NOVEL NEXT Episode 10: The Martial Arts Tournament
Episode 10: The Martial Arts Tournament
At last, it’s the day of the martial arts tournament. I’m glad I made it on time.
“Hey, I heard you had a rough time?”
“…Huh?”
“Didn’t you have to run around all over the place on a sudden errand?”
“Oh, yes. I’m glad I made it to the tournament on time.”
That’s what it seemed like. Well, if I had bailed suddenly, it would have looked suspicious. Oba-chan must have come up with a good excuse for me.
“We’re on standby around here.”
“Got it.”
As the janitor, we’re supposed to stay near the stage, repair it between matches, and clean up the stage. In other words, we get a front-row seat. Sometimes magic flies around, so we need to be careful about that.
The spectator seats are packed before the tournament. The audience is eagerly waiting for the opening. If we launched fireworks now, it would really set the mood. Or would unfamiliar sounds cause a commotion?
『Now, Your Majesty, please declare the opening of the tournament.』
The martial arts tournament begins with the king’s opening declaration. What was his name again?
“Oh, that’s the king.”
“Huh? Is this your first time seeing him?”
“Yes. He’s really handsome.”
“He was super popular as a student. Top of his class, too.”
“Wow.”
『I expect each of you to demonstrate your full capabilities.』
Kurt Sol Hartelia, the king of the Hartelia Kingdom, spoke to the entire venue using a voice amplification magic device. He had black hair and black eyes, which is rare here. Not that it’s unheard of, but it feels strange because it was common in my previous life. His Western features make it even more striking.
He’s so young. Isn’t he still in his teens? His speech was simple, but his skillful intonation drew everyone in. Is this what charisma is? Alt and the other participants seemed even more fired up.
…There are a lot of guards. They’re lined up even in the spectator seats, creating a tense atmosphere. Well, with the king present, I guess this is normal.
As I looked around, I saw a familiar face.
“Is that Kyle?”
“Hmm? Oh, that’s Sir Kyle, the Royal Guard.”
“Kyle is a Royal Guard?”
“You didn’t know? He’s said to be the strongest of his generation. They say he’ll surpass Sir Norris Dawson, who’s standing next to him.”
“Wow.”
Kyle from the Belgard family was stationed diagonally behind the king. I knew he was strong, but not that strong. And Norris, he was the champion of the last martial arts festival. That was when Fenfield and Nevil fought.
If they are that strong, were those two in the original story? The final battle with Hartelia was chaotic, so I don’t remember much. The king was suddenly killed by his son. What was that all about, anyway?
Alt won his first match against a third-year ax wielder and the quarterfinals against a fourth-year dual-wielder, advancing to the semifinals. The first opponent was tough, but unlucky.
With the first day’s matches over, we were now repairing and cleaning the stage.
“It’s definitely between your young master and Lady Iris Dawson in the fourth year.”
“Is Lady Iris’s father, by any chance…?”
“Yeah, Sir Norris.”
“I thought so. But they don’t look alike.”
“True. But she inherited his love for martial arts. She says she’ll marry the man who defeats her.”
“Wow, that’s quite bold.”
From what I saw, Alt and Lady Iris were a head above the rest, with the ax wielder from the first match following them. So far, the ax wielder is the only one who damaged the stage.
By the way, Lady Iris is the reigning champion. Unlike her burly father, she’s a slender beauty. She declared she’d marry whoever defeats her. What if the guy has a fiancée?
If Alt wins the final, will she come to the border count family? Alt doesn’t have a fiancée… Wait, is that why? When I asked him a while ago, he dodged the question. He’s been training harder since enrolling. So that means… Oh my, this is getting exciting!
The second day of matches proceeded smoothly, and finally, it was time for the finals. Alt won the semifinals against a swordsman without much trouble and advanced to the final.
『Finally, the last battle of the martial arts tournament!』
『Who would have imagined a first-year student standing here? Alt Obraine!』
『Facing him is the academy’s strongest, Iris Dawson!』
『Can Alt Obraine win and take Lady Iris as his bride?!』
“What!?”
“Hmm… Are you dissatisfied with me?”
“No, that’s not it. Rather, um…”
A fourth-year male student from the Magic Department won by an overwhelming margin in the magic tournament. This is the final match of the martial arts tournament. But for some reason, the entire audience is watching with gentle, warm, and somewhat smug expressions… Yeah, it’s exactly what I think it is, right? This is great!
『Are both parties ready?』
“”Yes!””
『Begin!』
The back-and-forth between the two who made it this far is spectacular. They keep their distance while occasionally launching sharp attacks. There must be a lot of tactics involved that I don’t understand since I’m not familiar with martial arts.
After that, the battle continued with Lady Iris having the advantage due to her reach. However, when Alt-kun, who closed the distance despite risking damage. Lady Iris was pushed back and then a flying slash struck her, deciding the match. It was a pretty forceful finish, but it was a good decision since he would have been at a disadvantage if things dragged on. Alt’s ability to fight like that is a result of training with Nevil. He might be a surprisingly good instructor, despite breaking things from time to time.
『The winner is Alt Obraine!!』
“Alt, you’ve improved a lot.”
“I wanted to win against Iris-san!”
“…As promised, you’ll marry me, right?”
“Yes!”
『And thus, the strongest couple in the academy is born!!』
“””Wooow!!!”””
The audience cheers loudly, congratulating the two. The Count is also clapping with big smiles. Even Norris-san is crying while applauding. Oh, Alt-kun, your face is bright red. This is wonderful!
All the matches are over, and now it’s the closing ceremony. The king is giving a speech on the central stage. The eight participants who fought on the second day are also on stage. After this, they will be awarded, and the audience will disperse. The participants will probably head home after getting ready.
We need to clean up the place. We have to rebuild the walls and prepare for next week’s entrance exams.
『Everyone, you fought splendidly, especially the champions. I am also pleased to witness the beginning of a new young couple.”
The audience cheers again at the king’s words. This king gets it. Lady Iris looks dignified, but Alt-kun’s face is bright red again. This is wonderful!
『I will also be at the wedding of these two—』
『How carefree of you…』
“””What!?”””
Interrupting the king, who was teasing Alt-kun and his fiancée, was the headmaster and about twenty of his followers, fully armed. Ah, even the guards are on their side. No wonder there are so many of them.
Come on, this is the part where everyone gets to enjoy watching a flustered Alt-kun. Why are you pointing swords at him and his wife? Learn to read the room, you killjoy.
『Everyone, stay still. We can’t guarantee the safety of the king or the students otherwise.』
『What is the meaning of this?』
『We want His Majesty to listen to our demands.』
『And you do so by pointing weapons at me and the students?』
『It’s His Majesty’s fault for not listening to us.』
The headmaster’s argument is that the academy’s tradition was built by distinguished nobles and that accepting commoners is unacceptable. Even though Alteria Royal Academy, which accepts commoners, has completely surpassed them. What was that about distinguished nobles again?
“Walz-san, they’re still saying such things.”
“Truly… How troublesome.”
“Hey, quiet down, commoner.”
“”Yes, yes.””
Oh, the sarcastic guy is on their side too. Well, that makes sense.
So, is the conversation between the king and the headmaster not over yet? I’m getting pretty bored.
『Killing me here won’t get you anywhere.』
『Ha… No need to worry. His Majesty knows, doesn’t he? That Miltia and Almira are on the move.』
Oh… Sorry about that. Wait, didn’t this guy know?
『I didn’t expect you to hold the tournament as planned. Don’t you have a sense of urgency?”
『…』
『If both countries move, what will happen to this nation? A wise king would understand, right?』
『…You sold the country.』
『Of course not! They just want Halteria to remain friendly with the Theocracy. If His Majesty changes his mind, they won’t ask for more. That’s what Gladiol promised.』
So that guy is involved too? What a hassle. I hope the Principality will handle this properly. I’m starting to get worried. They’re still playing with orcs over there.
Anyway, since the headmaster’s plan has basically already failed, someone should deal with them quickly. We still have to clean up after this.
No, I’m not doing it. I can handle it if it’s just our people, but I’m not confident I can control this many without sacrifices. Plus, it would definitely be a hassle later. So, who can handle it?
Oba-chan and Mr. Nevil are out since there are hostages. Kyle and his group can’t help either because the King is being held hostage. As for the Count…
[[[Mine!]]]
[[[They made her cry!]]]
“…Huh?”
[[[We won’t forgive them!]]]
[[[We’ll kill them!!]]]
Seira is crying, you know? Thor is crying too, and Lady Liela, who’s comforting Seira, is really scared.
…Mine-kun,can I just go ahead and do it? Are you sure? More like, just get it over with? Alright, leave it to me. I’ll crush them.”
“…Can you relay a message?”
[[A message? Come on!]]
[[We want to fight!]]
[[[We’ll kill them!!]]]
“I’ll give you your turn later.”
[[[You promise!]]]
You guys, the ‘Spirits’, always cause a scene when you get excited. So please stay calm this time. Once they inform Seira, the Count and the others will get the message, and Mr. Nevil and Kyle will handle things nicely. As for the other spectators, they’re on their own.
“Walz, can I leave the sarcastic guy and the others to you?”
“Huh? Sure, but what are you planning?”
“You know that stage? I built it.”
“…Did you set something up?”
“Hehehe.”
“Seriously…?”
『Now, Your Majesty, it’s time to decide–』
“[Earth Burial]”
“””What the–!?”””
The moment the headmaster dropped his guard, arms extended from the stage, grabbing the bodies of the invaders and dragging them into the stage.
I learn too, you know. If I keep relying on [Bullet] and [Earth Spear], I’ll never escape the gore. So I created this spell. Well, this time I set up the spell on the stage in advance to handle this many at once. It’s an application of [Attribute Enhancement]. I came up with this method while talking to Mr. Henrick. My only gripe is that the name overlaps with [Earth Spear]. Vocabulary, do your job.
(Note: here is the kanji for Earth Spear【土槍】 and Earth Burial 【土葬】. You can pronounce both of them as “dosou”)
Originally, this spell would bury them up to their heads and suffocate them, but this time I left their noses and above exposed to capture them alive. We need to find out Gladiol’s location too. We need to settle things with him; otherwise, our ‘Spirits’ won’t be satisfied.
Oh, just plugging their mouths isn’t enough; they might use magic without chanting. So I stuffed their mouths with dirt too. Now they can’t use magic. Hang in there, don’t die yet. We still need you.
“Wow, everyone’s moving fast.”
With the activation of [Earth Burial], the Count, Mr. Fenfield, and the teachers swiftly dealt with the invaders. Kyle and Mr. Dawson cleared the enemies around the stage. Those two are really strong. Oh, Mr. Nevil, stop breaking everything. Just sit down.
Some parents and spectators are also suppressing the invaders. They’re quick too. I heard military personnel would be here. Is that why? There are some strong people here. Hey, dad over there, don’t push yourself!
“[Bullet]”
I shot a weaker [Bullet] to help out in a dangerous spot. Just enough to knock them out. If it misses or goes through and hurts someone else, it would be bad. I don’t want more trouble. Though it feels like it’s already too late.
Oh, ‘Spirits’, support them too?
[[[Die!!]]]
[[[Go, Kyle!!]]
[[[Nevil, rampage!!]]]
Hey, stop inciting Mr. Nevil.
“Hey sarcastic guy, why are you crouching and casting spells?”
“I don’t want to see dead bodies…”
“What the heck…”
The ‘Spirits’ and the audience members are relentless.