“The finals of Group A in the ‘Courage’ Tournament! Coming from the left is… the vice-captain of the ‘Blue Wind Knights,’ Cissel Yurensto──!!”

“Sorry, I’m late.”

“And on the right, waiting for quite some time… the enigmatic magician X, who has dazzled us with her mysterious martial arts and psychic abilities in every match!!”

“Hmph, I’ve been waiting.”

Cissel bowed her head slightly as an apology. How could she not feel grateful? Even if her life was not on the line in this tournament, it was a significant consideration. It could have been an easy opportunity to seize victory.

Though the gaze behind the mask was hidden, X’s demeanor felt warm in some way. Could it be that her true identity is someone Cissel knows?

X crossed her arms and spoke confidently.

“A victory obtained in such a manner… holds no meaning! The respect of all comes only when a proper performance is displayed!”

“⋯⋯Indeed. Then I shall face you without reservation, X!”

A dialogue of iron. If gratitude and traffic control have been settled, what remains is only the clash of steel. Cissel’s sword cried out, and X’s iron-blooded martial arts revealed their fangs.

Soon, the strongest contenders of the tournament will collide──!!

——–

I and Irid were seated in the VIP section of the audience, watching the final match. I had managed to squeeze into a seat reserved for the esteemed, so the view was excellent, and the service was quite remarkable.

The moment my glass was empty, the beautiful priestess waiting beside me immediately refilled my drink. It felt wonderful to be treated this way.

Even in these trivial details, one could catch a glimpse of the current decline of the Goddess Church.

The fear coiled within the priestess, as well as her priestly attire that accentuated her figure to an almost suspicious degree, created an atmosphere where it seemed one could tease the priestess without any repercussions.

The outfit itself was designed to be easily removed. Just untying a single string at the lower back would likely turn her into a peeled egg within three seconds. The design was quite informative. I made a note of it.

Unless it was provided by a wealthy, greedy tycoon, this kind of service felt rather inappropriate for a religious group.

Neither Irid nor I were concerned with that, as we focused on the match.

“How can I match her speed──”

“Postponed initiative… speed without finesse is useless!”

Oh, our Yuna is doing great!

Despite Sishel’s high-speed movements, Yuna was dodging and parrying everything. Seeing the Master of the Magic Tower move like that, after only shooting beams from behind, made my heart race with a hint of unexpected charm.

The reason Yuna was facing Sishel without using her powers was simple. If she fired the Yuna Death Beam, she wouldn’t be able to hide her identity. That would be too obvious, wouldn’t it?

So how could Yuna, who had no connection to physical training, be so good at close combat? It’s the same reason I was able to punch Rodellus. She’s smart.

The close combat itself was being handled by a combat-assist AI that had been implanted in me.

Sishel’s speed could also be calculated somehow. Sishel’s body is fast, but her mind isn’t, so if you anticipate and dodge, it’s easy.

The trajectory is linear, making calculations straightforward. There’s hardly any variation in speed. From my vantage point in the audience, I could read up to four moves ahead, so Yuna must be able to read at least five.

“Boom Fist──!!”

“Ugh!”

After playing around like that, it would end with Sishel’s victory. I watched with a relaxed mind as Yuna toyed with her little sister.

Irid, who was also watching, suddenly spoke up.

“The person fighting Sishel… isn’t that the Purple Master of the Magic Tower?”

I briefly considered whether to hide my surprise or not, then decided to be honest and jumped up from my seat.

“…How did you know?”

“Well, it’s obvious. First of all, the hairstyle is the same, and the hair accessories and necklace are identical. I won’t even mention the voice.”

“There were more hints than I expected. I thought the Purple Master would have altered those details… but it seems she was comfortable just being herself.”

“Still, it shouldn’t be a problem. Very few people know the appearance of the Purple Master.”

Hmm.

I thought Yuna had disguised herself but had made an exception just for me.

Yuna isn’t someone who lacks a sense of danger. If she wanted to disguise herself thoroughly, she could have, and she could even transform into an eight-foot giant if she wanted. But if she didn’t, then…

Sishel.

Perhaps Yuna didn’t want to be recognized by her family after such a long time apart?

It might be a bit embarrassing to reveal her true self, so she subtly hoped the other side would recognize her. I shared my speculation with Irid.

“…Then why doesn’t Sishel recognize her?”

“Well…”

“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. It seems like Uhwa has changed like you, and… it doesn’t seem to be a matter of life and death. Since you’ve managed well, you must have shown yourself to me. Good job.”

“I am deeply grateful.”

As I pretended to bow in gratitude, Irid looked horrified. If I did it twice, I felt like she would leave the spot. Is it really that distasteful?

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like being honored? You’re serving the priestess just fine.”

“I don’t want to serve you. You weren’t like this before… Yeah, if the Purple Master suddenly treated you with utmost respect, wouldn’t you be shocked?”

“I think I’d be disgusted.”

“Don’t be formal, I’m not saying to be rude, you crazy wizard!”

I understand what that means. Isn’t it that the department head at the trading company suddenly acting all sweet is something I don’t want to see? It seems my charisma holds more weight in Irid’s heart than I thought.

I thought I had played enough pranks and shown my quirky side, but maybe there’s still a bit of distance.

Slurp.

I pondered while gulping down the orange-flavored drink.

We’ve already exchanged all the usual pleasantries. Right after meeting, I asked if he was eating well, if he was dating anyone lately, and if he was keeping up with his training. I even got a comment asking how I could sound just like my sister.

Repeating the same repertoire lacks romance, and sitting in silence makes my mouth feel bored. I wish there was a topic to bridge the gap.

Ah, how about relationship advice?

“Excuse me.”

No.

“Weren’t you just about to ask something? Since I granted your sister’s wish, share the information I can provide.”

“No, Your Highness, you’re still single.”

“……… Do you really want to die?”

I got scolded.

As I was being bombarded with complaints from the indignant Irid, the sound of cheers filled the arena along with the lively voice of the announcer.

“The winner of Group A in the ‘Courage’ tournament is── Cissel Yurensto!”

“……… It was a good match. The mysterious wizard X.”

“Hmph, the triple consecutive drift you used at the end was quite impressive.”

“Your Thunder Fist as well………”

My plan ended in success.

——–

“I-I’m back………”

Timidly. Yuna peeked her head around the doorframe and awkwardly greeted me. The master of the magic tower, who had left home, had finally returned after a long wandering. I’m so happy.

Even though she had already stopped by once as the mysterious wizard X, there was still a hint of awkwardness left when she returned as her true self, which was quite amusing.

To dispel Yuna’s awkwardness, I jumped up and dashed over on tiptoes, scooping her up and spinning around.

“Oh my, our pretty Yuna, let’s see how much you’ve grown!”

“Eek! Kyaah-!!”

“Hmm, I think you’ve grown about 13 grams………”

“Stop it, please………!!”

Even while screaming, she doesn’t come down. She seems happy too. I buried my nose in the top of Yuna’s head and took a deep breath. Now, life feels a little more vibrant.

Yuna took my hand and pulled it to her head. I patted her hair affectionately. With a pleasant murmuring sound, a comfortable breath brushed against my neck.

Isn’t this life…?

In the calm that had settled, Yuna spoke softly.

“Hey, I’ll help you a lot, so… I hope you don’t overdo it.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful from now on.”

“…If, if, the groom has… wounds on his face, it’s upsetting, right? And, and, if you want to, um, exert yourself at night, you need to be healthy…”

“…….”

I think I was in a daze for about ten minutes after the bombshell Yuna dropped. When I came to my senses, my face was hot, and Yuna was similarly dazed, caught up in the destructive power of her own words.

I wonder if there’s a tonic in this fantasy world.

After about thirty minutes of lingering, my heart began to ease a bit. Yes, where would I go leaving Yuna like this? I need to take care of myself and live long.

And then we engaged in trivial chatter. How have you been? What have you been eating? I saw the match; you fought well. Watch out for mosquitoes. And then.

While nestled against me like a sloth, Yuna cast a glance at the whiteboard hanging on the wall. The board was filled with the projected tournament brackets.

“Hey, Group B hasn’t started yet…?”

“Ah, yes. The matches aren’t over yet.”

We’ll soon be entering the round of 16.

“…Isn’t that a bit much for you?”

With 13 out of 16 being me, it is indeed a lot.

Due to various incidents, including someone voluntarily dropping out in fear of a serial killer, it ended up this way. But there’s no problem.

“Yes, it is. But if I get eliminated, that’s it, right? I plan to push through and drop the ones I need to drop. The names written in red are the ones I absolutely have to eliminate.”

“The ones?”

“This guy written in light blue, Sol something, is from our ‘Reformist’ side… The remaining one is neutral. We don’t need to worry about him. He’s not skilled; he just got lucky and advanced due to my clone dying.”

Once I handle this, the first tournament will be over.

There are three tournaments left. It seems like a lot at first glance, but it shouldn’t be that complicated or take too long. From now on, I won’t have to care for anyone’s mental state or deal with any transformations.

If I wipe them all out and bury it with backdoor maneuvers, it’ll be over quickly.

For now, let’s just think of a pleasant conclusion. So, I’ll drop the names in red…

Clunk. A messenger burst through the door.

“Master Mage, good news! Saint Tara has sent word that Candidate Olvain has declared his withdrawal from the tournament due to a carriage accident…!”

If I raise Sol…

Clunk. Another messenger burst through the door.

“Master Mage, urgent news! Lord Bennett has sent word that Candidate Sol Renus has voluntarily withdrawn due to his past being exposed by Redburn’s political maneuvering…!”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯?”

Are you saying that suddenly both candidates have dropped out?

No, it’s fine. If only our side has dropped out, that would be one thing, but if the other side has also dropped out, then I have the advantage. I could even insert a neutral party without any problem. Well, maybe.

“Ugh⋯⋯?”

Something sent a chill down my spine. I stared intently at the drawing on the whiteboard. Now, the only real human left in the tournament is Ping.

And Ping is the one who advanced by default after my hologram was killed in a serial murder case. Naturally, he doesn’t even come close to being a contender for the championship. He would probably lose if he fought against Tearpoint Guy.

If he can’t win, that means I will.

If I win, I’ll get to touch the Holy Sword.

I’ll probably die from divine punishment⋯⋯?

Yeah, Phil seems like a lucky guy. I’ll make you the champion. If you advance through all the matches by default and win, it would be suspicious to anyone, so I’ll need to spice things up a bit.

But the chill running down my spine kept sending danger signals, and just in case, I moved one of the holograms active outside to find Ping.

He was trying to submit a voluntary withdrawal form at the reception.

I shot up from my seat.

“What are you trying to assassinate someone for⋯⋯!!”

At this rate, I’ll end up winning and dying!

I threw on my hood while holding Yuna and dashed outside.

——–

The adventurer Pin entered the tournament without much thought.

He figured that having a participation record might give him bonus points when he later joined a mercenary group, and it seemed like it would be a good experience. Since work was in a lull, he casually signed up.

“Pin, default win!”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

Thanks to his opponents being assassinated one after another, he found himself in the round of 16 before he knew it. And looking at the other opponents in the round of 16⋯⋯ the ground was being crushed, fireballs were scattering, and chaos reigned.

No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t belong in this match. The round of 16? Me?

This should be a good experience at best, and in the lower rounds, the strong should show some mercy to the weak, but by the round of 16, the opponents wouldn’t be careless and would fight with all their might.

“Ha ha, the young man has great ambition. I’ll teach you a thing or two and then finish you off.”

“Please take care of me!”

From noble mtl dot come

But this wasn’t the warm picture Pin had in mind.

“Ha ha, the young man has made it this far without even fighting, so I can’t let my guard down. I’ll give it my all, so do your best to survive.”

“Please spare me!”

The likelihood of it turning into this kind of situation was high.

In the tournament he joined to gain experience, losing an arm would mean the end of his life. Finn hadn’t come here hoping for that.

I should just forfeit in advance.

The receptionist asked dully.

“To withdraw from the tournament, please fill out and submit the form.”

“Oh, yes. I wrote it in advance. Right here… uh, uh…?”

Where did it go?

The form that had been right in front of him just moments ago had vanished. As he reached for a new one, a sudden gust of wind blew, fluttering it away.

After juggling in front of the reception desk for ten minutes, the employee’s face was filled with irritation. It seemed they misunderstood, thinking Finn was doing this on purpose.

“I, I’ll do it later…!”

Finn retreated for the time being.

He tried a few more times, but it felt as if a terrible misfortune was following him, and he failed each time. When it suddenly rained and soaked the paper, he felt a twinge of resentment towards the goddess.

Finn trembled in anxiety under the blanket, until a brilliant idea struck him.

Right, he could forfeit once he got on the arena! As soon as he entered, he could shout his surrender! That way, he could leave the tournament without any major incidents!

It was a perfect plan. That day, Finn slept soundly, stretching out his legs, and the next day he stepped into the arena. And as soon as the host announced the start of the match—

“Sur…!”

“Graaahhh—!! An invisible, intangible force—!!”

“……Huh?”

He won immediately.

“What a performance! Adventurer Finn has subdued his opponent in the very moment he declared his own surrender!!”

“……??”

…Was his desperate desire to forfeit manifesting as a miracle? No, that couldn’t be. He was someone with excellent self-objectivity, and he knew he didn’t have the talent for that.

Could it be that his opponent had a sudden seizure?

And then the next match, the quarterfinals.

“Grrrgh!! To declare the start of the match and almost simultaneously be taken down…!!”

“Yield.”

Now he couldn’t even utter the first letter of surrender. Finn was defeated.

Slowly, Finn began to sense something was off. Something was entangled in a grand scheme or a whirlpool of fate that he couldn’t even dream of. It didn’t make sense otherwise. Finn pulled at his hair in frustration.

“I can’t be chosen as one of the eight candidates for the hero…!”

If that happened, it would be a major disaster!

Because, after being hired by all the mercenary groups with curious eyes saying, “You were chosen as a candidate for the hero…?”

Once the truth was revealed, wouldn’t they look at me with eyes saying, ‘Is this really a candidate for a hero…?’ I didn’t want such a ridiculous reputation. What I hoped for was just a bit of good experience!

For the semifinals, I brought a large sign that boldly declared my surrender. Even if the match lost some excitement, I had no choice if I wanted to survive.

Waaa──!!

When I felt the crowd’s positive reaction and checked my sign, the word “surrender” had changed to “tournament champion.”

“W-Who on earth…!! Who is doing this to me?!”

“What a lion’s roar, I’m going to die!”

“Don’t force yourself to lose! Who are you to keep making me lose?!”

Destiny.

I felt the weight of destiny pressing down on me. Whether it was someone’s scheme or the goddess’s trickery, this was an inescapable fate.

Must I succumb to this enormous current? Am I to be swept away and crowned champion like this? No. Absolutely not. I will not comply!

“…I can’t win like this—!”

No matter how weak a person may be… they can resist their fate…!!

And then, the finals.

I stood in the arena, having stayed up all night and skipping meals, looking like a zombie to anyone who saw me. There was no way someone in this state could win a match!

The crowd was buzzing, pointing out my skinny frame…

What do you say, fate? Can you grant me victory in this state…?

The elderly swordsman who appeared as my opponent stroked his abundant beard and spoke quietly. He was clearly speaking softly, yet his words were suspiciously clear and loud enough for the entire audience to hear.

I sensed that I was in trouble.

“…They say that those who reach a certain level forget the five desires and seven emotions through meditation and sharpen the sword of their heart. Indeed, it seems so. Your spirit is truly fierce.”

“…….”

“I feel as if I have already lost. You are the victor.”

Waaah—!!

No, wait. Wait!

I tried to protest, but I didn’t even have the strength to shout. Only a metallic sound came from my parched throat. I should have saved some energy to speak…!

And so.

“With this, the ‘Courage’ tournament concludes! Two out of the eight hero candidates have been decided! They are── ‘Order of the Blue Wind’’s Chisel Yurensto and ‘Formless Sword’’s Finn!!”

I was defeated.