第１１８４堀：午前中の動きその２ (Part1)
Chapter 1184: Morning Activities, Part 2
Side: Agil, Team 7
Before my eyes, a battle unfolds with such ferocity that it seems impossible for mere mortals to achieve. Honestly, it’s a level of combat so high that I wouldn’t believe it if it weren’t happening among our own people. After all, even for me—a Magic Sword General who prides Enaria—this is the kind of fight that would have seen me defeated in an instant back in the day.
However, reality is cruel; even in a battle of this caliber, there is a clear divide between the superior and the inferior.
『That is enough. The winner is Riel.』
With the declaration from our referee, Raiya, the match reached its conclusion.
"I did it!"
Yes! The battle ends with a victory for my teammate, Riel. And the one who had been locked in that intense struggle with her was...
"Ugh, my training is still insufficient, it seems."
It was Stasia, led by Hiiro of Team 5. Well, given the difference in ability, the result was to be expected. If Jessica had been competing, it might have been a different story, but naturally, she isn't participating in a tournament that allows for magic and skills while she is pregnant.
"Stasia-onee-sama, don't sweat it. You were plenty amazing."
"Indeed. You put up a good fight against Riel."
"Thank you. But I would have liked to win, if possible."
I agree. I think she fought remarkably well. If it were the Stasia of the past, she would have been blown away in an instant, but she stood her ground without showing any unsightly weakness and even managed to land clean hits on Riel. Granted, there were few effective strikes, but the fact that she could land them at all is impressive. Honestly, in terms of pure combat technique, isn't she far above me?
Wait, are the princesses of this world all combat junkies? As I was pondering this...
"Comet, Agil, I won!"
Riel returned to us, looking delighted, and we exchanged high-fives.
"As expected of Riel. You've got it."
"Congratulations. With this, we've secured the entry fee for another person."
"Yup. Now it's just a matter of how much more we can rack up."
That’s right—in this martial arts tournament, winning just one match earns enough reward to cover the entry fee for another participant. Incidentally, even those who lose receive 5,000 points, so it’s not a total waste. Still, considering the time spent and the fatigue, it’s a bit of a toss-up. Especially since we’ve been doing paperwork in parallel while watching Riel’s match, and we’ve already earned 10,000 points.
"You don't really need to obsess over that. After all, just by doing this paperwork, we get 100 points per sheet."
"Exactly. We’ve already secured 10,000 points, so Riel, you can just take it easy."
"Whoa, you mean you finished 100 sheets of paperwork while I was fighting? Did you make any mistakes?"
"They seem to be checking them thoroughly over there, so there's no need to worry."
Comet said this while glancing toward the submission area, where goblins were busy verifying the mountain of documents being turned in.
"Well, the content is just the backlog of paperwork we’ve been putting off, so it’s all the easier."
"Yeah. It’s just like Yuki to make us do the work we usually neglect, now that there’s a reward attached to it."
Yuki really has a unique personality. After all, we’re getting points just for clearing out our own mess.
"Huh. Then, maybe even I could do it?"
"Probably. The paperwork seems to be assigned based on our individual capabilities anyway. Besides, there’s no point in handing out tasks we aren't equipped to handle."
"If we’re going to do more, maybe we could help out at one of the workplaces. Come to think of it, there was that offer to help at Alfin’s place. That one would keep us tied up until the afternoon matches, so the points would be high. Though, it sounds exhausting."
"Alfin’s place is a cake shop, isn't it? It’s popular, so I imagine it’s quite demanding. I like their cakes, too."
As we were talking about this...
『Calling all contestants. Ria, Enola.』
The announcement echoed, and Ria and Enola stepped onto the stage. Both of them wore expressions that conveyed a firm resolve not to lose.
"A Hero and a Spirit Priestess, huh? My money is on the Hero."
"Well, looking at it objectively, it’s likely the Hero. Their original experience and power are just on a different level."
"But Enola has been working hard lately, too. Maybe she’ll pull off a surprise?"
"Heh. Enola reaching the level of a Hero, is it?"
"That would be something to look forward to."
After all, Ria is one of the top combatants among Yuki’s wives, right alongside the Demon Lord Deryu. She is a Hero, after all. Her innate potential is off the charts, and on top of that, she possesses the "Hero of Love" title bestowed by Lady Lilishe—a power that causes her stats to skyrocket when she is with those she loves. It’s an extremely specialized but incredibly potent ability. A typical opponent wouldn't stand a chance.
『Begin!』
At Raiya’s command, the two collided head-on.
*BOOM!!*
A thunderous sound rang out, yet the stage supporting them didn't even crack. Well, we knew this would happen, so we poured the height of our technology into building a highly durable stage. Comet and I worked together on it.
"Yep, yep. It was the right call to boost the skill and magic resistance."
"Agreed. If it were just physically hard, it would have shattered in an instant from the magic and skills everyone is using."
"Come to think of it, it was really sturdy. Even when our swords clashed with full force, it only left a few scratches. Usually, that would have cut right through—what did you do?"
Riel asked, looking at us with curiosity as she recalled the match.
"We didn't do anything particularly rare. We just made good use of the dungeon skill, Magic Nullification."
"Exactly. We just created tiles with high durability by using that dual-skill nullification and paved the stage with them. As you’ve experienced, Riel, the effect is quite real."
"Whoa, so it nullifies magic, meaning the damage doesn't go through?"
"Correct."
That’s how it is. Riel is surprisingly sharp. She’s not great at explaining complex, interconnected logic, but for some reason, she’s the type who understands the answer intuitively. That said, she has no interest in research, so that talent doesn't manifest in that way. Instead, she displays her brilliance in the connections between people. That is something we can’t easily imitate.
She tries to talk to everyone and open up to them. I’m sure it’s because she believes in her mother’s words from long ago. That’s precisely why we won’t forgive anyone who tries to bully Riel.
"Anyway, putting that aside, I’m surprised how many people gathered for this tournament."
"I wonder. Let’s see, the bracket is..."
Come to think of it, I had only glanced at it, so I took a proper look at the tournament chart...
Match 1: Seraria vs. Sasari – Seraria wins
Match 2: Filia vs. Dressa – Filia wins
Match 3: Riel vs. Stasia – Riel wins
Match 4: Ria vs. Enola – Currently in progress
Match 5: Lowell vs. Shera
Match 6: Deryu vs. Bicks
Match 7: Fiora vs. Rurua
Match 8: Wazfi vs. Kirika
"It looks like at least one person from every team is participating. The only ones not involved are Eris and her group, Tori and her group, and the men."