"Tort, congratulations on the win!"
"Ahaha, thanks."
『Today’s matches were quite the spectacle!』
"Man, this is great! Come on, let’s drink!"
"...Not too much."
"Keep it in moderation, Zephyr."
"Good job, Big Brother."
"Thanks. Though I say that, I didn't really do anything..."
"It felt like Tort was just in a league of his own."
We were at a tavern to hold a wrap-up party celebrating our victory in the Tag-team Division of the Arena Contest. Though, honestly, I suspected this might just be an excuse for Zephyr to get some drinking in.
"Your golems are incredible, Tort. I still can't believe those were actually golems."
Marl was likely referring to the Golem Sand Tsunami and the Fissure Attack.
"It was a first for me too, but that’s Tort for you!"
『Exactly! Even though Tort fusses over the smallest details when he’s 'verifying' things, he still manages to pull off the most outrageous stunts. If you let yourself be shocked every time, you’ll never see the end of it!』
"I see. In that case, I’ll try my best not to be surprised by anything Tort does from now on."
My attempt to pass off golem attacks as magic had been a success. Personally, I thought it was a rather clever bit of ingenuity, but for Halfa and the others, it was dismissed as "just the usual." I wanted to offer a rebuttal, but... well, a few other "outrageous stunts" came to mind, making it difficult to argue. Sometimes, when you're in the middle of it, you run with a "brilliant idea," only to realize after you've calmed down that you probably should have explained things better. We’ve all been there, right?
"To be honest, though, I didn't expect it to go that smoothly."
"Hmm. I think it would be hard for anyone to react properly the first time they saw it," Rick noted. "That said, if the opponents had stayed calm and addressed the situation properly, it wouldn't have been such a one-sided slaughter."
I agreed with Rick. While it's certainly difficult to determine the best response when you're going in blind, the other team had been far too careless. Zephyr or Marl definitely wouldn't have been taken down that easily.
Then again, perhaps that’s just the difference between an arena match and a real fight between adventurers. If you're focused on entertaining the crowd, maybe even the pre-attack posturing is important. Still, I couldn't help but think they’d let their guards down far too much.
"So, were you able to prove your Warrior Aptitude?"
"Oh, yeah. I think we’re probably fine on that front."
I gave Zephyr a nod of affirmation.
We hadn't been officially granted access to the Sacred Ground yet, but Guster and Abarum had approached us after the match ended.
Abarum had looked a bit sour. It wasn't because of us, though; he was furious at how pathetic the Giderde Clan warriors had been. It’s hard to judge someone’s aptitude when your own side is being so careless that the fight becomes a joke. If things had gone any worse, even winning might not have counted as proof of our skills.
Even so, Abarum said that our entry into the Sacred Ground would likely be permitted. While the final match was a bit of a toss-up, he seemed to feel that we’d proven our aptitude during the third match against Zephyr’s team.
"Is that so? Well, that’s great news!"
"By the way, Zephyr, how did you guys end up entering the Arena Contest in the first place?"
"Ah, I guess I haven't told you that story yet."
Zephyr and the others had entered using the Dolkis Clan recommendation slot, but surprisingly, the person who had actually requested their participation was an affiliate of the Giderde Clan.
"At first, I listened to the offer thinking they might be plotting some way to sabotage you guys."
I’d already told him that we were entering the contest specifically to prove our Warrior Aptitude. Because of that, Zephyr had suspected that someone from the Giderde Clan was looking to hire people to get in our way.
"But since they just wanted us to compete, I laid it all out. I told them about my relationship with you and asked them point-blank what they were up to."
As it turned out, it wasn't a conspiracy at all; they were just scrambling to fill a recommendation slot that had suddenly become vacant.
"Apparently, a Dolkis Clan affiliate caused some kind of scandal. The guy who was originally supposed to use the slot was so pissed when he heard about it that he withdrew his entry."
The Dolkis Clan... that was the clan of the Profligate Third Son who had been running wild back in Orcus. To think that incident would have repercussions all the way out here. Well, thanks to that, Zephyr’s team ended up in the tournament and helped our aptitude get recognized, so I wasn't complaining.
『Come to think of it, Tort. You were making something last night, weren't you? What was it? Something to eat?』
Just as the party was hitting its peak, Shiroru suddenly piped up.
"I was, but... I'm impressed you noticed. I thought I was being discreet."
『Hmph! Don't underestimate my nose!』
Ah, of course. He caught the scent.
『I’ve smelled that before! It’s the same as what we ate at the diner when we first got to this city, isn't it? Is that what you made?』
"I used the same spices, yeah. But it’s a different dish."
『Really?! I want to try it!』
"Oh? What’s this? Something Tort cooked? Now I’m curious!"
Zephyr joined in on Shiroru’s excitement. However, I didn't think it was quite right to pull out my own food in the middle of a tavern. So, with a bit of regret, I started to refuse—
"Tort! The owner said outside food is okay!"
Marl beat me to the punch, having already secured permission from the master of the tavern.
I wasn't so sure about this. The smell was going to be intense, and I felt bad about how it might affect the other customers...
But with permission granted and Shiroru and Zephyr practically vibrates with impatience, I finally gave in and pulled out the dish. The reveal was, of course, Curry!
"It looks a little strange... but man, it smells incredible!"
『This scent definitely means it’s delicious!』
It was a curry made from a blend of spices I’d had Luranna collect for me. Personally, I like it thick, so I’d mixed in some flour to give it body. Since we didn't have any rice, I figured we could just eat it by dipping bread into it.
The reception was more than just "good"—everyone was eating with absolute gusto. In fact, I could see the nearby customers glancing over, clearly intrigued. You really can't ignore a smell like this.
In the end, the tavern owner actually offered to buy the curry from me so he could serve it to the other patrons. Everyone seemed thrilled, which made me happy too.
But wait, wasn't today supposed to be a celebration for winning the tournament? Somehow, it had turned into a curry tasting event. Well, I suppose it all worked out in the end.