We hurried through the cleanup as the awards ceremony is to be held on the very same stage. There were still wounded participants who needed treatment so the ceremony is set to begin in an hour.
At last, with all preparations complete, the officials made their way onto the stage. I moved toward the audience as well, eager to watch the proceedings.
“Now then, we will begin the awards ceremony for the Martial Arts Tournament! First, our two runners-up—Martial Artist Zangief and Swordswoman Lulusia. Please step forward before the Margrave.”
“““Woooooh!”””
Despite this being only the presentation for second place, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.
Zangief-san, was not the burly, musclebound fighter one might imagine, but rather a small, slender practitioner of jujutsu—a master of technique over brute force.
As for Lulusia-san, she served as a defensive soldier within the Margrave’s domain, and her performance had upheld the honor of the garrison. Though known as a swordswoman, she was said to excel equally in hand-to-hand combat and magic—a warrior of rare versatility.
“Now then, will Champion Ao and their seconds please step forward before the Margrave.”
“““Yes!”””
“““Waaaah!”””
Technically, Ao was still classified as Shiro and the others’ familiar but by now, everyone clearly saw the little slime as a full-fledged martial artist.
Smiling brightly, Shiro and the others waved energetically to the cheering crowd, with Ao wobbling happily beside them.
“To be honest, I had my doubts when I heard a slime would be competing. But once the matches began, your strength was beyond dispute. Congratulations!”
“““Thank you very much!”””
“You were amazing!”
“So strong!”
“And adorable, too!”
As Shiro stepped forward to receive the prize list on their behalf, another great roar of applause swept through the arena. Ao joined in the celebration as well, waving her tentacles enthusiastically at the audience.
“Furthermore, the top finishers in today’s event are hereby invited to a banquet hosted by the Margrave’s household one week from now.”
Oh?
That was the first I’d heard of it.
Perhaps it had been mentioned during registration.
Ao certainly seemed unfazed.
But then came an announcement of something I was even less prepared for.
“In addition, the meat from the orcs subjugated today will be served at food stalls operated by the Margrave’s house. It will be provided free of charge, so please line up in an orderly fashion.”
“““Wooooah! How generous!”””
Hey! I’ve never heard of that!
And since it’s free, it’s bound to draw a staggering number of customers.
“Please rest assured. The soldiers will be joining in to help.”
“Shun-sama need only focus on grilling the orc meat.”
Right…
Apparently, the head attendant had already been informed of this arrangement. When I looked toward the stalls, I could see soldiers inside, expertly butchering the meat.
Hm? Butchering…?
“Huh? Then who exactly is going to grill the meat besides me?”
…They all quietly averted their eyes.
—Hey!
The head attendant just looked away.
Does that mean… I’m grilling all this meat by myself?
And after the closing ceremony, that was exactly what happened. I ended up standing there alone, endlessly grilling meat.
Meanwhile, Ao was apparently speaking with the Margrave alongside the other award recipients, and stayed with Shiro and the others the entire time.
…Yeah. Honestly, this might have been the most exhausted I’ve felt out of everything so far.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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