Today, Part 2
The duel arena was packed. Over twenty thousand people must have been inside.
Among those involved, there were clearly some who were visibly relieved.
Truth be told, this duel arena had been hastily constructed outside the city for this occasion. When I say "constructed," it really just meant commissioning the city's mages and the guild to dig into and reinforce a nearby hill. It looked more like a soccer stadium than anything else. However, since there were no underground passages or waiting rooms, a section of the audience seats was cordoned off with fencing, and a tent set up inside served as a makeshift waiting room.
Gunjou City did have an Arena, but its capacity was only five thousand for a city of fifty thousand citizens. So the council passed a resolution to build an outdoor venue so that as many citizens as possible could watch.
This resolution had been pushed through behind the scenes by the Duke, so it was proposed and approved the very next day after his arrival in Gunjou City.
Furthermore, with the guild's cooperation, the venue was completed in an unprecedented three days.
The duel was scheduled for after noon, and since they were to enter the venue directly, Tenma took his time after waking up.
With nearly three hours until noon, he decided to do some light combat training at the Knights' headquarters training grounds, with Shiromaru as his partner.
Shiromaru and I faced each other from about fifty meters apart. The moment Primera gave the signal, Shiromaru closed the distance between us in an instant.
Shiromaru lunged at me with his jaws wide open, but I slipped smoothly under his chin, caught his left foreleg with my left hand and knocked it aside. At the same time, I grabbed the fur at his throat and yanked him downward.
It was a throw reminiscent of judo — quite unorthodox, but effective. Caught off guard, Shiromaru kicked off the ground with his hind legs and jumped forward to compensate. But I had already read his movement and quickly closed in on his landing spot.
Shiromaru seemed to have steeled himself, tensing his body in preparation for the impact.
The moment my right foot planted into the ground, I thrust out with a right palm strike. Shiromaru was bracing hard with all four legs pressed flat against the ground, but the instant the palm strike connected with his right shoulder, he was sent flying through the air.
Shiromaru flew about five meters before landing as though nothing had happened. He had probably launched himself intentionally. As proof, the moment he landed, he charged straight at me, swinging his left and right forelegs in alternation.
For the brief instant I was distracted by his forelegs, Shiromaru's face was suddenly right in front of me, and I took a headbutt straight to the chest. This time I was sent flying about ten meters, but since I had half-thrown myself as well, I stuck the landing cleanly, refusing to be outdone by Shiromaru.
The moment I stuck the landing, Primera and the other spectators erupted in a massive cheer — but it quickly died down. That was because I had dropped my stance and started walking toward Shiromaru. Ahead of me, Shiromaru was crouching at the spot where I had delivered the headbutt, holding his head with his paws.
"Huh! Ah, it's over!"
Primera announced the end with a confused look on her face.
"Shiromaru, are you okay?"
"Kyuuun, kyuuun."
Shiromaru reacted to my voice with a weak whimper. Primera approached and
"Tenma. What just happened?"
she asked. While I cast a recovery spell on Shiromaru,
"The moment we headbutted, I snuck in a counter to Shiromaru's head."
Here — I showed Primera my reddened right hand. The instant I took Shiromaru's headbutt, I had punched Shiromaru in the head.
After Shiromaru, I cast a recovery spell on my own hand as well. The fight with Shiromaru hadn't actually lasted five minutes, but I was more tired than when I'd fought Banza and the others.
Ignoring Primera, who stood there dumbfounded, I started my cool-down exercises. After wiping off the sweat, I had a light meal and took a nap to kill some time.
About an hour later I woke up, loosened up my body, washed my face, and headed out of the knight order headquarters. Since the venue was less than thirty minutes away, I took my time walking there.
On the way, a number of people called out to me. Most of them were about the bets, but surprisingly, even people who had bet on the Baron were cheering me on. Well, there were a few who genuinely mocked me, but they all shut up with just one glare and ended up getting laughed at by those around them afterward.
When I arrived at the venue, a guild staff member who was handling registration guided me to the waiting tent. My tent was about ten meters away from the Audience Seats, and ten knights were stationed around it, keeping anyone who wasn't authorized at a distance.
It looked like acquaintances and supporters had gathered around my tent. By the time I got inside, I had received quite a lot of encouraging words.
For some reason, Lily and the others plus Fruuto were waiting inside the tent.
"Oh, you're finally here!"
"You're late! Tenma!"
"We've been waiting for about an hour!"
Following Lily and the others,
"Tenma, we'll be supporting you today."
Fruuto said. Each of them was carrying towels, drinks, medicine, and the like.
"Lily and the rest are one thing, but why is Fruuto-san here — a guild staff member, no less?"
I couldn't figure out why
Fruuto-san,
who was supposed to be neutral, was here.
"Normally, I wouldn't be allowed here, but
a complaint
was filed from the baron's side, so I was able to come."
"A complaint?"
I tilted my head, and
"They said that if someone like me — someone on good terms with Tenma —
held a neutral position,
there's no telling what kind of cheating might happen. So I was temporarily suspended from the guild. Which means I'm free to throw my full support behind Tenma."
"I'm just an ordinary citizen now, you know," she said with a cheerful smile. But behind her, a dark aura of fury coalesced into a Hannya mask. She was seething with barely contained rage.
Lily and the others looked quite frightened.
"R-Right. Well then, I'm counting on you today! You too, Lily and the others!"
"Yeah!"
"Yes!"
The four of them answered in unison.
Shortly after, cheers erupted from the tent on the opposite side.
The baron must have arrived.
After that, I spent the time chatting with the four of them and loosening up my body.
As noon approached, the murmur from the audience seats grew louder. I was just thinking it must be about time when—
"The match will begin shortly. Please make your preparations and come to the center of the arena."
A guild staff member came to inform us. I drew my sword from my bag and stepped outside the tent. The instant I did, a massive roar of cheers erupted from the audience seats.
With those cheers at our backs, we walked toward the center. Standing in the middle of the grounds was a man I hadn't seen in quite a while.
"Hand over the pledge."
"Yes, Guild Master."
This man who gave off a rather unmotivated air served as the Guild Master of the Guild Association's Gunjou City branch. He was a human named Max Bellcap.
Name… Max Bellcap
Age… 41
Race… Human
Title… Guild Branch Master, Former A-Rank Adventurer
The Guild Master was normally lazy and even lazier on the job, but in times of crisis, he supposedly became an incredibly sharp man…
"Received."
Shortly afterward, the baron arrived as well and handed over his pledge in the same manner. Roughly thirty unsavory-looking men who served as his escort had followed him.
I tried using Appraisal on them and found thirteen C-Rank, sixteen B-Rank, and one A-Rank.
"The pledges have been verified. Both sides, please leave only your representatives and withdraw to the walls."
At those words, Lily and the others and Flute told me "Do your best!" and stepped back, but on the baron's side, everyone remained.
"Baron Regil? Please dismiss your escort quickly."
The Guild Master urged him, but Regil, with a smile on his face,
"What are you talking about, Guild Master? The Vend party here is the representative. It doesn't say the representative has to be just one person."
With that, he started spouting some ridiculous sophistry.
"But this is a duel. Surely, as a noble, you must see how inappropriate—"
"Are you mocking me?! I'm simply following the rules of the oath! Now, give the signal to start the duel!"
Regil continued his tirade. The Guild Master looked at us, unsure of what to do. At that moment,
"Then let us join in!"
"With Tenma and us, it'll be a walk in the park!"
"That's right, that's right! We'd never lose to someone who spouts childlike nonsense like that!"
The three of them, who were clearly quite irritated, excitedly announced they wanted to join the fight.
"I'll help too, however I can!"
Even Flute went and said something outrageous.
"Give me a break..."
The Guild Master held his head in his hands. Regil saw this and,
"Adding a few little girls to the mix won't make any difference, I'd think."
He said with a sleazy grin. Loud booing erupted from the audience. In some sections of the seats, the men of the fan club were radiating killing intent.
"There's no need for any of you to force yourselves."
I sighed and addressed the women.
"It's fine, so just step back."
I said to reassure them, but the four of them didn't nod. So this time, with a voice imbued with magic power,
"First of all, do you really think I'd lose to those guys?"
And I said that a bit forcefully. The four of them flinched, then walked to the wall by the base with reluctant looks.
"Come on, Guild Master. Let's get started quickly. I have to go pest extermination after this, so I want this over with."
I said that in a light tone. Legil and the others were bright red with fury.
Incidentally, our voices were being transmitted to the audience seats through a megaphone-type magic item the Guild Master held.
From the audience seats on my tent's side, I heard loud laughter upon hearing those words.
"Understood. Hereby, the duel between Adventurer Tenma and Legil, Honorary Vice Baron, begins now... Duel, start!"
The Guild Master gave the signal as if half-resigned, having given up on trying to manage things.
"Die! Y-You b—" *Gack!*
The man who charged at me was sent flying backward, tumbling about ten meters before stopping.
"What happened?!"
Ignoring the shouting Legil, I concentrated Magic Power in my right hand. One man after another was blown away.
"Deploy a magic barrier!"
The one shouting that was an A-Rank adventurer.
"Hey, hey. You're going to deploy a barrier after four of your guys are already down? You're like a fake A-Rank, aren't you?"
"Fake-rank" is a derogatory term used among adventurers for those whose rank doesn't match their actual strength. It's often used for those who cling to someone stronger to farm points, or who pass tests through connections (since adventurers often proctor the tests).
"You little brat, getting ahead of yourself! Hey! Everyone who can use magic, focus it on him!"
At those words, twenty people, including the speaker, unleashed magic at me.
(These guys are idiots. Using water and fire attribute magic at the same time, what are they thinking?)
In this world, when using multiple attributes simultaneously, there are several combinations with poor compatibility. The most representative among these are fire and water, and fire and wood attributes. However, wood attribute magic is rarely used except by elves (and many elves are bad with fire attribute), so the common one is fire and water. Others might be said to have poor compatibility, but the disadvantage is minimal.
While this was happening, magic projectiles were landing near me. Thinking it a waste, I decided to use my trump card.
"Come forth— Giant's Guardian!"
Smoke concealed everything around me.
"You fools! Freezing up and standing there like posts. You lot! Good work!"
Legil, apparently convinced he'd won, was offering words of encouragement to the adventurers.
"Hey, Referee! Hurry up and declare me the winner!"
Legil was shouting something at the Guild Master, so I decided to unveil my trump card. I put just a little power into it, and with a thunderous roar, my trump card blew the smoke away.
"Whose victory, you say?"
The crowd gasped at the sight of me emerging from the smoke completely unharmed. And even more so at the two massive arms that had materialized to shield me—the venue erupted in murmurs.
Giant's Guardian
Though it may have that grand name, it's really just a pair of arms. But even a single arm measures over three meters.
The arms appeared to sprout from the air about two meters behind and above my shoulders, shielding me as if to hide my entire body while blocking incoming magic.
They were made from the metal and magic cores of a Dragon Zombie. Their construction was similar to a Golem, but they were designed to respond only to my Magic Power.
So it was as if I'd gained four extra arms. At first, I struggled to control them. Now, while I wouldn't say I've mastered them completely, I can handle broad attacks and defenses without any issues.
As for their traits, they boasted high defense and magic resistance, and even parts like the hands could be swapped out.
Their shape resembled the sealed arm from a certain card game, and overall, I think it comes closest to the spiritual energy of a certain bizarre adventure.
"A m-monster!"
One of the B-Class adventurers screamed in terror, but Legil—
"That's nothing but a bluff! Everyone, attack at once!"
They try to charge at him, but the adventurers won't move.
"I'll give ten times the promised gold to whoever takes down that brat!"
When he shouted that, murmurs of "Ten times... seriously?" could be heard, and then the survivors rushed in one after another.
"I'll kill him!"
"No, I'm the one!"
"You're dead, you little brat!"
They come charging, but when his right hand swings down with a boom, not only the men struck directly are sent flying—even the ones lined up behind them get caught up in the blast and sent tumbling. Most of the men who were still standing flee, but he fires a mass of Magic Power at their backs, sniping them one by one.
After the sniping is done, what remains are Legil, and five men of A-Rank and B-Rank combined who were standing at his side.
"Well, it's just about time to wrap this up."
I circle my arms as I approach. At this point, the arms behind me also move in sync, producing whooshing sounds as they cut through the air.
"Wh-what are you doing! Hurry up and finish off that brat!"
The five still don't move. However, as the distance closes, one of the B-Rank adventurers seems unable to endure the terror anymore.
"G-goddamn it!"
With that, he raises his sword overhead. I block the blade with my left
Gigant,
and it breaks with a sharp crack. I deliver a flick to the forehead of the stunned man with my right Gigant.
With a sickening crunch, the man goes flying... I wonder if he's dead?
"Don't just send me small fry—send the strongest one you've got!"
In response to my provocation, the A-Rank man says,
"Don't get cocky!"
He had squared off, but—
"No, you're not the strongest one here. The one behind you... you, you. The one hiding your face under that hood."
I pointed at the hooded man who had been lingering at the very back of the group this whole time.
"I'm B-Rank. What makes you say that?"
"If that's your logic, then I'm only C-Rank. Strength has nothing to do with rank, does it?"
When I said that, the man pulled off his hood. He had sharp eyes, short hair, and a gaunt look about him.
"You're one of the guys who was tailing me yesterday, aren't you?"
When I called him out, he narrowed his sharp eyes and—
"You noticed? I was sure you hadn't caught on."
"The others were sloppy with their tailing, so I figured it was a decoy. When I went out of my way to search for presences, I just happened to notice you."
He phrased it in a way that wouldn't reveal he could use detection magic.
"Impressive."
I was genuinely impressed, but—
"So, you're not going to come at me?"
When I asked that—
"I'll pass. If we fought head-on, I wouldn't stand a chance — couldn't win even doing a handstand."
When I said, "Playing modest, huh?" he just let out a soft laugh.
"You bastards! Don't you dare ignore me!"
The A-Rank man roared, grabbing the hooded man by the shoulder, but—
"Shut up."
With those words, the hooded man struck him with a backfist, knocking him unconscious and sending him crumpling to the ground.
"Y-You! What do you think you're doing?! Did you betray us?!"
Regil was shouting, but the hooded man shot him a sharp glare and headed off toward the Audience Seats behind them.
"Now then, shall we resume?"
With that, he knocked out the three remaining B-Rank men. They had been stunned by the hooded man's betrayal and went down in an instant. Only Regil was left standing.
I recalled the Gigant and approached, snapping my fingers as I walked.
"I—I'm a noble! Do you have any idea what will happen if you lay a hand on me?!"
he screamed, but—
"Don't worry. Once this duel is over, you won't be a noble anymore."
When I said that, Regil's face twisted in confusion—"What do you mean?!"—and I drove a straight right into his face. He went flying backward, tumbling four or five meters before coming to a stop. The instant that happened, the Guild Master's voice rang out:
"Enough! Winner—Tenma!"
The victor's name was declared. A massive roar erupted from the Audience Seats. As if answering that roar, I thrust my right fist into the air, and the cheering grew even louder.
At that moment—
"Splendid, truly splendid!"
—appeared the Duke, applauding as he walked over.
"My goodness, for a moment I wondered how things would turn out, but that was a complete overwhelm!"
He spoke with a warm smile. Then, turning to the treatment squad from the Knight Order, who had been standing by, he said:
"Go ahead, begin."
He instructed them to cast recovery magic on Regil and the others. Then, addressing the audience, he declared:
"By the power of my authority, Tenma's claim is hereby upheld as valid. If anyone has an objection, state it now."
At those words, the audience fell silent. However, there was someone who simply could not
read
the room.
"I refuse to accept this! That thing is invalid! Relying on something like that cannot possibly count as a duel!"
It was Regil. Completely ignoring his own faults, he carried on shouting. Even the audience was left speechless.
However, Regil mistook their silence for attention and continued.
"Using such a tool in a duel, and on top of that sending a spy into our camp—there is no way that should be allowed! The shame—"
"Silence!"
The voice that cut Regil off was the duke's—brief, yet powerful.
"You should be the one feeling ashamed! You dismiss it as 'something like that,' but it was handcrafted by Tenma himself and powered by Tenma's own Magic Power! And yet here you are, supposedly a noble, using dozens of subordinates in a duel while you simply hid behind them!"
"You have disgraced the name of the nobility! This crime is grave! Prepare yourself—even death may be your sentence! Guards, take him away! This man is no longer a noble!"
The knights standing nearby received the order. Regil was screaming, "Your Grace! Please forgive me!" but the knights grabbed him roughly by both arms and dragged him from the arena.
"I am truly sorry. My subordinate has desecrated this duel..."
The duke bowed his head to me. The audience seemed even more surprised by this than I was.
"Please raise your head, Your Grace. Regil may be guilty, but you are not."
Playing along with the duke's performance, I publicly defended him, making it clear to
the audience that the duke had not been in league with Regil.
"It helps to hear you say that."
Saying this, the duke raised his head. "Congratulations," he said, and shook my hand.
At that moment, in a quiet voice to the duke,
"Was the acting a bit over the top?"
When I asked this,
"Something like that is easier for the audience to understand, don't you think?"
he said with a smile. His face had the look of a child
whose mischief
had just succeeded.
The Vend squad was nothing more than fodder. As I kept writing, Regyl just kept getting stupider and stupider. In the end, it all wrapped up with Tenma and the duke putting on their cheap little show.
Addendum — I received a comment pointing out that, despite Regyl being described as competent, how could such a nobody be considered the best in this country?
Regarding that — Regyl's abilities and his character are separate things, and on top of that, in this case he was hit with the negative modifier of having an idiot parent. Please accept that explanation.
Honestly, even I as the author felt something was off about it, but I figured people like that do exist.
However, since a comment was made,
I've taken this opportunity to explain.