As I absentmindedly watched the four continue their training, Chris and Wendy came to call us for lunch after finishing their preparations.
In the end, Shiro didn’t show any signs of struggle the entire time, continuing to dodge skillfully while the other three, who were constantly on the offensive, were left breathless.
When I called them over for lunch, likely due to exhaustion and hunger, they all quietly agreed to take a break.
Now, before us was a mountain of side dishes. Seriously, how many dishes did they make?
Naturally, Shiro’s eyes sparkled, and she was quickly given a plate piled high with food.
「By the way, what’s the plan for tomorrow?」
「Tomorrow’s the preliminaries for the solo division, so we’re off. We figured we should at least rest up the day before」
Sorte, not wanting to be outdone, piled her own plate with food, but when she saw Shiro already reaching for a second helping, she quietly set down her chopsticks and gave up competing.
A wise choice, honestly.
「The preliminaries, huh… I’d like to watch if I can」
「Oh, don’t worry. We’ve reserved seats for every day. Though, they’re in the noble guest section」
「Is that okay? I’m not even a commoner, let alone nobility. I’m a drifter, remember?」
「You’re my friend, so it’s no problem. Plus, the seats are spacious enough for everyone」
As expected of a noble.
They really do get special treatment at events like this.
Chris doesn’t really do combat, so I’ll just go along with the spectator group.
「By the way, who from your group is participating, Hayato?」
「Just me and Mii. Letty’s a mage, and Emily is… well, a bit special」
「Oh, so Mii’s entering too」
「Yes nano desu! Mii will do her best as far as she can go no desu!」
「Despite how she looks, Mii actually placed third last time. She’s already guaranteed a spot in the main tournament」
Mii struck a proud pose with her hands on her hips.
Placing third, huh? That’s seriously impressive.
Which means Hayato took the championship, probably?
「That’s pretty amazing. Wait, are there really that many entrants that they need preliminaries?」
「Yes, lately a lot of people have been scouted into the knights through this tournament, so more people with knight aspirations have been joining」
「Knights, huh? Are they treated that well?」
「Very. If you’re officially recruited into the Royal Knights, you get to live in a dorm with free meals, plus family stipends and tax exemptions. Even if you’re injured and can’t fight, there’s compensation. It’s one of the top-ranked dream jobs among citizens」
That’s some serious job security…
Like public servants back in Japan.
「Huh. I figured being an adventurer would be more popular since it’s more free」
「It’s the same as in our original world. Government jobs are all about stability」
「Makes sense. Having that kind of safety net really is amazing…」
People gripe about the low pay, but stable employment is a huge plus.
And fixed hours… maybe they still have overtime, but surely no death marches, right…?
Man, I’m seriously jealous.
「So then, there must be quite a few participants in the preliminaries, right? How does that work exactly?」
「It’s a ten-person battle royale on stage. Simple rules, just be the last one standing」
「Whoa, that’s pretty intense… But doesn’t that mean some people could make it to the main tournament just by sheer luck?」
「Well, sure. But those who get through on luck usually lose in the first round anyway」
「Makes sense…」
「Also, there’s a state-run gambling system around the tournament. People place bets on which participants will make it through the prelims and win in the main tournament. It gets pretty exciting. The longer your chosen fighter survives and wins, the higher the payout multiplier. Some people even focus only on the prelims for betting」
Oh ho…
Gambling, huh…
They say easy money slips through your fingers, but this actually sounds kind of fun.
Back in my old world, I’d only tried pachinko or slots when friends dragged me along, but this state-run gambling in this world might be worth checking out.
「Wait, hang on. Wouldn’t it be a huge loss if someone strong is already known and people bet on them from the prelims?」
「Ah, known names and veterans can’t be bet on until the main tournament. And since it’s a battle royale, it’s not guaranteed the strong ones will always win」
「That… kinda makes me think the battle royale format itself is flawed」
「Well, the prelims need to be exciting too, and this setup lets them handle large numbers of participants quickly. It’s more visually impressive for the spectators as well」
「I suppose that makes sense. Still, if they’re planning to scout for knights, wouldn’t one-on-one duels be a better gauge of skill?」
「For those seriously aiming to become knights, there’s always the official process for that. They’ll get their personal skills evaluated properly there」
Yeah, that tracks.
There’s no way participating in a tournament is the only way to become a knight.
「By the way, my liege. Our 3-on-3 division doesn’t have preliminaries, it’s main tournament only」
「Oh, really?」
「Fewer teams enter that one. That’s why it goes straight to the main tournament」
「Huh. Then maybe we can all go watch together tomorrow?」
「Yessu! I want to see what kind of strong people will be theressu!」
「But it’s just the preliminaries, you know?」
「Mii entered from the prelims and made it to third place in the main tournament no desu! So there are strong people in the prelims too nano desu!」
「Indeed. There are those who climb up from the prelims, and sometimes new adventurers enter as well. It’s quite worth watching」
Yeah, I guess it’s true that some strong folks can show up out of nowhere.
And if we want to enjoy the main tournament more, we might as well go watch tomorrow. Not like we have anything else planned.
I’m sure there are others like Mii who traveled with Hayato and grew stronger over time.
But that was last year…
This year, Mii’s starting directly from the main tournament, huh…
「Haa… If I had joined last year, I could’ve bet all my money on Mii and lived a slow life by now…」
「I-I’m so sorry nano desu!」
「No, it’s not your fault, Mii. It was just a matter of timing.」
「Ahaha… There is actually a limit to how much you can bet, though. Also, this year, I’m planning to redeem myself for last year’s loss, so feel free to bet on me too.」
「You sound confident. Wait, redeem yourself…? Hayato, you didn’t win last year!?」
「No, last year I lost to the captain of the Kingdom’s First Knight Order…」
「That’s not true no desu! It’s because he didn’t use the Holy Sword last year nano desu!」
「No, it wouldn’t mean anything unless I win with pure swordsmanship.」
He’s really serious about this.
But I guess that makes sense. With that Holy Sword, some people might claim the win wasn’t fair.
「By the way, are there any restrictions on equipment in the rules?」
「Basically, the matches are fought with competition-approved weapons. As for accessories, you’re allowed one that boosts your abilities.」
「Then doesn’t that mean you can’t use the Holy Sword?」
「Technically it’s considered a skill, so it’s allowed. But if I use it, I might end up cutting through the barrier around the spectator seats…」
Ah…
Now that I think about it, he showed me that thing when we first met. With that kind of power…
「So I’m not planning to use it this time either. I want to win using only pure sword skills!」
「I see. I’ll be cheering you on, so do your best!」
「Yes! I’ll do my best!」
「Hey! What about cheering for us!?」
「Of course I’ll cheer for you too. If I remember right, the team battles and individual matches are on different days, right?」
「That’s right. The individual match prelims are on the first day, the team battles on the second, and the individual finals on the third.」
「Then I’ll be there for all three days. I’ll make sure to watch your matches too, so do your best!」
「Yes, of course. As someone who serves my liege, I will fight with pride.」
「We’re going for total victoryssu!」
「Obviously! So make sure you watch us!」
They all seem fired up, but honestly, I’ll be happy as long as they come back safe.
That said, the three from Red Line seem more than ready.
You can tell just from the way they’re eating… or maybe they’re eating too much?
Aren’t they still planning to train today? Can they even move after eating that much?
「Shiro, you’re joining us later, right? I’m definitely going to land a hit on you today!」
「Hmm, I don’t mind. You won’t hit me, though.」
「You take that backssu! I’ll definitely score a pointssu!」
「We’re not going to keep losing either.」
「Mii’s joining too no desu! I’m going to challenge Shiro to a duel later no desu!」
「Hmm, once the other three drop.」
「Yes nano desu! Then I’ll wait until they drop no desu!」
「We’re not going to drop! We’re definitely going to beat you! Absolutely!」
「Hmm, good luck.」
「That sounds so detachedssu! That’s frustratingssu!」
「Yeah, but she really is that strong… We’ll just have to work harder and aim for that level ourselves.」
…Yeah, they’re all full of motivation.
As for me, what should I do this afternoon…?
I could have some tea while watching their training, but I’d feel bad if I got in the way.
For now, maybe I’ll make some snacks to eat while watching tomorrow’s matches.
This time, I’ll make sure to invite Wendy to help.
I wouldn’t want to make her sad again.
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