“Naturally, I’m assuming you’re completely assured of your victory?”
“Uhh, what are you talking about? It’s the heavens who decide the victor; we simply give it our all.”
“That is absurd!”
“Just like nobody can tell what will happen to them in the future, nobody can predict the outcome of a bout, given that it is a ritual.”
I wondered why Jomin was looking at me as if I were some rare animal she had never seen before.
“All right—thanks to Floortje, we’ve avoided a boring end to this. Now let’s do this!”
Do this where, though? Surely the Demon Lord didn’t have the chancellor’s sorry excuse for a dohyō in mind.
“Wanna summon a dohyō? Doesn’t matter where—any dohyō of a proper size is heaven for a rikishi,” he continued.
“It would be a big letdown to do it in such a place after coming to the capital of the Elven Forest Republic. Can’t we have a building that can house ten thousand spectators?”
“How many years do you think it’s gonna take to build?” retorted the Demon Lord.
O Yggdrasil, O Yggdrasil, may I summon a martial arts hall?—I asked in my thoughts.
Heh heh, you can do such a thing? There is a square beside the Palatial Tree. You may wish to call it there.
Would you lend me your strength?—I continued.
By all means. I will assist elves, humans, demons, and monsters in coming to understand each other better through strength, despite the differences in their appearance. What a wonderful affair it shall be!
“All right, Demon Lord, we’re going to summon a building.”
“Oh, like how you made a sumo hall in Aryaka? Do I need to do something too?”
“We’re making a place for humans and your kind to compete in the elven lands, and I need to borrow your magical power for it.”
The Demon Lord smiled. Though he was a demon who radiated beauty, smiling made him look a bit like a young boy. He may not have liked that I had such an impression of him, but he wasn’t pure evil—there were shades of gray to him. He was good humored and nice when dealing with his allies. And after having been the Demon Lord for so long, he didn’t strive to shine so bright as to eclipse everyone around him. I could sense humanlike depth in him.
I took position by the Demon Lord’s side.
“We shall summon a building large enough to cover the space of the square near the Palatial Tree. It will be big enough to house ten thousand viewers, and will be suitable not only for sports events, but also for musical performances and shows. A sacred kind of place, like everyone’s hopes and dreams taken form. On top of the roof will be an onion-like object,” I explained.
“Why an onion?” asked the Demon Lord.
“That’s how it goes with martial arts halls.”
Or at least it did with Nippon Budokan in Japan in my past life. In my youth I had barely attended concerts and the like, though, so I couldn’t be sure.
“Say the words of the spell with me: ‘Summoning a Martial Arts Hall of Yggdrasil.’”
“All right!”
The two of us each raised a hand towards the square and clasped them together. It was to be the first time the yokozunas of Aryaka and the demonic realm did something together.
“Summoning a Martial Arts Hall of Yggdrasil!” we said in unison.
A wave of green, transparent magical energy flowed from the earth, entering me and the Demon Lord. At the base of Yggdrasil appeared an ivy which was a faint pastel green, and another that was a deep, dark black. The two ivies intertwined and formed a shape.
“Such powerful magic!” exclaimed one of the onlookers.
“I never thought you could build something so quickly!” continued another.
The thick black ivy grew thorns, while the faint green one grew leaves as the construction continued. After a while, gold-colored ivies appeared from all sides, climbed the roof, intertwined, and formed a golden onion. All right!
“Does the presence of such a strange building beside the Palatial Tree not bother you, O Yggdrasil?” asked Jomin, looking glum.
It brings me joy to be able to see the wonderful sight of the young competing in sports so close to me. And not many elven children have been born as of late.
I started to think I wanted to show even Yggdrasil itself how exciting sumo was.
We passed through the west gate. Chancellor Mickaël tried to escape at some point, but Ulupano caught him in his jaws.
“Where might you be going, Chancellor?”
“I-I have no taste for martial arts! I’m fleeing to the demonic realm!”
“Don’t come to my place. You’re a bother.”
“B-But Demon Lord, we agreed...!”
“No, we didn’t. I only helped you because you said you planned to take over these lands. If it didn’t work out, that was going to be that.”
“B-But it was your side that made the offer first!”
“Don’t know nothing about that.”
What a disgraceful verbal contest. Only an idiot could’ve expected things to go well after letting the Demon Lord’s army into his country’s capital. Just like how it’s a spy’s fault if he manages to get wool pulled over his eyes.
As we walked, the elven commoners happily waved to us.
“Welcome back, Your Highness! I’m glad to see you’re safe!” spoke one of them.
“Thank you. I’ve returned together with the fairy king.”
“Ah, Fairy King! You’re safe too!”
“I am. Thank you for your concern. Have you all been well?”
“The revolutionaries and the monsters made a lot of noise, but they didn’t do much harm!”
“Good, good.”
Despite his disposition for cheap flattery, the fairy king was evidently beloved by his people.
Showered by cheering from all sides, we walked through the main street towards the square.
“What is that new building, Fairy King?” asked another citizen.
“It is a place to hold sumo events.”
“There’s enough seats to house every elf in this town. Bring everyone you can, would you?” I asked.
“Sumo!!! That sport you did at the west gate, right? I saw it—it was awesome!”
“Thank you. We’re starting soon, so come and don’t be late.”
“Absolutely! And I’ll bring my whole family!” the young-looking elf joyfully replied.
The Valhalla Sumo Association was no doubt involved in the operation of this new hall, so the visitors would certainly be able to buy goods and boxed lunches inside. Thinking about that made me wonder whether the sumo association assisting Demonic Sumo came from Valhalla too.
“Demon Lord, does the sumo association of the demonic realm come from Valhalla?”
“Yep, they do. As I learned sumo and planned to show up in Aryaka with it, some translucent people appeared and said they’d help. Taught me all sorts of customs and how to carry myself.”
They seemed to be working to promote sumo in this world. Or so I thought for a moment, before deciding that wasn’t accurate. They always appeared wherever someone was serious in their pursuit of sumo. For the people of Valhalla, too, were sumo wrestlers.
We stood at the entrance of the new Martial Arts Hall. It was an odd building made up of intertwined ivy, but there was something pleasantly warm about the place. A gold-colored onion sat on top of the roof. If you were to look even higher up, you would see Yggdrasil towering high above, like a mother cradling her child. The rhythmical beating of drums could be heard—the type that draws crowds to an upcoming match.
Citizens of the Town of Yggdrasil... I am speaking directly into your minds. Sumo is about to take place. You may have seen this thrilling martial art at the west gate the other day. Today, another team competition in sumo will take place at the Martial Arts Hall of Yggdrasil. Entry is free. Please invite all you can and come to spectate.
Yggdrasil had been kind enough to spread the message through psychic waves to everyone in town. It was a big help.
Beyond the entrance were translucent people of the Valhalla association, lowering their heads to us.
“Lady Floortje, yokozuna Demon Lord, welcome.”
“Do you manage this place too?” I asked.
“Yes, as it is a sumo event. It takes experienced staff to do things efficiently,” said the Shikimori elder with a smile.
“A black-and-white yin-yang-shaped dohyō has already been prepared. As before, the referee duties will be performed by a gray referee.”
“I like him. He’s fair,” I said.
“No complaints here either,” spoke the Demon Lord.
“The outcome of today’s tournament will decide which side—east or west, Aryaka or the demonic realm—has the stronger yokozuna. I am looking forward to it,” said the Shikimori elder and smiled again.
Guided by the residents of Valhalla, we parted with the Demon Lord and entered the east retiring room.
“Wow, a tatami floor! Authentic!” exclaimed Phalaris as he dived onto the tatami flooring and rolled around.
He never changed.
“Now, time to decide whom we’re fielding.” The Aryakan rikishi tensed up at my words. “What’s set in stone is that I go last, to fight the Demon Lord. Also, Clifton goes third.”
“Does Kukuri also go third?”
“Probably. If not, we’ll change it up.”
“Ah... I see...” spoke Clifton with deep emotion in his voice.
Two slots were locked in—that left three to be decided. The remaining members to choose from were Prince Richie, Phalaris, Yustin, and General Maurilio.
“I wanna fight Arima again!” spoke up Phalaris, raising his hand.
“Arima will probably go fourth. Don’t you want to try going against someone else, though?”
“Uh, well... I do! Actually, I wanna fight the Demon Lord too!”
“Okay, you’re going second, Phalaris,” I told him.
“Second, eh? Who’s their second?”
“Most likely Uta.”
“Damn! That bitch, huh? I can’t handle her type.”
“Really?”
“There’s a girl in my school who keeps bothering me all the time. It’s annoying, so I yelled at her and she freaking cried. I’ve no idea what’s up with her!”
Phalaris... That girl probably has a crush on you... Prince Richie gestured at me to drop the matter, so I did. It seemed some interesting things were happening at school too. I wanted to go take a look sometime.
“Would you go fourth, Your Highness?” I asked him.
“Against Arima? Sure. He’s going to be a challenge.”
Being ōzeki, Arima outranked Prince Richie, who was maegashira. But this was a contest between Aryaka and the demonic realm, so I felt it was appropriate to field the prince.
With that, the only slot left open was the first. As I wondered whether to pick Yustin or General Maurilio, they both looked at me with expressions brimming with hope. Let’s see...
“Would you go first, Yustin?”
“I won’t let you down, Lady Floortje,” he replied with a broad smile.
General Maurilio, on the other hand, looked crestfallen.
“Sorry, General.”
“It’s fine. I’ll cheer for you from the ringside seats.”
“We will definitely win.”
“Please do,” replied the general with a smile.