Chapter 259: The Tin Knight and The Imperial Banquet (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 259: The Tin Knight and The Imperial Banquet (9)
The day of the third test arrived.
The stage for this test was a vast forest near the capital.
The participants were divided into teams of fifty, each assigned a color, and scattered to various points throughout the forest. Dozens of spirits roamed the skies above, watching over them.
These were spirits commanded by the court mages who were not participating in the tournament.
Some argued it was unfair for the court mages to act as judges when Algind, the very face of their order, was a contestant. However, when asked who else could possibly monitor and manage such a large number of people, they had no alternative to offer.
In the first place, this grand banquet was a test to select the ‘Emperor’s sword,’ and with the imperial family and the Witch of the South on the same team, a somewhat unlevel playing field was inevitable.
Still, it was true that the imperial family wanted to minimize any room for gossip. They installed magical recording devices throughout the forest to serve as a separate set of ‘eyes’ from the spirits.
And the first thing the participants did upon being placed in their respective locations was... establish a pecking order, so to speak.
“Everyone, listen to me! Instead of rushing into this test blindly, shouldn’t we select a leader from among us?”
“A leader? What for?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“This test is a team competition! If the group wins, the individual wins. If the group loses, the individual is doomed. So naturally, we shouldn’t act separately but coordinate with one another, right?”
In a way, it was a natural conclusion. Fifty people moving independently were an entirely different entity from fifty people moving as one under a single command.
Moreover, there was another advantage to stepping up as the leader.
‘In the end, a thousand people will join the Imperial Guard. In contrast, only four teams of fifty—a mere two hundred people—can pass this test. That means some who fail this test will still have to be selected for the Guard. No, there are rumors that even some skilled individuals who failed the second test have already been told to stand by.’
‘Passing the test is important, but so is how you perform during it. And it’s only natural that a leader who can guide other participants will be rated more highly than a warrior who is merely strong.’
‘If I lead others to victory, a commander position in the Imperial Guard is practically guaranteed. Even if we lose, I’ll probably get bonus points. I have to take the lead, no matter what!’
However, the other participants had realized this as well. And since people who crave positions of power are everywhere, those who wanted to become leader had to prove their worth one way or another.
“I am Finn Farend, the rightful heir of the Farend Count family! Follow me, warriors! Let us together become the sword of His Majesty the Emperor!”
Using their family name.
“You there, why not join me? Regardless of whether you pass, I’ll reward you handsomely. This is an advance.”
Buying them with money.
“You, do you not know who I am? Even after seeing this red helmet?”
“I-It’s Garond of Red Gold!”
“One of the three powerhouses of the Adventurers Guild!”
Using their fame to elicit a reaction straight out of a martial arts story.
And amidst this fierce competition for leadership, how were the Tin Knight and his party faring?
“J-Just give us the order.”
“Scouting, charging, we’ll do anything!”
“Are your legs not tired? We’ve prepared a humble resting place over here, so please, soothe your weary body for a moment!”
“…”
Adelaide felt bewildered by the sight of everyone groveling before her, even though she had never said she wanted to be the leader.
She approached Sophia, who was nearby, and whispered.
“Why is everyone acting like that?”
“Well, those who’ve made it this far must possess either information networks, skill, or at the very least, some perceptiveness or luck. Isn’t it only natural?”
While they might not have been on the same level as the Tin Knight’s party—who were practically in league with the organizers and received all sorts of information—the other participants had eyes and ears of their own.
A girl from a collateral line of the Lennart family had toppled the Tower of Control to avenge her family.
At first, people had dismissed it as a baseless rumor, but as time passed and more detailed circumstances spread across the continent, they had no choice but to take the story seriously.
Of course, the Lennart family tried to deny the story, claiming it was just a malicious rumor spread by the Tower of Control, but due to the Empress’s interference, their attempts to block the information were not very effective.
While people couldn’t speak of it openly, it had become information that anyone with a certain degree of power could uncover if they were determined to investigate.
According to that information, there was still a grudge to be settled between the girl from the collateral line and the main family.
A recruitment test held not long after the collapse of the magic tower.
And a masked golden-haired girl who was suspiciously focused on crushing members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline in that very test.
Connecting these two things, frankly, was not very difficult.
In the first place, Adelaide herself wore the mask as a sort of switch to control her emotions, not as a serious attempt to hide her identity.
Besides, even if the masked girl before them wasn’t the same person as the avenger from the stories, the participants had plenty of other reasons to fawn over Adelaide.
Her skill was undeniable, as she had swatted down the famously powerful members of the Lion Duke’s bloodline like flies, and her connections were impeccable, with rumors of her staying at the villa of Algind Goodwitch, one of the Empire’s most powerful figures.
However, for Adelaide and Sophia, this was a predicament.
“I don’t know how to lead. What should I do? Sophia, do you know how?”
“I’ve read books on the subject, but even so, I don’t think I could just jump in and command a group based on that alone.”
Dorothea, who commanded hordes of undead as if they were her own limbs, or the Tin Knight, who was bizarrely capable in all things combat-related, might have had an aptitude for leadership, but they were both on different teams from Adelaide.
Since only the top four teams would pass, it was better to secure victory while spread across multiple teams rather than winning with everyone clustered in one, as this would allow them to claim a larger stake.
It was then, as Adelaide was debating whether to just tell everyone to act on their own or to pick a leader from the volunteers, that something strange caught her eye.
Over in a corner were three shadows, suspiciously trying to avoid her gaze.
They seemed to be doing their best to erase their presence, but it wasn’t enough to escape the notice of Adelaide, whose senses had surpassed mere sharpness and reached the level of a biological radar.
To be more precise, while everyone else was trying to get on her good side, their contrary behavior made them stand out even more.
It was a truly sad proof of the saying that if you just stay still, you’ll at least be average.
“You three over there!”
At Adelaide’s call, the shoulders of the three idiots—no, the silver-rank adventurer trio—twitched.
After a quick exchange of glances, Kumara, nudged in the ribs by Magia, scurried over to Adelaide.
“D-Did you call for me, Young Lady? Is there something you need…?”
“Could you be our commander? I’m not very confident in this sort of thing, but judgment and leadership are important for an adventurer, so I thought you might be able to do it, Mr. Kumara.”
What kind of fresh bullshit is this?
Kumara’s self-control in suppressing the words that almost slipped out was truly commendable.
In truth, this was a problem born from Adelaide’s own preconceptions.
The adventure novels Adelaide sometimes borrowed from her brother often featured scenes where the protagonist led numerous allies with brilliant command to defeat their enemies.
One should distinguish between reality and fiction, but unfortunately, the ‘adventures’ Adelaide had experienced were not only on par with but in many ways far surpassed the deeds of the protagonists in the novels she read.
If actual adventurers were to read such novels, they would laugh them off as ridiculous, but Adelaide tended to treat the contents of the stories as ‘things that could plausibly happen, albeit with some exaggeration or distortion.’
‘Mr. Kumara is a high-rank adventurer, and Sir Knight said they were skilled, so he should at least be better at this than I am. If he says no, I guess it can’t be helped.’
“Ah, if it’s too much to ask, it’s all right to refuse.”
“…”
Whether through force or authority, the high-and-mighty figure holding the power of life and death over him had spoken. Few madmen would have been able to reply, ‘Yes, it is too much to ask. Why did you ask if you knew?’, and Kumara was not one of those rare individuals.
His answer was all but decided.
“I-I am unworthy, but if you entrust this to me, I will do my utmost.”
“Thank you. I’ll be in your care.”
While cursing the great industry senior who had thrown him into this demonic pit, Kumara faithfully carried out his assigned role.
“First, let’s divide the roles within the team. The knights in heavy armor and the mages will hide here and remain on standby. I’ll ask those who are light on their feet to handle scouting.”
“We just have to wait? What about setting traps or building a base?”
“Simple ones are fine, but we’ll need to abandon them and move in a pinch, so nothing too elaborate is necessary.”
“According to the rules of this test, isn’t it better to preserve our strength and wait for the other participants to wipe each other out, rather than going out of our way to find enemies?”
“If we only consider the rules of this third test, yes. But you mustn’t forget the common premise underlying all these tests: ‘to select participants who have shown outstanding performance.’ The higher-ups are watching and evaluating us, so if we act too cunningly, we might win the battle but fail to get into the Imperial Guard.”
Kumara’s default manner of speaking was the rough-and-tumble tone of an adventurer, but since he had taken requests from nobles before, being careful with his speech and attitude was not too difficult.
Kumara’s instructions—like ‘Prioritize survival over forcing a decisive battle’ and ‘I won’t give complex orders, so just hit when I say hit and run when I say run’—were simple and rational, so the participants followed them without much complaint.
With the addition of Adelaide’s near-unconventional level of martial prowess and a healer like Sophia, their orange team was able to crush three other teams smoothly and without taking any significant damage.
As the test was proceeding so smoothly, the scouting party reported some strange news.
“It looks like there was a battle up ahead. There are a lot of people down, and… they look like they’re from the Lennart family.”
Following his words, they moved forward and saw several golden-haired warriors lying unconscious on the ground.
None of them seemed to have fatal injuries, their lives not in danger, but the tokens tied to their shoulders had all been torn off, meaning they had already lost their right to participate.
‘Did Sir Knight defeat them? Or was it another team?’
Despite her questions, Adelaide and her team pressed on.
And again.
“H-Here too! There are a lot of people down. They look like they’re from the Lennart family.”
And then again.
“It’s the same this time! It looks like they were taken down one-sidedly, without even putting up a proper fight!”
“…”
Adelaide’s face was a mask of confusion and bewilderment.