The main event.
The tournament’s Knight Division.
First, the introduction of the contestants:
Lu (Vampire) Tia (Angel Race) Granmaria (Angel Race) Kudel (Angel Race) Corone (Angel Race) Ria (High Elf) Ann (High Ogre Race) Daga (Lizardman) Bulga (Devil Race) Stifano (Devil Race) Uno (Inferno Wolf) Makura (Zabuton’s Child) Junea (Lamia) Suunea (Lamia)
They all lined up together on the stage.
Junea and Suunea were the master and warrior chief of the Southern Dungeon, respectively. They were part of the group that had come to the village led by Kuro and Zabuton’s Children. The third member from that time was apparently staying behind to watch over their home.
The Knight Division would follow a tournament format. Victory was achieved by either incapacitating the opponent or forcing them to surrender. The headband rule and ring-outs were gone; from here on, the fights would be serious.
We removed the rule about losing if you left the stage because it gave an unfair advantage to contestants who could fly. Conversely, if anyone strayed too far from the arena, the winner would be decided at the referee’s discretion. Weapons were unrestricted, and no measures were taken to reduce damage. This decision was based on the judgment that these participants were skilled enough to pull their strikes and exercise restraint.
I had been against it, but I was eventually persuaded by the argument that tampering with the weapons to make them "safe" would actually be more dangerous. I still wondered if that was really the case.
Each match had a ten-minute time limit. If a conclusion wasn't reached by then, the winner would be decided by my judgment. I sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that. And, above all, I hoped no one would get seriously hurt.
The referee duties switched back from Rusty to Hakuren. Frau remained the announcer.
The contestants gathered on stage to draw lots and determine their positions in the bracket. Since there were fourteen participants, two would receive a bye for the first round.
Here is how the bracket looked:
01 Stifano (Devil Race) 02 Tia (Angel Race) 03 Granmaria (Angel Race) 04 Lu (Vampire) 05 Ann (High Ogre Race) 06 Junea (Lamia) 07 Kudel (Angel Race) 08 Ria (High Elf) 09 Bulga (Devil Race) 10 Suunea (Lamia) 11 Uno (Inferno Wolf) 12 Daga (Lizardman) 13 Makura (Zabuton’s Child) 14 Corone (Angel Race)
Number 01, Stifano, and number 14, Corone, both received byes.
The first match of the Knight Division was a showdown between Tia and Granmaria. A clash of the Angel Race right out of the gate. Granmaria looked utterly despondent at the pairing, but I hoped she’d give it her best.
It was over in a flash. Tia completely overwhelmed Granmaria from start to finish.
The second match was Lu versus Ann. Before Ann came to this village, she had served as a maid under Lu and Flora, so this was likely a complicated match for her. I wondered if she would find it difficult to fight her former master.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Ann muttered.
I decided to pretend I hadn't heard that.
The match was a slugfest in every sense of the word. Ann relentlessly pursued ultra-close combat while Lu desperately tried to keep her distance. Since both were unarmed, the dull thud of heavy strikes echoed across the stage, yet neither of them would go down. In terms of raw damage, Ann seemed to be suffering more, but...
"Please, clean up your room more often!" Ann shouted, her counterattacks never faltering.
"When you use something, put it back where it belongs!"
...
She must have been bottling up a lot of frustration. I decided I should be a little kinder to her from now on. And perhaps I should take a hard look at my own lifestyle as well. Yes, that would be for the best.
The match lasted the full ten minutes and was about to go to a judgment. However, at the exact moment Hakuren signaled the end of time, Ann finally collapsed and lost consciousness. Thus, Lu was declared the winner.
"Lulushi. Come here for a moment. I think we need to have a talk about your lifestyle."
The "victorious" Lu was led away for a lengthy lecture from Shiso-sama. Good luck, Lu.
The third match featured Junea the Lamia against Kudel. I expected Kudel to have the advantage since she could fly. Personally, I wanted to root for Kudel, but I wasn't sure how it would go.
As soon as the match started, Kudel took to the air just as predicted. I assumed Junea would be forced onto the defensive, but she used her long tail like a spring to launch herself into a massive vertical jump! It was a total surprise attack. Kudel hadn't expected a Lamia to come flying at her and was caught in an entwining attack.
They plummeted back to the stage together. I thought the match was decided, but Kudel wasn't finished. She broke Junea’s constriction with pure physical strength and then grabbed the Lamia by the tail, swinging her around. Seeing her fight like a "power-type" character was actually a bit intimidating.
Junea tried to counterattack after that, but Kudel withstood it all and eventually secured the victory. I might have been biased since she’s one of ours, but I was glad she won.
The fourth match.
Ria versus Bulga of the Devil Race. Ria had entered the Knight Division without a moment's hesitation—did she really have that much confidence? Come to think of it, I didn't actually know much about her true strength. Since she hunted in the forest, I assumed she fought with a bow. A long-range specialist? I just hoped she wouldn't get hurt.
Bulga was Rusty’s attendant, so I spoke with her fairly often. Even so, I knew nothing about her combat abilities. According to Rusty and Hakuren, you couldn't be a dragon’s attendant if you were weak, but...
She was dressed in her usual butler suit. Shortly after arriving at the village, she had tried wearing a maid outfit or dressing like a village girl, but she eventually settled on the butler suit, claiming it was for her "individuality." I still didn't understand why Stifano wore the exact same outfit if individuality was so important.
Regardless, the match began.
As expected, Ria kept her distance and attacked with her bow. I was stunned by her speed; the moment one arrow was fired, the next was already notched.
Bulga, on the other hand... was she using clones? Multiple copies of her appeared, each acting independently. One used magic, another threw knives, one held a short sword, and another focused on strikes. They coordinated their timing perfectly so their attacks wouldn't overlap. It was an overwhelming assault, but Ria shot every single projectile out of the air. Her arrows struck the magic blasts, the knives, the short swords, and even the fists of the copies.
Even while neutralizing every attack, Ria still had arrows to spare. She aimed precisely at Bulga’s body. Every time an arrow hit a copy, it vanished. Finally, one arrow pierced Bulga’s chest, and that body didn't disappear.
The moment I realized she’d hit the real one, I panicked at the sight. Surely that was a fatal wound! I looked toward the referee, Hakuren, but she didn't move. You’ve got to be kidding me!
I was about to scream for the match to stop when the Bulga with the arrow in her chest vanished into thin air.
"Ahaha. I guess you didn't fall for it."
Before I knew it, Bulga was standing at the edge of the stage, completely unharmed.
"It would have been much easier if you’d let your guard down there."
Ria didn't waste time talking; she fired more arrows at Bulga. However, Bulga dodged them with ease. Once the arrows flew past her and left the stage area, they suddenly lost momentum and dropped to the ground. That was the effect of Projectile Evasion Magic. For the sake of the archer Ria, Hakuren had cast it toward the spectator stands before the match.
"I’m grateful to Hakuren-sama. It’s a big help not having to actually get hit by those," Bulga said with a relaxed bow toward the dragon.
Even while bowing, she continued to dodge the arrows. Ria wasn't just firing straight shots, either. Through some trick, she was mixing in arrows that curved sharply to the left or right. Bulga dodged them all, a smile playing on her lips. It was truly the smile of a devil.
Bulga flickered and disappeared. In an instant, she reappeared directly behind Ria as she was readying her bow. Ria immediately discarded her bow and arrows, drew the short sword at her waist, and slashed backward.
Bulga leaned back to avoid the blade and immediately produced eight clones around Ria. The eight Bulgas simply held their positions without attacking. Ria didn't move either.
Then, Ria declared her surrender.
"I can't handle this many at once. Please, reduce the number a little next time."
"Ahaha. Would you have given up if there were only seven?"
"Hardly. If there were seven, I think I would have still had a chance."
"I thought so. That’s why I brought out eight. You were a tough opponent."
"I’m glad to hear that... but it was a complete defeat."
The match ended in Bulga’s victory.
"Bulga is incredibly strong, isn't she?" I remarked to the High Ogre Maid standing next to me.
"Did you not know?" she replied with a look of surprise.
Apparently, Bulga was quite famous for her strength. I really do have a lot to learn about the people in this village.