Martial Tournament Preliminaries

Roughly a month had passed since Elis had come looking for the two of them.

-Bang! Pop-pop!!

-Bwooooooo-!! Bwoo-!!

Outside the window, the crack of fireworks and the blare of trumpets rang out without end.

"It's quite the racket, isn't it?"

Multicolored plumes of smoke painted the sky in brilliant streaks. For Schwarz, who had spent his days in the ever-quiet, tranquil lands of the count's territory, the spectacle was far from familiar.

"Of course it is. This isn't just any event—it's the Martial Arts Tournament."

Milia gazed out at the streets thronged with people and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠allowed a faint smile to touch her lips.

The academy had always been lively, but today it was far more boisterous than usual.

With midterms at Central Academy finished and the vacation period just ahead, the school was hosting its grand annual event: a massive gathering where students from every department assembled before a vast crowd to pit their skills against one another.

That was Central Academy's Martial Arts Tournament.

"Will you be entering as well, My Lady?"

"Yeah."

She belonged to the Knights class. As the daughter of House Valentine—one of the two families whose martial prowess was said to be unmatched anywhere in the kingdom—her participation was only natural.

"Hmm…"

Even so, Schwarz could not set his mind at ease. The tournament was a place where fighters tested their strength against one another… The mere thought that she might be hurt filled him with mountains of worry.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're afraid I'll get injured?"

"Ugh…!?"

Milia narrowed her eyes at him as she asked, and the unexpected question made Schwarz flinch and look away. At his reaction she burst into a soft, giggling laugh and spoke again.

"Don't worry. I'm the heiress of House Valentine—do you really think anything's going to happen to me?"

"It's not that, but…"

Still, there was always the chance of something unexpected. Bernus and Melissa had entrusted Milia to his care; if she came to any harm, he would never be able to face them again.

"Honestly, you worry too much. I'll climb straight to the top and snatch the championship in no time, so quit fretting!"

"Understood…"

When she spoke with such confidence, there was little he could do but yield. Schwarz gave a reluctant nod and offered her a faint smile.

A short while later, after a lengthy walk, the two of them arrived at the preliminary registration hall for the Martial Arts Tournament.

"I'm here to register. Second-year Knights class, Milia Valentine."

"Please fill out the form here."

The clerk at the desk handed a sheet of paper to Milia. She took it and began writing; moments later she returned it.

"Here you go."

"The contestants' waiting room is through that door."

Accepting the completed form, the clerk pointed to a door behind him. Milia passed through it and started down the long corridor beyond.

"Did you compete last year as well?"

"Yeah. I came close, but I didn't win."

She walked the hallway with the ease of long familiarity. When Schwarz asked carefully, she nodded and answered.

"Came close? So you nearly took the championship?"

"Mm-hm. I was the runner-up."

"Runner-up!?"

Only sixteen years old, and she had already defeated so many opponents to claim second place… Only then did Schwarz understand why she carried herself with such unshakable confidence.

"It's nothing to get so worked up about."

"How can you say that, My Lady? Considering your age, you're only going to grow far stronger from here!"

Her calm reply only made Schwarz more animated. She was barely sixteen. Accounting for last year's tournament, she had been a mere fifteen when she carved her way through a field of formidable fighters to finish as runner-up. Failing to win had been a disappointment, yet her potential remained boundless.

"Well… hearing you say that does make me a little happy…"

At Schwarz's sparkling, enthusiastic reaction, Milia scratched her cheek with an awkward smile, looking faintly embarrassed.

Just then—

The corridor filled with the broadcast declaring that the tournament was about to start.

"Looks like it's almost time. Do your best, My Lady. I'll be cheering for you."

Hearing the announcement, Schwarz offered her a brief word of encouragement.

But—

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Pardon? What do you mean…? They just said the preliminaries are starting."

Milia's puzzled expression left Schwarz equally confused. Advancing to the main tournament required competing in the preliminaries—that was the natural order of things. Could the format of this event somehow differ from ordinary tournaments?

He tilted his head, still bewildered, when she spoke again.

"I don't need to do the preliminaries."

"What do you mean…?"

No need for the preliminaries? Then whose registration form had she filled out a moment ago…?

"My Lady… that application form just now…"

A chill of foreboding raced down his spine as Schwarz spoke in an uneasy voice. Surely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not…

The thought sent him diving into memories of his previous world. Periodically held tournaments often carried one special rule: when a championship contender or high-placing finisher entered the next event, they were granted a kind of priority so they would not be eliminated in the early rounds. It was commonly known as a seed.

If that rule existed here as well, then last year's runner-up, Milia, would have no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need to fight in the preliminaries. And if that were true, it was not hard to guess whose registration form she had just completed.

"That's right. It's yours."

Looking at Schwarz's ashen face, Milia answered with a thoroughly mischievous smile.

"What on earth is going on…"

Staring at the scene before him, Schwarz let out a short sigh. Being thrust into the Martial Arts Tournament out of nowhere was already enough to make his head throb. Yet the spectacle unfolding before his eyes only made the ache worse.

[Kuuoooooo-!!]

"Aaaagh! A golem!!"

"Kwahahaha!! Behold the power of my special golem!!"

With a monstrous roar, a colossal stone golem erupted from the arena floor and swung its rock-hewn arms.

"Cry out, Hell-Cleaving Demon Sword!!"

"You lunatic!!"

A student's enormous greatsword cleaved the arena cleanly in two.

"Uwahahaha! Cyclone Wind!!"

"Aaaaaaagh! I'm flying!!"

Accompanied by a villainous laugh straight out of a movie, a howling gale sucked nearby students into its vortex.

"…"

One sword stroke splitting the arena in half, magic raging from every direction, a giant rock golem bellowing as it pummeled other contestants—to Schwarz, who had never lived amid such chaos, the tournament preliminaries looked like pure pandemonium.

"Haa…"

For someone who had been all but shoved into the event by Milia, it was a bolt from the blue. He exhaled another short sigh as he watched—

"Uryaaaaaah!!"

A boy who had somehow closed the distance charged at him, swinging a sword larger than he was tall. But Schwarz had already sensed the approach. He twisted his body just enough to let the blade whistle past.

"Wh-what!?"

"I'm sorry about this."

Catching the stunned student's arm, Schwarz spoke in a low voice. An outsider like himself had no business competing in a tournament meant for students; he could not help feeling he was standing in the way of their bright futures.

"Even so… I can't disappoint My Lady."

Yet neither could he betray Milia's expectations.

"Guhk!?"

With that, Schwarz drove a fist into the still-unbalanced student's midsection. A single choked cry escaped the boy as his eyes rolled back and his body crumpled.

"Still… if I get caught up in that mess over there, it won't end cleanly…"

Muttering under his breath at the hellish scene before him, Schwarz sighed once more. Competitors were already gathering around him one by one, eyes fixed on their new target. Compared to the towering golem, the exploding magic, and the storm of sword strikes, his presence must have seemed hardly threatening.

That, however, was their mistake.

"Since it's come to this, I'd better do this properly."

Watching the rivals circle him like hungry hyenas, Schwarz clenched his fists, murmured the words, and lunged toward the nearest contestant.