Chapter 185
The 6th
Joint Supreme Tournament ①
The Flawless
Setup
Translator : PolterGlast
As spring bathed the
mountains of Teigoon in its soft sunlight, the snow that had colored the peaks
white began to melt, forming small streams in various places that started to
moisten the earth.
By that time, we had
returned to the domain once again and were busy with preparations for the major
event that was to follow.
"What is this!?"
Even I couldn't help
but raise my voice at the guest list, which far exceeded my expectations. I had
anticipated it to some extent, but I had never imagined it would become this
large.
The list, compiled by
the steward, Miseri, and other officials who had made inquiries in various
places, contained some unexpected names.
Just the main
attendees were as follows:
His Majesty the King
and Her Majesty the Queen
Duke Klein (the old
fox)
Margrave Hamish
Count Model
Count Gouras (Knight
Commander)
Corps Commander
Hoffman
Corps Commander
Schultz
And others: 2 marquess
houses, 3 count houses, 4 viscount houses, 3 baronial houses (including Baron
Bauner).
Seriously, the
Headmaster is coming too... Even with the Royal Knights and His Majesty's guard
present, is it really okay for all the corps commanders to come?
Margrave Hamish is
apparently scheduled to attend with Baron Bauner and the viscount who presided
over the war council during the Imperial Kingdom campaign.
Even though things
have settled down, the defense of the east... is that really okay? And what's
more, Count Model, a former member of the Restorationist faction who has become
an ally, is also on the list...
Besides them, there
were several names of marquess, count, and viscount houses that I had never
even met.
Of those, I had met
the young ladies of one marquess house, two count houses, and one viscount
house at the academy. In connection with the honey matter...
Are these four
families participating just for the honey?
And the number of
competitors had also increased.
Margrave Hastburg
Demon Territory Count
Solis
Count Gorman
Count Solis
A select team from
Viscount Kirias (including representatives from 3 baronial houses)
Viscount Cornell
A select team from the
Frontier Knights Sixth and Seventh Corps
A select team from the
Royal Knights Third Corps
A total of eight groups...
what's the deal with this? To be blunt, they won't even fit in the current
venue, even though we made it large. There won't be any space for general
viewing, will there?
Assuming we build a
vast temporary tournament venue in a still-vacant corner of Teigoon...
Preparations for the
interior and other features to match the venue.
Carriage drop-off
points, waiting rooms, and dining spaces for VIPs.
Arrangements for
regular carriage services from each town to the tournament venue.
Preparation of a
dining area for general participants and recruitment of vendors.
Also, we'll need to
book every single inn in the town of Teigoon.
Yes, it's the
beginning of a "black company" all over again. There's just over a
month until the event. Do we have no choice but to do it?
Everyone, I'm sorry.
At first, I was seriously worried about how to break this to them.
"Fufu, it's the
usual. It is proof that you, Takuhir-sama, attract many more people than we
anticipate."
Miseri replied,
looking rather proud.
"Compared to what
we've been through, this is still the easy part. We have far more people to
help than we did before. Let's get started on the construction of the arena
right away."
Christoph was also
completely unfazed.
"That's right.
The citizens are all fired up to welcome His Majesty. I'm sure they will also
gladly lend a hand."
Claire also replied as
if this was just what she had expected.
"In the town of
Teigoon, there are newly constructed apartment buildings that are not yet
occupied. I believe we can make use of those as well."
Carleen, who had newly
joined the core members, said with her chest puffed out.
"With this many people
coming, the economic impact on the inns, merchandise sales, and restaurants
will be immeasurable. I believe everyone will see a business opportunity, and
this entire area will become even more prosperous. Let's proceed with
allocating temporary stall sales districts and preparing to distribute the
revised regulations we created before."
Yoltia saw it in terms
of its economic effect and as an opportunity for the new citizens to earn
money.
"The arrangements
for food and other supplies have already been made. On the contrary, I think it
will be a good opportunity to clear out our current stockpiles and replenish
them with new ones."
For Bart, too, it was
within his expectations, or rather, he was smiling as if it were a good
opportunity.
"Hahaha, everyone
has already said everything I wanted to say. But please leave the construction
of the arena to me. I think I can build something quite respectable, making use
of my previous experience."
Elan said with a wry
smile.
"The accompanying
military force will likely exceed 1,000 men. We can empty the barracks of the
Frontier Knights and the garrison to accommodate 700, and it is possible to
increase that by setting up a temporary camp on the training grounds. We can
house 200 in the mercenary company's barracks, 500 in the fourth district's
camp, 200 in the post town and ranching village, 200 at the demon territory
gate, and the town of Gaia can station up to 1,200 soldiers. Well, accepting
about 2,000 soldiers should be no problem."
The Commander also had
a relaxed look on his face. He was deliberately leaving the 400-person space in
the post town as a reserve.
"Let's use the
shooting range in town as a station for the self-defense force and the guards.
It has a roof, and it can also be used as a place to rest."
Gale also smiled and
made a suggestion. The shooting range had originally been built with such uses
in mind.
"Please leave the
equipment and interior of the arena to me. We will mobilize all the workshops
and sewing rooms to prepare equipment that can be repurposed after the
tournament is over. Also, about the prototype saddle harness for attaching
crossbows, how about we unveil it on this occasion?"
I was struck by
Workshop Master Karl's words.
That's it!
Couldn't we hold a
trade fair for our various products, especially crafts, soap, disinfectant, and
also sugar and honey, on this occasion, and display, sell, and take
reservations from the visiting guests?
If they've come in a
recreational mood, their purse strings will naturally loosen, and a sense of
competition might also come into play?
"Everyone, since
we have the chance, shall we hold a trade fair for our specialty products?
We'll use the arena in the post town as the venue and hold display sales during
the breaks between matches. The main targets will be the participating nobles
and merchants. For the honey only, let's create a nobles-only area and sell it
there with a limit on the quantity and the amount that can be purchased."
Yes, for the honey, I
want to sell it directly, without going through merchants. So, I will
absolutely not put it into general distribution. The others, I thought, could
be put into distribution as needed.
"Regarding the
arms and armor, I'd like to hold a demonstration during a break in the
tournament. Commander, could I ask you to handle that?"
"Of course! What
kind of program shall we have?"
"We won't be
showing the Estol Bow yet, but I think it's fine to show the limited edition
new model crossbow. In a way that shows the difference in range and power from
the conventional model. And for the saddle harness, how about firing from
horseback during a charge, and then immediately switching to a sword? I think
it would be good if we can effectively convey how much it improves the handling
of the crossbow."
"Understood. I'll
drill them thoroughly so they don't make a fool of themselves on the day."
The Commander smiled
his usual demonic smile.
Still, everyone who
had been screaming during the fourth year was now handling this with ease. I,
who had been worrying alone, felt a little bit left behind. Well, just a
little.
"Claire, with
this scale, the reception center is going to be in chaos. Are the
countermeasures in place?"
"Yes, with the
future in mind, we have newly hired 100 people from the former Hiyorimi domain,
100 from the Imperial Kingdom, 20 from the Empire immigrants, and 30 children
who have graduated from the Teigoon school, for a total of 250.
They are mainly women,
but we have been training them to be active in the towns of Gaia, Ishtar, and
Aegis in the future, so we have secured sufficient manpower for this
occasion."
"Thank you,
Claire. And Anne, please report on the hospitality staff."
"Yes, His Majesty
will be making an official visit this time, not an incognito one. Therefore, he
will be accompanied by maids and cooks from the Royal Capital, and we have been
ordered that there is no need to prepare such staff on our end.
Just in case, Lady
Chris from the Count Solis house, Lady Yuka from the Count Gorman house, and
Lady Flora from the Margrave Hastburg house will be dispatching trusted maids
from their respective households as support, so I believe we have sufficient
personnel."
Yes, the care of Their
Majesties the King and Queen, which we had to be most concerned about, we had
been freed from this time. So, my mother, Chrisia, Lady Flora, and Yuka-san
would also have a certain degree of freedom.
Of course, I was
expecting them to be active as hospitality staff.
And so, just as the
still-awakened-mode Miseri had boasted that all preparations were in place, the
reception system was steadily being put together.
Then, 20 days before
the event, my father, mother, and sister Chrisia arrived from Est, along with
the Count's household steward (Raymond) and their staff.
The next day, Count Gorman
and Yuka-san's party arrived, and the day after that, my brother (Darek) and
Lady Flora's party arrived. The reception system was now fully in place.
The tournament venue
was also completed, a splendid structure that didn't look like it had been
hastily built, and each person in charge repeated rehearsals according to their
roles.
All preparations were
complete! All that was left was to win the main event and aim for a consecutive
victory.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Gabriel Flores
Geral Aponso
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Good or Hype
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Didntpassit
nick nasca
SD Fox
rads
Xavier O'Donoghue
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
