After a complete turnaround from my mood before the summons, I spent a lazy afternoon in the Clan Master's room polishing my Treasure Weapon in high spirits.
The reason for my good mood was the platinum ticket I'd received as a reward from His Majesty.
The platinum ticket was a silvery metallic card. A crossed sword and staff were engraved on its surface. As expected of the renowned Martial Emperor's Festival—even the entrance ticket alone was extraordinary.
And according to Franz, this particular ticket was even more special. As expected of the emperor of a great nation—it probably came with VIP treatment.
There was no seat number or anything written on it, but apparently if I showed it at the reception, they'd guide me to where I needed to go.
I always end up inconveniencing everyone without being able to repay them for anything. So whenever a chance like this comes along where I might actually be able to return the favor, it makes me happy.
Well, the reward from this job technically wasn't something I should have received in the first place, but if His Majesty insists on giving it, it'd be rude to refuse.
As I hummed a tune, Eva—who had a keen eye for changes in my mood—asked me what she'd been wanting to know.
"You seem to be in a remarkably good mood…"
"Ta-da, Eva. Do you know what this is? I got it as payment for the escort job."
I pulled out the silvery card with a flourish. Eva's eyes went wide.
"!? Could that be a ticket to the Martial Emperor's Festival!? Oh my…"
Eva looked back and forth between me and the ticket. As expected of the well-informed Eva—she'd apparently figured out the situation without me saying a word.
"…Kurai, don't you dislike things like that?"
"Not at all. I've been wanting to check it out at least once. And this ticket—this might be hard to believe, but—it's apparently a special pass that lets in as many people as you want."
"Haaa… well, the Martial Emperor's Festival is an honored tradition. I hear many fighters bring friends and family to watch."
Eva muttered something under her breath with an expression that said she still wasn't convinced.
Well, none of that mattered. I checked with the vice-master who always contributed so much to the clan.
"You're coming too, right, Eva?"
"…Eh? Are you… are you actually going? You, Kurai? To the Martial Emperor's Festival?"
Eva's eyes were filled with doubt. Was it really that surprising?
Sure, I'd lived my life trying to avoid conflict as much as possible, but that didn't mean I had no interest in the strong. After all, I was once a man who aspired to be a hero.
For the first time in a while, I put on a hard-boiled tone.
"Luke and the others have been curious about it too. It's a prestigious martial tournament—wouldn't hurt to show our faces at least once."
"…Haaa. If Kurai says so, then of course I'll go cheer you on."
Was there someone specific she wanted to cheer for? Not me—I didn't even know who was competing.
That was when Eva made a nice suggestion.
"Why not bring everyone from the clan along? Opportunities like this don't come often… I'm sure Tino and the others would be thrilled."
"Good idea. Even if the ticket lets in unlimited people, there's probably still some limit—oh wait, maybe some of us will actually be competing?"
Led by Ark, our clan had no shortage of skilled hunters. It wouldn't be surprising if some of them entered the festival.
"I haven't heard anything, but it's certainly possible. The Martial Emperor's Festival draws a massive number of participants… Is there a problem?"
"Not at all. Let's cheer them on—if someone from our clan wins, it'd be an incredible honor."
"?? Th-that's right… Am I missing something in this conversation?"
"Hm? …Am I?"
There was nothing to miss. It was simply that, by sheer luck, I'd gotten my hands on tickets to the Martial Emperor's Festival, and we were going to go watch together. If anything, I'd like to see the version where that doesn't make sense.
Eva wore an uncharacteristically puzzled expression until the very end, but she nodded as though convincing herself.
"W-well, if Kurai says so…"
§ Luke was in the underground training area, playing with the golem that Citry had won at the auction.
Luke's reaction to the ticket was exactly what I'd expected. His eyes went wide, he stared at the ticket as though devouring it, and then he shouted.
"Krai, you're entering the Martial Emperor's Festival!? When did you—"
"I got it from His Majesty as thanks. You said you wanted to go watch too, right? You free?"
Luke loved swords and swordsmen more than his daily meals. How much did he love them? If he spotted a strong-looking swordsman while carrying his sword, he'd go fight them on the spot. That's how much. But that didn't mean he hated everyone who wasn't a swordsman.
Luke Saikol was a man who loved the strong. He simply had a particular obsession with swordsmen as a swordsman—but if his opponent was powerful, it didn't matter if they were a Thief, a Mage, or whatever. He'd go cut them down. In other words, he was a walking menace.
It was only natural that Luke was interested in the Martial Emperor's Festival.
Luke pondered with a troubled expression for a while, but eventually seemed to make up his mind.
"Krai, I appreciate the thought. But I—rather than watching, I want to enter too!"
"O-oh?"
"I'm still immature. I can't even cut through dimensions. But if I fight to the death against the kind of strong competitors who'd enter a tournament like that, I'm bound to gain something. I know it!"
A fire-like glow burned in his crimson eyes. Certainly… certainly, Luke would say something like that. I highly doubted it would come to fighting to the death, though…
But I had no idea how one would enter the Martial Emperor's Festival.
"But I don't know how to get an entry spot?"
The ticket I'd received seemed to be a VIP version, and spectator tickets were available for general purchase. However, entry rights shouldn't have been sold to the general public. For such a prestigious tournament, the qualifications to compete must be strict.
But Luke declared with conviction.
"I know how. The Martial Emperor's Festival sends invitations to top finishers from martial arts tournaments across the land, renowned hunters, and famous warriors."
"So it's impossible after all."
The festival was right around the corner. As I pointed out the logical flaw, Luke nodded vigorously.
"So if I slash the guy holding an invitation, it'll drop."
"!?"
Was that… even allowed? No, no—there was no way that was okay. No way.
We'd grown up in the same hometown, so how had his perception gone so completely haywire… I wanted to complain to Luke's master, but truth be told, I was more likely to receive complaints from Luke's master than to give any.
The logic of "I want it, so I'll beat them up and take it"—could that be called a Hunter's instinct, or not? I wasn't sure. While I was still trying to figure out how to talk him down, Luke declared with resolve.
"I can't just sit around. I'm gonna go slash up anyone who comes to mind."
"Oh."
By the time I said that, Luke was already gone. Not listening properly to other people was one of Luke's flaws.
…Well, he'd probably be going with a wooden sword, so it should be fine. Luke's infamous reputation had already spread far enough. He'd be able to protect himself.
More importantly, there was nothing I could do about it anyway. Next, I'd go check with Rids.
§ "Eh!? We're going to the Martial Emperor's Festival!? I'm entering too! I'm gonna go slash up anyone who comes to mind real quick!"
"Oh."
Rids vanished. It was a magnificent display of movement—gone as if she'd been wiped from existence.
"…"
Why was everyone in our clan so impulsive?
Smart, who happened to be nearby and was decidedly not impulsive, said exasperatedly: "Good grief, 'slash up'… Big sister, you're so violent."
"Mm-hm, totally."
But you—you drained the royal blood from a princess to the extreme, didn't you? I'm not going to forget that anytime soon.
"There's no shortage of participants, and obtaining entry rights isn't difficult."
"Eh?"
"We're already fairly well-known as hunters. If we bribe the selection committee—or just give them a little push—they'll likely invite us to participate themselves. Every year there are plenty of last-minute entrants, so it shouldn't be a problem."
"Y-yeah, totally."
Citry tilted her head with her usual smile. …It looked like Citry was on board too.
Was everyone going to end up competing except me? Lucia was surprisingly competitive as well—if everyone else entered, Anthem would probably join too. I couldn't understand the appeal at all, but— "Is the Martial Emperor's Festival really that appealing?"
"Hm? …Is that not okay? I thought it was an unparalleled opportunity to earn fame."
Hmm, their ambition was impressive.
But thinking about it calmly, that was the natural reaction. The real oddity was a high-level hunter like me whose first thought upon hearing about the Martial Emperor's Festival was wanting to watch.
I changed my game plan. I'd originally intended to watch with Luke and the others, but cheering them on from the sidelines had its own appeal. After all, this was just a martial tournament—just a tournament. Unlike usual, there was minimal danger to one's life.
If any of them managed to place, Luke and the others' futures would be bright. I'd be proud as their childhood friend.
"No, not at all. Let's see—since we've got the chance, let's head into this tournament with the goal of our Party claiming victory."
"Well…! I think that's a wonderful idea. I'll start making arrangements right away!"
Things had taken a slightly different turn than I'd planned, but this was exciting in its own way. This called for a proper, grand cheer squad.