Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Martial Arts Tournament (2)
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After the preliminaries ended, Yujin returned to the marquis's residence alone.
Silver Fang, who had been rolling around by itself in the residence, came panting over and leaped into his arms.
And then it licked his cheek furiously.
"You rascal."
Yujin chuckled and stroked the fur of Silver Fang nestled in his arms as he thought.
'It's gotten even smaller.'
Silver Fang's current size was about that of a small dog. Considering it had been a bit larger when he first saw it, this was a significant reduction.
Maybe because it was still a baby Fenrir, even if it was a Fenrir? Being able to control its own size like this was convenient.
'Hmm. So how big can it grow?'
Could it become as large as the Fenrir he'd faced in the hunt festival?
Or even bigger? The thought of a mountain-sized wolf appearing made his heart race.
Honestly, wasn't that kind of cool?
A mountain-sized wolf swinging its front paws and tearing into enemies at Yujin's command.
...
'Wait, does that even make it a baby Fenrir?'
If it could freely adjust its size, then its apparent size didn't mean much.
He'd assumed it was a baby because it started small, but if size control was possible, that judgment was off.
In that case...
'Guess I should take it to a specialist mage soon... since there's no animal hospital.'
While he was at it, he should formalize the contract with Silver Fang. Magical beasts weren't strictly classified as monsters, so a master-servant contract was possible.
Magic for the win.
"You think so too?"
"Nang! Pant pant!"
"Good boy. Glad we're on the same page."
Yujin stroked Silver Fang for a while longer.
With Silver Fang in his arms, Yujin headed to the training grounds. The Black Lotus Knights were training there.
As soon as Yujin entered, they all stopped in unison and saluted.
Crack—
The training grounds fell silent in an instant.
Yujin held Silver Fang in one arm and returned their salute.
Nod—
Only then did the black knights resume their training.
The grounds filled once more with heat and the clash of swords.
As Yujin walked toward an empty spot, one knight fell in beside him.
"Your Excellency."
"It's the vice-captain."
He was Allen, the vice-captain of the Black Lotus Knights, personally appointed by Yujin.
"It's been a while, Your Excellency."
"This is the first time since returning from the battlefield."
His connection with Allen had begun on the battlefield, when Yujin saved him from certain death.
'Then he started following me around on his own and became one of my people completely.'
At the time, Yujin had just devoured his family and become marquis.
To him, Allen—who saw him as his life savior and pledged absolute loyalty—was a precious asset.
He'd immediately appointed him vice-captain of the Black Lotus Knights and even pulled the entire order to the front lines.
"Yes, sir. I just got back."
"I see. Good work on the cleanup."
"Not at all."
Allen shook his head right away. To him, Yujin was his life savior and a great knight worthy of respect and devotion.
For such a lord, handling battlefield cleanup was nothing.
"Your Excellency, that dog in your arms..."
Silver Fang, nestled there, bared its teeth at Allen.
"Grrrrrr..."
"...?"
Allen looked baffled.
Yujin stroked Silver Fang's fur to calm it. It quickly relaxed into his touch.
"It's not a dog. It's a Fenrir."
"...Pardon? A Fenrir... you say?"
"Yeah."
"The mythical Fenrir that supposedly devoured a god?"
"That's the one."
Yujin casually explained the recent incident.
The demonic beasts tainted by demonic energy at the hunt festival, and the Fenrir tainted the same way.
"That's when I found this one. I don't know the full details yet, but the investigation's ongoing, so results should come soon."
"...Does it have a name?"
"Silver Fang. I named it Silver Fang."
"Silver Fang... A fine name."
Only then did Silver Fang perk up its head, as if pleased.
"Does it understand speech?"
"Seems like it. It's pretty smart."
"Nang!"
Stroke stroke—
The fluffy fur felt great to touch.
"I see."
"Yeah."
Yujin set Silver Fang down in a spot away from the knights and looked at Allen.
"Allen."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Want to watch?"
"Watch what?"
Without answering, he glanced at Silver Fang. He planned to test its maximum size before seeing a mage.
And then,
"Grow big, Silver Fang."
The panting Silver Fang suddenly began to expand enormously.
"...!!!!!!!!!!"
That morning, reports flooded the capital's military police of a massive wolf sighting.
As a result, rumors of a giant wolf devouring people circulated through the capital for a while.
...If he'd known it'd cause this, he would've tested it outside the city.
Step—
Step—
"..."
"Have you been well?"
"..."
The Northern Grand Duke turned to look at the man who had appeared behind him.
.
.
.
.
"...That should do it?"
"Yes, of course. That's all we need."
"I see."
The Northern Grand Duke nodded roughly and glanced at the items in his hand.
"So, either one will definitely work?"
"Haha. Naturally. These are drugs straight from Lust herself, so the effects are guaranteed. No chance of detection, I assure you. And the other drug will raise the realm without any side effects."
"...Tch. Can I trust this?"
The Northern Grand Duke remembered the Fenrir incident at the hunt festival.
"Ahaha. That was truly unavoidable, so please let it go."
"...This is your last chance. If you pull another stunt like last time and disappoint me further... you know what happens? Don't forget I hold a lot of dirt on you."
"Of course."
With that, the Northern Grand Duke departed.
Left alone, the man smirked.
"What an idiot. He can think a bit, but he's too blinded by immediate gains to see farther ahead."
...Which was good for him, though.
It was the day of the martial arts tournament finals, so they arrived at the arena. Unlike yesterday, he'd brought Silver Fang along today.
It kept trying to grow huge and follow him if left behind, so he had no choice but to bring it in its tiniest form.
'Lucky it can shrink this much.'
Small enough to fit in a pocket.
Lucia and Irene were delighted to see Silver Fang tag along. They hadn't been seated long before the finals began.
The finalists were all highly skilled.
"Number 11... the swordsman who beat the mage yesterday."
"Right. Whereas 83 is... another mage like yesterday."
The tournament brackets were determined purely by lottery—pure luck, no other factors.
In that light, was 11 lucky or unlucky...?
'Normally, you'd say unlucky.'
Swordsmen lose if mages don't allow close range, so mages generally had the matchup advantage against swordsmen.
But this number 11...
"Now even I can tell. That swordsman number 11 will win today too."
"Why do you think so, Lucia?"
"Well, after watching matches with Yujin, I've developed a gut feeling?"
"Hmm... I see."
And the match result was, as expected, a win for number 11.
The finals continued, and only a few advanced to the semifinals.
"...All the ones Yujin mentioned yesterday—9, 45, 17, and 114—are still in. Coincidence?"
"Who knows. If it's really just coincidence, that's a relief..."
For some reason, it didn't feel like coincidence.
"They all won by the skin of their teeth."
Like underdog stories, winning miraculously through luck.
That's how they advanced.
Not a single one dropped out.
"Too coincidental, isn't it?"
"Definitely. Once you notice it, the coincidences feel off instead. They still look like normal martial artists, though..."
Irene murmured.
As she said, they appeared perfectly normal.
"Any investigation results?"
Lucia and Irene nodded at Yujin's question.
.
.
.
.
According to their findings, they were all war orphans. Nothing else noteworthy.
By then, the finals and semifinals had ended, and sunset colored the sky.
People began leaving one by one, anticipating tomorrow's championship match. As Yujin's group rose to leave,
"..."
Yujin suddenly narrowed his eyes at someone in the crowd. A red-haired woman blended among the masses.
...That woman. Just her back view, but she felt familiar.
'...Jane?'
...
'No, impossible.'
She died on the battlefield.
'Besides, that mana just now was from someone I've never sensed before.'
Definitely someone else.
Still, to be sure, he looked again—but she was gone.
"...!!"
No trace anywhere he looked. He expanded his senses across several kilometers instantly, but her presence was gone.
As if it had all been an illusion.
Face hardening, he quickly moved to where the robed woman had stood.
There, he faintly sensed lingering mana.
'...Who are you.'
...Someone who could evade a master's senses had been here.
And tomorrow, the emperor himself would attend the finals.
"..."
Yujin instinctively knew the championship match wouldn't go smoothly.
"...Need to contact the imperial family."
...And put all available family knights on standby for any contingencies.
And the next day,
As the finals—personally attended by the emperor—were about to begin, the 'possible contingency' actually happened.
...A sudden raid by the cultists of Pandemonium.