Chapter 263 - Scouting the Face of the Arena
It was mid-morning, and I had been watching the arena matches since dawn. Just when I was starting to get bored, an interesting contestant finally appeared.
"That kid in the front row on the right, she's quite something," I said.
It seemed Valeria had noticed her too.
"I can see why. She’s got plenty of spirit. But the difference between those who can and those who can't is huge. Still, it’s a show worth watching," she replied.
The girl who caught my eye looked to be around the same age as Valeria, probably in her late teens. She was thin and frail, dressed in tattered leather armor, and relied on a small dagger for her fighting. Her long hair, tied back, bounced as she made reckless charges, as if she were shouting that she had no fear of death. Her fighting style was wild and dangerous.
Her technique was rough and unrefined, but her quick decision-making and responsiveness were exceptional. Her fierce determination allowed her to hold her own against stronger opponents, though the fight was incredibly risky.
"Ah, she won," I said.
Despite having her right leg pierced by her opponent’s spear, she managed to press the dagger to the opponent’s throat. Undeterred by her severe injury, she glared fiercely, as if to say she would slit the opponent’s throat if they didn’t surrender. The opponent, overwhelmed by her intensity, raised their hands in surrender, even though killing was forbidden in the arena.
"She won, but it was almost a draw. It’s rare for someone to be willing to risk such serious injuries, even with the promise of complete healing," Valeria remarked.
The girl was declared the winner but collapsed and was carried away. The crowd erupted in cheers, though many of them seemed to be cries of disappointment from those who had lost their bets on the unexpected outcome.
"I want her, Onee-sama," Valeria said.
It seemed my little sister had taken a liking to the girl. Well, there’s no helping it.
"Valeria, can you go to the infirmary and talk to her? Her fighting style was quite unusual, so there must be a reason for it."
"Sure, I’ll use one of the private rooms for the combatants. Can I give her a little training too?"
"If she wants it. Her equipment was in bad shape, so if she accepts, find her something suitable and give it to her as a gift."
"Will you keep watching the matches, Onee-sama?"
"Yes, another one like that might show up. I’m not sure if I’ll find someone today, but I plan to watch all the first-round matches."
Valeria and the girl are probably close in age. They might get along well and build a rapport. Plus, my little sister is cute and incredibly strong. It’s hard not to be intrigued by her. And a girl who fights with such determination might be open to accepting support if it’s offered. I’ll leave it to her for now. If things go well, she might become a formidable combatant.
After watching for a while longer, Siegrune came to the observation booth. She looked a bit tired from working since early morning, and she sat down next to me, quickly finishing the drink she had in her hand.
"Good work. How was the first day?"
"Zenobia and the Security Bureau have done a good job. The Kikyo Society’s reputation seems to be keeping things under control, so there haven’t been as many issues as I expected."
"More than expected, still."
From what I could see, there were frequent disturbances in the audience, and several combatants were knocked out for arguing with the referees. I also heard reports of disputes among combatants over victories in the locker rooms.
"Well, if the people on the ground think it’s easier than expected, I suppose that’s a good thing," I said.
"That’s good to hear."
"Have you been here all day, Yukari-dono?"
"Since morning. I’m looking for potential banner combatants for our arena."
"Is the combatant development program ready to go?"
"I’ve only found one so far. It’s uncertain if she’ll agree, and I still need at least four or five more candidates."
Just being decently strong isn’t enough to be a banner combatant. They need overwhelming strength or talent, plus something that draws people in.
The girl from earlier had that. She was a rough diamond, but I believed her talent, once polished, would shine brightly. Being a girl in the combatant world is rare, so she has the potential to be a banner combatant.
"Your standards are high, Yukari-dono. Should I help you watch for a while?"
"It’s not practical to aim for perfection from the start. A little compromise is fine, so I’d appreciate your help, Siegrune."
"Understood, I’ll help for a bit while on break."
Indeed, perfection can be a hindrance. Even the weak can be endearing and worth supporting. Having a mix of strong and sympathetic characters makes for a more interesting spectacle.
"We should try to launch the program while the momentum is still hot. I’d like to identify a few candidates by the end of the first day."
We have a program to develop banner combatants. To keep them separate from Kikyo Society members, we need external assistance. That’s the hidden aspect of the combatant development program.
The basic format involves having Exembra nobles sponsor the combatants. These nobles are our puppets, bought and controlled by us, though this isn’t known outside. Thanks to the Intelligence Bureau, we have several of these puppets.
Each puppet noble sponsors a combatant individually, providing continuous living and training expenses, and high bonuses for winning matches. In exchange, they offer the combatant a contract to become an exclusive combatant under exceptionally favorable terms. For someone aiming to become a combatant, this is a dream come true. Even for those just testing their skills, the offer would be hard to resist. We even have the Commerce Guild act as intermediaries to eliminate the risk of fraud.
There’s always a catch, but in this case, everyone benefits. It’s a win-win situation.
This way, we can recruit combatants without the Kikyo Society being directly involved. The girl earlier caught Valeria’s attention, so we’ll handle her case a bit differently.
In addition to combat training, the puppet nobles will hire coaches and send our members to provide hellish training. Recovery potions will be used liberally to push the combatants to their limits. While we can’t push them as hard as our own members, we can still demand a lot, especially since they are bound by contract. However, they need to have the mental fortitude to endure it and a strong desire to improve, along with a clear reason to win in the arena.
With these thoughts in mind, we continued searching for potential candidates, occasionally chatting with Siegrune about our finds.
"What do you think of that muscular beastfolk? His combat sense isn’t bad."
"Not bad, but he’s kind of boring. His fighting style and appearance aren’t very exciting."
"How about that girl over there? She’s not good, but she has a lot of charm."
"Hmm, training that kind of charm could make for an interesting success story. I wonder why such a naive, inexperienced person would even participate."
We continued making casual comments, looking down from our lofty perch.
"Ah, that one is good. Her fighting skills aside, she’s beautiful."
"Yukari-dono, is that the right criterion...?"
"Exceptional is exceptional. She might not win the tournament, but she could be popular."
After all, the arena matches are a betting ground. A combatant’s popularity can drive the betting, which directly impacts our profits. Attractiveness is a talent, and I value all talents highly.
"How about that young man? He looks exceptionally handsome."
"Is that your type, Siegrune?"
"That’s a misunderstanding. What do you think?"
"I like him. He seems to have more combat sense than the beauty, and he’s a good catch. I want to secure him no matter what."
We continued our somewhat whimsical evaluations, watching the matches well into the evening. I finished my dinner while watching, and was starting to feel tired and ready to go home.
"Phew, watching all this is exhausting. We must have seen a lot of matches today, right?"
"Without specific numbers, it’s hard to say, but it’s probably more than enough for the first day. Tomorrow, we’ll likely space out the matches more to adjust."
Sure enough, as we continued watching, the announcement for the end of the day began. There were only four more matches after the one currently underway.
The venue became bustling with people buying their last betting slips, adding to the hectic atmosphere that was already tiring the staff.
In the end, we identified five candidates for the combatant development program.
1. The girl with the reckless fighting style, overflowing with determination.
2. The girl with charm and a strong effort, despite lacking talent.
3. A beautiful spear-wielder in her early twenties.
4. A talented and handsome boy in his mid-teens.
5. A middle-aged man who had been a soldier for years and seemed to have potential for a late bloomer.
Negotiations are still to come, but if they fail, we can always look for more. Even if we don’t succeed, other Exembra nobles and merchants will likely start recruiting combatants. Some might even become popular banner combatants, which would be beneficial for the arena.
The more popular combatants we have, the more exciting the arena will be. Sometimes, the unexpected can lead to the most interesting outcomes.
I’ve given a broad overview of the arena preliminaries. While a common tournament arc, it’s somewhat unique that the protagonist is on the organizing side, watching and evaluating. To avoid repetitive matches, the next chapter will jump forward a bit in time.