Chapter 96

#96 Episode Tin Knight and Martial Arts Tournament (3)

“That Lord is as dense as a brick.”

As the preliminaries approached, Maximilian Egir Heidern lamented.

A noble with blue blood. Born with a destiny to change history (at least, that’s what he believed), Maximilian saw winning the martial arts tournament not as a goal, but as an accessory he was naturally entitled to.

For him, elevating his honor and authority would elevate the prestige of his ‘Patriotic Youth Corps’ and, by extension, protect the Empress and Crown Prince.

If given the chance to contribute to such great patriotism, it would be natural to be overjoyed and offer everything, but the Lord of Trakus simply dismissed Maximilian’s requests with excuse after excuse. Ah, what an impolite and uncouth man he was.

In fact, the Lord showed no concern even for the mysterious memory loss incident the youth corps experienced around two weeks ago.

This happened while they were patrolling the area to fend off thieves and monsters, so it was entirely reasonable for the Lord of Trakus to compensate them.

Of course, Maximilian wasn’t going to consider the Lord’s position of having never even ordered such patrols in the first place.

“Honestly, it’s quite bothersome.”

A person as special as himself had to fight through the preliminaries without any ‘natural consideration’ for a direct qualification into the finals, just like the commoners.

And to make things worse, he tried to get close with Alingd Goodwitch, the Witch’s Apprentice from the South—essentially a political ally—but the situation hadn’t gone well at all.

With all these grievances piling up, Maximilian drew his sword.

Fortunately, there were plenty of suitable ‘targets for venting’ around.

“Ugh!”

“Ahhh!”

Having received lessons from top knights since childhood, consuming every health potion available, and donning the best gear, his skills were formidable.

Massive spending could fail to straighten a person’s mind but was more than enough to raise catalog specs.

His sword emitted waves of energy, cutting through other participants like they were paper.

Maximilian’s swordsmanship, using the preliminaries as a venting ground, was brutal.

The sight of him delivering bonus attacks to those already incapacitated made the other participants grit their teeth.

“Kill that bastard first!”

“Surround him!”

In a deathmatch format, it’s only natural that anyone stronger or hated becomes a public enemy.

While bearing the hostility of the participants, Maximilian maintained his composure.

“Do you really think you scoundrels can be my match just because you’ve grouped together?”

Swords, spears, and daggers. Various attacks sought out and penetrated his gaps.

Some were blocked by his blade, some were dodged, but a few did manage to hit Maximilian.

“Got you!”

A knight’s decisive strike managed to slash across Maximilian’s unprotected back.

Snap!

And then, the knight’s sword broke.

“Huh?”

The knight saw his sword shattered and looked up to find Maximilian looking down at him with a condescending gaze.

That was the last sight the knight would ever see.

After beheading the knight who tried to stab him from behind, Maximilian surveyed his surroundings with a much more relaxed demeanor.

After experiencing the mysterious memory loss, he had further strengthened and upgraded his already impressive equipment.

Drenched in various magical gear, Maximilian’s defense had already reached a level where most sword strikes were ignored.

Scratch! Scratch!

“Ugh!”

“What the hell…!?”

The participants’ misfortunes didn’t end there.

Most of the Patriotic Youth Corps had scattered as the blocks crumbled, but some remained in the same block as Maximilian.

They darted around the arena, stabbing at the backs of the participants attempting to surround Maximilian.

While they were not quite on Maximilian’s level, they were still equipped with decent gear.

With the already formidable Maximilian bolstered by his allies, the other participants found themselves utterly powerless.

“Damn it, this tournament is doomed!”

“Ugh, how did I end up in the same block as that jerk!”

Witnessing Maximilian mercilessly butcher the people around him, the participants swallowed their frustration and retreated beyond the marked boundary of the arena.

It would be a loss by disqualification, but it was better than dying outright.

Watching this unfold, the platinum adventurer Peter clicked his tongue.

“That blonde kid is on a whole different level.”

Judging from the match itself, there was nothing particularly difficult for Adelheid, yet the match had been relatively long.

Participants kept attacking, trying to wear her down, having realized she wasn’t actively trying to kill.

In the end, when they saw how Adelheid wouldn’t budge no matter what they did, they sorted it out among themselves, but the process wasn’t short.

In contrast, Maximilian was mercilessly slaughtering anyone he faced, making it hard for the other participants to even challenge him.

After several skilled, aggressive participants had met their end, everyone spent their time looking for openings, only to get picked off one by one or give up and surrender early.

The time taken for victory and the energy spent were far less compared to Adelheid, so one could argue that Maximilian was the smarter of the two.

But still…

“I don’t like that guy.”

Whether it was efficiency or whatnot, if asked which was the more likable between a human butcher who kills people like bugs and a little lion with a minimum of consideration and mercy, Peter would have to raise his hand for the latter.

It seemed this sentiment wasn’t unique to Peter.

“Hmm, the skills are decent, but he’s not exactly an entertaining opponent for a fight.”

In the audience, the figure occupying the seat next to Peter chimed in.

Peter looked at the figure completely covered in a massive robe from head to toe, incredulous.

“What are you doing here? Can the champion really just sit around watching in a place like this?”

In response to Peter’s question, the champion Kalidahs grumbled.

“Shut up. Can’t you see I’m disguised to hide my identity?”

“If you really wanted to hide your identity, it would be faster to take off that rag than to wrap yourself up like that.”

“If I could take it off, I would have. I have my own circumstances.”

“Oh, come on.”

What a peculiar fellow, Peter thought, shaking his head.

Truth be told, he wasn’t in a position to criticize.

With a sigh, Peter muttered.

“Ah, things are getting oddly complicated. The opponent I dreamed of facing got pushed aside into the team battle, and the girl I was worried about ended up on that team and is participating with them. I should’ve just gone over to that side myself.”

“You don’t have a team, do you?”

“Adventurers usually team up with strangers.”

“Everyone knows that the ‘Platinum’ party is notoriously picky, so don’t try and lie about it. And calling that girl ‘the one I’m worried about’ at your age is just too shameless.”

“The world runs on face value.”

A deep pearl of wisdom.

Kalidahs seemed to have nothing to counter that and fell silent.

After Maximilian and one of his followers advanced to the finals, a magician soon showcased his talents on stage.

Overwhelming the other participants with his dazzling fire magic, Peter and Kalidahs each made their evaluations.

“Not bad, huh? Those ‘Destruction’ Tower friends sure know how to work their attack magic.”

“Smart move hiding in a corner, quickly creating a wall of flames. Once he blocks the approach like that, warriors without top-notch armor or physical enhancement don’t have a way to attack. A magician can participate in a solo match without a familiar.”

Several more matches followed, but no noteworthy participants caught their eyes.

There were skilled individuals, but to the two at their level, those with unique traits felt far more interesting than just simple skilled fighters.

“Among the finalists, the notable ones are the blonde little girl, the gold-painted butcher, and the magician from the Magical Kingdom.”

“The first has speed and stamina, the second has magical power and defense, and the third has range and firepower.”

“I’d love to smash that second one with my own hands. Hey, champion, how about we rig the match a little?”

“Not that I have the authority for that… well, not that it’s impossible, but I won’t. It makes the match boring. You know that, right?”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

Peter stood up.

With a grin, he said, “Well, then, there’s nothing to be done. We just have to leave it to luck. That’s one of the essential aspects of an adventure too.”

Peter leaped.

The sudden sight of Peter launching himself into the middle of the audience made other spectators gasp, but there was no risk of him falling.

At the moment he firmly planted his foot, it was as if there was a stepping stone in thin air, propelling him forward once more.

Descending through the sky like jumping down from a bridge or sprinting down wide steps, he landed at the center of the arena.

The final stage of the preliminaries.

Facing the astonished gazes directed at him, Peter drew a dagger.

Waving the dagger around, he said, “What are you waiting for? Come at me.”