Chapter 191
The 6th
Joint Supreme Tournament ⑦
Team Competition
Translator : PolterGlast
The Supreme Tournament
entered its second day, and the team matches began. With an increased number of
participating domains, it was expected that the eight domains (teams) would
engage in a fierce contest, each with their pride on the line.
"Well then,
yesterday, thanks to Altena, we were able to somehow maintain our honor. But I
think today will be an even tougher battle. Our strongest opponent this time is
Count Gorman. Everyone, let's go all out from the start today too!"
"Yeah!"
"Yes, sir!"
For the team match, I,
too, am on the tournament grounds among the athletes, acting as coach.
Of course, I'm not the
only one. The heads of each noble house were also standing on the grounds as
coaches for their own teams.
"I felt sorry to
Knight Commander Gouras, but I intend to make a move from the very first match.
Gale, I'm counting on you as the vanguard!"
"Got it!"
Amidst great cheers,
the first match began.
For each round, one
match from Group A and one from Group B would be held simultaneously, with only
the final and third-place matches being held individually.
The contest was a
five-person elimination battle. The team whose captain was defeated would lose,
and the winner would advance in the tournament. Therefore, since one only
needed to win three matches to claim the championship, I believed it was fine
to go all out from the beginning.
<First Match>
~Group A Arena~
Demon Territory Count
Solis vs. Royal Knights Select Team
"I have heard
rumors of the Demon Territory Count's skill, and this time I shall see... hmm? Are
Lord Gold and Lord Aral not participating this time?"
"No, this time we
have assembled our elite members without any reservations. We will be coming at
you with our full strength from the first match. I look forward to competing
against you."
I said this with a
fearless smile.
In response, not only
Corps Commander Schultz, but also Knight Commander Gouras, who had moved to the
front row of the spectator seats to oversee the battle, had a clear change in
his expression.
This was because they
had just learned for the first time that Gold and Aral, whom they had arbitrarily
assumed to be the elite members, were, in fact, not.
~Group B Arena~
Count Solis vs.
Margrave Hastburg
"Count, you must
be in a tough spot, with your sons taking all the glory this time, no? But I
will show no mercy."
"What are you
saying? My foolish sons are not the only symbol of the House of Solis's
strength. I, too, will be coming at you without holding back."
I glanced at the
adjacent match and, seeing my father's boastful stance toward the Margrave, my
heart ached just a little.
The truth was, due to
the course of events, all the excellent archers had been hoarded in Teigoon,
and my father had few skilled archers at his disposal, only those he had
scouted in the past year.
I thought my father,
who likely had not yet had the chance to scout for talent from the citizens of
his newly annexed domains, had actually fought well in the individual match.
After such an exchange
of sharp words at both venues, the first match began.
"Wha-! How can
this be..."
Shortly after the
start, the normally calm and collected Corps Commander Schultz let out a shriek
that he would never normally utter. This was because Gale had swiftly defeated
all five opponents by himself and decided the match.
"Guh...!"
"Fufufu, just as
I planned. I have finally had my revenge."
Meanwhile, in the
other match, although he had fought bravely, my father, who had been defeated
by Margrave Hastburg, looked small, while the Margrave, who had been in last
place last time, was in high spirits.
"Father, you
managed to draw out their third player, so I think you fought very well. Next
time, surely..."
"..."
That was all I could
manage to say to my father. He was still hanging his head...
<Second Match>
~Group A Arena~
Viscount Cornell vs.
Viscount Solis (Frontier Knights Select Team)
"Uncle, I am
honored to face you this time."
"Likewise, it is
an honor to fight against the subordinates of the renowned Lord Darek. Now, let
the match begin!"
It seemed that both
sides thought they were evenly matched, but perhaps my brother Darek was a
little lacking in confidence.
~Group B Arena~
Count Gorman vs.
Viscount Kirias
"Lord Gorman, we
were in a sorry state last time. This time, we will show you that we can put up
a fight."
"Umu, we too
shall face you with all our strength."
Count Gorman also
smiled fearlessly as he faced Viscount Kirias. His smile seemed to hold a firm
confidence, and he had sent out an athlete who had been active in the last joint
tournament as his vanguard.
And then, with one
match going against the spectators' expectations and the other going just as
most had expected, each contest was settled in short order.
"Hmm, as I
thought, a five-person sweep was not to be."
He must have been
reasonably confident. The winner, Viscount Cornell, was reasonably satisfied.
Although my brother
Darek's camp had also fought well, winning two bouts, they were defeated by
Viscount Cornell, who had been third place last time. Despite the defeat, his
expression was cheerful compared to our father's.
"A crushing
defeat after all. Our strength is still lacking... I wonder if I should consult
Takuhir and have him send some skilled archers over here? He has so many mages,
so surely, one or two... would be fine, right?"
I deliberately
pretended not to hear my brother's ominous muttering.
Meanwhile, in Group
B...
"Kuh!
Impossible... To think it would be to this extent... h-how regrettable!"
"Mu... just as
planned."
This match was over in
a surprisingly short time. In the form of a five-person sweep by Count Gorman's
camp.
<Third Match>
~Group A Arena~
Demon Territory Count
Solis vs. Viscount Cornell
"This time...
Lilia, I'm counting on you. Uncle, we'll be coming at you with our full
strength from the start."
"Ooh! Just what I
was hoping for. This is... the young lady from that time, isn't it? We too have
been training daily since the last time, with the Demon Territory Count's army
as our goal. Allow us to show you the results of that training."
That's right, in the
war with the Empire, Lilia had been on the front lines as a Wind Mage and had
been very active. It was no surprise that Viscount Cornell knew of her.
~Group B Arena~
Margrave Hastburg vs.
Count Gorman
"Lord Gorman, we
are not the same as we were last time. Our elites, who have defeated the
favorite, Count Solis, shall now avenge our last defeat."
"Umu, that is my
desire. Please, come!"
The Margrave, who had
won his first match, was in high spirits as he faced Count Gorman.
A close match was
expected between the champions who had won their first matches, but... the
second round was decided with surprising ease.
In the form of a
complete victory for two entities boasting overwhelming strength.
"My, my, I am
defeated. To be so completely beaten, just like last time... The Demon
Territory Count, who is our goal, is still running far ahead of us. That has
been driven home to me."
"...My, my,
another complete defeat. Are we still no match for your subordinates? This
means that we too must learn from you and the Demon Territory Count and get a
little more serious..."
Both sets of
challengers had been completely defeated with five straight losses. At this
point, the final match-up was confirmed, and the winning betting ticket was
decided.
"Kyaa! Everyone,
we did it! With this, it's confirmed!"
"Yes! Sister
Flora. It was certain, but it still took courage to bet on this one
outcome."
"Aah! I have no
words!"
"I-I won't be
able to sleep tonight from the excitement!"
"So many gold
coins... what shall I buy?"
"So this is...
what it means to earn for yourself? I can boast to my friends when I return to
the Royal Capital."
Shrill cheers were
rising from the VIP seats.
To all of Yuka-san's
friends, earning for yourself... in a sense that's correct, but I think it's a
little different.
Please... don't boast
to your friends. And please don't increase your number of companions any
further. Please, I beg you.
I clasped my hands
together in their direction.
Anyway, Flora-sama,
Yuka-san, Chrisia... for each of you to exchange internal information, isn't
this complete insider trading? For the sake of fair betting operations, someone
has to put their foot down. But... who?
...I can't do it.
Wait, huh?
Yuka-san wasn't in the
group that was boiling over with joy. Even though she gets so absorbed in
betting that she becomes a different person... Is she down on the grounds
cheering for her own domain?
At this point, I had a
slightly bad feeling.
<Third Place Match>
Viscount Cornell vs.
Margrave Hastburg
After that, the
third-place match was held solemnly. Last time, Baron Cornell had won 5 to 3,
but this time, it came down to the captain's match.
What's more, the
captains ended in a draw, with a simultaneous defeat. Because of this, it was
decided that both domains would share third place.
<Final Match>
Demon Territory Count
Solis vs. Count Gorman
Just as predicted, the
final match became a rematch of the previous tournament. But I could tell.
Count Gorman's camp was far stronger than last time.
It was expected that
they would have the Wind Mage who had directly appealed to the Commander to
join them on the eastern border, the winner of the fifth tournament whom Christoph
had said he might not be able to beat, and that their other forces were also
bolstered.
"I think this
will be quite a tough one. So, I'm thinking of playing it safe, is that
alright? Gale as the vanguard, Lilia as the second, and Christoph as the
third."
Just as I announced
the strategy, an unexpected person called out to me.
"Takuhir-sama, we
meet in the final, just as expected. I will be serving as the vanguard. I look
forward to competing against you."
"Yes, I look
forward to it as well... Huh? Eeeeeh?"
Standing there was
Yuka-san, dressed in a military uniform I had never seen before. And what's
more, my father-in-law was looking this way with a triumphant smile...
"Since then, I
too have practiced a great deal at the Gorman domain's shooting range, looking
forward to competing against everyone from Teigoon."
So that's it... I
understood something that had been nagging at me.
The participating
athletes for the team match are submitted on a list by each domain in advance,
but the details, such as the athletes' names, are not made public until the
match. For some reason, Claire, who was in charge of the lists this time, had
been uncharacteristically stubborn.
『To maintain fairness, I cannot show them even to you,
Lord Takuhir. 』
Last time, she had
shown me, saying it was to confirm that there were no double participants from
the individual match... I had thought it strange this time.
Claire, you knew!
That's why you kept it a secret...
Well, for the sake of
maintaining fairness, it was the correct way to operate.
And so, the first bout
began: Gale versus Yuka-san, a battle of the vanguards.
"..."
And then, I was once
again rendered speechless by the shock.
I mean, Gale suffered
a complete and utter defeat. He was in such shock that he was still clutching
his crossbow... frozen and turned to ash.
Yuka-san! Why...
you're insanely strong! Count Gorman was looking this way, smiling from ear to
ear.
Furthermore, seeing
that smile, my father, the Margrave, Viscount Kirias, and Viscount Cornell...
were completely frozen.
"Lilia, I'm
counting on you. The Gorman soldiers are fearsome when they get momentum.
Somehow, stop them."
To be honest, Lilia is
strong. She's top-class as a Wind Mage, but her archery skills are also at the
top of our ranks, after Carleen and Christoph.
"From what I saw
of her shooting earlier, Yuka-sama possesses considerable skill. But I will do
my best, somehow!"
Lilia said this and
went into the match.
The match was a heated
back-and-forth, with neither side yielding.
No... that's...
Yuka-san, to be able to fight on even terms with someone at Lilia's level...
just how much of a cheat are you!
What with my brother
Darek and Yuka-san, I feel like I'm surrounded by too many people who excel in
popularity and martial arts...
But Lilia, too, was a
formidable talent, so much so that the Commander wanted her in the mercenary
company, and her mental fortitude was also considerable. Neither yielded, and
it ended in a draw, a simultaneous defeat.
The arena was filled
with great cheers for the heated battle, one worthy of a final match.
The second player from
the Gorman domain who stepped forward was a young woman who seemed to be of
commoner birth. No, I can't talk, but what with the individual and team
matches, isn't the performance of the women a bit too amazing?
"Christoph, I'm
counting on you. They probably still have at least two formidable athletes
left. Somehow, stop their momentum."
"Understood.
Please rest assured. I still have two strong players behind me. We will not
lose."
Christoph said this
with a smile and went on to defeat the second and third players from Count Gorman's
camp in succession. But it was by no means an easy victory.
They too had fought
well, and I thought that if it were against anyone but us, wouldn't they win
all their matches by themselves? They were that strong.
And the next person Christoph
would fight was the vice-captain of Count Gorman's camp. Although he had
narrowly lost to Gale in the last joint tournament due to fatigue from
consecutive matches, he was actually a considerable talent.
And this time, it was Christoph
who was mentally exhausted, having won two matches that went down to the wire.
As a result, a tense
shooting match with no mistakes from either side continued, and the two ended
in a draw with no misses. A simultaneous defeat.
The tense battle of
the final match, even though the result of the betting had already been
decided, had the entire venue in a great state of excitement, with continuous
cheers and applause.
"Carleen, just
one more. Relax your shoulders, and you'll be fine if you just do as you always
do. It's a special tournament, let's enjoy it!"
When it was Carleen's
turn, I realized. Had I been putting unnecessary pressure on my comrades by
being too obsessed with winning and losing?
"Count Gorman is
amazing, as expected. It's no surprise, being Yuka-san's father. Or is it
Yuka-san's influence? All it means is that we've gained a reliable ally in
battle. From here on, let's not worry about winning or losing and just enjoy
it!"
"Yes! I'll go
enjoy it."
Carleen's worried face
brightened. Reflecting on my mistake once again, I spoke to the last person.
"Knowing Carleen,
I don't think there's any chance of failure, but... just be prepared. Don't
worry about winning or losing, just enjoy it. Don't forget that."
Saying this, I smiled
at her, who was watching the progress of the match as the captain.
Carleen's opponent was
the winner of the last tournament's individual match, whom I also knew. They
both displayed the highest level of skill, and a perfect shooting match with no
mistakes from either side continued.
The final shot...
And so, the team match
of the Sixth Joint Supreme Tournament came to a close.
With a draw between
the vice-captain of the Demon Territory Count Solis's camp and the captain of
the Count Gorman's camp, a simultaneous defeat, it was a victory for the Demon
Territory Count Solis.
"Count Gorman,
that was truly a close call this time. To have put together such a lineup in
just three years, I was truly surprised."
"No, no, I could
not win against the Demon Territory Count this time either. As expected of the
man I had my eye on. But... next time, I would like to decide the matter in a
captain's match."
Seeing the two shake
hands, the entire audience stood up and sent them unsparing applause and cheers
of praise. And when the applause, which seemed as if it would never die down,
finally quieted, an unexpected announcement was made.
"The match
between the Demon Territory Count and Count Gorman was magnificent. Although
the victory of the Demon Territory Count has been confirmed this time, it is a
special tournament with His Majesty in attendance. How about we offer to His
Majesty a match between the captains of both camps to conclude this
tournament?"
Excuse me... brother
Darek. What are you doing, changing the schedule on your own! You just want to
see the skills of our team's captain, whom you don't know, don't you...
Count Gorman was also
smirking. ...Understood.
"Aura, since
they've gone to the trouble of asking, could you show them your prized archery
skills?"
"Yes! Of course.
Watching the match with Carleen-san, I was thinking I wanted to participate
myself."
"Alright, then go
all out!"
And so, we set up
targets with an even higher degree of difficulty than in the team match up to
now and held an exhibition match.
Probably, besides my
brother, there were many who were curious about the woman (Aura) who was
sitting in the captain's seat with her face hidden by a deep veil.
And Aura, without
removing her veil as I had instructed, advanced to the competition area as the
captain.
The match, which began
amidst great cheers, overwhelmed all who watched it.
With Aura's
overwhelming power, which far surpassed that of the captain of Count Gorman's
camp who had given Carleen a tough fight.
She was one of the
most skilled archers in the entire Istoria Imperial Kingdom, and her skill was
such that she was called the 'Divine Archer' at the age of 15.
That power was in no
way inferior, even when her bow was replaced with a crossbow. After immigrating
to Teigoon, she had honed her skills with Christoph and Carleen and had
surpassed them in no time at all.
Having polished her
skills since childhood in the home of the bow and having reigned at the top, it
was only natural, but...
"Wha-! What is
this? To think it was to this extent..."
Count Gorman, and the
one who had fought as his captain, were wide-eyed with surprise.
"Well, there's
always someone better, aren't there. As a member of the Frontier Knights
branch, my enjoyment of being stationed in Teigoon has increased. I look
forward to working with you in the future."
The captain of Count Gorman's
camp was seeking a handshake with Aura with a smile after the match.
"Well, this is
delightful! Delightful! As always, you—oh, excuse me, the Demon Territory
Count—always go above and beyond my imagination. That is what I find so
endlessly delightful."
By that time, his
surprise had turned to admiration, and Count Gorman was laughing heartily.
As for the other
participants in the team match... everyone seemed to be agape... Or perhaps
half of them were agape at the sight of Count Gorman laughing so contentedly.
"Magnificent!
Truly magnificent! A battle worthy of the champions, and the fighting spirit of
each camp up to this point was also magnificent. To the extent that I would
wish for them to be an example to the other noble houses in the kingdom."
His Majesty the King
was also greatly satisfied.
Still, brother, to
think you had arranged things with Shannon and proposed this using sound magic
to amplify your voice... Were you perhaps aiming for this from the start?
Sixth Joint Supreme
Tournament Results
Winner: Demon
Territory Count Solis
Second Place: Count Gorman
Third Place: Margrave
Hastburg
Third Place: Viscount
Cornell
It goes without saying
that, as with the individual match, a special reward from His Majesty the King
was bestowed upon the participants of the top-ranking teams.
And so, the Supreme
Tournament safely came to a close.
With the exception of
Knight Commander Gouras and the various corps commanders, who had been made
keenly aware of the difference in levels and were quite pale, and Count Solis,
who was anxious for a comeback in the future, it seemed the participants had
also greatly enjoyed themselves.
All that's left... is
the final banquet! If I can get through this, then from now on, I can
concentrate on managing my domain.
I berated myself.
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