Chapter 26
(Kyle Calendar
Year 503: Age 10)
Talent
Acquisition ③: Securing
Translator : PolterGlast
"Hereby, the
First Solis Barony Archery Tournament commences! Everyone, I hope you will
fully display the results of your daily training!"
The first tournament,
which began with Father's greeting, was bustling with more applications and
participants than expected. Due to the sheer number of participants, the
tournament was held in three divisions.
"Why make the
tournament three divisions?"
"One of the goals
is to discover talented archers among the citizens. The soldiers have already
honed their skills through training, and holding it together would create too
much of a disparity, so I took that into consideration."
I had no choice but to
answer Father that way. In reality, I just wanted to make the mage candidates
stand out in the citizens' division.
＜Participant Breakdown＞
・Soldiers' Division: 100 participants
・Citizens' Division: 300 participants
・Youth Division: 100 participants
Almost all the
soldiers, including cavalry and infantry (both full-time and part-time), wished
to participate in the soldiers' division, but we managed to limit it to 100 by
having them participate in shifts each month.
For the citizens'
division, those who couldn't participate this time were given priority for the
following month, bringing the total to 300 participants.
The youth division was
open to anyone under the age of 15.
The town of Est was
bustling with participants and spectators who had come from other towns and
villages. Due to the unexpected number of applications and the anticipated
liveliness, we had to hastily renovate a part of the archery range. Temporary
spectator seats were set up around the venue, and stalls lined the area,
creating a festival-like atmosphere.
Originally, I was
supposed to handle all the operations, but with so many participants, Father
became the chairman of the executive committee, Raymond-san the director of
operations, and my brother and I ran around as members of the executive
committee.
"Oh, they're
working hard too, aren't they?"
Some residents smiled
warmly as they watched the young men, boys, and girls diligently running around
as operating staff under the executive committee.
Of course, some of
them were those whom I had newly hired (scouted) from the archery range and
various other places based on the list information, believing they had magical
aptitude.
There was a
possibility that there were others with the same name and age, but I decided
not to worry about that.
First, I would give
them work, bring them in as comrades, and then move on to the next stage.
"First, please
enjoy a demonstration of archery by the Twin-Headed Falcon Mercenary Corps!"
Following my brother's
introduction, the event began with a demonstration of archery by the
Twin-Headed Falcon Mercenary Corps led by Commander Weiss.
To keep the Estol Bow
secret, they used the same improved rapid-fire crossbows that were used in the
competition.
"Whoa!"
"Kyaa, so
cool!"
Just like mounted
archers, their shots hit the targets one after another while riding horses.
They also shot at
moving targets, and the audience clapped their hands, captivated by their
masterful skills.
Their archery, honed
through daily training in the demon realm and rich combat experience, was
spectacular.
Having made a name for
themselves in the previous Southern Gate Annihilation Battle, the mercenary
corps was incredibly popular, and loud cheers erupted many times. I felt that
surely some in the audience would want to join the mercenary corps in the
future.
Next, the youth
division was held. Food was distributed to all participants, and prizes were
prepared for outstanding performers who exceeded a certain score, so many boys
and girls participated.
All those under 15
were in the youth division, but the participation condition was being able to
draw the crossbow string themselves, so most participants were around my
brother's age or slightly older.
And among the
participants in the youth division, there were some who displayed skills that
rivaled adults.
"Commander, isn't
she extremely talented compared to our archer corps?"
"Indeed. I was
watching that boy competing with her, hoping to invite him to the mercenary
corps."
Solis Baron and
Commander Weiss had initially viewed the youth division as just a children's
event, but upon witnessing the unexpectedly excellent skills, they were driven
by an impulse to scout these young talents.
Actually, there were
also participants in this youth division who likely had magical aptitude.
The two girls and the
young man whom Father and the Commander were talking about.
They themselves were
not yet aware, but they possessed wind magic aptitude and had outstanding shooting
skills.
Before the tournament,
I had directly spoken to them at the archery range and encouraged them to
participate.
One was a 14-year-old
girl named Carleen who lived in the town of Est and practiced at the archery
range with her father.
The other was a
15-year-old boy named Christoph, the son of a hunter, who had been taught by
his father and was already going hunting in practice.
The two of them
steadily advanced through the preliminaries, and in the finals, they displayed
prodigious archery skills, leaving the audience in awe.
Their skills were so
evenly matched that they had an unprecedented simultaneous victory.
"These two
winners will be awarded prize money and, as a special case, will be allowed to
participate in the final tournament."
The audience welcomed
Father's announcement with a huge round of applause.
Originally, there was
no qualification to advance to the final tournament from the youth division.
However, they were so
exceptionally talented that Father must have felt it was a waste, and the
audience felt the same way.
While the excitement
was still high, the preliminaries for the citizens' division and the soldiers'
division began.
As expected, the level
of the soldiers' division was high.
However, even in the
citizens' division, some participants displayed skills that were comparable to
those in the soldiers' division.
And before sunset,
those who would advance to the final tournament the next day were determined.
The final tournament
would be held altogether, regardless of citizen or soldier status, with 10
participants each from the preliminaries of the respective divisions.
The first day ended
here, closing with the award ceremony for the winners of the youth division.
They achieved
outstanding results that rivaled adults, and Father awarded them a reward
equivalent to one month's earnings for a citizen.
It was an unexpected
miscalculation that the number of boys and girls who frequented the archery
range increased sharply after seeing this, and their parents also actively
encouraged them to go.
The next day was the
final tournament. A total of 22 participants took part: 10 from the soldiers'
division, 10 from the citizens' division, and 2 from the youth division.
Actually, I had also
played a little trick in the final tournament.
Up until now, all
targets had been stationary, but in the final tournament, some targets had a
mechanism to move.
And the stationary
targets were also set at a slightly longer, medium-range distance, assuming
actual combat.
"Damn it! You
can't aim at a moving target like that!" (Is that so? But please try to
hit it.)
"I didn't hear
about this!" (Yes, I didn't say anything.)
"It wasn't in the
practice range!" (Because it's assuming actual combat.)
"Is there anyone
who can hit it?" (There should be.)
Groans filled with
bitterness leaked from the final participants.
Because in actual
combat, enemies don't stand still.
I turned a deaf ear to
the participants' lamentations, as if it were a breeze.
Even the strong
contenders who had passed the preliminaries struggled, but the soldiers, who
had combat experience and received daily training, showed stable skills.
Participants from the
citizens' division, who had only practiced at the town's archery range,
struggled greatly here.
The winner was someone
who had advanced through the soldiers' division. Originally, he was from the
disbanded archer unit, and his fundamental skills were different.
The runner-up was from
the citizens' division. The audience welcomed his achievement with loud
applause and cheers.
Actually, he was also
a candidate with wind magic aptitude.
And Christoph, who had
entered from the youth division, achieved a remarkable third place.
Those who finished
fourth and below were all from the soldiers' division, with a participant from
the citizens' division in eighth place, and Carleen in ninth.
Carleen had skills
that would put her in the top three for stationary targets, but she lost points
with the unfamiliar moving targets.
Conversely, Christoph,
who had honed his skills through daily hunting, fully demonstrated his
abilities even with moving targets.
As a result, six out
of the top 10, including the winner, were participants from the soldiers'
division.
Looking at the
results, it could be said that those other than soldiers put up a great fight.
In this way, the First
Archery Tournament was a great success and became established as a regular
monthly event (festival) for the citizens of the Estol territory.
Father, while cleverly
dealing with the merchants, was never one to miss a business opportunity,
setting up special shops and holding a fair in conjunction with the tournament.
"That was a
wonderful result today!"
After the awards
ceremony on the second day, I called out to Christoph and Carleen.
"Thank you very
much. It's a shame I couldn't win, but it's all thanks to you, Takuhir-sama,
for encouraging me to participate."
"I never thought
I could do this well... but I'll participate again and aim for the win next
time!"
Each of them replied
with a face that showed a mixture of satisfaction with their results and
disappointment at not winning.
And then, I brought up
the matter that was my original purpose.
"You probably
know that this tournament is scheduled to be held every month continuously, but
actually, I'd like the two of you to cooperate as executive committee members
for the preparation of the tournament and as a job, would that be alright?
Of course, you will
still be able to participate in the tournament in the future... if possible,
I'd like to borrow your strength in various ways..."
"If I can be of
any help..."
"If you're
offering me a job, I'd be happy to!"
"Of course! I
look forward to working with you both!"
It was the moment I
brought in two citizens with magical aptitude.
After they left, I
pumped my fist in the air, all alone.
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