The harvest concluded, and the martial arts tournament began.
To coincide with the event, Gol, Sil, and Bron—the three beastman boys attending the academy in the Demon Kingdom—returned to the village alongside Beezel. Their visit was only temporary, of course; they would have to head back as soon as the tournament ended. It made me feel a little lonely.
The three of them came to greet me, and though it had only been a short while since I last saw them, they had grown significantly more mature. However, the look in Sil's eyes when he saw me was… was it respect? Awe? I wasn’t entirely sure. I wondered if something had happened at the academy.
Perhaps my confusion showed on my face, because Gol stepped in to explain after the initial greetings. Apparently, Sil had been receiving a lot of "approaches" from multiple women.
Physically.
Wait, physically?
"It’s a duel! If I win, you’ll be my husband. If I lose, I’ll be your wife!"
Ah, I see. So that’s how it was. And did Sil actually accept those challenges?
"He took them all on and won," Gol said.
That was a mistake. If he had no intention of dating them, he should have come up with a reason to avoid the fights.
"As a result," Gol continued, "there are now three women who are constantly by Sil’s side at the school."
"I’m surprised it’s only three."
"Well, those three are busy crushing any other challengers who try to get close."
"They sound like a reliable trio."
"They couldn't beat Sil, though."
"Hahaha. Well, it’s better to be liked than hated. You just have to stay positive and keep working hard."
"Yes," Gol replied, "and I think that’s exactly why Sil is looking at the Village Head with those eyes."
I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but I let it go.
"I understand Sil's situation, but what about you and Bron?"
"I'm currently dating someone. Bron is as well."
I'll admit, one of the reasons I sent them to the academy was to help them find wives, but I was surprised it had gone so smoothly. Their communication skills must have been quite high. I wished they’d had those skills while they were still in the village, but perhaps they had just been too young back then. They were still young, anyway. I hoped they would think about their futures without rushing into things.
Wait, they were planning to come to me for permission before they got married? That made me happy, but my permission wasn't strictly necessary… Ah, right. I was a father figure to them. Understood. When that day came, I would make sure to give them a proper evaluation.
As usual, a crowd of guests gathered for the tournament, and a moderate amount of property damage was dealt. Everyone seemed quite used to it by now.
The three beastman boys participated in the Warrior Division. They didn't win a single match, but they all had bright smiles on their faces afterward.
"This is the place, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It’s full of people we can't beat even when we give it our all."
"I mean, how are we even supposed to win against these monsters?"
"I guess there’s nothing to do but keep training."
Uno emerged as the winner of the Knight Division. Lu and Tia had declined to participate as they were still recovering from childbirth, but even so, Uno had grown much stronger than before. With the championship crown upon his head, he walked proudly through a storm of thunderous applause toward the spot where his partner, Kurosan, was waiting. I decided I would display his trophy in the hall of the Village Head's Mansion.
While Uno was the victor, the one who stood out most in combat was Daga. His swordsmanship was markedly different from his usual style. When I asked him about it, he told me it was Pirika's Sword Technique. Apparently, every time he visited Village Five for work or training, he’d watched her and picked it up.
"In practice, it’s exactly as Pirika says: it’s specialized for anti-personnel combat. It isn't particularly suited for facing opponents like Lord Uno or Lord Makura," Daga remarked. He had narrowly defeated Ria but ultimately lost to Uno.
Galf had also picked up Pirika's technique by watching, but he had been unlucky with the bracket and ended up facing Uno in the first round.
"It’s solid because it’s built on fundamental movements," Galf said, practicing his swings. "Just by mastering the basics of this style, a person can become quite strong in human-to-human combat. However, there’s a lot of room for refinement. I hate to say it, but it feels like a style designed for novices. Is it normal for a 'Sword Saint' to use a beginner's style?"
Galf seemed deep in thought, and he didn't appear discouraged by his loss. He would probably challenge someone else to a match as soon as the venue was opened to the public. I just hoped there wouldn't be any serious injuries.
Incidentally, the Demon King was currently fighting Giral in his human form. Hearing those familiar screams, I realized this had truly become a staple attraction of our tournament.
It was the first tournament for the newly joined civil official girls, but they handled it without any issues.
"Empty your mind. Focus on the void," one murmured.
"Don't think about anything," another added.
"Work. If I focus on work, I can forget everything."
They were incredibly serious and diligent. I hoped they would have a positive influence on the girls who had been here longer. I wasn't saying the veterans were slacking off, but lately, they had become a bit too… relaxed. To be blunt: they needed to stop trying to seduce me. We’d had a gentleman's agreement that it was off-limits while I was caring for the babies. They really needed to stop flaunting their chests at me. Besides, half of the newcomers were scheduled to head to the shop in Shashato City soon, so their easy days were numbered.
The day after the tournament, the guests began to depart. The three beastman boys left as well. They looked exhausted, likely because Alfred and the others had cornered them last night with a barrage of questions. It seemed they hadn't just talked, but had some sparring matches as well.
I had already given the souvenirs to Beezel to take back with them. I made sure to include plenty of vegetables, and told them to let Beezel know if they needed anything else.
While the Demon King and the boys left early, Dos, Raimeiren, and Draim stayed behind for a while longer. The reason was Hiichiro. Raimeiren told me it was "almost time."
Almost time for what? His transformation into a dragon.
Raimeiren had been looking after Hiichiro so frequently not just because he was cute, but because he had been born in human form. Even if they are born looking human, a dragon is still a dragon. As they grow, they begin to possess power that a human body can't easily manage. Simply put, Hiichiro was a child who couldn't yet control his immense strength. There was a risk he might accidentally hurt those around him or even strain his own body. Raimeiren had stayed by his side to prevent such accidents.
When Raimeiren had been away, Hakuren took over, but it meant she couldn't do anything else. She had been practically praying for Raimeiren to return. Apparently, once he transformed into a dragon at least once, those concerns would be largely resolved.
According to Raimeiren’s intuition, the moment was close. To help Hiichiro visualize the change, Dos, Raimeiren, Draim, and Hakuren all waited nearby in their dragon forms. Hiichiro was innocently trying to climb Raimeiren’s massive tail… I honestly wondered if he would really transform under these circumstances.
The moment that doubt crossed my mind, Hiichiro’s body shifted into a small dragon, about three meters in length.
Oh! He was adorable.
Wait, no—he was gallant. Yes, he looked very cool.
Hiichiro didn't panic at all. He simply spread his wings and looked around, seemingly curious about his new perspective. It looked like everything was fine. Raimeiren explained that this was a huge relief. Now, they just had to train him to switch between his human and dragon forms at will. She said it was easier than a dragon learning to become human, so I wasn't too worried.
I wasn't worried, until… wait. Was Hiichiro trying to fly?
"Whoa, hold on! He’s flying! He’s actually flying!"
Hakuren and Raimeiren had to rush in to catch him.
When Hiichiro eventually returned to his human form, a small pair of dragon horns and a tail remained. It reminded me of when I first met Rusty. I tried to think of Hakuren at that age, but I could only recall the image of her attacking the village. She had certainly calmed down since then. She was even looking after Hiichiro, Urza, and the other kids now. It was a good change.
On a side note, because there were similar concerns for Lananon, Rusty had been staying by her side constantly. Even though I knew it was for our daughter’s sake, I couldn't help but feel a little lonely.