I need to harmoniously intertwine Elaine’s request and my own purpose.

Elaine believes that if I leave the knight as she is, she will once again recklessly throw her life away on the battlefield, which is why she hopes she fails in the Hero Selection Tournament.

It would be wonderful if she could be selected as a hero and somehow heal her wounded soul, but rather than repairing her just to have her return to the battlefield, she wishes to retire her instead.

Seeing this, Irid asked me to take care of the knight’s mental state. I believe I heard her say that there’s no need to be picky about the means.

And I want to pressure the imperial side to ensure that a candidate from the Cardinal faction is not chosen as a hero. I will connect all these interests into one.

A clean and beautiful straight line appeared.

The knight will win. She will be rehabilitated using the tournament itself as a stepping stone. If the fable can be changed, it will be changed. I will ponder how to heal her soul at the moment it comes into contact with the holy sword.

There is one prerequisite for this.

I must dominate this tournament almost entirely.

Inside the simulation, I am omnipotent as the game master. However, there is neither time nor facilities nor Yuna to prepare the session here. When would I even go to the academy to fetch equipment?

Moreover, that knight is a powerhouse, rivaling Elaine. If I were to set up a simulation with shabby equipment, accidents could occur.

I doubt she would comply with a disarmament request like, “Please lie down on this magic circle, open your mental barrier, and count to ten while looking at the sky.”

Thus, I decided to conduct the session using the tournament happening in reality as the stage. The situation is not favorable.

“…Is that really possible? To manipulate a tournament where so many people are gathered for just one person?”

“Of course it is possible!”

The one who answered Pingvalez’s concern was not me, but Akshin-chan.

Akshin-chan was laughing like a naughty friend. It felt like a wicked temptation, as if saying, “Finally, you’re starting to play with reality.”

“Are you finally going to have fun with reality? Good, Mima. Let’s keep this puppet show going for a long time. It’ll be incredibly fun!”

“Shut your mouth, you brat!”

“Gya gya gya gya!”

I grabbed Akshin-chan’s cheeks and stretched them out to the sides.

One magician dominates the tournament. It is not an impossible task. If I take steady steps, I can create an excellent stage. And the first step is.

“Exclusion of external forces.”

“Exclusion, you say?”

“Yes. You can’t control a powerhouse. Variables like the northern duke’s female warrior I encountered earlier, or those who had their names on the watch list, will only complicate the story.”

Variables must be eliminated.

The imperial knight, Yurensuto, is an S-class candidate throughout the entire Hero Selection Tournament. Unless some random lunatic who has reached transcendence decides to participate in newbie cosplay, she can be considered a definite contender for victory.

So, from the perspective of other forces, the knight, who has a very high probability of falling if they happen to meet her, would want to avoid her as much as possible.

Thus, I plan to threaten them with, “Don’t you dare bid against me, you b*stards.”

I spread the rumor throughout the neighborhood that the royal family’s secret weapon would be participating in the first tournament, “Courage.” Her brilliant achievements, too.

I even had the knight herself declare her aspirations directly. I wrote the script for her.

“I, Sishel Urensto, will participate in this ‘Courage’ tournament and prove to the goddess that I am the bravest knight.”

That provocative declaration heated up the festive atmosphere.

I also sent letters to the Northern Duke’s side, advising them not to participate in this round if possible, and told Benetne to refrain from joining as well.

Now, I have done all I can. The next step is to observe the reactions and push forward with plans based on those reactions. I sat in the dimly lit room, resting my chin on my hand, and smiled like a puppet master.

“It’s the first tournament. There are still three more to go. With three opportunities left behind, would a strong contender really come up in the ‘Courage’ tournament…?”

“Your legs seem to be shaking quite a bit.”

“……..”

It’s just that I’m anxious about the possibility of someone like Kim Lulu showing up.

The first step for the session, eliminating external forces through threats, is complete. The results will come… a few days after the matchups are announced.

While waiting, I will proceed to the next step.

——–

So, how will we resolve the absence of characters?

If it’s within the simulation, NPCs can be produced at a city level. Given the limitations of resources, I won’t implement it to that extent, but…

In any case, it is clear that characters are needed to develop the story.

There are people I can seek help from. It’s just the three of us: me, Pingvalez, and Akshin-chan. If I were to expand a bit more, it would be the members of the “Reformists,” but I can’t pull them in for the session.

If I were to exhaust all my reserves just to hold one session, what would happen to the remaining three tournaments?

This started with the intention of taking down the Cardinal faction. If I pour all my strength into the secondary goal and the candidate for the Cardinal faction’s hero rises straight to the top, it would be a complete reversal of roles.

Moreover, even with that many people gathered, there would still be a shortage.

Because this is a tournament where the matchups are determined randomly. If Urensto’s knight ends up matched against someone, there might be room to weave a story, but what if luck runs out and everything goes awry?

…What if it all goes to hell? What if no one could meet the knight in the tournament?

That’s why we need many people.

Even if there are unexpected occurrences, we need enough numbers to face the knight at least three times, along with acting skills and loyalty that perfectly follow my direction.

“Gathering that many elite actors will be a difficult task, even if you spend a fortune. What do you plan to do?”

“Pingvalez, surprisingly, is right here. Countless people who absolutely obey my commands.”

“……..?”

“Hello, Pingvalez. I am Kei, who practices swordsmanship. I am also the old assassin Niddlepin, who has honed his assassination skills, and a pure village girl named Ka something.”

Yes, that’s me.

What use would I have for illusion magic?

I was thinking of hitting countless duplicate applications through disguise.

Isn’t it truly a beautiful picture!

“…Are you saying you will hold a tournament as a one-man play?”

“Of course, I’ll need to control the number of entities a bit so that I don’t rise too high.”

“That’s the problem, indeed. You could showcase various extraordinary martial arts, or overlay holograms or summon them. It certainly sounds plausible.”

Let’s start right away. I need to create plenty of disguised identities to sign up for the tournament.

——–

The person in charge of the preliminary rounds of the hero selection tournament was utterly exhausted and weary from the barrage of participant applications. He was almost half-dead, working mechanically.

From simpletons coming up from the countryside to nobles’ offspring cluelessly bringing out artifacts, he passed by numerous participants…

Now, with just a glance, he could roughly guess whether they would pass the preliminaries or not. The official faced the next applicant with dull eyes.

“Next. What’s your name?”

“Kay of the Wind Magic.”

Wearing a straw hat and chewing on a dog grass… a peculiar individual. There was an unusual aura about him; it seemed like he could pass the preliminaries.

“…What’s the reason for applying?”

“To gain the power to defeat my rival, Jay.”

“Pass. Go through here to the preliminary examination area. If you can strip even one layer of the Sacred Shield, you will be accepted.”

“Heh.”

Kay of the Wind Magic passed by nonchalantly.

After sending off a few more ordinary people, another rather eye-catching peculiar individual arrived. He was a painfully thin old man.

“…Next. What’s your name?”

“Hee hee hee… What need is there for a name? Just write down ‘A Sharp Needle.'”

“What’s the reason for applying?”

“You might find it hard to understand. Tonight might bring a storm in my dreams. Still, will you listen…?”

He was a foreboding and chilling presence. The official didn’t want to engage any further and called for him to pass. He hoped such a sinister figure wouldn’t interfere with the good festival, but… he would probably pass the preliminaries.

After sending off a few more people, this time, a bright and bouncy smiling girl entered the tent. Just her appearance seemed to raise the saturation of the world by a notch, and a refreshing citrus scent wafted through.

“Next. What is your name, miss?”

“Oh, please call me… Karen! I came all the way from the South because I want to become a hero!”

“You’re quite the lively one. You answered before I even asked for your motivation. Very well, you pass; go inside and take the preliminary examination. I hope for good results!”

“Hee hee… Thank you!”

The smiling girl walked towards the open area where the preliminaries were taking place, her twin tails swaying. The hem of her short skirt, rendered in hologram, swayed at a meticulously calculated angle.

The tournament organizer never suspected that these three were the same person.

——–

The matchups were announced.

“……It’s done! It’s settled!”

Neither the Northern Grand Duke nor the Cardinal faction sent out any of their aces. Countless clones blended in seamlessly, with disguised identities of the Mimics arranged harmoniously.

Even the famous regular participants stayed far away from the ‘Courage’ tournament. As expected, it was the reputation of the Eastern Front ace. Everyone decided to skip this tournament.

Good.

The Mimic vs. Mimic matches would be staged with a dazzling holographic puppet show.

For the Mimic vs. others matches, if it’s a situation where they have to lose, they will lose; if they have to win, they will win; and if they feel their specs are lacking for a necessary win… they will be sent out with a skin over the Pingvalez.

The preliminary preparations for rolling the session were perfectly completed.

Now, I would observe the first round while assessing the participants’ specs… and gently guide the flow of the story, leaving no variables. I looked at the matchups and smiled contentedly.

“It’s good to be divine, but please keep it moderate. Your arms haven’t fully healed yet.”

“Oh, come on, thanks for worrying about me, darling.”

“……Please don’t keep trying to turn other people’s concern into charm.”

“……….”

Are you calling it charm?

Pingvalez and I turned our heads away from each other in opposite directions without a word. An embarrassing, damp silence flowed between us.

I pretended to be busy and reviewed the matchups again.

As expected, no matter how many times I checked, there was nothing unusual. In the line that included the knight from Yurensto, there were no notable strong contenders. With this, her selection was practically confirmed.

Two candidates for heroes would be chosen from one tournament.

If one side is to give the knight, then on the other side… should I just bring someone else in, excluding myself? Preferably someone from the ‘Reformist’ or a neutral party.

No matter what happens, I absolutely must not be selected.

It was for safety. If the holy sword is an important tool for selecting the administrator ‘hero’, it would naturally have advanced virus detection capabilities built in.

When I came into direct contact with the holy sword, the probability of ‘that’ reading in my head would be high.

In that moment, I could vividly envision that terrifying ‘Divine Punishment’ pouring down on me like rain. I did not want to end my second life as a charred lump of coal.

While I was thinking that… I noticed a peculiar registration name.

In the knight’s line matchup, there was the strange name ‘Mysterious Mage X.’ I brushed it off as nothing significant, yet somehow felt a chill running down my spine… and swallowed dryly.

As time passed, the first day of the ‘Courage’ tournament approached.

——–

“……Foolish idiot.”

This is indeed something he did wrong.

Yuna had warned him so many times. She told him not to do it because he would surely get hurt. But he stubbornly went ahead and hurt his arm, and now he was sulking.

She was upset. Very much so.

The sulking actually faded within half a day. But if she let it slide day by day like this, it seemed he would do something reckless again next time.

He was the one who was wrong, yet it felt a bit unfair for her to apologize first… so she was maintaining her sulking state without showing herself.

But she was reaching her limit. She wanted to be held in his arms, to be petted, and to secretly smell him. Still, she didn’t want to seem like an easy woman. It was annoying how he always managed to slip away with a smirk.

“…There are plenty of alternatives besides me. Is that just how it is?”

Thinking that made her slightly melancholic.

In this world, there are many prettier and kinder women. Right next to him is the stunning beauty, Yuri Lanster, isn’t there?

Even if he was the most precious person to her, she might not be his ‘most’ precious. She had known that fact painfully for a long time. But.

Knowing it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Still, she couldn’t stay like this… After a long time of pondering in her tangled thoughts, Yuna, almost in a trance, secretly sought out Niore.

Her instincts and subconscious concluded that Niore was indeed the most suitable person for relationship advice. And that was close to the truth.

Niore was surprised by the sudden visit from the great sorceress but quickly grasped the situation and entered counseling mode.

“…What should I do to make it good?”

The essence of her dilemma was how to express her feelings. Staying sulky like this didn’t seem like a good method.

In response, Niore lightly curled her hands into fists and mimicked a cat. Meow.

[Hmm, a bit like a playful trickster… So, acting like a cat is one way.]

“Like a cat?”

[Yes. A little bit of teasing and acting cute, looking this way… When he’s busy with paperwork, you could nuzzle your head against his shoulder to interrupt him, that way you can express both dissatisfaction and affection at once.]

In short, it was an adorable way to express discontent.

Hearing Niore’s practical tips on how to win over her cat-like boyfriend, Yuna’s eyes sparkled with joy. She felt like she had finally found the answer!

“This is it…!”

Cats are cute even when they cause trouble. And they have a power to draw people’s attention. So, she would mimic a cat… Is this the charm of the symbolic realm?

With this, she could sulk while not letting their relationship grow distant!

Yuna recalled the various plans he was working on in her mind and pondered what kind of ‘prank’ to pull… then she concluded by punching her palm with her fist.

From noble mtl dot come

What flashed by was a past experience.

When he had just entered the academy, and she had pointed out the first illusion spell he created and crumbled it. He… ended up being happy about it. A good prank.

Aha. Then I’ll crush the tournament.

I was sweating coldly in the audience.

The one coming out from the left entrance was just a mercenary of no concern. Aside from primarily using a bow, he had no remarkable strength whatsoever.

The announcer pressed his lips tightly to the voice amplification device and introduced him with a flourish.

“From the left, the reliable scout of the Green Grass Mercenary Corps! Kevin Ross──!! And his opponent──!!”

The problem was the one emerging from the right entrance.

Her build was small. Almost delicate. She wore a butterfly-shaped mask. With her face covered, it would be truly difficult to recognize who she was.

⋯⋯⋯⋯.

But I knew that refreshingly swaying twin-tail.

I recognized the flutter of her skirt, which barely covered her thighs!

Even with her face hidden, I could sense the aura of cuteness radiating from her entire being—!

“No one knows her identity! Her school is unknown, her background is a mystery! The enigmatic smiling sorceress who hides her identity behind a mask── X!!”

“Hmm!”

Why are you there, Yuna—!!