Category: Isekai Nonbiri Sanpo Tabi

My my, the others were steadily cornering the remaining Orc Kings as well.

“Fubiii! Buhiiii!”

“Take this!”

Swish!

Thud!

Like me, Sue bound an Orc King with bind, then, empowered by physical enhancement, she leapt onto its head and drove her sword straight through.

Following the same strategy of crushing the Orc King’s head, Sue also succeeded in defeating it.

“Ei‑ei!”

Woosh wooosh woosh.

Zudodododoon!

“Buooh!”

““Ei‑ei!””

Crack! Crack!

“Bufuu…”

Thud!

“We did it! We beat the pig!”

““Meat!””

Shiro and the others relied on sheer brute force.

While Horn kept the Orc King’s attention focused with rapid Holy magic, Shiro and Fran launched a flying kick from behind. Shiro shattered the Orc King’s spine, and Fran broke its neck. Even with their physical enhancements, breaking the bones of an Orc King is nothing short of incredible.

But this was just the warm-up—the most exciting part was happening on the stage.

Wooosh woosh woosh.

Boom boom! Boom booom!

“Buooh!”

“……”

“Ao-senshu is unleashing a relentless barrage of magic on Shadow-senshu and the Orc King! Shadow-senshu can barely hold up with his magic barrier!”

“Nice—keep it up!”

“Take him down!”

Ao seemed to be deliberately casting flashy, heavy spells to keep the magician and the Orc King in check, preventing the magician from coming to their aid. Each of Ao’s spells was devastating. The Orc King was falling apart under the assault, and the magician was struggling just to block Ao’s attacks.

Perhaps the audience, fed up with the chaos, couldn’t help but cheer for Ao’s spectacular onslaught.

“““Ao! You’ve got this!”””

“And now—every Orc King outside the stage has been defeated! Only one remains!”

Shiro and the others returned to cheering for Ao, their voices ringing out loudly.

The Madam was observing the surrounding situation and announced that the battle had now become confined to the stage.

Ao, fully aware of the battlefield, intensified the assault in a sudden surge.

Woosh—boom boom boom—Booooooom!

“Bufuoo!”

“……”

“Oh-ho! Ao-senshu is ramping up the offensive even further! An incredible torrent of magic is raining down without limit!”

“Amazing… what is this magic?!”

“So this was him holding back all this power until now!”

With each of Ao’s spells hitting harder and harder, the magician’s magical barrier finally began to crack, tiny fissures spreading across its surface.

Boom!

“Bufuuuuu…”

“At last! The Orc King has collapsed under the magic! And yet, Ao-senshu doesn’t let up—she continues the assault!”

Even with the Orc King defeated, Ao didn’t ease off.

She intends to finish the magician in one decisive blow, filling up the battlefield with relentless, overwhelming magic.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“What an unbelievable development! A large number of orcs have appeared in the plaza! And on top of that, four Orc Kings have manifested!”

Even as she continued her commentary, the Margrave’s wife had a sword in hand.

Fortunately, there had been a brief window before the orcs were summoned, and evacuation from the areas deemed dangerous had already been completed.

Then, with a single announcement from the Margrave—who held a magical amplification device in his hand—the situation shifted at once.

“By the way, orc meat is delicious, so aim for the head. Orc King meat, in particular, is a real delicacy.”

“““Seriously?!”””

Hearing those words, it wasn’t just Shiro and the others—Ao too, suddenly looked fired up.

And so began a one-sided extermination battle, driven by nothing more than the desire to enjoy some truly tasty meat.

“Meat! Meat! Meat!”

“If we take them all down, we’ll get so much meat!”

“I want to eat meat!”

Bakin! Bang! Boom!

“““Buu!”””

The orcs that had appeared around Shiro were instantly wiped out by the three, motivated purely by their desire for meat. It seems that orc meat being delicious is one of those “otherworld” constants.

Whoooosh—Zudodododoon!

Zudododoon… Zudododoon!

“““Byaaaa!”””

“Plus, since we can each cast multiple spells at once, we can crush a bunch of orcs in a single strike.”

Watching yesterday’s battle, you’d know. Sue and I can cast multiple spells simultaneously. Of course, Ao can do it too.

The orcs are slow and clumsy, making them huge, easy targets for our magic.

“……”

“W-what’s this! In just a few minutes since the orcs appeared, all of them except the Orc Kings have been defeated!”

“Nice, keep it up!”

“Now, it’s just the big ones left!”

Only the Orc Kings remained, and the spectators’ cheers returned.

Glancing briefly at the stage, the magician still said nothing, though he looked visibly irritated.

“““Byaaaa!”””

“Oh-ho, your companions have fallen and you’re in angry mode, huh? But your turn will be over soon too.”

The Orc Kings were more than twice the size and bulk of the regular orcs, but their weaknesses were exactly the same. There was no need to aim for the heavily armored chest or belly.

With that in mind, we all launched our attacks on the Orc Kings at once.

“First, let’s stop its movement…”

Grab.

“B—buyaa?”

To stop the Orc King’s movement, I bound it in place with Bind. With the Orc King’s strength, it could probably tear through the binding in a few seconds.

But for me, a few seconds were more than enough.

Shuiiin, shuin.

“This ends now!”

Zudoon.

Dooon.

I unleashed compressed earth magic from multiple angles, crushing the Orc King’s head.

Deprived of its head, the Orc King couldn’t even let out a cry. It collapsed face‑first with a massive thud.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“……”

Step, step, step.

“Oh? Shadow-senshu is approaching the unconscious Chikin-senshu. What does he intend to do?”

Grab—whoosh.

Thud.

“A-and there it is! Shadow-senshu has grabbed Chikin-senshu by the leg and hurled him straight toward Ao-senshu! Ao-senshu dodges, but Chikin-senshu is sent flying clear out of the arena!”

“Hey—wasn’t that a bit much?”

“Yeah… what’s that guy even trying to do?”

Whoa—what was that about?

It looked like the magician was irritated that Ao had neutralized the heir so quickly after he’d gone to the trouble of making him drink that potion.

For the record, the heir—who’d been flung out of bounds—was lightly treated by Horn before being restrained and taken away by soldiers. From here on out, the heir was surely in for some very strict judgment.

“……”

At that moment, the magician raised his hand once more.

Shiing—shiing—shiing

“W-what now?”

“There’s light. S-so much light!”

No, this is bad!

That magician is about to summon something again—but this time, magic circles are appearing all over the arena. Not just that. Enormous magic circles have manifested on the stage itself, outside the ring where Shiro is, and even near the medical tents and food stalls.

He’s trying to neutralize us and keep us from getting anywhere near the stage.

“Defense unit, prepare at once!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Margrave rose smoothly to his feet and began issuing orders.

Fina-san with Pearl perched on her head, drew her sword, while Fina-san’s older brother started giving commands to the soldiers as well.

“This is bad—everyone, evacuate!”

“Waaah!”

“What is this?!”

The spectators had already seen the heir emerge from a magic circle earlier, so the sudden appearance of so many circles threw the crowd into panic.

The guards shouted instructions as they guided people away, urging them to flee.

“Everyone, please get out as quickly as you can!”

“I intend to fight.”

“We’ll be fine, so please don’t worry. We’ve made preparations in case the worst happens.”

I ran over to the food stalls and urged the stall members to evacuate, but Sylvia-san and the others showed no sign of fleeing at all. In fact, the attendants somehow already had daggers in their hands.

Maids are incredible.

“““Byaaaa!”””

At last, something emerged from the magic circles.

Those were—

Orcs!

Thankfully, they weren’t carrying any weapons, but there were more than thirty of them.

“““Gobyaaa!”””

Then, from one especially large magic circle, an orc far bigger than the rest appeared.

Orc King.

With the audience still evacuating, an extremely difficult mission had begun. Defeat the orcs and the Orc King while protecting the civilians at the same time.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Neither we nor the summoned heir had any grasp of what was happening. We were all standing there, utterly bewildered. Amid that confusion, the magician slowly approached the heir.

It seemed the heir noticed the magician drawing closer to him as well.

“Ah—you! The sword and armor I bought from you were completely useless!”

“……”

Ah—so the heir had just blown his own cover, admitting that he had bought a magic sword and armor from that very magician.

The magician said nothing, but made a small gesture that looked very much like a sigh.

Well, given how abysmal the heir’s swordsmanship was and how poor his magical aptitude clearly was—it was no surprise he couldn’t properly use a magic sword or enchanted armor.

Similarly, the Margrave’s wife deliberately chose not to act. With the heir busy exposing himself like this, she seemed content to sit back and observe how things unfolded.

“Tch. I thought this time I’d finally get my hands on Fina and seize the Frontier Margrave’s fortune. But thanks to buying that outrageously expensive sword and armor, our family’s debts have only gotten worse!”

“Boo—! Boo—!”

Oh dear… now he’s blurted out why he bought the magic sword in the first place.

The audience showered the heir with vicious boos. According to the Margrave, the heir hadn’t said anything important during the interrogation—but right now, with blood rushing to his head, he just kept talking and talking.

Hn?

This time, it was the magician who moved, rummaging around his chest pocket as he approached the heir.

Grab.

“Ghk—ghkghkghk?!”

“……”

“W-wait! Shadow-senshu has suddenly shoved a pitch-black bottle into Chikin-senshu’s mouth and made him drink something!”

The magician’s sudden action put Ao and the guards on high alert.

Just what was the magician trying to do?

“Cough—cough! You bastard, what did you—gah!”

“……”

Once freed from the magician’s grip, the heir dropped to his knees, hacking violently. Then, all at once, his suffering intensified.

The magician stood over him in silence, looking down at the writhing figure at his feet. And when the magician stepped back, a truly horrifying change overtook the heir’s body.

Crackk—crrk—crrack.

“G—GRAAAAAAAGH!”

“W-what’s this?! Chikin-senshu’s  body is suddenly bulging and twisting, tearing through his clothes! What in the world is happening?!”

“W-what the hell is that?”

“He looks like a beast!”

The heir let out a beastlike roar, his body twisting into a grotesque shape as his muscles swelled unnaturally. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, his breathing ragged, foam dripping from his mouth.

There was no doubt about it—the mysterious liquid the magician had forced him to drink was the cause.

The magician studied the heir’s transformed state and nodded in satisfaction.

While the Madam and the audience alike stood frozen in shock at the sight.

Buzz—grab!

“Ugh? Ugh!”

“And there! Ao-senshu has bound the transformed Chikin-senshu with Bind! Chikin-senshu struggles to break free, but it’s not coming loose at all!”

“Ao, you got this!”

“That’s it—finish him!”

“Take him down!”

Using a binding spell she had prepared in advance, Ao firmly restrained the heir. As Ao sprang into action all at once, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

Flash!

“UGAAAAAA!”

“And now a white light is enveloping Chikin-senshu! Is this a healing spell? Chikin-senshu is letting out a tremendous scream!”

Then, as the light surrounding the heir gradually faded, his original form was revealed once more.

Though—whether from shock or exhaustion—the heir lay completely motionless, he’s clearly unconscious.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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However, something about this was bothering me.

The match was about to start, yet Ao’s opponent still hadn’t appeared.

“Hey, the other fighter still isn’t here.”

“It’s one minute until the match starts.”

A murmur spread through the stands as the spectators began to stir uneasily. No one had expected something like this to happen in the very first semifinal match.

Ao and Shiro looked completely unfazed, but the border count and his entourage were clearly growing irritated.

—Shh.

“Oh! The competitor Shadow has appeared out of nowhere! Where did he come from?”

“What just happened?”

“Was that magic?”

The suspicious-looking magician in a black robe had made a mysterious entrance. He appeared on the stage out of nowhere. Whether he’d used an illusion spell or some kind of teleportation magic was unclear. Either way, he was definitely someone to watch closely.

“Now then, we will begin the first semifinal match. No further explanation should be needed. Competing as an all-rounder, give it up for Ao!”

“““Go, Ao!”””

“Whooo—!”

“We’re expecting another spectacular fight today!”

As the Madam introduced Ao, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. Ao responded with her whole body, waving and reacting to the support. She had truly become a famous fighter by now.

“Facing her is the mysterious magician who advanced using strange magic… give it up for Shadow!”

“““Boo—!”””

Wow. As soon as the mysterious magician was announced, the crowd erupted into a massive chorus of boos.

Even though he’d won in somewhat questionable ways before, his near-late appearance today had really stirred the audience’s anger. And on top of that, when Ao approached to shake his hand, he flat-out refused, which only fueled the crowd’s outrage even more.

“This match is expected to involve magic combat, so the magical barrier devices have been activated in advance. Also, Ao-senshu has chosen to fight as a magic swordsman.”

“Alright!”

“Show him what you’ve got!”

The Madam estate looked helpless as she went over the rules.

The crowd’s cheers were growing louder, more intense.

“Then… let the match begin!”

The bout started, and the mysterious magician silently raised his right hand.

Whoooosh.

“Shadow-senshu has activated a magic circle! What on earth is he planning?”

Ao watched cautiously, trying to gauge her opponent. The magician was clearly preparing something.

Then, in a flash of light, something entirely unexpected happened.

“Huh?… Where am I?”

And from the magic circle emerged a person—none other than the eldest son—the very one Ao had defeated on the first day of preliminaries.

But he should have been locked away in a cell.

What on earth had happened?

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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And so, at last, the final day of the martial arts tournament arrived.

After finishing our morning training and having breakfast, we all headed for the plaza together.

“There are more people than yesterday,”

“It’s packed.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Today’s the last day of the martial arts tournament, after all. Everyone’s been looking forward to it.”

“Oh, I see!”

The plaza serving as the venue was already packed with people, buzzing with excitement. There were plenty of patrol units making the rounds, and security seemed more than adequate.

Amid all that, Sue and Horn headed for the medical tent, while the rest of us made our way to the food stall.

“Well then, time to do prep work. I wonder how many people are going to show up today.”

Talking to no one in particular, I focused on chopping vegetables one after another.

Judging by the sheer amount of produce that had already been brought in, it looked like I’d be stuck doing prep work for quite a while.

“Looks like you’re busy too, kid.”

Someone called out.

“Haha, well, we’ve got this many people stopping by the stall you see.”

“Good to see business booming. You too, little slime, keep it up.”

As I worked on the prep, voices like that came from the spectators.

We’d been running the stall for several days now, so there were quite a few people who recognized my face. Some of them even shouted words of encouragement toward Ao, who would be fighting later. Ao responded by happily waving her tentacles back at them.

And then, a petite customer made her appearance.

“Shiro-chan, four fruit sandwiches, please.”

“Okaaay, just a moment!”

It was Fina-san.

She had come to buy fruit sandwiches, accompanied by a pair of soldier escorts. Shiro served her with a bright smile, clearly enjoying herself as she worked.

“Here you go, sorry to keep you waiting. Four fruit sandwiches.”

“Thank you! I thought I’d have fruit sandwiches for breakfast today.”

“I see. Much appreciated, as always.”

“And good luck to you too, Ao-chan.”

Smiling brightly, Fina-san headed back toward the seats reserved for the Margrave’s family. She was probably planning to share the fruit sandwiches with the others there.

Ao waved her tentacles back at Fina-san in greeting.

“There are more and more customers coming now.”

“Maybe a lot of them skipped breakfast.”

Sylvia-san chatted casually while working, but she was right—there seemed to be an unusually large number of people stopping by the stall from early morning today.

From our perspective, having the crowd spread out over time was a huge relief. All I could hope was that things would keep running smoothly just like this.

“All right then, I’m heading out.”

“We’re off.”

“Take care out there.”

As the time for the semifinals drew near, Shiro and Fran headed for the stage together with Ao.

A large crowd had already gathered around the arena, buzzing with anticipation as they waited for the match to begin.

Hn?

Shiro and Ao stepped up onto the stage.

“Ao, the competitor, will now begin her pre-match warm-up!”

Swish, swish, swish.

“Whoa—what’s going on?”

“That slime and the little cat-eared girl are moving like crazy!”

The spectators gasped at the sight of Ao and Shiro in motion, but to me it didn’t seem nearly as intense as the sparring they did every morning.

For Ao, this was probably nothing more than a quick check to make sure her body was moving the way it should.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Shun-oniichan, you were amazing!”

“That was so cool!”

“Haha, thanks.”

When I returned to the food stall, Shiro and Fran rushed up to me, buzzing with excitement. Looks like I managed to show them something worth seeing.

“Shun-san is truly an incredible person. Your cooking’s great, and you’re that strong, too.”

“As expected of Shun-sama.”

Sylvia-san and the head attendant praised me for my impressive fight with Sue.

Mm, it felt nice to be complimented—but I didn’t really have time to bask in it.

“You were something else, kid. Gimme two meat sandwiches.”

“Great food and skill. I’ll have five rice balls.”

“Got it. Please wait just a moment.”

I turned back to the grill, already moving on to the next order.

Because I’d returned to the stall, an absurd number of customers came flooding in all at once. I hurried to grill meat and shape rice balls as fast as I could, but the line just wouldn’t end. Honestly, the exhibition match from earlier felt easier than this.

Of course, everyone else working the stall was just as swamped.

And then, at last, the moment I’d been dreading arrived.

“I’m sorry—we’re sold out.”

“No way. Well, guess I’ll come back again tomorrow.”

“Looks like you’ve gotta line up early if you want to eat at this stall.”

As the disappointed customers drifted away, I let out a quiet breath, my arms finally getting a moment’s rest.

We ran out of ingredients and had no choice but to close up shop. When we put up the Sold Out sign, the customers left with regret written on their faces.

All the matches had just wrapped up as well, so the timing couldn’t have been better.

As we were going through the closing procedures, Sue and Horn came over to the stall, both wearing exhausted expressions.

Did something happen?

“What’s wrong with you two? You look really worn out.”

“Actually… after the exhibition match, we started getting hit on a lot.”

“Even that muscle head who lost to Ao tried to flirt with me.”

“Ah… yeah, I can see how that’d be rough.”

‘Rough’ didn’t even begin to cover it.

“It was way worse than that. One of them even proposed.”

“Sue-oneechan blasted him away with magic.”

I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

Yeah… that really did sound exhausting. And wow, a marriage proposal of all things. No wonder Sue was completely worn out.

I can practically picture it now, Sue blasting an overconfident fighter away with magic.

At that point, all you can really say is, good work surviving that.

With the stall fully closed, we headed back to the mansion together with the attendants.

“Still, the customers never let up today.”

“There were so many people.”

“We sold a lot.”

It was our first time ever selling out, and honestly, it had been nonstop chaos.

Between Ao’s match and the exhibition bout, the publicity had clearly paid off.

“Tomorrow there are fewer matches but the crowd will be larger.”

“After all, it’s just the two semifinals and the final.”

The real issue wasn’t the length of the schedule, but how many people would show up.

Thinking about that, we arrived back at the mansion.

“Thanks to the exhibition match today, we were able to apprehend quite a few suspicious individuals.”

“All we can do now is pray that nothing happens tomorrow.”

“That’s a long shot though. Of course, security will be tight.”

I spoke with the Margrave. But more than anything, tomorrow passing without incident is what matters most.

I’m particularly worried about the magician who’ll be fighting Ao.

Today’s opponent had overslept and performed so poorly that the match told us almost nothing. It hadn’t been useful as a reference at all.

No matter what, tomorrow would depend on Ao rising to the occasion.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“This match will be a combined battle using magic. Activating the magical barrier device!”

Vuuiiin.

With the magical apparatus now generating a protective barrier, Sue and I drew our wooden swords from our magic bags.

I held a short sword in each hand, while Sue poised her rapier.

“Then, let the second exhibition match begin!”

““Whoa—!””

At the Margrave’s wife’s signal, the crowd erupted even louder. Amidst the cheers, Sue and I simultaneously levitated several magic projectiles into the air.

We held our wooden swords at the ready.

Whoooosh, whoooosh, whoooosh.

Dash!

“Both combatants dashed forward as they unleash their magic projectiles!”

Sue and I charged toward the center of the stage, our magic orbs colliding and canceling each other out.

Thud thud thud—BOOM!

““Hah!””

Clang! Clang!

“Simultaneously nullifying the magic projectiles, they’ve engaged in a fierce sword exchange!”

“Whoa—what is this?”

“Feels like all the previous matches didn’t even exist!”

In close combat, Sue and I traded sword strikes. After putting some distance between us, we both launched magic attacks. The rapid-fire clash left the audience breathless, their eyes wide and silent.

As for me, since the Madam had asked for a flashy, extended match, I made sure to skillfully meet Sue’s techniques head-on, keeping the fight dramatic and exciting.

Dash—dash, Ha!

Thud thud thud—BOOM!

“Both Shun and Sue are constantly moving, never pausing, yet their magic and sword strikes are precise!”

“Hah!”

“Sei!”

Compared to the start, Sue had grown incredibly strong. Every day she trained with all her might, and there was no doubt she would become even stronger.

“One minute remaining!”

With time running short—and knowing Sue wouldn’t be satisfied with holding back—I decided it was time to get serious too.

Boooom, booom, booom!

“Ah!”

“W-what’s this? Shun has unleashed an unbelievable number of magic projectiles!”

“Amazing! What is that?”

“That’s an insane amount!”

I unleashed a massive volley of magic projectiles all at once.

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…

Thud thud thud—BOOM!

“Guh-”

I launched a full saturation attack at Sue, sending a barrage of magic projectiles her way. She hastily erected a magical barrier and fought to deflect them, countering as best she could.

At that moment, I momentarily halted my assault.

Boom!

“Aah—my view!”

I sent a few projectiles skimming the ground at Sue’s feet, kicking up clouds of dust to obscure her vision.

Crack!

“Oh! Shun just used Barrier Break! He shattered Sue’s magical shield! Now he’s pressing his sword against her while surrounding her with a wall of magic projectiles!”

“As expected of Shun… I lost!”

“Sue’s fighting style is too clean. You should learn a few more subtle techniques.”

“Even Sura-chan uses blindfolds, so let’s study it some more to study.”

“Yes, thank you.”

I dissipated the remaining magic projectiles and extended my hand. Sue shook it firmly, acknowledging her defeat, but her expression was bright and composed.

“Sue has conceded. Shun is the victor! Nonetheless, it was truly a match worthy of two adventurers with dual titles.”

“Whoa! That was an incredible fight!”

“The guy who runs the food stall is that strong?”

“The medic from the tent was amazing too!”

Clap clap clap!

The audience erupted in applause, celebrating the match. The exhibition bout had concluded successfully, leaving both Sue and me with a sense of satisfaction.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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And so, during the lunch break of the martial arts tournament, Sue and I found ourselves behind the stage.

How did it come to this…

By the way, Shiro and the others were busy at the food stalls, not on stage.

I decided to ask the Margrave why Sue and I were being made to do an exhibition match.

“One reason is to show everyone here the strength of Shun and the others. Knowing that strong fighters are at the food stalls and the first-aid tent has a certain deterrent effect.”

The Margrave explained.

Hmm… It made sense.

If people realized that we, who interacted with them the most, were strong, some would think twice before acting foolishly.

“The second reason is to flush out any suspicious people. Even during Fran and Horn’s match earlier, there were those who weren’t watching the stage and were glancing around nervously.”

The Margrave added.

The second reason made sense, too. Anyone scrutinizing the audience like that was basically a suspicious person in the first place.

“So, I want you to put on the most impressive match possible without using any grand magic.”

“Understood. We’ll give it a try.”

Well, as long as it looks flashy, maybe a little magical sparring would do the trick. That would get the crowd excited, too.

Just as I was thinking that, Sue spoke up.

“Shun-san, I’ll be borrowing your strength for this.”

“Haha… I’m not sure how far we can go, but let’s see.”

Sue seemed a little thrilled at the idea of sparring with me. I, too, was curious to see how much she had grown since the first time we met.

With that thought in mind, Sue and I stepped onto the stage.

“And now, the exhibition match! This is a highly anticipated battle. In the red corner, an adventurer with not one but two titles, and a noble lady to boot too. The healer of the first-aid tent… Sue!”

“Wait, that girl’s really that strong?”

“Come to think of it, she sent that harassing guy at the first-aid tent flying.”

“Good luck, young lady!”

First, the Margrave’s wife introduced Sue.

Since Sue already sent a thug flying at the first-aid tent, some of the audience seemed to know just how strong she was. She waved at the crowd, looking a little embarrassed but smiling.

“And in the blue corner, the chef who created hamburgers in the southern frontier, curry in the eastern frontier, and rice balls and fruit sandwiches in the northern frontier! But he’s also an adventurer with not one but two titles. The popular stall chef… Shun!”

Murmur murmur.

Huh?

The Margrave’s wife’s introduction of me was pretty good, but for some reason, the audience was buzzing like crazy.

What’s going on? What happened?

“That guy’s a chef, right?”

“No way… he’s an adventurer?”

“I thought he was just the owner of a food stall!”

“Looks like he’s invented all sorts of dishes.”

“I’ve had his curry before—it was amazing!”

Sigh. I should have expected this. Everyone’s shocked that I’m an adventurer. Or rather, the audience seems to have firmly pegged me as just a cook.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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“Alright—here we go!”

“Okay!”

Whoosh—bang bang!

“T-this time it turned into a high-speed hand-to-hand battle! Fran and Horn are racing all over the arena, front to back, left to right!”

“F-fast!”

“W-what’s with that movement speed?!”

Fran and Horn abandoned magical combat and shifted into hand-to-hand fighting. Both of them activated physical enhancement, tearing across the stage as if it were too small to contain them. From the audience’s perspective, Fran and Horn already look incredibly fast—but in reality, Shiro and Ao are still much, much faster.

“Hmm… it looks like Fran and Horn are just playing around.”

“No, no—that’s an insane way to play.”

Even Sylvia-san stared in amazement at their movements. She had only started training with them yesterday, after all, so she clearly wasn’t used to just how fast they could move yet.

“Shall we switch to this next?”

“Got it.”

Clang, clang, clang, clang.

“N-now they’ve pulled wooden swords out of their magic bags—and they’re trading blows at high speed again!”

“That’s good! Do it! Do it!”

“Hahaha… this is incredible.”

This time, they’re trading blows with wooden swords. Still, it’s really nothing more than rapid-fire striking—no refined sword technique to speak of. But the spectators, now used to the sheer speed of the two fighters, are completely fired up, showering Fran and Horn with cheers.

From the outside, it looks like an incredible spectacle, after all.

Beep beep beep, beep beep beep.

“Time’s up. That’s enough.”

“Oh, it’s over already?”

“That’s it for now.”

And with that, time is up. Since it was only an exhibition match, it seems they’d set the time limit fairly short.

“Whoa—that was amazing!”

“You were so cool!”

The audience applauded, praising the two fighters for their bout. As entertainment, it had turned out pretty well.

Fran and Horn jogged off toward the wings of the stage where Shiro and Ao were waiting. Then, together with Shiro and Ao, they waved cheerfully to the crowd.

A huge round of applause rose from the spectators.

“I watched the morning training, so I kind of understood, but Fran-chan and Horn-chan are really amazing.”

“They’ve got more talent as mages than I do. As for the hand-to-hand stuff, that’s thanks to Shiro and Ao’s influence.”

Sylvia-san, too, seemed once again surprised by how strong Fran and Horn were.

Both of them had excellent aptitude, after all.

The crowd was fired up by the exhibition, and that was good enough for now.

Just as I was thinking that—

Shiro and the others came back.

“““We’re back!”””

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah!”

Shiro and the others answered with bright smiles.

Then Shiro and Fran casually dropped a bombshell.

“They said Shun-oniichan and Sue-oneechan are going to do an exhibition match too.”

“They said it’d be at noon.”

“…Huh?”

Hey, wait a second. What are you talking about?

Now we’re supposed to do an exhibition match too?

“Ohh, so you boy is fighting as well?”

“Yeah, and that lady sent some weird guy flying yesterday, didn’t she?”

Even the customers at the food stalls, who’d overheard the conversation, burst into excitement.

At this point, backing out didn’t seem like an option anymore.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I resigned myself—and went back to cooking.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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