Category: Isekai Nonbiri Sanpo Tabi

“Here’s some tea.”

“Ah, thank you very much.”

The attendants served tea to us in the reception room.

Yeah… everyone was still a bit tense.

Crunch crunch crunch.

“Today’s sweets are really good, huh.”

“I got this from Fran.”

“Ah, I wanted to try it too.”

“Hehe…”

And of course, Shiro, Fran, and Horn were happily munching away on sweets, even before dinner. Watching the three of them so lively finally seemed to put Sylvia-san at ease as well.

Amid that, she suddenly spoke to me.

“Shun… Shun-san, even though you’re a cook, you can use magic? That household magic was amazing.”

““Pfft!””

“Eh? Eh?!”

It’s cruel for Sue and Fina-san’s brother to burst out laughing just as Sylvia-san said that.

Even I can’t help but feel a bit deflated by that reaction.

Sylvia-san, seeing their laughter, had a completely baffled look on her face.

“Sylvia-san, I’m actually an adventurer whose magic leans toward healing. I’m not a cook.”

“Eh… really? But everyone in town said you were an incredible chef!”

“Sigh… How did it come to this…?”

I couldn’t help but cry silently in my heart.

Ugh… when will I ever get to work properly as a healer?

Just to be safe, I showed Sylvia-san my adventurer’s card.

“Eeh!? You’re D-rank and have two titles!? Shun-san, you’re an amazing adventurer! I’m still F-rank myself.”

“Oh—so you and Fran are the same rank, huh.”

“Horn’s F-rank too.”

“Even so, having a title counts as a higher ranking, so it’s completely different from me.”

“‘R-really?’”

Fran and Horn had shown Sylvia-san their adventurer cards too, but because having a title bumps you up in rank, it wasn’t exactly the same.

“Haha, looks like you all get along well.”

“Yes, it’s true.”

“Fina, you should get along with them too.”

At that moment, the Margrave and his wife, along with Fina, entered the reception room. They seemed to see Sylvia-san and me chatting so comfortably as a good sign.

“I’ve heard about what happened at the inn. Since the scene still needs to be investigated, you may stay at our estate for the time being.”

“Of course, no payment is necessary. You were a victim of an incident within the Margravate, and besides, you helped with the food stalls.”

“Yey! I get to be with Sylvia-oneechan!”

“My apologies. Thank you very much.”

Sylvia-san, not wanting to refuse awkwardly, simply agreed to stay at the estate.

With that settled, Sylvia-san’s situation was now taken care of—and, as a result, the Margrave’s family and Sylvia-san had unexpectedly become quite close.

“Now, there’s another slightly troublesome matter. The weapons that fool was carrying… it turns out they were purchased from someone connected to the Red Scorpion.”

““The Red Scorpion!?””

Hearing that name from the Margrave himself was unexpected.

Sue and I couldn’t help but blurt it out.

Shiro and the others, along with Sylvia-san, looked completely bewildered.

“I’ve already notified the royal castle. His Majesty lamented that it’s yet another headache.”

“From the Southern Margravate to the Eastern one, and now even in the Northern Margravate, that name has come up.”

“Yes. It seems the capital has already detained some of their members. But for some reason, their activities have been growing bolder recently.”

If that’s the case, then it’s possible that someone connected to the Red Scorpion has infiltrated the martial arts tournament.

The most likely candidate is that man in the black robe.

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

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“As expected of Ao. To neutralize the culprits so easily…”

“She said if she used electricity, the hostage lady would get shocked too, so she made it dark instead.”

“Impressive… she even thought about that.”

Shiro translated Ao’s words for Fina-san’s brother, but I honestly hadn’t expected her to use Brightness. I assumed she’d go with electricity—but she had actually taken the hostage’s safety into consideration.

“Now then, we’ve caught the criminals, but the problem is the person who was staying in this room.”

“Yeah… with the room in this condition, there’s no way they can sleep here tonight.”

The bed was a mess, covered in footprints and completely ruined, and before anything else, the place still needed to be examined as a crime scene. Sleeping here was simply impossible.

Just then, Sylvia approached us hesitantly.

Could it be….. no way, right?

“U-uhm… I’m the one who was staying in this room.”

“I—I see. Did you have any belongings in here?”

“Yes. I had a backpack with my clothes in it. It was over in the corner… but it got stepped on.”

“I’m sorry, but please check the contents just in case.”

“Alright, I will.”

I couldn’t find any words to say to Sylvia.

This morning, she was a victim of pickpocketing and lost all her money. Then she lost her match. And now her room had been wrecked because the criminals barricaded themselves inside, and her luggage had been trampled on for good measure.

To think misfortune could pile up this badly…

“My clothes should be fine if I wash them. Everything else seems okay too.”

“I see. Well, that’s a small blessing amid all this misfortune. Sylvia, you should stay at our estate tonight.”

“Yes, that would be best. There’s no way I can sleep in this room, and the other inns are probably fully booked.”

“Eehh!?”

Even if it wasn’t my place to say it, staying at the Margrave’s estate was definitely the better option. Otherwise, she’d end up sleeping outdoors, and securing a place for her to rest tonight was the top priority.

But before that—

“Sylvia-san, I’ll use household magic on your backpack to clean it.”

“Eh!? O-oh—please do!”

Hn? For some reason, Sylvia looked genuinely shocked when I said I would use magic. Well, either way, I should give it a thorough cleaning with household magic.

“W-whoa! My backpack looks as clean as if it were brand new!”

“I cleaned your clothes too. Though you should probably give them a proper wash later.”

“Once we’re back at the estate, I’ll ask the attendants to do the laundry. The backpack should probably be repaired as well.”

“Yes, some parts came loose from being stepped on.”

The soldiers said they would take care of the necessary procedures with the inn, so we boarded the carriage and headed straight for the estate. And… as soon as Sylvia got into the luxurious carriage, she froze up completely.

“Woah…”

Then, when she saw the enormous mansion and its sprawling garden, her eyes went wide with amazement.

So this is what “jaw dropping” really looks like.

“Welcome.”

“Wow…”

As we entered the estate, the attendants came forward to greet us. Seeing their impeccable bows, Sylvia-san was clearly deeply impressed.

“Prepare a guest room. Sylvia will be staying here tonight.”

“Certainly, sir. Please wait in the reception room.”

“And… could you also summon my father and mother?”

“I will call them immediately, sir.”

Since we still needed to explain the incident at the inn, we gathered in the reception room for the time being.

It looked like today still had a lot more in store.

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

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Just as I was thinking that, it turned out the day still had one more event in store for us.

It happened while we were cleaning up the food stall and went to greet Fina-san’s older brother.

“Shun, perfect timing. We’ve got a problem. Well, something involving adventurers.”

“Huh? A problem?”

“Yeah.”

Judging from Fina-san’s brother’s expression, it seemed like a bit of a troublesome situation.

Sue and Horn from the medical team had just come over as well, so we gathered to hear the details.

“One issue is a pickpocketing group. The soldiers have already detained them. They probably have Sylvia’s purse too.”

“Ah—thank you very much.”

So there really was a group of pickpockets.

With so many people gathered here, it must feel like the perfect hunting ground for them. The main tournament starts tomorrow, and even with plenty of soldiers around, we’ll have to stay on guard for crimes like pickpocketing.

“The other issue is more serious. Someone was approaching the defeated adventurers from the preliminaries and recruits them into a criminal organization. The soldiers managed to detain several of them, but the rest escaped. They’ve barricaded themselves inside an inn popular with adventurers.”

“Could it be… the Apple Inn?”

“That’s right. That’s where Sylvia is staying, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.”

An armed standoff occurring at the inn where Sylvia was staying….

Just hearing it made my stomach tighten.

Fina-san’s brother took command of the situation on-site and headed to the Apple Inn with us in tow. As for Fina-san, she had already returned to the estate under heavy guard with her attendants.

“My apologies for making you come all this way, Lord Broad.”

“No, this is a serious incident. It’s only right that I come here myself.”

The Apple Inn, where everything was unfolding, was located just beside the plaza. When we arrived, one of the soldiers approached Fina-san’s brother.

“What’s the situation?”

“The culprits are in a room on the top floor. They’ve taken the innkeeper’s daughter hostage.”

“Damn it… How could they stoop to that? I’m going up there.”

“Yes, sir! We’ll accompany you.”

Whoa…

It was rare to see Fina-san’s brother this furious. But, taking a hostage… that’s absolutely unacceptable.

We followed them toward the room where the standoff was taking place.

“Release the hostage!”

“Surrender immediately!”

The Apple Inn was three stories tall, and the suspects had barricaded themselves in the room closest to the front.

Peering through the gap between the soldiers calling for their surrender, I could see inside the room. Three culprits, one of them holding a young woman in a tight lock with a blade pressed against her. They were shouting something incoherent—more like animal like screams than actual words. The room was a complete mess, and one of the criminals was already sprawled unconscious on the floor.

Hmm… there was no way this would be settled through negotiation. The situation was completely deadlocked.

Sui. Sui.

“Hm? Ao, are you thinking of going?”

“She says she’ll slip in through the window of the room on the other side.”

“All right. Let’s leave it to her.”

With Fina-san’s brother’s approval secured, Ao quietly slipped into the adjacent room. By the way, there were soldiers stationed in that room as well, just in case, so she wasn’t trespassing illegally.

Then, from the window of the barricaded room, Ao slipped inside without a sound.

Fina-san’s brother gave her a firm, approving nod.

Bwaam!

“Huh? W—what’s going on!? I—, I can’t see anything!”

“W-what is this!?”

“Damn it, it won’t come off!”

Ao had covered the criminals’ faces with Brightness.

Suddenly becoming blind, the culprits panicked, clawing frantically at the glowing veil covering their faces.

“Secure them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers didn’t miss their chance. In the blink of an eye, the criminals were subdued. The hostage was unharmed as well.

The brightness wore off completely about twenty seconds later.

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

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With Ao’s match over, Sue and Horn headed to the medical team’s tent, while we made our way to the food stall.

First, I needed to introduce Sylvia-san to the attendants who were helping out.

“You may have seen her in the match against Ao, but this is Sylvia-san. She’ll be helping out at the stall.”

“I’m Sylvia. Nice to meet you.”

“““Nice to meet you!”””

Since the attendants had watched Ao and Sylvia-san’s match, they welcomed her without hesitation.

Now, with customers waiting, it was time to open the stall quickly.

“Sylvia-san, can you cook?”

“Yes, I can manage the basics.”

“Good. The bread has just arrived, so please work with the attendants to make sandwiches.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

It was a relief that Sylvia-san could cook. Since the bread had arrived during the match, she would focus on preparing the sandwiches.

With that, the stall officially opened.

“Five meat sandwiches, please!”

“Eight yakisoba bread!”

“Ten rice balls!”

“Understood!”

From the moment we opened, customers swarmed in as if they had been waiting for this exact moment. And they were buying in bulk, meaning huge orders came out at once.

Do these locals all have enormous appetites?

“Hey, that’s the slime, isn’t it?”

“Good luck in the main tournament!”

Once again, just like yesterday, many people came up to Ao. Ever dutiful, she waved her tentacles back and forth while preparing slime-baked food.

And then there was another visitor.

“You almost had it, little lady.”

“Next year, you’ll get your revenge, right?”

“Ah… t-thank you.”

Sylvia-san replied shyly.

Some of the customers were also stopping by to speak with Sylvia-san. Though she had lost, she had put up a strong fight against Ao, leaving an impression on the spectators.

However, as I kept glancing at the matches from the sidelines, I saw people with all sorts of styles advancing. Some people just barely made it through, while others advanced with ease. There were swordsmen, thieves, and even women making it through.

Among them, one particular person who had advanced caught my attention.

“Shun-oniichan, that person seems… strange.”

Shiro whispered.

“Yeah. Definitely someone to watch out for.”

Shiro had sensed something off about the competitor who had advanced.

A magic-user type, draped in a black hooded robe, he exuded an eerie presence. It wasn’t just the unsettling appearance. There was something about his aura that felt wrong. Even Ao had reacted, sensing that something was unusual about this person.

With that, the preliminary rounds came to an end.

Unsurprisingly, the one to keep an eye on was the man in the mysterious black robe.

On top of that, we received another warning from the customers.

“Good thing the little lady is here at this stall. Some suspicious person approached those who lost in the preliminaries.”

“Yeah, I noticed too. I already informed the passing soldiers.”

“This happens every year—scouts approaching adventurer groups, or sometimes even recruiting for shady organizations.”

By chance, I had also spotted a suspicious person approaching other preliminaries’ losers, so I had reported them to the patrolling soldiers.

Hmm… with this year’s martial arts tournament drawing more participants than expected, I have a feeling something might happen.

But first, I needed to check on Sylvia-san.

“Sylvia-san, you’ve done well. Are you tired?”

“Shun-san, I’m fine. We are stronger than we look, so I’m perfectly fine.”

She replied, showing off her strength. She claimed she was fine, but… there wasn’t even a hint of muscle showing.

“That’s good to hear. The steward in charge will handle the money, so please wait a moment.”

“Oh, the lodging was paid in advance, so it’s fine for tomorrow. But… could I take some bread for tonight’s dinner?”

“Take as much as you want. Since we’re almost sold out, it’s better to give it away than let it go to waste.”

I reassured her.

“Thank you very much.”

With that, the preliminaries had ended, and all that remained was to pack up the stall.

I wondered what tomorrow’s matches would bring.

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

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Sue and I regrouped with Shiro and the others as they returned from the stage.

“Shun-oniichan, Ao was super cool!”

“All those spells—so amazing!”

“She totally nailed it!”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Calm down, you three.”

The kids were bursting with excitement after watching Ao win up close.

But… something was off. The star of the moment—Ao herself—was nowhere to be seen.

Just as I looked around, Sylvia-san approached us, holding Ao gently in her arms.

“Um… excuse me. Ao insisted on healing me with recovery magic.”

“That’s no problem at all. She treated her opponents yesterday too.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m completely fine now.”

Ao had held back the power of her Air Bullets, but even so, Sylvia-san must have taken a few scrapes. But now, every one of those wounds seemed completely healed.

“Sylvia-san, did you learn magic on your own?”

“No. One of the elders of our village could use magic. He taught me the basics. But he always said that magic is all about grit…”

“Ah, I know the type. I’ve met adventurers who said they got through it with sheer willpower.”

“That’s exactly what it felt like.”

Sylvia-san said with a distant look in her eyes. She must have gone through a real struggle to learn magic. And to think she can already use wind spells at that level—she’s honestly remarkable.

“Sylvia-san, are you specialized in wind magic?”

“No. I can also use earth magic. I just haven’t tried any other types yet.”

“Even so, being able to use multiple kinds of magic is impressive.”

Sue explained to Sylvia-san that magicians capable of more than one type of magic were rare. Earth magic, in particular, could be applied in many ways and would surely make her a valuable ally.

Then Sylvia-san turned to me,

“Um… you’re the manager of the food stall that’s been so busy, right? I have a favor to ask.”

“I’m not exactly the manager, but I’ll listen.”

“Well… on my way to the venue this morning, I was robbed. They took all the money I had.”

“Eh? Are you okay? Was anything else stolen?”

“I have my adventurer card with me because I kept it close, so that’s safe. Oh, I already told a guard just in case.”

That was quite the misfortune… and yet, she still went into the match in that state of mind.

In a way, it was deeply admirable. Just that alone was reason enough for the Margrave household to want to keep Sylvia-san close.

“So… you want to work at a food stall to earn some money, right?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Hm… understood. Then, just in case, I’ll call the manager who’s sitting there enjoying some ice cream.”

“Sitting…?”

Sylvia-san blinked, unsure who I meant.

Sue, however, immediately understood and let out a small, wry laugh.

I walked over to where the Margrave had just finished his ice cream and explained the situation. Since it was a stall run by the Margrave’s household, the manager was, in fact, the Margrave himself.

And then, not only did the Margrave come along, but Fina-san accompanied him as well.

“So you were robbed of your travel money. I’ll have the guards step up their search for the culprit. There may be other victims as well.”

“Right. It’s really awful that such people exist.”

“Y-Yes.”

Slyvia-san could only agree. Suddenly, the Margrave appeared right in front of her, and she froze completely.

“Helping out at the stall would be more than welcome. It’s so busy I can hardly keep up.”

“Mm. And if you’re short on money, I can lend you some.”

Fina-san added kindly.

“O-oh… thank you.”

Sylvia-san answered, still a bit flustered.

Well, no matter how it came about, we’d secured an extra hand.

Perfect timing, too—while she helped at the stall, we could also learn more about her.

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

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“Now then—Day Two of the preliminaries, First Match… begin!”

“““Woo!”””

At the referee’s signal, the crowd erupted into cheers all at once.

At the same moment, Sylvia-san began gathering mana into the staff she held.

“Oooh, Sylvia-senshu is already channeling mana into her staff! Meanwhile, Ao-senshu seems to be keeping her distance, still observing!”

What Sylvia-san was charging was wind magic. Ao, on the other hand, was already preparing so she could fire off a spell at any moment.

“Here I go—take this!”

BOOOOOM!

“““Uoooooh!!”””

“What—?! Ao-senshu instantly intercepted the spell Sylvia-senshu launched!”

Ao shot down Sylvia-san’s magic in the blink of an eye.

Sylvia-san’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly pulled her expression back into something sharp and focused.

“Then… how about this!”

Shu, shu, shu—!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“This time Sylvia-senshu fires a rapid barrage without any charging, but once again, Ao-senshu swats them aside with ease!”

“Whoa… that slime’s seriously amazing.”

“That little miss isn’t half bad either.”

Even after that, Sylvia-san tried every tactic she could—mixing large and small spells together and launching them at Ao—but Ao intercepted every last one.

To the spectators, it looked like a dazzling exchange of magic, and the arena was roaring with excitement.

“They’re doing pretty well, but… their fundamentals still need a lot of work, I’d say.”

“I’ve heard that the dwarves rarely produce magicians. She probably studied on her own.”

“In other words, she’s accomplished quite a lot through self-study. If she receives proper training, I’m sure she’ll become an excellent mage.”

“Hm. In that case, could you speak to her for me after the match?”

“Understood.”

“I’ll talk to her as well.”

It seemed Sylvia-san had managed to catch the interest of Fina-san’s older brother as well.

Sue said she’d speak to Sylvia-san too, so even if I didn’t get the chance myself, everything should be fine.

And then, something changed on the stage.

Until now, Ao had only been intercepting Sylvia-san’s spells—but suddenly, she shifted into a counterattack.

“Eh—? Kyaaa!”

Boom!

“And there it is! Ao-senshu launches a counterstrike! Sylvia-senshu fires three spells, but Ao-senshu answers with four shots!”

“Ohh, so it finally begins.”

“Damn, so everything up to now was just her testing the waters?”

Sylvia-san was completely caught off guard and took Ao’s air bullet head-on.

Ao had carefully toned down the power, but even so, it dealt a fair bit of damage. And then, without giving her a moment to breathe, Ao unleashed three more air bullets straight at Sylvia-san.

Boom, boom, boom.

“K-Kuh…!”

“Ao-senshu continues to press the attack! Sylvia-senshu can barely keep up! Her magic barrier is the only thing standing between her and defeat!”

“Go, Ao!”

“Finish her!”

“Hang in there!”

Ao kept firing air bullets, each one deliberately weakened but still relentless.

Sylvia-san was completely on the defensive now. All she could do was throw up barrier after barrier, struggling just to keep them intact.

And then—Ao moved in for the finishing blow.

Thud.

“Eh? W-what?”

“Oh? Ao-senshu has deliberately fired a spell in front of Sylvia-senshu, kicking up a cloud of dust! Now, where did Ao-senshu disappear to?”

“Hey, did you see that slime move just now?”

“N-No… not at all. One moment it was there, the next—gone.”

For an ordinary person, Ao’s body-enhanced movements would look like she’d simply vanished.

Sue and I could track her, of course, but Sylvia-san—caught in that dusty smoke screen—had no chance of knowing where Ao had gone.

Tap, tap.

“Eh—ah!”

“Oh! Ao-senshu has somehow slipped behind Sylvia-senshu without anyone noticing! She’s poking at Sylvia-senshu’s boots with a tentacle!”

“Incredible… she crossed that distance in an instant!”

“My whole understanding of what a slime is has completely collapsed…”

Realizing Ao had slipped completely behind her, Sylvia-san seemed to accept that she could no longer win.

“Haah… I can’t compete with that. I surrender.”

“Sylvia-senshu has declared a surrender! The winner: Ao-senshu!”

“What an amazing slime!”

“And that little miss was incredible too!”

Amid a shower of applause from the crowd, Ao and Sylvia-san shook hands once more.

And with this, Ao officially secured her place in the main tournament.

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

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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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On the second day of the preliminaries, we were scheduled for the first match, so we left the estate early, just like yesterday.

The weather was perfect—clear skies and a gentle breeze.

“Hey there, you’re the slime from yesterday, right?”

“First match today, huh?”

“Do your best!”

When we arrived at the plaza, one of the men who had visited the stall yesterday came over to greet us. Ao waved her tentacles in return, responding cheerfully.

The stall wouldn’t open until after Ao’s match, but we decided to get some prep work done. We set up the sign first, then started chopping vegetables and getting things ready.

Sue and Horn had gone over to the medical teams tent. A few people had already come for treatment, and just by watching them wobble around, it was clear that the man was suffering from a hangover.

“Shun-sama, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“We’ll help with the prep as well.”

“Good, you all came in such numbers. This really helps.”

Today, as planned, plenty of attendants had shown up, so we hurriedly got to work preparing. Considering what happened yesterday, it was better to prepare extra this time. The bread for the sandwiches hadn’t arrived yet, so we started by making rice balls first.

“Shun-sama, it’s almost time.”

“Thank you. If anyone is going to watch, please come along.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Once we had finished most of the prep work, the head attendant called out to me.

Since the sign was already up, no one was buying anything yet, but many people still called out words of encouragement to Ao.

Along with Shiro and the others, I brought three attendants with me and headed toward the aid tent.

“Um… you’re being a nuisance.”

“C’mon, Miss, forget work for a bit. Come hang out with us!”

“I said, you’re being a nuisance.”

“Let’s have some fun! Hehehe.”

“Enough already!”

Boom!

““Aahh!””

Good grief… that persistent middle-aged man had just been blasted away by magic from the aid tent. The one who cast the spell was Sue. Her nervous, fidgety demeanor from our first meeting had definitely faded a lot. The man who was sent flying, was promptly taken away by the soldiers on duty.

“So there are people hitting on others in a place like this, huh.”

“They probably think the the medical team’s tent is some kind of matchmaking spot. I saw a few others trying the same thing with other medical staff, too.”

Sue came storming out of the aid tent, fuming.

Judging by her reaction, it seemed there had been other idiots hitting on staff inside the tent as well. And this was still early in the morning, before any matches had even started.

“We’ll handle the security here, so don’t worry.”

One of the attendants spoke.

“Thank you… we appreciate it.”

Thus, we decided to have some burly, muscular soldiers stand guard at the medical team’s tent. Even so, some drunkards might still try to ignore the guards and hit on the staff.

If that happens… well, it looks like a “fun date” with the imposing soldiers, rather than the medical staff, will be waiting for them.

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

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My, oh my, once Ao’s match was over and we reopened the food stall, things turned absolutely chaotic.

“Oniichan, five yakisoba buns!”

“Next order—ten rice balls!”

“Got it!”

The moment Ao returned to the stall, a flood of customers came pouring in. From that point on, it was truly hectic.

Darn it, who’s the lunatic that ordered ten rice balls?

Ao and I were cooking at full throttle, barely keeping up. We were running low on bread, so we added rice balls to the menu—but the line of customers never stopped.

Of course, Shiro and Fran were handling the customer service, and even the attendants were working at full speed.

“Man, that was refreshing!”

“We’re looking forward to your next match!”

Customer after customer called out to Ao as they passed by. The match earlier had been a mess, but the fact that a slime won must’ve made quite an impression. Ao happily waved her tentacles in response to all the cheering.

Ao became famous in an instant.

Thinking about that, we kept cooking nonstop all the way until evening.

“The day’s program has now concluded. Matches will resume tomorrow at nine in the morning.”

“Woo… finally over…”

As evening fell, the first day of the preliminaries finally came to an end.

We also run out of ingredients, so the food stall closed right on schedule. I was exhausted, of course—but Ao and the attendants were completely worn out too.

“That was fun, though.”

“Yeah.”

For some reason, Shiro and Fran were still full of energy, but… let’s just chalk that up to youthful stamina.

Since our sales were terrifyingly huge, it was decided we’d return to the estate to count everything. That job was left to the head attendant.

The medical team stationed at the aid tent had also returned to the Margrave family’s seats, so after cleaning up the stall, we headed there as well.

“Good work today. The stall was a massive hit.”

“There were so many customers we completely sold out.”

“That’s incredible. We’ll have to increase tomorrow’s stock, then.”

“—Eh!?”

Fina-san’s brother… what are you even saying!?

Any more than this, and even Ao and I won’t be able to handle it!

“Uhm, Young master, may we increase the number of attendants? Even with everyone working, we’re still short-handed.”

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with the estate’s operations, hire as many as you need.”

“Thank you very much.”

Nice one head attendant!

Ao and I couldn’t help but clap for him.

“Well then, we also need to discuss that idiot’s situation, so let’s head back to the estate.”

“Today was so much fun!”

With the Madam and Fina-san also saying it was time to return, we all began making our way back to the estate.

“How are things going in the medical team?”

“Quite busy. We treated injuries from the matches. There were more because of drunken brawls.”

“Getting worked up like that isn’t good for anyone.”

To be honest, the afternoon had been so insanely busy that I hadn’t watched a single match. Judging by the cheers, though, things must have been lively. And naturally, that meant the medical team had their hands full as well.

Once we arrived back at the estate, the Margrave himself gathered with us in the reception room.

The topic, of course, was that heir.

“I’ve heard the whole story. To break the rules so blatantly and then end up self-destructing… honestly, it’s really pathetic.”

“The match ended in just three minutes, too. To be frank, it was terribly dull.”

Thus began the Margrave and his wife thoroughly—and mercilessly—tearing apart the heir’s performance.

Everyone else felt the same, so we all nodded along in complete agreement.

“Of course, that fool is currently locked up in the barracks’ holding cells. Turns out he’s committed other crimes as well.”

“That idiot threatened the referee, you know. Said that if he didn’t call the match in his favor, he’d ruin the referee’s family.”

“So that’s why the referee was pale and ran to speak with the Madam.”

“Exactly. And since his opponent was a slime, he figured the replacement referee wouldn’t have to do anything special—he’d win anyway.”

Was the heir really that much of a scumbag? What reason could he possibly have had to go that far just to win?

“It seems that he spent an absurd amount of money acquiring that magic sword and the enchanted armor. All of it just to get his hands on Fina, apparently. Typical foolish thinking from an old noble family.”

“For the old-fashioned nobles, marrying into the Margrave’s household adds prestige. And if their own house is already in decline, the effect is even greater.”

“But thanks to this incident, the count’s family has done nothing but anger the Mmargrave’s house. That idiot will be spending the entire tournament locked in a cell.”

The count’s family might honestly have been better off flattering the Margrave’s house instead. At this point, there is absolutely no chance that Fina-san will ever marry into the count’s household.

“Let’s leave that fool’s matter at that. Tomorrow, Ao has the first match, correct?”

“Yes. So we plan to open the food stall only after the match is over.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. It’ll be over quickly anyway.”

The Margrave sounded entirely confident.

Well, matches are originally capped at ten minutes, and Ao’s fight tend to end even faster than that. But that also means the stall will be open longer than usual… meaning we’re going to be really busy again.

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

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“Go, Ao! Do it!”

“Go, go!”

“Keep it up!”

From outside the stage, Shiro and the others were cheering loudly.

Ao glanced back at them, waving her tentacles in return.

Honestly… she looked completely at ease.

“Ugh… c-can’t… pull it out…”

Meanwhile, the heir was still struggling desperately with his sword stuck in the stage. Ao turned her gaze toward the Madam, and she gave a subtle nod, gesturing as if to say, “Go on, do it.”

Thud!

“C-can’t… pull it out… guh—!”

Slam!

“Whoa! Contestant Ao’s powerful tackle just hit Contestant Chikin square in the stomach! Or… since his sword finally came free from the stage, maybe it’s all good?”

“Gahaha! He flew back spectacularly!”

“Even with all that fancy armor, is his brain just as empty?”

The heir, smashed by Ao’s charge, flew nearly five meters back. Even without taking major damage, he must have felt that impact. The audience couldn’t contain themselves and burst into laughter at the sight of him soaring across the stage.

“D-damn it… I-I’ll… kill you!”

“Ooh! Contestant Chikin is charging!”

The enraged heir ran straight at Ao, swinging his sword with all his might. Apparently, he thought Ao had insulted him—but really, he was just blowing himself up.

“Uooorah!”

Smack!

“Amazing! Contestant Ao just caught Contestant Chikin’s downward swing with a proper blade-grab!”

“What the—now the slime is stopping his sword?”

“Bwahaha! Well, the swing was way too slow anyway.”

I could understand why the crowd are shouting. The heir’s sword swing, focused more on hitting than speed, was too slow. Even Fran or Horn could probably have caught it in a proper blade-grab.

Whoosh… whoosh… WOOOSH!

“Whoa! Uwaah!”

Slam!

“Whoa! Now Contestant Ao, still holding onto the sword, has swung Contestant Chikin in a giant toss!”

“That guy really flies, huh?”

“Hahaha! That’s just proof that his head is as empty as his armor!”

Uh… that heir really is hopeless. Even with such fine equipment, he can’t use it properly at all.

Just as the audience said, it seems the problem isn’t the gear—it’s what’s inside. And now, something strange was happening with him.

“G-g-guh… guzzoh…”

“Whoa! Contestant Chikin is using his sword as a makeshift cane, but he’s having a hard time standing up!”

He wobbled like a newborn fawn, struggling to get to his feet.

The reason quickly became clear.

“His mana ran out just one minute into the match.”

“Yeah… such a short operational time.”

Just as Sue had said, the heir’s meager reserves of mana were exhausted in an instant. As a result, the armor that had been functioning as a magical tool became nothing more than heavy plate armor.

Including the chainmail beneath, that thing must weigh a ton.

Ao cautiously stepped closer to check on the heir.

“O-oa? Oaaah!”

“Oh my! Contestant Chikin has fallen again, weighed down by his armor—and this time, he landed face-first!”

“Gahaha! Hahaha!”

“Ha-hahahaha! M-my stomach hurts from laughing… hahaha!”

““““Haha—hahahaha!””””

The audience erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

The audience erupted into laughter at the sight of the heir tripping while trying to stand.

Shiro and the others weren’t holding back either, pointing and laughing uncontrollably at his misfortune.

Amid all the chaos, only Ao and the referee calmly approached the heir.

Come to think of it… the heir hadn’t twitched a single muscle since he fell.

“Match over. Medical team, bring a stretcher. Quickly!”

Seeing the heir’s condition, the referee and Ao called urgently for the stretcher.

Soon, a stretcher was brought onto the stage. And, almost casually, the referee declared the match over.

Even the Madam seemed concerned now, her eyes on the fallen heir.

“It seems… Contestant Chikin hit his head when he fell and has lost consciousness.”

“Whaaaat?!”

The audience was shocked, and so were Sue and I.

The heir, stripped of his full-face helmet, didn’t move a muscle.

(Shine)

“Oh! Contestant Ao is casting a healing spell on the Contestant Chikin! What an admirable display of sportsmanship!”

“Way to go!”

“Magnificent!”

Just to be safe, Ao cast her healing magic, and the audience responded with a huge round of applause. Waving her tentacles, Ao turned toward Shiro and the others, a small smile on her face.

“Ao-chan, that was amazing!”

Fina-san and Pearl were clapping with all their might, cheering for Ao.

Well, there was no doubt who had won.

“Now… that guy isn’t going to the medical tent—he’s going straight to the prison. Mother gave the orders, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“Even if he were taken to the medical tent, I wouldn’t want to treat him.”

“Neither would I.”

It wasn’t just Sue and me—Fina-san’s older brother didn’t hold back either, tearing into the heir mercilessly.

And just like that, Ao’s first round came to an end—though to be honest, even Ao wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened.

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

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