Chapter 2: Promotion Ceremony

After the last bit of training that I finished on the day before the ceremony, I was so exhausted that I could hardly walk properly. Since I couldn’t muster the will to wash myself off in the bath, I asked Efil to simply wipe me down before I collapsed. Unlike the previous night, I couldn’t even find it in myself to return to my room, so I made do with the big sofa in the living room.

“Couldn’t you have come up with a better training method?” I grumbled. “Even I would die if we kept this up for several days in a row...”

“There is no method more efficient. Everyone exceeds their limits when their lives are in danger.”

“Are you sure you’re a goddess?”

The session I’d just endured had been even more intense than yesterday’s. I had to continuously cast Boreas Death Scythe while evading Melfina’s unrelenting assault, and accurately strike down her barrage of magical attacks. The instant I forgot to pay attention to my footing, icy restraints would sneak up on me and Efil’s arrows would come raining down. Furthermore, every shot was released with the intent to kill, with her even going so far as to use her Pyrohydra Octonary move.

If I focused too much attention on Efil, Melfina would immediately go for my weak points. Parallel Processing had been working in serious overdrive. I desperately wanted to punch the overconfident version of myself from this morning, who had said, “I don’t want you to go easy on me, all right? I can use White Magic to heal myself and Mel’s here too, so don’t worry about me getting hurt.”

As a result, I was now both burned and frostbitten all over. I suppose this is the perfect example of “you get what you ask for.” But let it be on the record that I did manage to heal myself without relying on Mel!

“That’s why I’m giving you both the carrot and the stick, aren’t I? All right, turn around, I’m doing your left ear now.”

“Half of me feels appeased and the other half feels like I shouldn’t be. What do I do about these conflicting emotions?”

If the hellish training was the “stick” then this must have been the “carrot.” At the moment, my head was resting on Melfina’s lap as she cleaned my ears for me. Although she wasn’t nearly as good as Efil was, I found it strangely calming. It didn’t leave me with a whole lot to complain about, to my chagrin.

“Are you enjoying it?”

“Ugh...yes, I am.”

“Glad to hear it.”

I’m willing to forgive her already just for doing this? Am I that easy?

“So, Sera and the others...” Melfina murmured. “That surprised me.”

“Hm? Oh, their Evolutions? Yeah, they’ve gotten so strong.”

“Oh, no, I was referring to the monster they defeated.”

The monster? The white wolf we ate for lunch today? It’s true the size of it surprised me when it was first removed from Clotho’s Storage. But it was absolutely scrumptious. Efil outdid herself once again.

“That wolf was one of the Divine Pillars that my predecessor created and placed in various locations around the world. To think they actually managed to defeat it...”

Okay, I did not see that coming. “Hold on, we ate it, though.”

“Mhm, it was delicious. I loved it.”

“That’s hardly the issue, is it?! I meant to say, isn’t it bad that we killed it?!”

“Oh, it’s fine. My predecessor was apparently up to something unscrupulous with the Divine Pillars, which led to all of them being decommissioned. By the time I became a goddess, they had all but lost their function. Having them contribute to your growth is worth more than leaving them lying dormant. My guess is that this one activated because Sera touched it. On paper, the Pillars are meant to be backups in case a need to exterminate the Demon Lord or the demon race ever arises.”

“Ah, so it reacted to her in particular. What is it that your predecessor planned to do with these Pillars anyway? Did she go mad and plot to wipe out everyone in the world or something?”

“What did she plan indeed? Okay, I’m done with this side too.”

She clearly dodged the question there. I lifted my head from Melfina’s lap and sat up. “Is this perhaps related to your question about Clive yesterday? You got all serious so suddenly, and when I confirmed that he’d claimed to be a transmigrator, you looked surprised.”

“Uh, I wasn’t sur—”

“Please, how long have we been together now? I’ve almost never seen you surprised, so I noticed it straight away.”

“Why is it that you are so oblivious in some ways, yet strangely sharp when it comes to things like this?” She gave me a wry smile. “I didn’t want to trouble you with the affairs of deities, but...”

“Please tell me as much as you can.” Otherwise, my curiosity will keep me awake all night.

Melfina sighed. “All right, then. You remember my explanation about the difference between otherworld summoning and actual transmigration?”

“Mh-hmm, just before I summoned Rion. What about it?”

“Aside from being summoned by way of a blessing like you and Colette did for the Heroes, it is possible for otherworlders to wander into this world by accident. It’s quite rare, but it does happen. I believe the most apt term for it in your previous world would be, ‘Being spirited away.’ There are many different reasons for it to happen, ranging from accidents to sheer coincidences. Almost all otherworlders here belong to this second category and are called wanderers.”

I did find it a bit strange how familiar residents of this world seemed to be with the concept of otherworlders, despite there only being one person who could actually summon them. I suppose Tsubaki-sama’s ancestor, the one who founded her country, falls under that category.

“However,” Melfina continued, “there are no exceptions to transmigration summoning; that is a process that must be facilitated by the Goddess of Reincarnation. My subordinate was the one who handled Rion’s summoning, but only because I provided her with my power while she did.”

“But you weren’t involved with Clive’s transmigration.”

“I was not.”

“Could it have been performed by your predecessor, then?”

“My predecessor has already lost all her powers. To be more exact, she no longer exists. Additionally, it’s only the goddess currently in office who can wield the power of reincarnation. The times I stepped away were largely because there were matters that needed an in-person application of my power. There is only so much I can leave to my subordinate, after all.”

She was actually working? Considering how much she lazes around, I can’t picture it...

“Were you thinking something rude just now?”

“While we’re having such a serious talk? Psh, of course not.”

No, no, this won’t do. I’m starting to have difficulty concentrating from the exhaustion. At the very least, I should use Nerves of Steel to maintain a poker face. So, Clive...I mean, that sounds like quite the mystery, then. If only I hadn’t missed my shot, we might have had some way of investigating further.

“There is technically a chance of a transmigrator from my predecessor’s time still being alive today, but it’s incredibly slim. Alternatively, there may be someone besides me who has attained the power of reincarnation. That isn’t likely, though.”

“I see. So, the real reason you decided to tag along with me is to look into this.”

“Nope, I’m one hundred percent here as a private thing,” Melfina replied, waving my idea away. “I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.”

How can you say that so nonchalantly?! Isn’t this an important issue for you?!

“Well, I was just brainstorming, that’s all. You don’t have to worry about it too much, honey. Although I suppose my saying that will have the opposite effect.”

“From what we know right now, Trycen and Rizea — which Gerard wants revenge against — seem to be the most obvious candidates. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information on Rizea here on the Eastern Continent. Deramis might have some, so we should make a trip there eventually. Oh, and it’d probably be a good idea to speak with the Oracle tomorrow. Then again, we can’t entirely rule out Deramis, either...” Ugh, there’s too much to think about. My brain needs sugar.

“Since you already seem to have a game plan, I’ll just stick with you, honey.”

“Hold on, wouldn’t it be more effective for you to talk to the Oracle yourself? Can you ask her in person tomorrow?”

“I forgot to mention this earlier, but I’ll be staying inside your magic pool for the entire day tomorrow.”

“Oh, right, it’s probably a bad idea for you to walk around where the higher-ups of Deramis are present.” The Oracle has even met Melfina face-to-face before, so she might recognize her at a glance.

“That’s true too, but...honestly, that girl is a bit sick.”

“Sick?” Sick how?

BAM!

Before I could ask for more details, the door to the living room burst open. C’mon guys, at least open the door properly. The damn thing’s going to come off its hinges soon.

“Kelvin! Let’s go grab a drink as a pre-celebration for tomorrow!” Sera shouted, in extremely high spirits.

“My king! Let’s drink till dawn!” Gerard added, already looking somewhat tipsy.

From her perch on the knight’s shoulders, Ruka squealed with laughter and cried, “Dawn!”

Rion was sliding into the room with her arms around Sera’s waist as if she was trying to pull her back. Sheepishly, she said, “Sorry, Kel-nii. I couldn’t stop them.”

Efil was standing close behind them, with Clotho perched on her shoulder.

Melfina looked up and chuckled. “Oh my. Everything in moderation, all right?”

“Uh, I’m seriously super sleepy right now,” I protested weakly, knowing full well that it would be in vain. And so, I mustered my last remaining scraps of energy and cast Clean on myself.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Please enjoy yourselves and take care.”

After entrusting Ellie to manage the house in our absence, I was half dragged by Sera and the others to the Fairy’s Song. But the exhaustion from my training wasn’t so easily overcome, causing me to rely on Black Staff of Disaster as a walking stick once again. It didn’t make for a very good look for a Rank S adventurer, so I shifted to borrowing Efil’s shoulder after we passed through the front gate. Now I at least look like I’m suffering from an honorable wound taken during a fierce battle, don’t I? I hope I do. Please say I do.

“You seem really excited about this, Sera, but you do realize that you’re bad with alcohol, right?”

“I’m not going to be drinking; I just love the atmosphere of celebrations!”

But every time you show up to these things to “enjoy the atmosphere,” you end up completely sloshed and I end up in mortal danger.

“I’m sorry about this, Kel-nii. I know that tomorrow’s such an important day, but I no longer have the strength to stop Sera-nee, not after her latest power boost.”

“Um, everyone, my understanding is that this is simply meant to be a meal. If it’s a full-blown party, I don’t think we should be doing it tonight.” Efil and Rion, you two are my last bastions of hope. Honestly, I think I’ll collapse on the spot if I drink a single cup of alcohol.

“What are you two saying?! It’s precisely because it’s an important day that we’re doing this to raise morale!” Sera cried.

“Indeed! I haven’t had a chance to drink a single drop today, so I intend to fully enjoy myself tonight!”

“Indeed! I’ll enjoy myself too!”

Gerard, you’ve clearly had more than a few glasses already. Ruka sure looks like she’s having fun riding on his shoulders and copying the way he speaks, but isn’t her articulation kind of shaky? Almost as if she’s dru—

“Gerard, don’t tell me you let Ruka have alcohol?!”

“As if I would do that to my precious granddaughter! She snuck a few bites of a liquor pound cake baked by Efil earlier. She’s been like this ever since.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Master. It was my oversight. I left the cake unattended in the kitchen, and she seems to have gotten into it. She couldn’t help much with the housework in her current state, so I let her come along per Gerard-san’s request.”

“So, that’s what’s going on. Well, I can’t imagine the alcohol content in the cake was too high, so I’m sure she’ll be fine. But still, make sure you look after her properly, all right, Gerard?”

“No need to tell me twice, my king. Once she starts dozing off, we’ll return home.”

Given how much Gerard treasures Ruka, I probably don’t have to worry about her. I’ll just stay next to Efil and keep a close eye on Sera. Not that that’s ever worked out for me, but still.

“Honey, is it true the Fairy’s Song serves that legendary dish called ‘curry’?!”

Seriously, have I ever gotten out of any of these feasts unscathed?

◇ ◇ ◇

“Clare! We’ve arrived!”

The Fairy’s Song was an inn and tavern that we were as familiar with as our own house. For us, this place was like a familial home, and Sera treated Clare as if the proprietress were her mother. We all visited the place frequently.

“Ah, there you are! I’ve been waiti— hold on, what’s happened to you, Kel-chan?!”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about me; I just got back from a quest.” Yep, delivered that line perfectly, if I do say so myself. But still, this place really doesn’t change, does it? Clare’s cheerful voice and all.

“Here you go, Clare! I put a whole lot of work into catching this one!” Sera announced as she pulled an enormous fresh-looking fish out of the bag that was slung over her shoulder.

Ah, she brought a souvenir for Clare-san. I was curious about what she had in there the whole time we were walking over.

“Now that is one amazing specimen! Thanks as always, Sera.”

“Don’t worry about it! I fish so much that finishing all of it by ourselves is...well, not impossible, but you’re always taking such good care of us!”

You just glanced at Melfina, didn’t you? Luckily, Melfina didn’t seem to take it personally.

“I’ll put my best efforts into cooking it! Efil-chan, would you mind helping out?”

“I’d love to. Master, I’ll be stepping away for a while.”

“Sure, sure. But please come back as soon as you can,” I muttered, my voice trailing off as I watched Clare and Efil disappear into the kitchen. My bastion of hope...

“So, tonight’s meal will be seafood curry!” exclaimed a certain gluttonous goddess.

No, I don’t think that’s the plan.

“Oh, hey, Kelvin! Heyyyy! This way, we reserved a table for you guys!”

“Oh, Uld-san!”

The person waving us over was our fellow adventurer, Uld. Bumping into him at the Fairy’s Song was a relatively rare occurrence, but tonight was one such exception. He even seemed to be expecting me. When I took a proper look around, I realized most of the other customers were adventurers that we knew well.

“Kel-nii, those are our seats, he said! Let’s go!” Rion suggested, ducking under my arm to support my weight and guiding me over. She made it look completely natural.

“Hahaha, someone’s in a hurry,” I replied in an effort to play along as I blinked back tears, touched by my sister’s consideration.

The table indicated by Uld was a rather large one that had enough space to seat my entire party. I lowered myself into one of the chairs with a mental “Heave-ho.” If it seemed like an old man thing to do, that was simply an indication of how badly my legs and hips were faring. I wanted very much to plant my face onto the table, but I controlled myself.

“I heard from Gerard-dono and Sera that you guys were having a big pre-celebration tonight. Once the word spread, our regulars all got together. We were waiting for you since we couldn’t very well start the party without our guest of honor!” he said with a hearty laugh.

“Really? I was only told about this party just now...”

“As the youngsters call it, it’s a ‘surprise,’ my king. Sera and I planned it together!”

“We did our best!”

The sentiment makes me happy, it really does, but why did you have to do it on a day when I’m this tired?! To be fair, neither Gerard nor Sera know the details of my training, so I can’t really blame them. I guess I have no choice but to accept the situation.

“How about we get this underway already? Clare, alcohol, please!”

“You come in here and do it yourself! I’m busy with the cooking right now!”

“Uh, yes, ma’am.”

Clare’s shout prompted Uld to immediately get up and walk to the kitchen, clearly demonstrating who was the boss in the relationship. But seeing as the other adventurers had also leaped into action to help out, it was undeniable that Uld commanded great respect himself.

“I’ll also h—”

“You stay seated, Kelvin-san! We’ll get everything set up in a jiffy!”

“That’s right, that’s right! We’d lose face if we let the guest of honor help out!”

When I tried to express my desire to help out, I was stopped by the others. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could even stay on my feet, so I wasn’t complaining. I should thank them properly at a later date.

As the two men left, Efil approached our table with glasses in her hands.

“Master, I was worried that wine might negatively affect your performance tomorrow, so...”

“Grape juice? Good call, Efil. Thanks.”

My maid bowed slightly. “It may be a feast, but if you end up having a hangover the next morning, that would defeat the purpose.”

“Efil-nee, I want juice too. Do I grab it from over there?” Rion asked, prompting Sera to go, “Oh, juice for me, too!”

Thinking about it, the girls in my party generally don’t drink, do they? Melfina might have a bit now and then if it complements what she’s eating, though.

“What will you have, Mel-sama?”

“I’d like the same thing as everyone else.”

With everyone present helping out, preparations for the feast were soon finished and Gerard stepped forward to make the toast. Ruka, in her maid uniform, interrupted him and sort of threw the start into disarray, but it didn’t take long for things to settle back down. Uld and the other adventurers who knew me all took turns coming to pour me a glass, but I politely rebuffed each of them in turn, citing the next day’s match as my excuse. Thankfully, they were understanding and let me off the hook to drink only juice.

Rion and I were sitting on either side of Sera to ensure that she didn’t have a single drop of alcohol. Every once in a while, my demon friend would happily pour me a new cup of juice. It was starting to look like I might actually make it through the feast without being strangled.

“You gotta let me hear the full details of your battle in the Forest of Elves sometime, Kelvin-san! Promise us!”

“Aha! If you are interested, I will —”

“Don’t you dare, Gerard.”

The feast was about halfway through, my embarrassing history had been brought up, and Ruka was starting to get sleepy. I was just about to instruct Gerard to send her home when a new party of adventurers walked through the door.

“The fuck? This place is full too.”

The first one to speak was a beastkin man. He had dog-like ears on top of his head and extremely sharp eyes that gave him a belligerent look.

“Nagua, all of these places are packed the night before the ceremony. It’s our own fault for arriving late. Let’s just be thankful the guild prepared places for us to sleep tonight.”

The second speaker was an elf lady who, in sharp contrast to her companion, gave off an air of intelligence. An elf here in Parth? That’s rare.

Following the beastkin and elf, two girls and a male dwarf also walked in.

“My stomach...growling...”

“Sylvia, please bear with it for just a little longer.”

“Ugh, even I’m about to collapse from hunger.”

My ears perked up. Hold on, “Sylvia”?

◇ ◇ ◇

The customers near the door soon noticed the new arrivals. The silver-haired girl’s equipment identified her as a Swordswoman, while the dwarf was a Heavy Warrior, the elf a Mage, and the beastkin a Pugilist. The red-haired girl alone was wearing equipment that seemed too generic to indicate her class.

“Those sure are unfamiliar faces. I know I’d remember such beauties.”

“They’re probably here for Kelvin-san’s ceremony, right? And they rushed here to barely make it in time but can’t find lodging or food ’cause the inns and taverns are all full. Happens every single time. There were plenty like that at the ceremony in Gaun last year. I mean, I was one of them, so I’d know, hahaha!”

“Forget them! Efil-chan’s new fish dish is coming out next! Supposedly, it’s a secret recipe that the head chef of the Queen of Toraj taught her directly!”

“Seriously?! Then what’re we sitting on our asses here for?!”

“Calm down, guys. It’s going to be served to everyone here.”

The local adventurers’ attention did not linger on the strangers for long. In fact, the newcomers were almost promptly forgotten as everyone returned to their food and drink.

“Did you hear that? There’s some big-shot chef here. I’d love to try some of that cooking myself.”

“Come on, Kokudori, don’t be unreasonable. Let’s check out the next tavern,” said the elf as she turned to leave.

“Secret recipe...I’m sure it’d be so good...”

“I’m sure it is, Sylvia, but don’t look so down. Please? Here, I’ll give you my last piece of jerky.”

“Mm, thank you.”

The silver-haired girl who they referred to as Sylvia looked extremely dispirited. The tiny sounds emanating from her stomach — which weren’t audible over the ruckus of the place, thankfully — indicated that it had truly been a while since she’d last had a proper meal. She accepted the piece of meat offered by the red-haired girl and started nibbling on it.

“Ah, fuck it! Gimme a sec, Sylvia.”

“Nagua, what are you doing?” asked the elf with alarm as she saw the beastkin turn to wade into the crowded tavern.

“If there’s no room, I’ll just make room. I’ll chase out some other group.”

“Are you out of your mind?! Don’t cause a scene!”

Growl...

The moment the elf shouted at him, her stomach also gurgled loudly. She was starving too but had been pretending otherwise. Her white skin flushed red with embarrassment.

“You wanna repeat that, Ariel?”

“Th-That was —”

“No violence, Nagua.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll, uh, do my best.”

It wasn’t clear if Sylvia’s admonition actually got through or not. Regardless, the beastkin dove into the crowd in search of a target.

“If we leave it to Ariel, we’ll never get a scrap of food till hell freezes over. How much longer is she gonna make Sylvia walk for, anyway? As always, it falls on me to take care of things!” is probably what’s going through Nagua’s mind at the moment, the red-haired girl, Ema, thought. It was clear in her eyes that he had the hots for Sylvia.

Nagua scanned the store, looking for a reason to pick a fight with somebody. Then his eyes fell on a certain group.

“This isn’t exactly a gift for helping to nurse me yesterday, but, um, there’s something I want to give you. I said some pretty hurtful things at the time...oh, your glass is empty. Here, here, here, let me refill it.”

“Sera-nee, go easy on the drinks! It’s already his sixth cup!”

“It’s fine, Rion, this isn’t wine. It’s not like I’m going to get drunk off grape juice. And Sera, seriously, don’t worry about yesterday. I did it because I wanted to; you don’t owe me anything.”

“Honey, it’s dreadful. The curry still hasn’t come out yet!”

At the center of the table was a young man wearing black from head to toe. On one side, a red-haired beauty was pouring him a drink, while on the other, a demure-looking blue-haired girl was clutching his arm, trying to grab his attention. There was another really cute girl — and this was where Nagua’s sight went red. He had failed to notice the giant suit of armor sitting across from the young man in black.

Oh yeah, it’s gotta be that fucker. I can just kill him outright, can’t I? I’d probably be forgiven for doing it!

With the veins on his temple throbbing visibly with rage, the beastkin stomped across the room, both for the sake of alleviating Sylvia’s hunger and for the sake of unleashing his own resentment.

◇ ◇ ◇

As Sera filled my cup back up, I turned part of my attention towards the beastkin who was approaching the table. According to Prettia’s information, the silver-haired girl was likely my opponent for tomorrow. I had been keeping an eye on her group from the moment I’d heard the name “Sylvia” mentioned, but I didn’t intend to start anything on our side. I was hardly in the best shape at the moment anyway.

Contrary to my desire for a peaceful evening, however, the beastkin who seemed to be one of Sylvia’s party members had started angrily making his way over. He had a naturally intimidating face and the aura of a delinquent, but the instant he spotted me, I could feel the rage all but bursting out of him.

What did I do?

“Um, this —”

It looked like Sera was about to take something out of her chest pocket, but unfortunately, the stranger didn’t notice and cut her off.

“Hey there, nice guy with the black hair. Looks like you’re rather enjoying yourself, aren’tcha?”

“Uh...do I know you?”

“Hah! Nope, it’s our first meeting! I’m sorry, man, but can you give us this table? Y’see, every last fucking tavern is full, and I’m about to die of hunger here. You look like a nice guy; I’m sure you get me, yeah?”

What a blatantly provocative attitude. Does he think we’ll back off if he threatens us? I don’t want to cause a scene, but I’m not going to let someone walk all over us. Sera and Gerard went to the trouble of preparing this feast for my sake; I’m not about to let it be called off.

“No can do, I’m afraid. You see, we booked this table in advance. How about trying somewhere else?” I replied with a business-like smile. If he backs off, we’re good. If he tries anything, we’ll respond in kind.

“Hah! Look at you putting up a front for a bunch of girls! What, you still don’t get it? I’m not asking, I’m telling you to get fuck outta that chair!”

The man’s shout drew the attention of the adventurers around us. They all turned, curious about what was happening. Gerard and the others stayed silent, but I noticed them raising their guards.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I said no. Are your ears for decoration?”

“You have balls at least, I’ll give you that! Step outside. I’ll make you regret —”

“Regret, you said?”

I had never heard Sera use such a cold voice before. She slowly gripped the edge of our table, where deep cracks began to spider across the surface until it splintered apart entirely. This was the very thick, tough kind of table often used by adventurers to have arm-wrestling matches and the like, so crushing it to pieces so easily was no joke. Gerard and Rion desperately saved the dishes atop it in the nick of time. Melfina did her part as well by scooping up the large plate of steamed chicken before the table disintegrated beneath it.

“There’s no need to step outside. I’ll finish you here and now,” Sera growled as she stood. Black Magic was roiling around her fists and her eyes were glowing an even deeper shade of crimson than usual.

Uh, I did not see this coming. You all right, Sera?!

::Ah, yes, demons’ eyes do that when they get angry. She’s what you might describe as having currently ‘flipped her shit,’:: Melfina commented calmly as she popped a piece of chicken into her mouth.

Why’s she so angry, though?!

::She’d just drummed up her courage to do something else when that guy interrupted her. Pretty uncanny stroke of bad timing, considering how high her Luck is.::

Nobody seemed to notice my bewilderment as the entire venue heated up.

“It’s a fight! A fight’s starting!”

“Why does that beastkin have to start something right before Efil-chan’s newest dish comes out?!”

“Guys, guys, shove your tables aside. And be careful not to break anything! Or else Clare will kill me!”

“Which one you betting on?”

“You mean, how many seconds am I betting on, right? It’s my first time seeing Sera-san so mad.”

Thanks to the adventurers’ efforts, the arena was set up in the blink of an eye. The round tables were lined up against the walls to form a makeshift fence and simplistic guest seating was created around it. Someone even threw together a betting pool.

What is with this ridiculously perfect teamwork even though they’re all so drunk?!

“Just saying, I don’t lay hands on women and children. Have Black Hair face me himself!”

“Woof, woof, woof? What a noisy dog. If you’re chickening out then just say so.”

“The fuck you say?!”

Sparks flew furiously between Sera and the stranger. At the same time, the rest of Sylvia’s party hurried over.

“E-Excuse me! We’re members of the same party as this stupid dog over here! Please let me apologize for his disrespect! I’m so sorry!”

Upon reaching us, the elven lady immediately offered a ninety-degree bow, which was promptly followed by Sylvia, the red-haired girl, and the dwarf also offering their sincere apologies.

“I will take full responsibility and drag the idiot out of here myself! Please, I beg you, stop this fight. Naturally, we will reimburse you for the trouble we’ve caused!”

“I’d love for the commotion to settle down too, but...” I looked over at Sera, who hadn’t accepted any of the telepathic messages I’d been sending over the last few minutes. “It looks like it’s too late. There’s no choice now but to let things play out.”

“B-But that’s — your companion is in great danger! That man is ‘Brutal Beast’ Nagua, an adventurer with an alias!”

“An alias? Wow.”

“That’s why you need to put a stop to this —”

“Ariel, that’s not it,” Sylvia said, shaking her head and placing a hand on the elf’s shoulder. “The one that’s in danger is Nagua.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The adventurers surrounding the makeshift arena were reaching a fever pitch. Due partly to the alcohol and partly to the festive mood enveloping the city, everyone was more hyped up than usual.

“Gerard-san and Sera-chan even planned a show for tonight?! They sure do things on a different scale than the rest of us. So, who’s the dude?”

“Omigod! You got this, Sera-sama! You’re my idol!”

“Honey, what is all this commotion, hm?”

“C-Clare?! No, it’s not my fault, things just sort of happened!”

“Beastkin dude, please hang in there for ten seconds!”

The majority of adventurers gathered in the tavern tonight were personal acquaintances, leading to most of the voices being in support of Sera. Then again, the trigger for the fight had been flat-out bullying, so the ratio of her supporters to his would probably have been the same even if we’d been in some other establishment.

“Hah! All you fuckers saying whatever the fuck you want. Ten seconds? Making me laugh.”

“First time we agree on something. I only need three seconds.”

“WHOAAAA!!”

Sera lifted three fingers, prompting the crowd to explode with cheers and shouting. The veins on Nagua’s forehead were so swollen that they seemed ready to burst at any moment.

“Woman, I haven’t told you who I am yet, have I? My name is Nagua. You ever heard of ‘Brutal Beast’ Nagua? Huh?”

A portion of the adventurers surrounding us stirred upon hearing his name.

“Isn’t ‘Brutal Beast’ the mercenary who accompanies Ice Princess?”

“The one that’s famous for being considered brutal even in Gaun?”

“Hold on, but I heard he lost to a female swordsman last year.”

So, this Nagua dude actually has made a name for himself, huh. And that last piece of information is probably referring to Sylvia, isn’t it?

“Never heard the name. Who’re you?”

“Fuck! This is why ignorant women are just...forget it. Let’s do this.”

“Sounds good. Rion, give us the signal.”

Rion shot me a worried look. “Umm...”

“Don’t worry, Rion. Believe in Sera. In spite of how it looks, she won’t do anything that would put us in a bad position. She does know how to control herself when it counts.” When she’s sober, that is.

“Hold on, Nagua,” Sylvia said just as it seemed the fight was about to begin. “You shouldn’t do this. You can’t beat her.”

“Hah! Sylvia’s actually cracking a joke? What a lucky day this is! Don’t worry, I’ll drop this woman in a second and we’ll go grab some food.”

“Um, I wasn’t joking.”

“Seriously, don’t worry. Stand back, I got this.”

Nagua waved his hand in a “shoo, shoo!” motion, and Sylvia reluctantly returned to her spot. Seeing as the red-haired girl immediately turned to comfort her, perhaps her mental fortitude wasn’t all that high.

Why is Nagua making a face like he’s doing Sylvia a favor? Wait, did he misunderstand and think she was just saying that because she’s worried about Sera? And it’s too late to back out now, so...oh boy, he’s going to be in for a surprise.

“Sorry for the wait. C’mon, let’s start.”

Nagua bent his knees and leaned forward slightly, adopting a pose reminiscent of a hunter going after its prey. In contrast, Sera simply stood with her legs spread and arms crossed, showing no intention whatsoever of taking up a fighting stance.

“Both sides ready?”

Rion lifted her small hand, drawing the attention of all eyes present. Silence filled the tavern as everyone watched with bated breath. Then her hand fell. It might as well have been slicing right through the tension in the air.

Nagua shot forward, staying low to the ground. His movements were supple, like that of a beast, instantaneously reaching a speed faster than the eye could follow.

Pretty impressive acceleration right there.

“Well, let’s enjoy th—bfffpttttt!”

“Three seconds.”

Sera suddenly seemed to appear right in front of Nagua’s eyes, too fast for him to register. In an instant, he was flying through the swinging doors of the Fairy’s Song. Violent sounds of sliding and bouncing continued for a short while outside, with no one uttering a peep until the noise subsided.

“Would you look at that? He actually went outside,” Sera commented, resuming the same confident pose from before the start of the fight.

“N-NAGUA!!” shouted the elven lady, Ariel, as she rushed out after him. Did she also fail to take Sylvia’s warning seriously? Her voice served as a trigger that brought the other adventurers to their senses.

“Bro, did you even catch what happened?”

“Nah, man, all I got was that Sera-san suddenly appeared in front of the guy and did something to him...”

“I saw it! I saw Sera-sama’s fist landing on his face!”

The adventurers who had been relegated to the role of audience seemed to be having trouble understanding what they had just witnessed. Considering most of them were around Rank D, merely having caught the last blow that sent Nagua flying — because there wasn’t just one — was quite impressive.

“Kokudori, Ema, did you see that?” Sylvia asked, turning to her companions.

“That was a total of three — no, four attacks?” murmured the dwarf, Kokudori, stroking his beard. “It was all so fast that I could barely see it even while focusing solely on the action. I wouldn’t stand a chance against her one-on-one either.”

The red-haired girl, Ema, had a look of astonishment on her face. “She shifted from that unguarded pose to accurately catch Nagua on his chin while he was still in the middle of accelerating. It was incredible.”

Clearly, these two were significantly more capable than Nagua and Ariel. I chose not to use Analyze Eye on them, though, as they were standing close to Sylvia and I really wanted to wait until our fight to find out her abilities.

They were right, though. Sera had indeed delivered four attacks within three seconds. As Nagua ran forward at high speed, she had closed the distance in one step and thrown a light jab at his chin. I say jab, but it was more of a pinpoint attack delivered by the one and only Sera. I myself wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of such a blow.

Nagua’s brain was severely shaken by it, and he had instantly lost consciousness. If left alone, he would have simply fallen to his knees right then, and the match would have been over. Sera, however, had no intention of letting him off that easily. As he was starting to fall, she had uppercutted him to make him fly back up into the air just a bit. What with falling and flying and everything in between, he was a pretty busy person during those few seconds. While he was at the top of his trajectory and just about to fall once again, she had driven in a left body blow before planting a right straight onto his face to finally send him out of the “ring.” He was basically just a punching bag at that point.

Even so, she had clearly held back. If she had gotten serious, even with her bare fists she could have changed the appearance of every single part of his body. He was severely injured, but not dead. His companions could heal him up easily enough.

“You three don’t look all that worried about what happened to your friend. Aren’t you going to go check on him too?”

“Um, it appears your lady friend went easy on him, so I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Sylvia replied.

“What makes you think that?” My Rank S Concealment was applied to everyone in my party. That meant that even if Sylvia possessed Analyze Eye at Rank S, she couldn’t have seen Sera’s Status.

“Um...intuition?”

Oh, she’s another Sera.

::Kel-nii, the beastkin seems all right, although only just. His elf companion is healing him with magic right now. Looks like he did lose a few of his teeth.::

Upon hearing Rion’s report of Nagua’s state, I replied, Understood. Leave the rest to the elf and come on back.

::Okay!::

All right, that’s one thing taken care of. Now I have to handle things here inside.

“Sylvia says that Nagua’s fine,” Ema said hesitantly, “so he’s probably fine. I think this would be a good lesson for him too. So, about all the trouble we’ve caused your side...um...”

She struggled to find her next words. I could tell roughly what she was thinking, though. A member of a party led by Sylvia, a Rank S adventurer, had picked a fight with someone with no name and actually lost the fight. There were plenty of other adventurers who had been present and could testify to it. This was a situation that could very well negatively affect Sylvia’s name. Ema probably wished for the matter to be kept under wraps, but had no idea what to do about it. Luckily for her, I had no desire to make it into a big thing myself.

“Hmm...Gerard.”

“Yes, my king?”

I then sent a telepathic message to the knight, who was rocking his sleeping grandchild on his lap. I really didn’t want to be reminded of it, but there was no choice but to ask him to tap into that talent he had for entertaining crowds, which he had displayed so well back in the Village of Elves.

::Understood, my king.::

After passing Ruka to Rion, who had just returned, Gerard walked out into the center of the space that had served as the ring. In his arms was a wooden platform, which he set on the ground and immediately stepped onto. He cleared his throat once.

“Come now, everyone, what did you think of that exhibition match between Sera and Brutal Beast?! It sure looked real, don’t you think?!”

He launched into his speech and continued to talk and talk. I had asked him to make it seem like the fight had been a fixed match. After all, if there was no way to hide what had happened, we could at least change how the event was perceived.

“WHAT?! That was all an act?!”

“It was so fast, I couldn’t see anything at all! Damn, man, Rank S adventurers sure are incredible!”

“S-See, Clare? It really was arranged by Kelvin. So please spare me already...”

“Oh my. So, it was a program for the feast after all. Sure could have fooled me!”

Well, the acting was pretty much true to life. But anyway, payment for the table that we pulverized...ugh, I don’t think Clare-san would accept it if we tried to reimburse her for the commotion as well. Right! Let’s just pay for everything in one lump sum and pad it a little! We’ll even include a bit more for Uld-san’s treatment costs!

“I’m sorry for springing it on you out of the blue! As an apology, I’ll be footing the bill for everything today. Tomorrow is the all-important promotion ceremony and related match. Drink as much as you want tonight, everyone, and go nuts!”

“HELL YEAH!!”

The loudest shout of the night rocked the building. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t like free drinks. And the more they drank, the more that would go into the Fairy’s Song’s books. That would make it easier for me to sneak Clare the extra money. All right, now everything on this side has been resolved too!

Ema wore a confused expression. “U-Um, why would you go to such trouble for us? What do you get out of this?”

“Well, can I ask one thing of you guys?”

Wariness immediately filled Ema and Kokudori’s faces. Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to ask for anything unreasonable. It’s an entirely wholesome request.

“Sylvia, please go all out during tomorrow’s match.”

“Go all out?”

“Yep. That’s all I want.”

“Um...how is that connected to you, though?”

“That — oh, sorry, looks like my friend’s back. Ask any of the other adventurers here; they’ll tell you. Later, then!”

“Wait, what?” Ema cried. “You can’t just —”

But Sera had just returned from the arena, which was now occupied by Gerard. The red in her eyes was a bit fainter, but they seemed slightly teary instead.

Of all the issues to be resolved this evening, this was the most herculean task. Everything that I wanted to say to Sylvia and her side had already been said. I couldn’t afford to pay them any more attention.

◇ ◇ ◇

“C’mon, Sera, cheer up already. Please?”

“Hmph! Like I care!”

After Clare set up a new table for us in place of the one that had been broken, we resumed our drinking. Not alcohol, of course, but juice. We were drinking juice.

Sera had finally gotten to the point where she would at least speak to us. Immediately after the fight she had thrown herself over the table and refused to say a word. The rest of us tried everything we could to restore her humor, and it was only after I very, very tenderly patted her head for fifteen minutes straight and promised to go fishing with her that she started to show some improvement.

This sure takes me back to when we first met her. It was quite the undertaking getting her to stop crying back then too.

“Sheesh, I couldn’t give you the present, and a weird guy appeared out of the blue, and...ARGH, everything’s gone so wrong!”

“Good job going easy on him, though, Sera-nee. You know, my heart was literally in my throat,” Rion said as she used her homemade chopsticks to pick out pieces of bone with some meat left on them and pass them to Alex, who was camping out in her shadow.

“And I’m more than happy to receive presents any time,” I added. “In fact, you can give it to me right now.”

“I don’t want to now. It’s not the right mood anymore.”

“That’s...well, fair enough.”

We were currently sharing our table too, which didn’t help. As for who we were sharing it with...

“So good...this is so good!”

“Oh, come on, Sylvia, you’re getting sauce all around your mouth.”

“Nn...thank you, Ema.”

“Mh-hmm, you’re welcome.”

Sylvia and Ema. Around the time when Clare was preparing a new table for us, Ruka had completely conked out, so Gerard left to take her home. Consequently, we’d ended up with two empty seats at our table. I’d eventually folded at the sight of Sylvia staring like an abandoned kitten and agreed to let her and Ema join us. We got to talking, and it didn’t take long before we had opened up to each other quite a bit. And all this right after I’d said goodbye because I couldn’t afford to pay them any more attention! Talk about a quick reunion.

Ariel and Kokudori had gone ahead to their inn, taking Nagua with them. According to Ema, the Adventurer’s Guild had already arranged lodging for them, but they’d arrived too late and missed dinner. Most outdoor stalls were already closed at this time, and because of my ceremony, the taverns were chock-full. Unable to bear Sylvia’s pitiful hungry look any longer, Nagua had decided to force a random group to yield their seats. But for some reason, instead of going after hoodlums or punks, he’d come over to pick a fight with us.

“Still, why didn’t you just tell us you’re Sylvia’s opponent for tomorrow?” Ema asked with a slight pout.

“I did consider it, but...” It’s something that everyone else in the tavern already knew, and I wanted to focus on Sera instead of fielding follow-up questions.

“So...Nagua was up against a party member of the new Rank S adventurer. Now it makes sense that he lost. Oh, no, I’m not blaming you or anything. The fault is his for misjudging your companion’s strength and picking a losing fight.”

“Grr...” Sera growled, glaring at them in a clear display of hostility. She was still openly wary of our new acquaintances.

“Come on, Sera, leave them alone already. Sylvia’s promised to go all-out in tomorrow’s match, and that’s what matters, right?”

“I mean...if you say so, Kelvin.”

“And there you have it. Good luck to both of us tomorrow, Sylvia.” Oh boy, I can hardly wait.

“I don’t mind, but why?”

“We can’t die during the match, right? Getting to fight someone powerful with absolutely no risk is a priceless opportunity. It would be such a waste to not take full advantage of it.”

As Sylvia stuffed her cheeks with a spaghetti dish called Napolitan, a question mark seemed to appear over her head. Does she not understand this thrill and exhilaration? What a pity. Truly.

“I don’t really get it, but...I just have to go all-out during the fight, right? Sure.”

Ema looked at Sylvia with concern. “Don’t go overboard, okay?”

“Ahaha, good for you, Kel-nii.”

“Thank you for waiting,” Efil said, emerging from the kitchen with seconds for Sylvia and Melfina. “Here are your Napolitans.”

As it turned out, Sylvia was also a big eater. She wasn’t on Melfina’s level, but what she could pack away was still rather impressive considering her build was more like Efil’s.

And speaking of Melfina, she hasn’t said a word since Sylvia and Ema joined our table. Am I imagining it, or has she started eating faster? Is she feeling competitive about this?

“Oh right, you haven’t met yet,” I noted, quickly introducing Efil to our new acquaintances.

“So, you are Kelvin-san’s maid, and you made these dishes y— hold on, why’re you working here as a waitress, then?”

“The proprietress, Clare-san, is my cooking mentor. I’m simply helping her out in the kitchen today.”

I smiled proudly. “The Torajian cuisine that you just had was also made by her!”

“Very nice!” Ema complimented. “It was absolutely delicious, Efil-san. Strangely, I even started tearing up —”

Sylvia suddenly grabbed Efil’s hands.

What’s she doing?

“Um, hi!”

“Y-Yes, hello. How may I help you?”

“Please give me your autograph!”

That day, Efil earned herself a new fan.

◇ ◇ ◇

The celebration had concluded without further mishap, and Efil, Sera, Rion, Melfina, and I were on our way back home. My legs and hips had significantly recovered, at least to the point where I could walk on my own. After all, I couldn’t very well lean on my maid indefinitely. Efil did look a bit disappointed about that, though.

“Once we started talking, it turns out they’re pretty nice people,” Melfina commented.

I looked at her pointedly. “Once ‘we’ started talking? You were stuffing your face the whole time.”

“Well, I’ll admit they weren’t as bad as I first thought,” Sera conceded. “But the same can’t be said for the dog person.”

Sera had eventually gotten to the point where she was able to talk to Sylvia and Ema normally. Her fists might still fly when she sees Nagua again, but that’s none of my concern.

“Um, Master, was my signature good enough? It was my first time doing that.”

“Sylvia seemed happy with it, which is all that matters, right? At least, that’s what I told myself when I was asked for an autograph once.”

It was, what, when I’d just been promoted to Rank A, I think? I can’t remember who asked for it, though.

“Thank you for teaching me how to write, Master. And to think I barely knew how to read when we were in Toraj...”

“Kel-nii taught you? But I knew how to read and write the language here straight away.”

“I assume transmigrators learn it automatically. It was the same for me when I arrived.”

“Mhm, it’s a bit like an after-sales service we provide to transmigrators for quality of life purposes. It’d be quite a struggle not knowing a word of the local language after being flung into a whole new world.”

We bantered for a while longer until we reached the gate to our estate. Oh right, I still haven’t fixed the guard golems that Prettia half demolished. Guess I’ll have to redirect the golems stationed inside the house to gate duty for a while.

“Welcome home, everyone,” Ellie said as she emerged through the front door. “I’m truly sorry for the trouble Ruka caused. I will scold her properly when she wakes up tomorrow.”

I waved a hand. “As long as she doesn’t do it again, it’s fine. Gerard quite enjoyed looking after her tonight.”

“Gerard-sama is far too kind to us.”

“Master, I don’t believe you’ve had your bath yet,” Efil said, turning to me. “Would you like one now?”

Oh, she’s right. All I did was cast Clean on myself. Mm, I think I have regained enough energy to take one now. “Yes, please. I’d like to have a good sleep tonight.”

“Understood, Master.”

Well! Tomorrow’s the promotion ceremony, finally. And, more importantly, the practice match with Sylvia that I’ve been looking forward to so much. I’ll also need to make contact with the Oracle, Colette. It’s going to be a long day. Let’s have a bath and go straight to bed.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, we made our way to the enormous multipurpose square located in the center of the city, where large-scale festivals and celebrations were always held. A special venue had been set up just for the event, with the area for the ceremony being a central carpeted pathway lined with chairs for VIPs and, farther off, extra space for common guests to observe from.

Damn, something of this scale was done in four days’ time? I guess that goes to show how incredibly powerful different skills can be.

“Oh, hey, Kelvin! You’re already here!”

“Good morning, Ange. I’ll be in your care today.”

“Ahaha, what an honor it is being relied on by our brand new Rank S adventurer! Leave it to me; I’ve got you covered!”

The arrangement was that Ange would be by my side for the entire day, operating as my attendant, guiding me where I needed to go and providing general support where necessary. Among those who worked at the Parth Adventurer’s Guild, I was closest to her. Maybe choosing her for the task had been Rio’s way of being considerate.

“Well, since you’re all here, we might as well go over the schedule. It’s a bit early, but it won’t hurt,” Ange said as she took out several sheets of paper from her shoulder pouch and passed them around to us. “The ceremony begins at 10 am. You are free to do whatever you want till then, but it’d be a great help if you could be backstage ahead of time. The guild has prepared formal wear for each of you, so please change into those in your respective rooms.”

“Do we have to wear the formal outfits? I thought I’d just wear the same thing I’ll be in for the match.” I’ve already put on my favorite black robe, Astarte’s Embrace, to pump myself up and everything.

“I’m sorry. It’s not like there’s a set rule or anything, but our guildmaster got weirdly fired up about the whole thing and ordered custom outfits for all of you. I don’t know if it’s any consolation, but these were created according to official guidelines, so you’ll be able to wear them for any other guild-related ceremonies in the future. We’ll let you keep them for free, so could you bear with it for now? Wait, where’s Mel-san?”

“Mel-nee isn’t feeling well today, so she can’t make it. She’s been under the weather since yesterday.”

“Really? I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll need to visit her later on.”

Rion had excused Mel’s absence on the grounds of illness, but of course that was a big, fat lie. Our goddess was currently tucked away within my magic pool. As we had discussed, it was a necessary countermeasure against the possibility of her bumping into Colette or other important figures from Deramis. I wasn’t sure if there was a genuine need to be this careful, but there was a high chance of Colette recognizing her, so it was best to be safe.

I guess the Oracle is living up to her position and the blessing she received. Good on her.

::I mean, yes, but, that’s not exactly...::

Not exactly what?

::I...think you’ll get it when you meet her yourself.::

You’ve been a bit weird since this morning. You sure you’re not unwell for real?

Ange continued to give us the rundown, oblivious to our telepathic conversation. “Once the ceremony is over, there’ll be time for lunch, and then it’ll be the practice match that everyone’s looking forward to. To be blunt, most of the visitors from other countries are likely more interested in that part than the ceremony itself. These occasions are pretty much the only opportunity most have to see Rank S adventurers duking it out, after all.”

“Kelvin, make sure you win, okay?” Sera commanded. “I won’t forgive you if you lose!”

“No need to tell me. I’ll be deadly serious about winning.”

Ange whispered in my ear, “Um, is it just me, or is Sera-san really worked up today?”

“Ah, y’know, stuff happened yesterday. She’s been like this all morning; don’t worry about it.”

“I see. Guess you’ve got a lot on your plate! If you ever need a helping hand, come find me!”

“Thanks, Ange. That really means a lot.” She’s so great. I hope we can stay such good friends in the future.

“Master, we still have a little over two hours before the ceremony begins. What should we do?”

“Ah, we came a bit too early. Should we just find somewhere to spend —”

“Well, I’ll be! If it isn’t Kelvin-chan and Gerard-sama!” a rough voice exclaimed from behind us. I didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was; Gerard’s immediate look of anxiety beside me left no room for doubt.

“Hey there, Prettia.”

The speaker was, of course, Goldiana Prettiana. He was dressed to the nines and sporting even more makeup than when we had seen him last. So, this is him at his most dolled up? Damn.

“Your ceremony is finally happening! I’ll be supporting you from the shadows. Go break a leg!”

“That’s heartening to hear. Thanks!”

“Still, there’s some time before it kicks off, isn’t there? I’m planning to visit my favorite café. I wanted to read a book over a cup of morning tea, but would you dearies like to join me? How about you, Gerard dear?”

Prettia winked — with the sideways peace sign and all — and sent a heart flying our way. This is obviously meant for Gerard, so I can’t very well get in the way. Let’s dodge it.

::It’s not mine, either!!::

Aww, even Gerard avoided the heart. Look at him being all shy. Joking aside, I quite liked the café idea. I also thought I might get to hear some interesting information from Prettia, so I decided to take him up on the offer.

“We don’t have any other plans, so, sure. If you don’t mind having us, that is.”

“Oh my, really?!”

“Ange, what about y— what’s wrong?” I had turned to look at Ange and found her staring in shock.

“K-Kelvin, th-th-this person is ‘Peach Ogre’ Goldiana Prettiana from the Western Continent! When exactly did you two get to know each other?!”

“Didn’t you get the report on what happened with Sera and the others?”

“With Sera-san? Are you referring to the new dungeon that Rion-chan reported? What does that have to do with Goldiana-san?”

Hmm? It wasn’t Prettia who contacted the guild?

“Oh, I’m sorry, Kel-nii. I guess I never did get to go into the details. It was me who made the report to the guild about the new dungeon and the monsters we encountered. I was planning to bring Prettia-chan’s name up as well, but he kept insisting he didn’t want his share of the reward. We parted ways in front of the guild, with me and Gramps left to make the report as he ran off to our house by himself.”

“Ahh, so that’s why you got home a bit later.” And if Prettia was charging at our place on his own, it makes a lot more sense that our golems attacked him.

“Oh, how embarrassing! Silly me, getting ahead of myself and everything!” Prettia blushed and stuck out his tongue.

Dammit, why can’t it be the girls in my party striking that pose?!

“You’re such a scatterbrain sometimes, Prettia-chan!” Rion laughed.

“In any case! Off to the café we go, dearies! We can talk there!”

◇ ◇ ◇

After killing some time at Prettia’s favorite café, our group returned to the main venue. Prettia left us in front of the entrance and made his way over to the VIP seating as the rest of us headed for our private lounge.

“That was actually a pretty good place with a nice atmosphere,” Sera said.

I nodded. “I know, right? I’d expected something more...out there, but I’ll admit Prettia has pretty good tastes.” Aside from his fashion sense, that is. But let’s move on. It’s time to don our formal clothing.

“Here are your outfits,” Ange said as she passed separate packages to each of us.

The outfits were all of unique design, with mine being a black three-piece suit that looked more like something a noble would wear. It had fancy detailing, and there was even a brooch bearing the wing symbol that represented the Parth Adventurer’s Guild for me to pin on later.

Efil, Sera, and Rion all had dresses tailored to reflect their own personalities. Guild staff had apparently dedicated numerous all-nighters to these designs even before the ceremony had been officially announced. Just like my suit, the dresses bore the Parthian wing. Ranking a solid A, they were surprisingly high-quality outfits.

“And this is the one for Mel-san. Please pass it on to her later.”

“Gotcha. Thanks, I think she’ll love it.”

::Efil! This outfit doesn’t have holes for my wings and tail!::

::Not a problem. Clo-chan is holding onto a set of my sewing tools for me, so I can fix it easily enough.::

Sera seemed rather flustered, but it was clear that Efil was on top of things, as always. Gerard had also received a white mantle emblazoned with the Parthian wing, but due to the way his Self Modification skill worked, equipping it would mean losing Crimson Mantle forever. And, similarly, after putting this one on, he wouldn’t be able to take it off again.

What should we do?

Gerard cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ange, I’m sorry to say this, but I have personal reasons for why I can’t wear this. May I go out in my current gear?”

“Oh, you’re fine, Gerard-san. We know you never take off your armor, so the Guildmaster’s already given up on the idea.”

“I...see? Great, thanks.”

A small chuckle bubbled up in my throat. Gerard, I think they might have misunderstood you somehow.

“Kelvin, your changing room is that way. The female changing room is over here. I’ll come to fetch you all when time comes. As I said at the café, the only thing you’ll have to do during the ceremony is say ‘Yes,’ so don’t stress about it. Well then, I’ll be back in a few!”

Ange headed out, but not before hurriedly pushing me into my own changing room.

“Fine...I’ll get changed, then, I suppose.”

::Honey, is that disappointment I hear in your voice?::

◇ ◇ ◇

Even before the start of the ceremony, numerous VIPs from abroad and various famous adventurers were already settled into their seats. The area for the other spectators was all but overflowing as well. It was harder to find a spot that wasn’t occupied.

“Looks like the ceremony is actually happening. Remember the guest of honor never showed up last time? I still have no idea what she looks like.”

“Come, now, don’t say that. Sylvia-dono is the one who’ll be serving as the opponent in the practice match this afternoon. So, we’ll not only be seeing both of them in person, we’ll even have the honor of spectating their fight. That’s enough to make up for last year in my book.”

Several conversations within the VIP area, most of them among the nobles, had already turned towards the upcoming match. Some had attended in hopes of attracting the new talent, some were there to gauge the threat posed by these new superpowers. There were as many intentions as there were people present, but at the root of it all was the power suggested by the Rank S designation. Authorities from many countries had scrambled to get to Parth as soon as the Adventurer’s Guild had announced the event. The occasion was just that important.

As expected, the place is fully packed. I must make sure to bear witness to Gerard-sama’s gallant figure!

Of course, there were some viewers who were entertaining impure thoughts, but they were rather in the minority.

“Silence, please.”

The clamor of the crowd abruptly died down as Rio’s voice reverberated through the venue. All eyes turned towards the stage where he stood.

“Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen. The ceremony will now begin. On this auspicious day, the man who is to be promoted to the distinguished Rank of S is Kelvin, an adventurer affiliated with the Parth Adventurer’s Guild.”

Whispers rose up in various places around the stands.

“It was only three months ago that Kelvin registered to be an adventurer. However, what he has achieved within this short period of time is extraordinarily impressive. After vanquishing the archdemon who made a sudden appearance in the vicinity of Parth, he, along with the Heroes of Deramis, went on to take down the infamous bandit gang Black Wind. While staying in the Country of Water, he accepted a request from the Queen of Toraj to subjugate the terror that was a Rank S evil dragon. Only a week ago, he successfully saved the Village of Elves in Gaun from an unwarranted invasion launched by the Mixed Monster Order of Trycen. We of the guild confirm to the world that Kelvin does indeed possess sufficient power to be deemed worthy of the rank of ‘S.’ As such, we hereby express our official approval of his promotion.”

When Rio finished speaking, spotlights swiveled onto sections of the stage to his left and right. On one side was the national flag of Toraj, on the other the national flag of Gaun, and before each flag was a crystal ball.

“I am Tsubaki Fujiwari, Queen of Toraj. I acknowledge the eligibility of the adventurer Kelvin.”

“I am Leonhart Gaun, King of Gaun. I also acknowledge the eligibility of the adventurer Kelvin.”

The voices of the two heads of state emanated loud and clear from the crystal balls — magical items of communication.

Rio raised both hands dramatically. “And there we have the acknowledgment from two monarchs of countries on the Eastern Continent. With that, Kelvin’s promotion is formally confirmed. Let it be known that this promotion to Rank S is the fastest in the history of the Adventurer’s Guild!”

Cheering and applause went up in a roar from the spectators, the majority of whom were Parthians. Kelvin was the first ever Parthian adventurer to reach Rank S, and they couldn’t have been prouder. A few of the nobles in the VIP section looked slightly taken back, but there was no time to dwell on trivial matters.

“Now, without further ado, let’s have today’s guest of honor join us on stage! Kelvin, come on up!”

The five people who had been on standby at the far end of the central pathway began to walk forward. At the front of the group was Kelvin, looking smart in his black suit. Huddled closely around him were Efil in an elegant green dress, Sera in a fiery red dress, and Rion in an immaculate white dress. Taking up the rear guard was Gerard who, despite not having worn the formal mantle, still exuded an overwhelming aura of gravity thanks to his awe-inspiring armor. The figure of him gallantly protecting his lord’s back was the ultimate display of nobility.

“How beautiful...”

“Are those girls his party members?!”

“There’s no way, he’s just hired them for sho— what?! They really are?!”

“Gerard-sama...so wonderful!”

Understandably, it was the three beauties who attracted the most attention. They almost never wore makeup in their everyday life; their natural features were stunning enough. Today, however, Ange had given them a light, dignified makeover that served to offer a slightly more mature impression. Furthermore, they were wearing the bespoke gowns that the guild staff had poured their hearts and souls into. Even the nobles who were used to seeing such finery at their social gatherings could not look away. Sighs of admiration went up throughout the crowd.

“Our efforts have finally paid off!”

“I knew it...our judgment was right!”

The staff members who had been part of this side project exchanged high-fives and wiped tears from their eyes as the newer employees looked at them with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

“Seriously, what are you guys doing? I mean, sure, you did do a great job, b— wait, did they just faint?!”

According to Ange’s account, the ones who collapsed from the exhaustion of consecutive all-nighters did so with extremely satisfied expressions on their faces.

After walking the length of the carpeted pathway, Kelvin left the rest of his companions at the bottom of the staircase as he alone climbed up to where Rio was waiting. Naturally, this caused the spectators to shift their attention to him.

“That’s Kelvin-dono, the fastest-rising adventurer in history? You, make sure to burn every detail into your brain for the report to send back home. And we need to attempt to make contact with him somehow.”

“So young? And he doesn’t look all that distinctive, does he?”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I kind of like what I see. At the very least, it seems like he knows how to hold himself.”

The reactions of the nobles were diverse, with some feeling that he fell short in comparison to his female companions, some trying to gauge his potential, and a wide variety of ulterior motives, opinions, and speculations in between. At the same time, the cheers of support from the throngs of commoners rose by another decibel.

They’re probably thinking all sorts of things about me, aren’t they? Ugh, please let it be the afternoon already, Kelvin thought with an inward sigh as he felt all of the unapologetic gazes directed towards his back. Even so, he remained mindful about keeping up his manners and giving off the best impression he could. Hardly any of those watching imagined that his head was already filled with thoughts of the coming match.

Upon reaching the spot next to Rio, Kelvin turned around to face the crowd. It was there, at that moment, that a new Rank S adventurer was born.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I’m so tired...”

After the ceremony finished and I had dealt with the hangers-on, I finally had time to grab some lunch. Food stalls had been set up everywhere around the square, and we were circling them and trying to decide where to eat when, of all people, we bumped into Sylvia and Ema.

“Good job.”

“I, for one, think you did well.”

They invited us to join their table, and we accepted. There were already several empty plates stacked up next to the silver-haired girl, but I was so used to the sight by now — thanks to a certain gluttonous goddess I knew — that I barely noticed. In fact, I thought the stack a bit unimpressive, to be honest.

“Where’s the rest of your party?” I asked as I sat down.

“Kokudori is off on his own. He’s probably still somewhere on the grounds.”

“Nagua still can’t move. Ariel is looking after him.”

Sera snorted softly. “Maybe I should have given him one more punch.”

I couldn’t help blurting out a “Now, now” in response.

“He might have been able to take it,” Sylvia said, bringing a finger to her face thoughtfully. “Or maybe not. Pretty hard to tell, actually. We need to train him more.”

Damn smooth way of handling Sera’s jab. This girl’s going places.

It was at this point that a server came to our table, so we each ordered whatever we felt like. For some reason, the guy was so nervous that he was practically shaking in his shoes. Why’s he acting like that? Is today his first day on the job?

“Silvie, how do you feel now, with it almost being time for the fight?” asked Rion.

Sister dear, your quickness at making friends never ceases to amaze me. You’re already on a nickname basis with Sylvia?

“I’m not sure why, but I feel great today. As promised, I’ll go all out.”

Whoa, I think I can almost see some sort of aura of motivation surrounding her.

Ema brought a hand to her forehead. “She’s been like this ever since last night. Sylvia, are you sure you didn’t eat anything strange?”

“I’ve only eaten what you have,” Sylvia answered. She bobbed her head at Efil. “Oh, right, Efil-san. Your food last night was delicious. I was so moved. I’ll treasure your signature forever.”

Efil lowered her head in response. “I’m glad you liked it. Please come eat at the restaurant again.”

::If she had Efil’s cooking, that means she received a buff from it, didn’t she?:: Sera remarked through the Network.

My eyes widened slightly at the realization. Sylvia, if you check your Status, you’ll find a wonderful surprise waiting for you. But then again, I have the same buff, so we’re even. Let’s have ourselves a wonderful fight!

◇ ◇ ◇

Next to the area where the morning’s program had been held was a simplistic coliseum that would be the stage for the demo match. There was a circular platform in the center surrounded by tiers of spectator seats, and the ornamentation of the structure was surprisingly elaborate for a place that had been set up for the sake of a single fight.

The match was just about to start, and the entire venue was absolutely swarming with people. Every seat was filled, and vendors were already out making their rounds. Excitement hung thick in the air.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the exhibition match between our newest Rank S adventurers will be starting any moment now! Your commentator for the day is me, Ronove, official announcer from the Gaun Mixed Fighting Arena!”

The voice of a female cat beastkin rang out loud and clear from a square box dangling around the neck of a gigantic bird flying above the stands. The box was a magic item often used in the arenas at Gaun, which served the purpose of magnifying the speaker’s voice. As such, those who lived in Gaun, as well as those who had prior experience attending fights, were quite familiar with the device. In contrast, those encountering it for the first time were understandably surprised. And there were a lot of startled faces today, as this was the first time the contraption had ever been used in Parth. Many of those present seemed to be doubting their own ears.

“Oh, wow, that’s a pretty interesting invention. Have you ever seen it before, Sylvia?”

“Mhm. When I visited an arena in Gaun. I don’t like how it rings in my ears, though.”

Sylvia and Kelvin had a bit of time before the match and were currently chatting on stage while they waited. The reason for the delay was...

“Gulp, gulp, gulp...burp. Phew, I finally managed to drink the whole thing. I’ll be casting the spell on you now, Kelvin-san.”

“Uh...yeah, take all the time you need.”

The Oracle of Deramis, Colette, was struggling a bit with getting through the various spells that she needed to perform. She had started off with the one that would prevent instant death on Sylvia, but doing so had almost emptied her MP pool, causing her knees to buckle. The two clerics standing by for this very purpose caught her with perfect timing, and one of them passed her an MP potion. It was a rather sizable bottle, requiring some effort on her part to finish it off. However, if she didn’t drink it, her MP wouldn’t recover fast enough. If she was to fulfill her ceremonial duties, she had no option but to drink.

Recovery potions were absolute must-haves when adventuring, as they were a sure way to top up one’s HP and MP quickly. However, they were not suitable for use during combat. There was variation in how much they could recover and how they tasted based on the ingredients used, but what they all had in common was their volume and the fact that the user needed to drink the entire bottle for the potion to take effect. The only kind of adventurer who had that much time in the middle of a battle would be a novice on their first day, or so the saying went. If an adventurer desperately needed to recover on the spot, it fell to the other party members to protect the one drinking the elixir.

I wanted to talk to her before the match, but it’s going to have to wait, Kelvin thought. I’ll have to pick a time when she doesn’t seem so at the end of her rope.

After casting the same spell on Kelvin, Colette collapsed once again, was caught by her attendants once again, and, of course, was passed another MP potion...once again.

“You’re almost done, Oracle! All that’s left is to erect the barrier!”

“Y-Yes...I’m almost done...I’ve got this...”

With a pale face, she raised the next bottle to her lips. As Kelvin mentally cheered her on, Ronove continued to keep the audience engaged with her lighthearted chatter.

“Today’s stage was created by the famous artisan Caesar-san and his apprentices. We asked him for a comment, and, I quote, ‘We poured our heart into making a stage that would never break!’ From the look of it, plenty of care was directed towards the decorations as well!”

A section of the stands filled with solemn-looking men nodded.

“And today, joining me as a guest is none other than the Rank S adventurer known as Peach Ogre, Goldiana Prettiana-san! Goldiana-san, I’ll be counting on you!”

“It’s my pleasure to be here. And feel free to call me ‘Prettia-chan,’ dearie.”

“Right off the bat, let me clarify, I really will be counting on you because I won’t be providing commentary after all!”

Many of the spectators did a double take at the brazen dereliction of duty.

“Mhmm, same as always, eh?”

“That’s right! I’m proud of the portfolio of matches that I’ve commentated on, but my eyes can’t keep up with the movements of Rank S adventurers. I wouldn’t have the slightest clue what’s going on! But those of you who’re listening, don’t worry. Goldiana-san here is more than capable of explaining things when the need arises!”

“I wonder about this every time, but what are you here for, then, dear?”

“This voice magnification item is on loan from our own arena, so me being here is a sort of side benefit that I get to enjoy. But hey, at least I’ll do the emceeing!”

As if to interrupt the banter, a bluish-white barrier suddenly flashed into being. Once it had expanded far enough to completely cover the stage, its color faded, leaving it transparent.

Panting heavily, the Oracle said, “With this, the...preparations are finished, so...I pray that the two of y— burp, that the two of you have a great match...” and stepped down from the stage, hands clapped tightly over her mouth.

Poor girl. I hope she doesn’t throw up, Kelvin thought earnestly. Potions took effect the moment the entire bottle was finished, so there was no issue with vomiting the contents back up afterwards.

“Looks like the preparations are done. Well then, let’s go over the rules one last time!”

“Take it away, Ronove-chan.”

“The match will be conducted on top of the circular stage. The condition for winning is to either force the Oracle’s protection spell to activate, or to make the other person fall off the stage! The surrounding barrier will block all magical attacks, but living beings can pass through it with no problem, so keep that in mind! Everyone in the stands, sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Just like me, you’ll most likely have no idea what you’re seeing!”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a rather sharp tongue, Ronove-chan?”

Ronove suddenly dropped her voice to a whisper. “This is just between you and me, but the nobles who act like they know what’s going on actually can’t see anything, either. I bet their bodyguards are secretly explaining everything to them as things progress.”

In a similar low voice, Goldiana chided her, “Good ladies know to keep such secrets to themselves!”

“AHEM! Well then, folks, let’s talk about the rules for equipment and items next! It’s short and simple: all equipment is allowed, regardless of rank, but all usable items are banned!”

“That’s right! We have already inspected everything that each fighter currently has on their person.”

Kelvin and Sylvia had had to submit applications detailing what they would be using during the fight, and the organizers had inspected the two of them based on those lists before they’d even gotten up onto the stage. Needless to say, both had been cleared without issue. Just for today, Kelvin had left behind the Clotho clone that he normally kept on his person at all times.

“Aaaaaand that’s it for the rules! Do both fighters understand them? I’m sure you do, right? So, without further ado, get to your starting positions! Quickly!”

Nobody understood the need for the sudden rush.

“Let’s have a good match, Sylvia. Fair and square.”

“Got it. And I know, I’ll go all out.”

The two exchanged a friendly handshake and moved apart.

“Look at that sportsmanlike handshake between the two contestants! Will we be seeing a fair and aboveboard fight today? What do you think, Goldiana-san?”

“It’s my first time watching either of them fight as well, so your guess is as good as mine. I suppose we’ll just have to see.”

Both adventurers turned to walk to their respective starting positions.

“On the east side of the arena is the adventurer who was promoted just this morning, Keeeeelvin-san! He’s wearing a black robe and his weapon appears to be a staff! What kind of fighting style will he be showing us today?!”

“You’ve got this, Kel-nii!”

“Make sure you win, Kelvin!”

“I’ll be praying for you, Master!”

Voices expressing support for Kelvin rang out loudly from the reserved seats in the very first row.

“And most importantly, which of his female companions is his favorite?!”

Why’re you asking me that now?! Kelvin thought, somewhat perplexed, feeling the pointed stares of the non-Parthian men on his back.

“On the west side of the ring is the Rank S adventurer who was promoted last, Syyyylvia-san! In sharp contrast to her opponent, her base color is white and silver, she’s wearing light armor, and her weapon...appears to be a sabre! Sylvia-san did not show up for her own promotion ceremony, which means we know absolutely nothing about the strength of either contestant! This is going to be one interesting showdown!”

“It’s almost time, Ronove-chan.”

“My bad! All right then, let’s kick this match off. Are both contestants ready?!”

The cheering abruptly died down.

Kelvin raised his staff, the butt resting on his shoulder.

Sylvia adopted a fencing pose, the tip of her sword pointing straight forward.

“Ready...BEGIN!”

BOOM!

As soon as the starting signal was given, half the stage turned into a quagmire and a pillar of air pressure crashed down with Kelvin’s simultaneous casting of Contaminated Mud Bind and Air Pressure. Sylvia found her legs immediately sinking into the bottomless bog as a heavy weight threatened to crush her.

Even so, she was unfazed. There was a sharp exhale, then she charged straight through the swamp. Her sword flashed once.

CLANG!

Sabre clashed with scythe in the split second that Sylvia passed Kelvin’s side.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” Kelvin murmured as he raised a hand to the fresh cut on his cheek. There was a faint flash of light, then he brought his hand back down to reveal that the wound was already gone.

She used earth, wind, and light. Three elements all at once, wow. What’s more...

“You look like you’re having fun,” Sylvia noted.

“Oh, you have no idea. Everything that I’ve done for the sake of this match...it’s finally paying off,” Kelvin replied, his face filled with appreciation for his opponent.

“I see. As promised, I’m going to kill you now.”

“Um, Goldiana-san, what happened just there?”

“Kelvin-chan tried to use air pressure to slam Sylvia-chan into a poisonous quagmire, but she got out of it by freezing the patch of ground she was standing on. Then she made a beeline for Kelvin-chan and tried to drive her sword through his right eye. At that speed, her sword would have gone straight out to the other side, impaling his head.”

“His eye?! She has such a pretty face, and yet the first thing she does is go for her opponent’s eye?!”

“Looks like Kelvin-chan dodged it by tilting his head. Then he used his scythe — is that a special function of his staff? Hmm, no matter. He attempted to use the scythe to cut off her head.”

“Her head?! He looked like such a nice guy during the ceremony, and...am I seeing right? Is he smiling?!”

“They both have Colette-chan’s spell protecting them, so there’s no danger. And she managed to dodge it by crouching d—”

Ronove interrupted Goldiana’s explanation, shouting, “This match is far dirtier than I expected!”

◇ ◇ ◇

“NOOOO, MY STAGE!”

“Calm down, Boss!”

The sight of the stage being eroded into a muddy mess by Kelvin’s Contaminated Mud Bind evoked a scream that came from the very depths of Caesar’s soul. His apprentices had to hold him back as he attempted to jump down onto the stage in his frenzy.

“As you can see, half of the stage has been entirely ruined and the fight has only just begun. I’ve heard that Caesar-san visited the mines himself to procure materials of the greatest purity and best quality. Yet his efforts have been for nothing, with the only record broken here being the speed at which his prized creation was utterly destroyed! Unlike in Gaun, where most fights are based on brawn and physical prowess, it is common to use magic in other countries. Perhaps he should take that into consideration for his next work!”

“Dearie, if he succeeds in making a stage that cannot be destroyed even by magic, every country will be making him offers. But this is hardly the time for that. Keep your eyes on the stage — the next exchange is coming!”

Just as Goldiana said, Kelvin and Sylvia were about to unleash their next moves.

“Obsidian Edge!”

“Wintry Expanse!”

Behind Kelvin’s back floated four four-meter-long black swords fashioned from the material of the stage itself. Kelvin was hovering high up in the air thanks to the Fly spell. He whistled.

“Talk about a close call. If I’d been slower by a split second, you would’ve had my legs.”

“Says the person who tried to crush me into a quagmire.”

“Touché.”

The stage that Sylvia was standing on was no longer a bottomless bog. Instead, the whole thing — quagmire and all — had been converted into a huge block of ice. In fact, the entire ground inside Colette’s barrier was now Sylvia’s territory.

A Rank A Blue Magic spell, huh? If I’m right, everything that touches the ground would be encased in ice instantaneously. That’s problematic.

He put his thoughts on pause for a moment as he activated Analyze Eye.

Huh. First time I’ve seen someone’s name shown in blue. As for her skills...

---

Sylvia (16 y/o, Female, Human, Magic Swordsman)

Level: 99

Title: Ice Princess

HP: 1,088/1,088

MP: 1,332/1,620

Strength: 472

Endurance: 316

Agility: 1,192 (+199)

Magic: 852

Luck: 749

Skills: Magic Armor (Unique Skill), Sword Mastery (Rank S), Blue Magic (Rank S), Presence Sensing (Rank A), Danger Detection (Rank A), Mind’s Eye (Rank A), Army Command (Rank B), Teaching (Rank C), Riding (Rank C), Auto Healing (Rank S), Magic Attachment (Rank A), Hearty Eating (Rank A)

Passive Effects: Blessing of the Water Dragon King, Blessing of the Ice Dragon King, Concealment (Rank A), Cooking/Large AGI Increase (Rank S)

---

I’ve been maintaining Air Pressure on her this whole time, but she doesn’t seem hampered by it in the least.

Ever since the start of the match, Kelvin had been using the most powerful version of Air Pressure that he was capable of, with the target being the entire stage. As proof of it, the frozen platform was slowly sinking into the ground below, with the sole exception being the area around Sylvia’s feet.

Is this the effect of her Unique Skill, Magic Armor? Judging by the area that’s not sinking, it likely protects her from most magical attacks. If so, she’s the natural enemy of all mages.

After quickly sorting through his thoughts using Parallel Processing, Kelvin applied Vortex Edge to all four of his swords. Sylvia, however, was already moving by then.

“Geyser Cataract!”

The ice on the ground split apart as boiling water burst forth with the momentum of a waterfall, albeit an upside-down one. The jet of water — hot enough to burn someone and imbued with a significant amount of magic — threatened to shoot Kelvin out of the sky but was suppressed by Air Pressure instead.

“I’ve heard that the water from my spell is quite hot.”

“I would imagine!”

At the same time, Kelvin brought all four swords together by their handles as if to form a giant shuriken. What he was now positioning in front of him looked less like a weapon than a shield.

“Spin.”

The black swords began to rotate at high speed, repelling the incoming stream of boiling water. Thanks in part to Vortex Edge, the sword shuriken did not let so much as a drop get through. Instead, the deflected water collided with the domed barrier and simply disappeared.

While this was going on, Kelvin had sensed Sylvia’s rapid ascent. Although his sight was largely obscured by Geyser Cataract, Presence Sensing told him her exact position, so he threw a few Wind Shots and a flying slash her way. The slash was faster than the shots, bisecting the water screen as it passed. It looked like it was just about to make contact when...

“Hup.”

Through the gap that had opened in the curtain of water, Kelvin saw Sylvia easily dodge the flying slash and parry the powerful bursts of wind with her sword.

She sure is agile...

Just as she had evaded the large quagmire by freezing it over, she had secured footing for herself this time by freezing the boiling water at her feet. She was doing all of this so fast that it was only a matter of time before she reached Kelvin. She seemed to have gotten a fair amount of boiling water on her during the process, but unsurprisingly, it didn’t affect her at all.

Kelvin showed no sign of moving, though. The reason for that was...

KA-BOOM!

The flying slash from Boreas Death Scythe that Sylvia had dodged had finally landed, cleaving straight through the block of ice (formerly the stage) and the ground underneath that was serving as the source of Geyser Cataract. With the eruption of water interrupted, Sylvia lost her footing and was left wide open.

Kelvin immediately broke his shuriken back into four swords and threw them forward like bullets, all of them flying at a speed that even a Rank A adventurer would have no hope of dodging while standing on solid ground. Although Obsidian Edges were indeed made with magic, they were, ultimately, merely swords that were incredibly tough. As such, the damage they dealt was much more physical than magical. It was Kelvin’s hope that this would prove effective against Sylvia in spite of her resistance to magic.

Sylvia herself was warned by Danger Detection of the threat posed by the swords. If she took them head on, the wound would be severe, if not fatal. But despite the desperate situation, she did not have to stop and think about what to do. It would be more correct to say that her body automatically knew what it needed to do, thanks to her natural talent for battle.

Water jetted out from the silver-haired girl’s right hand, the one that wasn’t currently holding her weapon...not directed at Kelvin but to the side. In doing so, she managed to propel herself out of the way of the first Obsidian Edge, allowing it to fly by harmlessly. She then used the flat of the blade passing by as a step to climb even higher.

The moment her foot landed, an involuntary grunt of pain escaped her lips. Her feet were being torn apart by the Vortex Edge enchantment on the sword, and she left bloody footsteps in her wake. After all, her Magic Armor provided a high resistance, not complete protection, and she was in direct contact with the spell. But be that as it may, she proceeded to jump onto the second sword, the third, and by the time she was hopping onto the fourth, she was right in Kelvin’s face.

“This is the end.”

Seen from up close, Sylvia’s sabre was beautiful like a mirror, allowing Kelvin to catch a clear reflection of himself in the blade. It roared and took on a dangerous hue as it was thrust forward at a godly speed. Its target was his neck.

“Hm?” Sylvia found her sword stopped by an invisible force. A wall? Something whirling?

“‘Helix Barrier is a spell that blocks both physical and magical spells alike’ is how he described it, if I recall.”

Kelvin’s Boreas Death Scythe was on the verge of being swung. At the same time, Sylvia found the Obsidian Edges — once again reformed into a giant shuriken — quickly closing in on her from behind.

Kelvin’s favorite robe, Astarte’s Embrace, was imbued with many special characteristics. Among other things, it helped to decrease the MP cost of his spells, provided resistance against certain debuffs, and was tough enough to withstand strikes from famed swords forged by blacksmiths of renown.

The most noteworthy effect, however, was that it could deconstruct all magic that its wearer came into contact with. This included attacks, buffs, healing, and anything else that accidentally brushed by. The intention behind the spell and the process that led to the contact did not matter. As long as Kelvin touched a spell, the robe had the power to completely unravel its structure and pass that knowledge back to him. If he possessed compatible skills, he could easily learn to use the spell himself with a little bit of practice. If he wanted to, he could even put his own spin on the original.

Furthermore, from his experience in the fight against Clive, he had learned to perceive all spells that came into contact with his magic as being in contact with himself. Through Obsidian Edge, he had “stolen” Helix Barrier from Clive and added it to his own repertoire.

Helix Barrier was both a protective wall and a vicious helical wind that would mince anything that came near. Kelvin understood best how useful this spell was, having been on the receiving end of it. The only way to penetrate it was to use something like Efil’s Blaze Arrow, which concentrated all of its destructive power into a single point. No halfhearted attack would leave a mark.

However, this barrier was the least of Sylvia’s worries at the moment. In front of her, Kelvin was standing ready with Boreas Death Scythe, safely hidden behind his barrier, the corners of his mouth lifted in a grin. Behind her was the windmill of Obsidian Edges wreathed in Vortex Edge. And Sylvia herself had lost her balance from the recoil of her sword strike being deflected.

The audience, despite not fully understanding the situation, were straining their eyes in an effort to catch every detail of the exchange taking place high above them. In contrast, Sera, Goldiana, and anyone else who could follow along had all come to the same conclusion; namely, that the match had been decided. Sera nodded in satisfaction, Efil and Rion breathed sighs of relief, and Gerard and Goldiana mentally applauded Kelvin.

In the midst of all this, Sylvia’s beautiful pupils were simply looking up at the clear, blue sky. There wasn’t a single change in her expression.

Mm, exact height of the barrier confirmed.

The only thing on the girl’s mind was how to kill her opponent.

“Glacial Meteor.”

The moment the words left her mouth, a giant shadow fell over the entire venue. The spectators’ jaws dropped in unison, and Kelvin felt something appear behind his back. As it happened, Sylvia’s sword was at the perfect angle to show him a glimpse of a reflection.

“Hold on, you aren’t...?!”

A massive comet loomed overhead. Large enough to crush the entire stage, it hung there in midair, barely fitting inside the barrier, threatening to plunge down at any moment.

“I confirmed using Geyser Cataract that this barrier goes pretty high up. Phew, using a Rank S spell is tiring...”

“You plan on killing us both?”

“Mmm...nuh-uh, I think I’ll be fine.”

Sylvia had the Blessing of the Ice Dragon King, which boosted the destructive power of all ice elemental damage she dished out and gave her protection against similar attacks. When pairing that with the effects of her Magic Armor, she might just make it out alive.

The same could not be said for Kelvin. Although he had Helix Barrier deployed, the impact of taking such a blow would likely be enough to activate Colette’s magic. He couldn’t just land, either — Geyser Cataract had destroyed the stage, which meant that Wintry Expanse could still be active. Exiting the barrier was the surest solution, but doing so would mean forfeiting the match.

I can cut through it with Boreas Death Scythe, but at this size, haphazardly cutting it would just generate a ton of smaller fragments that I’d still need to dodge. That only leaves me with one option —

“Arctic Aegis.”

As if having read his thoughts, a shield of ice appeared in Sylvia’s right hand. In contrast to Gerard’s Dreadnought, this one was much smaller and looked a lot more maneuverable.

“Now all I need to do is endure this.”

“You really are the best, Sylvia!”

As gravity started to pull his opponent back to the ground, Kelvin gave chase, bringing his scythe down. He had decided to finish her off before she could reach the ground.

I probably shouldn’t let that scythe touch me. Hang in there, Sylvia thought as she thrust her sabre three times at the staff of Kelvin’s weapon in quick succession to forcibly alter its trajectory. He continued to swing, and she continued to parry in the same way. The exchange was furious in its intensity, despite lasting only a few seconds.

She’s keeping up with me even though she’s in free fall and has no footing? This goes way beyond just being agile.

Kelvin knew better than anyone that he was at a disadvantage in close-quarters combat. However, this was the sky, not the ground. He was using Fly to propel himself while Sylvia had nothing of the sort. The weapon mastery skills that they were respectively drawing on were at the same rank. The only difference, then, was their own potential, and that talent could not be measured with numbers and ranks. Kelvin could not be more impressed by his opponent’s ability to successfully fend him off in spite of the circumstances.

It was Obsidian Edge that eventually tipped the scales, closing in on Sylvia from behind. The giant shuriken hit her flank and dug its way in, making muffled sounds of tearing and ripping as it went. Even the normally expressionless girl could not help but wince at this.

Still, it was not a fatal blow. The moment the blades made contact, she slammed Arctic Aegis against them. Rather than parrying, she simply brought the shield down hard. The impact broke several bones in her right hand and shattered the shield itself, but the fragments shone blue and froze the black swords.

“What?!”

“If I spent too long dealing with it, ugh...you would have cut me down.”

Despite the wound to her side, Sylvia’s movements didn’t slow in the slightest. Rather, Kelvin felt she was getting faster and faster, and this realization made him unbelievably happy. At the moment, he was giving it everything he had, and here was someone who could handle every bit of it. A colossal amount of pressure was pounding on his back from the gigantic hunk of ice, but he couldn’t help but consider it another fun factor of the fight.

The four blades that had been converted into blocks of ice in a split second had lost their momentum and were tumbling to the ground. The Vortex Edge they were supposed to be cloaked in was showing no sign of breaking through the ice, which likely meant that the magic had already been dispelled.

“Ah, a foothold.”

Up until then, Kelvin had managed to maintain the perfect distance to allow him to one-sidedly assault Sylvia with the longer reach of his weapon, but now she had regained her footing. He couldn’t let her use it to escape, which made combat in their current positions that much more complicated.

Kelvin immediately unleashed a Hyper Impact in hopes of scrambling the ice all around so that it could no longer be used for footholds, understanding that the spell would have no direct effect on Sylvia herself. To his astonishment, however, she managed to regain her balance by kicking off the frozen shuriken during the briefest of moments when it passed by her. Blood had already stopped dripping from her greaves, indicating that the wounds she had suffered to her feet were already healing.

Showing no sign of pain, her face devoid of expression, and entirely unfazed by the Hyper Impact attacks flying all around her, the girl closed in on Kelvin in an instant. Instead of choosing to land, she had opted to take the offensive.

“You’re coming to me!”

“I did promise to kill you. There’s no telling what you’d do if I gave you any space.”

A normal person in this situation would have simply waited for the meteor to fall. But Sylvia chose not to. Kelvin couldn’t tell if it had been on a whim or was a decision based on the change in circumstances. The only thing that was certain was that there was no hesitation in her movements.

She ducked his great scythe by knocking it upwards with her sabre, then threw herself against Helix Barrier. She suffered quite a bit of damage doing so, but the barrier soon gave way and fell apart as it collided with her Magic Armor. As soon as she was inside, she threw all of her momentum behind her sword, piercing Kelvin’s right wrist.

Gritting his teeth at the intense pain, Kelvin let go of his staff at the same time that Sylvia pulled her sabre back. In the current situation, with his opponent so close and his dominant hand injured, the scythe would only be in the way. Similarly, it would be difficult to fire off any spells at this distance. After pushing Parallel Processing as hard as possible, the answer it gave him was...

“Hnngg!”

“Too bad for you, I’ve still got Sera’s Combat Technique!”

...to use the Combat Technique skill that he had copied to Skill Eater, to put Sylvia into a choke hold. She had unleashed a followup attack directed at his neck, but he blocked it by sacrificing his already injured hand, then activated Sonic Acceleration to give his Agility stat an explosive boost. Now that he was faster than his opponent, he circled around behind her and, enduring the pain, snaked his hand around her neck to constrict her windpipe. Blood spurted out from his right wrist with the strain of it, and his HP continued to inch down. With the gigantic meteor also closing in from overhead, time was running out fast.

Damn, Fly was also dispelled. Is that because of Magic Armor too?

With the spell that had been keeping him afloat losing effect, the two figures that were glued together went into free fall.

“If that giant lump of ice reaches me, it’s your win. If I manage to render you unconscious before then, it’s my win. No matter how it ends, thank you for the fight, Sylvia.”

No sound came from Sylvia’s mouth as she struggled desperately to get out of the choke hold. But it was to no avail. Her mind was growing dim, and her grip on the sabre was weakening.

At this rate, I’ll be first to die...

With her very last drop of strength, she grabbed her sword with both hands. Fortunately, her broken right hand had already recovered enough to move again. She directed the trembling sword tip towards her own chest. Or to be more specific, her heart.

“Wait, you’re not —”

Even Kelvin couldn’t help but be alarmed. The smile disappeared from his face, but he had no time to react. Sylvia’s sabre pierced her own heart before skewering his as well. The two of them crashed to the ground and, a split second later, were crushed beneath a massive lump of ice.

◇ ◇ ◇

The audience had fallen deathly silent, the air ringing with the fading echoes of the deafening crash. The stage where the two adventurers had fought on was gone without a trace, replaced by an enormous crater that was currently occupied by a massive chunk of ice. The most conspicuous absences, however, were those of the two contestants. They were not up in the air nor were they standing on the ground.

“Ummmmm...Goldiana-san, can you explain what just happened?”

“This seems like an emergency, so I’ll keep it brief. While falling, Sylvia-chan pierced her own heart along with Kelvin’s as they fell. Then the meteor went boom on top of them!”

“Uh, I would think a sword through the heart would be enough to activate the Oracle’s spell, right? Or does it, uh, activate twice?”

“It’s a one-time use fail-safe! IT’S AN EMERGENCY! SAVE THEM BOTH!”

Goldiana’s scream jolted everyone back into action. High-ranked adventurers and skilled warriors from various affiliations leaped down into the combat zone. Their immediate response was commendable, but they quickly realized they had no idea what to do about the icy mountain. The closer they got, the more bewildered they became at the sheer size of what Sylvia had generated.

“What the...damn this is big!”

“How’re we supposed to break this? With a hammer?”

“Don’t touch it carelessly! You might hurt yourself!”

“We need to melt it with Red Magic! Someone call —”

As everyone milled about in consternation, a figure ran over, raising a huge cloud of dust behind them.

“Get out of my waaaaay!”

Goldiana had jumped right out of his commentator’s seat and converted his normally red fighting aura into a shade of pink. The crowd parted without question before him, some capitulating to his sheer intensity, some because they instinctively felt the danger of not doing so.

“Everyone, get out of the barrier! I’ll move thi— wait.”

The moment he made to focus his aura around his right fist, the giant lump of ice seemed to shift.

“This is...EVERYONE, GET BACK! IT’S CRUMBLING!”

Even as he shouted, several lines ran along the surface of the comet. Each fissure was being created by a slicing attack with a weapon. The slashes that flew out climbed into the sky, destroying Colette’s barrier and flying off into the distance. A few moments later, the entire lump of ice began to collapse. Now that the barrier was gone, there was nothing preventing the smaller pieces from spilling out beyond the arena. And all the while, dangerous slashes continued to fly out, steadily whittling down the remaining frost.

“RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!”

“Mages, set up a new barrier NOW! Protect the spectators! HURRY!”

The crumbling of the giant meteor threw the venue into an even bigger state of disarray. Thankfully, there was still quite a bit of space between where the stage used to be and the first tier of seats, so no one had been hurt yet. But it was always better to be safe than sorry, so everyone leaped into action to contribute in any way they could.

“Pyrohydra Octonary!”

A single red arrow suddenly shot out from the stands. In the blink of an eye, it burst into flames, then transformed into a fiery dragon with eight heads. The heads separated to form eight new dragons that started circling around the ice, their orbits overlapping with each others’.

As the ice was continuously shaved away from the inside by the mysterious flying slashes, it was being rapidly melted down from the outside. The flames gradually tightened their noose, sending up huge plumes of steam. Before long, nothing of the ice was left. The crisis had been averted without a single casualty.

Efil, who had shot the arrow, asked through the Network, ::Was that enough, Master?:: The end of the sentence was delivered with quite a bit more force than was customary for her, hinting at her anger.

Just what I needed, thanks. And come on, don’t be so angry, Efil.

Now that the ice was gone, the crater was bare for all to see, revealing a squarish hole in the ground at its center. All eyes were fixed on that hole as a figure emerged.

“Here I am, alive and well after all.”

Kelvin came into view with Sylvia under one of his arms. The venue erupted into thunderous applause.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Phew, I’m glad I made it in time...”

In fact, I had thought I was done for. After Sylvia had skewered our hearts, I did actually die for a moment. However, Colette’s spell had immediately activated, going so far as to restore me to a state without a sword in my chest. Rather than “recovery,” it would be more accurate to call what happened “a turning back of time.”

Slightly bewildered by the experience, Sylvia and I exchanged blank looks, question marks practically hovering over our heads. I was still hugging her, but everything had happened so fast that I didn’t think the audience had even seen it. If we had been frozen in that state and Mr. Brutal Beast had been present, he would probably have gone insane with rage. Neither of us had much choice in how things played out, but it was lucky for everyone that the mad dog Nagua had been bedridden for the day.

Although we had both awoken in a state of confusion, the situation offered no respite. Namely, Sylvia’s Glacial Meteor was still falling, and it was almost on top of our heads. Now that Colette’s spell had been activated once, there was no point in continuing the match, so I wrapped an arm around Sylvia, conjured a breeze to bring me my Black Staff of Disaster, which had been falling beside us, and used Green Magic to dig what was effectively a bomb shelter as fast as I could, taking care not to accidentally touch the remaining traces of Wintry Expanse.

To be extra sure, I even strengthened the walls with Adamantite Rampart as I went. Only after the meteor’s impact and my confirmation that things had settled down did I begin the work of excavating from below using Boreas Death Scythe. I had no idea how big the thing actually was, so I adjusted the power of the slashes and angled them to fly straight up into the sky. In order to ensure there were no casualties above ground, I had sent Efil and the others telepathic messages asking them to help on their side.

That was how we had stayed alive. My handling of the situation had been a bit off-the-cuff, but the end result was satisfactory, all things considered. I didn’t even have to activate my trump card — the blessing from Melfina — in front of the crowd.

“I...didn’t manage to kill you. So frustrating...”

“Uh, no, you did kill me!” There was literally a sword in my heart! Wait, was she... “Did you approach me in the middle of the fall because you were planning on killing me twice?”

“Mhm. I did promise to do my best. In this case, that meant having to do it twice. That’s what I came up with when I thought about how to do it during the match.”

How is she saying that with such a straight face? I know I’m not in a position to comment on other people, but this girl is pretty out there. Although in the context of our fight, the misconception is definitely in line with the general direction of what I wanted.

Amid the unending praise and ovation, two voices rose up from the commentators’ seats.

“Isn’t it such a relief that everything worked out in the end, Colette-sama?”

“Um, why was I made to sit in here? I’m not feeling all that good right now, actually...”

For some reason, Prettia’s seat was now occupied by Colette.

“Because of the absolutely unprecedented outcome of today’s match, of course! Activation of your magic is our usual criterion for deciding the winner, but today we saw its simultaneous activation on both contestants! Therefore, we have no idea how to call the outcome!”

“So, you’re asking me to make the call?”

“That’s right!”

I couldn’t see them from down in the crater, but I could almost imagine Colette sighing.

“To be exact, the activation was not entirely simultaneous. The time difference is almost imperceptible, but chronologically speaking, Sylvia-san’s sword pierced her own heart before it pierced Kelvin-san’s. As such, it was her spell that technically activated first.”

“So you’re saying...”

“That’s right. Accordingly, the winner of this match is...Kelvin-san! Congratulations!”

“WHOAAAAAA!!”

Although the Oracle had seemed a bit of a mess before the match, she was clearly used to speaking to large crowds of people. The skillful way in which she delivered the pronouncement caused the audience to explode into an even higher state of frenzied cheers

“So, the winner is Kelvin-san! Now this is a match that is sure to go down in history! Even though I understood pretty much none of it!”

“It was indeed a match that was worth seeing. As a representative of Deramis, I’d also love to inv— ugh!”

“Colette-sama? Why are you suddenly covering your mou— th-the mic! Mute the mic!!”

I watched my companions rushing towards me with the music of truly tragic sounds in the background.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget this day, either.

◇ ◇ ◇

Located just to the south of the square in the heart of Parth was a clock tower that had been there since the city’s founding by its four neighboring countries. A symbol of the order attained by the signing of the peace accord, the structure towered over everything else in the city and was a famous tourist location. Near its very top was a viewing platform from which the whole city could be seen. The place was usually opened to the public and, naturally, was quite popular with visitors.

Now, however, the top of the clock tower seemed empty and abandoned. After all, the people of Parth had been wrapped up in their festivities since early that morning, and there was a match between two Rank S adventurers going on at that very moment. The tourists who would normally be coming and going were nowhere to be seen, every last one of them having been drawn away by what was happening in the central square.

But the viewing platform was not entirely vacant. There was a lone figure there, looking down at the coliseum from where he stood.

“So, she really is...”

The gaze of the man in armor was directed at Kelvin’s opponent for the match, Sylvia. He nodded several times as if he had just confirmed something.

“The great general of the Steel Knight Order is spectating all the way out here, without a single bodyguard in sight?”

“That voice...is that you, Kokudori?”

The man turned around calmly, not upset in the least about having been identified. The one who had called out to him was the dwarven member of Sylvia’s party. And as Kokudori had discerned, the man who had been watching the match was indeed Dan D’Alba, General of the Steel Knight Order of Trycen.

“What an honor it is for such an esteemed personage to remember the name of one such as me. I don’t believe we’re personally acquainted, though.”

“I make it a point to remember the faces and names of powerful fighters.”

“That’s an interesting remark for someone from a country that hates other races with such a passion.”

“The country’s stance might be as you say, but no one truly subscribes to that idea. And every once in a while, you get people like me. Most of all, if you intend to take that logic of yours to the extreme, then everything you say to me, you’d have to say to her down there, wouldn’t you?” Dan said, pointing towards the coliseum. At that very moment, an enormous lump of ice had appeared in the air. “Well, I’ll be. Lunoir’s already gained a Rank S spell of her own? She sure has grown over the past two years. Ah, no, I’m sorry. She goes by Sylvia now, doesn’t she? And is that Ashley I see in the stands?”

“You’ve worked it out, then.”

“She’s grown out her hair and took off that muffler she was always wearing. But as I said, I make it a point to remember the faces of powerful fighters.”

“What are you planning to do with her?”

The air surrounding Kokudori changed, warping into a pressure that bore down on Dan. The old general, however, looked unfazed. He lifted his shoulders in a shrug to indicate that he wasn’t there to fight.

“Come on, don’t be so on edge. I’m not here to force her to come home, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“What, then?” The atmosphere softened, just a little.

“This is a letter from Shutola-sama. Please pass it on to Lunoir.”

“A...letter?”

Dan passed an envelope to Kokudori that bore the wax seal of the royal family of Trycen.

“When Lunoir and Ashley disappeared two years ago, Shutola-sama was terribly saddened. With her station being what it was, Lunoir was the only person Shutola-sama could speak to frankly and openly. Shutola-sama mobilized the Black Ops, but they couldn’t find anything and she eventually had no choice but to call them back.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“I have no idea why she’s making an appearance as an adventurer now, and I do not plan on doing anything about it, not after all this time. The only people who’ve figured out her new identity are Shutola-sama, myself, and a few others I know I can trust. I don’t wish to do anything that would make Shutola-sama more upset.”

“What are you sa—”

“Read that letter; I’m sure it’ll answer a lot of your questions. Well, it’s about time for me to be getting back. My age seems to be doing quite a number on me these days. Can you even comprehend how tough it was coming all the way here on horseback? Nobody wants to get old, eh?” Dan grimaced, pounding his waist a few times.

“You...aren’t going to ask why Sylvia left?” Kokudori asked suddenly as the other man reached the stairs. Although the dwarf was no longer emanating an aura of hostility, he still had his guard up.

“If I ask her to, will she come back? Probably not, right? Doing so would only reignite my feelings of regret. She disappeared without a word to even Shutola-sama, her closest friend. I imagine her reasons were weighty enough to reflect that choice, and that the decision was not made lightly. As such, I am willing to accept things as they are. Shutola-sama has also forgiven her. Her successor’s been nothing but trou— oh, wait, no, he’s no longer with us, either...”

Without saying more, Dan turned and disappeared down the stairs, raising one hand in a casual farewell, but not bothering to turn back again.