I Will Cheer for You, Elisa
The human warrior collapsed to the ground with a miserable groan of “Kuh… heeeuuurgh…” right after taking a gauntlet strike to the face. Looking down at him, Shamyuel tilted her head slightly without realizing it.
Why?... Why did the attack stop?
In that fleeting instant, the human warrior had seized an opening and struck back. Even from Shamyuel’s perspective, the counterattack had been completely unexpected. In the blink of an eye, her helmet had flown off, and the warrior’s sword had come hurtling straight toward her head.
But at the very last moment, just as he was about to drive the blow home, he suddenly froze and stopped moving. From Shamyuel’s point of view—someone who had been prepared to sacrifice one ear to minimize the damage at worst—his behavior was utterly incomprehensible.
Yet instead of dwelling on the question, Shamyuel simply thrust her fist forward and slammed a full-powered strike into the man’s face. The result was immediate: the human warrior lost consciousness and tumbled pathetically across the floor.
Right after that, cheers erupted throughout the arena, celebrating Shamyuel’s victory. But she didn’t even have time to savor the joy of winning. She simply scooped up the fallen man’s body with one hand and tossed him toward the waiting support staff.
“Before treating him, restrain him first. This guy is human… that is what it is.”
Shamyuel spoke in her usual flat, robotic tone. The support staff managing the arena looked visibly bewildered, but since it was an order from a legion commander, they immediately began checking the situation.
A short while later, after stripping off the man’s robe and dismantling the magic items he was wearing, the truth came to light. The tournament organizers and staff were thrown into deep confusion upon discovering that another human—aside from the human hero Elan recognized by the Demon King—had secretly participated in the Narsil selection tournament without permission.
“Just who is that guy? Setting aside the disguise, how did a human warrior even get in here?”
“We don’t know yet either. We’ll probably find out more once he wakes up.”
“Hmm… understood. Then, as the legion commander ordered, bind the suspect tightly, lock him in a temporary holding cell, and begin interrogation the moment he regains consciousness. Thoroughly investigate why he came here and whether he has any other accomplices.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
For a brief time, the organizers declared a suspension of the matches for unknown reasons. The demons, whose excitement had been building to a fever pitch, grumbled in boredom and dissatisfaction as the heated atmosphere suddenly cooled. They began killing time with listless expressions.
However, at that same moment—separate from the bored demons—three people hiding in one corner of the arena and watching the situation were thrown into collective panic by the unexpected turn of events.
They were members of the new Hero Party and Hector’s comrades.
“H-he lost…? Even if the opponent was a legion commander, this is really bad, isn’t it?”
The man in the black robe, an elven archer from the Elf Theocracy named Pompey, voiced his dismay in an urgent tone. His comrades nodded with grave expressions.
“Of course it’s bad… This basically means our plan to have Hector draw as much attention as possible during the match and then assassinate the Demon King has completely fallen apart.”
The beastkin woman in the gray robe, Bless, spoke with unmistakable despair. The already heavy atmosphere sank even lower at the clear hopelessness in her voice.
At that moment, the youngest-looking member of the group—a girl who still carried the air of adolescence—spoke up. The witch Dagon, dressed in a blue robe, addressed her panicked comrades in a calm voice.
“Please calm down. It’s true that Hector the hero’s defeat is a major crisis, but it’s still too early to despair. In this situation, let’s focus on what we can do right now.”
“Wh-what can we even do…?”
“Hector, the strongest among us, has been captured. What could we possibly do in this situation?”
Pompey replied with a hint of hope, while Bless answered in a devastated voice. Dagon, despite her young age, maintained her composure and continued.
“First of all, regardless of anything else, we must rescue Hector the hero.”
“Is that even possible? He was just dragged away by the demons. How are we supposed to do that?”
“That’s exactly why we need to move immediately.”
Dagon answered the disheartened Bless in a clear, firm voice. Bless began to realize that her young but intelligent comrade wasn’t just speaking empty words—she had actual reasons for saying this.
Looking at her, Dagon continued in a serious tone.
“Think about it. No matter that he’s a prisoner, this is still an arena where matches are being held. As the Demon King herself mentioned earlier, this place is far easier for us to move around in than inside the Demon King’s Castle.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Moreover, those demons are clearly panicking right now because of this completely unexpected emergency. If we use this opportunity well, we still have a chance.”
“…I see. I think I understand what you mean.”
Bless nodded slightly, a spark of life returning to her eyes. After that, the three of them put their heads together and began seriously discussing how they might rescue Hector.
“Haa…”
Elisa let out a small sigh as she looked at her fallen opponent. Unlike Shamyuel, who had barely scraped by with a close call against a newcomer, Elisa had crushed the fresh young sprout before her without much difficulty.
Still, after seeing how much trouble Shamyuel had gone through, Elisa couldn’t help but feel wary of the newcomer before the match began.
Well… in the end, it was just needless worry.
With that thought, Elisa lightly sheathed her sword and turned away. Her gaze then shifted toward the person she would face next—her own mother, Ilios.
I will definitely win, Mama… I will prove without fail that I am superior to you.
After the first round of the main tournament—which had felt more like an extended preliminary—came to an end, the participants took a short break. With the number of contestants now halved and only the highest-ranking warriors—legion commanders and royal guards—remaining, there were no longer any obvious weaklings among those left.
Among them, I began looking for the person I would face next.
Let’s see… I heard it was someone who advanced from the newcomer bracket…
Since they were a newcomer, information was rather scarce. Still, I decided to at least try talking to them and began scanning the area.
A moment later, my eyes landed on the figure in distinctive red armor I had seen in the arena earlier.
They showed literally overwhelming power against another newcomer. No matter how I look at it, they don’t seem like an easy opponent…
The presence they gave off was far from ordinary for a newcomer. Remembering Shamyuel’s case, I reminded myself not to underestimate them just because they were new. I cautiously approached the red-armored figure who gave off the aura of a hidden master.
At that moment—
“Hero.”
“Ah… Elisa. What is it?”
Elisa suddenly called out to me. I paused my attempt to speak with the red-armored warrior and turned to her first.
“What’s the matter? Is it something important?”
“…Yes. It’s important. Really… really important.”
Elisa spoke with a clear, serious tone I had rarely heard from her. The unusual determination in her voice made me feel an instinctive tension.
“You know that my next match is against Mama, right?”
“Ah… yes, that’s what I understand.”
“Watch that match very carefully. With both eyes wide open. I’m asking you.”
“Pardon?”
It was a simple request to watch the match seriously. Yet the inexplicable gravity behind her words left me puzzled.
Why is she specifically asking me to watch the match?... Hmm. Could it be that she wants me to see how much she’s improved after honing her combat skills all this time?
Since we had fought together as comrades and friends, it made sense that she wanted me to witness her growth. Especially since I possessed greater combat ability than her, it wasn’t strange for her to think I could evaluate her progress more objectively.
With that in mind, I answered my friend’s request with pure goodwill.
“Understood. I will watch with full concentration. Do your best. I will cheer for you, Elisa.”
“Ah!”
At my words, Elisa broke into a radiant smile brighter than I had ever seen. I wasn’t sure whether she had expected me to refuse or if there was another reason, but she seemed almost excessively happy.
Watching her, I felt like I was looking at an adorable kitten and couldn’t help but smile softly myself.