Main Tournament Begins

We ended up not sightseeing the capital with Wataru. The next day came and the main event began straight away.

… It wasn't that we spent the day sleeping in the capital, but rather that the main event was scheduled for the day after our arrival.

"Starting the main event the day after arrival, the schedule was really tight, huh?"

"Oh, we were just the last ones to arrive. The tournament starts as soon as everyone is gathered, so there's nothing strange about it."

"Kehma was the one who was slow to wake up."

"Eh, Aidi was the one who decided the schedule. And it was Rokuko who didn't wake up."

"Such a loving exchange. I do hope you'll stop flaunting your affection for a moment though?"

And so we found ourselves at the main event, another tournament—at least, that was the plan. However, it was revealed that after narrowing down to the top four, it would become a round-robin competition.

"It's not a tournament!?"

"Oh, I suggested the change."

"Why would you do that!?"

"Well, you were going to win every match anyway, right? That wouldn't be very interesting, so I asked grandpa to change it… like it?"

I don't! You just made it harder to deal with because of this change…!

"The number of matches increased by two, right? If things go well, there will be three matches in the final round. Hehe, I think I did a great job."

Damn this different culture! It's even worse because she genuinely thinks it was a good idea!

"Kehma! Looking at this tournament chart, if things go well, there could be a round-robin competition between you, Niku, Sebas, and Wataru!"

"It's unlikely that it'll work out that well… probably… or maybe it depends on Niku?"

As Rokuko said, we were placed separately because we were from the empire.

Wataru, the championship candidate, Sebas, and me, the invincible blanket artillery. Plus the dark horsedog, Niku.

Surprisingly, it wasn't entirely impossible for the finals to come down to us four. If that happened, we could aim for second place by colluding.

However, there must be participants stronger than Niku since there's Sebas, who is stronger than Niku.

… Ah, but if they face me, Sebas, or Wataru in the right order… Hmm.

"Well, the possibility isn't zero."

"Niku, do your best!"

"Yes, Rokuko-sama."

I stroked her head, wishing her good luck but also warning her not to push herself too hard. Niku wagged her tail happily.

With a determined Niku, we headed to the waiting room for the participants.

The waiting room for the players was a simple, no-frills room, not much different from the one during the preliminaries.

In one corner of the waiting room, I found Wataru looking tired. The other participants were keeping their distance, but I decided to approach him and start a conversation.

"Ah, Kehma-san… the Demonlands is amazing, isn't it? I thought about going around to the food stalls, but they said things like, 'Fight me and if you win, I'll give it to you for free!' and shopping was a struggle… Even when I said I'd pay, they wouldn't listen…"

During that time, it seemed that Wataru was also challenged to fights. Even though they couldn't take a spot in the competition, many people approached him in embarrassment to fight.

He almost killed two or three people by accident, but he was met with applause and cheers…

"It's like I'm an idol. I thought the people of the Demonlands hated me."

"Ah, well, isn't it a good thing? People in this country like strong people."

"Wait! You just casually let the word 'idol' slide on by, didn't you!? This is—"

"Wataru. If you can understand the meaning from the context before and after, you can let some unfamiliar words slide, right?"

"Tch. As expected, Kehma-san, you're quick-witted."

And that's why I can't let my guard down. I wish he'd just give up already.

By the way, the word [slide] might have been a trap as well. Seriously, this guy…

"… Still, there are quite a few female participants, aren't there?"

"Hm? Are you done feeling down?"

"Yeah, well, I've decided to just accept it as it is."

"I feel the need to say [As expected of the hero] here."

"… That woman over there is an arachne, right?"

"Probably. I've heard that arachnes are stronger as females, racially speaking."

"Seeing monsters living normal lives makes me wonder what my war is all about…"

The hero who fights the Demon King leading the monsters. But the monsters are no different from ordinary people.

"What's it all about, huh? It's just a war, isn't it? Well, the Demonlands seems to be a bit different, though."

"… Come to think of it, Haku-sama never said that the Demon King's army was evil. I was simply asked to [go and kick them around], like I was being asked to do some fighting."

Wataru sighed and looked at Niku.

"Speaking of which, Kuro-chan, you're also participating in the main event, huh."

"I heard that Wataru, was exempt from the preliminaries."

"Yeah, I was. But I actually had a match with a demon who was supposed to participate in the higher-level tournament, so maybe that was essentially my preliminary round."

"Did you win?"

"I did, more or less. We both used wooden swords without magic, so I don't know what would happen if we fought for real."

"How did it go?"

"It felt like the Demon King Style was a bit strange in various ways."

Niku and Wataru seemed to be enjoying their conversation more than expected.

The atmosphere around them was relaxed, and the surrounding gazes felt somewhat strained… No, maybe it was more like they were trying to get as much information about strong opponents as possible.

Incidentally, Niku and I, who were also in the empire's bracket, were being paid attention to.

"… By the way, do you mind if I ask how Kehma-san's match went?"

"Goshujin-sama's battle, was a pleasure to watch."

"Hahaha, I guess you won't tell me. Well, I'll see your fight in the main event and learn from it. Right, Kehma-san?"

"… Well, I don't think I fight in a way that you'll expect."

It looked like Niku seemed to have no intention of mentioning that she'd been learning the Demon King Style, nor that she'd actually used that style in the preliminaries.

I'm glad to see that she's taking good care of managing personal information.

"By the way, where's that red-haired man who was with you?"

"He's the butler of Rokuko-sama's friend, and he's a swordsman of the Demon King Style. He's a troublesome opponent."

"Heh… if Kuro-chan says he's troublesome, he must be quite something."

… Correction. It's great that she's thorough with managing her own personal information.

Anyway, while casually deflecting Wataru's questions and drawing attention from the surroundings, we waited for the opening ceremony of the main tournament.