Chapter 92

“Champion. Kalidahs.”

The influence of that name was enormous.

So immense that the guards who rushed in at the report of a fierce battle in the middle of the street could be sent back with just a single word.

“Please wait a moment, Champion. Still, asking to let them go without any investigation is a bit much.”

《Anyway, those two… one person and one thing? Whatever, capturing them is impossible. The city is already chaotic enough; don’t stir up more trouble and just go back.》

“But look, they’ve ruined the ground!”

《That’s my doing.》

“Champion!”

Thanks to this, our group was able to escape safely, though Peter seemed to have lost his enthusiasm and wandered off somewhere.

While he didn’t confirm participation in the tournament, the vibe suggested he’d stick around the city for a while.

The mercenary group, which was buying time by getting beaten by Peter until the Tin Knight arrived, earned recognition for their efforts and was promoted from being the ‘Sister Dorothea Worshipping Club (self-proclaimed)’ to the ‘Sister Dorothea Worshipping Club (temporary)’, and they were also able to receive treatment for their wounds.

Looking at the results, most things seemed to go smoothly, but in reality, Dorothea’s face was far from peaceful.

[The ‘Tin Knight’ boldly proclaims that justice always prevails!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ shakes his head, saying he suggested joining the tournament from the start!]

[The ‘Tin Knight’ earnestly declares that if he acknowledges victory and offers up his magical power, there won’t be any bloodshed!]

“Enough with the noise!”

Clang!

Dorothea’s staff dented the Tin Knight’s helmet, but his goofy dance didn’t miss a beat. He seemed overly excited about the martial arts tournament event, enduring in this state for several hours already.

“You damn champion.”

The champion’s declaration, intending to hand over the belt to the tournament winner, felt like a thunderclap to Dorothea.

No, logically speaking, one can’t harbor grudges against someone who beat them up, but to say “Well done” and even toss in a present seems a bit off, doesn’t it?

Those guys have a skewed way of thinking; isn’t she the strange one?

While gnashing her teeth at that thought, the one who delivered the final blow to Dorothea was none other than Sophia.

“Usually, the champion of a tournament has close ties to the organizing side, so if you think of it as bait to attract attention to the event, it doesn’t seem that strange, does it?”

It was the moment when Dorothea’s mouth snapped shut.

She shouted in an irritated tone.

“Fine, I admit I lost! I accept it!”

[The ‘Tin Knight’ sings the song of victory!]

With a gloomy aura, Dorothea stood beside the Tin Knight, who raised one arm in a victorious pose.

Seeing the two of them, Adel wore a puzzled expression.

“…But if you think about it, isn’t this a win-win situation for both of you?”

The Tin Knight realized his wish to participate in the martial arts tournament, while Dorothea was securing a treasure without expending additional resources or effort. By results alone, you could argue both benefited. Adel found it hard to understand why Dorothea looked so down while the Tin Knight seemed so smug.

“Well, human emotions aren’t always so straightforward. More importantly, are you okay, Adel?”

“Huh? Why would I care?”

“Oh, it’s just that since the Tin Knight is participating in the martial arts tournament, you’re also effectively confirmed to participate.”

“Ah.”

Adel’s mouth hung open in surprise.

Indeed, there was a notion like that.

That realization hit her hard. She thought this really wasn’t the time to be worrying about others.

***

Adel’s complexion turned ghostly pale.

However, in a completely unexpected turn, salvation came her way.

The savior’s name was the participation regulations.

“I’m sorry, but personal entries for Magical Automatons aren’t allowed.”

At the registrar’s words, the Tin Knight seemed so shocked he nearly stumbled.

Seeing the once-serious figure acting more frivolously with time, Dorothea shook her head and asked, “You told that guy to enter the tournament, and now you say he can’t?”

“Even if you say that, a rule is a rule.”

Bringing up the champion’s name seemed to have some effect, as the registrar, with a troubled expression, continued to explain.

“In the past, Wizards also participated in this tournament, and their ‘familiar beasts’ could fight alongside them like weapons or shields. However, as a result, most Warrior types got eliminated early, leaving only Wizards in the finals.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Whether they are Homunculi, Spirits, or Magical Automatons, those familiars wielded quite impressive combat abilities.

Even the weakest Magical Automaton would be at a complete disadvantage against a Warrior who couldn’t properly wield a sword.

Have the familiar tie down the enemy’s feet, and in that moment, the Wizard could finish them off with spells.

From a Wizard’s perspective, manipulating the familiar also utilized their magical energy; they could argue it was no different from wielding a sword or shield, but from the opponent’s standpoint, that was a different story altogether. Especially from the audience’s perspective.

Sophia chimed in, “So can’t the Wizard or the familiar enter solo? At least there shouldn’t be unfairness due to numbers.”

“We’ve tried that too. But when it was a solo Wizard, they ended up getting taken down way too easily by Warriors, and when it was a solo familiar, people complained it was effectively a 2-to-1 situation since they receive an endless supply of magical energy from outside support.”

“I see, so they were overwhelmed by public opinion. The audience likely empathized more with Warriors than with Wizards or familiars, so it makes sense as a conclusion.”

“But here’s the thing.”

Dorothea, casually running her fingers through her messy hair, continued, “So what now? The champion said to fight in the tournament, but if it turns out to be impossible to enter, that’s utterly meaningless.”

“Ahem. How about looking into the team competition instead?”

“Team competition?”

“Yes. Unlike the individual competition, there’s a team tournament where three members compete together, and there’s no restriction on familiars participating. Although it does take one participant slot.”

“Is the champion participating in that as well?”

“Lord Kalidahs will only participate in the individual events. However, there are enticing prizes for the team competition…”

“Hmm.”

The registrar raised their voice as if thinking a glamorous Wizard like Dorothea would attract attention to the event while explaining how incredible the prizes were, but Dorothea’s reaction was lackluster.

Not that she was immune to greed, but the core goal of their visit to this city was, after all, securing treasures.

With the Tin Knight unable to enter the vital individual competition, she didn’t feel compelled to participate in the unrelated team competition.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

At that moment, an unexpected voice interjected into their conversation.

All eyes turned towards the source.

With hair that shimmered silver or gold depending on the light, bright red eyes, and a flowing skirt.

Franka Aglaia was there.

The registrar’s eyes went wide as saucers.

“M-Miss Franka?”

Ignoring the registrar calling her name, Franka addressed Dorothea.

“You need a stage to fight Kalidahs, right? Then there’s no need to fret. Just come up with some excuse for a special event match or something. We could have the winner of the individual competition face off against the team champion. The top three from individual competitions could form a team, or one representative could stand from the team champion’s side.”

Dorothea frowned.

“You can do that just because you want to?”

“This tournament—no, one of the biggest sponsors of this city is the Aglaia family. If I’m determined, I can manage that easily.”

Dorothea glanced at the registrar.

Her expression showed that she seemed to finally recognize Franka’s face, and though puzzled, she didn’t question her words, suggesting they didn’t seem like mere bluster.

Yet, even that didn’t ease Dorothea’s frown.

“What’s your game?”

Franka was one of the competitors gathering the Eight Treasures.

And now she was saying she would help ensure that one of those treasures falls into Dorothea’s hands. Suspicion was only natural.

Franka spoke with visible irritation.

“I have my own circumstances. But…

Franka trailed off, as if finding it hard to say with too many ears around.

“…How about we move somewhere else?”

***

Not only did they move to her shop, but they also thoroughly locked the front door and barred the windows before Franka opened her mouth.

“To get straight to the point, I have no reason to stop you from recovering your treasures. I’m effectively halfway out of the race myself.”

“Out of the race?”

“Yes, you made the Blood Oath. There’s no way to attack you, so how can I gather the eight treasures?”

After pouting, Franka let out a sigh.

“After separating from you, I immediately went to confront my Master. I thought my master might know how to dissolve the oath, and above all, I couldn’t accept that after leaving me with the kids, they just took the treasures.”

What a ridiculously foolish mistake, she thought bitterly.

“Instead of apologizing or helping me, my master scolded me. They said they couldn’t entrust me with the recovery anymore, took the compass, and told me to reflect on my actions while watching the shop. Well, I suppose that could be expected; after all, I messed up. But letting them take my kids is something I can’t forgive, no matter who they are.”

Staring in frustration at Franka, Dorothea coldly replied, “Get to the point. What do you want to say?”

“Bring back the kids.”

Franka gazed directly at her group as she spoke.

“I don’t think you can defeat my Master. But if I give you the strategy, it might be possible to steal something from the ‘world’ of my Master. You can obtain the ‘Hyden’s Gloves’ that were taken from me and rescue the kids in the process. If you accept my proposal, I’ll help create a stage for you to fight Kalidahs. It’s not a bad deal, is it?”

“…Hmm.”

Dorothea fell into deep thought.