Inside the guild in the frontier city of Gilm, a woman on the first floor processed documents with a look that made her foul mood clear to everyone.
"This one... no problem. This one’s signature is a bit faint, so it needs confirmation. This one is fine."
Her bad mood didn't impede the flow of her work, a testament to how accustomed she had become to her duties as a guild receptionist. But no matter how flawless the work, colleagues nearby would have preferred not to be around such a grumpy coworker.
"Hey, Kenny. It’s not like the Guild Master is going to do anything untoward to Rei-san, so you don't have to be in such a foul mood."
Hearing Lenora’s placating words, Kenny’s movements twitched to a halt. The cat ears atop her head flickered as she fixed her gaze on Lenora.
"..."
Receiving a silent protest, Lenora averted her eyes as she continued.
"Look, you’re just as sexy as the Guild Master, Kenny. Even your chest... well, compared to mine... is big..."
She spoke while looking down at her own chest—a source of personal insecurity—but her tone gradually lost its energy. Whether out of pity for Lenora or a realization that she was being immature, Kenny sighed softly and lowered her head.
"Sorry, I guess that wasn't very professional of me. ...But still."
Kenny flicked a glance at the ceiling—more precisely, toward the direction of Guild Master Marina’s office.
"You say I’m not losing to the Guild Master, but in reality, I don't even come close. Both in terms of beauty and her abilities as a Guild Master... you know?"
"Hmm, so are you giving up on Rei-san?"
As Lenora spoke, feeling the atmosphere finally lighten, Kenny shook her head vigorously. Lenora’s cheek twitched as she saw Kenny’s chest sway, but she suppressed her irritation.
"It’s true Rei-kun might be out of my league. But I was definitely the one who set my sights on him first... so there's no way I’m giving up. It's time to go on the offensive."
"...I-I see. Just keep it in moderation."
She’s more undeterred than I thought.
Thinking that, Lenora imagined an even more aggressive Kenny and placed her hopes in Rei's resilience.
(Good luck, Rei-san. If you're not careful, you'll be gobbled right up.)
While Lenora cheered for Rei in her heart...
"Waaa!"
Rei, who had been conversing with Marina, let out a cry as a sudden cold sensation ran down his spine. Marina directed a suspicious look at him.
"What was that all of a sudden?"
"...No, I just felt a sudden chill."
"Hold on. You’re leaving Gilm in just a few days, aren’t you? You need to take better care of yourself."
"I should be fine in that regard..."
Since his body had been created by the one called Zephyle and his companions, Rei didn't think he would succumb to any ordinary illness. He was almost certainly immune to the common cold.
"If you’d like, I could always warm you up myself."
While Rei was tilting his head at the earlier sensation, Marina suddenly made the offer. An inviting smile played across her face. It was a dense sensuality that would cause an ordinary person around Rei's age to follow her lead in a daze. For a moment, Rei was almost swallowed by it, but he immediately shook his head.
"Sorry, but I’ll pass. I have a lot of preparations to make."
"Oh, how disappointing."
Marina instantly vanished that seductive atmosphere as if the inviting smile from seconds ago had never existed, replacing it with a cheerful, casual grin.
"I'd prefer if you didn't tease me like that."
"I wasn't really teasing, you know. ...Well, putting that aside. How much have you heard about the fighting tournament?"
Rei looked puzzled for a moment at the abrupt change in topic, but he spoke while recalling what Theoreme and Vihera had explained.
"I believe it's one of the largest scale events held in the Bestia Empire, and fighting alongside a tamed monster is prohibited. In the finals, members of the state upper management, including the imperial family, come to watch... that's about it."
"...Is that all you heard?"
Marina asked with an exasperated expression, and Rei tilted his head in wonder. He had no idea why she was so annoyed. Eventually, realizing that Rei truly only had that much knowledge, Marina let out a small sigh.
"Listen. It’s accurately called the Bestia Fighting Tournament, but there are various aspects of that tournament that differ from others. First, in terms of format, since it's such a massive event, the number of participants is extremely high. If they held qualifying rounds one match at a time, it would take far too long."
"...Well, I suppose so."
Rei nodded. The Bestia Empire was one of the preeminent powers in the world. For a national fighting tournament, a massive number of people confident in their skills would surely gather. If they handled everyone in a tournament format, they would run out of time no matter how much they had.
"So, how do you think they handle it?"
At that question, Rei thought. One match at a time wouldn't be enough. They needed to narrow down a large group of people all at once. That meant a format where many people fought simultaneously.
"A battle royal."
"Correct."
Marina smiled like a teacher toward a gifted student. Yet, because she was unconsciously exuding a devastating sensuality, it was an ordeal for the person on the receiving end. However, the woman herself continued speaking without appearing to notice.
"Though it's called a battle royal, you can be exempt if you've won other fighting tournaments, if you're a noble's seeded player, or if you're a high-rank adventurer."
"A high-rank adventurer?"
His own rank was B, which was certainly high enough to be considered a high-rank adventurer. If that was the case, maybe he wouldn't have to participate in the battle royal. He turned a gaze full of expectation toward Marina, but she curved her luscious lips into a smile and gave a small shake of her head.
"Even though I say high-rank adventurer, in this case it means Rank A or Rank S. ...Though, the Rank S adventurers in the Empire don't seem interested in this kind of tournament, so they rarely appear."
"In that case, maybe it would have been better to just have Elk enter."
Rei muttered that, but then immediately rejected the idea. If he were put together with Theoreme, Elk would undoubtedly be furious over the incident from last winter. Furthermore, if he told Elk to enter the fighting tournament for the sake of Theoreme and Vihera, Rei judged that there was a risk he might be killed himself before reaching Theoreme.
Marina, who had likely read his general train of thought from the way he dismissed Elk's participation, continued with a small smile.
"Well, because of that, you'll need to enter from the qualifying rounds of the fighting tournament, Rei."
"...But, you see."
Rei hesitated. He had confidence in his own abilities. He believed he wouldn't lose to the average monster, adventurer, soldier, or knight. However, his abilities were almost all high in lethality—in fact, most of them were too high. Even when Rei struck an opponent with the Death Scythe's shaft as a way of holding back, the attack combined Rei's own physical strength and the weight of the tool, which exceeded 100kg.
(Anyone entering the fighting tournament would be reasonably skilled, but I still don't like the idea of killing people for the sake of a spectacle.)
Marina must have understood what he was thinking. She flicked her finger lightly to catch Rei's attention.
"Rest easy. No one will die in this tournament."
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple. The imperial capital's arena uses an excavated ancient relic. ...No, it's probably more accurate to say they built the arena on the spot where the ancient relic was excavated."
Ancient relic. Hearing those words, Rei thought of the teleportation device installed near the entrance of the dungeon in Labyrinth City Exil.
"What kind of effect does this ancient relic have?"
"Apparently, it deploys a special field, and any injuries sustained within it become as though they never happened once you leave the field."
"...Huh?"
At the words that escaped Marina's mouth, Rei was stunned. He wondered if his ears had deceived him. However, Marina must have anticipated such a reaction. She gave a shake of her head while wearing a wry smile.
"That's quite an incredible ancient relic they found."
"Mind you, what can be undone within the field is only injuries; if you die, there's nothing that can be done. That's why intentionally taking the opponent's life is considered a foul. Also..."
At that point, a grin appeared on Marina's lips.
"Do you think an ancient relic boasting that much performance can be used without a price?"
"A price?"
"Yes. Apparently, an enormous amount of magic stones is required to activate that device. Even to the point that magic stones from Rank B and Rank A monsters are needed."
Rei thought of Set when he heard "Rank A monster," but he immediately shook his head.
"Certainly, if it has that kind of effect, it's only natural. If it could be used freely, it could even be used for military training."
Even if you fought to the brink of death, there would be no problem at all once you stepped outside the field. For the training of a military force like soldiers or knights, there was no better place.
(If the opponents I fought in the spring war were people like that, the outcome might have been overturned.)
Rei thought that to himself, but no matter how elite they became, there was nothing they could have done if they were swallowed by a towering flame tornado. Furthermore, that tornado contained a large amount of metal fragments Rei had thrown in, which were fired out at the speed of bullets. Even if they were a bit more elite than other countries, it wouldn't have mattered.
"Anyway, for that reason, it seems there are very few deaths among the participants of the fighting tournament. ...Though I suppose it can't be helped that a few deaths still occur every time."
Marina shrugged slightly and continued her explanation while wearing a smile at Rei's somewhat exasperated expression.
"Now, those who win through the battle royal proceed to the main tournament... and from the main tournament onward, it becomes a tournament format. Since the number of people varies every time, I don't know how many contestants will make it to the main tournament, but they should be people of considerable skill. ...Though, there shouldn't be many opponents who would give you a hard time, Rei."
Even if he wasn't at his best, Rei had won against the Rank A adventurer Elk. Marina didn't think many opponents could trouble him.
"I hope so. Though it's true that it would be easier for me if that were the case."
"Fufu, that's true. ...Well, shall we wrap this up soon? At this rate, it looks like there's going to be a commotion downstairs."
"...A commotion?"
Rei tilted his head slightly and asked as Marina spoke with a seductive smile. However, without saying anything in particular, she stood up from the sofa.
"You'll understand once you go. ...More importantly, there are many people in the Bestia Empire who hold a grudge against you, Rei. Be very careful on your way."
At the words sent with a smile, Rei also gave a small nod and stood up.
"There's a connection between the guilds, but I don't have much influence with the ones in the Bestia Empire, so I can't help you there. However, since you are an adventurer, the guild shouldn't be able to treat you poorly if something happens. Remember that."
"Right, if anything happens, I'll rely on them."
"...Be extremely careful. You're a star rookie who finally appeared, and I want you to continue being active here in Gilm."
"It'll be fine. Elk is there, and above all, my partner Set is with me. We have enough power to handle whatever comes our way."
"I hope so..."
Marina looked at Rei with a slightly worried gaze, but she eventually wore a smile. She didn't want to send him off with a worried expression, but with a smile. It was a grin born from that thought, and strangely, he didn't feel the dense sensuality that Marina's smiles usually exuded.