
"That's right..."
Realizing that Pope Mikhail had no intention of saying anything about Ren, Princess Milianea stopped her pursuit. She was not even sure that he knew anything. If anyone knew about Ren's skills, it was the Adventurers' Guild. Princess Milianea knows that.
"But isn't it a problem that the church doesn't have the correct information?"
Princess Milianea withdrew, but Elected King Selim was not satisfied with that.
"It's not confirmed that it's incorrect."
"But he..."
"Elected King Selim. The Church has no responsibility other than to provide the hero candidates with the opportunity to learn, to guarantee their livelihood for the duration of their studies, and to pass on information from the status board in response to inquiries. It is up to each nation to collect and evaluate information on the candidates."
"Yes, but."
When this is said, it becomes difficult for Elected King Selim to pursue the matter. The church is certainly fulfilling its duty.
"In the first place, you never know when the information on the status board will change. Even if you inquire today, the information may change tomorrow, so I think it should be considered as a reference only."
"...I understand. I see, he seems to be a difficult person to evaluate?"
"Is Elected King Selim interested in Ren-kun?"
"Do you want me to answer that in front of people from other countries?"
"I'm sorry. It was needless to ask."
"……I guess"
It was a reply intended to be a light return, but it came back doubled. Other countries have already investigated why Elected King Selim came to the church capital. That's what Pope Mikhail's response meant.
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