Chapter 117 - Episode 5: "It's Their Fault for Not Writing It Down"
Good day! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
I have decided to use Chris Bay Clarino in this Martial Arts Tournament to fulfill my revenge against House Clarino!
I'm sure I'll do it well! While I'm at it, I'd also like to humiliate Dactor-sama, who broke off his engagement with me!
Now, now, now! Let me enjoy this to my heart's content! Ohohohohohohoho!
And so, the opening ceremony ended.
I just appropriately tuned out the King's worthless greeting. He was saying something like 'I look forward to the appearance of a hero who will lead this country,' but that probably means he has great expectations for Dactor-sama and Chris Bay Clarino. Yes. I'm sure he doesn't have expectations for anyone else.
After that, the rules were explained, and we were immediately dismissed for the first round starting the next day.
Even after that, the spectators were whispering things like 'That warrior was beautiful' or 'I want that warrior to win,' but well, most of that will probably be blown away...
Now then.
The interesting thing about this first round is that the entire Royal Capital becomes the battlefield.
Since combat will suddenly break out everywhere people gather, from the perspective of the populace, it must be quite an interesting spectacle.
Yes. This first round is held under the eyes of all the people.
Fewer eyes will reach them than if they were fighting in the center of the Colosseum, but since the eyes of the people are close by, the feel of it will be quite different.
Furthermore, this first round has rules where you can't afford to play 'fair and square.'
If you snatch it, you win. If it's snatched from you, you lose.
It's such a simple rule. Even if another person charges into a place where two people are fighting, it doesn't count as a rule violation, right?
In fact, even if you lose because you stepped on some flyer dropped in the street and slipped, that's your own fault. Because the battlefield is this entire Royal Capital.
...This first round is different in every way from fighting elegantly on the stage of the Colosseum.
The ability to fight on any battlefield.
A way of fighting that can withstand the gaze of the audience nearby.
And true combat ability that isn't shaken by outside interference.
Those are the things being tested in this battle. That is what this first round is!
...I suspect the King hadn't thought of that at all, though.
In particular, I don't think he thought about 'outside interference' at all.
So, for the time being, my policy for the first round has been decided.
First, I'll appropriately pick fights, beat down my opponents, and snatch their medals.
Once I've snatched as many as I can... the real show begins after the evening bell rings on the third day!
8:00 AM the next day.
The sound of the bell echoing loudly through the Royal Capital announced the start of the first day of the first round.
...At that time, I was in the largest street of the Royal Capital.
With swords in both hands and the distributed medal shining on my chest... since I looked like I was waiting for a challenger no matter how you looked at it, even before the bell rang, several participants had their weapons drawn and were waiting around me.
And, simultaneously with the signal of the bell, they all came at me at once!
And three minutes later, every single one of them was sprawled out on the ground! Ohohohoho! With this, the number of medals is 5! I shall collect many more!
If I stride down the main street, I naturally encounter the next challengers, so I just have to pick a fight each time and snatch their medals.
...However, once the medals exceeded 10, people started running away even when I tried to pick a fight.
Well, that's natural. If there's a swordsman with 11 medals shining on their chest, you definitely wouldn't want to fight them. It's human nature not to want to engage in a fight you'll surely lose. Yes.
However, if I'm avoided like that, my medals won't increase. I want many, many more medals. Yes. There's no particular meaning to it, but since I'm at it.
So, I decided to keep all the medals except for the first one inside my mantle.
The instruction to keep 'all' medals in a visible position isn't in the rules, so there's no problem. Originally, the point of keeping medals in a visible position was likely to make it easy to distinguish participants from non-participants.
By hiding my true strength like that, I shall go hunting even more! I won't be satisfied with 11 or so!
As expected, this kind of thing is most vigorous until before noon on the first day.
By then, a considerable number of medals had been collected. Let's see, 1, 2... oh, I've collected 15! Isn't this quite a good pace!?
...However, well, the vigor only lasted until before noon on the first day.
After that, the growth really stalled. Yes.
After all, the small fry have mostly been hunted dry and are in a state of having lost their medals. On the other hand, those who have managed to get 3 or more medals just have to hole up or do whatever to endure the remaining two and a half days, so they won't engage in unnecessary battles.
...Therefore, my targets are those who, at this point, are wandering around with one or two medals without having fought properly yet.
They can't reach three but can't find anyone they can beat anymore, so eventually, they will start fighting amongst themselves.
Because that's how it is, right? Those who have 3 or more medals either won't respond to a fight or are berserkers. Therefore, those who want 3 medals will naturally start fighting between those with 1 or 2 stars.
...Yes. It's not interesting. If I want to collect medals from here on, I have to diligently search for and hunt such small fry.
Therefore, I shall earn medals using a more interesting method.
First, I look for a place where many soldiers are gathered. Usually, it's somewhere in the noble district.
Yes. That's right. The noble brats can pass the first round just by gathering two subordinates and having them appropriately hand over their medals, then holed up inside.
But don't you think that goes against the spirit of this tournament?
Therefore, I decided to poke at that!
"Pardon me."
When I appropriately chose a noble mansion with tight security and entered, it was just as I expected. In the courtyard, a noble brat with a medal was elegantly having tea time.
"As this medal shows, I am a participant. I have come to take your medal."
"Wha... wh-where did you come from!?"
"Where? Oh my. Do I look like I entered from somewhere other than the front entrance?"
I probably don't. After all, you can see the soldiers of this mansion fallen all the way from the entrance to the courtyard.
Ah, by the way, several of the soldiers had medals! I've profited again!
"I-I'm sorry, but I'm about to take a break. Could you come back later?"
"Later? Which means you don't mind the act of fighting itself, right? Then I shall wait."
"N-no, well..."
Well, he's flustered. Please, be as flustered as you like. It's already too late, though.
"Or do you intend to say, 'I've already gotten 3 medals so I have no intention of fighting anymore'? What a boring man. Aren't you ashamed as a noble?"
It's a cheap provocation, but anyone who doesn't rise to it isn't a warrior.
"Good grief... fine, I shall accompany you for one match."
Oh, thank goodness! If he was the type not to rise to it, I would have had no choice but to attack and forcibly seize the medal without question! I'm glad I could get his consent! After all, I want to plunder with their consent!
"Then how many medals shall we wager? I don't mind wagering up to 20?"
"Tw-!?"
"I know. How about we wager all the medals we both possess? Even if you only have 3, I don't mind?"
In front of the trembling noble brat, I am so happy I can't help myself!
"Either way, if you lose here, you won't be able to stay holed up in this mansion, you know? I have already taken the medals from the soldiers protecting you. To get the one missing medal, you'll have to go out into the scaaary outside world, won't you? Then isn't wagering one the same as wagering three?"
It seems the brat has finally realized that 'things have become dire,' but it's too late!
The moment this mansion caught my eye, this outcome was already decided! Ohohohoho!
...So, I appropriately tossed the noble brat around and received 3 medals. Since it's something he agreed to himself, even a high-ranking noble or a precious brat can't complain. ...Well, even if I hadn't gotten his consent, I intended to take the 3 medals anyway.
"D-damn it, what should I do... collecting 3 medals starting now..."
The noble brat seems to be in despair, but well, please accept this as your fate.
...However, I am a little kind to noble brats with a future and money.
"...Oh. If that's the case, I wouldn't mind returning the medals to you."
"Eh?"
"After the evening bell rings on the third day, come to the plaza."
I said that kindly and then left the noble's residence!
I tried visiting a few other noble houses like that, but by then, someone else who seemed to have had the same idea was targeting the noble houses, so it didn't result in that much profit...
But well, it's fine.
Once the third day comes, the people who have been unable to move with one or two medals will start gathering anyway, so I'll target them next!
Now then.
By noon on the third day, quite a few battles could be seen if one went to the plaza.
In short, the small fry with one or two medals have finally come out for their third medal.
...By that time, there were people doing some quite interesting things.
There were people playing by the rule of 'two against two, wagering only one star from each team,' but in short, those are mercenaries. It means teaming up with someone incredibly strong to have them fight together. Isn't that quite interesting?
...There were also things like 'wagering medals and things other than medals,' or 'appropriately pickpocketing medals,' or 'several people going to attack someone who has medals.' It has become quite chaotic...
Well, fine.
I stood in the center of the plaza and raised my voice loudly!
"Would anyone like to have a match wagering all the medals we both possess!?"
When I showed the inside of my mantle, there were 31 medals lined up. The plaza buzzed. Gazes gathered.
...And it didn't take long at all before someone appeared to challenge me!
And so, the evening bell of the third day rang. With this, the first round is closed. After this, all combat is prohibited until the time of the results announcement tomorrow...
Now then.
"I have 42!"
"I've got 27."
"I have 31. Yes. I beat Doran!"
...As for the results of the three of us, well, it's natural that I'm the winner... but Keeb beat Doran.
"Oh, Keeb. How did you do it?"
"It was simple. I targeted inns where small fry seemed to gather. There's no other place for people coming from outside the capital to hole up, right?"
Ah, I see. That's much easier than targeting nobles one by one... Well, I still won, though. Ohohoho!
"...By the way, what are we going to do with these medals?"
Now, a simple question was thrown by Doran.
Well, that's true. This many medals... there are 100 of them just here, and I feel like it would cause a huge uproar if we brought them to the venue as they are.
...But well, it would be a waste to just throw them away.
"Since we have them, shall we sell them?"
"Yes, yes, then we'll go with an auction. The first one starts from 5 gold coins!"
...So, a bidding war has started in the plaza.
The noble brats I crushed came with their followers and are desperately trying to bid for the medals.
Oh, by the way, I'm not doing this bidding myself. Leave it to the specialists (T/N: 'Mochi wa mochiya,' an idiom meaning that for any task, one should seek out a professional), so I entrusted the medals to Giovan and let him handle it. When I offered him half of the take as his share, he did it happily. Ohohoho.
By the way, among those watching from a distance are royal soldiers.
But the soldiers can't stop this bidding. Why? That's because 'it's not written in the rules'!
Once the evening bell of the third day rings, combat is prohibited thereafter.
But there's no rule saying you can't hold an auction for medals, and it's not written that you can't exchange medals by means other than combat.
Therefore, this bidding is within the rules! Yes, if you're going to play, you should follow the rules and have fun. Ohohoho!
"...Looks like it'll be a good income."
"It does, doesn't it..."
Right now, the first medal was sold for 11 gold coins. If we sell all the stock like this, it will be an income of 1000 gold coins, truly a sum in red gold coins...
"By the way, you two, have you already decided what to do with the money earned here?"
The reason I made half of it Giovan's share was because we don't particularly need money. Even if we don't earn small change in a place like this, we've already earned enough elsewhere. Surprisingly, we aren't troubled for money.
"I don't know. I wouldn't mind donating it as operating costs."
"Oh, really. I've decided to donate to a nearby orphanage and the Cathedral."
"I see. Then I'll follow suit."
...In the end, by the time the royal soldiers, who started making a fuss saying 'It's not in the rules but it's still no good!', dispersed the nobles, most of the medals had been auctioned off, and a considerable amount of money rolled into our hands.
And that money was... donated to the Cathedral, orphanages, and even the management headquarters of this Martial Arts Tournament.
Yes. Under the name of 'Violia Nico Fortesia.'
Since I'm at it, it's a slightly early present from me, who is scheduled to shine the most and become a hero in the Martial Arts Tournament!