It is necessary to go over the rules of this game more meticulously.

“I understand that there are eight groups, but how are the groups determined, and how is the draw for the matchups conducted? Also, can anyone participate if they want?”

“First, there will be preliminaries. I believe they are still ongoing, but the spell prepared by the Church of the Goddess, ‘Three Dogs Protecting the Goddess’⋯⋯ if you can peel off even one layer of this, you will pass.”

“Oh, that spell.”

I’ve seen Tara use it. It’s a divine magic with excellent defensive capabilities that summons a large shield with three dog heads.

There’s nothing better for filtering people. On average, you would need at least a rank of 2 to break through, so a village farmer named A wouldn’t be able to participate in the hero selection tournament.

What will happen to those filtered out?

“Those who pass the preliminaries will gain the right to participate in the sequentially held group tournaments.”

“What does that mean?”

“After the ‘Courage’ tournament ends, the ‘Faithfulness’ tournament will be held, followed by the ‘Constancy’ and ‘Obedience’ tournaments in order. Those who pass the preliminaries will get to choose one of these to participate in.”

To sum it up, choosing the group to participate in is up to the participants themselves.

I can already feel the heat of the information warfare. Anyone would avoid the group with a strong candidate for victory, so there will certainly be those watching the movements of the strong and looking to make their bets. The game of wits will be fierce.

For example, if the Empire’s sword master, a young knight, suddenly enters the ‘Courage’ tournament, then anyone with sense would try to anticipate the next schedule. How intriguing.

Up to this point, it seems quite fair, but⋯⋯.

“Then, how are the matchups for that tournament determined? What method is used?”

“The matchups are organized through a ‘fair draw.'”

“A fair draw, you say.”

Yes, I figured there would be at least one mechanism like this.

Just by looking at the military priest’s words, it’s clear that it’s not fair. It goes without saying that there will be manipulation from the cardinal faction.

For instance, if there are three strong candidates for victory and one candidate supported by the cardinal faction, they could push the strong candidates to one side to make them fight among themselves.

Because the hero candidates selected from one group are not just one, but two.

Even if it seems a bit embarrassing, if by luck they only meet weak teams and somehow become a hero⋯⋯ it means that such a tactic could be adopted by the cardinal faction.

That’s as far as the background goes.

——–

Next are the characters.

“Then I suppose we should hear about the Named participating in this festival… What do you think, Bennett? Could you explain to us the individuals we need to be cautious of?”

“First, we should start with the major powers. Here’s a list of noteworthy individuals; please refer to it while listening.”

First is the Red Flavor Duke family.

According to the information from the Reformist informant, they are preparing for the Hero Selection Tournament with quite an active attitude and are currently gathering information on the participants. However, it remains uncertain who exactly will participate.

“I’ve confirmed that several knights from the Redburn Duke’s order have entered the Holy City. It’s speculated that they might send them out.”

It seems they are deploying a considerable number of knights. Is the Red Flavor Duke genuinely aiming for the hero position? It seems necessary to rendezvous with Roderus in a dream to gather more information.

Next is the Imperial faction.

On this matter, Pingvalez shared some information.

“I heard that the Second Prince, Irid, has no interest in the hero position. However, he is reportedly on the move with a knight at the request of the First Princess. The vice-captain of the ‘Blue Wind Knights,’ a person named Cissel Yurensto.”

Although Irid himself has no intention of reaching for the hero selection tournament, could it be that Elein is different? It appears he has received a commission from his sister.

“…Wait a moment, Yurensto?”

“Yes, you are correct in your assumption.”

My heart sank for a moment.

The full name of the Lord of the Magic Tower is Yuna Yurensto Violet Iris, and the long title attached at the end is a title bestowed by the Imperial family. So, in terms of bloodline, it means she belonged to the Yurensto Count family.

Yuna hated the Yurensto Count family, where she was born and raised. She referred to her father as Count in a rigid manner, and the bitter taste that lingered was quite severe.

…Perhaps I will have the chance to meet that vice-captain when persuading Irid. I wonder if I could hear something about Yuna.

Next is the Grand Duke family from the North.

I can roughly guess this without any information. The Northern Grand Duke, ‘Daisy,’ had spilled all sorts of TMI to Hart, so I have some understanding of the Northern circumstances.

The most troublesome aspects in the icy land of the North are food and heat. Both must be supplemented from outside for the territory to function.

‘Daisy’ has always harbored dissatisfaction regarding this fact. If she could resolve both difficulties internally, the finances spent on imports could be redirected towards the North’s development.

From the perspective of the Northern Grand Duke… a hero is appealing. If a hero loyal to the Northern Grand Duke family were to be born and used that immense divine power for the territory, it would be a boon.

If it were me, I would use the powerful ‘preservation’ capability of sacred magic to create a super-sized greenhouse. I would bring forth spring in a land that only knows winter, and farm there.

Alternatively, I could leverage the name value of being a hero to gain support from the Goddess Church. Either way, it would greatly benefit the North.

Upon hearing that speculation, Pingvalez was greatly impressed.

“Isn’t the world a strange place, Mima? At first, I thought it was just a funny matter, but to think it could be this helpful. You really know how to charm a man.”

“Don’t tease me, darling.”

“…Hmm.”

“Don’t be shy, just retort…!”

From noble mtl dot come

So, there are three major powers participating.

I am so familiar with their faces because I see them so often; it’s a big deal that two of the three dukes in the empire are involved, with the imperial family getting mixed up in it too.

The attention of this vast nation is focused on one sacred city. The name value of a hero has this much worth.

Naturally, individuals with ambitions must be flocking in as well. The ones I need to pay more attention to are these guys. While I can manipulate large forces, I have no data on them.

Bennett tapped on the list.

“Of course, I couldn’t identify all the experts in the field. This is just a summary of those who are somewhat famous, so keep that in mind.”

“………Yuri, could you read this and memorize it for me?”

“Gladly.”

I’m weak with documents filled with names of people…!

——–

The vanguard of the mercenary group led by the Mercenary King, Wolfhild.

Estimated Level: “Fable”.

The flame mage, Krabellin Render, expelled from the enemy tower.

Estimated Level: “Fable”.

The wandering swordsman, Ipar.

Estimated Level: “3-star”.

And so on.

——–

Objective 1. Eliminate the candidate that the cardinal faction is pushing as the main contender. Given the structure of the hero selection tournament, the cardinal faction has the power to decide the matchups, so it will be difficult, but if successful, it would be the best outcome.

I could start by throwing a wrench in their plans.

Objective 2. Among the eight hero candidates who will gain the right to pull the holy sword, I want to maximize the ratio of our allies as much as possible. This is to extend the time I can interfere with the holy sword.

I have a history of extracting information from the goddess’s “Divine Punishment.” If I’m given enough time, I don’t think hacking the holy sword will be impossible.

I’m not sure how much time the cardinal side will allow for contact with the holy sword, but if they say they’ll give at least three minutes for the selection process.

A safe bet would be around four. Three or two would be risky, and one would be a bit tough.

Let’s proceed with the plan while keeping these two objectives in mind. I’ll persuade each large faction to become allies and, if possible, recruit notable individuals.

I’m considering various options for those who resist persuasion and recruitment. I don’t plan to wipe them out like a villain, but some charm or sabotage might be…?

If I can fill just 4 out of 8, that guarantees victory.

And in that process… I’ll have the opportunity to approach the secrets of the goddess’s church. Through this, I hope to gain something that will help in the removal of ‘that’.

Also.

“If things don’t go well, I could start a coup. I could take the pope hostage, right?”

[Or, we could hide far away in a remote mountain village. Just the three of us. So, don’t worry too much, Tara!]

“⋯⋯I wasn’t particularly worried, you know? Yes, no matter what happens⋯⋯ as long as we can be together.”

I hope that trio finds their happy ending.

⋯⋯And that a happy ending comes to my love life as well!

This was the blueprint of my elaborate—grand—long-term plan.

——–

Tap. Tap.

Under the red lights, the pieces move. The knight advances, claiming a strategic point. The masked man briefly contemplates the duke’s clever move before⋯⋯ pushing his pawn forward and speaking.

“I’ve heard you’ve reached out to the affairs of the ‘Goddess Cult.'”

“Is there a problem? ‘Lamb.'”

“No⋯⋯ I was merely curious. With the casting of the evil deity’s statue nearing completion, I wondered if there was any reason to lay the board.”

“Because you’ve realized that the evil deity’s statue is not absolute.”

Crack.

Duke Redburn’s fingers crushed the knight as if to shatter it. Then, with a thud, he set it down forcefully. His gesture was laden with anxiety and doubt.

“Wasn’t that a failure in the operation of the ‘Virgin’?”

“Absolute power does not require skill. If one can lose due to careless operation, it means it was never absolute to begin with.”

The last act of the ‘Virgin’ was to devour the annihilation squad that had intruded into her refuge. And just a few days later, she was dead.

Duke Redburn concluded that this was the imperial family’s hidden strength. Luring the ‘Virgin’ out with the annihilation squad as bait, he had her killed.

The five sublimators possessed by the empire were being tracked with all their might. However, on that day, the empire’s swordsman was elsewhere⋯⋯ and the other figures had not strayed from their nests.

The only suspect worth considering was the Purple Mage.

“The Purple Mage has not left the academy. I can assure you of that. If she were involved, it would only be in the case of sending consciousness directly to attack the queen’s nest⋯⋯.”

“By your words, the ‘Virgin’ must have been a match for the Purple Mage.”

“Yes. To be precise, they would stab each other⋯⋯ her mind is exceedingly unstable. If the Purple Mage’s psyche is shaken beyond a certain threshold, her sublimation will collapse. There’s no doubt about it.”

And the ‘Virgin’s’ abilities are strong against mental attacks. So, no matter how inexperienced she was with the evil deity’s statue, she should have at least succeeded in escaping, if not perishing alongside it.

Thus, Duke Redburn formulated the following hypothesis.

“What if there’s another like the swordsman⋯⋯ one more?”

There might be another sublimator hidden away by the imperial family.

“A hidden blade in the dark, one that cuts very well⋯⋯ that is certainly a suspect hypothesis. If so, he must possess a very strong mind.”

“Or, like the ‘Virgin,’ be specialized in mental attacks.”

The dark sorcerers conjured the image of a nonexistent sixth sublimator. If he truly existed, they would need to be more cautious⋯⋯ and raise the stakes.

And that was the reason.

The research on the power of the gods had been ongoing. You must have felt the same. The desire for the source beyond the evil deity’s statue exists within all of us.

“………”

“And I saw hope in the goddess. Have you ever thought about it? ‘The Lamb.’ How does she truly bestow divine power?”

In this vast world, among countless people, how could she select the talented ones to grant them divine power? And how could she detect their apostasy and withdraw that power?

How could she know all that information and those facts?

It’s simple. The goddess possesses such abilities. A large-scale detection capability that can sense the entire continent and gather information, activated continuously every second. In other words,

“The goddess has ‘The Eye of Heaven.'”

“……Ah, and you have ‘The Lantern of Foreknowledge’…”

The fable of Duke Redburn, who can seize fate as much as he knows, the Lantern of Foreknowledge. Its power grows closer to perfection the more information it has about the target.

What if ‘The Eye of Heaven’ could be combined with it?

And if that output could be supported through the evil deity’s statue?

“Though it’s a mere possibility, if all of this comes to fruition—at that moment, my sacrificial sublimation will become a power that dominates the world.”

“Moreover, even if I can’t steal all of the goddess’s eyes, if I could obtain even a part of them… that alone would grant me tremendous power. Very wise, ‘The Noose.'”

Thus, Duke Redburn revealed his trump card.

‘The House of b*stards’ to create loyal minions. Such experiments had already been conducted several times. The results had been harvested multiple times as well.

Rodelus was a rather exceptional sword among them, but he was not ‘the best.’

The ultimate sword that obeys Duke Redburn’s commands without question, a masterpiece woven together with fate, a faceless being devoid of emotion.

The duke intended to send her to the Hero Selection Tournament. It didn’t matter if she didn’t become a hero. What he aimed for was to get closer to the core of the Goddess Church. And to steal the goddess’s eyes.

‘The Lamb’ smiled brightly as she laid down her king.

“To do that, I will need the help of a skilled illusionist. I think I understand why you called me… Very well, let’s cooperate.”

“There must be no mistakes, ‘The Lamb.'”

“I won’t make any mistakes. Your pawn won’t either. If that’s the case, this plan is already as good as successful.”

As if to commemorate the conclusion of their negotiation, the two raised their wine glasses from the table and clinked them together. They would use the Hero Selection Tournament to obtain what they desired.

It was the moment when the plans of the dark sorcerer and the mad magician intersected.