Once upon a time, there existed those who established the rules to form the modern world. The denizens of the world were generally classified into eight tribes and divided among the continents. All conflicts and excessive contact between tribes were prohibited, and by modifying each continent into an optimal environment suited to its specific tribe, the world had maintained a longstanding peace.
Within these rules, the ninth landmass—Duel City Babel—was the sole exception. “Let’s all enjoy our fights” was both its creed and its role. A special stage prepared for those who wished for conflict in a peaceful world.
It was, additionally, a place to find excitement in watching others fight.
Here, the duelists who desired battle would contest their abilities through duels. Grappling matches of raw power, armed battles of technique, tactical battles of war, and psychological battles of superseding an opponent’s thoughts or actions... No means were off the table when it came to victory.
“Mnnn... I want to hurry and fight!”
The closer the structure towering over the center of the duel city loomed over him, the greater the sparkle grew in Yuri’s eyes.
“—The ferry will soon arrive at Duel City Babel. Spectators and sightseers please exit to the left of the boat, duelists please disembark from the right. I repeat—”
Hearing the ship-wide announcement, Yuri went over his belongings for the umpteenth time.
“Err... I haven’t forgotten anything. I have the letter from master too!”
He leafed through his rucksack, far too large for his small stature, before lightly hoisting it over his shoulder. He walked along the deck, as instructed, and observed the forms of those proceeding in the same direction.
Human, beastman, dragon-kin, elf, dwarf, angel, demon, spirit—a mishmash of tribes under various appearances, they all shared one thing in common: the weapons each held in their hands. Even these weapons showed off the characteristics of their owner’s heritage, not a single one the same. And the act of holding weapons signified these were duelists.
By the time he was filled with elation at the sight of those he might fight in the future, another announcement signaled the boat’s stop, and the bridge to the pier was lowered. Those on standby stepped down onto land one after the other. Yuri went along with the flow onto the pier, but—
“Oi, quit dawdling, move along!”
“—Wah!? S-Sorry!!”
The moment he was off the ship, he found himself sealed in and jostled around by the crowd. Each time his large rucksack was brushed aside, his small body would be thrown left and right.
“Err... First, I have to go to the registrar to register, so—ah.”
When he tried unfolding the pamphlet that had been handed to him on the ship, another push from the crowd sent it up into the air, and splat into the ocean. Yuri watched its blearing symbols sway in the waves before he nodded to himself and stood.
“...Alright, I can just ask for directions!!”
For the time being, he decided to be optimistic and give up on the map. A look around informed him the congestion was thinning, and all that remained were a few people standing around chatting with their acquaintances. He could ask any one of them, and he would just as quickly be off on his way. Calling out to the first shadow to cross his path...
“Excuse me! I’m a little lost—”
“—Wazzat? What’s yer problem, shrimp?”
An irritated reply from a frame so large he had to look up to take it all in. This man’s height had to be three heads higher than Yuri. His protruding, sturdy muscle and thick, log-like limbs told tales of his fortitude.
All this was topped off by...large, curved horns sprouting from his head, along with a scaly tail growing from his tailbone. The Dragon Tribe, one of the eight tribes.
“Don’t talk to me if you don’t got business. I’ll slaughter you.”
Watching Yuri space out, the Dragon Tribe man showered him with threats. However, not only did this fail to ruin Yuri’s mood, his face lit up like a torch.
“Are you by any chance a duelist!?”
“Shut yer yap, if you don’t get outta my sight, I’ll—”
“Ah! That bracelet on your arm is a Duelist’s Proof, isn’t it! That’s amazing!”
“Yer not listening to a word I’m saying, are you.”
Regardless of the dragon man’s low growl, Yuri was getting worked up, sheer glee on his face.
“By the way, would you be able to give me directions!?”
“Brat, I’m surprised you thought you could get anything outta me at this point...”
“I’m sorry, I just dropped my map... I have to go to the registrar to register myself as a duelist. Could you tell me where that is?”
“Meaning...you just got here today?”
“Yes! I’m going to become a duelist today!” Yuri meekly lowered his head...causing the corners of the dragon man’s lips to rise.
“That makes things quick. Why don’t I lend you a hand?”
“R-Really!?”
“The name’s Haring. Since I’m at it, I’ll lead you straight to the registrar.”
Hearing the dragon man...Haring’s reply, Yuri clenched his fist victoriously. He had heard from his master that a large majority of duelists sported rough temperaments, but there were those who warmly welcomed newcomers as well. Haring looked rather hard to approach, but it wasn’t right to judge a book by its—
“Aight, then pay the guide fee,” he said as he thrust out a large hand right before Yuri’s eyes.
“Y-You want money?”
“’Course I do. You plan on puttin’ me to work with no compensation?”
“Err, I didn’t bring too much money with me...”
“Then give me all you’ve got.” Haring stepped in, pushing Yuri into a corner. “If you don’t wanna pay—then duel me.” His fiendish features warping into a sickly smirk, he turned his sharp, pointed eyes to the boy. “In this duel city, you either settle matters with money or have the other guy lose and obey you. That’s the rule.”
From an outside perspective, Haring’s words sounded insane, but he’d said nothing wrong. Disputes, quarrels, troubles...every problem could be resolved with a duel. That was common sense in the duel city; Yuri had learned so from his master.
“You get it now, rookie? If you’ve got no money and can’t fight, you won’t get anywhere here. Want a guide? Then catch some other goodie-two-shoes or fool.”
Seeing Yuri frozen in place, Haring disinterestedly exhaled before turning to leave—
“Then a duel it is!!”
“............Huh?” Haring’s feet stopped at Yuri’s proud, spirited reply.
“You do look strong, Mr. Haring! It would be a blast to fight you!!”
“No, wait a sec!! Yer supposed to lose yer nerve and pay up or run!”
“Eh? But you can fight, can’t you?” His stance all up for dueling, Yuri tilted his head, perplexed. “I’ll give it my all, no matter who I’m up against!”
His face was one of innocent delight, genuinely desiring a fight. Seeing Yuri’s smile...Haring irksomely frowned.
“Tsk... What an irritating brat.”
“Huh? Please wait! Weren’t we going to fight!?”
“No money? Then I got no business with you. In the first place, you haven’t even—”
Just as Haring was finally going to shake him off and cut all ties, an endlessly thoughtless voice resounded.
“Aaaah! Someone’s up to no good!!”