The light was still far too intense to be called a gentle autumn sun; it was a fierce, scorching glare.
While it was only natural given the season had just transitioned, the lingering late-summer heat relentlessly sapped the stamina of those training in the courtyard.
"Hyaaaaaaaah!"
"You think a strike like that will land?"
A claymore, far larger than the average blade, swung down with enough force to seemingly shatter the air itself.
There was no trace of composure on Ruzy’s face. Since the training had begun, every one of his confident attacks had been effortlessly evaded.
As per the rules established before the mock battle, he was pulling his strikes just before impact. Consequently, he wasn't technically using his full strength, but as someone who was being toyed with, he was far from amused.
Determined to make this strike count, he swung the claymore again, only for it to slice through empty air without so much as grazing his opponent.
Heat and frustration had likely clouded his judgment, for Ruzy left himself wide open after the swing.
In the next instant, he saw the sword tip of his opponent's longsword come to a dead stop against his throat. He stared back in disbelief.
Standing before him was Rhodos, longsword in hand.
"Whoa... Ruzy is being played like a toy. He’s got enough power to cut an Orc clean in two with a single blow, too."
Watching the exchange, Veikyul muttered as she ran a hand through her hair, her expression one of pure shock.
Ruzy possessed the greatest offensive power in the Wind Dragon Fang. For that reason, she trusted in his strength and believed he wouldn't lose to most opponents.
She set aside Rei, whom they had asked for instruction, but she found it completely unexpected that Rhodos—who was also receiving training from Rei and was ostensibly in the same position as them—had reached such a level of skill.
"Compatibility plays a role here as well. Ruzy excels at one-hit kills, and he is certainly strong when facing monsters. In terms of pure monster hunting, he is undoubtedly superior to Rhodos. However, when facing humans like you will in this Fighting Tournament, raw power alone won't suffice. You need the technique to evade attacks or ensure your own land."
As Rei muttered this while watching from beside Veikyul, Most, who was listening nearby, spoke up with a puzzled look.
"It’s true our primary enemies have been monsters, but we’ve fought our fair share of bandits and the like, haven't we?"
"Bandits, huh? There’s certainly a high probability that some of them are skilled... but are you suggesting you've faced anyone with the same level of ability as Rhodos, who has sparred repeatedly against me?"
"That’s... no, you're right. We were being arrogant."
"Indeed. And isn't it better that you realized it now rather than in the middle of the tournament? Well, setting that aside for a moment. It seems a bit much for Ruzy to handle alone due to the compatibility issue, so next will be a mock battle with both Ruzy and Veikyul against Rhodos."
A cry of shock erupted at Rei’s words. The source was Rhodos.
"Hey, wait a minute! Fighting two people at once is a bit much..."
"You need training in fighting multiple opponents. Especially since the qualifying rounds are in a battle royal format."
"That’s..."
Rhodos likely recognized the logic in Rei’s words. He started to protest but stopped himself halfway.
"It seems you understand. I’m going to train with Most, so get your mock battle started."
"...Fine, I get it."
"I won't lose this time!"
"I have to get between those two? I’ve got nothing but bad vibes about this."
Rei watched the three move to a separate area to begin their mock battle, then turned his gaze toward Most, who remained by his side.
"With that settled, shall we of the mage unit have our own training session?"
"The mage unit, you say? I suppose that makes sense. I heard the name Crimson became famous because you created a massive Flame Tornado during the war and inflicted catastrophic damage on the Bestia Empire. But... you don't seem to be carrying a magic catalyst?"
Most asked while stroking his staff, seemingly quite confident in his own equipment.
In fact, Most’s staff was crafted from a treant branch that was nearly fifty years old, and its performance as a magic catalyst was guaranteed.
However, Rei shook his head.
"As a mage, it's only natural to prioritize magic. Though in my case, while I wear a robe, I'm technically a magic warrior who specializes in mid-range and close-range combat. And because that's what I am, I have advice I can give you."
"And what would that be?"
"First, this applies to those who use bows as well as mages, but those who rely on long-range attacks are fundamentally weak once someone closes the distance. You know that better than anyone without me having to tell you, right?"
"...Well, yes, I suppose."
Most nodded. His physique wasn't that different from Rei's; perhaps he was slightly larger.
Having read Most’s thoughts from his expression, Rei reached out with his right hand from beneath his dragon robe. Most tilted his head inwardly at the gesture but accepted what appeared to be a request for a handshake.
Then, a sharp pain shot through him.
"Gwah!"
A scream of agony escaped Most’s lips as he felt a pain so intense he thought his palm was being crushed. Seeing this, Rei immediately let go of his hand.
"Do you understand? Even if that was an extreme example, you can't use magic instantaneously if you're in pain. Besides, even if you do use it, you need to chant. In the case of the Wind Dragon Fang, you have a well-balanced party with a vanguard, midguard, and rearguard, so it normally wouldn't be an issue... but if you're entering the Fighting Tournament, you absolutely need a way to deal with an opponent who gets close."
Most shook his hand, which still throbbed with pain, and directed a resentful glare at Rei.
"I know that much. It would have been easier to understand if you'd just used words..."
"Experience is the best teacher. They say hearing something a hundred times isn't as good as seeing it once, and seeing it a hundred times isn't as good as touching it once."
"What’s that supposed to mean?"
"It means it’s more certain to see something once than to hear of it a hundred times, and even more certain to touch it once than to see it a hundred times. Anyway, back to the point. Can you use a bow?"
"No. I have no skill in that area at all. Besides, we’re talking about dealing with enemies at close-range, so why a bow?"
Rei shrugged slightly at Most, who spoke with a look of dissatisfaction.
"I’m not telling you to use a bow for melee combat. It’s just that if a mage can use a bow, it effectively doubles their attack methods, which is quite convenient."
As Rei said this, Filma, the elf he had taken the D-rank rank up exam with, crossed his mind. The sheer variety of her attack methods, using magic alongside a bow, had surprised even Rei. Though in her case, it was spirit magic rather than standard magic.
"I see your point. But asking me to carry a bow in addition to this staff is unreasonable. You need both hands to fire a bow, which means I’d have to let go of my staff. For a mage like me, letting go of my staff is practically suicide, so I’d rather not do it."
Rei was forced to nod.
If one had physical ability like Rei’s, they might be able to manage using both a bow and a staff. But Most was a pure mage; while he had the high physical ability of an adventurer compared to a commoner, he was nowhere near the level of physical powerhouses like Ruzy or Veikyul.
(It would be nice if there were crossbows or something similar... but I’ve never seen one before.)
Rei had spent over a year in Elgin, visiting several cities including Gilm on the frontier where rare monsters and materials gathered, Emotion, the largest port city in the Kingdom of Mireana, and the labyrinth city of Exil, yet he had never once seen a crossbow.
(If you keep a bolt loaded, you can fire a powerful shot. Of course, considering someone small like Most would be using it, you'd probably need a compact crossbow... No, I shouldn't ask for the impossible. Besides, I haven't seen any so far, but that doesn't mean I've seen all of Elgin. There’s a good chance they're being made somewhere. If I knew the structure, I could have made one myself.)
Back on Earth, Rei had lived in the countryside. He hadn't been in anything like an archery club, so he'd never had the chance to use a bow and arrow, and his knowledge of crossbows was limited to what appeared in games and novels.
When it came to cooking, he'd had enough experience that it led to results like udon and okonomiyaki, but this was different. He shook his head slightly, realizing there was no point in wishing for what wasn't there.
"True, you can't use a bow with one hand. In that case, you need a weapon that can be used with one hand and doesn't take up much space. I guess it has to be this."
Muttering to himself, Rei pulled a dagger from his Misty Ring.
"Eh? W-Was that... an Item Box?!"
"Hm? Oh. You didn't know about that? Yes, it’s an Item Box. More importantly, here. I’m giving this to you."
It seemed that among the rumors about Rei, the one about the Item Box hadn't reached them. Rei handed the dagger to Most, who stood there stunned.
The rumors of Crimson had spread through the Bestia Empire following the battle on the Seremuse Plain, which meant they centered on the things that had caused the Bestia Army the most grief: the great scythe, the firestorm, and the gryphon.
In that sense, compared to the Kingdom of Mireana where Rei was based, the rumors here were likely quite biased. In fact, the rumor that Rei was a massive, hulking man had likely spread for that very reason.
"Umm, well... er... is it really okay for me to have this dagger?"
Most managed to pull himself together and ask, and Rei nodded, saying it was no problem at all.
To begin with, the dagger he gave Most wasn't a magic item like the ones Rei collected; it was just one of the many he carried for material stripping.
(Magic items... I bet there are some amazing ones here in the Bestia Empire's imperial capital.)
Since alchemy was so advanced that they could create things like beast soldiers, the selection of magic items was bound to be impressive.
Rei thought this, but in the current situation, wandering outside the inn recklessly would be problematic in several ways. Between his role as Daskar's guard and the people who harbored animosity toward him—not to mention the existence of the Requiem Bell—he had no intention of causing trouble of his own accord.
While his goal was to draw the attention of the Bestia Empire upper management, if he caused a scene here, there was a risk he might be barred from the tournament itself.
Should I just have Most buy some magic items for me? Rei considered it for a moment, but shopping was only fun when you could choose and buy things for yourself; that was how you found hidden gems.
"Rei-san?"
Rei snapped back to reality at the sound of Most's voice.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What was it?"
"I asked if it was really okay for me to have this dagger."
While Rei was thinking, Most had evidently recovered from the shock of seeing the Item Box. At the very least, he asked without letting the shock show on his face.
"Hm? Oh, right. It’s just an ordinary dagger you can find anywhere, so don't worry about it. For now, you can keep a small weapon like this hidden inside your robe, right? Then you can use it when an enemy gets close, or else..."
Rei pulled another dagger from the Misty Ring and performed a quick dagger throw.
Because he threw it without much force, the dagger tip only bit slightly into the trunk of a tree before stopping, but Most’s eyes still widened in surprise.
Dagger throwing itself wasn't particularly rare. For thieves, it was a skill most possessed, even if it wasn't considered essential. In fact, he had seen Veikyul use it several times. At the same time, a fair number of warriors also learned the skill.
Ruzy didn't have that particular skill, but Most had seen it used several times in his life as an adventurer. Note that "throwing" in this context didn't just mean tossing a weapon. It referred to the skill of throwing a dagger so that the tip would accurately strike the opponent.
"It’s... rare to see a mage with that kind of skill."
"I suppose so. But it’s precisely because that perception is so widespread that you can catch your opponent off guard. You take them by surprise because they assume a mage won't have a weapon like a dagger. Well, dagger throwing takes time to master, and more importantly, if we practice it here, the inn staff might complain."
As he spoke, Rei plucked the dagger that had sunk a few centimeters into the tree trunk and pointed the tip toward Most.
"I’m not used to teaching people, so the only way I can do it is through real combat. Come on, experience is the best teacher. Come at me."
And so, despite being a mage, Most found himself engaged in a mock battle with Rei, whose daggerwork was so skilled he could be mistaken for a thief.
As for Most, he would have preferred to practice his magic.
In this manner, two days passed, and the day of the Fighting Tournament finally arrived.