Chapter 95: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 95: The Tin Knight and the Martial Arts Tournament (2)
Thracus is a large city. A very populous one at that.
Thracus is a hub of logistics, located where travelers from other nations can easily enter.
The Thracus Cup Martial Arts Tournament doesn't scrutinize participants' identities; anyone can join as long as they pay a small entry fee.
Achieving good results in the Thracus Cup Martial Arts Tournament becomes a significant part of one's career.
The Thracus Cup Martial Arts Tournament is held only once every two years.
So, what phenomenon occurs when all these conditions come together?
Dorothea summed up the answer in a single sentence.
“…Damn, that's a stupid number of participants.”
To Dorothea's half-exasperated voice, Sophia replied with a leisurely air.
“Well, this tournament is quite prestigious. You don't even have to win or be the runner-up; just making it to the main rounds earns you recognition. For an adventurer, it makes promotion easier. For a mercenary, their value goes up. For a wandering knight, it's a ticket to employment in a high-ranking domain.”
“So everyone's chomping at the bit to get in.”
“Still, the team matches we're in are better, you know? Perhaps because you need to be in sync, there aren't that many teams. The individual matches are the tough part. They have over a thousand participants in the preliminaries alone.”
It was only natural, but weeding out that many people one by one through 1-on-1 duels was next to impossible.
Forcibly increasing the number of arenas would place an immense burden on the organizers, and more importantly, it would be hard to sell tickets for all of them.
On the other hand, holding the duels in a few, easy-to-manage arenas would inevitably stretch the schedule out like a rubber band.
Thus, the preliminary rounds of the Thracus Cup Martial Arts Tournament were conducted as follows.
One. The four-digit number of participants is split into 15 blocks.
Two. Participants from the same block are herded into a single arena.
Three. Now, kill each other. Only the last two standing advance to the main tournament. (*P.S. The champion joins from the round of 16.)
Additionally, while there were rules for out-of-bounds and forfeits, all weapons were self-provided, and there were no safety measures.
It was a truly eco-friendly tournament, actively contributing to the reduction of carbon dioxide.
Of course, neither Dorothea (Occupation: Corpse Recycler) nor Sophia (Diet: Human Blood) had any particular feelings about the tournament's population control policy.
They simply watched Adelaide's figure intently in the center of the arena below the spectator seats.
“Sisters, I've brought some snacks. Please, have some!”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ guarantees he didn't put anything weird in them!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ insists that snacking while watching a match is the proper way to do it!]
Dorothea shot a look of disbelief at Hindler of the Iron Stake Mercenary Group, who had naturally fallen into the role of a gofer, and the Tin Knight, who had just returned from a run through the market with him.
“She's your pupil. Shouldn't you at least pretend to be worried?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ assesses that you're the type to worry a lot while pretending not to!]
“You asking for a beating?”
[The ‘Tin Knight’ takes the roasted peanuts hostage, declaring they will disappear along with him if you hit him now!]
After carefully setting down the snacks he himself couldn't even eat as if they were sacred relics, the Tin Knight puffed out his chest.
Looking at Adelaide, he spoke.
[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that his pupil will not be defeated in a place like this!]
[The ‘Tin Knight’ explains that this is because if she were to lose here, she would have already been shattered by his own hands!]
“What a fantastic way to show trust.”
Despite her scathing remark, Dorothea focused her gaze back on the arena.
*
There's a saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
It's a phrase used in many ways for many situations, but in this case, the reason Adelaide 'stuck out' was nothing special.
She simply stood out physically.
Long, flowing, brilliant blond hair and vivid violet eyes.
Fair, clear skin that looked like it had never known a day of hard work.
A small frame, at least a head shorter than the burly men around her.
And a long, large two-handed sword that didn't suit her small frame.
One of the participants spoke with a sleazy grin.
“Hey, little missy. Did you get lost? This isn't a playground for kids!”
The man glanced around, as if seeking agreement.
He thought the other participants would agree with him.
And then the man saw them. The other participants, staring at him like he was an idiot.
“Blatantly blond hair and purple eyes, and he's still spouting that bullshit.”
“Ignorant bastard.”
“Leave him. He's the type who'd go to a ducal estate and ask, 'Why is this garden blocked off with a gate so people can't enter?'”
“Fuck, what kind of backwater did he crawl out of to not know the Lion Duke's bloodline?”
Only then did the man realize the situation and blush.
In truth, there were a few others who hadn't immediately connected Adelaide's appearance with the Lion Duke's bloodline, but seeing the atmosphere, they quickly shut their mouths or went along with the flow as if they'd known all along.
It was a moment where the old saying, "If you stay quiet, you'll at least be average," truly shone.
Adelaide, who had drawn everyone's attention just by standing there quietly, sighed inwardly.
'I knew this would happen.'
The gazes on Adelaide were varied.
The most common was wariness; the least common was carelessness.
With her baby face that made her look younger than her actual age, her small frame, and her cute features, Adelaide had the perfect appearance to make others let their guard down, but the fame of the Lion Duke's bloodline greatly diminished that effect.
Considering there was nothing to be gained from standing out in a chaotic melee like this, she was essentially fighting with a major penalty from the start.
The situation might have been better if she had dyed her hair or worn a hood, but Adelaide didn't.
For the girl named Adelaide von Lennart, this tournament was a chance to prove her skills.
No one earned medals by hiding who they were.
─Fweeeeeeeeeet!
With the sound of the whistle signaling the start, the participants began to act according to their own strategies.
Some charged recklessly at those around them, some held back to observe the situation, and some formed alliances as if pre-arranged.
Among them were those who rushed swiftly toward Adelaide.
'Looks like some noble lady wants to play warrior, but this is no place for the likes of you!'
'Carrying a sword as tall as herself is proof she's all for show!'
'She's just a kid, no matter how you look at it. Everyone's scared just because of the Lion Duke's bloodline. Pathetic fools.'
'Even if I don't make it to the main rounds, just getting the achievement of defeating a Lennart will be more than worth it! It's worth a shot!'
Their inner motives differed, but the blades they brandished were all equally sharp.
And Adelaide gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
Adelaide recalled the words left by the Tin Knight, her teacher.
“[The ‘Tin Knight’ says that in a two-survivor rule, the most effective tactic is to let others fight and snatch the prize, and the second most effective is to become a bomb that no one wants to touch!]”
Adelaide trusted the Tin Knight.
So, she did as he said.
Whoosh.
The moment Adelaide's greatsword drew a large arc, one of the participants rushing her went flying.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
As if dancing, Adelaide continued to spin.
The blades aimed at Adelaide couldn't keep up with her nimble movements and cut through empty air, while their owners invariably had to take a direct hit from her greatsword.
Adelaide, having crushed four participants in a single moment, let her greatsword hang low.
The blade was fitted with a long cover, so those struck by her attack weren't split in two.
It was one of the few childish whims Adelaide had indulged in.
Thanks to her experience teaching pupils in Tik-Tok, she had learned the meaning of 'moderation' in sparring.
She also knew that while it might be different against superhumans like René or Gerhardt whom she'd sparred with in Tik-Tok, swinging her sword with all her might against ordinary people would take their lives.
At Adelaide's remark that it would be a bit much to just slaughter her competitors in a martial arts tournament, the Tin Knight had permitted her to attach the blade cover without complaint.
The logic was that it was better to swing a blunt sword with full force than to swing a sharp one while carefully holding back.
Besides, just because the blade was covered didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.
The blunt chunk of iron was more than enough to pulp a person's flesh and crush their bones.
It had only lowered the outcome from certain death with a blade to possible death if you were unlucky.
It was too clumsy to be called mercy, and too immature to be called a conviction.
Thus, it was Adelaide's childish whim.
However, considering that one of Adelaide's goals was fame and honor, it wasn't a bad move.
Thwack! Thump! Crack!
A large empty space formed around Adelaide.
It was the result of her sending everyone who approached her flying.
In other words, Adelaide didn't touch anyone unless they came to her.
The other participants also realized her strategy.
'If you attack first, she knocks you down. So, she's saying not to touch her?'
'Since two people advance to the main rounds, I suppose we can win without having to defeat that young lady.'
They understood Adelaide's intention.
But that didn't mean they would play along with it.
This was because Adelaide's strategy only worked if fighting her alone was more terrifying than defeating all the other contestants.
Moreover, while it might be different for those aiming purely to pass the preliminaries, for participants seriously aiming for victory, it was more advantageous to use this chaotic situation to eliminate the strong.
A few of the participants' eyes gleamed.
“Keuk!”
Another participant, struck by a kick, was forcibly shoved into Adelaide's zone.
Adelaide, without exception, sent this opponent flying as well, but this was only the beginning.
The more skilled participants began to forcibly push the relatively weaker ones into Adelaide's zone.
They would cleverly adjust their fighting positions, shove opponents with strikes, or even grab them by the scruff of the neck and throw them.
Adelaide stolidly knocked them all away.
Watching this, some participants sneered inwardly.
'Her actions are too simple. Tactics are supposed to change constantly according to the situation.'
'A two-handed sword already consumes a lot of stamina. People often get exhausted just swinging a sword the length of their arm, let alone one as tall as themselves.'
'I'll just let her wear herself out, then look for an opening later.'
They even felt a sense of enjoyment.
Like a trash can that had appeared in the middle of the arena, she would promptly dispose of anything thrown in, so it couldn't be more convenient.
How much time passed as they continued to toss other participants at her like used tissues?
They began to feel that something was strange.
'Why... is she fine? It feels like it's been dozens of minutes since the match started.'
Of course, when training in martial arts, swinging a sword for hours is not that uncommon.
But that's only when you can focus solely on the sword.
In a situation where you don't know who might attack, swinging a sword while dodging surprise attacks that sometimes used decoys as shields couldn't possibly be the same as simple training. A rough estimate would put the required concentration and stamina consumption at several times the normal amount.
And yet, why did that girl have such a serene expression?
Why on earth was the momentum of her sword swings not diminishing, but instead growing sharper?
They did not know.
That for Adelaide, who had endured the Tin Knight's insane training methods, the current situation—where she could just rest in place and occasionally counterattack and dodge—was incredibly comfortable.
They couldn't possibly comprehend what it meant to have a magic doll that knew neither fatigue nor injury as a teacher, and to have somehow kept up with its insane schedule, even while on the verge of tears.
Time passed, the number of participants dwindled, and there were no longer any contestants weak enough to be used as bait.
Amidst it all, Adelaide calmly held her ground, her face slightly flushed as if she had just gone for a light jog.
The remaining participants stared at her, looking utterly fed up.
And then, they turned their gazes away and began to fight amongst themselves.
Not a single person charged at Adelaide.
And just like that, Adelaide's advancement to the main tournament was confirmed.