Chapter 116 - Episode 4: "Let's Follow the Rules and Have Fun Playing"
Good day to you. I am Violia Nico Fortesia.
I am currently reading the rulebook.
The time is the end of April.
In these days where one can feel the arrival of early summer, the registration for the Martial Arts Tournament has closed, and the rules have finally been announced.
...However, these rules are quite something, aren't they?
"I understand well enough now that the first round is going to be atrocious."
"Well, if we watched every single fight between small fry and small fry, it would take over a month. It cannot be helped."
"No matter how much of a pain management is, isn't this going too far? What are those royals thinking?"
In this day and age, you wouldn't even see this kind of thing in the back alleys of a town with the worst public order.
...The first round lasts for three days. At the end of it, those who have collected three or more 'Tournament Medals' will pass the first round. That is the rule.
Yes. Regarding those 'Tournament Medals'... well, you can probably guess, can't you?
Apparently, one is distributed to each participant.
And then, the participants are to fight amongst themselves as they please and snatch medals from each other!
"Pick a fight with any participant you see in town and have a street fight? What kind of slum is this?"
It is quite a delightful and atrocious rule, isn't it? Yes. I would love to see the face of the person who thought this up.
"'One must fight for medals and collect them. Participants must always wear their medals in a visible position. At the moment the evening bell rings on the third day, all combat must cease, and the medal tally will be conducted at the Colosseum the following morning.' ...This looks like it will become quite the mess."
First of all, there will surely be many who hide their medals, and many who simply knock others down to pluck their medals away. Moreover, if the battlefield isn't just the Colosseum but the entire Royal Capital, things will become chaotic. Naturally, not everyone will fight elegantly. Everyone will likely consider attacking someone in their sleep to be standard practice.
"Heh. Sounds interesting. Maybe I should've participated too."
"It certainly suits Chesta. This rule, that is."
Chesta seems like he would be good at this sort of thing... He is surprisingly dexterous, and he seems adept at both picking fights and being picked on.
...Indeed. In this battle, if you don't go out to pick a fight or get picked on, you cannot win. Passive individuals will fail to collect medals and won't survive the round.
"There are over 300 participants. And those who hold 3 or more medals move up, huh... That means a maximum of 100 people can advance, but..."
"In my estimation, I'd say 50 people at most will advance. Maybe even fewer. There'll be plenty who go down while holding one or two medals, and there'll be people like our Milady here who'll try to go for ten or more."
"Oh, you figured it out!"
That is right! No matter how you look at it, this is a flawed rule, but it doesn't say 'You must not obtain four or more medals'!
I am now full of energy! My worries about how to deal with Lital have been blown to the far side of the sky!
Pick street fights, wrench medals away from opponents, and flaunt my own status! It is bound to be a fun game!
I! Am suddenly feeling very motivated!
For the next few days, I made preparations for the Martial Arts Tournament.
Mainly, the preparation of equipment.
I was thinking of using a full-face suit of armor as usual, but considering the rules of the first round, an outfit that is difficult to move in would be fatal.
Therefore, I decided to go with an outfit similar to a light-armored swordsman and disguise my face with a mask and a hood!
For weapons, I prepared two middle swords. I have a policy of not using a shield even when I practice the sword. My style is either using a greatsword, a single one-handed sword, or perhaps two one-handed swords. It is my nature to want to keep attacking rather than going on the defensive. Ohohohoho.
What is reassuring about having two swords is that even if one is deflected, I can continue to fight. Yes. If one hand has a shield, being disarmed of the sword can sometimes lead to a loss by judgment, but with two swords, even if one is sent flying, the battle continues!
...Ah, and besides the equipment, I made various other preparations. Yes. Various things. Ohohohoho.
...Now then. I shall challenge it in such an outfit, but as for the other two...
"Keeb, aren't you going to wear something cuter?"
"I'm not!"
Keeb is in his usual attire. A hooded mantle and a single staff. No matter how you look at it, he's a mage. Hmm, there isn't a shred of amusement in it.
"By the way, Keeb. You intend to fight with magic, right?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?"
"No. In that case, what on earth is that sword for...?"
Keeb has a slender sword hanging from his waist. Even with the mantle, it is in a very conspicuous position. In fact, it's much more noticeable than the staff hidden on his back.
"This? It's for deceiving people. It'll be funny if someone sees this, thinks I'm a weak swordsman, and tries to jump me."
"Oh, how lovely."
It seems he does have this kind of playfulness. Since we're at it, I wish he would exercise that playfulness in a slightly different direction and wear a cute outfit too...
Also, regarding Keeb, I have one more concern.
"By the way, even with magic, you can hold back to some extent, right?"
Magic is powerful, so there's a higher chance of someone dying than if they were fighting with swords poorly. In martial arts tournaments between mages, they usually use barriers to prevent magic from hitting directly, but...
"I can hold back. I've trained my magic control reasonably well, I think."
"Come to think of it, you have."
Well, if it's Keeb, there shouldn't be any particular problem. He won't attack an unnecessarily wide area, and his way of using magic to inflict only the intended damage on the intended spot has become quite skilled over the past year. Well, regarding Keeb, no mage-related problems should occur. Yes. Regarding Keeb.
"Besides, if the opponent dies, it can't be helped if it's an unfortunate accident."
"That's true..."
...Yes. I don't think any problems will occur. Surely. Probably.
"So, Doran, is that the outfit you're going with?"
"Yeah. Weapons didn't feel right in my hands."
...On the other hand, Doran is a bit interesting.
He is wearing the armor of a Holy Knight, yet he is empty-handed. He doesn't have a sword or a spear.
Certainly, he usually fights with his fists. I didn't think he intended to fight with punches and kicks even while dressed as a Holy Knight.
"Isn't the armor too heavy for fighting empty-handed?"
"It's a bit heavy, but it's not much of a hindrance. I've decided to participate as a Holy Knight this time. This is the only way."
How should I put it, he is quite serious... Well, fine. A Holy Knight who mows down other participants with his bare hands will definitely be interesting.
"By the way, Violia."
"Oh, what is it, Onii-sama?"
"What about that Lital Pia Esclan? It would be possible to arrange for him to be eliminated in the first round, wouldn't it?"
...Come to think of it, that's true.
There are three of us. If the three of us each go to snatch a medal, we can take three medals from Lital. Since the condition for advancing to the finals is holding 3 or more medals, losing 3 medals should be a significant blow, but...
"...No. I shall refrain from meddling poorly. If he is a hopeless weakling, he won't advance here anyway, and if he truly possesses ability, snatching a few medals will be pointless."
"Hmm. I see. Well, that's probably for the best. The opponent is a mage, right? Then it's best not to make any poor moves."
Lital seems to have polished his skills as a mage to the limit, so... his true strength is an unknown, and he isn't an opponent I particularly want to mess with. Yes.
"I shall keep an eye on his movements. You should enjoy the Martial Arts Tournament to your heart's content."
"Yes. Thank you very much!"
As expected of Onii-sama! How wonderful! You understand perfectly what makes me happy!
With Onii-sama's support and encouragement, I shall shine by collecting more medals than anyone else in the Martial Arts Tournament!
And so, it was May.
At the Colosseum in front of the Royal Castle, we were standing on the stage, listening to the King's greeting.
...Yes, I couldn't bear to listen to the King's greeting. After hearing just the first few words, I moved on to observing the other participants on the stage.
To some extent, I can tell their strength just by looking.
If their behavior is that of a strong person, they look particularly radiant on stage, and if I look at whether their equipment is well-used, I can tell their combat history to some degree.
...As expected, Chris Bay Clarino stands out. Since his face is reasonably well-made, he is attracting a lot of attention from the spectator seats. Well, in terms of cuteness, Keeb is overwhelmingly superior!
But even if he isn't cute, I cannot ignore Chris.
I have set Chris Bay Clarino as my hypothetical enemy for this Martial Arts Tournament.
Considering his ability, he will undoubtedly make it to the top of the finals. It is highly expected that we will clash in the championship match. In fact, I think he is the top candidate for victory in this tournament.
Therefore... I don't want to miss a single one of his movements.
If he shows even a fragment of weakness, I intend to pick it up and use it well. Yes.
Furthermore, Keeb seems to be hiding himself well. Originally, he isn't that tall, so if he wants to blend into a crowd, he can hide as much as he wants.
Moreover, since Keeb has made his sword conspicuous this time, at first glance, he looks like a swordsman. Yes. He's probably already been certified as a weakling by several people. Even though a counterattack is inevitable. Ohohohoho.
Doran has a large build, so naturally, he stands out.
The silver-shining Holy Knight armor is one thing, but the sturdiness of the person inside is the main reason he stands out. His physique, which doesn't look like it's being faked by the armor, has an overwhelming presence!
...Moreover, he doesn't have a sword, a spear, or an axe. He's bare-handed. It's somehow... eerie!
How dazzling and intimidating that full-face silver armor is!
There is no mistake! Right now, Doran is definitely being recognized by those around him as a strong person of unknown origin!
...Then, I checked the surroundings a bit and found Lital's figure. If I look for a particularly beautiful blonde head, I can find him immediately, so if I want to look for Lital in the future, it will be easy.
He is listening to the King's speech with a sparkling smile. As usual, he seems to be a 'good boy'... Now, I wonder what on earth he is going to pull. I am worried.
Moving my gaze elsewhere, there were several guys with reasonably beautiful blonde hair wearing expensive-looking equipment.
Blonde hair and blue eyes are common features for the members of House Clarino, so it's easy to understand. Well, since that is a family of military men, it wouldn't be strange for several members of the clan to be participating.
...It's not just House Clarino; it seems quite a few other nobles are participating as well.
I can tell who they are immediately. Because they are wearing equipment that screams of their wealth.
Treasure swords adorned with precious magic stones, and armor into which craftsmen have meticulously engraved defensive magic and physical enhancement magic. Each one of them is something far beyond the reach of commoners.
Of course, it's not guaranteed that those nobles can master such equipment. In fact, it's more likely to be a waste of treasure.
Still, armor with defensive and physical enhancement magic will make a big difference in battle.
It is a sad thing, but even a noble who only has enough strength to easily lose to a commoner if they were naked can sometimes wipe out commoners if they wear that equipment.
...Well, that is not an interesting sight.
Since it's not interesting, I shall give those nobles who rely on their equipment a very painful experience.
...And then.
To be honest, I found someone who shouldn't be here.
Yes. I didn't think he would be in a place like this.
"...Dactor-sama?"
That well-remembered silver hair. My 'former' fiancé, known as the beautiful prince.
The Seventh Prince, Dactor Fila Orchesta, was also at this venue.
...Oh my, oh my. Things have become interesting.
There are two guys I want to beat down somehow. Setting aside Lital, whom I'd rather avoid, I wish to deal a pathetic defeat to Chris Bay Clarino and Dactor-sama with these very hands.
In particular, this is the perfect stage for revenge against House Clarino. There's no way I'm letting this opportunity slip by.
It seems other unpleasant noble brats are also participating... how interesting! I shall go on a rampage to my heart's content!
Yes. Of course, I shall follow the rules properly. Pro-per-ly, you see.