The martial arts tournament was underway at the Village of the Great Tree.
Since the Civil Official Girls had taken the lead in organizing it again this year, I was able to have a much easier time. In return, I threw myself into coordinating the food.
"There certainly are a lot of sweets this year," Draim remarked, picking up a plate of pancakes piled high with whipped cream and fruit.
I'd prepared them for the children, mostly. And, of course, for the Fairy Queen.
"The Fairy Queen, hm... Once she gets a taste of these, she won't be leaving for quite a while, will she?"
Far from "a while," she had already built a house in the flower garden and settled in. It was a massive, flower-shaped building—quite a fancy little place. She didn't stay there exclusively, though; she drifted in and out of the village as she pleased.
Incidentally, this was actually her second house. The first one had withered away after the children played with it a bit too enthusiastically. Even though she’d built it without permission, I felt bad about it and scolded the children, but the Fairy Queen just laughed it off and forgave them.
I felt as though I’d been bested in the generosity department. Still, discipline was important. When I told the Fairy Queen not to spoil them, she turned it back on me, arguing that a child's actions were the parent's responsibility.
I couldn't quite wrap my head around her logic, but as the adult in the room, I kept my mouth shut and took the lecture. I’d hoped the children would reflect on their behavior after seeing me get scolded, but they were already off playing happily.
Don't you feel even a little bad seeing your father take the heat for what you did? I guess chasing fairies really is more fun.
Wait. They weren't making eye contact with me at all. It was as if I weren't even there... Ah, she was using magic to hide me from them!
"It is only natural. Why should the children be made to feel distressed?"
She was child-centric to a fault. However, if she really cared about them, this was exactly the time they needed to reflect! The Fairy Queen and I had a heated debate about education, but our views remained on completely different wavelengths the entire time.
That same Fairy Queen was currently acting like the master of the food stalls behind the arena, shouting out orders.
"The next stack should be four—no, five high! And don't skimp on the white stuff or the fruit! For the sauce... make it strawberry."
She was surrounded by kids. Based on her usual behavior, it was no surprise she was popular with them.
"Queen, I got you some juice!"
"Queen, this one's sweet too!"
Children, please. Try not to spoil her too much.
As the break was coming to an end, I headed to my designated seat with Draim. Dos, Raimeiren, Graffaloon, Giral, Progenitor-san, the Demon King, Yuri, Beezel, Randan, Gratz, and Hou were all there. This year, Michael-san and two of the previous generation Four Heavenly Kings from Village Five had also come to spectate. The Teleportation Gate really made things convenient.
My seat was directly in front of the tournament stage. It was a bit too ornate for my liking, which felt rather embarrassing.
The General Division and Warrior Division had already wrapped up, both showcasing some truly white-knuckle matches. Now, the Knight Division was about to begin. Since Lu and Tia were returning after being absent last year for matters in Village Five, the atmosphere was electric.
The highlight of the Knight Division First Round was the match between Kierbit—the winner for the past two years—and Tia. It was a matchup worthy of the finals. I wondered who would come out on top.
As it turned out, it was an overwhelming victory for Tia.
According to Yoko’s commentary, Kierbit and Tia were nearly identical in their combat styles and innate abilities, but since Tia outclassed her in every category, the result was a foregone conclusion.
"It’s hard for an upset to happen in a match like that. Kierbit won't stand a chance until she develops a style of her own."
It certainly looked that way. Curiously, though, Kierbit had a strangely refreshed look on her face afterward. I wondered why.
"Kierbit is... well, in a sense, she’s a fan of Tia-sama," Granmaria informed me.
That explained it.
The matches continued. Since this was an annual event, it was entertaining to see the various strategies people had developed to counter the heavy hitters. Upsets were rare, but even an amateur like me could see the ingenuity in their fighting styles. I was genuinely impressed by how hard everyone was working.
The final was a showdown between Lu and Ria. Tia, who had defeated Kierbit, had lost to Lu in the semifinals. Apparently, the fact that she’d had a grueling match against one of Zabuton's children right before that played a major role. Meanwhile, Lu had enjoyed a streak of good luck, facing the Angel race members Granmaria and Kudel in succession.
However, that luck only carried her so far. Compared to Lu, who was visibly exhausted from her fight with Tia, Ria was in peak condition. She had dominated her previous matches with one-sided archery. I expected Ria to have the advantage... but I was wrong.
Lu managed to weave through Ria’s volley and close the distance, ultimately securing the win with a flurry of punches.
Congratulations. Though, I had to wonder if Ria was okay. Was she merely unconscious? I hoped she was truly alright. I asked Flora to look after her.
Watching them made me realize once again that I really wasn't suited for combat. My predictions had been wide of the mark across the board.
Once the Knight Division concluded, the Free Battle began. Anyone who wanted to fight could climb onto the stage and go at it. Dos and Giral took the lead. It was a violent spectacle, but since they stayed in their human forms, I felt relatively at ease. It was just like any other festival. The Free Battle would likely go on all through the night. I just hoped there wouldn't be any serious injuries.
Yoko, I’m telling you, I’m not fighting.
Hm? Why was the Demon King dressed like that? He’d even changed his hair—was it a disguise? No, just a change of pace? Well, I suppose that’s fine...
Just as I noticed the Fairy Queen appear behind him, the Demon King vanished.
Eh?
A moment later, he was on the stage. More specifically, he was standing directly between Dos and Giral in the middle of their duel. Naturally, he got caught in the crossfire.
Was he going to be okay? Actually, he was doing fine. He was nimbly dodging attacks from both Dos and Giral. Impressive. He really was the Demon King.
While I was admiring his skill and catching the Fairy Queen, who was doubled over laughing, Dos and Giral seemingly decided to get serious and simultaneously shifted into their dragon forms.
Hey now, in such a small space...? Wait, everyone was used to this. They were all calmly evacuating while clutching their plates and drinks.
The only one unable to retreat was the Demon King. His face was twitching with pure panic. Was he going to make it?
...It looked unlikely. He turned tail and bolted. Good luck.
As I evacuated, I made sure to scold the Fairy Queen.
"Don't go teleporting people around without their permission."
"Yes, sir," she replied obediently.
Since she apologized so readily, I forgave her.
"No, wait! I nearly died! Be a little stricter with her!"
The Demon King, who had managed to escape with his life, seemed quite dissatisfied with my leniency, so I gave her a slightly firmer warning.