The next day.
Hydrangea. The slums. Ambrosius's underground gallery.
Apparently "gallery" is its official name.
—Everyone. I've got a great idea!
I sat down at Shiro's pristine tea table and blurted it out.
The two of them blinked at me.
—Um, do you have some kind of good idea?
Ambrosius asked with a wry smile.
—Yes! Loads of them!
—Wof. Calm down.
Shiro chided me.
—S-sorry.
—Ha ha ha. Must be a pretty good idea, then.
—You bet it is.
—Really?
—Yes. What about doing an audition?
—An audition?
Wait — they don't have auditions in this world?
—That means recruiting, right?
Yes. I think that would be the most straightforward approach.
Good. They do have them. Theater and all that is big here.
"…You mean doing it on a grand scale, right?"
"That would be the idea."
"Hey. Wof. You're talking about openly recruiting for the Death Wind King…?"
Shiro narrowed her brows.
"Yes. I thought about it from several angles, and that seemed like the best approach. If you try to poach someone, you get arrested by the guards."
"…What do you mean by that?"
"I looked into it."
I explained the dangers of poaching.
"There certainly… are those kinds of risks."
Shiro nodded and took a sip of tea.
"Hmm."
Ambrosius let out a groan.
"So that's where the audition comes in."
"An audition… huh."
Ambrosius's response was lukewarm.
"I know there are problems with it. I also understand that it seems like a lot."
"Well, yeah, that's part of it too."
"Honestly speaking, the next Death Wind King can really be anyone, right?"
When I spoke my mind, Ambrosius let out a wry smile.
Shiro closed his eyes and sipped his tea with an unperturbed expression.
Ambrosius opened his mouth as though carefully weighing his words.
"Yomido-sama won't mind, you know."
"Right. That's exactly why we need to choose carefully."
If we went about it carelessly, we'd end up with someone like Hagan.
"That's true."
Ambrosius nodded, seeming to pick up on what I was getting at.
Shiro quietly set down his cup.
"So how exactly are we going to do this?"
"First, we'll set the application requirements."
"Then possession of a Wind Relic is absolutely mandatory."
"Right."
"Also, Wof, are you familiar with the 'Parade'?"
"...Parade?"
"Those people."
Shiro muttered under his breath. There was something distinctly displeased about the way he said it.
"What is it?"
"They're a cult that took it upon themselves to worship Yomido-sama."
"Took it upon themselves...?"
"Moreover, they're plotting to bring Yomido-sama into the real world."
"Wait, but Yomido-sama wouldn't want that, right?"
There was no way Yomido-sama would be interested in something that troublesome.
The two exchanged glances, and Ambrosius wore a troubled smile.
"That's what makes it such a pain."
"What does Parade think about the King of the Dead?"
"They respect him, but that's about it."
"Ah, so they're the type you can't reason with."
Because they believe they're always right, they completely ignore what their superiors tell them.
What a real pain. Shiro let out a sigh.
"That's why we're opposed to them. Wof. The magic potion. You remember?"
"The magic potion. Yes, of course."
Like I'd forget.
"Parade is the one who spread it around."
"Huh..."
"They call the magic potion 'dark water.' To rival Seihou's holy water."
"........."
"That's why we will never forgive them."
"...Does this Parade have anything to do with the audition?"
"They're definitely involved."
I thought about it.
It was troublesome and complicated. Honestly, I didn't want to get involved.
The followers of the faith were the last people I wanted to deal with — like touching something filthy in a drama.
But once magic potions were thrown into the mix, things changed.
And then there was Lady Yomir's descent into the present world... something she absolutely did not wish for.
If she didn't wish for it, then I wanted to stop it.
Plus, her appearance was basically Pakira-san's color variant two, which made me feel even more attached.
And though it probably had nothing to do with this particular descent, there were quite a few things from my past life's memories that lined up.
Gods looking eerily similar, something about using someone as a vessel for their soul...
No way. Surely not.
"Then I think we should definitely do it."
"Why?"
"We can use the audition as bait and wipe out that whole Parade thing in one go."
"Hm."
Shiro traced a crimson lip with her finger.
I just noticed she was wearing lipstick. Kind of made her look mature.
"You're right. Honestly, from my perspective, I can only say that if Wof wants to do it, then he should go ahead."
"Will you help?"
"Of course. Partly because Lady Yomir asked me to, but I also like the idea of luring out the Parade."
"But our main goal is finding the King of the Dead Wind."
"Shiro approves too. So how exactly are we going to hold the audition?"
"I'd like to start the auditions from tomorrow."
"That's quite sudden, isn't it?"
"We'll hold them over about a week, starting tomorrow."
"Hmm. I see."
"The issue is the venue, right?"
Well, if it really came down to it, we could manage to secure something.
"Would you leave that to me?"
Ambrosius raised his hand.
"Really?"
"There just so happens to be a property that's a perfect fit. Let's use that."
"In that case, there are some things I'd like you to prepare."
"Sure. Leave the layout to you."
"It's nothing major."
"Wof, does Shiro have anything she wants to say?"
Shiro raised her hand.
Let's see...
"A reception desk. And I'd like to hire a few people to handle calling people in."
"Leave it to me. I know someone who's great at that sort of thing. She's one of Shiro's followers, so if we ask, she'll be happy to help."
"Thank you. We appreciate it."
Hm? Followers?
"Well then, shall we go check out the property right away?"
"Y-yes."
"Yes, let's go."
We went to see the property that Ambrosius had recommended.
It was in a great location, and the building itself, along with its layout, was practically ideal.
Yes, it was exactly the kind of audition venue suited for performing the Wind's Death King Audition.
"What do you think? Did you like it?"
"Yes, I love it!"
With this, I could pull off the audition I wanted to do.
"Right. The Paleid members who got caught in the trap—whether we kill them or capture them, either way, disposing of them is going to be a hassle."
"We'll just Banish them?"
"Ah, right. You do have that, don't you. But there's a better method. I know someone who's skilled at that sort of thing. It'd be best to leave it to them."
"Is that so? Then we'll take you up on that."
If Ambrosius says so, it's probably best to go along with it.
Shiro immediately chimed in.
"Wof, let's have Munieka help out too."
"Munieka?"
"She's the maid for these kinds of things."
A maid, is that what she is.
But Munieka is reliable. Yeah.
"Understood. I'll ask her."
Next up is the judges.
Me and Ambrosius are nowhere near enough.
I won't say it out loud, but we have zero flair.
To put it another way, neither Ambrosius nor I am good at being in front of people.
Shiro works as an idol for the Haiyarn Trading Company, but this time she's on reception.
Someone who's good at this kind of thing, then.
First, I need flair. So a beautiful woman or a lovely girl.
Fortunately, for some reason, there are a lot of pretty and cute people around me.
If I had to pin down the ideal, it'd be something like this:
Someone who gets really into doing this kind of thing and pulls off the unexpected.
A walking bundle of ego who wants to stand out more than anyone else, yet takes whatever they're asked to do seriously.
Serious or not serious, either way they're dead earnest about it.
Some kind of absurd, troublemaking showstopper that sounds too good to be true.
There's no way someone like that exists.
The day of the audition.
Down a side street off the left side of Hydrangea Avenue, a three-story building.
Beneath the entrance, the basement first floor.
"Shine Tomorrow. The 1st Wind-of-Death King Audition Venue."
A door with such a notice posted on it. The space beyond was stark and unadorned.
All that was there was a long, long table for the judges. And chairs, lined up neatly beside it.
In the very center of that long, long table for the judging committee, stood a single woman, arms crossed with bold, fearless confidence.
"Right then, Wof. Ambrosius. Sword of Swords, Pakira. Are you ready? I, Narcissus Utopia, serving as the first-ever Chief Judge of this glorious Wind-of-Death King Audition, will be picking the most supremely capable future Wind-of-Death King!"
How did it come to this?
The turbulent audition begins.