The second day of the Fighting Festival.

  The sixteen participants who proceeded to the Main Rounds, including me, were lining up on the platform.

  Why were we were lining up, it’s for the sake of drawing lots for our placement in the tournament from now on.

  While the staff was restlessly moving around and the preparation was a bit delayed, we were waiting and checking our weapons.

  Although it was understood that the participants had their own weapons, they could use their favorite weapons in the Main Rounds of the Fighting Festival.

  Since the weak participants and the participants who relied on strong weapons were defeated in the Qualifying Rounds, it could be said that the participants lined up here were definitely strong people.

  Some people might have won because of luck, but there were no complaints because luck was also a part of one’s ability.

  Amongst them… Reus stood out.

  To be exact, it was the greatsword he carried.

  It was a gigantic mass of iron that was as tall as his body. Not only the audience, the focus of the participants that were lined up for the match had also gathered.

  “Is he… imitating the Strongest Sword?” (??)

  “Can he really swing that?” (??)

  “Even if he adores the Strongest Sword… he doesn’t have to imitate him to that extent.” (??)

  Although the audience was overwhelmed with astonished voices, Reus silently waited for the drawing to begin while warming up.

  While I was impressed with Reus, who was able to maintain himself without getting overwhelmed by the surroundings, Jekyll, who stood some distance away, came beside me with a smile.

  “Hey. How’s his condition?” (Jekyll)

  “Not bad. I don’t think he hears them, though.” (Sirius)

  “Of course. There are so many strong guys, so it’s not unusual to be excited.” (Jekyll)

  The big laugh he had while crossing his arms looked exactly like Lior-Jiisan. Well, in his case, I had a feeling that he was naturally imitating that Jii-san.

  By the way, Jekyll also carried a greatsword, but it was slightly smaller than Reus’ sword. But since I felt some mana from the greatsword, it seemed to have some kind of special ability.

  When I looked at Jekyll’s greatsword while thinking so, he, who noticed my eyes, wryly smiled and turned his face to Reus.

  “Nevertheless… this is my first time seeing someone who has a bigger sword than me, other than Lior.” (Jekyll)

  “Don’t be careless, because he can reliably swing it.” (Sirius)

  “You can understand that when you look at such a person. He must’ve been able to notice that, since he knows his own capability.” (Jekyll)

  When I looked at the other participants, half of them were as astonished as the audience, while the rest looked at Reus with serious expressions.

  “…It seems that half of them noticed it. Well then, if we meet in a fight, take care of me.” (Jekyll)

  “Aah. Me too.” (Sirius)

  Jekyll departed from me with a refreshing, and slightly excited, smile as he made a pass near Beowulf.

  On the other hand, Beowulf was still unfriendly, and he continued to look at Reus with intense eyes. As if he had completely locked onto him.

  And when the staff finished the preparations and lined up in front of us, a voice resounded throughout the whole arena.

  {Well then, I would like to perform the Fighting Festival Lottery.} (Announcer)

  Although it was uncommon during the Qualifying Rounds, the live coverage was being done here, as expected.

  The one who made the live coverage using [Echo] was a somewhat popular lady with not only a beautiful voice, but also appearance. She was like an announcer from my previous life, wasn’t she?

  While listening to the live coverage made by such a beautiful voice, the tournament lottery began.

  {First, participant Drum(1) from the first match of the Qualifying Rounds…} (Announcer)

  By the way, the drawing was determined by the number written on the paper that was pulled from a wooden box. It was a basic drawing method used everywhere, where the first number and second number pulled were matched.

  The ones who pulled the paper seemed to be in sequential order. I was in the last Qualifying Round, so my turn would surely come later.

  {Next, participant Ackley from the third Qualifying Round.} (Announcer)

  I didn’t know any of participants that were called up to this point, but it seemed those who won the Qualifying Rounds were quite middle-aged.

  But… even though they were strong, they didn’t catch my interest. At the moment, I was concerned about four participants, including Reus.

  The drawing went on until Jekyll’s turn.

  When Jekyll pulled the paper while humming a song, the number on the paper was 15.

  And the son of the Sword Saint, Beowulf, got number 2.

  The first match would start once the drawing was over, but I was more interested with Reus’ number than the first participant, which had been decided on.

  Reus, who wasn’t aware of intense gazes directed on him, was number 12.

  Since Beowulf couldn’t meet Reus unless they made it to the finals, he was vexatiously clicking his tongue.

  And the last one to worry about was Kon, who managed to get through Qualifying Round with me.

  He was wearing an iron mask as usual, and his number was 10. I compared him to the 9th participant, who had already been decided, and I felt that Kon was slightly stronger.

  I thought he could probably win the First Round. However, since the next round would be against Reus, I had nothing to say but my condolences.

  {And it was decided that the last participant, Sirius, would be the only number left, 7. Since the combinations have been decided, participants should leave the platform.} (Announcer)

  Following the live coverage, other than the First Round participants, Beowulf and the number 1 participant, I left the platform and headed towards the space where we could watch the match. Some of them were probably not interested because they were heading for the waiting room, or waiting to be called.

  Reus and I were, of course, sitting in the prepared space because we were going to watch, and Beowulf, who stood on the platform, turned towards us once and smiled.

  “…Was that the man from a while ago?” (Reus)

  “If you notice him, please somewhat react. It can’t be helped because he wants to fight you.” (Sirius)

  “Even so, is that it? But…” (Reus)

  {I would like to make a brief introduction for both participants here. First is the participant Ackley…} (Announcer)

  While Reus was grumbling, The live coverage about their profiles, which were written before the drawing, was announced.

  Although we were not forced to do it because it was a personal introduction, I was asked to write anything in order to make the audience excited.

  For the time being, I wrote it in mild way, but it seemed that the participant, Ackley, who was currently being read, had written his quite boldly. His weapon of choice and fighting history had been announced. I was slightly amazed that the information about the participants would be announced from now on.

  {Next is participant Beowulf… Everyone, this is amazing! He seems to be the son of the famous Sword Saint!} (Announcer)

  The audience was very excited when they heard about the Sword Saint.

  Even though he easily gave away his true identity, he was searching for strong people, so there seemed to be no problems, even if he sold his name.

  {It is a great pleasure to see what kind of battle the the son of the legendary Sword Saint, who was said to be undefeated until he lost to the Strongest Sword, will show us. Well then, let the First Round… Begin!} (Announcer)

  As the live coverage got excited and the announcement was stopped, the gong rang and Beowulf’s match started.

  —


  According to rumors, the Sword Saint’s battle style was with a single longsword.

  However, Beowulf’s weapons were two swords, which were slightly shorter than the common swords… it was the so-called dual-wielding style.

  “That guy is dual-wielding, huh? That’s rare.” (Reus)

  You would surely be strong if you had two weapons, but it was a different story if you could freely manipulate the weapons from the left and right. If you couldn’t do it, it would be better to fight with a shield in one hand.

  In other words, the dual-wielding style required a considerable amount of skill, so either he wanted to look good when using them, or he had the appropriate skill, and… he seemed to be the latter.

  “Haaaa!” (Beowulf)

  “Cheh!?” (Ackley)

  Beowulf, who jumped at the same time as the commencement, slashed with his right sword while thrusting his left sword.

  On the other hand, the weapon used by his opponent, Ackley, was a halberd. He handled the left hand with the ax part and handled the sword in the right hand with the handle part.

  Beowulf freely swung the left and right swords, and it appeared that participant Ackley was handling him well with a single halberd, but… in terms of skill, Beowulf was on the upper side.

  When the weapons collided with each other after about twenty times, Beowulf changed the movement of his swords, while letting out a sigh.

  “…I already understand. Let’s end this.” (Beowulf)

  When I thought that the speed of the sword had increased, the sword on the left shallowly slashed Ackley’s hand, while the halberd was shot up from the bottom by the sword on the right.

  As the gripping power weakened for a moment, because his hand was slashed and the weapon was shot up, Ackley’s halberd was hovering over the sky.

  Without missing the opportunity when the weapon was repelled, Beowulf thrust his sword against Ackley’s throat.

  “…Will you give up?” (Beowulf)

  “Aah… yes. I lost.” (Ackley)

  And when the halberd fell far behind Beowulf, the audience, who finally realized that the match was over, cheered and revealed their excitement.

  {Wha…what a speed! Participant Ackley, who handle the assault, was also amazing; but, as expected, the son of the Sword Saint was at a different level! I love strong people! Why don’t we go for a meal when this is over? Kyaa-!} (Announcer)

  As I was surprisingly listening to the live coverage, Jekyll, who was sitting nearby, turned his face towards us while thumbing up Beowulf.

  “Wasn’t that amazing?” (Jekyll)

  “…That was amazing, Aniki.” (Reus)

  “Yeah, it’s amazing.” (Sirius)

  The amazing thing was… the change in that live coverage.

  Her personality greatly changed when she got excited. Although she was also beautiful, this gap might be another reason for her popularity.

  …As far as making a separate joke, Beowulf surely had the ability to not be ashamed as the son of the Sword Saint. He was being flexible, since the opponent was weaker, but I thought that the ability of freely handling the dual-wielding swords was terrific.

  —


  When we applauded just like the audience, Beowulf, who had finished the match, came back to us.

  “How was it? Have you seen my ability?” (Beowulf)

  “Hmm? Yeah, it was a considerable ability. That is what you are supposed to be.” (Reus)

  “That was nothing more than a warm-up. Since I’ll be the one who will defeat you, do your best and come to the finals.” (Beowulf)

  “Aah… isn’t that impossible?” (Reus)

  “…What did you say?” (Beowulf)

  Beowulf tilted his head because of Reus’ words, but he nodded as if he had consented to the big tournament table made after the drawing was over.

  “I see. Is it difficult because Jekyll-san is there? But, such a weak-minded…” (Beowulf)

  “You got it wrong. I can get to the finals, but it’s definitely impossible for you.” (Reus)

  “Im-impossible?” (Beowulf)

  “You are going to fight Aniki, who is in front of me, right? That’s why it is impossible for you to go to the finals.” (Reus)

  “…” (Beowulf)

  Beowulf was somewhat displeased with what Reus clearly said, but he was fearlessly laughing after looking at my face.

  “What’s with that face? It’s really not a joke, you know? I am being serious here.” (Reus)

  “No, I realized that it didn’t matter whether you were joking or being serious. I will defeat this person, and tear down that convicted smile and natural belief of yours.” (Beowulf)

  Beowulf, who came up with such a conclusion, sat in a place far away from us and started maintaining his weapons.

  Hmmm… from the figure of not ignoring the weapon maintenance even after a match, he didn’t seem to be completely careless. It seemed that he was a considerably tough opponent.

  And then Jekyll was laughing while tapping Reus’ shoulder, probably because he understood what Reus meant.

  “Hahaha! So you’re going to the finals by defeating me? I will have you try by all means.” (Jekyll)

  “That’s for sure, isn’t it? Aniki and I plan to win the first and second place. I won’t fail at defeating Jekyll.” (Reus)

  “That’s the spirit! I am looking forward to do battle with you!” (Jekyll)

  Jekyll, who left us as he laughed, sat next to Beowulf and hung around him.

  Although he was passionate in some parts, the level of abnormality compared to Lior was smaller, and I thought that he was a friendly opponent.

  —


  After the second and third matches of the First Round finished, my turn came.

  Other than Beowulf and the others who finished their drawings, the flow of the match was that the participants for next round went straight to the waiting room, waited for their examination from the person in-charge, and then headed to the platform.

  The examination was conducted to check for weapons and armors that weren’t suitable for the Fighting Festival, such as poison and other things, but I was always equipped with a sword and Mithril Knife, and my armor was a long coat on top of my battle dress.

  Since I removed the hidden tools and throwing knives that I usually equipped, I passed the examination without any problems. Rather, I was worried whether my armor was fine or not.

  And while heading from the waiting room to the platform… the cheering sounds from the audience engulfed me.

  As I heard the cheers from Emilia’s group, I waved my hands, but I received jealous and envious gazes from some parts of the audience. Fia was hiding under a hood, but it might’ve been pointless, since Emilia and Reese were cute and stood out.

  However, even though I stood on the platform, my opponent hadn’t come yet, due to my examination being completed earlier.

  {I will introduce participant Sirius, since he got here earlier. According to the information given, participant Sirius, is a traveler. It was by chance that he came to Garaff at the time of the Fighting Festival. However, to be able to proceed to the Main Round at such a young age… Well, I have expectations for this newcomer.} (Announcer)

  By the way, since the first day of the tournament was up to the Quarter Finals, whether the introduction was undeserving at the moment, my introduction had been started.

  {In the Qualifying Rounds, he used Taijutsu, something that we haven’t seen before, and was able to proceed. And it was said that he participated in the Fighting Festival for his friends and lovers. It is all good. I do not dislike this kind of thing. The favorite weapons that he wrote were… it says that it will change depending on the situation… what is the meaning of that?} (Announcer)

  When the audience and participants were tilting their heads due the vague live coverage, a man, who was my opponent, came from the opposite way.

  {I am concerned about his unusually light armor, but… anyway, I will finish introducing participant Sirius. The next one who appeared on the platform is participant Godjin(2). He is a spear expert with an unparalleled thrust.} (Announcer)

  He was a younger middle-aged man that held a spear in his hand that was the same height as himself, and had the attitude of someone whom had escaped from a great number of unregistered scenes of carnage.

  The live coverage of the introduction continued even when he stood across from me. It seemed he had the capability to thrust the center of three lines almost simultaneously.

  To not conceal his technique was probably evidence that he was confident. He wasn’t a person who immersed with his superiority when being announced. His character was a warrior’s character who broke things that needed to be broken.

  “…So young. I heard it on the way here, but what do you mean by ‘the weapons change according to the situation’?” (Godjin)

  “It is as it is. Since my battle style is adapting to the situation.” (Sirius)

  “I don’t think that the sword is just for decoration, but… oh well, do you know how to fight?” (Sirius)

  “Yeah.” (Sirius)

  {Thank you for waiting. Well then, the fourth match between participant Sirius and participant Godjin… Begin!} (Announcer)

  I was defending during the Qualifying Round, so this time I decided to attack from here on, but Godjin attacked faster than me.

  At the same time as the gong reverberated, he instantaneously closed the distance and thrust his spear towards me.

  The sharpness of the spear that was informed about during the live coverage accurately tried to penetrate my chest, but…


  “…Hup!” (Sirius)

  I slightly twisted my body in big way to avoid it.

  I stretched my hand out to grab the spear at the same time, but the spear was instantly pulled back and returned to the Godjin’s hand.

  {Participant Sirius avoided a trust of that speed! However, participant Godjin’s attack hasn’t ended!} (Announcer)

  From that point on, a continuous thrust was released, but with the margin I held in my mind, I continued to avoid them so that it appeared to be at the last minute from an outsider’s point of view.

  I didn’t want to win in a grand way. It would be a desirable result of winning by luck, but… it was a bit of a difficult situation from Godjin’s skill.

  “…So you can do it. But, is it fine to avoid them? I’m going to increase the speed!” (Godjin)

  “Feel free to do so!” (Sirius)

  As the speed of the spear rose as he had declared, it wasn’t possible to escape by using my body alone, so I took out my sword and handle it.

  {Participant Sirius seems to be best at being defensive and evades participant Godjin’s fierce attacks! He is gradually being pushed to the edge of the platform!} (Announcer)

  While handling the spear with the movement of my body and the sword, I gradually retreated.

  From an outsider’s point of view, they would see nothing but me being pushed back, but Godjin and those with appropriate eyes and ability should have noticed the truth.

  It was Godjin who started to be impatient.

  “Guh… why!?” (Godjin)

  “The unparalleled accuracy is a problem too.” (Sirius)

  It was because the spear, which had been thrust with blurring momentum, couldn’t even put a scratch on my coat.

  It was certainly true that Godjin’s spear was sharp, but because the blurry part, which was targeting with unparalleled accuracy, was non-existent, and it was easy to avoid it, once I understood it.

  Since I was anticipating the spear’s movement from his eye movements and wrist movements, it could be said that I avoided it with confidence.

  To put it badly, his experience in fighting opponents that specialized in avoidance, like me, was overwhelmingly insufficient.

  He abandoned the spear’s movement a lot, but as I retreated to the edge of the platform, while trying to grab the spear many times, I moved because I saw a slightly big thrust being released.

  “If that’s the case… Wha!?” (Godjin)

  While avoiding and twisting my body, I pulled the spear that I grabbed this time and increased the speed.

  More power than he imagined joined with the spear, so Godjin couldn’t killed the momentum and took a step forward, but… that momentary gap was enough.

  I gave a roundhouse kick in midair at Godjin’s back, since I had already twisted my body from the momentum.

  {Participant Sirius, who was trying to grab the spear, seems to have broken participant Godjin’s balance at last. And he launches his kick from midair!} (Announcer)

  The roundhouse kick in midair was meant to throw him off the platform, but it was avoided.

  Godjin brought his body down to the edge of the platform and avoided the kick.

  {However, it was avoided! As expected of participant Godjin…!?} (Announcer)

  Unfortunately, there was one more leg. I kicked with the other foot while twisting my body further in the air.

  “Gohuu!?” (Godjin)

  By kicking his back, Godjin was blown off the platform and he was rolling on the ground below. I might have kicked him a little too hard.

  By the way, I was able to land on the floor of the platform with both feet, but I purposely threw my body to make the fall look bad. The audience probably thought that I was reckless and fortunate to be able to push him out of bounds.

  {P-participant Godjin is outside of the ring! The winner is participant Sirius!} (Announcer)

  The cheers sounded together with the announcement of the victory.

  For the time being, it had ended with a feeling of not to make too much of a fool of myself and a moderate display of my strength… but I wondered if the result was good?

  They were not sure whether I was strong or not, and I seemed to look weak until I reach Semi-finals. Beowulf, who would be my opponent during Semi-finals, didn’t seem to be a good opponent.

  —


  When the match ended and I returned to the seats for the participants, Reus was proudly smiling.

  “That’s awesome, Aniki! That was a superb show of strength!” (Reus)

  “Hmmm… if it looks like that according to Reus’ eyes, I guess it is alright.” (Sirius)

  Since I didn’t show that I was stronger than the player who won the quarter-finals before my match, we can expect the next wager as well.

  While I had a bit of a sneaky smile with Reus, Jekyll and Beowulf came before us.

  “Congratulations. You are as strong as I expected… you could actually do it, huh?” (Jekyll)

  “I leave that to your imagination.” (Sirius)

  “Well, I used to do something similar in the past, so I won’t complain if you only become serious when you meet me later.” (Jekyll)

  “Wait a second! Jekyll will not fight against Aniki!” (Reus)

  “That’s right, hahaha!” (Jekyll)

  After all, Jekyll continued being an adventurer, so he noticed what I was trying to do and he was tolerant.

  However, some people couldn’t be satisfied.

  “…Are you trying to make this a joke?” (Beowulf)

  It was Beowulf.

  He didn’t seem to shout because of his righteousness, but he was staring at me with a somewhat unconvinced look.

  “Oioi, aren’t you an adventurer? I do not think that this is a mistake. Besides, this is still a dangerous method, so don’t you want to see what they have in their pockets?” (Sirius)

  “That is true, but you should properly display the difference in regards of defeating your opponent. I do not like your behavior that deliberately showed that you won because of luck!” (Beowulf)

  Jekyll was trying to calm him down while tapping his shoulder, but Beowulf’s irritation didn’t seem to settle.

  In other words, the thing Beowulf wanted to say was that?

  “I didn’t fall after kicking him, so there are no complaints since I properly landed, right?” (Sirius)

  “I can’t understand you, but I have no plans to meddle with it. If you win with such a clumsy appearance, won’t the defeated opponent feel unhappy?” (Beowulf)

  To summarize the talk, even if there was a difference in ability, was it possible to beat him down with courtesy? Or, what if you fight will all your strength from the beginning?

  I could settle this with the youth’s words, but he was somehow fixated.

  I didn’t know whether it was his personality or something that happened in the past, but if he asked me to be honest, it was troubling when he was forcing his logic.

  I just live by my own rules. This was also the will of my Kaa-sans.

  “I absolutely won’t be defeated until I meet you in the Fighting Festival. I will peel off your disguise in the Semi-finals tomorrow.” (Beowulf)

  Even if such an opponent poorly reworded that, it was counterproductive, so when I was considering a convincing response, I stopped talking to the other side.

  It had become troublesome, so there might be times to practically fight and calmed down.

  While seeing Beowulf grumpily return to his seat, I focused on watching the match.

  —


  The next match was the turn of participant Kon, whom I was a bit concerned with.

  The other person was a man with an ax, but he seemed to be weaker than Godjin, whom I fought.

  In regards to Kon’s weapon, it was a Bastard Sword, which can be handled by using a single hand or both hands.

  {Although participant Kon wears an iron mask, there seems to be little information. He is not just hiding his face, there is also not much information about him. According to the information that was written, he is a human adventurer traveling around in order to become stronger.” (Announcer)

  It was certainly said that he wanted to fight a strong opponent in a conversation yesterday. He wasn’t as strong as Reus or Beowulf, but he had the desire to become stronger.

  After the introduction of each other was over, the match began, and… it was a fierce battle, where weapons were hitting each other.

  Kon was diverting the attacks by making use the weight of the ax with his sword. If there was any difference, he could use his favorite weapon, unlike in the Qualifying Round, so he actively hit his sword against his opponent’s and diverted his attacks.

  Anyway, he was good at reading the movements of his opponent. There was nothing else to say for his arm that performed battle like a tightrope walk other than being splendid.

  However, since he hesitated when he got caught off-guard, that was probably because of his lack of experience. This was a fight that he had no choice but to do it himself.

  “His technique is amazing. It was at the last minute.” (Reus)

  “There is a lot to follow. Study him well.” (Sirius)

  “Got it, Aniki. But I guess I will fight him later on. I’ll penetrate his defense and take off his iron mask!” (Reus)

  “Hey, stop it.” (Sirius)

  I firmly warned him about taking off his iron mask. Although it bothered me, I thought he wasn’t a bad man.

  Then, once I promised him with confections, a voice came from the staff of the Fighting Festival.

  “Participant Reus, please wait in the waiting room!” (Staff)

  “Ah, alright! Well then, I’m going, Aniki!” (Reus)

  “Aah, go ahead.” (Sirius)

  Originally, Reus was supposed to go to the waiting room when the previous match started, so he ran off in a hurry and dashed towards the waiting room.

  {The winner of the fifth match is… participant Kon!} (Announcer)

  After the match was over, Kon was heading towards the waiting room, but for some reason, he stopped midway and came to my direction.

  Kon came towards me while attracting the attention of the other participants from his appearance. Maybe because he was thinking of something, he came and sat beside me.

  Should I say something since he was sitting next to me?

  “Congratulations. It was a splendid technique.” (Sirius)

  “Thank you very much. But I will lose to you.” (Kon)

  “By the way, you were in the waiting room until your match, so why are you here now?” (Sirius)

  “I was thinking of watching participant Reus.” (Kon)

  Reus was certainly going to win this, and he would be his next opponent.

  It was natural to collect information of the other person, and there was nothing wrong with his behavior. The only weird thing was the iron mask.

  —


  While Kon was talking about him to me, Reus had appeared on the platform, unexpectedly.

  The cheers were noticeably louder, maybe because he stood out during the Qualifying Round; but Reus quietly stood on the platform, waiting for the match to start.

  And Reus’ opponent was a strong man equipped with a big shield called a Tower Shield and a halberd.

  According to the introduction of the live coverage, he was a man who stood out as a vanguard of his party, protecting his companions. Although he was originally wearing full-body armor, the armor was altered to protect the vital points in accordance to the inspection.

  {And as you can see, participant Reus is carrying a splendid greatsword. It reminds me of the Strongest Sword, but that’s natural. It seems that participant Reus had received some basic training from the Strongest Sword himself!} (Announcer)

  As soon as the name of the Strongest Sword was mentioned, the cheers had raised to another level. Although it was just the name of that abnormal Jii-san… the effect was tremendous.

  {However, it is written that he is the disciple of his Aniki until the end. I’m not sure who this Aniki is, but it’s fine to find out whoever he is later… Well, that was the only thing written. How brilliant! This seems to be unexpected. Well then, let the match… Begin!} (Announcer)

  The match started while being surprised by the boisterous live coverage, and Reus jumped out at the same time as the gong sounded.

  Since Reus, who lifted up his greatsword, approached at a speed that crushed the floor from the first step, his opponent prioritized on his defense and set up his shield, but…


  “Come!” (Reus)

  Rather than swinging the greatsword down onto his shield with [Strong Heaven] which was the basics of [Single Strike Ultimate Destruction Sword Style], he was generating tremendous shock waves and blew his opponent outside of the battlefield.

  It was noteworthy that Reus stopped his greatsword in the middle. The opponent would’ve been cut into two if he completely swung his sword, and it might’ve cut the platform too.

  Reus, who confirmed that the other party flew off of the platform, let out a small breath while carrying the greatsword on his back, and he game me a thumbs-up.

  {Th-the winner is… participant Reus. Did you see that, everyone? It was a single blow! He defeated his opponent even from above that shield with only a single blow! He is not a fake, but a real one! He is surely the second advent of the Strongest Sword. Go on a date with me!} (Announcer)

  The audience became too excited. While the tension of the live coverage was starting to become weird, Reus came back to me after waving to Emilia and the others.

  Before that, Kon had returned to the waiting room, but he didn’t seem to give up, despite seeing Reus’ power. I thought that was a considerable courage.

  “Good job, Reus. It was a good blow.” (Sirius)

  “Thanks, Aniki. I will go strong with this condition!” (Reus)

  The sight of the participants who were sitting nearby were gathering around Reus. Especially Beowulf and Jekyll, they were looking at Reus with a serious look.

  Although it was as a matter of course with Beowulf, Jekyll had a cold sweat. He understood that this was not a laughing matter.

  “If it’s about strength, I’m probably on the upper side. I can’t lose to that…” (Jekyll)

  And then, it turned to Jekyll’s match after one more match, and… he purposely won with a tactic similar to Reus’.

  He wasn’t imitating Reus. He was showing that he could do the same thing. The audience was actually getting excited with that conduct, and they were anticipating the fight with Reus, whom he would met in the Semi-finals.

  From the point that he excelled in many things, Jekyll also seemed to have a talent as an entertainer. He seemed to make full use of the wide knowledge that’s peculiar for an adventurer.

  —


  After that, all of the matches for the sixteen participants were over, and there was a small break set up before the Second Rounds.

  Reus and I went to the seating area where the ladies were during that time.

  Emilia and Hokuto immediately noticed us as soon as I showed my face. They came in front of me while waving their tails together.

  “Sirius-sama! Good work.” (Emilia)

  “Aah, are there any changes here?” (Sirius)

  “We were having fun with the matches. Besides, even if there was something, Hokuto would protect us, right?” (Emilia)

  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  From everyone’s expressions, it seemed they were able to see the match without getting into accidents.

  While stroking Emilia’s and Hokuto’s heads, I noticed that Reese was gripping a pouch with a slightly tense look. When I looked more closely, Emilia and Fia also had similar pouches, and, for some reason, Hokuto was also wearing a stringed pouch around his neck.

  “Could that be?” (Sirius)

  “Y-yes. It is the money that I wagered on Sirius-san.” (Reese)

  “Hehe, we made a lot of money.” (Fia)

  The gambling structure of the Fighting Festival was by making bets for every round.

  Because of that, the main reason for this break was not for the relaxation of the participants, but for the betting being made on the Second Round.

  Since I was managing the finances of the party, I gave my disciples a silver coin each month. Reese was probably different, but since the siblings were my attendants, it was like a salary.

  I thought that it was too little to be a salary for an attendant, but it was a luxury to be able to spend the whole silver coin, since I was paying for all of the expenses related to the party, like weapons, armors, and anything that’s living expenses-related; such as meals and lodging.

  Besides, because of the trip, my disciples didn’t want to buy anything that they didn’t need much of. At best, they would use their money to buy confections in towns.

  It appeared that all of the surplus money was used to bet, and my disciples earned a lot of money in just a few hours.

  The rough breakdown in the order from least was Reese, Fia and Emilia.

  By the way, the reason why Reese had the least was because of how much she consumed… in other words, it was the difference in buying and eating confections.

  Still, there seemed to be nearly ten gold coins. Reese was nervous with that huge amount of money she had for the first time, and held the pouch out to give it to me.

  “I will give it to Sirius-san, since I don’t need this!” (Reese)

  “Sirius-sama, my portion as well, here you go.” (Emilia)

  “Wait a second, isn’t that your money?” (Sirius)

  Although I said that the savings became strict yesterday, there was plenty of room to spare.

  To begin with, I told them that it was unacceptable for me to accept it because it was their money, but Emilia and Reese shook their heads.

  “It’s good enough because I’m happy if I can stay by Sirius-sama’s side. Besides… everything that’s mine is yours.” (Emilia)

  “I’m afraid of having a lot of money, but since Sirius-san told us to ask for the things we want, I to have enough money to spend, at the very least.” (Reese)

  “I am the same as the Nee-chans, Aniki! Nee-chan, did you also wager my portion?” (Reus)

  “Of course. You also have your part.” (Emilia)

  “Well then, I’ll also give you my portion. I don’t think that it can be measured with money, but this is my proof of trust.” (Fia)

  Did Emilia have a lot because Reus’ portion was included?

  And Fia had also probably consented with what my disciples had said, so she took only a couple of gold coins and put the rest in my hands.

  …They really were friends who weren’t selfish.

  —


  For the time being, half of it was put into the party’s cost of living, and I decided to hold the rest, rather than accepting it. I needed to buy a memo book before I go back to the inn, and make the passbook for my companions.

  Later, I told them to keep several gold coins, just in case we suddenly get separated.

  Since we earned more than expected at one time, I stopped them from any further gambling. If it was with a small amount, it would be fine. But if we earned more than that, we would be involved with troubles.

  Finally…


  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  “…You too? I don’t remember giving you any pocket money…” (Sirius)

  “It seemed that he picked up a coin and wagered it.” (Emilia)

  To explain it further, it appeared that things were smoothly completed, since the receptionist at the betting center was a wolfkin.

  While waving his tail as soon as I praised him, I got a bag with several silver coins in my hand.

  What is this… it feels like a filial piety by my own children. I was a bit moved.

  “Thank you. I will brush you plenty when we return to the inn.” (Sirius)

  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  “Me too, Sirius-sama!” (Emilia)

  “Uhmm… Me too…” (Reese)

  “Oh, you are doing that kind of thing, huh? Well, would you mind to comb my hair please?” (Fia)

  “Me too, me too!” (Reus)

  “When we get back…” (Sirius)

  …Apparently, I was going to sleep late today.

  —


  After the break, the Second Round began, but… we didn’t have any problems in particular.

  Beowulf safely won and advanced to the next round, and my opponent was a person with a greatsword.

  However, since I kept fighting Lior-Jiisan, I was used to the greatsword-style of the opponent.

  I avoided the greatsword that was swung down, knocked the weapon down by aiming at the opponent’s arm, and finished it by punching his chin. Since there was no longer any need to concern about the betting, I fought and seriously went out up to a certain extent.

  Meanwhile… something surprising happened in the match between Reus and Kon.

  Reus slashed as the match started, just like he did with the shielded man, but… Kon endured that blow.

  To be exact, he tapped the side of the greatsword with his full power with perfect timing, and matched Reus’ breathing.

  But… Kon’s sword was blown off the battlefield and he, himself, got his arm injured. So, he acknowledged his defeat, since he could no longer fight.

  Reus was initially surprised, but he shook hands with a smile at once while praising Kon.

  Kon got off the platform and collected a miraculously unbroken sword, but I decided to see the condition of his injury at the request of Reus midway.

  “Apparently, the muscles were only injured. There will be no problems, as long as you rest for the rest of today.” (Sirius)

  “Thank you very much. Nevertheless, Reus-kun was really strong.” (Kon)

  “You even endured that blow. I think you can feel proud of yourself.” (Sirius)

  “Is that so? I lost, but I gain a bit of money and it was a good experience. It was good to participate.” (Kon)

  I used my regeneration ability to the extent that Kon would not notice it, and then I saw him off after he said thanks.

  —


  And then, the last match planned for today was over, and it ended with a live coverage.

  {Nevertheless, the Fighting Festival this time is really intense! You can expect the impression like when the Strongest Sword-sama appeared ten years ago. Finally, I would like to announce the combination of the Semi-finals tomorrow.} (Announcer)

  Since this was a tournament, the opponent had already been decided, but it was announced again in the live coverage.

  {For tomorrow’s Semifinals, the first match is between participant Beowulf and participant Sirius. Participant Sirius had shown brilliant evasion abilities, but how far can he fight against Beowulf’s Dual-Wielding Style… it’s going to be a sight to see!} (Announcer)

  Thereupon, as the applause sprung up from the audience, I offered my hand for a handshake, but somehow, Beowulf only looked at me with cold eyes.

  {And the second match will be between participant Jekyll and participant Reus. What will happen when both parties, who’re involved with the Strongest Sword, collide? You can anticipate an incredibly powerful match!} (Announcer)

  At the same time, Reus and Jekyll were staring at each other while smiling, and they were raising the tension as if they were going to start fighting at any time.

  {Well then, everyone, look forward for tomorrow.} (Announcer)

  Today’s matches had surely ended and we could take a break, but tomorrow would be a real Main Round for me and Reus.

  While looking towards the match with Beowulf tomorrow, I was quietly fired up.

  —


  Presenting Hokuto

  Today, Hokuto-kun came to the betting center in the arena.

  It was a dangerous place for Reese-chan and Fia-san, so only Emilia and the escort, Hokuto-kun, could go there.

  “Three copper coins on Godjin.” (??)

  “A gold coin for Beowulf!” (??)

  “Five iron coins for Jekyll.” (??)

  On the board, which was largely decorated in the betting center, betting rates were written. Apparently, the rate seemed to change depending on the total amount that was being betted.

  On top of being unknown, there were a few wagers on his Master and Reus-kun, so they had a bigger scale factor.

  Meanwhile, Emilia, who also held Reese-chan and Fia-san’s portions, said, while putting all money on the counter.

  “I bet everything on Sirius-sama.” (Emilia)

  “…Alright.” (Staff)

  Whether the staff member and the surroundings were used to such customers, they were all looking at Emilia with ridiculous looks.

  There were those among them who said that a bankrupt person would appear again, but Emilia-chan remained indifferent. She proudly received the ticket.

  Hokuto-kun was sitting in a certain place so that he doesn’t become a hindrance as much as possible. He, then, suddenly felt something unusual on his feet and when he lifted it up… a copper coin fell.

  Things that were picked up needed to be sent to the police, but… there was no police in this world, so Hokuto-kun decided to store it.

  He instinctively waved his tail when he thought that his Master would be pleased if he gave it to him. Then, an idea flashed when he looked at his current location.

  He immediately got in a line at another counter that’s different from Emilia-chan.

  It was an unusual sight for a Beast Companion to get in a line, but no one could meddle with him because of Hokuto-kun’s impressiveness. Rather, Hokuto-kun was following the rules, so it was better to be careful. If they got involved, they would immediately get a paw punch.

  Finally, Hokuto-kun’s turn arrived, but at that time, he was worried about how to say that he wanted to make a wager on his Master.

  When he was considering whether body languages were good or not, he noticed that the staff stood upright and became immovable.

  “Hun-…Hundred Wolves-sama!? Today, what kind of…” (Staff)

  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  “Ye-yes! A copper coin on participant Sirius, right!? But, he is still young… no, I’m sorry!” (Staff)

  Thus, Hokuto-kun was able to bet on his Master.

  After that, he returned to the audience seating with Emilia-chan and saw his Master’s match.

  As expected, his Master won the First Round and it was time to liquidate.

  “…It is heavy, isn’t it?” (Emilia)

  “Woof!” (Hokuto)

  Hokuto-kun had a pouch of silver coins around his neck. He left the betting center with Emilia-chan, who held a lot of gold coins.

  However…dangerous people would appear when you held a lot of money.

  Sure enough, he felt the signs of someone tracking them from behind.

  They were in an ordinary passage, and since brawls happened here and there in this area, Hokuto-kun decided to deal with the pursuers.

  In particular, he concealed his presence, ambushed them at the corners, and they became victims of a paw punch and tail attack.

  And when Emilia-chan turned the four corners, all of the pursuers were gone.

  From here on, there seemed to be a rumor that a mystery phenomena of people, who went to the betting center in the arena, had sunk into the ground and onto the walls, but it didn’t matter to Hokuto-kun at all.

  And then, Hokuto-kun handed the money over to his beloved Master, and he was delighted.