Just like yesterday, Sue, the attendants who had come along, and I took our seats in the Margrave family’s section. Fina-san and her brother were already seated, and the Madam was on stage, microphone in hand, ready to begin.
And then, someone who wasn’t supposed to be here was sitting among us.
“Sir, what are you doing here? Weren’t you only going to watch starting tomorrow?”
“I’m only here for this one match, then I’ll leave. I disguised myself yesterday to watch the game too, but I figured it’s safer to be here openly if I’m going to watch.”
So the Margrave actually came yesterday as well, he was just in disguise huh. The bodyguards must be exhausted from running around after him.
The Margrave continued,
“Besides, this martial arts tournament is also meant to discover talented individuals. Today’s first match features a magician, still inexperienced, but a magician nonetheless.”
“I see. Magician are rare, so if necessary, it makes sense to scout them.”
A line very much in the Margrave’s style.
If someone could serve the Margrave’s household for a long time, the tournament prize money would seem like a trivial expense. So he came personally to watch, since he couldn’t make a proper judgment without seeing the match.
Though… honestly, even Fina-san’s brother seems more than capable.
“Then, we’ll begin the second day of the preliminaries! In the red corner, fresh from yesterday’s overwhelming victory, the Miracle Magician—Ao!”
“Go, Ao!”
“So cute, waving like that!”
Ao was a hit with both the older men and the women in the audience. She dutifully waved her tentacles back at the cheering crowd.
Although… honestly, yesterday’s “victory” felt more like the opponent had self-destructed than her actually winning.
“And in the blue corner… narrowly victorious yesterday, but will she manage today? The little magician—Sylvia!”
“So small and cute!”
“Do your best today too!”
Ao’s opponent is a girl about the same height as Fran and Horn. At first, I wondered if she was really over twelve—but there was no mistake.
“She’s a dwarf. That’s why she’s short. Believe it or not, she’s actually older than you, Shun.”
“R-really?!”
“Yesterday, she struggled against a thief-type opponent, but her counter spells landed just right, and she narrowly advanced.”
Hearing that, I realized for the first time that dwarves existed in this world.
…Though seriously, how does the Margrave know so much about the matches?
As I pondered that, some movement caught my eye on the stage.
“Since both competitors have chosen a magical battle, we’ll activate the magical device that projects a simple barrier around the stage.”
“““Whoa!”””
With a whoosh, the device activated, and a thin magical barrier enveloped the stage.
This was some seriously high-tech stuff.
“It’s still in the experimental stage, but it can project a simple magical barrier. Due to limitations in its duration, we have to constantly replenish its magic after each match.”
“But it’s an incredible device. Not just for outfitting soldiers, but it could be used for disaster prevention as well.”
“I usually research it under normal conditions, but events like this let me put it to full use. The soldiers also gain experience dealing with people from outside the territory, which helps them develop real-world response skills.”
Yeah, as expected, the Margrave was thinking about all sorts of things. No matter who wins, it’s set up to benefit the Margrave’s household.
“For now, let’s focus on the match in front of us. I actually told Ao to let her opponent hang on as much as possible.”
“To gauge that magician’s true strength huh. I don’t think we’ll see another disaster like yesterday’s match, though.”
“That match… even in the history of the Margrave’s household, it would rank as one of the absolute worst. That wasn’t a match—it was just a farce.”
As the Margrave said, for now, I should focus on watching the match.
Sylvia-san, the opponent, would surely give it her all. By the way, Sylvia-san had a short, somewhat unruly green haircut and slightly long ears. She wore a hoodie-like jacket and a short skirt.
In her hands, she carried a big staff that screamed “magician”. The staff even looked taller than her.
Finally, the two of them shook hands, and the match began.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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