The morning after arriving in the royal capital, I was already longing to go home.
The Founding Festival's military competition was apparently quite the spectacle in the capital, and the grand boulevard leading to the Grand Drill Grounds was packed shoulder-to-shoulder from the early morning. Marching straight through the throng were three hundred men in dark blue tunics embroidered with silver wolves. Naturally, they drew stares.
"Hey! Are those... really Duke Razgrim's private soldiers?"
"That wolf on their chest means they are, right? I heard most of them were former bandits, but... is that really true? Aren't they marching in surprisingly good order?"
"I heard there are mercenaries among them, too... I expected a far more disorganized rabble."
Every time such remarks drifted over from the roadside, my stomach sank a little further. Cut it out... stop looking at us like that.
I had come here thinking that taking fifth place would be a smashing success. If we drew this much attention only to get knocked out in the first round, I could already see the humiliating future where everyone scoffed and said, "As expected, they were just a ragtag bunch of bandits and mercenaries."
"...Vain, you've had a sour look on your face for a while now, you know?"
Walking beside me, Clarice shot me an exasperated look. Serena followed slightly behind; rather than paying any mind to the festive crowds, she kept scanning the surrounding rooftops and alleys.
"I mean, just look around... we're getting way more attention than I bargained for."
"A ducal house is marching with three hundred men, so of course we are. If anything, you should hold your head high and act the part."
"If acting the part would raise our ranking, I'd do it all day long..."
Please, just let us get fifth place... fifty gold coins. I at least wanted to recoup that much. While I was brooding over the numbers, the Royal Capital Grand Drill Grounds finally loomed into view.
"...It's way too massive."
It wasn't even in the same league as our training grounds back in the Razgrim domain. The central arena alone had more than enough space to fit two three-hundred-man units lined up at opposite ends with room to spare, all surrounded by tiers of stone spectator stands rising high into the air.
The general admission seats on the lower tiers were already packed to the brim. Above them sat merchants and officials, and even higher up were private boxes reserved for participating houses and high-ranking nobility.
Outside the arena, staging areas were lined up for each participating house, filled with soldiers assembled from across the kingdom. Sixteen houses, three hundred men each. That meant four thousand eight hundred soldiers taking the field.
What's more, all I could see were Kingdom Knights who had clearly undergone years of rigorous drilling. Among them, last year's champions, House Eldran, and the runners-up, House Perkin, radiated an imposing presence even from a distance.
I quietly shifted my gaze toward my own three hundred men. Thanks to the dark blue tunics, at least in terms of appearance, they didn't look outmatched.
...In appearance alone, that is.
"Yeah, fifth place is definitely plenty for us."
"...Are you still going on about that?"
Tuning out Clarice's sigh, I headed toward the opening ceremony.
◇
The interminable opening ceremony finally drew to a close.
Starting with Alecia's address, it dragged on through rule briefings from the presiding knights and introductions for all sixteen houses. By the halfway mark, I had largely tuned it out.
All I really needed to remember was that it was a single-elimination tournament between units of three hundred from each house, and some of the defeated houses would drop into placement matches to determine up to fifth place.
The first round was a team battle centered around capturing the enemy's headquarters flag. It used blunted tournament weapons, with dangerous strikes strictly prohibited. Anyone deemed incapacitated by the referees would be eliminated from the match, and victory went to whichever side captured the enemy flag or eliminated a designated threshold of opposing troops. Knowing that much was plenty.
I made my way up to the elevated viewing platform reserved for participating nobles and sank into an assigned chair. Clarice sat in the row for attendants just behind me, while Serena stood diagonally to my rear, claiming, "If I sit, it's harder to watch the surroundings."
Propping my right elbow on the armrest, I rested my cheek against my fist.
"Haah... what a drag."
Just making the trip here had taken several days longer than usual, not to mention a small fortune. On top of that, I'd have to sit through match after match starting today. Fifth place... fifth place was all I needed.
As I was lost in thought, a voice chimed in from my right.
"Mind if I join you?"
Before I could even turn my head, Alecia settled into the empty seat beside me as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"...Why are you sitting here?"
"The view from here is wonderful, don't you think?"
"Isn't the queen's seat over that way?"
"It is. But I decided to watch from here today."
She didn't look the least bit apologetic. This scheming woman was definitely just here to relish my misery.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a massive shadow fell over me from the left.
"Pardon the intrusion."
"Hey... what are you doing here too, old man?"
Duke Eldran sat down without waiting for an invitation, making himself right at home. The queen to my right, a duke to my left. And there were plenty of empty seats all around us.
"Why are both of you crowding me? It's cramped! There are empty seats over there, you know."
"I find this spot offers the best view."
"I share Her Majesty's sentiment."
"You're both full of it..."
"More importantly, lad! You're a duke now, so pull yourself together! What sort of posture is that? Straighten your back! Sit up straight!"
"I'm not the one fighting down there, so what does it matter?"
"It matters plenty! The nobles and commoners of the entire kingdom are watching. What kind of example is the head of House Razgrim setting by slumping around like a layabout?!"
"Do I really have to mind my posture even while just watching, just because I became a duke...? What a pain."
"Bearing such pains is the burden of a title!"
Beside me, Alecia let out a soft chuckle.
"...Duke Eldran might actually have a point this time, you know."
"Hey... you're taking his side?"
Resigned, I straightened my spine just a fraction and glanced at the old man, suddenly curious.
"Come to think of it, old man, aren't you participating this year? You took command and won the whole thing last year, didn't you?"
"I am merely a spectator this time around. If I took the field, it wouldn't even be a contest! There is no reason for an old man like me to go all out in a venue meant for the young to test their mettle."
"I can't believe you can say that about yourself with a straight face..."
"Gahahahaha! Because it is the simple truth!"
When I glanced at Alecia in disbelief, she pondered for a moment before giving a slight shrug.
"Well... as frustrating as it is, I can't really deny it."
"Even you're admitting it...? Just how absurdly strong is this old man?"
Behind me, I heard Clarice let out a heavy sigh.
Down in the arena, preparations for the first match were apparently complete. A knight stepped into the center and projected his voice across the grounds, announcing the first two houses set to clash.
One of them was House Razgrim.
"We're up right off the bat...?"
Not even a moment to catch my breath.
From one side of the drill grounds, a wave of dark blue poured into the arena. Three hundred men, all wearing matching tunics with silver wolves upon their chests. From the opposite side emerged the soldiers of House Mauve, seasoned regulars in the annual tournament. Both forces took up positions facing each other, their respective headquarters flags standing tall at their backs.
Seen from above, the three hundred men in dark blue stood out far more than I had imagined, drawing immediate murmurs from the general stands.
"It's Razgrim!"
"Hey, are there really former bandits mixed in there? Even their marching cadence is completely in sync!"
Please, don't go raising your expectations...
In contrast, House Mauve lacked flashiness, but their equipment and formation were rock-solid. By no stretch of the imagination did they look like pushovers.
"...Hey, Alecia. Doesn't the opposing team look genuinely tough?"
"They participate every year. They won their first-round match last year as well, you know."
"Why are you telling me that now?!"
"You were the one who asked, weren't you?"
Stop smiling like you're having the time of your life...!
Down below, Raisa took her place at the front, while slightly behind her, Lydia inspected the alignment of each squad. Once both sides finished their preparations, the presiding knight in the center raised his arm high.
The buzzing crowd gradually fell dead silent.
And then—the signal marking the start echoed across the Grand Drill Grounds.
The first match was underway. The first to make a move was House Mauve.
With shields in the front row and polearms right behind them, the solid mass of three hundred men closed the distance without breaking formation. House Razgrim, on the other hand, appeared to brace for impact by reinforcing their center. The moment Raisa swung her arm down, both forces collided head-on.
The dull thuds of shields crashing together mingled with the clatter of blunted swords striking armor. Even as several soldiers were swiftly declared incapacitated by the referees, the Razgrim center began yielding ground, stepping backward pace by pace.
"...Hey. Aren't we just getting completely pushed back?"
I had a terrible feeling about this. Riding their momentum, the opposing front line pressed in even harder. However, Serena, standing diagonally behind me, was watching a completely different dynamic unfold.
"...Not being pushed. Just giving ground."
"No, anyone can see they're being forced back, right?"
"Their formation hasn't broken."
Now that she pointed it out, the lines themselves had barely lost their shape. When the front row took a step back, the rear stepped back in unison, and whenever someone was eliminated, a nearby soldier immediately plugged the gap. If anything, the opposing side pressing forward was beginning to lose their horizontal cohesion.
"...I see, I see. So that's the play..."
Looking to my left, I saw the old man leaning forward over the railing before I had even noticed.
"What do you mean, 'I see'?"
"Just keep quiet and watch! This is where it gets interesting!"
Then explain it to me too! Just as that thought crossed my mind, Raisa threw her arm up in a sweeping gesture.
At that signal, our left and right flanks fanned outward, prompting the enemy to divert a portion of their troops to either side in response. The moment their center thinned out, Lydia barked an order, and messengers sprinted to each unit.
In the very next instant, our retreating center planted their feet and halted their backward movement all at once.
"Oh...?"
With the front brought to a standstill, the dark blue soldiers from the left and right steadily began to envelop the flanks. Although they hadn't completely encircled the enemy, having to guard both sides visibly threw the opponents off balance.
"...Could those guys always pull off maneuvers like that?"
What's more, their individual combat was far more tenacious than I had anticipated. When one blocked an incoming sword with his shield, the soldier beside him stepped in, and the moment the opponent was knocked off-balance, yet another soldier brought him down.
Those who seemed to be former mercenaries kept strict spacing with one another, while the former bandits were remarkably light on their feet, showing zero hesitation in slipping around to the enemy's flanks.
...Wait a second. The bandits I knew were supposed to be wildly flailing their weapons however they pleased.
"Left flank, keep pushing! Center, don't pursue, pin them right there!"
Raisa's voice boomed across the field, throwing the enemy's left flank into utter disarray. When a dozen or so of our men surged into the breach, the enemy frantically shifted troops to cover it, but at that exact moment, the dark blue line on the right surged forward. Every time they tried to patch one leak, another opened up. Raisa struck relentlessly at the gaps, while Lydia coordinated and stabilized the entire formation from the rear.
"Raisa-dono, advance the center's second line! Hold the right as it is! Clear a path for the squad heading for the flag!"
Simultaneously with that command, the center took a step forward. In the brief moment the enemy's attention was drawn straight ahead, the soldiers who had penetrated the left flank slipped past the defense, sprinting directly toward the headquarters flag.
"Hey, look at that...!"
Realizing what was happening, the enemy gave chase, but one Razgrim soldier intercepted the pursuers, buying time for two others to slip past. While another soldier blocked the remaining path, the last man lunged straight into the enemy headquarters.
The flag hoisted high above was ripped from the ground.
An instant later, the chime signaling the end of the match resonated throughout the Grand Drill Grounds.
"............Huh? You've got to be kidding me."
After a brief beat of stunned silence, a roar of murmurs erupted through the stands.
"It's over already?!"
"Razgrim won!"
"Didn't that count's house make it past the first round last year too?"
"Who the hell are those guys in blue...?"
After staring blankly at the drill grounds for a moment, I turned to look at Alecia on my right, then Duke Eldran on my left. For some reason, neither of them was looking at me; their eyes were fixed entirely on the three hundred dark blue soldiers receiving the call of victory.
"...Was the opposing team just having an off day?"
At that single remark, Duke Eldran slowly turned his head toward me.
"House Mauve won their first-round match last year as well... They were by no means a weak opponent, you know."
"Then... did we just get lucky?"
"Hehe... that might be so," Alecia said, her lips curving into an amused smile. "Tell me, Vain. Do you truly believe fifth place is good enough?"
"Of course I do."
What is with these two...?
Puzzled, I looked down at the arena once more. The victorious three hundred were no longer celebrating. They had already gathered around Raisa and Lydia, actively conferring in preparation for the next match.
Watching them, Duke Eldran let out a hearty laugh.
"Gahahaha! Oh, Vain! It seems you are the only one who would be satisfied with fifth place!"
"............Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"