The night after the second round concluded, Rei, Rhodos, and the three members of the Wind Dragon Fang gathered for a meal in the dining hall of the Eternal Sky Inn.
A somewhat awkward atmosphere hung over the table, largely because Veikyul had been eliminated.
Most had already been defeated as well, but perhaps there was a fundamental difference in how a mage and a thief processed a loss.
Amidst the silence, Ruzy spoke up as he brought a piece of bread to his mouth.
"Well, it can't be helped that Veikyul lost. Her opponent was just strong, that's all. I don't think there's any need to dwell on it so much."
It was a blunt remark that didn't exactly prioritize Veikyul’s feelings.
However, his words were undeniably true.
Veikyul hadn't lost to some cowardly trick or a foul. It had been the result of a pure, head-on confrontation.
...Of course, fouls aside, what one defined as a "cowardly trick" was often just a matter of perspective; one could easily argue that the opponent’s tactics had simply been superior.
In particular, the Shidan technique Veikyul had used in the first round of the Main Tournament would have seemed like nothing but a dirty trick to those who prided themselves on fighting fair and square.
But for a thief like Veikyul, it was only natural to possess such a hidden trump card. In her line of work, it was expected.
In the first place, if one preferred fighting from the front, they should have become a knight or a warrior—though even among knights and warriors, there were those who favored methods other than a straightforward clash.
Veikyul seemed to understand this well enough. She let out a heavy sigh as she poured ale into her cup.
"I know perfectly well that my skills just weren't up to the task. But I'm still frustrated, and there’s nothing I can do about that. ...What? Is it wrong for a loser like me to be upset?"
"I didn't say that. That competitive streak is one of your strengths. Besides, this was your first time entering the Fighting Tournament, and you made it all the way to the Main Tournament. Don't you think that's a significant achievement?"
"...He's right. That's likely why those people over there have come calling."
Agreeing with Ruzy, Most gestured with his eyes toward three men dressed unmistakably as knights.
Since they were in the dining hall of the Eternal Sky Inn, it was easy to guess they were subordinates of some noble staying at the lodge.
(Scouting... huh.)
Rei thought to himself as he ate a crisp, crunchy salad.
As Ruzy said, advancing to the second round of the Main Tournament in one's debut was a respectable feat. It wasn't strange at all for someone to approach her with an eye for her future potential.
After all, people had brought similar offers to Rei himself.
In Rei's case, however, he simply dumped the responsibility onto Daskar to handle the refusals.
Daskar, for his part, had no intention of letting Rei be headhunted away from Gilm, so he rejected every offer without question.
It was a rare moment where their interests perfectly aligned.
However, such a luxury was only possible because Daskar was a Margrave and a central figure of the Neutral Faction, one of the three great factions of the Kingdom of Mireana.
Those without such powerful backing, like the members of the Wind Dragon Fang, had to find ways to decline without causing a political incident.
"You are Veikyul-san of the Wind Dragon Fang, correct? My master wishes to speak with you. Would you be willing to spare us a moment of your time?"
One of the knights addressed Veikyul in a polite tone.
Normally, a knight wouldn't speak so courteously to a common adventurer.
The respect he showed was undoubtedly earned by Veikyul’s performance in the second round.
"...If it's only for a short while."
With those words, she stood up with a composed expression, her previous drunkenness seemingly vanished in an instant.
She personally had no intention of accepting any invitation. She wanted to state that clearly, but in this society, refusing a noble’s summons without at least hearing them out would result in a serious loss of face for the other party.
As they watched Veikyul follow the knights out, Most suddenly muttered.
"At least she wasn't completely smashed."
"...Indeed."
Even Ruzy had to agree with that.
If Veikyul had gone before a noble and triggered her bad habit of stripping when drunk, it would have been a disaster in more ways than one.
It would be fine if the noble was big-hearted enough to laugh it off, but in the worst-case scenario, she might have been hauled off to someone's bed... As he considered this, Most imagined Veikyul becoming a noble's mistress and let out an ironic chuckle.
(It might be interesting to see that in its own way... but rather than becoming a mistress, she’d probably end up making that noble useless as a man. Of course, if that happened, it would become far too dangerous for us to stay in the Imperial Capital.)
A calm settled over the table in Veikyul’s absence, but Rei eventually broke the silence.
"In any case, that means Ruzy is the only one left from the Wind Dragon Fang."
"Yeah. But as I told Veikyul, it's our first time participating, and the fact that we all made it to the Main Tournament gives us a lot of confidence."
Rei frowned slightly at Ruzy’s choice of words.
His tone suggested that he, too, expected to lose in the second round.
"What's this? Do you not plan on advancing any further?"
Rei asked in a teasing manner.
Ruzy met Rei's gaze with a silent, ferocious grin.
"Hardly. I’ve worked this hard to get here. I’m going as far as I can. Besides... if I win tomorrow, I’ll get to fight the S-Rank Immovable. There’s no way I’m passing up a chance like that."
Looking at Ruzy, it was clear he was eager to see how his strength would hold up against an S-Rank adventurer—whether he could actually win, or if the wall between them was still too high to scale.
(I feel envious, and yet I don't. It's a strange feeling.)
Rei thought as he watched Ruzy.
It was true that he was jealous of the chance to fight Noise first. However, having met Noise personally, he realized as a matter of fact that his current self wasn't yet ready.
To trade blows as an equal with Noise, he had to sharpen his own "blade" even further. If he didn't, he could only envision a future where he was easily shattered... or rather, sliced apart by the blade that was Noise.
"...The Immovable, huh. It’s my first time seeing an S-Rank other than my old man, but it leaves me speechless."
Rhodos evidently felt the same way as Rei. He let out a tired sigh as he brought his wine cup to his lips.
Having spent his life around a man like Elk, he understood just how unfathomable a person like Noise truly was.
He knew he was still far from that level.
(But... all of that comes after I beat Rei.)
The primary reason Rhodos was competing in this Fighting Tournament was to surpass the wall known as Rei. Just as Rei viewed Noise as his goal, Rhodos saw Rei as the obstacle he had to overcome.
And it wasn't just about strength. It was about the man his first love held feelings for.
Whether in battle or in romance, the odds of his victory were staggeringly low... but even so, Rhodos could not afford to lose. He didn't want to lose. That was the conviction that had carried him through the tournament.
"Well... things have gotten a bit somber. The guest of honor is gone, so why don't we call it a night?"
Everyone nodded at Ruzy’s suggestion.
Ruzy, in particular, had his match the next day. He couldn't afford to walk into the arena with a hangover.
The tournament was far too ruthless to forgive anyone who wasn't in peak condition.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck. Just make sure you don't put on a pathetic showing as my disciple."
Perhaps trying to ease Ruzy’s nerves, Rei spoke in a joking tone before leaving the dining hall.
Ruzy watched him go with a wry smile.
"Disciple, my foot. We only trained together for a little while, and even then, I spent most of the time as your punching bag. If you’re going to call me your disciple, at least teach me some actual techniques."
Most reached for some roasted nuts and smiled.
"Ahaha. Then since I learned how to use a dagger, does that make me Rei-san's disciple too? ...Actually, if we look at it that way, does that make Rhodos the top disciple? A child of the Axe of the Thunder God and Crimson's disciple... that's a hell of a pedigree."
"...Yeah, I suppose. But a disciple’s job is to surpass their master."
With that, Rhodos also departed.
Most tilted his head at Rhodos, who seemed more intense than usual, but he assumed it was just the stress of the Main Tournament. As he watched Ruzy go back to rest, Most decided to stay and wait for Veikyul.
Fortunately, Veikyul returned in less than an hour. She didn't seem particularly upset, so Most let out a sigh of relief, realizing the meeting had ended without any major complications.
"Uoryaaaah!"
With a spirited roar, Ruzy swung his Claymore.
The greatsword, larger than a standard model, sped toward his opponent driven by Ruzy’s immense brute strength.
"Hyaaaaaah!"
Meeting the blow was a woman of similar height and physique to Ruzy.
Her name was Rezulta, and she was exceptionally muscular. Her build suggested she would never lose to Ruzy in a contest of power, and indeed, she was holding her own as an equal.
In her hands was a long-handled weapon with a large, gently curved blade at the tip.
It was a type of polearm known as a Glaive.
The Glaive held the advantage in reach, while the Claymore relied on the weight of its strikes.
As the battle unfolded, for some reason, a grin was fixed on Ruzy’s face.
It wasn't just him, either. His opponent, Rezulta, wore an identical smile.
"Doryaaa!"
Ruzy swung his Claymore with both hands.
"Not so fast!"
Rezulta caught the blow with the Glaive blade.
The weapons clashed, but Ruzy was likely superior in terms of raw power. As the Glaive was about to be pushed back, Rezulta relaxed her wrists to let the Claymore slide off, simultaneously using the momentum to target Ruzy’s feet with the butt end part of her weapon.
"Whoops!"
Ruzy reacted instantly, jumping back several paces while resetting his stance.
Rezulta, whose counter-attack had been avoided so easily, widened her eyes in surprise.
Ruzy gave her a smug grin.
"I’ve had my training partner pull that 'deflect the strike and sweep the legs' trick on me dozens of times. It’s not that hard to deal with anymore."
His words were true. Concentrating attacks on the upper body only to unleash a leg sweep with the butt end when an opening appeared was a classic polearm tactic. Ruzy had seen Rhodos fall for it many times, and when he had tried to train against it himself, he had ended up rolling on the ground more times than he could count.
Thanks to that grueling practice, he was now able to avoid the sequence almost reflexively.
"Hmph, not bad. ...But I can't afford to lose so easily either!"
Snorting at Ruzy’s smugness, Rezulta swung her Glaive in a wide arc.
Ruzy saw the strike coming; it seemed full of openings, but he chose to wait and see rather than counter immediately.
Instead of parrying with his Claymore, he stepped back several paces.
However... that movement was exactly what Rezulta had anticipated.
The Glaive’s strike passed before Ruzy with a thunderous roar.
Right in front of Ruzy, Rezulta used the momentum of that massive swing to spin her entire body.
The result was a follow-up blow imbued with even greater power than the first.
When Ruzy dodged that as well, the tip of the weapon came for him again, once more utilizing the momentum of the spinning Glaive.
She used both the blade and the butt end, unleashing a continuous flurry of strikes.
Ruzy held his Claymore like a shield, defending against the onslaught, but he realized he would eventually be overwhelmed. In the next moment, he stepped forward, half-prepared to take a hit.
"Uooooooooh!"
With a roar, he swung the Claymore upward and charged straight into her reach.
"What!"
She clearly hadn't expected him to take such a gamble. Until now, the primary way opponents had dealt with this technique—Rezulta’s trump card—was by using long-range attacks like bows or magic.
However... that split second of hesitation decided the match.
Ruzy didn't miss the opening where her offensive slowed. He pressed in.
He couldn't avoid the Glaive's shaft entirely, but the impact was significantly lessened by his forward momentum. It was also fortunate that he was struck by the wooden shaft rather than the blade.
He knocked the weapon aside with his Claymore, and the instant Rezulta's movement halted for a fraction of a second, he slammed his shoulder into her chest with a full-power tackle. The force of the impact sent Rezulta flying clear out of the ring.
"Winner, Ruzy!"