Category: Isekai Nonbiri Sanpo Tabi

With Ao’s match finished, I thought Shiro and the others would come back here—but it looked like the Margrave was talking to them. Or rather, it seemed he was addressing Fran and Horn.

What on earth were they doing?

Then, Fran and Horn climbed onto the stage.

The Margrave’s wife picked up a microphone-like magical device.

“Due to the delayed arrival of the next match’s participants, we will begin an exhibition match here!”

“Woooah!”

Eh? Why was there suddenly an exhibition match with Fran and Horn?

Fran and Horn waved at the audience, clearly enjoying the attention.

“Don’t worry—the players for the second match have arrived. They were just… running late.”

“““Hahaha!”””

Oi, who’s the idiot that overslept?

Looking closer, I saw a swordsman near the stage, panting heavily. And… wasn’t he the opponent of that suspicious mage?

Well, that settles the next match, then.

“In the red corner: the little stall assistant from the food stand. Actually, a five-year-old adventurer with a title—Dragoneut, Fran!”

“Yay!”

“Wait… the little stall assistant?”

“She’s a titled adventurer at only five years old?”

The crowd murmured in surprise at the Margrave’s wife’s introduction of Fran.

Of course, no one would expect a five-year-old to be a titled adventurer. Fran, for her part, cheerfully waved to the audience with all her energy.

“In the blue corner: the healer from the medical tent. Also five years old, and a titled adventurer—Angel, Horn!”

“H-hello.”

“That little girl is a titled adventurer too?”

“Come to think of it, she knocked that flirt away with magic yesterday.”

The crowd buzzed again upon learning that Horn also held a title.

Horn waved timidly at the audience.

“Both contestants will engage in magical-enhanced hand-to-hand combat, so we will activate the magical barrier device.”

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

As preparations for the match began, the spectators settled down and focused, eagerly anticipating the fight.

The magical barrier device was activated, and everything was ready.

“Then, the exhibition match—begin!”

“Let’s go, Horn.”

“Yeah, Fran-chan.”

Chuuin.

“Whoa! Both contestants are already gathering incredible amounts of magical energy!”

“W-what’s happening?”

“The little girls are charging up some insane magic!”

Seriously, both Fran and Horn were immediately concentrating their magical power.

The audience was shocked, and so was I.

“Here we go—!”

Boom! Kaboom!

“W-what!? Water and holy magic just collided! There’s a massive explosion in the center of the stage!”

“Whoa—the shockwave reached over here!”

“Will the magical barrier hold?”

The flashy clash of magic had the audience growing nervous.

…Wait, hadn’t the magical barrier created by the protective device been partially shattered?

“Fran-chan, Horn-chan, no more charging or compressing your magic. It’s going to break the stage!”

““O-okay!””

“Phew…”

Naturally, the Madam had to step in, reminding Fran and Horn to hold back a little, so the rest of the tournament could continue smoothly.

When the girls raised their hands in acknowledgment, the spectators visibly relaxed, letting out relieved sighs.

Uhm, my apologies for my Fran and Horn causing so much concern.

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

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“Now then, the second day of the main tournament. The battles for a spot in the semifinals are about to begin!”

“Woooah!”

Ah, the first match of today is starting.

I decided to watch Ao’s match while cooking at the stall.

Silvia-san and the attendants, helping with customers and food, kept glancing toward the stage as well.

“In the blue corner… she can already be considered a top contender. Yesterday, she demonstrated her sword skills, but her true profession is a mage. Ao-senshu!”

“Go, Ao!”

“Do your best today too!”

“She’s waving! So cute!”

By now, Ao needed no introduction—she was a crowd favorite.

Today, many children were gathered at the front of the stage, cheering with all their might as Ao waved her tentacles back at them.

“In the red corner… he has bulldozed every opponent in his path. The martial artist, Bulldog-senshu!”

“He’s huge!”

“Look at those muscles!”

Ao’s opponent today was a towering, over-two-meter tall, muscle-bound martial artist, sporting a bushy beard on a shaved head. And, for some reason, he was shirtless.

“Ao has chosen a hand-to-hand combat match. She has declared that she will not use magic beyond physical enhancement, nor any weapons.”

“Wow! This time it’s hand-to-hand combat!”

“That slime can do anything, huh?”

Once again, Ao had chosen a strategy tailored to her opponent’s fighting style.

The audience was stunned by her adaptability.

For Ao, a martial arts match seemed right up her alley.

After a handshake, the two stepped back to their starting positions.

“Then, let the first match begin!”

“Woooah!”

The crowd erupted at the starting signal.

But Ao and the martial artist stood their ground, both frozen in their stances at the starting line.

“Oh! Ao-senshu and Bulldog-senshu—neither is making a move! They are seemingly studying the other’s approach.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Did something happen?”

The spectators murmured among themselves, puzzled by the lack of action.

Yet to a keen observer, an invisible battle of wills was raging between the two.

The martial artist was already dripping with sweat, clearly pressured by Ao’s sheer presence.

Shu.

Thud!

“Ugh…”

Thud.

“Ah! Ao-senshu’s devastating body slam connects! Bulldog-senshu can’t get back up, and the referee has stopped the match!”

“Woooah!”

“Amazing… I didn’t even see it happen!”

“What just happened?”

The match was decided in an instant.

Ao had charged at the martial artist with a body slam.

He couldn’t evade her attack, lost consciousness, and collapsed face-down. The referee immediately declared the match over, and Ao tended to him before he was carried off on a stretcher to the medical tent.

It all happened so fast that most of the spectators didn’t even fully grasp what had occurred.

However, the Margrave’s wife calmly explained the situation, so she clearly saw Ao’s body slam in action.

“Ao has advanced to the semifinals!”

“Woooah!”

Once again, she officially announced Ao’s victory.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

Ao waved her tentacles back at them, responding to their support.

It had been a spectacular win—rarely seen, flashy, and impactful. The impression it left on the audience was enormous.

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

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The next morning, while we were training, the Margrave approached us. It was about the thugs who had attacked us yesterday.

“Shun, regarding those thugs from yesterday, it seems their actions varied depending on the target. Some, like you, were simply attacked, while others were approached with offers to join a criminal organization.”

“So anyone they knew wouldn’t join was attacked, and they tried to recruit those who might be willing?”

“Regrettably, that seems to be the case. What’s worse, they were even reaching out to adventurers in order to hire roughnecks.”

“Ah, that explains why the ones who attacked us said it was an easy job.”

According to the Margrave, this meant the criminal organization was operating on a large scale.

We already knew they were trying to recruit participants in the tournament, and now they were even targeting adventurers. This was shaping up to be a serious and troublesome situation.

“As for the matter of the criminal organization targeting adventurers, we’ve informed the royal castle and asked that the warning be shared with the other territories as well. They’re planning to step up patrols in the capital, too.

“That’s a good move. We need to take every possible measure to uncover their objectives.”

In any case, canceling the martial arts tournament would be tantamount to surrendering to the criminal organization.

We would also need to stay vigilant while running the food stall. With the soldiers’ patrols being strengthened, we had a chance to disrupt the organization’s plans.

At that moment, Sue joined the conversation.

“Perhaps some of the flirting attempts at the medical tent were also connected to the criminal organization.”

“Actually, the one Horn knocked away yesterday was a member of the organization. Since there was a beautiful woman, it seems he was just killing time before his mission started.”

“We should probably assign soldiers to the medical tent as well.”

We had to set up as many defenses as possible to ensure the martial arts tournament could proceed safely. But we couldn’t exactly restrict the audience, so it was a tricky balance. Just to be safe, the attendants had been granted permission to carry weapons.

“We heard about those idiots too.”

“There were even some barricades nearby.”

“We’ll have to punish anyone foolish enough to sully the tournament.”

As we left the manor and started preparing the stall, townspeople approached us.

They were angry that anyone would dare spoil the tournament they were looking forward to, and promised to report any suspicious individuals to the soldiers immediately.

“I don’t think anyone would dare touch this stall.”

“Yeah. After all, there’s that super slime, and those guys over there look strong too.”

“Come to think of it, this area around the stall is probably the safest spot. Gahaha!”

They were speaking as if they’d already had a few drinks this morning, but considering the strength gathered around this stall, they weren’t exaggerating.

I could only hope it wouldn’t turn into a full-blown bloodbath.

“Big brother, it’s almost time. I’m heading out.”

“Good luck at the stall!”

“Ao, Shiro, Fran—you three, be careful out there.”

““Yes!””

With that, Ao, along with Shiro and Fran, left the stall to participate in the first match.

A lot was going on, but first and foremost, we needed Ao to make it to the semifinals tomorrow.

“Ten rice balls here!”

“Five fruit sandwiches!”

“Yes, yes—please wait just a moment.”

But before that, I had to survive the battle with the customers in front of me.

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

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A lot had happened, and we were finally making our way back to the manor.

But an incident occurred partway along the road home.

“Oh, we just have to deal with that slime, huh?”

“Haha, they look weak.”

“Easy job.”

Suddenly, men who looked like a textbook thug appeared in front of us. They are grinning stupidly with a knife in one hand.

Uh-, what the hell are these guys?

“Strange outfits.”

“They are wearing glasses too.”

“He’s bald.”

“Hey! Don’t single out just one person with your insults!”

Shiro and the others were pointing at the thugs and commenting, but Horn was only pointing at the only bald head guy.

….Sigh. What kind of chaotic situation had we wandered into?

“Ahh, I see. So you’re after Ao, then?”

“Nice, you catch on quick, kid. Yeah, we’d appreciate it if you’d play along with us.”

“““You’re bad guys!”””

“Hahaha, you’ve got some spirit, young lady.”

Who’s backing these guys? Were they trying to sabotage the tournament, or did they have some other agenda?

“Ei!”

“Ya!”

“To!”

Crack—thud—bang.

“““Gyaaah!”””

Honestly, setting Shiro aside, if they were getting taken down in a single blow by Fran and Horn, there was no way they could ever hope to defeat Ao.

Well, they’d threatened us with knives, so this clearly counted as self-defense.

Sue, Silvia-san, and I split up to tie up the unconscious thugs.

“Hey, I heard a loud commotion coming from over here.”

“Oh, it’s Shun-san and Sue-san.”

“What’s going on here?”

The thugs had shouted and then collapsed, just as some patrolling soldiers arrived at our location. Since they were people we’d treated for free before, they recognized us immediately.

Well, honestly, most of the soldiers in this territory had been treated by us at one point or another, so they knew who we were.

“These guys threatened Shiro and the others.”

“They said they were going to take down Ao.”

“They were weak, though.”

Shiro and the others told the familiar soldiers what had happened.

After hearing their story, the soldiers’ expressions visibly changed.

“That means there’s a possibility that suspicious individuals have approached the other participants who made it to the quarterfinals.”

“Since we don’t yet know the background of this incident, it’s hard to say for sure.”

“I’m going to the barracks to check things out.”

I spoke with the soldiers as well, but the thugs who had attacked us were completely unconscious, so there was no way to question them. Still, it is best to take precautions.

We left the thugs in the soldiers’ care and headed back to the manor.

“I’ve heard what happened. Things are starting to get a little suspicious.”

“Yes. We need to confirm exactly what’s going on.”

When we arrived at the manor, the Margrave approached us. He had most likely heard the soldiers’ report.

“Given how strong Ao has been during the tournament, you’d think no one would pick a fight with her so casually.”

“They may not have watched the matches at all. I’m guessing they only received instructions. Either way, we’ll need to get information out of the men we captured.”

“Agreed. We’ll have to wait for the interrogation.”

And so, we decided to ensure our own safety while waiting for the results of the questioning.

Hopefully, by tomorrow morning, the thugs who’d been knocked out would be awake and ready to talk.

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

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“I saw her this morning too, but Ao is really strong, isn’t she?”

“Even so, she’s still holding back quite a bit.”

Sylvia-san, watching the match from the food stall just like me, spoke with a hint of excitement as she shared her thoughts. It seemed that a swordsmanship match—so different from yesterday’s magic duel—had gotten her even more thrilled.

“Man, your slime is seriously strong. No doubt a top contender for the championship.”

“That is, if things keep going smoothly.”

“Yeah. By the way, I’ll take five rice balls, please.”

“Of course, thank you very much.”

And since the crowd knew that Ao was working at the stall, people swarmed over as soon as the match ended. Honestly… this was going to be tough.

“I’m back! Ao won!”

“The crowd is incredible!”

“Good work, Ao, Shiro, Fran. Sorry, but head inside the stall right away.”

““Okay!””

At that moment, Shiro and the others returned from the match. I felt bad asking so soon, but I had them step inside the stall.

“Oh, you’re back from the match.”

“That was an amazing fight.”

“You were so cool!”

“Do your best again tomorrow, okay?”

This is bad.

With Ao back at the stall, even more customers surged forward. She tried politely waving her tentacles at them, but it was becoming impossible to keep up.

“Ten meat sandwiches over here!”

“And twenty rice balls over there!”

“Ehh—!”

Shiro and Fran’s voices echoed from inside the stall, but seriously—who had placed that many orders?

I glanced toward the reception area.

“Sir, what are you doing?”

“Oh, just a little treat for the tournament staff.”

“I-I see… thank you as always…”

The culprit was the Margrave himself, accompanied by his guards.

I almost said something, but wisely held my tongue. And since it was a gift for the tournament staff, there was no way I could complain. So I hurriedly got back to grilling the meat.

“All events for today have concluded. Tomorrow’s matches will begin at nine in the morning.”

Sigh.

“I’m exhausted… I wonder how much meat I’ve grilled today.”

By the time I had been cooking nonstop, all the matches were over. It had been far busier than yesterday—nothing like the preliminaries.

This was what the main tournament felt like.

“I’m a little tired too. I thought I had plenty of stamina, but…”

Even Sylvia-san looked a bit worn out.

Well, if you spend the whole day cooking like that, it’s no wonder. Somehow, Ao looked a little floppy too. The attendants also showed signs of fatigue, so it was clear just how many customers had come.

“There were so many customers today.”

“Right?”

And Fran and Horn… how are you still so full of energy?

They’d been dealing with a huge number of customers all day, too.

“Now then, we’ll be returning to the manor to pay our respects to the Margrave.”

“We’ll go with you.”

With the cleanup finished, we decided to join the attendants in greeting the Margrave. While we were at it, we decided to stop by the medical team’s tent and bring Sue and the others along.

Just as we approached the tent, though…

Zusha!

“Boohee!”

“Honestly, enough already!”

Just as I thought a man had been blown out of the medical tent. Then came Horn, storming along in full anger mode. It was rare to see Horn get angry at anything other than sleep deprivation—but then, even more furious, Sue emerged from the tent behind her.

“Ugh… ughghgh!”

“You… you were hitting on us yesterday, and today you’ve done it multiple times again. And you even tried talking to Horn-chan!”

Ah—so that’s why he looked familiar.

He was the same idiot who’d been flirting yesterday. Honestly… this guy seemed to be willingly sentencing himself to execution. Quite the masochist.

The flustered, flattened pick-up artist was restrained by the guards and led away.

I’m sure he was being taken to a lovely little vacation home they call, jail.

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

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While I was thinking about all that, the match had already begun.

No helping it—I’d have to watch while grilling the meat.

“Now then, the first match will begin. She has already more than proven her abilities. The miracle mage, Ao!”

“Wooo!”

“Do your best!”

“Ao—go for it!”

The cheers for Ao were even louder than they had been during the preliminaries.

Shiro and the others were cheering her on with everything they had.

Ao, too, responded with her whole body—wriggling and waving her tentacles as she answered the crowd’s support.

“Next, the adventurer who fought his way through the preliminaries wielding a greatsword—Zontark!”

“Good luck to you too!”

Facing her was a handsome, bearded man with short-cropped hair. A long sword slung across his back. He raised a hand to acknowledge the cheers, though it felt more like he was riding the wave of support meant for Ao.

“Although Ao-senshu is registered as a mage, she has chosen a swordsmanship match for this battle. She will be using a wooden sword, hardened through the use of magic.”

“Whoa! An item box!”

In a way, that was so very Ao.

She’d chosen her weapon to match her opponent. When Ao smoothly produced the wooden sword, the crowd’s excitement surged even higher.

Ao and the adventurer crossed their blades once, then stepped back to their assigned positions.

“Then, let the first match begin!”

“Hah!”

Swish—clang!

Clang, clang!

“Oh! Right from the start, both fighters clash fiercely at the center of the arena! They’re already trading blows!”

“Waaah!”

The sudden, intense exchange sent the crowd into a frenzy.

But from where I was watching, it felt like both of them were still testing each other, even as their blades met.

Step back.

“Now they’ve created some distance between them!”

They broke off the exchange, Ao and the adventurer backing away from one another. Yet there was a clear difference in their expressions. Ao looked completely at ease, while sweat streamed down the adventurer’s brow. The pressure Ao was exerting was clearly the greater one.

Dash.

“Unable to hold back, Zontark-senshu lunges at Ao!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

“Whoa! Ao-senshu dodged and dodged it again! Zontark-senshu’s sword can’t even touch her!”

“Woooah!”

Ao easily evaded his strikes, and the adventurer looked visibly flustered. Ao herself wasn’t even moving at full power yet, and it felt like this match was about to be decided.

“Hah… hah… d-damn it. The level difference is insane.”

“Zontark-senshu has pulled back to create some distance. He’s drenched in sweat—will he be okay?”

“That slime… she’s unbelievable.”

“Not only magic, but she can wield a sword too?”

“Ao! Go for it!”

“““Go, Ao!”””

That adventurer had clearly realized the level gap between himself and Ao—he seemed completely out of options.

The crowd was starting to notice it too.

Shiro and the others were still bouncing up and down, cheering for Ao with all their might.

Oh—Ao was putting a little more force into her next move. Was she trying to finish the match?

Swish—clang!

“Ah!”

Whirl—clatter.

“Whoa! Ao-senshu moved in an instant and knocked Zontark-senshu’s sword flying!”

“Incredible! I didn’t even see it!”

“She did the same thing yesterday… that’s not normal slime movement!”

Ao slipped inside the adventurer’s guard and sent his sword flying. He reacted for just a moment, but there was no way he could block her attack. Even the crowd couldn’t follow the speed of Ao’s move.

“Hah… no good. I give up.”

“And with that, Zontark-senshu surrenders. The winner—Ao!”

“Wooo!”

The adventurer had accepted defeat almost immediately.

No matter what he tried, there was no way he could have won against Ao.

Shiro and the others bounced up and down, clearly thrilled at Ao’s victory. Ao and the adventurer shook hands and stepped back, signaling the end of the match.

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

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As I continued with the preparations, a small wave of cheers rose from the direction of the stage.

When I looked more closely, I saw that the members of the Margrave’s household had arrived, prompting voices of excitement from the crowd around them.

In that case… the opening ceremony must be about to begin.

“Shiro, Fran. You can head to the opening ceremony first.”

“Got it. I’ll let Horn know too.”

“Ao, let’s go!”

I couldn’t very well let them be late, so I sent Shiro, Fran, and Ao ahead toward the stage. I cast a quick glance at the medical team’s tent and saw that it was already crowded with visitors. At a glance, it didn’t look like anyone was there to flirt or cause trouble, which put my mind at ease.

“Shun-sama, the preliminary preparations are mostly complete.”

“Hmm. In that case… shall we start selling, even though the girls who attract customers and the main cook aren’t here yet?”

“Understood.”

There were plenty of attendants on hand today, and since Shiro and Fran were mainly there to call out and draw attention, I left customer service to the attendants. With Sylvia-san here as well, we decided to hold off on the slime grill until Ao returned, and opened the food stall.

Sizzle, sizzle.

“Hey, kid, you’ve opened up already? That slime of yours is over on the stage.”

“Yes. The opening ceremony is about to begin, but the matches themselves won’t start just yet.”

“I see, I see. Then I’ll take one meat sandwich.”

“Thank you very much.”

A line had already formed in front of the stall, and some customers had even noticed that Ao was already on the stage.

It was hectic right from the moment we opened, but once the opening ceremony started, things should calm down a little. Believing that, I focused on cooking and kept the food coming.

“Three rice balls here!”

“Four meat sandwiches for me!”

“Coming right up!”

…Sigh. This was a complete miscalculation.

The closer the opening ceremony drew, the more customers flooded in, and the stall became overwhelmingly busy. Judging by the bustle at the surrounding stalls, it wasn’t just us—everyone was swamped.

Sylvia-san and the attendants moved about frantically, each of them working at full speed.

And then, at last, the opening ceremony began.

“Silence please. His Excellency, Margrave-sama, will now give the introduction.”

“Ahem. The preliminary rounds were fiercely contested, and now, at long last, the main tournament begins. This year, many promising competitors have gathered, and I’m sure you have all been eagerly awaiting this moment. And so, I hereby declare the main tournament of the Martial Arts Competition open.”

““““Woooh!””””

A tremendous roar of cheers echoed through the area.

Just hearing those voices made it clear how long the audience had been waiting for the main event to begin.

“Now then, we will proceed with the draw to determine the match ups. The drawing will be conducted in the order in which competitors advanced through the preliminaries. First, contestant Ao-senshu, please step forward.”

“She’s so cute!”

“She’s waving over here!”

“Do your best!”

As the very first competitor to clear the preliminaries, Ao headed toward the lottery box, wiggling her tentacles as she basked in the cheers around her. Ao had become especially popular with children and women alike. Even the customers at our food stall were calling out encouragement to her.

With a light hop, Ao jumped onto the table, rattled the tube-like lottery container and pulled out a stick.

“The result is decided. Ao-senshu has drawn number one. She will be competing in the first match.”

“Waaa!”

…Hey, for real?

The first match means she’ll be fighting almost immediately after the draw is finished, doesn’t it?

“Four fruit sandwiches, please.”

“I’ll take five meat sandwiches.”

“Yes, please wait just a moment.”

Even after the opening ceremony began, the rush at the food stall showed no sign of slowing down. At this rate, there was no way I’d be able to go watch Ao’s match.

“Shadow-senshu has drawn number seven.”

Oh—so if that creepy mage ends up facing Ao, it’ll be in the semifinals at best.

Either way, that would be on the third day of the tournament.

“Ten rice balls, please!”

“Eight meat sandwiches!”

“Coming right up.”

Yeah… it looks like I’ll have to fight my way through this battle with the food stall first.

Now then—what should I do about the stall?

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

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Our morning training finished without incident, and after breakfast, we headed toward the plaza. Today, I planned to spend the day cooking at the food stall, as usual.

Sylvia-san is also going to help out.

“Sylvia-san, you don’t need to worry about me in particular.”

“Y-yes… t-thank you.”

She replied nervously.

I had told Sue about the morning training, and she quickly explained it to Sylvia-san. Her words were still a bit awkward, but I think Sylvia-san would soon adopt to it.

“Wow… so many people.”

“There are more than yesterday.”

“The plaza’s bustling.”

Even in the morning, more people had gathered in the plaza than had come for the preliminaries. It seemed that many were looking forward to the main tournament.

First, we headed to the plaza and went to the registration desk.

“““Good morning!”””

“Good morning. Ao-san, your registration is now complete.”

“““Thank you very much!”””

Shiro and the others cheerfully greeted the staff at the desk, while Ao waved her tentacles energetically. With registration finished, it was time to check the schedule for the day.

“What’s the schedule from here?”

“After the Margrave’s opening remarks, the match pairings will be drawn. The opening ceremony starts at nine o’clock, so as long as everyone gathers before then, it’s fine.”

“Thank you. Then we’ll finish preparing the food stall before that.”

“That’s a popular stall, isn’t it? I saw it being expanded earlier, so good luck.”

“Eh?”

When the registration staff mentioned that our food stall had been expanded, we all instinctively turned around. And… somehow, the stall had doubled in size. We hadn’t been told anything about this, so we hurried over to check it out.

“Oh, good morning, everyone.”

The head attendant greeted us.

“““Good morning!”””

Shiro and the others cheerfully returned the greeting, but first, we needed to find out why the stall had grown so much.

“Actually, during the main tournament, we always have a stall this large. The preliminaries were held on short notice, so a temporary layout was set up.”

The attendant explained.

“I-I see…”

“Don’t worry. There are plenty of attendants assigned, and a large amount of ingredients has been prepared.”

In other words, this was the stall’s intended size all along.

Still… with a stall this big, wouldn’t that mean even more customers would come?

“By the way, based on the usual number of customers, your sales are expected to be about double what they were during the preliminaries.”

And just like that, we were told with a smile that the crowd would definitely be twice as large.

H-hey… can we really make it through today?

“T-then… Shun-san, do your best!”

“Good luck!”

Sue and Horn then headed off to the aid tent.

I could understand why Sue was letting out a wry smile, but honestly, even I thought this was going to be tough. No matter what, I had to start prepping.

And so, we began preparing the ingredients, working steadily.

“Oh, that slime, huh? Good luck today!”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of battles will happen.”

Occasionally, customers would call out to Ao. She responded while preparing the ingredients, waving her tentacles energetically.

“So Ao-san uses magic for cooking too?”

“It seems she helps with precise control of the magic.”

“I can see that clearly. The vegetables cut with wind magic are all perfectly uniform in size.”

Ao was impressive, but Sylvia would soon be able to cook using magic herself.

And just like this, we continued prepping as much as possible until the opening ceremony began.

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

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The next morning, before heading to the tournament venue, we carried out our usual training. Of course, Sylvia-san was invited to join us.

“So this is how mana circulation works… I’m learning a lot.”

Sylvia-san was clearly impressed.

First, I demonstrated mana circulation on my own. Sylvia-san watched closely and responded with visible admiration. Next came the two-person circulation exercise.

“Focus on circulating a steady amount of mana.”

“Y-yes… i-it’s… difficult.”

“At first, I struggled too. But after a while, you’ll get used to it.”

Sylvia-san grasped Sue’s hand and concentrated, struggling but steadily performing the circulation. It was tough at first, but with consistent practice, the effects became more and more apparent.

Next, we moved on to controlling mana.

Sylvia-san summoned a small orb of wind, carefully enlarging and shrinking it over and over, honing her control.

“If you compress your mana, you can unleash stronger attacks using less energy.”

“Yes… I experienced that firsthand. I’ll work hard so I can control multiple spells at once.”

Alongside Sue, Ao is also practicing mana compression. Sylvia-san still remembered how, in yesterday’s match, Ao’s compressed Air Bullet had pierced through her magic. Meanwhile, Fran and Horn continued their usual training with my guidance.

Next, Fina-san joined us for swordsmanship training. Despite her appearance, Sylvia-san was surprisingly strong, so she used the same short sword I wielded.

We immediately picked up wooden swords and began with basic swings, gradually moving into light sparring.

Clang clang clang clang.

“Um… I can’t possibly keep up with swings that fast.”

“You don’t need to copy them exactly. Let’s start with the basics.”

“Yes, that’s right. You can’t imitate that speed yet.”

“Y-yes…”

Sylvia-san nodded, taking it all in. Her eyes were fixed on Shiro and Ao, who were sparring while using physical enhancement magic. The speed of their exchanges left her completely stunned. Even Fina couldn’t help but chuckle at the display, but for those two, it was just basic training, and they focused on fundamentals without concern.

Meanwhile, Fran and Horn were receiving various instructions from Sue.

“Ha… so Ao-san was holding back quite a bit yesterday. I really thought she was just a normal slime.”

“Well, it does look like a small slime. But for today’s main tournament, I’m sure people will be on guard.”

“Yes… that makes sense.”

Sylvia-san gazed off at Ao, who was hopping about doing her cool-down exercises. Sylvia-san thought she had lost to a slime, but I’m sure Ao would be able to defeat even a seasoned adventurer or soldier.

Then, her attention shifted—and her next question was about us.

“By the way… why is Shun-san staying at the Margrave’s estate?”

“That’s because Sue-oneesama is the daughter of a baron.”

Fina-san replied without hesitation.

“Eh? W-what?”

Ah… Fina-san had answered honestly about Sue. Sylvia-san looked back and forth between Fina-san and Sue, clearly puzzled. By the way, Sue was doing cool-down exercises with Fran and Horn, completely unaware of the conversation.

“It’s true that Sue is a baron’s daughter. But while she’s adventuring, there’s no need to worry about it.”

“Yes. No matter what, Sue-oneesama is a wonderful person.”

Fina added.

“Y-yes… I understand.”

Sylvia-san nodded, finally reluctantly accepting the explanation. With that, the conversation ended.

I decided I’d tell Sue about this later, once we headed to the venue.

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

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“I’m sorry… I don’t know anything about this, but… what exactly is the Red Scorpion?”

Ah, that’s right.

Sylvia-san didn’t know anything about the Red Scorpion. She had raised her hand to ask, and the Margrave answered her question.

“Simply put, it’s the largest criminal organization in the country. They are apparently operating across the entire nation.”

“Thank you. I had no idea such an organization existed.”

“If you continue as an adventurer, you’ll eventually hear that name. Even their lower-tier members are numerous.”

We had just gone up against someone at the executive level.

Hn? Perhaps, just perhaps…

“Sir, is it possible that the criminals we caught at the inn are members of the Red Scorpion?”

“I’d say that’s almost certain. One of them had a scorpion tattoo.”

“So they were trying to recruit new members. What a nuisance.”

“Sigh… indeed.”

Well, enough about troublesome matters for now—let’s have dinner. In the meantime, Sylvia-san’s backpack was entrusted to the attendants to be repaired.

“Wow… I’ve never seen a meal this luxurious before!”

“Don’t worry about manners. Eat as you like.”

“Thank you very much.”

Sylvia-san’s eyes shone as she looked over the wide array of dishes. None of this was likely anything she had ever eaten before I guess.

“This is delicious!”

“This one’s good too.”

Munch munch.

As always, Shiro and the others were eating without any hesitation. They had all worked hard today, so I suppose they were understandably hungry.

“Sue, did anyone try hitting on you after that?”

“Several times. One person was way too persistent, so Horn-chan used magic to send them flying.”

“Oh, the one who got blown away right in front of us? Those kinds of people just get in the way of the tournament. No need to hold back.”

“Thank you very much.”

Hmm… so people were still hitting on others at the medical teams tent. And to do it right in front of the Margrave—now that takes some serious nerve. I hope they keep blowing away anyone like that without hesitation.

After dinner, it would normally be time for bed but a small trouble arose at that moment.

“Tonight, Shiro gets to sleep with Sylvia-oneechan!”

“No, Fran is sleeping with Sylvia!”

“No, it’s me, Horn!”

“Fina will sleep with Sylvia-oneesan, of course!”

“W-wait, everyone, calm down!”

A fierce battle had erupted over who would get to sleep next to Sylvia-san. No matter who won, it would leave some hard feelings.

“Sylvia-san is tired. Let her rest in peace.”

“Exactly. Let’s give up for tonight and decide the order starting tomorrow.”

““““O-okay…”””

“Phew… thank you.”

Sue and I managed to calm the four of them and things somehow calmed down.

Sylvia-san’s backpack had been successfully repaired, but, for some reason, a cute little applique had been added to it.

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

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