The martial arts tournament began.
I watched the matches, feeling a bit puzzled. What was this new style I was seeing?
One of the competitors was light on their feet, measuring the distance and keeping their opponent at bay with quick, rhythmic jabs. Then, the moment they spotted an opening, they stepped in deep with a straight punch. They retreated back into a defensive stance before their opponent could even think of a counterattack.
...
Had there been an increase in matches focused purely on striking? It looked like I was watching a boxing match.
"One of the new angels seems to have taught them that style," Ria, the High Elf standing beside me, explained.
She had managed to spread that technique in such a short amount of time? That was impressive. So, where was the teacher? Surely she was participating in the tournament.
"Once we realized she was capable of handling paperwork, Frau-san claimed her," Ria said.
"Ah... I see."
Poor girl. I was sure she had wanted to be out there competing.
"Most likely," Ria agreed.
I would have to make sure to thank her for her hard work later. "What's her name?"
"Well, she has been quite adamant about not giving one. But, let's see... She has fluffy, neck-length hair and wears a cord-like anklet on her right leg."
Oh, right. I knew exactly who she was.
She was the angel who had wandered over while the Mountain Elves and I were in the middle of our "Rich Man Roleplay." She was a bright, energetic person and easy to talk to, but she absolutely refused to reveal her name. It was definitely her.
"I suppose we'll have to ask Malbit or Ruincia for her name," Ria continued. "By the way, what exactly is this 'Rich Man Roleplay'?"
"Oh, you know those green magic ores Kierbit brought as a souvenir? Lu processed them into small grains to make them easier to handle."
"We do that often with gold and silver, not just magic ore. Is that the roleplay?"
"No, no. Lu told me that a single grain of the processed ore was worth about a gold coin. Since there was a decent amount of it, I tried scooping it up with my hands and letting it spill through my fingers."
"Ah, I see. So that's the roleplay."
"Hardly. Lu scolded me half to death for playing with valuables."
"Ah..."
"The Mountain Elves were watching the whole thing. They went and built a little shack in the courtyard, decorating it with the high-end furniture and fabrics Progenitor-san and Draim had given us in the past. Then they lined the desks and floor with gold coins."
"I did notice a strange little hut out there... So that was for the roleplay?"
"Exactly. The shack has a special gimmick where gold coins rain down from the ceiling."
"Gold coins?"
"Yes. If you sit in the chair in the center of the room, coins pour down around you, giving you the feeling of being incredibly wealthy. They are automatically collected under the floorboards and sent back to the ceiling to fall again, so you can sit there indefinitely."
"Well... I don't quite know what to say to that."
"I felt the same way. I tried sitting in it myself, but after about a minute, my conscience started to ache. The Mountain Elves felt the same. However, one of the new angels showed up, threw on an expensive-looking gown, and spent an hour laughing haughtily while soaking it all in. She looked so dignified, like the richest person in the world. I even found myself placing a cat on her lap and handing her a wine glass."
"I see..."
"Anyway, I've left the shack as it is for now as a form of reflection. Besides, I think the mechanism for collecting the coins and moving them back to the ceiling has some potential applications."
"I'll make sure to warn the children to stay away. It sounds terrible for their education."
"No need. They've already been scolded by the teachers—Hakuren, Guronde, and the Death Mage. So, while the shack is still there, the furniture and gold coins have been taken back. I replaced them with wooden furniture I made myself, and now it only rains medium copper coins."
"That still sounds like it would have some value..."
"It’s all brown, so it doesn't feel very 'rich.' Besides, the coppers are just there to test the collection system. Actually, I used that system as a base to build a game machine—the kind you see in arcades where you drop a medal in to push other medals off the edge. There is a lot that can be improved, like the moving golem inside and the payout effects, so the Mountain Elves are working on it with everything they've got."
I expected to have a few units finished by winter. I was thinking of bringing them to Village Five or Shashato City, but...
Since we didn't have medals, we were using medium copper coins instead. That made it a straight-up gambling machine. I really didn't want to be the reason someone ruined their life.
By the way, what was the official name for those machines? I had only ever called them medal games. I had never actually played one myself. Most of my knowledge came from television.
"Village Head."
Ria’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. The final round was about to start. I needed to focus and watch.
"That game machine where you drop coppers... I think it’s dangerous."
Yoko told me that during the banquet on the night the tournament ended. She was giving me her feedback after seeing the prototype.
"I took a look at it after dinner yesterday. I thought I'd just try it out for a moment, and before I knew it, the sun was coming up. I honestly wondered if I'd been placed under some kind of spell."
"It was that bad?"
"You can see the piles of copper coins through the glass. It stimulates a certain primal greed. And was it really supposed to be only medium coppers? I saw large copper coins and even silver coins mixed in there. I found myself frantically pouring in more coins just to try and knock them loose."
That had been the Mountain Elves' idea.
"If I hadn't reminded myself it was just a trial run, it would have been bad."
The coins Yoko used were ones I had provided, and I had warned her from the start that I would be taking back whatever she won. I had no intention of letting gambling take root in the village. Still, if even Yoko was affected like that, maybe I should give up on the idea of popularizing it.
"Yes. I cannot approve of it. Though, I suppose it might be acceptable if it were placed somewhere where only the truly wealthy gather."
"I see."
Either way, we wouldn't be making many of them. I would have to tell the Mountain Elves to keep it in moderation.
"Are the Mountain Elves still working on it?"
"Just refining the design."
"I see... Make sure you show me the first finished unit."
"Are you interested?"
"I’m merely going to check if they've gone too far. Oh, by the way, Michael was messing with that machine after I left."
"Michael-san?"
"Yes. Seeing all those coins must have caught his eye."
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Michael-san at all during the tournament.
"Now that you mention it, he isn't here at the banquet either," Yoko noted.
...
Could it be?
"Actually, that’s quite likely."
It really was.
Yoko and I rushed to the room where the coin pusher prototype was installed and rescued Michael-san.
"Wait! Just a second! That pile is just about to go! Just one more!"
I definitely needed to rethink putting these in places where wealthy people gathered.