“Huh……!? (That, that can’t be right……you can tell that just from smell!? Could Raios-san actually be some kind of incredibly advanced pervert!?)”
“In the first Reinhardt’s memoir, it says ‘the Saint-sama smells like sunshine.’ And from Luna……from you and Silver, the exact same smell——the smell of sunshine!”
The moment he declares his thinking out loud, a certain memory resurfaces in Raios’s mind.
(……Wait. Now that I think about it, that voice back then——could it have been……!?)
About a month ago, the night that Silver, Owl, Raios, and Curse were staying at an inn in the Leonard Theocracy.
Raios, tasked as the messenger, had gone to Silver’s room and knocked on the door——and heard a woman’s voice.
[Silver, don’t tell me you——Were you in <Transmission> with the Saint!?]
[Phew……if you heard, then there’s no hiding it.]
[S-so then, as I thought……!?]
[Yes, exactly as you deduced, Raios-san. Every night I communicate with the Saint like this, reporting in detail on the state of the world three hundred years on——on the state of humanity.]
Silver had said that——but looking back on it now, there is a clear inconsistency.
(If they were connected via <Transmission>, there would be no need to speak out loud——they could communicate by thought alone……. Judging from how he spoke, his contact with the Saint-sama is top secret. There would be no reason to take the unnecessary risk of speaking aloud. In other words——the claim of communicating with the Saint-sama was a fabrication!)
Raios’s thinking sharpens to a keenness he has never felt before.
(Then who was the voice? Was there another woman in the room? No, that’s not it. There was only one presence in the room, and it was clearly Silver’s. Meaning the person inside that armor is a woman……. Which would mean, could it be……!?)
And at last he arrives.
At the one and only absolute truth.
“I can barely believe it. But……there is simply no other explanation. Luna, Silver, the Saint-sama——could these three not be the same person!?”
“C-come on now……n-n-no, that’s, that’s impossible! (Ugh……! Why is he so sharp today of all days!?)”
The Saint is catastrophically bad at lying.
Darting eyes, a voice half an octave too high, lines dragged out too long——nothing about her looks normal from any angle.
(What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!? Really……stupid Reinhardt! What was he thinking, leaving behind ‘she smells like sunshine’ and all that nonsense!?)
The Saint, in the height of her panic, conveniently forgets that she herself has left behind dark history, and proceeds to scold the first Reinhardt.
“That reaction——so it really is——”
“……!”
Just as she faces a desperate, inescapable crisis, powerful reinforcements come rushing in.
“Luna being Silver-sama being the Saint-sama……? No, no, no, absolutely not.”
Ro shakes her hand back and forth with a perfectly straight face, while——
“Really, what is he going on about……. The Saint-sama’s reincarnation is me, Sarl Ko Leyton.”
——Sarko lets out a sigh of pure exasperation, and——
“As if this completely hopeless Luna-san could possibly be the Saint-sama! (Th-this is bad……I need to cover for her somehow!)”
——Wendy, to prevent the Saint being exposed, puts everything she has into talking Luna down.
“R-right, right! Just like everyone says!”
Every one of her dear friends says in unison that there is no way Luna could be the Saint.
From the perspective of preventing her from being found out, this is enormously helpful——but.
It was, just a tiny bit, sad too.
“But that flustered reaction just now——”
As Raios presses even harder, Curse steps in to deliver the verdict.
“Raios……. Even so, Luna-chan = Silver = the Saint-sama is a stretch. You’re a man too, buddy——be a good lad and stand down.”
“Stay out of this, Curse!”
“Ow!?”
Just as Raios literally kicks Curse aside and moves to press Luna further——the clock tower bell rings out with a deep, resonant toll, and Badam on the stage gives a small cough.
“Now then, the social gathering is hereby concluded. Students who have finished forming their Saint’s parties should complete the registration process in the faculty room after school. Those who have yet to form a party have three days to select their members and report to year head teacher Jurall. That is all——dismissed.”
At Badam’s instruction, the students from both academies make their way back to their respective classrooms.
“N-now then! Let’s get back to class!”
Luna takes Ro, Sarko, and Wendy by the hand and heads to the classroom at top speed.
Raios’s sharp gaze follows her retreating back and bores straight through it.
(……Those without eyes to see can be deceived as many times as you like. But you cannot fool me, Luna……!)
He resolves to treat the equation Luna = Silver = Saint as a working assumption, and keep her under close observation.
On the way back to Class 1-C——
(This is bad, this is bad this is bad this is bad……. What do I do, at this rate the Saint is going to be found out……!)
Luna, driven into an unprecedented corner, spins her eyes with the highlights gone out of them, while——
“That was a surprise. You’re okay now.”
——Ro gently pats her anxious master’s head, while——
“His ability is genuine, but I had no idea he was that kind of pervert……”
——Sarko lets out a heavy sigh, while——
“Luna-san, stay with us. (It’s probably not the shock of having her hair smelled——it’s the shock of nearly being found out. Oh, this is so frustrating……. If I could just tell her ‘I already know’……No. She’d panic and explode.)”
——Wendy, knowing the Saint’s true identity, is sunk deep in troubled thought, while——
“I might need to start practicing my ‘Friend A interview’ pretty soon……. ‘Raios-kun? He was serious, you know. Who would have thought he’d turn out to be that kind of pervert……honestly, I was quite surprised.’ Yeah, that works pretty well if I do say so!”
——Curse rattles off his usual light-hearted banter.
“……”
A brief silence, then——
“……Huh!?”
All four of them spin around wide-eyed.
“Curse-san, when did you——!?”
“He didn’t trip my magical detection……!”
“How on earth did you……!?”
“Did you use <Anti-Magic Detection> or something……?”
Hit with questions in rapid succession, Curse gives a pleased smile.
“Nope, no magic at all. I’ve got so little magical energy, I barely register on most detection spells.”
Too weak to be detected.
A rather sad special skill.
“So……what does ‘Pervert Number One’ want?”
Ro says this with her eyes sharpened to a point.
Needless to say, ‘Pervert Number Two’ refers to Raios.
“Now now, Ro-chan, don’t be so cold.”
Curse gives a wry smile and gives a small cough.
“First, the conclusion: in this case, Raios is one hundred percent in the wrong. That’s beyond question. ——But I want you to understand just this one thing. He didn’t do what he did out of indecent intentions. He’s stubborn, unfriendly, and impossible to reason with——but he’s not the kind of lowlife who’d go and sexually harass someone because he got carried away by base impulse. I’ll stake my name on that.”
“Then what on earth was his purpose in smelling Luna’s hair?”
At Sarko’s straightforward question, Curse scratches his cheek with a troubled look.
“Raios is the most ‘oblivious’ person you’ll ever meet——like, capital-O Oblivious——so he does unhinged stuff every now and then……. I think what he was probably trying to do was verify something written in the first generation’s memoir, and that’s why he smelled Luna-chan’s hair. It sounds like he genuinely suspects you might be the Saint-sama.”
“……!”
He genuinely suspects her of being the Saint.
Those words landed with a thud in her stomach.
“Well, I said a lot of things, but what I’m trying to get across is one thing. Raios isn’t a pervert, he’s just purely, genuinely oblivious——please don’t misunderstand that. ——I mean it.”
Curse dips his head in a deep and unusually sincere bow.
Having put in a word in defense of his old friend, he says “right then, see ya” in his usual breezy way and starts walking——then stops dead.
“Oh wait, almost forgot!”
He digs around in the inner pocket of his uniform and flicks out a scrap of paper.
“That’s my room number in the student dorm——drop by and hang out anytime!”
Through and through, Curse was Curse.
After school.
Luna skips the literature club room and heads straight back to the student dormitory.
Not caring that her uniform will wrinkle, she falls forward onto the bed——
“Uughhhhhhhhh……GAAAAHHHH……”
——and with her face buried in the pillow, lets out a groan of pure agony.
The Saint’s rare vocal expression, observed when her Saint brain burns out and excessive stress is applied.
After venting her feelings to the fullest, she faces the harsh reality.
“……What am I going to do. Raios-san might be sharper than I thought……”
She had assumed his eyes weren’t much to worry about and let her guard down——but apparently that assessment had been a little too generous.
“Ugh……this is bad, really bad. I absolutely refuse to be found out……!”
She forces the already-burnt-out Saint brain back into operation and thinks desperately for a way through this crisis.
But, as always, no worthwhile plan comes to mind.
“At times like this……ask Zel!”
She activates <Transmission> and sends her thoughts to her dependable ally.
(Zel, got a minute?)
(Yes, what is it?)
(Something of a problem happened at school today. I’d like to talk it over with you, can I come over?)
(Of course. Come anytime.)
(Thanks.)
She cuts the <Transmission>, opens the <Otherworld Gate>, and flies to Zel’s log house in the Holy Kingdom.
“Hey.”
“Welcome.”
He bows respectfully at his master’s arrival.
“Sorry for dropping in without notice. Were you in the middle of something?”
“Please don’t worry, there is nothing that takes priority over the Saint-sama.”
Saying this, he folds the newspaper he had been reading until a moment ago and places it at the edge of the desk.
As he does, Luna’s Saint-eyes catch a certain headline.
(‘Eight Celestial Demons Stir Again!? Sightings Reported in Kingdom’s North!’……?)
The Eight Celestial Demons.
The collective name for the eight great demon lords who attended the Demon King.
Beings who operate outside the laws of nature, genuine monsters possessing the power to bring down a nation single-handedly.
“Hm……didn’t we defeat most of the Eight Celestial Demons three hundred years ago?”
“Yes. Five of the eight were eliminated, and the remaining three went into hiding. We prioritized defeating the Demon King and left the remnants for the time being, then proceeded to the Demon King’s castle.”
“And those Eight Celestial Demons are active again?”
“According to this reporter, it would appear so. Whether the ones causing trouble are the three that escaped, whether they have been newly replenished, or whether the ones we eliminated have been revived in the present day through the Demon King’s reincarnation magic——in any case, they are extremely troublesome beings, and it would be better to be on guard.”
Zel wraps up the topic briefly and begins preparing coffee.
“But more importantly, Saint-sama——what brings you today? I understand there was ‘a problem’ when we spoke earlier.”
“Oh, right.”
Luna sits with a soft plop on the sofa and tells him about ‘a certain male student.’
“——So anyway, that Raios person turned out to be sharper than I expected, and at this rate I’m going to be found out……”
“I see, that is a serious matter. (The Saint-sama has always had a tendency to be careless. Hiding the fact of being the Saint all along was probably impossible from the start……)”
“What should I do in a situation like this. Do you have any good ideas……?”
“Hmm……let me think……”
Zel rests his right hand against his chin and thinks quietly.
“In that case——”
“In that case……?”
“We kill him.”
“We are not killing him.”
Zel’s brilliant idea is rejected on the spot.
“Since ancient times, there is a saying: ‘dead men tell no tales.’ If we are considering safety, it is best to stop his breathing.”
“That kind of violent option is out. Besides, Raios-san is a descendant of the Reinhardt family.”
“Reinhardt……ah, I see, so the young man in question was that blue-haired Holy Knight.”
“Oh, you know him?”
“We crossed blades once, in the Leonard Theocracy.”
“I see, so that’s it.”
Zel had exchanged sword blows with Owl, Raios, and Curse during his excavation work deep in the Leonard Theocracy’s underground.
“However, if our opponent is a descendant of that Reinhardt——there may be no need to worry so much. He was a man who lived for loyalty and died for loyalty. It seems likely that Raios, carrying his blood, also bears a deep loyalty to the Saint-sama.”
“Well, that’s probably true, but……. I don’t want anyone to find out I’m the Saint. Not a single other person.”
“Is that so.”
He does not know that Wendy has already found out——but of course, there is no way for him to know.
“I want to somehow throw Raios-san off and prevent him from finding out……. I can’t come up with anything on my own, no matter how hard I try. Any good ideas?”
“Hmm……if the equation Luna-sama = Silver = Saint-sama has taken hold in Raios’s mind, we simply need to break it.”
“How?”
“In general, what is needed is evidence that contradicts the equation. In more concrete terms——we create a situation where it becomes contradictory for Luna-sama = Silver = Saint-sama to be true.”
“A situation where me = Silver = Saint is a contradiction……”
As Luna sinks into serious thought, there is a knock at the door.
“——Zel-sama, there is a letter for you!”
A cheerful postman’s voice rings out, and——
“……Another one……”
——Zel scratches between his brows, turns his feet toward the entrance——and stops dead.
“Ah, Saint-sama, please step over there and hide.”
He says this and glances toward the closet.
“Hide? ……Oh, I see.”
Luna Spedio is the domain lord’s daughter.
Her being at Zel’s house would not raise any enormous red flags——but.
Better safe than sorry.
To reduce the possibility of being found out even by one percent, it is better that she not be seen together with Zel.
Grasping her retainer’s intention, Luna rises quietly from the sofa and slips herself away into the closet.
Zel confirms the silver cowlick has been put away, then opens the front door with a creak.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all, not in the slightest! Here you are, sir!”
“……This is quite a volume again……”
“As expected of the great Zel-sama——the world simply won’t leave you alone!”
The postman laughs cheerfully, then says “well, excuse me!” and jogs off to his next delivery.
“Now then……”
Zel secures the front door firmly and sets the large stack of letters he is holding onto the desk.
“——Saint-sama, all clear.”
At those words, Luna’s face pops out from the closet.
“Wow, what a pile……. Are all of these for you, Zel?”
“To be precise, they are addressed to both myself and Silver. Since Silver’s whereabouts are currently unknown, they seem to be sending everything to me.”
“I see. Even so, this is an extraordinary amount.”
“Yes, it was not like this before……. After taking the Martial Nation and Magic Nation under our umbrella, it exploded.”
“Who are they from? Important people?”
“Merchants from the Empire, the Saint faction from the Holy Nation, nobles from the Kingdom, as well as heads of trading companies, rulers of minor nations, senior figures of the Saint Faith, and more……. People wanting to meet the Saint-sama, people wanting to speak with Silver, people wanting to do business with the Holy Kingdom——all of them are sending letters in droves.”
“Huh, is that right.”
As Luna looks over the letters without much thought, a familiar name catches her eye.
“……Nilva-san……?”
“Oh, do you know this person?”
“Yes. The Kingdom of Elgia’s Prime Minister——the person who gave us the Leonard Theocracy assignment.”
“I see……since we have it in hand, shall we check the contents?”
“Yes, please.”
“Understood.”
Zel melts the elaborate wax seal with a <Flame> spell and takes out the letter inside.
To the esteemed Silver Glorious=El=Bloodfallenheart:
I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for reaching out without prior notice.
Please allow me to express my sincere gratitude once more for the assistance you provided during the Leonard Theocracy matter.
Now, it so happens that our Kingdom of Elgia will be hosting a Battle Tournament. This is a traditional event of the Saint Academy, continuing for three hundred years. It would be our great honor to extend an invitation to Silver-dono.
Furthermore, I was hoping we might arrange a modest meal at the royal castle at some point afterward——would your schedule permit? Three days from now, I will send a messenger to Zel-dono’s residence, and I would be grateful to receive your reply at that time.
I look forward to your continued friendship and goodwill.
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Elgia, Nilva Steindorf
“It would appear this is an invitation to the ‘Battle Tournament’ you mentioned.”
“That might be the same one I’m entering.”
“The Saint-sama is……?”
“Yes, it’s one of the Saint Academy’s events. I’m not really that eager for it, but Sarko-san asked me so insistently that I couldn’t really refuse……”
Half troubled, half happy.
Luna smiles a slightly complicated smile.
“Heh, it sounds like you have good friends.”
Zel smiles warmly, like a fond grandfather, and puts the letter back in the envelope.
“Then let us decline this matter. If the Saint-sama is entering the Battle Tournament, Silver cannot very well attend as well.”
At that moment, a lightning bolt runs through Luna’s mind.
“……Oh, I’ve just thought of something good!”
“Something good?”
“Hey Zel, what do you think about this……?”
“——I see, yes, this just might work.”
“Right!?”
The plan Luna had come up with was, unusually for her, an extremely sensible one.
“However, Saint-sama……are you sure it is all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nilva-dono’s letter mentions ‘a meal at the royal castle.’ Most likely at that occasion——”
“——It’s fine! A meal with important people is nothing, easy! After all, I am the Chief Strategist of the Holy Kingdom!”
Luna puffs out her chest with complete confidence, and——
“……!”
——Zel is struck to the heart by those spirited words.
(As expected of the Saint-sama……she has grown into someone so dependable, without my even noticing……)
What comes to mind is the scene of Luna deploying the ‘Magnifying Glass’ and cutting down Natasha.
The old her, who knew nothing of restraint, would have ended everything at that point.
The Saint’s magic is a strategic weapon.
That strike, the sun itself condensed, should have scorched everything without distinction between friend and foe, the Martial Nation and the Magic Nation both obliterated——every soldier of both armies reduced to nothing.
But reality did not unfold that way.
Luna had grown enormously from three hundred years ago, and learned to hold back.
And now, his master is reaching for yet another leap forward.
How could he, her loyal retainer, possibly stand in the way of that.
(……I really am getting old. My eyes are going soft……)
Without letting his master see, he quietly wipes away a tear with his wing, and gives a firm nod.
“This Zel wishes the meal all the success in the world, from the bottom of his heart!”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
And so the Saint, understanding nothing, would throw herself into the jaws of death carrying an utterly unfounded confidence.
One week passed, and the day of the Battle Tournament arrived at last.
“Wow, so many people……!”
Luna opens her eyes wide and sweeps her gaze around the arena.
The time is eight-thirty in the morning.
Despite it being a weekday morning, the special arena’s spectator stands are packed to capacity.
A great many of the kingdom’s citizens had come to catch a glimpse of humanity’s hope——the ‘Saint-in-the-making.’
“Heheheh, the day has finally come!”
Sarko, as confident as ever, wears a bold smile, while——
“Well, just try not to get hurt too bad, yeah.”
——Ro, having been dropped from the lineup, sends her off in her light, easy way, while——
“With this many spectators, I’m actually a little nervous……!”
——Wendy places a hand on her chest and breathes a long, shallow breath.
In addition to the usual four friends, there are two more students here from the Holy Knight Academy.
“Hmph. This country has a lot of people with nothing better to do.”
Raios casts his eye over the spectators with disdain, while——
“Whoa, that brunette girl in the front row, no good……she’s a little too cute, isn’t she!? And right behind her, a super beauty with long black hair!? I mean……this is honestly too much!”
——Curse is riveted entirely to the women in the spectator stands.
Rewinding five days——
After Raios earned his pervert title, Sarko had dispatched the Leyton family’s research team to conduct a thorough investigation of his background.
The results revealed that Raios has no interest in romance, is extraordinarily disciplined, and is profoundly and genuinely oblivious.
Cross-referencing all the information that came back from the research team, she concluded that the earlier incident had not been indecent in nature.
“He comes up ‘clean,’ apparently, but……it’s a tricky one.”
Sarko thinks with a difficult expression.
(Raios is one of the top three students at the Holy Knight Academy. However, bringing him into the party would hurt Luna……. Perhaps I should approach a different student.)
Sarko is a girl who cares deeply about her friends.
Luna, knowing this well, hurries to speak up.
“S-Sarko-san! Please don’t worry about me——make the party you think will be strongest! (This is bad. If Raios-san doesn’t join the party, the plan I went to all that trouble setting up will be completely ruined……!)”
“Luna, you really are……!”
Sarko seems to be deeply moved by something, and grips Luna’s hand tightly.
“……Understood. I’ll try inviting him one more time tomorrow.”
Through those circumstances, a second attempt was made.
Raios, thinking ‘this is the perfect way to keep an eye on Luna,’ accepted readily.
The Saint’s party entering the Battle Tournament took shape: Luna, Sarko, Wendy, and Raios——with only one Holy Knight slot remaining.
But from there, things became difficult.
Raios is thoroughly unpleasant and something of an outcast even within the Holy Knight Academy——bluntly put, he is disliked——and no one particularly wanted to form a party with him.
They tried approaching everyone they could think of and were refused at every turn without exception……leaving only Curse, and only Curse.
Sarko made the decision with a ‘there is no other way’ feeling of resignation, and this lopsided party was assembled.
And now——Luna’s group has moved to the central stone stage, the designated meeting point, and waits quietly until the appointed time.
(Whatever else, right now it’s all about Luna! Right here at the Battle Tournament, I will find out who she really is!)
(Raios-san is suspicious of me at a level that’s close to certainty……. I need to put my plan into motion as soon as possible……!)
With her preparations already in place, Luna waits quietly for ‘that moment,’ determined not to let a single crack show.
About five minutes pass, and as the clock hands approach nine in the morning——Badam, seated in the special viewing stand, slowly rises to his feet.
“——Ahem, hem hem. I am Badam Rosenheim, headmaster of the Saint Academy. Thank you all very much for attending our Saint Academy on this day. Now, today marks the three hundredth Battle Tournament, a momentous occasion. In place of opening remarks, allow me to briefly explain the rules.”
Badam keeps the pleasantries brief and goes straight to the rules.
“The Battle Tournament is an event in which five-person Saint’s parties compete in a tournament format. Each Saint’s party is divided into a vanguard, second, middle, vice-captain, and captain position, and they fight in turn——the first side to win three bouts advances to the next round.”
He pauses and continues.
“Bringing one’s own weapons is prohibited. The Battle Tournament committee has prepared weapons with their edges hammered flat in advance, and those must be used without exception. Naturally, attacks intended to kill the opponent are prohibited. All other conduct unbecoming of a Saint is likewise prohibited. Additional particulars are as specified in the Battle Tournament Charter.”
Having covered the broad strokes, Badam casts his gaze across the spectator stands.
“Now, let us put an end to an old man’s rambling and get started. It is my honor to hereby declare the three hundredth Battle Tournament——open!”
At Badam’s declaration, a roar goes up from the crowd like the earth itself is shaking.
As the special arena erupts in excitement, the tournament bracket is posted on the outer wall.
“One, two, three, four, five, six……wow, thirty-two teams are entering.”
“Don’t the parties have names on them?”
As Luna and Ro observe, the tournament bracket indeed shows thirty-six Saint’s parties, each with a name attached.
“But we never decided on a party name……?”
As Wendy murmurs in puzzlement, Sarko gives a deeply unsettling laugh.
“Not to worry! I have already given us the finest of party names!”
The name she is pointing to reads: Sarko the Saint and Her Merry Band.
“Oh……wow……”
Luna is at a loss for words, while——
“No taste whatsoever……”
——Ro delivers her honest opinion, while——
“I’m quite embarrassed……”
——Wendy quietly looks down, while——
“……Are you serious?”
——Raios gives her a look of pure bafflement, while——
“Sarko-chan, that’s really something else……”
——Curse shakes his head back and forth.
Amid a thoroughly indescribable atmosphere, the female student serving as judge takes the central stone stage.
“Now then, the momentous first match! We begin the bout between ‘Shield of the Holy Spirit’ and ‘Holy Grail’! Everyone, let’s keep the energy up!”
While a magnificent battle unfolds on the main stage, in the teachers-only special viewing section……
“——Lirishia Dieselheit: magical energy D-/magical technique C/physical strength B+/stamina C-/Saint aptitude C+”
“——Nell Leone: magical energy B/magical technique C+/physical strength D/stamina E+/Saint aptitude C”
“——Rebecca Tryhard: magical energy C/magical technique C+/physical strength D/stamina D/Saint aptitude D+”
The Saint Academy’s teaching staff are observing the students’ performance meticulously and assigning evaluations.
This Battle Tournament is one of the events aimed at locating the Saint’s reincarnated form.
Behind the brilliant main stage, rigorous scoring is taking place.
Amid all of this——Badam, seated in the special viewing section, makes a satisfied sound in his throat.
“Hmm, this year’s first-years really are at quite a high level……. As expected of the generation born in the three-hundredth year when the Saint-sama is said to reincarnate.”
Responding to his murmur is Jurall, Class 1-C’s homeroom teacher and year head.
“Yes. In particular, the next party——’Sarko the Saint and Her Merry Band’ is especially well-stocked with talent.”
“Hmm, let me see……”
Badam flips through the confidential file in his hand and reads through the party’s member roster.
“I see, Sarl Ko Leyton and Wendy Triard. Yes, these two are extremely accomplished students.”
“Yes. But more than anyone——Luna Spedio. She is the one I have my eye on most particularly.”
“Luna Spedio……the student who received special acceptance on the Saint Aptitude Test. ……Hmm, was she not in the Support Division?”
“Correct. However, she is unlike any ordinary Support Division student. Speaking plainly, she is a talent worth considering for promotion to the Saint Division.”
“Oh……interesting. That you would say so much, and you who are never generous with praise.”
Badam leans further forward than usual in his seat as he watches, and the other teaching staff sharpen their eyes even keener.
As the clock passes noon, the last bout of the morning session arrives——the turn of ‘Sarko the Saint and Her Merry Band.’
“We will now begin the match between ‘Sarko the Saint and Her Merry Band’ and ‘The Holy Cross Order’! First, the vanguard bout: Curse Merev versus Bazakk Dormy! Both participants, please take the stage!”
Receiving the judge’s announcement, Curse——
“Right then, finally my turn!”
——rolls his shoulders with great fanfare and climbs the stairs to the stage.
“Curse-san, please don’t die!”
“Curse, I’ll pick up your bones after.”
“Curse, you are going to lose anyway, so please make it quick!”
“Curse-san, please don’t push yourself, surrender early……!”
“Curse, you’re wasting everyone’s time, don’t drag it out pointlessly.”
Heartless cheers from every member of the party——
“……Does everyone have that low an opinion of me……?”
——and Curse is genuinely quite close to crying.
His heart wounded deeply, he trudges gloomily up onto the stage, and his vanguard opponent, Bazakk Dormy, grins.
“Hey there, Curse. Sorry to do this to you, but I’ll be wrapping this up quick!”
Bazakk is a student from the same Holy Knight Academy Class 1-A as Curse.
Bazakk, knowing Curse’s ability well, was already feeling victorious before the fight even began.
And the spectators gathered in that place seem to share the same view.
“Hey, apparently that Curse guy is the ‘weakest knight’ in the Holy Knight Academy?”
“Ha, and he’s still entering the Battle Tournament——that takes some nerve! You think he’s here to get a laugh?”
“Fights where one side is way out of their league are just boring, honestly……. Wrap it up fast so we can get to the next match.”
Every last person there——party members, classmates, the packed stands——was certain of Curse’s defeat.
Opening act of the opening act.
An overwhelming away crowd.
Buffeted by a ferocious headwind, Curse laughs——with bravado.
“Heh, heheh……hahahahahaha……!”
“H-hey……you okay, man……?”
Ignoring Bazakk’s kind concern, Curse slowly sweeps his fringe back.
“Not a single person gets it. The primordial law——the ‘truth of the world’——nobody understands it.”
The air around him has clearly changed.
“Hey, you know this? Squinty-eyed characters who speak in dialect……when they get serious, they’re strong——that’s just how it works.”
Curse slowly draws his sword, and snaps open a pair of vivid violet-blue eyes.
“Wh-what is this guy……don’t tell me——!?”
Ten seconds later——
“——Winner: Bazakk Dormy!”
On the stone stage, Curse lay face-down with his face swollen up like a balloon.