Katori-sensei had a wicked look on his face.
It was a joint operation between two middle-aged men who really should have known better.
Furthermore, I was still stuck in a tatami-matted jail cell.
This old-fashioned prison style, complete with wooden bars, was infuriating. It really ticked me off!
The toilet was properly separated, at least.
I wouldn't forget this grudge.
The investigation concluded, and the tournament began.
A change to a portion of the program was announced.
"Come Play with the Grand Duke!♪ Join the Master Katori vs. Grand Duke Leo Kamishiro Chronos match! You, too, can challenge the strongest in the universe!"
I even had to film a commercial.
"Shake hands with me at the Grand Ducal Capital Amusement Park!"
It would be aired alongside the commercial for the sponsoring amusement park.
In fact, I really was scheduled to hold a handshake event at the park.
Dressed as His Highness.
Assassination? Bring it on, you morons!
I figured I might as well sell some Grand Duke Sausages while I was at it.
The expensive version would come with a Kamishiro Squad-exclusive Machine figure.
The cheaper version would come with a Kamishiro Squad-exclusive Machine and a Pilot Card.
Perfect.
I wasn't worried about assassinations during the handshake event.
That was because citizens and volunteers from the Ogre God Nation had taken it upon themselves to provide security.
I would hand out autographs to the kids and shake their hands.
Hahaha!
I dragged Eddy and Melissa into the mess too.
Isono and Nakajima were excused, as they were both on the verge of death managing the tournament's operations.
Right next to us, the qualifiers for the pro-wrestling tournament were underway.
For some reason, Claire was there as part of the management team, but I decided to pretend I didn't see her.
Ren was acting as my maid, just like always.
Now, regarding the attempts on my life... frankly, I didn't care.
If they thought they could do it, they were welcome to try.
However, I would not forgive them for speaking ill of Wifey. I would kill them.
Wifey acted composed, but she was actually quite delicate.
Her heart had been deeply wounded by the psychological abuse she suffered from Old Man Maro.
I truly felt it was a blessing that Big Brother Cyrus had finished Maro off.
To call a woman like Wifey a whore—they couldn't be allowed to live.
I could laugh off anything directed at me, but I would not permit an attack on her.
Twitch, twitch, twitch, twitch!
Just remembering it made my veins bulge.
I would definitely have my revenge.
While I was busy plotting my dark schemes, the tournament proceeded smoothly.
Since Katori-sensei and I were in a special bracket, the swordsmanship representatives for the Galactic Empire were Eddy for the Men's Division and Melissa for the Women's Division.
The Chronos representatives were Isono and Rikochi.
Magellan sat this one out.
Well, it was one of those "it can't be helped" situations.
The Ogre God Nation people participated in individual swarms. They didn't have any official representatives. Was I the only one who thought that was a problem?
Latarnia, on the other hand, sent a representative—a famous athlete of Latarnia swordsmanship.
And so, the matches proceeded in a tournament format.
The first match featured Rikochi.
"Wait just a second! I'm the women's representative, aren't I? Why was I entered into the Men's Division, and why is my weapon a log?"
She immediately lodged a protest with the judging panel.
"It's a handicap. Is there a problem?"
"Is this just harassment?!"
No, it was a legitimate evaluation considering the massive difference in skill.
It wouldn't be interesting if Rikochi entered the Women's Division.
Plus, she was in full armor.
"I'm going to lose in the first round on purpose! Are we clear?!"
Then came the first round.
Her opponent was a boastful strongman from the Ogre God Nation.
"Uooooooooh!"
"I am the General Commander of the Chronos Military Police, Riko Sakazaki!"
CRACK!
Home run!
She finished him with a single flash of the log.
Yeah, I knew it.
I knew it would turn out like this.
Eddy had a look of absolute dread on his face.
"Do I... have to fight that?"
"Good luck... Look on the bright side, at least Claire is busy with the pro-wrestling tournament."
They were bound to face each other in the finals anyway.
Eddy's statement wasn't arrogant.
Rikochi ended every match within seconds; the Ogre God Nation participants were no match for her.
The fact that Saria had fled from the tournament was also a major factor.
There were no more incomprehensible judgments.
Everything was settled with clear, overwhelming technique.
As expected, the Devil of the Snowfield was terrifyingly strong.
Rikochi continued to win one match after another.
By the way, that famous Latarnia athlete lost in the second round.
It was a very ordinary fight.
Then came the final.
The battle between Rikochi and Eddy.
The log that had buried numerous Ogre God Nation men now swung toward Eddy.
Eddy dodged with a look of pure disgust, over and over.
Knowing it would be all over if he took even one hit, Eddy focused entirely on evasion.
Conversely, Rikochi attacked aggressively, going full steam ahead.
But then, the unexpected happened...
The log finally reached its limit.
Snap.
The Log-bolg, which had buried so many "brothers," snapped in half.
A moment of silence followed... and then...
"I surrender,"
Rikochi gave up.
It was a magnificent match!
In fact, the atmosphere in the arena was one of pure shock: "He actually dodged that?!"
Then came the Women's Division.
It was Melissa's unrivaled domination.
Honestly, there was no way anyone could beat her.
"Nyahahahahahaha!"
It was over in an instant.
And with that, the fighting tournament concluded.
Time to go home... or so I thought, but I soon found myself piloting a Humanoid Fighter.
And here I was, trying to live a life of love and peace!
The participants included Ozen Army Remnants, a large number of Parcion soldiers, regular soldiers from the Ogre God Nation...
The killing intent in the air was thick.
One other unexpected participant was the Proone Boy.
He was the top achiever from the Galactic Empire Officer Academy, Chronos Branch.
The kid was amazing. His grades were actually better than mine.
He had already obtained his Humanoid Fighter license too.
He was participating in a Standard Machine.
Man, this was getting dangerous.
The intentions of every party were complexly intertwined.
How was this going to play out?
For now, I launched from the spaceport in the Massacre Night.
The match venue was in open space.
Just as I arrived at the designated coordinates...
"Die!"
A group of early-starters attacked—their Identification IDs marked them as Parcion.
Hahahahahaha!
They really did come here just to kill me!
You idi—!
Just as I was about to wipe them out, the next moment caught me by surprise.
The enemy machine was turned into a honeycomb from behind.
The one who had fired was the Standard Machine from the Officer Academy.
It was the Proone Boy.
A communication came through.
"I have orders to protect Grand Duke Leo."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Because I still cannot defeat the Grand Duke... Leo Kamishiro Chronos. I will be the one to take you down. Stay undefeated until that day. Do not lose to anyone else."
I actually felt a bit of a shiver.
I might have raised one hell of a rival.
...This kid was already considerably strong even at this stage.
"I shall escort you."
"First, let's regroup with Katori-sensei."
"Is that acceptable?"
"We've already discussed it. We'll kick these idiots out of the way first, then have our duel at our own pace."
"Understood."
In this way, I set off to meet Katori-sensei, accompanied by my yandere student.
"Ah, found Big Brother Leo!"
"It's Big Brother! Hey, let's go!"
"Oho! It's Big Brother!"
...I wondered if I could even reach Katori-sensei's location in one piece.
We proceeded to mow down the Ogre God Nation's forces.
I was going to make sure those Parcion bastards were thoroughly humiliated!