Melissa had made it to the semifinals without taking any significant damage. Her opponent this time was a magic-sword user like her—a heavy fighter wielding a greatsword enchanted with the power of fire. Unfortunately for him, however, his magic sword was like a candle before the mighty gale of Melissa’s blade. With a slash of her rapier she sent out a powerful gust of wind, extinguishing the man’s flames, before thrusting the sharp tip into a gap in his armor, bringing it dangerously close to his vulnerable throat. The man surrendered immediately.
Back in the waiting room, Melissa struggled to catch her breath. “Hah... I might have overdone it a little on that exchange...” she said, holding up her right hand, now sporting a serious burn wound.
“I’ll heal you!” said Kanata, quickly going to take care of the injury. The burn glowed with light and quickly vanished.
“That man was quite the adversary,” Melissa said. He was plainly a stronger fighter than her in the first place, and on top of that his abilities had been heightened by the forbidden drug. All Melissa could do was trust in Lily’s magic sword and thrust herself toward the inferno. It had taken real bravery to do that, but somehow she had managed to eke out a victory.
“Nonetheless,” said Zag’giel, “you gave an exemplary performance.”
“You’ve made it to the finals, right?” remarked Fenrir.
“Indeed!” added Elizavett. “You have true skill!”
“Thank you, you three,” said Melissa. Her next match would be the finals, but somehow it didn’t feel real at all. Melissa felt neither nervous nor excited. Compared to Lily, whose collection of betting tickets had grown by the hundreds and who was even now dancing with mad joy in the stands, Melissa felt positively numb.
After taking care of Melissa’s arm, Kanata and the rest went to question the magic-sword user Melissa had fought in the semifinals, but predictably enough, he wasn’t the creator of the drug either. They went to investigate the contestants on the other side of the lineup as well, but none of them were the person they were looking for.
“None of these people seem to be the one who created the drug,” Melissa said. “Which means, if our information is to be believed, there’s only one suspect left—my opponent in the final round.”
“Yes, there’s no doubt about it,” said Kanata. “It’s just like I thought.”
“Just like you thought?” asked Melissa. “Miss Kanata, don’t tell me you had an idea who the criminal was from the start?”
“All of your opponents told us the same thing, remember? The person we’re looking for has amazing hair. And that one’s hair is clearly the best. It’s practically glowing!”
It seemed there had been a purpose behind Kanata’s rating all of the contestants’ hair after all.
“You should have said so, then...” Melissa grumbled. “For that matter, what were you and Lily talking about earlier?”
“Oh!” said Kanata. “Um, well...you see...”
It was rare for Kanata to be at a loss for words. Melissa smiled and leaned in closer. “Well, Miss Kanata?”
“Eheh heh!” Kanata laughed. “Well, the truth is...”
Before Kanata had headed to the waiting room, Lily had taken her aside and said, “Kanata, listen to me. If you figure out who the criminal is in the middle of the tournament, please don’t tell Melissa until it’s over, okay? Why? Well, because, if she finds out who it is she might withdraw from the tournament on the spot! Melissa isn’t here to win, you know, she’s just trying to find the criminal. But think about where that would leave me! It wouldn’t be good advertisement for the magic sword I made at all! People might think Melissa quit because she didn’t have confidence! They might question whether I’m really as good a blacksmith as I seem! Plus, she’s a dark horse in the tournament. If she wins, I can earn a crazy amount of money on all these bets! Just imagine, I could go in with a single gold coin and come out with hundreds! Ha ha ha...”
She had practically been drooling as she spoke, so eager was she to count her chickens before they hatched.
“Liiiiily!!!” Melissa cried.
She would have to have a serious talk with her later, as Lily’s older-sister figure. Right now, her priority had to be getting through the final round with her body intact. Thanks to Kanata’s healing magic, her burn wound was completely better, at least. In fact, Kanata seemed to have healed her stress and fatigue from her long days of overwork as well, leaving her body feeling better than ever. She resolved to win in the finals. She would defeat the criminal, learn the truth, and make it out alive. Then she would stop the production of the forbidden drug, completing the request. Somehow she had ended up handling the request herself even after entrusting it to Kanata, but that didn’t matter. She had come this far, and she would see it through.
And at last, it came time for the final match. The contestants stood in the middle of the arena, swords at their sides.
“On one side,” the announcer said, “we have a staff member of the Adventurers’ Guild, a Fencer who fights with her own unique style! She’s shattered all expectations, tearing through one powerful warrior after another in the Royal Capital preliminaries, and she’s been making it through the main event at the same steady clip, all the way to the finals! Give it up for Melissa Straud, Fencer of the Zephyr!” The crowd cheered wildly. “And on the other, we have another first-time contestant! Who knows where someone this powerful has been hiding this whole time, but he’s dominated every match in the tournament with his peerless sword technique, making it all the way to the finals without taking a single hit! I give you Claude Kardashian, the Flowering Blade!”
Melissa’s opponent this time was a Fencer who gave the appearance of belonging to the nobility. He wore a wide-brimmed, feathered hat and a half cape on his right-hand side. His slender sword resembled Melissa’s rapier, albeit single edged and with a slight curve to the blade. It seemed to be designed for a fighting style that favored cuts over thrusts.
He was lightly armored and carrying a light sword. Melissa expected he would fight with a style similar to her own. She had been using her time between matches to search for the criminal, however, and had none left to learn more about her opponents. The best she could do was make a guess based on appearances.
In addition to his outfit and sword, however, there was one thing that caught Melissa’s attention.
“He really does have incredible hair...”
His hair was silver, with a gentle wave, and so lustrous that it seemed to shine in the light. They said he wore a mask and robe while he was distributing the forbidden drug to conceal his identity, but it seemed he had been neglecting to hide that magnificent head of hair.
“Now, fighters...” said the announcer, “by the orders of His Majesty the King... En garde!”
Wordlessly, the man drew his sword from its sheath and took a practiced fighting stance, with one leg forward. It was obvious from his movements that he was a man of considerable skill. Melissa drew her own sword and assumed a stance like an archer drawing a bow, drawing her sword arm back and holding her left hand out in front of her, taking careful aim at her opponent.
“And, duel!!!” the announcer roared.
At the signal, Melissa dashed forward. It was like her entire body was an arrow, launching toward the man—Claude—faster than the speed of sound.
“You’re fast,” Claude said, parrying her thrust. “But not too fast for my eyes.”
The swords clashed with a tremendous shower of sparks, but Claude escaped unharmed. Fluidly moving from the parry to a wide, circular attack, he slashed in Melissa’s direction, but Melissa managed to block with the blade of her sword, using the momentum to recover her distance.
“He’s strong...” Melissa muttered. Her opponent had fast eyes and lightning reflexes, and Herculean might on top of it all. The impact of his sword on her guard had sent tremors all the way down her arm. His sword technique was excellent, but even more extraordinary was his physical strength.
Among all the combat Professions, Fencer was notable for its generous boost to skill and speed. But in exchange, it hardly increased physical strength at all. There were plenty of adventurers with Professions related to Fencer, but rather than face enemies head-on, they were more suited to launching deadly attacks from behind the cover of more defense-focused Professions. This man, however, was abnormally strong. Far stronger than the level a human could achieve through mere training. There was no mistake.
“You’re using that drug as well, aren’t you?” said Melissa.
“Excuse me?” Claude’s narrow eyes opened an inch. “What did you just say? I—”
“Not only that...” Melissa continued. “You created it. You’re the very criminal who’s been spreading it around the Royal Capital.”
The man recoiled in shock. “H-How did you—?!”
It was, in fact, a blind accusation. Melissa had no evidence proving Claude to be the culprit. However, Claude’s reaction confirmed it.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “How did you learn this?”
Those words would have sufficed for evidence of guilt, but Melissa went further. “I myself am nothing but an employee of the Adventurers’ Guild. However, we received an official request through guild channels to ascertain your location. The kingdom and the Adventurers’ Guild have both been aware of your activities for quite some time. And now that you have revealed your identity, you won’t be able to keep getting away with distributing dangerous drugs to anyone you please!”