I had a dream. It was about the time when me and the others were still living
in Belfast's capital. It was only a few weeks after I'd killed my first Dragon in
Mismede, back when we'd returned home after that trip. I wasn't married at
that point. Hell, I wasn't even engaged. I wasn't a grand duke either... It was just
me as Touya, the adventurer.
◇ ◇ ◇
"A guild-sponsored adventurer contest?"
A poster outside the guild caught my eye as we walked past the building. I
didn't know what an adventurer contest would even cover, so I took a closer
look at the piece of paper.
"In order to show the public how indispensable adventurers are, we're
hosting a contest that puts your skills to use in the name of public good!
Anyone registered with the guild is eligible to participate. The winning prize is
ten platinum coins, and there's a special bonus prize consisting of one set of
mithril armor," Yumina said, reading out the description on the post.
The prize was ten platinum coins...or roughly ten million yen. That was pretty
impressive. Even the best adventurers wouldn't normally make that kind of
money. Mithril armor was first-class equipment too. The guild was clearly
sparing no expense when it came to the prizes.
"This seems interesting, it does. Shall we participate?"
"Putting our skills to use? Like how? Do they mean fighting monsters and
stuff?"
"Maybe they'll judge us based on how well we strip materials from our
hunts?"
Yae, Elze, and Linze all looked over the poster with curious eyes. Everyone
seemed to be interested in giving it a try. Yumina was green-ranked, but the
rest of us were blue. Blue-ranks were typically considered veterans, but it had
been less than a year since we'd joined. That alone was enough to make us
stand out among the adventurers that took jobs from the royal capital's guild.
Yumina was the princess of Belfast, but she didn't attract any undue attention
when we were out in public. That was thanks to a magical artifact she wore that
prevented her from being recognized as a member of the royal family. She was
a well-known public figure, so I didn't want anyone hassling her out on the
street. With that in mind, I didn't really want us to do anything too crazy and
stand out in Belfast.
I peeked at the terms and conditions listed at the bottom of the poster.
"Oh, hey, it's a party-based exercise. Looks like it's for parties with up to five
members."
Me, Elze, Linze, Yae, and Yumina. Nice. That's all of us. An easy five.
"So then, we gonna try it?"
"I don't see why not. Events like these are always interesting."
"I am of the same mind, I am. This will be a good chance for us to test our
skills."
Elze and Yae seemed highly motivated, while Linze didn't seem quite as
enthused, though she still gave a nod. Yumina nodded as well, but she was
smiling.
Hmm... I dunno if we can win this thing, but it might be fun to just participate.
"Let's go then, all five of us."
We headed to the guild desk and I handed over my guild card to register us
for the contest. They needed a party name, so I named us Brunhild, after the
weapon I'd recently crafted. The entry fee was two silver coins per person... I
hadn't realized you had to pay to participate. That was like twenty thousand
yen, so with five of us, it wasn't cheap at all...
I begrudgingly paid the entry fee and took my guild card back from the
receptionist when she suddenly spoke up.
"I didn't think you'd be participating in this, Mr. Mochizuki..."
"Huh? Why?"
I didn't really understand what she was getting at, so I raised an eyebrow in
confusion. Did she think I was antisocial, perhaps?
My reaction amused the woman at the desk, prompting a little chuckle before
she replied, "Oh, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that you're a renowned
Dragonslayer, yes? Even if you're a blue-rank, I'm sure the other participants
will see you as quite the threat. They might even want to see you eliminated
from the running first."
"Ah..."
I'd totally forgotten. After I'd killed the Black Dragon back in Mismede, I'd
been granted the Dragonslayer title by the guild. The symbol for it was etched
into the blue guild card I used every day. It was obvious people would notice at
some point!
"Ugh... Damn it."
"W-Well, you never know. Some other higher-ranked adventurers might
participate, and that may take some of the heat off you."
Higher-ranked adventurers...? So red-ranks, then? Those are the top-tier
adventurers, or at least, that's how I understand it. The wall between blue and
red is a high one, so there aren't many who've scaled it.
"Actually, wait, how many people in Belfast currently rank higher than me?"
"There are roughly one hundred and fifty red-ranked adventurers in Belfast,
Mr. Mochizuki. As for the rank above that, silver, there are only three."
"Only three?"
"The silver ranking is afforded only to the best of the best, Mr. Mochizuki.
They're all heroes in their own right. Though honestly, I doubt any of them
would be participating in this contest."
The receptionist smiled politely as if to reassure me. I wondered why they
wouldn't participate. Was ten platinum coins chump change for heroes like
them?
"The last time we promoted an adventurer to silver was eighteen years ago.
He was over thirty years old at the time, so..."
"Oh, I get it. They're all retired already."
Adventurers typically didn't have long tenures. Unless they were from longliving species like the elves, most adventurers retired in their midthirties and
moved to another profession. Some of them even joined the guild in an official
capacity to help nurture the next generation. Dolan from the Silver Moon and
Barral from the Eight Bears weapon store were retired adventurers, come to
think of it.
"And that's that. Your participation has been registered. Here's your entry
card. Please bring all members of your Brunhild party to the morning meeting.
Next, please!"
There were other adventurers behind me in a line, so I grabbed the entry card
and headed out. Hopefully, there'd be some red-rank adventurers participating,
I didn't like the idea of everyone else targeting my team.
Then again, the Dragonslayer title was rare even among red-ranks...so it was
entirely possible I'd still get harassed. I decided not to think about it, since the
most important thing was to have fun.
With the entry card in hand, I headed back to the girls.
◇ ◇ ◇
It was the day of the contest.
"Wow, this is a pretty big event..."
Belfast's royal capital had a central park and plaza that was used to host big
displays for the public. It was also often used as a recreational ground for the
citizens to relax and enjoy themselves in. Typically, the place was lined with
carts and stalls selling all kinds of food, and merchants would peddle their
wares to passersby. Today, however, there were no merchants or food stalls to
be found.
Even though it was so early, there were a great number of adventuring parties
gathered in the plaza. Some were hazarding guesses as to the nature of the
contest, while others were inspecting their weapons closely.
"Everyone seems so excited, they do," Yae said as she walked around,
admiring the sights around her.
They sure did. Part of the motivation was money, but this was a good chance
for people to put their names out there. If you performed well in this contest,
you could easily get more work. Plus, there was always the possibility of rising
upward in the guild rankings.
"We're kinda drawing some attention, huh?"
"We've got the first Dragonslayer in a long time with us. It's not really that
surprising."
Linze's response to Elze was curt, but true. We had curious eyes trained on us
from all manner of distances. I wasn't really used to this kind of attention, so it
felt kinda weird.
My party was made up of me, Yumina, Elze, Linze, and Yae. I also brought
Kohaku along with us, just because.
"You seem fine with the stares, Yumina."
"I'm used to being gawked at during castle parties and the like. In my case,
I'm actually relieved, as none of them know who I really am."
Yeah, I guess that tracks. A princess would be used to being the center of
attention... Even so, though, it's kinda weird being so blatantly looked at.
Also, it felt like the way they were looking at me was different from the way
they were looking at the girls.
"Tsk. Buddying up with a buncha chicks, huh?"
"What a freakin' playboy. He's rubbin' it in our faces too!"
"Curse you... Curse you... A curse on your family..."
...Oops. Don't think I was supposed to pick up any of that. But hey, I guess it's
not aggression they're sending my way. It's envy. I do get it, though. They're all
totally cute... No, I shouldn't say anything. I feel like if I do, the ambient anger
they feel would only grow.
"Haaah..."
"Something wrong, my liege?"
"Nah, don't worry about it."
I waved away Kohaku's concerns, then suddenly noticed a woman walking up
toward a nearby stage. A guild representative, perhaps? The woman motioned
to clear her throat before conjuring up a small magical circle next to her mouth.
Then, a larger magical circle appeared in the air, aimed toward us. I had no idea
what I was looking at.
"Attention, everyone! I'm about to explain the contest!"
The magic circle in the air reverberated and projected her voice outward.
What the hell is this?!
"My name is Odette! I work with the adventurer's guild! By the way, I'm
speaking to you through a Null spell known as [Speaker]! It's perfectly safe, so
don't be alarmed!"
[Speaker]? A Null spell that amplified sound? Sounded handy. Definitely the
right kind of magic a public-facing official should have, for sure. That said, her
volume and excitement levels were dialed up just a little too much for my liking.
"Now, let's get this show on the road! Our first trial is the scavenger hunt!"
Huh? Scavenging? For what?
"In this portion of the contest, you'll be charged with hunting down specific
magical beasts! We'll determine your target by drawing random lots! It's a
competition that requires you to track and hunt with precision!"
Isn't that more suited for hunters?! Wait, no...I guess this falls into an
adventuring skill set too.
"All the beasts we want you to hunt live in Viyella Forest, which is only about
an hour's walk south from here! Not many of them are dangerous either! It
should be an easy hunt... However! The time limit is two hours, so you won't
make it in time if you just head there and back on foot! Oh, and you're not
allowed to take horses or vehicles either! Now, come on down, party
representatives! Draw your lot and find out which monster you're tasked with
hunting down!"
Once Odette's explanation finished, the adventurers around me roared and
charged toward the ticket booth.
"Lone-horned Wolf! Sweet!"
"Ugh... A Crystal Deer?!"
"W-Wait, aren't crimson bats nocturnal?!"
The contestants fanned out and left the square. Some were happy, while
others seemed disappointed. One thing I noticed was that only one or two
members of each party were actually leaving. That kind of made sense, since
you didn't exactly need a full party to hunt most of these things. I did notice a
handful of full groups that left together, though. They were probably either
lower-ranked adventurers or groups that wanted to split up in order to cover
more ground.
Getting to the forest and finding your prey in a timely manner was key to this
whole operation. In that sense, it seemed like this part of the contest was a test
of endurance and observation, which were two vital skills for any adventurer.
Oh yeah, I gotta draw my lot.
I was the party representative, so I walked over to the box and pulled out a
card with my target's name on it.
"A Saber-toothed Jaguar, huh? That works for me."
As the name suggested, Saber-toothed Jaguars were jaguars with long and
sharp canine teeth. They were large, but they weren't particularly dangerous
animals. The guild regularly asked for their teeth as part of their regular quest
cycle too.
"Which one of us will go, which one?"
"I'll do it. I've been to that forest a few times already."
I opened up a [Gate] to Viyella Forest, rendering my destination but a short
step away.
"Wait, you can do that?!"
"None of the rules said I couldn't use magic. Just no vehicles or horses, right?
Anyway, I'm heading out now."
It wasn't against the rules, so I had no issue making use of my available skills.
The stupefied guild officials could say nothing as they watched me hop through
my portal.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Whoaaaaaa! First one back is Team Brunhild! That's the Dragonslayer's
party, everyone! It's barely even been ten minutes! Talk about a sneaky and
cunning display!"
Gimme a break. You should've specified that I couldn't use my magic!
That reminded me, I'd heard there were a few other people in the world who
could use transfer spells similar to mine. None of them seemed to be in Belfast,
though.
I handed the jaguar fangs to a nearby guild official. They appraised them and
determined that it was indeed from a fresh kill.
"Good work out there, Touya."
"It was hardly work, really."
I couldn't help but let out a sarcastic chuckle upon hearing Yumina's
comment. I felt a little bad, since I hadn't actually used any of my adventuring
skills to secure first place. I'd just used a little bit of my powerful magic... Still, it
was the guild's fault for not banning that magic to begin with.
Close to two hours later, the adventurers finally returned with the fruits of
their hunt. Some of them were sweating and wheezing, while others looked
completely nonchalant. It was in those reactions that you could see the
difference in experience.
"Time's up, everyone! The first part of the contest is officially over!"
A loud fweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep echoed through the plaza as Odette blew her
whistle.
Points were awarded based on the order in which we handed in our spoils.
Obviously, Brunhild came in first, which propelled us straight to the top of the
overall rankings.
"If your party didn't return in time, or didn't participate, you get zero points!
Too bad!"
I heard various groans and grumbles after Odette said that, presumably from
parties whose members hadn't returned yet. I kind of felt bad. But if you
couldn't find your prey, that was too bad for them.
"Get ready for the second trial, folks! Just hold on a few moments!"
I turned to the rest of my party after Odette finished speaking and asked,
"Who's going next?"
"That will depend on the test, it will. But I do not want to go the entire
contest without participating, I do not."
"Touya did the last one, so he can sit the next one out."
"Those staff members are bringing things out... What are they?" Yumina
asked as she pointed over toward two guild workers who were carrying heavylooking boxes over to the meeting grounds, one after the other.
Are those...treasure chests?
They were, in fact, treasure chests. Of various sizes too! And they were all
lined up in a row on the stage.
"Now then, it's time for our second trial! The chestpicking challenge!"
Odette's voice rang out across the nearby area.
...Like lockpicking? We've gotta open those things?
"Adventurers often come across treasure chests in dungeons, ruins, and
bandit strongholds! This trial is all about opening said chests safely and
efficiently! Show us that you've got what it takes!"
That made sense. Sometimes, we came across treasure chests on our
adventures. Some of them were unlocked, while others had locks so rusty that
they barely worked or you could just bash them off. Unfortunately, we hadn't
actually come across many locked chests, so none of us were particularly skilled
at lockpicking.
"By the by, some of our treasure chests are rigged with traps! If you're judged
to have triggered one, you'll be immediately disqualified from this trial and net
your party a whopping zero points! The traps vary in difficulty too! Some are
easy to disarm, while some are extremely difficult! Oh, and some of the chests
are mimics!"
What?! Mimics?! Aren't those dangerous monsters that disguise themselves
as chests and eat adventurers?! Is it really okay to have those things involved in
a guild event?!
"Participation order will be determined by drawing lots. Party
representatives, please make your way over to our boxes. We've also prepared
lockpicking tools in case you don't have your own. If you require anything else,
please let us know!"
One of the nearby guild representatives had set up a desk with various thin
tools atop it. One of them had a little shield attached to it at the base, which I
thought was strange. I had no idea what that was for.
"Some chests are rigged to fire out projectiles like poisoned arrows, either
from secret openings or the keyhole itself. The little shield prevents them from
hitting you," Linze answered as if reading my mind.
That made sense to me. Other common traps included gas, acid coating, or
explosives that would destroy the contents.
"So, uh, who's gonna go? Since it's an official guild event, I doubt anything
deadly's gonna happen..."
I was mildly concerned about those mimics, though. Still, the girls had already
decided I couldn't go up as a representative a second time, so it had to be one
of them.
"It is my turn, it is."
"Huh?"
We all blinked in confusion as the unexpected volunteer raised her voice.
"Must you react that way, must you? I am an adventurer. I know well enough
how to open a treasure chest, I do."
"Oh, no. Of course. Go right ahead."
Yae stood up and walked over to draw her lot. I hadn't expected this. I really
hadn't expected this at all.
"Will she be all right? I don't mean to be rude, but Yae isn't exactly the first
person I would've thought of. She's not exactly the delicate sort."
Yumina had gotten close enough to Yae to say that, but she still sounded a
little harsh. It was true that Yae was kind of clumsy and more of a powerhouse
than someone with a delicate touch, since she didn't exactly care about
finesse... If anything, she was more suited for whatever the opposite of
lockpicking was. But still, she'd volunteered, so I had to assume she had some
sort of plan.
I looked over at the stage and saw that multiple parties had already disarmed
their traps. Each chest they'd opened had a crystal ball inside. Each of those
crystal balls had a number displayed inside them, which was apparently some
kind of countdown timer that froze once the chest was opened. In other words,
the less time it took for a person to open the chest, the higher their score.
"Oh, Touya. Yae's up," Linze said as she pointed over to Yae, who was now on
the stage. The treasure chest she'd chosen sat in front of her. I wondered if
she'd chosen it for any particular reason.
It was at that exact moment that I noticed Yae didn't have any lockpicking
tools on her.
...Wait, how's she gonna open the...? Oh. Oh no.
Yae suddenly brandished the blade that sat at her waist.
She's not gonna do that, is she?!
Yae held her sword aloft and suddenly fell as still as she possibly could.
"Haaaaaah!"
Her sword arced downward with incredible momentum, cutting through the
lock like a knife through butter... However, her gleaming blade didn't stop
there. Yae's excessive force sent her attack sailing through the chest itself,
cleaving the entire thing in half.
"Ah..." Yae mumbled as she suddenly turned her head to face us. The look on
her face said it all. I could do nothing but bury my face in the palms of my
hands.
"I am truly sorry, I am..." Yae muttered quietly. She'd cut the treasure chest
so cleanly in two that the crystal ball inside had been bisected.
"I had planned to stop once I broke the keyhole, I had..."
I knew that much. She clearly only wanted to cut the lock open... I knew it,
and yet...
"Why didn't you slash at the edges of the chest? It would've been fine then."
"Ah... That would have been a great idea, it would!" Yae exclaimed as she
clapped her hands together at Linze's comment. I wasn't so sure she wouldn't
mess that up either, though.
Well, whatever. Not like anyone else in our party could've opened it up the
proper way.
Whenever we found treasure chests in dungeons, I just crammed it into
[Storage] and brought it back to town for a pro to open.
With nothing else to do, we watched the other parties unlock their chests and
gain their points. Our team, Brunhild, scored zero points this time around, so
we fell from our top position pretty rapidly. Though thankfully, we'd scored so
well in the first round that we were still hanging around in the middle of the
leaderboard.
"See? It'll be fine. We've still got plenty of chances to turn things around."
I tried cheering up Yae when suddenly, Odette appeared on the stage to make
her next announcement.
"It's time for the third trial, everyone! Sense or senseless? It's the Adventurer
Quiz! Gain points for correct answers! Easy peasy!"
Sense? So I guess this one's a test of an adventurer's common knowledge?
"However! To answer the questions, you have to find them! We've scattered
the question sheets in sealed letters all over the city. Find them and bring them
back so we can open them! We won't accept any with broken wax seals,
though!"
Odette wiggled a blue envelope that had been clearly sealed with wax. Color
aside, it was easily recognizable as the seal had the guild's crest on it. I
wondered if there was a question inside that one as well.
Apparently, the questions varied in terms of difficulty. Points were awarded
for correct answers, but deducted for wrong answers. You could try answering
different questions until you had five wrong answers or five correct answers. In
other words, you had a maximum of nine questions you could answer.
Assuming you found nine envelopes, of course.
"Magic is prohibited during this trial. If you see an envelope up high, you'll
have to climb! We've got a two-hour time limit too! Let's go!"
Odette signaled the start of the third round, sending the adventurers
scattering off in various directions.
Wow, it's like watching baby spiders spill out of an egg clutch.
"Let's get going. Shall we split up?"
"Sounds wise, yeah. It would be a lot faster."
"Okay. You all go in pairs. I'll take Kohaku."
Yumina went with Yae, while Elze went with Linze. Then, we fanned out
across the city in search of our spoils. I headed west, away from the square in
the southern ward. The east side had a ton of venues for entertainment, which
meant a lot of people. I didn't want to have to sift through crowds in my search.
"Tch... Where to find them...? If only I could use my spells..."
"My liege, look."
Kohaku signaled upward, pointing out a blue envelope stuck to a chimney
jutting out of a house's roof.
Yup. That's a guild envelope all right. They really put one up there? It's easy to
see, but it'll be a pain in the ass actually getting there.
I instinctively moved to cast [Gate], but stopped myself a second into the
incantation.
Whoops! Can't use magic. Forgot it was against the rules.
"What a pain..." I mumbled as I clambered up a nearby fence, hopped onto
the roof, and grabbed the envelope.
Once I returned to the square with it, there were already a bunch of
adventurers with envelopes of their own lined up.
Damn, I'm late.
I took my place in line, and soon enough, it was time for the woman in front
of me to try her luck. She brought her envelope to the guild staffer, who was an
older-looking gentleman.
"Please answer in the designated time frame. This question is only for her, so
none of you in line may try to answer."
The man nodded sternly as he spoke. He had a small ring with an hourglass
set into it, presumably to time the answers. He quickly unsealed the envelope
and cleared his throat before reading out the question.
"Now...answer the following question. What material is most precious on a
Lone-horned Wolf?"
"Uhm...th-the horn?"
"Correct. Congratulations."
The man smiled as the girl's shoulders relaxed. He then drew a little circle on
her question card, made a note of her party name, and set it in a nearby box.
That was a pretty easy one. Hell, even I know that!
The girl happily skipped back to her party, which meant it was my turn next. I
cautiously handed my envelope over to the man.
"Now...answer the following question. What was the weapon of choice
wielded by Buckram the Legendary Dragonslayer?"
"What?!"
Who the hell is Buckram?! What?! Huh?! Weapon of choice? Like a sword or a
spear or something?! I dunno! Uh...
My anxiety spiked as I watched the sand in that hourglass trickle away.
Dammit! I'm gonna run out of time! I need to shoot my shot!
"S-Sword!"
"Bzzt. Wrong answer."
The man drew a cross on my card and dropped it into a nearby box.
"The correct answer was battle-axe. Next."
I dejectedly slinked away from the counter, not wanting to get in the way of
the people behind me.
Dammit... How was I supposed to know that one? I barely know anything
about this world's history... Fine! Another one! I don't have time to waste
anymore!
Kohaku and I rushed back out into town to grab another envelope.
"Answer the following question. What's the price for the full course
treatment at the Blooming Nectar Brothel near the adventurer's guild in town?"
"I don't know!"
I knew I was venting my frustration, but I couldn't help but yell at the young
guild worker in front of me. I was angry because all of my questions so far had
been ridiculously difficult. Well, it wasn't that they were hard. They were just
questions that I had no chance of knowing the answers to.
"How many guild branches exist in the Kingdom of Belfast?"
"Between flamewheel grass, moonbeam grass, and royalspark grass...which is
the most valuable?"
How was I supposed to know either of those? Well...the second one seemed
more reasonable, but still!
Everyone else in my party had long since answered all five of their questions
correctly, so now I was stuck canceling out their hard efforts by getting
everything wrong. If I had more multiple-choice questions, it would've been a
lot better, but I had no such luck. The time limit was almost over, and I was just
about done.
I guess that makes me the least knowledgeable person here? But that's
understandable! I'm from another world! Augh, whatever! Let's do the next
one!
I ran out of the square on the hunt for another envelope.
Envelope... Envelope... Enveloooooope?
Just as I was about to break out into a full-on sprint to find any remaining
envelopes, I caught sight of a white animal running toward me.
"Kohaku?!"
The little tiger cub was making a direct beeline for me, carrying a blue
envelope between two sets of sharp teeth.
"My liege, I found one!"
"Oooh! Nice job, Kohaku!"
Technically, Kohaku was a summoned beast, so I didn't know if that violated
the magic rule or not...but I hadn't actually used the summoning spell during
the quest itself, so it was probably fine. Maybe.
I took the envelope from Kohaku and ran straight back to the square. Once I
got there, I handed the envelope to the guild official, the young man who I'd
yelled at on the last question. This was my last shot. I wanted to avoid
answering five questions wrong in a row... If I could just get one right, I'd
reclaim a little personal pride.
The man pulled the card out from the envelope.
"Oh! It's a bonus card! If you answer correctly, it's worth three points! And it's
such an easy question too!"
Wait, really?! Awesome! Wait, though...if I get it right, won't I still be at -1 for
points? Dammit! Then again, given the current state of things, maybe I should
just count my blessings and cut my losses... Yeah, this is fine. I can get this right
and bring myself back from negative four. I'll reclaim a little dignity!
"Now then, answer the following question. What is the King of Belfast's full
name?"
"Ah..."
My blood ran cold.
The king's name? Uh...? Uhhh... W-Wait, it was uh... Uhhh! I can picture his
face. I know his face! I see him every couple of days! But I always say Your
Majesty or King Belfast! Yumina's full name is Yumina Urnea Belfast, right? So
then, isn't the latter part of his name Urnea Belfast? Wait, no. Urnea is only for
women in their family! For men it's... Urnes! Right! Duke Ortlinde had that in his
surname! Urnes Belfast! So wait, then, what's his given name?!
"I'm sure it's... Tr... Tris...? Triscuit? Trist...blyn? No... Wyn?"
"Speak up, please."
"Trist...wyn Urnes... Belfast?"
"..."
H-Hey. Don't keep me in the dark here! Tell me!
"That's right! Three points!"
Just as the man congratulated me, I heard Odette's shrill whistle ring out over
the [Speaker]. The trial had seemingly come to an end. The man circled my
card, made a note of the party name, and put it in the box. I'd actually gotten
one right...
But man, uh...he's gonna be my father-in-law, so I should've known his name!
I'll have to reflect on that a bit...
In the end, I had negative one point, Yumina and Linze got five each, while
Elze and Yae got three each. That meant we got fifteen in total, which was an
average of three per person. Not bad at all. If only I hadn't reduced the average
so terribly.
Our rank wasn't all that high after the third trial, unfortunately. It was still a
little above the middle of the board, however.
"It was harder than I thought... I guess we've only been adventurers for about
a year, so there's no helping it."
"It's just a reminder of how far we still have to go! We'll keep giving it our
best! There's still time to win the contest back!"
Yumina smiled as if to encourage Elze, who seemed slightly downcast. She
was right. This was a critical point for us to earn our top spot back.
"It's a little past noon, everyone, so we'll take a lunch break! Worry not,
we've prepared food for the lot of you. Send a representative over to pick it
up!"
Oh, they're providing lunch? That's a relief. What a generous guild they are...
Wait, no...they charged us to participate, so this is the least they could do.
We took our meal from the guild and started to eat. The meal itself was a
large bowl of soup that I hadn't bothered to ask anything about. There were a
lot of veggies in there, along with pork-like meat.
"This is quite nice!"
It was a pretty rustic meal, not exactly the kind of thing you'd have in a
restaurant, but I couldn't complain about the taste.
I wonder what kinda meat it is... Probably monster, right?
As I chowed down on a hunk of dubiously sourced yet delicious meat, Odette
began to speak from the stage once more.
"Now, everyone. We all know any good adventurer needs to have a handle on
cookery. That's why we're going to have you cook a meal with randomly
provided tools and ingredients. That's right! The fourth trial is a Creative Cuisine
Cookoff!"
Huh, so that's what's next?
We drew lots and ended up getting assigned ingredients and utensils
randomly based on them. Our team ended up getting a well-balanced
assortment of meat and veggies. As for cooking utensils, we had a saucepan and
a kitchen knife. Certainly a versatile and easy set to work with, that was for
sure. And yet...
"This is bad..."
"Yup."
We used [Gate] to go wherever we wanted, so we went out and did a lot of
day trips. However, due to the convenience of that spell, we ate at home
instead of out on the field while adventuring. And because of my [Storage]
keeping foodstuff fresh and hot, I never cooked. I could just cast a spell to
produce a hot meal any time, any place.
Plus, it wasn't just me who struggled in that department either. Yumina was a
princess, so she had little in the way of practical cooking experience. Yae was
good at eating, but that didn't translate to being good at cooking. Her only
hobby was swordplay. That only left Elze and Linze...
"If it's come to this, I'll have to do it..."
"No! Sister, don't do it!"
Elze rolled up her sleeves and moved to pick up the knife, but Linze suddenly
tackled her out of the way.
Hm? It's rare to see Linze yell.
"It's fine, just let me do it..."
"No, I can handle it! You wash the veggies, okay?"
"Hrm..." Elze grumbled, but followed Linze's lead and began cleaning the
vegetables.
Linze really didn't want Elze to cook for some reason. I couldn't help but lean
in and ask why.
"...Is she that bad a cook?"
"She can cook things, but it's very specific and not for everyone. I don't think
you'd appreciate it very much."
Specific, huh? She has a unique style or something? Guess it's for the best that
she doesn't participate this time, then. For this trial, we're gonna want to have
as broad an appeal as possible.
I didn't want to risk us losing points, since our judge could end up hating
whatever it was Elze was thinking of. It wasn't a worthwhile hill to die on.
Linze began to hurriedly prepare the various ingredients. She used our limited
selection of meat and veggies to create a simple, yet elegant, stir-fry. Then, she
made a veggie soup with the leftovers. I tried a spoonful, and it was pretty darn
nice. It wasn't exactly fine dining, but I couldn't imagine camping adventurers
complaining about it at all.
One by one, the guild staffers came around to try every party's food. They
enjoyed certain meals, while others made them turn various shades of green.
...Sheesh, that bad?
Our food didn't stand out, negatively or positively. We didn't rank very high
compared to most of our competitors. Nobody on our team said anything about
it, though. Linze had tried her best, and it was better than anything any of us
could come up with.
"Now comes the final trial! The most important skill for any budding
adventurer! Crisis prevention! Your ability to assess risk and avoid danger! Can't
adventure if you're dead, right? Survival ranks above all else!"
Oh... That's definitely true. Adventuring is risky work, and if you don't have
good crisis prevention skills, you could definitely die.
"Take a look over here!" Odette exclaimed as she pointed at a large board
that had been brought up onto the stage. There was a map on it. A map of the
capital city we were in, in fact. Though, there was some kind of line drawn out
that weaved through the streets in a loop.
Is it a race? The line goes through a lot of back alleys...
"The final challenge is an obstacle course! The faster you get through it and
loop back, the more points you get! But be warned, traps and other dangers
await you along the way... Should you fall victim to any of them, you'll have
points deducted. And if you go off course, you'll be disqualified!"
So it's an obstacle course... Don't like the sound of there being traps, though. I
wonder what kinds they'll have?
The roads had all been sealed off from the general public, and given how
much of the city we were using, that was no small feat... The guild clearly
wielded more influence than I'd thought.
"Should we take it slow and steady?"
"But if we do that, won't we fall behind everyone else?"
"If you rush, you are more likely to fall into a trap, you are."
"Hmm, this is difficult..."
It'd be bad if we were too slow, but it'd probably be bad if we were too fast as
well. The best course of action was probably to stay in the middle, and move to
overtake when possible.
"By the way, no magic can be used to get past the traps! Specifically, we're
banning teleportation magic and magic that obstructs your competition directly
or causes damage to the town! Other magic is fine, but usage of any of those
types is grounds for immediate disqualification!"
Tch! I bet she added that rule just for me. And here I thought I could've been a
little sneaky too...
"Let's just stick together and move as a group. If anything happens, we'll be
able to help each other."
"You're right. Let's move at a steady pace, while keeping aware of our
surroundings."
Yumina nodded. The course itself wasn't all that long. If we jogged along it,
we'd be at the goal in twenty minutes or less. The only issue was the traps.
The adventurers gathered at the start line. A large number of them had
removed their armor, obviously trying to lighten their loads. We moved back
from the front of the group and nestled ourselves in around the middle. I didn't
want to charge out in front and get taken out immediately.
"Now begins the final trial, the Obstacle Trap Race! Go!"
Odette signaled the start of the race, so we all sped forward. It started on a
straight road, then went down a main street. It was hard to see past the
adventurers in front of us, but I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary...
"Whoa!"
"Bwaaah!"
"W-Wait! Hwaaah?!"
The sudden cries caused a lot of people to stop dead in their tracks. I had no
idea what was going on, so I peeked over and saw about ten adventurers ahead
of us in a muddy pit.
"Dammit! A slick trap! We're covered!"
The pit must have been dug out with Earth magic, while the sides of it had
been reinforced to prevent it from collapsing earlier. The mud was probably at
the bottom to cushion the fall. I was glad my intuition about not charging ahead
recklessly was on the mark.
Everyone who was still clean ran around the pitfall and continued onward. It
was a little cruel to leave them there, but this was a competition. We couldn't
afford mercy.
"We should definitely proceed carefully..."
"I know, but we can't afford to be too slow..."
Just as I was about to reply to Yumina and tell her we needed to speed things
up, a nearby adventurer got his foot caught in a snare trap and screamed as he
got pulled up, hanging by his leg from a tree branch.
"...Let's be careful, yeah."
The adventurer in front of us turned a corner. We turned it as well, only to
find him flat on his back, rolling around in pain.
"Gwabgh?!"
There was some kind of liquid underneath him. Apparently, he'd stepped
right into it and fallen down. I squinted, wondering if it was oil, but quickly
realized it wasn't. It looked more slippery than that.
We avoided the shimmering, slippery liquid and proceeded onward. I wasn't
exactly fond of the idea of traps being right around the corner. If that
adventurer hadn't been there, that could've easily been one of us.
"What?!"
Another adventurer behind us charged around the corner and slipped on the
slime, landing right next to the other guy. Truly a fearsome trap...
We passed the slippery pathway and came to a long stone bridge, only to
witness a massive explosion that sent a group in front of us tumbling into the
river below.
Whaaat?!
"I-It's a minefield?!"
"Don't worry, contestants! It may be loud and powerful, but your safety is
guaranteed! Run on in and relax!"
"How am I supposed to relax when there are explosives under my feet?!"
Odette's disembodied voice did little to settle my nerves. Another adventurer
charged across the bridge, giving me a clear look at the magic circle that formed
beneath his feet before it detonated and sent him flying into the water.
"Ah... It's an explosive sound, and there's smoke...but it's not actually an
[Explosion] spell. It's actually Wind magic that's similar to [Cyclone]. That's
definitely safer. It seems like it's designed to carry the people who trigger it into
the water."
"...Even if it's safer, it doesn't sound fun."
Linze's explanation didn't reassure me very much. Even if it wasn't going to
kill me, I didn't want to step on a magic mine. Plus, falling into the river meant
you went off the course, which equaled instant disqualification!
"Is there a way to tell where the mines are?" I mumbled to myself as I
crouched down and scanned my eyes over the bridge.
...I got nothing. I thought there'd be marks or something, but I don't see a
thing.
"Touya-dono! Look!"
"Hm?"
Yae pointed at another party who'd started moving across the bridge, but this
group was walking along the parapet edges instead of the main bridge itself.
Damn, that's smart!
The parapet was too narrow for more than one person to traverse at a time,
and before I'd even noticed it, a line had started to form at the sides.
"Ugh. We need to line up too!"
No, wait...if we join the line now, won't it be too late? How do we do this?
Wait... No, I get it. All we have to do is not step on the main part of the bridge,
right?
"Rumble forth, Earth! Pulverizing Boulder: [Rock Crash]!"
I cast a bunch of Earth magic atop the bridge, causing a series of basketballsized rocks to fall onto it, detonating a ton of the mines in the process. It was
okay to use because it didn't cause any damage to the town.
A few of the rocks had blown away, but the ones that remained could now be
used as safe stepping-stones to the other side.
Hell yeah! Let's go!
"Amazing. We can cross now!"
"Great work, Touya!"
Elze charged ahead and leapfrogged her way across the bridge, the rest of us
following suit shortly after. The people who were crossing via the parapet were
struggling to keep their balance, but there was no way for them to turn back or
escape.
We kept going as fast as we could, running ahead after coming down from our
stepping-stones. We made it past net traps, gust traps, and even a trap that was
just a bunch of food laid out enticingly for us to eat. Then, before we knew it,
we were in the lead. It was dangerous being this far ahead, but we had to forge
on.
"We will win if we keep this up, we will!"
I nodded over to Yae. We couldn't afford to drop our guard, however. There
could always have been an unexpected twist up ahead, which was usually how
things worked with races like this.
Another bridge stood before us. It was different from the one we'd passed
earlier, but it ran over the same river.
"Is it another minefield?"
"I don't know, but let's not waste any time. We'll cross the same way as
before."
I cast [Rock Crash] again and dropped a bunch of rocks down on the bridge.
Apparently, this was another minefield, as some of the rocks blew up on
impact. The girls went on ahead, hopping from stone to stone. I went last, using
my Brunhild's [Explosion] bullets to blow up the rocks behind me.
Fortunately, I couldn't see anyone behind us, but I didn't want to give them
any chances. Thus, breaking the stones was the rational choice.
"Hm?"
I glanced to the side and saw a little cat walking along the bridge's parapet.
...Uhhh, why's there a cat here? Wait! Hey, kitty! Don't jump down there,
that's a minefield!
"Stop!"
My body instinctively moved to rescue the kitty cat. I jumped from my rock
and caught the cat before it made contact with the bridge. Then, I tossed the
kitten to Yae, who was just a little bit in front of us...but it was too late for me.
The magic circle was already beginning to form at my feet.
"Bwahaaah?!"
"Touya-dono?!"
"Touya?!"
The explosion went off, the wind took me upward, and I tumbled over the
parapet and into the waters below...
◇ ◇ ◇
"And the winner is... Team Silverwind!"
A cheer resounded across the plaza. I sat there, soaking wet, slowly clapping
my hands. My expression was blank.
"Dammit..."
"There is no helping it, there is not."
"I'm sorry, guys. I messed it all up."
"No, it's not your fault Touya."
"It was just bad luck."
A single point. We lost by a single point. I was disqualified, but everyone else
finished, bringing us rocketing up the scoreboard...to second place. If I'd
finished as well, we would've come out on top. If I just hadn't fallen in the river,
even with my point reduction, I could've won it for us. It was so frustrating to
think about.
"At least we got a runner-up prize. No fancy armor, but five platinum coins is
nothing to sniff at!"
Elze grinned and proudly puffed her chest out. I wondered if she was just
trying to console me. The runner-up prize was pretty nice, though. Five
platinum coins was equivalent to five million yen. That was a million for each of
us, no small sum at all.
I nodded quietly as I clutched the money purse close. Spending this would
make me feel better, at least.
"Let's use this money to buy some gifts and souvenirs to help us remember
today!"
"That sounds wise! I shall use my money to buy some wonderful ingredients
for Crea-dono to cook with, I shall!"
...That's not really a souvenir, Yae. Kinda sounds like an excuse to fill your
stomach, if anything... I won't say that out loud, though.
"I think I'll buy some cute clothes for Renne..."
...Elze, do you wanna buy some cute clothes for yourself too? You don't have
to use her as an excuse, you know?
"I'd like to buy some accessories for Lapis and Cecile."
"I'll buy a timepiece for Laim."
Linze and Yumina brought up their own suggestions.
Maybe I should buy our workers some sun hats, or some trinkets...? Wait, no.
I've got a million yen here! I should treat them!
I decided to buy a set of new gardening tools for Julio, and a new set of armor
for our gatekeepers, Tom and Huck.
"Let's get to shopping, then."
I started to walk down the street, only for Yumina and Kohaku to flank my
sides.
"I had a lot of fun today! We should participate in more events like this
sometime!"
"Yeah, we should."
Yumina smiled at me, and I smiled right back. Seeing everyone happy made
me glad we'd decided to do it. It was fun to do this kind of thing once in a while,
so I made a mental note to do it again.
With happy feelings in our hearts, we walked through the streets of the
capital.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Is something on your mind, Touya? You've been smiling like an idiot all
morning..." Elze asked as she suddenly raised a brow from across the breakfast
table.
...Like an idiot? Rude!
"Oh, I just had a dream about when we still lived in Belfast's capital. It was
kind of nostalgic."
"You had a nostalgic dream, you did?"
"Mhm. It was about when we took part in the adventurer's guild contest in
Belfast."
"Ohhh! I remember that! Living in Belfast, gosh... That was so long ago now."
Yumina smiled and clapped her hands together as the memories came back to
her. It was back before I'd even met Lu, Hilde, or Sakura. We'd certainly been
through a lot, before and after that time.
"You took part in one of the guild's adventuring contests? Wow... Did you
win, dad?" Linne asked in a curious tone, confirming that the guild was still
operating contests in the future.
"We didn't win, unfortunately..."
"At the very last stretch, Touya... Well..."
Linze's remark was enough for me, but then Elze had to go and elaborate.
Wait! Don't talk about my failures in front of my kids!
"I want to hear about how it went."
"Indeed. I'd also like to know more."
Lu and Hilde wanted to hear about it. Sakura, Sue, and Leen were all leaning
in curiously...as were my children.
...I shouldn't have mentioned it.
Elze and the others started to tell the story, and I simply carried on eating my
breakfast. Watching them excitedly reminisce and chatter, I couldn't help but
smile.