It was the day of the Martial Arts Tournament.
I had been dressed in a hooded coat and stood waiting before the royal castle gate.
Wearing this in the summer heat was sweltering.
While Akane possessing me makes me somewhat resistant to the heat, there’s a limit.
“Katia, are you okay?”
“Fina. It’s like a steam bath… Are the Princess and the others here yet?”
“Not yet, it seems.”
How did things end up like this?
Soon, the Princess and King Spike will head to the arena, the venue for the Martial Arts Tournament. The reasoning given was that if I mingled with their escort, even if my identity was discovered, no one would try anything, and it would be harder for confusion to arise.
That part is fine. However, being told not to show my face as much as possible until the main tournament matches is extremely bothersome.
“Hmm, it’s true that suddenly revealing your face before the huge crowd would probably build excitement, though.”
“Is there really any need to hide anymore? …Well, if I’m told to do it, I’ll do it, but…”
“Oh? You don’t seem very keen on it, surprisingly. Did something happen?”
“Well, let’s just say I’ve personally grown to want to support the Princess…”
“Oho, so you two got friendly while I was away, huh. Does that mean I’m being left out?!”
“No, Fina, you’ve been storming the printmaker’s workshop for your paintings recently, haven’t you? It’s not my fault.”
Apparently, she wasn’t happy with the pigments in the mass-produced prints where the quality had dropped, or something like that. I recall her saying the color rendering of the crucial red was poor.
Perhaps because of that, she was absent from the castle for several days.
Suddenly, the door behind us opened.
“You two, it’s about time. Your position is at the very back; Lyall and Lumia will be moving in the same spot.”
Neil appeared, clad in well-fitted light armor, unlike his usual attire.
Neil’s new assignment had been decided: the Royal Guard.
At that time, Neil had been like:
“Man, I’m glad it’s a close posting… Really glad it wasn’t some remote region, or reinforcements for another territory, or border patrol. Just thinking about what might’ve happened if it was far away—”
That’s how he sounded.
Indeed, a transfer from outer perimeter security to the Royal Guard is nothing less than a significant promotion.
Congratulations, Neil.
…After a short while, just as Neil had mentioned, the sound of many approaching footsteps could be heard.
And then, the Princess and Spike appeared, dressed in formal attire.
The Princess wore a lustrous blue dress.
Spike wore what you might call noble attire? The common sort with frills on the chest.
They were surrounded by numerous soldiers acting as guards, but apparently, they were proceeding on foot.
We moved aside so as not to be in the way.
“Huh? Carriages… right, they can’t be used within the Royal Capital, can they? But does that mean no palanquin either?”
“‘Stand and walk on your own two feet!’ That’s apparently the royal family’s motto… Also something about it being a waste of expenses, so they don’t use them.”
Hmm, true, the people of the Royal Capital likely view this more favorably than being looked down upon from some high, imposing position. So perhaps it’s a good thing.
Eisen took the lead, and the procession began to move slowly.
It was a group of about a hundred people, and since everyone was armed, it had a somewhat intimidating air.
“Oh, Katia. Over here.”
Turning towards Lumia’s voice, I saw her standing with Lyall, both wearing light armor.
Standing side-by-side, the height difference between those two was incredible.
Lyall is nearly two meters tall, while Lumia is only about 140 centimeters.
Lumia held a fancy-looking metal staff with a seven-colored gem glittering at its tip.
Lyall had his usual gauntlets.
“You, that’s a sweltering outfit. Why are you wearing something like that?”
“Tell that to the Intelligence Division.”
Lyall commented on my attire, but I was just as eager to take it off.
The five of us walked at the rear of the procession…
(Don’t forget about me!)
Correction, the six of us walked, including Akane in her possessed state.
After passing through the large castle gate and crossing the drawbridge, the castle town eventually came into view.
“Lady Lily!”
“Princess—!”
Faces full of life and energy.
A neatly maintained townscape with stone paving spread out before my eyes.
Large crowds had gathered along the roadside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Princess.
“Katia, if you let your gaze wander around too much, you’ll be found out. You should calm down a bit.”
Lumia admonished me, but this was my first time properly seeing the castle town.
It was indeed different from seeing it from inside the castle.
I couldn’t help but be interested.
“Katia, you’re like a country bumpkin visiting the capital, aren’t you? When I first came here, I was also surprised by how densely packed the houses and shops were. And the sheer number of people.”
Calling me a country bumpkin was an apt description.
After all, I came from the mountain depths of the Raza domain.
Even more so than in Silas or Kise, the townscape stretched far into the distance, seemingly without end.
Just what you’d expect from the capital, I suppose.
Just as Fina had said, stalls and shops lined the street, packed tightly together.
“Princess Lily—!”
But the Princess’s popularity was incredible.
Occasionally, some older people called out for Spike, but they couldn’t compete with the energy of the younger crowd.
It seemed the Princess was the one receiving the lion’s share of the crowd’s attention.
Despite her expressionless, rather aloof face, she occasionally waved, causing the men she waved to to get goofy looks on their faces, while the women looked blissful.
“The Princess is amazing, isn’t she? With this much attention on her, maybe I could have openly followed behind without causing much of a fuss?”
I’m just like the garnish served with sashimi, right?
Tanslator’s Note
Katia is referring to tsuma, (つま) the shredded daikon radish or other garnishes often served alongside sashimi.
Just as I thought that, everyone turned to look at me with dubious expressions.
“…Honestly, you. You need to properly recognize just how conspicuous your appearance is.”
“The basics of battle start with calculating the relative strength of both sides, right? What good is misjudging your own capabilities? Appearance is pretty similar, isn’t it?”
“Katia, that’s just… no. Your self-analysis aside, you’re totally underestimating the influence of my paintings, aren’t you?”
“Um, sorry, Katia. Even I can’t back you up on that one.”
(Big Brother, there isn’t anyone else around with bright red hair besides us, you know?)
Unbelievably, I got shot down by everyone.
Yeah, but, seeing how popular the Princess is…
Besides, this outfit is hot.
“Lyall—! Is it true you lost recently—?!”
“Shut up! I’ll win next time!”
And now Lyall was getting heckled by strangers.
Title Holders are celebrities too, so they get called out to quite a bit, huh.
“Lumia-chan, be my daughter!”
“Lumia-chan, be my little sister!”
“You lot! Just how old do you think I am!? I mean, why is it that no matter how many years pass, the same kind of fools keep popping up!?”
Lumia… yeah.
She’s treated like a mascot, I guess.
She’s cute, so it can’t be helped.
The arena was a stone structure, oval and bowl-shaped, as large as, or perhaps even larger than, a stadium from my previous life.
Its maximum capacity was eighty thousand people, and its width was said to be about three hundred meters.
It made extensive use of white stone, and the sight of those long, continuous walls was quite spectacular.
The Princess and her party entered first. The rest of us confirmed where we would each be during the tournament before preparing to head to our respective locations.
“Well then, Katia. We’ll be near the organizers’ seats.”
“Since we’re here, give us a match that won’t be boring, alright?”
“I was told I could stay too, so I’ll be in the same place. Katia, see you later.”
“I’ll be on guard duty nearby. Katia, good luck.”
Apparently, everyone planned to watch together near the organizers’ seats.
Since the venue was already crowded, the others headed off towards their seats.
The Princess’s party had likely taken a dedicated passageway and were probably already seated in the organizers’ section.
…I headed towards the participants’ waiting area.
The waiting area was located in the space directly beneath the spectator seating. It had an open structure supported by many thick pillars.
Being made of stone and situated low down, it was very cool inside.
Which was a blessing for me right now.
Some participants were already starting to warm up, while others sat, focusing their minds.
“Participants who have not yet completed registration, please hurry! The deadline is approaching!”
A tournament staff member was shouting loudly.
(Big Brother didn’t have to do it, right?)
(Yeah, the Intelligence Division took care of it.)
My registration number… Ah, here it is.
The registration number was written inside a folded piece of paper.
Apparently, the preliminary matches would be organized based on this number, but—whoa.
(What’s wrong?)
(No, it’s the number, you see.)
(? Umm, number 666… Big Brother, are you a devil?)
Translator’s Note
Akane uses “-san” with “devil” (悪魔さん – Akuma-san)
(I don’t recall quitting being human…)
Seems a little ominous.
However, I’m pretty sure it’s just a meaningless number in this world, so there’s probably no need to worry about it.
“Participant registration is now closed! Anyone other than participants, please move to the spectator seats or leave the area!”
The staff member announced the close of registration.
Finally, it seemed the preliminary rounds of the Martial Arts Tournament were about to begin.