The Dragon King, Magnawell-san, was the host for the fourth day of the Six Kings Festival. The theme was apparently "interacting with monsters."
While that description might have brought a zoo to mind, there were actually plenty of stalls that made it feel like a typical festival. However, the monster motif was everywhere—drink containers were shaped like slimes, and dragon masks were being sold at every turn.
"Ah, Miyama-kun! Look, they have wyvern meat skewers."
"I’ve bought them once before, but... is wyvern meat a particularly common staple?"
"Wyverns are weak monsters, but there are a lot of them," Fia-sensei replied with a bright smile. "They’re a very popular food choice."
"That’s true," Noin-san agreed. "In terms of pure flavor, Red Dragons or Black Dragons are superior, but wyverns are much easier to hunt."
Naturally, those were the opinions of a former Hero and a former Demon King. According to the lady at the Red Bear sandwich stall—who provided a more grounded, civilian perspective—they were actually quite dangerous creatures.
"Still, it’s a little unexpected. Since this is a monster-centric festival, I thought everything would be on a massive scale."
"Miyama-kun, not all monsters are as giant as Bell-chan, you know?"
"I see... Come to think of it, this might be a bit of a basic question to ask at this stage, but what’s the actual difference between monsters and demons?"
"To put it simply, it comes down to magic power and intelligence. Monsters that possess magic power and wisdom above a certain level are classified as demons because they don’t attack people indiscriminately. There are more detailed criteria, but those judgments are made by Magnawell-sama’s subordinates, so I don’t know the specifics."
So, if they possessed enough intelligence to act with reason and their power exceeded a certain standard, they were considered demons.
"Well, you don't really need to overthink it," Fia-sensei added. "If Magnawell-sama recognizes them as such, then they're demons."
"I see..."
"But still... the atmosphere of these festivals has changed so much since I last saw one. It feels quite fresh."
"Fia hasn't even participated in a Hero Festival for a long time," Noin-san noted. "Over the last thousand years, various things have been passed down from the world Kaito-san and I came from, and those influences have led to these changes."
Fia-sensei apparently hadn't participated in many festivals, as she was currently eyeing the various stalls with deep fascination.
Her eyes sparkled particularly bright at the stalls selling takoyaki and other treats that had likely been introduced from my world. Seeing her like that made her seem more youthful than usual, which was honestly quite cute.
Fortunately, I could teach her a lot about the things that had originated from my world. I really wanted Fia-sensei to have a good time.
As I walked along with those thoughts, a thunderous cheer erupted from a short distance away.
"...Ah, even I know what that is! That’s WANAGE, right?!"
"......"
Wait, something completely different from the game I knew just suddenly appeared. Was this that "super-exciting battle sport" I’d heard about? To be honest, I kind of wanted to see it, if only out of morbid curiosity.
"They must be holding a tournament. WANAGE is quite an intense spectacle, so let’s go take a look. Kaito-san, are you alright with that?"
"Eh? Yeah, that’s fine."
As expected of Noin-san, she had lived in this world for over a thousand years and wasn't fazed by WANAGE at all.
Still, I was curious, so I nodded and followed her lead.
Guided by the cheers, we headed toward the arena. As we approached, the play-by-play commentary from the wide-voice magic began to reach my ears.
"Now then, let’s introduce the next competitors! First, in the Red Corner! An A-rank Nagelist ranked 16th in the world! A powerhouse who has mastered the famous WANAGE technique, Kagura! Can they seize victory with their specialty, Gun & Stay Tactics?!"
Hey, just when I thought I’d finally stopped being rattled by familiar words being used in weird ways, the volume of unknown terms just increased again. A-rank Nagelist? World Rank? What exactly was WANAGE? It was terrifying.
We hadn't even reached a spot where we could see the stage, yet I felt like I was already reaching my limit just from the commentary.
"And next... from the Blue Corner! She’s finally here! World Rank 1st! The one who stands at the pinnacle of all Nagelists! It’s the Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Nagelist, Nightmare!!"
"......"
It was Alice. That was definitely Alice. Since when were you the world number one?!
In a sport I knew absolutely nothing about, a person I knew perfectly well had just appeared as the champion. I had no idea how to process this inexplicable feeling.
"Th-This is incredible, Fia! It’s a match featuring the undefeated champion, Nightmare!"
"We’re so lucky! She rarely appears outside of official matches!"
"......"
And then there was the sheer hype radiating from my two companions. It was a bizarre situation—like being the only sober person at a party full of drunks. It was painful.
"Whoa, look at that! Nightmare is pointing toward the sky! There it is! The predicted Shooting Star! The crowd is going wild!"
"......"
"The... the Legendary Ultimate Skill... Shooting Star... Are we really going to see it?"
"It’ll be fine, Fia! Whenever Nightmare predicts a Shooting Star, she always settles the match with one!"
No longer even capable of being surprised by the new terminology, I simply waited for time to pass with cold, distant eyes.
Dear Mother, Father—The crowd was reaching a fever pitch just as the announcer said, and even Fia-sensei and Noin-san were swept up in the excitement. I, however, couldn't quite find the rhythm. I couldn't keep up with the hype... because that... was definitely Alice.
~ Nagelist World Rank Top 5 ~
1st: Mysterious Transcendent Beautiful Girl Nagelist Nightmare (Undefeated) 2nd: Baby Castella Mask 3rd: Battle King (Disqualified several times for destroying the venue) 4th: An Old Man Who Is Everywhere (Several default losses for missing official matches without notice) 5th: Mermaid Who Returned from the Royal Palace (Has lost to all the top four)