Chapter 91
(Kyle
Calendar Year 506: Age 13)
Joint Elite
Tournament ③ - Those
with Ulterior Motives
Translator : PolterGlast
On the morning of the
day before the tournament, I was once again entertaining guests, just like
yesterday.
When I went to the
guesthouse to pick them up in the morning, I was immediately taken aback by a
group of stern-faced individuals, who for some reason were all wearing the
souvenir happi coats.
"No, well... the
Margrave took quite a liking to this happi coat, and decided he would wear it
to see the town today... so, naturally, we also..."
Viscount Gorman must
have been incredibly embarrassed. He spoke with a distant look in his eyes, but
his face was flushed. Ah, court life is certainly harsh, isn't it?
Of course, my father,
Viscount Kilias, Baron Cornell, and even the Knight Commander were all wearing
the same happi coat.
"..."
They looked utterly
suspicious.
I, too, hastily sent a
messenger and donned one of the three happi coats they brought me. During my
salaryman days, I worked for an owner-managed company and had countless
experiences of "following suit," so I didn't hesitate at all.
"Hmm, so this
will be the Frontier Knights' branch, huh?"
Margrave Hastburg
mused as he gazed at the Frontier Knights' branch barracks and the Knight
Garrison, which were halfway completed and partially habitable. The land was
already secured, and it would be a sufficiently spacious garrison.
"So, he predicted
this would happen beforehand as well," the Margrave muttered to himself,
thinking anew. That child, barely 13 years old... thinking about it again, it's
almost terrifying. It was likely that, like the checkpoint we saw yesterday, he
had predicted this battle and even its subsequent developments as one of the
possibilities.
"Father, let's go
to the central plaza already, rather than staying here."
The Margrave was led
forward by his youngest daughter, Flora.
Indeed, their
"inspection" this time had two objectives. To closely observe the
townscape and defenses of Teigun, and to confirm the location of the Frontier
Knights' branch. And the other was politics.
One of the goals was
to win over the viscount's sons, who had already acquired the title of baron.
For this purpose, the
Margrave had intentionally brought along his youngest daughter, Flora, with him
on this occasion; she's someone he cherishes so much he wouldn't deny that he
doted on her. Unaware of her father's intentions, she was delighted and enjoying
her first trip outside the city where their mansion was located. Yesterday, the
Margrave couldn't help but cover his eyes at the sheer number of items she
bought from shops in Teigun.
"Father, I would
also love to try some food stalls."
And there was another
who had brought his equally beloved daughter. Surprisingly, it was Viscount
Gorman. The Viscount thought that stalls were not for eating. But seeing his
daughter truly enjoying herself, he decided not to spoil her mood.
Despite a slight age
difference, the two girls, and my sister Chrisia, who was younger but brave,
quickly became friends. The two young ladies were looking forward to the food
sold at the stalls in the central plaza, which my sister Chrisia had told them
about at yesterday's "tea party." Of course, I secretly sent people
ahead to the stalls to check for any problems and to ensure none would arise.
"Lord Darek, Lord
Takuhir, you no longer need to guide us. Please, look after our daughters who
are ahead."
At the Margrave's
words, my brother and I followed behind the three.
"Seeing them like
this, the future of our faction looks promising, indeed."
"Exactly, you're
absolutely right."
Viscount Kilias
followed Baron Cornell's words. Is it just my imagination, or are they setting
up flags for us...?
"Now, as we on
our way, shall we discuss the Frontier Knights? Fortunately, all the key
figures are here, even the Royal Capital Knight Commander. Such an opportunity
is rare."
To an outsider, it
looked like an unusual group (in happi coats) enjoying a leisurely stroll.
However, a dangerous conversation began, far removed from their relaxed
appearance.
"Now, combined
with the soldiers we've supplied, we already have a rough estimate of 2,000
cavalry. As for the remainder, Lord Gouras, I'd like to hear your
thoughts."
"Indeed. I can
arrange 200 cavalry from the Royal Capital Knights. After that, 200 cavalry
from the southern nobles who participated in the campaign, so we'll likely need
to newly recruit about 100 cavalry."
"But that's still
500 short, isn't it?"
"We are counting
on those who belonged to the Second Youth Knight Corps. Those who were led by
Lord Darek. If it's a corps led by him as Vice Commander, they would gladly
come. Well, we'd have to wait for their graduation, including the Vice
Commander."
"Originally, the
majority of the Second Youth Knight Corps aimed to join the Royal Capital
Knights, after all."
Viscount Kilias, who
had been asked by the Knight Commander to look after the Second Youth Knight
Corps in the previous campaign, followed up.
"Exactly.
Moreover, Lord Darek's reputation in the Royal Capital is incredibly high,
beyond what can be imagined here. Sharp-eyed nobles are already making various
schemes to get their daughters close to him."
"Oh? Then we must
hasten as well."
Upon hearing Knight
Commander Gouras's words, the Margrave resolved to further advance his own
plans.
"Next, regarding
the commanders and vice commanders of each corps... particularly Lord Kilias,
you surely don't have the leeway to hold a concurrent position?" The
Margrave felt a certain risk in Viscount Kilias concurrently commanding both
his own forces and 500 Frontier Knights.
"No, I plan to
entrust the operations of the Frontier Knights to my capable subordinates. So,
there will be no problem."
"From the Royal
Capital Knights, we intend to send an excellent individual who is more than
capable as a commander. That should suffice for commanding that unit."
Knight Commander
Gouras also revealed his intentions regarding the commanders. With this, the
unit dispatched from the Royal Capital Knights could be entrusted to the
commander recommended by the Knight Commander.
"That would be
very helpful. However, we're still short two people..."
Knight Commander
Gouras shook his head at Viscount Kilias's question.
"It's not as if
there are no people in the frontier. If necessary, we can train them."
"Indeed. One of
the candidates will likely grow without issue in three more years. Until then,
the Margrave can personally look after him; that might be acceptable too."
My brother and I never
imagined that such secret talks were being conducted so leisurely while
walking.
"Mmm! This is
delicious!"
"It's true! You
all get to eat this all the time, it's unfair!"
The two young ladies
exclaimed in delight at the sweets sold at the stalls.
"Sister Flora,
Sister Yuka, why don't you stay in Teigun forever? I wish you both could be my
real big sisters..."
"Oh, my!"
"Fufufu."
Uh... my sister. I know
she's naturally innocent. But please, stop setting up such massive flags.
My brother and I...
pretended not to hear. Well, with two stunningly beautiful girls, and my sister
making it three, seeing such a scene would surely sway one's heart.
"Brother, aren't
we getting outflanked from all sides?"
"Takuhir, you
think so too?"
We whispered to each
other.
"By the way,
Sisters, which groups are you voting for in the winner's vote?"
"Hmm, well, I
don't really understand it."
"Me neither. My
father gave me gold coins, though..."
The three girls plus
my brother were staring at me. Right, I'll explain.
"First, this
competition will be held in two parts: Part One for individual battles, and
Part Two for team battles (territory vs. territory).
The key is that
participants cannot participate in both Part One and Part Two. Therefore, only
for the Solis Viscount family's participants, there's another rule."
Part One (No Change):
Only participants who placed within the top 3 in regular tournaments over the
past year can participate.
Part Two (Special
Rule): Selected from participants who placed within the top 3 in all previous
regular tournaments.
"Also, all magic
use is prohibited in the competition."
◯ Part One: Individual Matches <Ranking Group
Vote>
This vote is to guess
the combination of the 1st place group and the 2nd place group. For example, if
someone belonging to the Red group placed first:
Red-Red (if the Red
group took both 1st and 2nd place)
Red-Blue
Red-Yellow
Red-Green
Red-White
Red-Brown
"There will be
combinations like these, making 36 possibilities to guess from, with a success
rate of one in thirty-six."
This time, all
participants from territories other than Estol (three from each territory) were
assigned to the Brown group. Other groups have six members each, so whether the
Brown group will have an advantage, or whether Estol participants will have an
advantage based on past experience, is one of the key factors to consider.
Also, past top-ranked participants in the elite tournament, Carlein, Christoph,
Gail, and Gold, are not participating in the individual battle. That's another
significant point.
◯ Part Two: Territory vs. Territory Battle <Vote for
the Top Two Teams/Groups>
This is a team battle
where five representatives from each territory compete to win first place for
their territory. The vote is to guess the combination of the champion and
runner-up, and the order of first and second place doesn't matter.
The combinations are
as follows:
① Solis & Hastburg
② Solis & Kilias
③ Solis & Gorman
④ Solis & Cornell
⑤ Hastburg & Kilias
⑥ Hastburg & Gorman
⑦ Hastburg & Cornell
⑧ Kilias & Gorman
⑨ Kilias & Cornell
⑩ Gorman & Cornell
You just need to guess
the combination of the winning territory and the runner-up territory, so the
probability is one in ten. Probably, based on past performance, the Solis
Viscount family is the most advantageous, so if you choose a strong pair, the
probability is one in four. Notably, from our side, Carlein, Christoph, Gail,
and Gold are participating in this one. If you're aiming for a long shot, vote
for the Ranking Group Vote. If you're going for a solid bet, vote for the Top
Two Teams/Groups.
"Our participants
in the territory battle are very strong. So, I recommend voting for
combinations involving the Solis Viscount family."
※
In front of the
reception for buying winner's voting tickets, the three girls gathered and
whispered something.
"There's so much
to consider. Of course, we'll cheer for our own territories, but that's not fun
enough."
"You're right.
Since we're here, I'd love to guess correctly and surprise my father."
Flora responded to Yuka's worry.
"Sister Flora,
Sister Yuka, I have a good idea! How about we exchange information among
ourselves?"
"!"
"That's a great
idea! Let's do it!"
"Yes, I agree
with Lady Flora too."
The three girls' faces
turned scheming, and they looked at each other and laughed.
"First, from me,
the Hastburg family has one particularly outstanding individual. My father
says, 『He could even win the
tournament I saw in the Solis territory in the past.』 He overwhelmingly won against Lord Kilias's
subordinates and was personally presented with a specially made crossbow.
Besides him, there are no particularly outstanding individuals, so my father
said, 『He's aiming for
victory in the individual battle.』 Also, regarding Lord Kilias's soldiers, with whom they train
frequently, he evaluated them as, 『Overall skilled, but no outstanding individuals.』"
"From me too. The
Gorman family has been holding crossbow tournaments for the past two years and
has put a lot of effort into them. This time, my father is boasting, 『Our excellent archers surpass those of the Solis
family.』 Therefore, he is
secretly planning to put all his best individuals into the team battle to 『win the team battle.』 By the way, I also heard him say about Lord Cornell's
archers, with whom they fought together on the battlefield, 『Overall, they're reliable, but there's no overwhelming
top contender.』"
"..."
『Hey, hey,
Fathers, no matter how doting you are on your daughters, aren't state secrets
just leaking out?!』 I secretly
eavesdropped, laughing with my brother.
"Now, it's my
turn to tell you sisters. First, I think my brother Takuhir is definitely going
for the team battle. He's placed the winners and runner-ups from the past two
tournaments, and the strongest individuals, in the team battle. So, with his
confidence, I think victory or runner-up is certain."
My sister continued.
"But I don't
think my brother is slacking off in the individual battle either. All the past
tournament winners have been my brother's subordinates, his direct retainers. I
think that's information worth noting. And this time, two of my brother's direct
retainers, whom I also know, are participating. Especially this person,
Liliana-san, I find suspicious. She's a woman among my brother's subordinates
participating, and she also went to the battlefield with my brother in the
previous war. All the women directly serving my brother are especially amazing.
My brother probably judges that he can win even if he puts the past winners
into the team battle. And if past winners participate in the individual battle,
popularity will be concentrated. He's probably calculating how to win while
avoiding that. That's how he seems to think. My brother is surprisingly easy to
understand for someone so clever."
"..."
Next to me,
suppressing his voice, my older brother Darek was laughing, clutching his
stomach.
I could no longer
laugh at the doting fathers. I hadn't told my sister anything, yet she had
analyzed me the most. What would become of my position?
"It's
decided!"
The three girls ran to
the reception desk with smiles. And each of them bought multiple tickets for
three different types of individual battle votes, each costing one gold coin,
and multiple tickets for the team battle, each costing ten gold coins.
My brother muttered
under his breath, "Women... they're terrifying. It's not just Mother.
Everything I carelessly said, they've got it all down, and their betting style,
their drive when they think they can win, is incredible."
"I agree. Or
rather... Am I really that easy to understand?"
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