First, we held the Quiz Tournament.
It was a simple True-or-False contest. Questions were read aloud, and participants simply moved to either the O zone for "True" or the X zone for "False," meaning anyone could join in. While we had done this as a minor attraction last year, we made it a full-scale event this time.
The questions were divided into five specific genres: Village General, World, Crops, Monsters, and Dragons. I figured that by crowning a winner for each category, we would have a healthy number of people to celebrate at the awards ceremony. I also made sure the difficulty ramped up gradually as the rounds progressed. It was a perfect setup.
Genre: ‘Village General’ – Winner: Lu “I wasn't going to lose as long as those bizarre questions from last year stayed out of it,” she remarked. They weren't exactly bizarre, just… very specific to local trivia.
Genre: ‘World’ – Winner: Demon King “I am the Demon King, after all. I couldn't afford to lose in this category.” “What about Beezel and Randan over there, clutching their knees in despair?” I asked. “Try not to pay them any mind.”
Genre: ‘Crops’ – Winner: Frau Impossible. To think that I, the Village Head, would lose… “The question about the specific shipping destinations was the deciding factor,” she noted.
Genre: ‘Monsters’ – Winner: Zabuton Yuki and Galf, who had competed with her until the very end, looked incredibly frustrated. “The ecology is so different from what I was taught…” Bell muttered, still in shock after being eliminated by an early question.
Genre: ‘Dragons’ – Winner: Hiichiro To be precise, it was Raimeiren carrying Hiichiro. Naturally, no one raised any objections.
Overall, the tournament was a success and everyone seemed to enjoy it. However, I did have some lingering doubts about the difficulty curve. It felt like the people expected to win did so a bit too easily. Perhaps the random difficulty from last year was more engaging, or maybe I should have included more genres. I’ll have to discuss that in the review meeting later.
Then came the main event: the Mock Cavalry Battle!
Since physical size created such an inherent advantage, we started with the Small Division. We didn't have a strict height requirement, as individual and racial traits varied too much, so we used a baseline team of High Elves to determine the general scale. If a team's physique was roughly similar to that of a High Elf mount and rider, they were in.
The teams of four Dwarves were slightly smaller, but they were cleared to participate. The Centaur and Harpy pairs were also included in this category.
There were thirty-two teams in total—quite a substantial turnout. We had four teams of High Elves, two teams of Lizardmen, two of Mountain Elves, two of High Ogre Maids, two of Beastmen, four of Dwarves, and two representing the humans of Village One. The Sun Castle sent six mixed teams of the Devil Race and Dream Demons, and there were six Centaur and Harpy teams. Finally, there was the Frau and Civil Official Girls team, and a high-profile squad consisting of the Demon King, Beezel, Randan, and Galf.
Each rider wore a straw hat with a wide brim; if it left their head even once, they were out. While the mount could stumble or break formation, the team was disqualified if the rider touched the ground. Only the riders were permitted to attack—bare-handed—while everyone else was restricted to non-combative support. However, for the sake of the competition, physical collisions between the mounts were perfectly legal.
The arena was the grassy area inside the racetrack. It was spacious but clearly defined, as crossing onto the track itself meant disqualification. The last team standing would be the winner, but since Reward Medals were given out for every hat captured, I encouraged everyone to be aggressive.
“Village Head, which team are you keeping an eye on?” the Civil Official Girl acting as the announcer asked.
“Hmm… probably the Demon King's team.”
Their formation had Galf at the front, supported by Beezel and Randan. The Demon King sat atop them, looking surprisingly natural in his straw hat.
“The Demon King’s team, I see. Personally, I thought they’d be stronger with Mr. Galf as the rider, but I suppose even in a game, we can’t exactly have the Demon King acting as the mount.”
“Fair point.”
I did feel a bit sorry for Galf, being sandwiched between the Demon King and two of the Four Heavenly Kings. Originally, Jack from Village One had been drafted for the role, but Galf had stepped in to take his place. He really is a good guy.
The whistle blew, and the battle began. Every team had practiced their formations beforehand, so the start was smooth, but the initial pace was cautious. Since it was a survival match, most were content to wait and see.
A team of Dwarves broke the stalemate.
“Here we gooooo!” they roared, charging the nearest High Elf team. The Elves retreated toward the center of the field, dragging the rest of the participants into the fray.
“It seems the field has split into the aggressors and the escapists,” I observed.
“The teams with high stamina are going on the offensive, while the rest try to survive. Look, the Centaur and Harpy pairs are just circling the perimeter.”
“They know they’re at a disadvantage in a melee. They’re using the wide field to their advantage.”
“If the Centaurs just keep running, will anyone actually be able to catch them?”
“…Once the numbers drop, let’s shrink the boundaries.”
“Understood. We’ll halve the field once we’re down to sixteen teams.”
Out on the field, the Demon King was being boxed in. It looked like the other teams had coordinated to eliminate the biggest threat first.
“What’s the call, sire? Breakthrough or intercept?” Galf shouted.
Beezel was the first to chime in. “Lord Demon King, there’s a gap between the Dwarves and the High Elves on the right. We should escape through there.”
“No, they’ll just surround us again,” Randan countered. “We should target the High Ogres. Their teamwork looks sloppy.”
The Demon King snorted. “Randan, that’s clearly a trap. Consider how the High Ogre Maids operate in this village. Do you truly think their coordination would be sloppy?”
“N-now that you mention it…”
“They think they can bait me? I won't be fooled by such amateur acting!”
“As expected of our King!”
“Hahaha!”
As the Demon King laughed boisterously, Galf cut in. “So, what’s the actual plan?”
“We’ll take Beezel’s suggestion. Move out!”
“Right!”
The team executed a skillful maneuver to slip through the encirclement. Unfortunately for them, Frau was among those watching their movements.
“They broke through exactly as expected,” she signaled. “Everyone, move to the secondary formation.”
Another layer of the trap snapped shut, and the Demon King’s team was overwhelmed. The final blow came from a Dwarf team; I hadn't thought they could reach that high, but the entire mount performed a coordinated leap that allowed their rider to snatch the hat. They botched the landing and were disqualified immediately afterward, but they had their prize.
With the Demon King out, the temporary alliance crumbled, and the battle turned into a chaotic free-for-all. It was a thrilling spectacle.
After a long, grueling struggle, the Lizardman team emerged victorious. They had captured five hats in total, proving that their aggressive strategy had paid off.
“The best defense is a relentless offense!” the winning Lizardman declared. They performed a victory lap while still in formation, much to the delight of the crowd.
Next was the Large Division.
This featured four teams of Minotaurs, a team of Angels with Tia as the rider and Granmaria, Kudel, and Corone as the mount, and another Angel team with Lu as the rider supported by Kierbit, Suarliu, and Suarkou. The Lamia Race and Giant Race each fielded a team, and the Death Knight entered as a rider atop a lion.
“Isn't that blatant cheating?” the Centaurs from the previous round complained, eyeing the lion. However, the other participants in the Large Division gave their approval, so the match proceeded with nine teams.
The rules were identical to the Small Division.
Tia and Lu’s teams immediately formed an alliance. They had clearly planned to thin out the competition before settling things between themselves. I suspect they wanted to look impressive since Alfred and Tiselle were watching.
However, their plan hit a wall early on. The Death Knight and his lion proved to be a formidable obstacle, forcing both Lu and Tia to cooperate just to dodge his relentless sweeps.
Nearby, the Lamia team was engaged in a fascinating duel with the Giants. Because their lower bodies were serpentine, the Lamias moved with a fluid, undulating grace that made it nearly impossible for the Giants to grab their hats. In a sudden burst of speed, the Lamia mount circled behind the Giants and used their tails to hoist their rider high into the air.
It looked like a certain victory for the Lamias, but the Giant rider suddenly lunged forward, wrapping his arms around the Lamia rider and snatching her hat before she could react.
“We fight Bloody Vipers on a daily basis!” the Giants shouted. I suppose they have quite a bit of experience dealing with serpentine foes. The Lamias retreated from the field looking quite dejected.
Meanwhile, the Minotaurs were locked in a literal clash of titans, grappling with each other in a display of raw power that was genuinely impressive to watch.
In the end, the Death Knight and his lion took the top spot. After breaking the stalemate with Lu and Tia, they launched a lightning-fast assault on the remaining Minotaurs before defeating the Giants in a final duel. The lion's incredible leaping ability was the deciding factor. It was a stunning performance.
The final official round was the Special Division.
This featured Centaurs carrying various riders, including Kierbit, Suarliu, Suarkou, Granmaria, Kudel, Corone, Ria, and Ann. The Lamia team and the Death Knight’s team also returned for this round.
The rules changed significantly here: the match would take place on the actual racetrack for a one-lap sprint. While capturing hats was still encouraged, the first person to cross the finish line would be declared the winner. To prevent it from becoming a simple race, we placed the Harpy Race along the course as airborne obstacles. Whenever a team entered a certain zone, the Harpies would dive-bomb them to try and steal their hats.
When the whistle blew, the teams split into two groups: those who stayed behind to fight and those who bolted for the finish line.
Suarkou, Kudel, Corone, and Ria were in the lead pack. Suarkou managed to pull ahead by several lengths, but she was immediately swarmed by Harpies and lost her hat. It seemed that moving in a group was much safer than trying to break away alone. Kudel, Corone, and Ria stayed close together, coordinating their defense to fend off the aerial attacks.
Back at the starting line, Kierbit and Granmaria were locked in a fierce struggle, only to be ambushed by Ann and the Death Knight. After clearing out the stragglers, I expected Ann and the Death Knight to face off, but they instead turned around and began running the wrong way around the track.
They were moving to intercept the lead pack. Since the rules didn't explicitly forbid backtracking, it was a valid, if ruthless, tactic.
While Ann and the Death Knight were focused on stealing hats, the racing trio only needed to break through to win. The collision was intense. Ann managed to snag Kudel’s hat, and the Death Knight took Ria’s, but through a mix of luck and sheer agility, Corone managed to slip past both of them and cross the finish line.
Corone was the winner. The Death Knight looked genuinely devastated by the loss, sitting on the track while the lion tried to comfort him. It was a strangely touching sight. I suppose I should go and offer some words of comfort to Ann as well.
Finally, we had the Children's Division.
The village children, led by Urza, participated by riding on Kuro’s offspring. This was more of a fun exhibition, and I made sure to tell the wolves to be extra careful not to drop anyone. My main concern was Alfred, who had insisted on joining despite his age. I prayed he wouldn't fall off.
Thankfully, Zabuton acted as the safety supervisor, ready to catch anyone with her threads if things got dangerous.
The match started with what I expected to be a gentle, playful atmosphere, but Urza was clearly playing for keeps. Gral and the Beastman boys were giving her a run for her money.
Alfred, it’s okay to retreat. There’s no shame in it. Just head over this way to safety!
Overall, the festival was a resounding success.
“What did you think?” I asked Bell as she sat nearby, sipping tea.
“It was quite entertaining, especially that last part.”
“Yeah, that was something.”
After the children’s round, an impromptu voluntary match had broken out. It turned into a major spectacle when Dos and Giral decided to join. Since they were uncomfortable with the idea of being carried by the women, we had to scramble to find male mounts. The Demon King, Beezel, and Randan were all roped in, and I was dragged along with them. It’s certainly more fun to watch than it is to participate; being up there is surprisingly terrifying.
The festivities continued with the usual wrestling and arm-wrestling matches. The sumo bouts between the Minotaurs and Giants were especially popular.
“I haven't laughed this much in ages,” Bell said with a smile. “Please invite me again next year.”
“Of course. Do you think Gou can make it next time?”
“I believe so. Most of our people should be waking up from their slumber soon.”
By "others," she meant the rest of her kin from the Sun Castle who had been placed in stasis to conserve energy.
“That sounds like it’ll be a lot of work. Good luck.”
“A lot of work?”
“Just catching them up on everything. The world has changed quite a bit.”
“That is true. I’ll do my best.”
We spent some time discussing the plans for growing various seasoning-related crops at the Sun Castle. Part of me felt like we shouldn't be talking shop during a festival, but since we’re both constantly busy, we have to take these opportunities when we can.
“Oh, Village Head? Regarding the hats used in the cavalry battle… would it be alright if I kept one as a souvenir?”
“They’re pretty roughly made since I didn't think we'd use them again. You’re sure?”
“It’s the memory that matters.”
“Alright, then. It’s yours.”
Tomorrow would be dedicated to cleaning up and holding our review meeting. I also needed to check in on the shop in Shashaato City. But for now, the festival was still in full swing. I wasn't sleepy yet, so I decided to spend a little more time chatting with the guests.