Sauzan was another Hero candidate from Slengradd. He was the same type of fighter as Lynette—he steadily and fairly won his matches through his skilled and consistent swordsmanship.
As for Lestra... Well, she was the one person whose matches I hadn’t seen. The fact she hadn’t been followed by any of the production crews must’ve been because she was another steady fighter. I was sure of it.
Then for my personal interest, there was Asuma Hinoki. He’d made it through preliminaries without breaking a sweat, but his real strength shouldn’t be judged based on his current performance; it should be based on his performance in a close battle. He would definitely get stronger fighting against someone who could match him pound for pound. If he improved beyond my predictions, then he would absolutely have a chance to win the tournament. For now, he was the dark horse of that division, someone to consider based on his improvement over the course of the matches.
“I see...”
I wasn’t sure if Reliared understood my choices because her reaction was a little lacking.
“Say...”
Unless her reaction was inspired by something else?
“Do you know Anzel personally?”
“Huh? No, I’ve only ever interviewed him.”
That question admittedly startled me. Anzel was a member of the underworld; there would usually be no reason for us to know each other or for someone to even think we had any relation whatsoever. Anzel even made absolutely sure he never said my name in front of anyone else. He made sure to be vague about our relationship even when we’d dealt with that old man during the prelims.
Of course, there was no changing that I’d once been a regular at his bar in the past, so those who saw me then would obviously know. But I’d never mentioned those excursions to Reliared.
“Oh, okay. You see, I’ve kinda been noticing something about Rikel...”
Rikel, as in the second daughter of the Silvers, Rikelvita the artist.
“She seems to be interested in Anzel.”
“Interested?” In what? His unbelievable hairstyle that should have been impossible to maintain? Because I was interested in that. How did he style it? The sides and back were cut short, I think... But then what?
“Yeah... I think...she might be in love with him?”
Love?! She was...in love with him. Well, they were both in their twenties, and Rikelvita was of a normal age to be thinking about marriage. She looked younger than she was and was a bit of a shut-in, but she was certainly old enough to be considering such things.
That made sense. When someone mentioned a young woman’s interest in a man, then obviously it would be about romance. Pfft, who said it would be related to anything as unromantic as a hairstyle? Not me.
But, y’know...I really was curious how his hair worked.
“Did she herself say that?”
“No, but she’s been sketching Anzel a ton, so it made me curious.”
Oh, she definitely sounded attracted to him. I couldn’t really support it, though... They lived in two completely different worlds, and their personalities barely meshed.
“To be honest, I kinda get it,” Reliared continued. “Anzel’s pretty cool, don’t you think? He’s got that dangerous allure and he’s quite attractive.”
I suppose so.
“I imagine this is just a phase—they won’t cross paths after the tournament’s over. Let her be.”
“That’s true. Even Esuella said that they shouldn’t get together. It would be impossible, right?”
Yes, they shouldn’t get together. One was a popular artist from the fifth-class Silver family. The other was an underworld dweller with a criminal record and a mysterious past. While society was less likely to look down upon status differences these days, this was a bit of a different story. They could try and work it out if the feelings were reciprocated, but it was hard to imagine they were even at that stage.
“But you know what Rikel’s like. If she’s fallen for someone...I do want to support her.”
“I understand.” How could you not? Just as it was natural for a teacher to cheer on their student, I wanted to cheer on Rikelvita’s love life.
The real issue was Anzel. Out of everyone, why did it have to be him? He was the one person she shouldn’t have fallen for. At least if it had been Gandolph, she would have had a chance.
Rikelvita had fallen in love... That timid girl who would willingly hide behind a child had fallen in love.
“She’s finally of an age to take an interest in romance, huh?” I mused.
“I mean, she’s in her twenties, you know? She’s over twice our age. I get why you’d want to say that, though.”
It was quite emotional to think about.
Now then, once tomorrow’s party was over, we would have a short break from recording. Let’s go to bed early tonight.
Once the losers’ rounds were over, we spent a week interviewing those who had secured a place in the next round. They were all seen off to the tournament island by an overenthusiastic crowd.
The winners of the prelims were dressed in their new formal attire and the returnees were dressed in their casual clothes. The whole group was gathered in front of the camera. Once everyone was together, Wolkas, the captain of the knights, announced the official timetable.
The matches would begin in a week. There were around three hundred participants. One match would happen at a time for seven to nine days until the finals, and then they would hold the closing ceremony. Depending on how long the matches went and how quickly they got through them, there was a chance they wouldn’t be finished in time, so there were one or two extra days set aside, just in case. The bare-handed division had fewer participants, but they would have their matches at the same time as the weapons division to allow for both divisions to have their finals matches on the same day.
The rules were mostly the same as preliminaries with the only real difference being that there would be three referees for each match. Even during prelims, there had been competitors who had refused to acknowledge defeat. If all three referees ruled a competitor was unable to continue, be it because they were too injured or because they were fighting too passively, they could force a match to end. It was a good rule to have—it was clear that the organizers wanted to avoid casualties at all costs.
That said, for a martial artist, one’s moment of death was also a worthwhile outcome. Not that being able to graciously accept one’s defeat was bad, though.
Wolkas ended by discussing the gambling aspect of the tournament. There would be official betting, with a payout being provided if the selected competitor placed. There would be nothing complicated like forecast bets or tricast bets. He also warned those participating in underground gambling or illegal bets to be careful as those weren’t secured by the government.
I bet the underground big shots are going wild down there.
Once Wolkas’s explanation was finished, the reception began.
The matches would begin a week from now and this party was the last bit of recording we needed to do until then. The competitors would be free after this.
With the winners of the losers’ rounds here now, all the remaining competitors were finally together. For the next week, no one would interrupt them. They could train or they could focus on resting their bodies; it was free time to do as they pleased.
An extravagant feast, musical performances, and plenty of alcohol. The three hundred participants were all behaving and chatting among themselves amicably—at least, on the surface.
It was a fantastically cruel move. The initial winning competitors were dressed in their tailored formal suits and those who had climbed up from the losers’ rounds were left in their plain clothes. The purpose of this party, where one could tell at a glance who was a winner and who had been a loser, was to make it visible for the fighters where their rivals were or even to create those rivalries.
The winners were sauntering about without a care. Meanwhile, the underdressed losers would mix in with them, understanding exactly the reason for this setup, and not hesitate to glare. There was no ignoring it; the contrast was blatant. They would be aware of it whether they wanted to be or not.
Here and there, a goose bump-inducing tension started to form. Those who weren’t able to peacefully enjoy the party began to feel a gloomy lump in their stomachs. There was no way for them to spend their time at this gathering calmly.
You sly fox, King Hyurence. You aren’t pulling any punches, are you? I must praise you for your efforts!
“Shall we go?”
The tension and bloodlust were continuing to build in the air. The Liston crew were undoubtedly being suffocated by the pressure, but I led them forward.
It’s interview time. I’m gonna get right to the heart of those dark emotions building up inside you all. This isn’t the time for politeness. Show me your real fighting spirits.
“Nia... Hey, Nia? I, uh... I don’t think doing this kind of thing is okay,” Reliared muttered.
I know. I know it isn’t. But forgive me.
“I want to make this tournament a success. I’ve worked so hard for this moment. I swore I wouldn’t hold back. I’ll do anything I must.”
“I get that, but...”
The upcoming schedule, Wolkas’s explanation, and the party were all broadcast on magivision that night. Reliared was watching it with me in my room, as per usual.
Man, we really got some good shots. Reliared and Hildetaura had been at the party as well, but the only ones who had been actively recording most of it were the Liston crew. Why? Because the atmosphere was horrific.