"What an amazing crowd…"
After Lexia-san and Luna took us around the city and enjoyed various things, we came to the arena where the match would be held. It seemed that a fighting tournament was being held before the main event, the grand match, and we decided to watch it.
However, as soon as the tournament was over, we entered the arena through the back entrance instead of the regular entrance to immediately prepare for the main event.
When the arena attendant saw Lexia-san, he led us to a room. It was a room with a massive wooden door, and the decorations were quite luxurious, but I wondered who was inside.
"His Majesty is waiting for you here."
"Eh?"
"Very well."
To my surprise, it seemed that the king of Regal was in the room, and I panicked at the sudden meeting with the king.
"W-wait a minute! I'm not wearing any formal attire…!"
"Don't worry! Yuuya-sama is already a noble even if he's not wearing anything!"
"That doesn't sound like a reason, does it?"
What does it mean to be noble even if I'm not wearing anything? It's not just me, but there's also Yuti, Night, and the others along with me.
Luna opened her mouth in a dumbfounded manner, perhaps sensing my concern.
"Well, I guess everything will be fine. If I may say so, Yuuya was caught up in their convenience. I don't think he's going to get upset over something like this."
"I-is that so?"
"Suggestion. If he gets mad at you, just leave."
"That would be even worse!"
What should I do? I'm so nervous…!
As I panicked, the attendant who had shown us in knocked on the door, and I heard a voice from inside saying that we were allowed to enter. The attendant opened the door, and Lexia-san walked proudly inside.
I also hurriedly entered the room while bowing to the attendant who was opening the door for me. Inside the room, there were two cool middle-aged men who looked like foreign actors and a woman in a dress about our age waiting for us.
All of us entered the room, but Owen-san and the other soldiers seemed to be waiting outside the room and didn't come in. Well, I suppose since we're going to meet the king of another country, they must look intimidating or have some other reason I don't understand. Still, Luna was there, so Lexia-san's escort was in place.
Then, a man in exceptionally luxurious clothes welcomes us with open arms.
"Oh, Lexia-dono! Nice to see you again."
"Yes, it seems that Orghis-sama has not changed at all…"
While I was completely deflated by the room's atmosphere, Lexia-san and a person who looked like the King of Regal (?) started the conversation with a smile. However, although the conversation seemed to be friendly, I felt a sense of dread.
Luna, as Lexia-san's bodyguard, was standing in the rear, and Night was quiet as usual. Akatsuki and Ouma-san were the only ones who looked bored and were sighing.
Yuti looked around curiously as if this room was something unusual, and I was the only one who seemed to be nervous about the situation. Oh, that's strange. Is it weird that I'm this nervous?
I was frozen in place, but I suddenly felt a gaze on me, and when I turned my head in that direction, I saw the woman in a dress staring blankly at me.
"U-um… is there something wrong?"
"Huh? N-no, it's nothing!"
"I-I see…"
My mind almost went blank thinking I had done something wrong, but apparently I had not. If so, why was she watching me? …Ah, it's probably because she doesn't know who I am, it seems that might be the reason.
When I was convinced that way, the man who was conversing with Lexia-san turned his attention to me.
"Speaking of which… is that gentleman? It seems he has a lot of companions with him…"
"Yes, that's right. This is my fiancée, Yuuya-sama!"
"Eh? Fiancée?"
It was true that she had asked me to marry her, but I refused before. Luna then opened her mouth with a dumbfounded look.
"…Lexia. Don't annoy Yuuya too much."
"That's fine! You win when you say it!"
"That's just a pity."
I'm sorry, Lexia-san. I think Luna is right, too…
I bowed my head and introduced myself to the man who was stunned by Lexia-san's words.
"I'm Yuuya Tenjou."
"Introduction. I'm Yuti."
After me, Yuti said briefly. I went on to introduce Night and the others as well.
"These are my family members, Night, Akatsuki, and Ouma-san."
"Woof!"
"Fugo!"
"Hmph…"
Night barked interestingly, but Akatsuki waved one of his paws indifferently. Ouma-san didn't even move from his prone position. Before I could rush to warn Ouma-san and Akatsuki, the man opened his mouth in surprise.
"T-this is… the first time I've seen a dragon that speaks human language… I've heard the rumors, but I never thought you really tamed the Ancient Dragon."
"Eh?"
When the man said the word "Ancient Dragon," I couldn't help but tilt my head───.
"──What are you saying?"
"───."
The next moment, a tremendous amount of intimidation took over the room. It was pressure that came from Ouma-san and was directed at the man in front of me.
Nevertheless, all the glass in the room was broken, and the walls even cracked. T-the pressure alone can affect the surroundings to this extent…
However, for the man who seemed to be the king, the other man, and the woman in the dress who were directly being subjected to the pressure, their faces were white beyond blue, and they were shaking.
"I will ask you again. What do you call me just now?"
"Ah, that's…"
I froze in surprise, not expecting such a sudden release of pressure, but I hurriedly called out to Ouma-san.
"O-Ouma-san, stop! You can't do that!"
"Yuuya, why are you stopping me? They've lumped me in with the likes of those Ancient Dragon. How can I allow them to insult me like that?"
"No, I don't know what this Ancient Dragon is anyway…"
"No way! You have to know at least that!"
Ouma-san opened his eyes and stared at me as if he couldn't believe what I was saying. At that point, the pressure that had dominated the room earlier disappeared, and the people who had been liberated by the pressure fell to their knees on the ground, panting desperately for breath.
"Oh, sorry, I am so sorry!"
I hurriedly approached them, lending them my shoulder and asking them to sit on the chairs in the room. Then, apparently dissatisfied with my words, Ouma-san started to complain.
"Hey, Yuya. Why are you apologizing?"
"I don't know what was so unpleasant for you, Ouma-san, but if you felt insulted, then it must be the truth that it was so unpleasant for you. But the pressure Ouma-san applied was too much for a normal person to endure, you know? Besides, everyone is meeting Ouma-san for the first time today, so it's natural that they don't know about you. That's why I'm apologizing to everyone for not being able to stop Ouma-san."
"Ugugu…"
Ouma groaned at my words and lay down again, looking dejected.
However…
"…I'm sorry then."
Yes, he uttered a single word of apology. The man, who seemed to have finally caught his breath, opened his mouth with a tense look on his face.
"M-me too… I am very sorry… it seems that the story about the Genesis Dragon is true…"
"Yes. I'm not the same as those small fries. You should be aware of that."
"Eh, an Ancient Dragon is considered a small fry…"
The other man muttered in a shaky voice.
I'm not sure, but it seems that for Ouma-san, the Ancient Dragon is weak, but for humans, it's a tremendous existence. Well, dragons can't be considered weak; on the contrary, Ouma-san is too strong.
As I was thinking about this, a woman in a dress opened her mouth with her eyes wide open.
"B-but the legendary dragon was supposed to have been defeated by the Sage in the legend…"
"Layla!"
The man hurriedly chastised her for her stupefied speech.
Did she say Sage just now?
When I was surprised by the woman's words, Ouma-san averted his gaze awkwardly.
"…I was just in the middle of a youthful rage when he beat me up and stopped me. From that point on, I stayed quiet, and that's probably why everyone is talking about me being defeated."
It is true that when I met Ouma-san, he said something like that. The other men were stunned by Ouma-san's explanation, but then a man in gorgeous clothes laughed out loud.
"Hahahahahaha! I didn't know that! I see. It seems that the Sage in the legend was an extraordinary person, wasn't he?"
"Hmph… that's right. I don't think there will be a better person than him. Or maybe───."
"Hmm?"
For some reason, Ouma-san turned his gaze to me when he was about to say that much. What is it? Then he just laughed at me and said nothing. What is it, really?
Then the man in the gorgeous clothes cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Now, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I am Orghis, the King of Regal. The man over here is the Prime Minister, Royle. And this is my daughter, Layla."
"Ah, hello…"
I involuntarily gave the two of them an elegant bow and bailed them out. It's not good. I'm not sure I have enough manners or class!
"No, however… Yuuya-dono does not seem to be from around here from the sound of his name, but… Yuuya-dono is quite a man, isn't he?"
"I-is that so?"
"No, no, you have a legendary dragon with you. If this isn't outstanding, who would you call it?"
"Haha…"
Is that really the case? It's not that Ouma-san wanted to be tamed by me; it's just that I happened to tame him…
Thinking about that, the King of the Regal Kingdom… Orghis-sama, gave me a sharp look.
"If this is the case, there is no need to worry when the Evil attacks, right?"
"Eh? No, um… I don't think that Ouma-san is going to help us fight the Evil…"
"Huh?
Hearing my words, not only Orghis-sama but also Royle-san and Layla-sama froze. On the other hand, Lexia-san and the others are also surprised.
"W-what does that mean? In other words, the legendary dragon… Ouma-sama, is not going to lend us a hand?"
"Um…"
While Orghis-sama flinched with a menacing look from Ouma-san, Ouma-san then snickered and opened his mouth.
"Hmph. Humans are so daring. I'm not interested in the Holy or the Evil. You can deal with it on your own."
"That's what he said…"
"No way…"
Orghis-sama muttered regretfully from the bottom of his heart and sat down helplessly.
Although I understand how he feels, it is also true that it has nothing to do with Ouma-san. Although it seems that if he wanted to, he could destroy both the Holy and the Evil, but it's not that he himself is being attacked. And from his point of view, he's probably not interested in the existence of humans themselves.
If that's the case, the concern about the conflict between the Holy and the Evil is completely for the humans' convenience, and it would be strange to involve Ouma-san in it. Well, to be honest, I'd be happy if he could help us, but if he doesn't want to, I can't force him.
When Orghis-sama and the others were in a darker mood than expected, Lexia-san finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"You've been talking like this is a fairy tale for a while now, but what do you mean when you say the Evil is going to attack?"
"…I see. We have heard about it from the Sword Saint, so we know about it to some extent, but… Lexia-dono and the others still don't know about it."
Orghis-sama said so quietly.
"The world is in a crisis right now. I also thought it was only in fairy tales, but the existence of Evil is threatening the world now…"
"Evil?"
"Yes. Have you ever heard of the Holy and the Evil?"
"Yes, well…"
"I've heard it in legends, too. I have heard that the Evil, which is a collection of the negative aspects of humanity, and the Holy, which protects humanity from the Evil, have been fighting for a long time…"
"You're right. And they are not just fairy tales; they are actual stories."
"No way…"
"And from what I've heard from the Sword Saint, it seems that the Evil is on the move again and is trying to attack us, humans."
"Affirmative. It's true."
"Yes, it is. I woke up because I was hungry and also because the smell of the Holy and Evil was too intense."
Not only did Yuti say that, but Ouma-san also confirmed that and Lexia-san and the others had no choice but to believe it.
Then, while Yuti said with great confidence, Orghis-sama tilted his head in wonder.
"Um… Yuti, was it? You said it quite confidently; what is your basis?"
"Foolish question. I'm a disciple of the Bow Saint. So I know."
"What?"
"Ah, I'm also a disciple of the Kicking Saint."
"""Eeeeeehhhh!?"""
When I told them that, Orghis-sama and Royle-san, and Layla-sama raised their voices in surprise.
"N-not only you have a legendary dragon with you, but you're also a disciple of the Holy…?"
"W-what an extraordinary person…"
"….."
While everyone was staring at me, Lexia-san, for some reason, was the only one who seemed to be proud.
"That's right! Yuuya-sama is amazing!"
"No, why are you so proud?"
"Because I'm his wife!"
"No, you're not!"
She's been promoted herself from my fiancée to my wife! I could only be amazed at how flexible Lexia-san was.
"I see… If he's this good, it's no wonder that Yuuya-dono is as powerful as Sword Saint-dono."
"Right?"
"But, the Sword Saint is also a monster, you know? …Well, Yuuya-dono is a disciple of the Kicking Saint, and I think I don't need to tell you how powerful the Holy is…"
"Hahaha…"
Master Usagi is powerful! That's because I can't fight properly without using the power of Evil, which I've recently been able to handle a bit.
Well, if I use the power of Evil, Master Usagi's status as a Holy will be forced to be released and doubled. But the fact that Evil's power can be used to fight even such a Holy means that Evil's power is that powerful as well.
Recalling Kuro, who has been sleeping more often since the Fist Saint's attack, I once again recognized the danger of Evil.
"Well, okay. I would have liked to talk about such difficult topics, but today is our country's national festival. Let's forget about that and just enjoy today."
"Y-yes."
"Oh, yes. We have a good view of the upcoming tournament. Would you like to watch it from here?"
"Yes, let's do that."
Lexia-san nodded to Orghis-sama's suggestion, and we decided to watch from this special seat. This room is located high up in the arena and overlooks the entire arena, so you can clearly see the battle.
Then, Lexia-san pulled my arm.
"Yuuya-sama, let's watch together!"
"Eh? Ah, yes."
I sat down next to Lexia-san while she pulled my arm, and on the opposite side of Lexia-san, Layla-sama, the princess of the Regal Kingdom, sat down.
"Yuuya-sama. May I sit next to you as well?"
"Eh? Yes, it's fine…"
I looked around, but the seat in this special room was still empty. On the contrary, there is a seat available next to the king of this country, Orghis-sama, but is it okay for Layla-sama to watch with us?
Ah, rather, because her country is hosting this kind of event that it is necessary to entertain the princess of other countries such as Lexia-san?
"Mumu…"
As Layla-sama's actions convinced me, I suddenly heard such a groan from Lexia-san next to me.
"Hmm? What's wrong, Lexia-san?"
"…No, nothing."
"Huh…?"
It doesn't feel any different, but I think it's better not to touch…
In contrast to Lexia-san, Layla-sama smiled and put her hand on my hand.
"La-Layla-sama!?"
"Ara, you don't have to call me with an honorific. Please feel free just to call me Layla."
"N-no, that's just…"
"T-that's right! Why on earth did you hold his hand in the middle of all this? Yuuya-sama is my fiancée!"
"Um, that's a bit of a misstatement…"
Lexia-san said that in panic at Layla-sama's behavior, but Layla-sama only smiled leisurely.
"But Yuuya-sama said it's not like that. Isn't it just a misunderstanding on Lexia-sama's part?"
"N-no, I'm not mistaken! It's true! It's true! In my mind!"
"I'm not saying it's true, but…"
"A-anyway! Please don't interfere with Yuuya-sama and me!"
In response to Lexia-san's words, Layla-sama's smile turned bitter.
"Since I'm the royal family of the Regal Kingdom, where magic research is very active, I think I can give Yuuya-sama a more detailed explanation of the magic that will be used in the upcoming tournament than anyone else, isn't it?"
"Umm, that's…"
Lexia-san closed her mouth involuntarily at Layla-sama's words.
Certainly, I've heard that the Regal Kingdom is a magic powerhouse, and as a royal family member of the Regal Kingdom, Layla-sama would be able to explain to me what magic I don't know.
I don't have any problem using magic thanks to Sage-san's magic circuits and magic theory, but I don't know anything about other commonly known magic. I'd appreciate it if she would explain it to me.
"So, may I take your word for it?"
"Yes, of course."
"Mugugu…!"
When I asked Layla-sama again, she smiled, and Lexia-san had a regretful expression on her face. Um… I'm sorry about that. I was just curious about the magic…
As I inwardly apologized for Lexia-san's situation, I remembered something.
"That reminds me, where is the Sword Saint?"
I heard that the match is going to be held after this tournament, and I asked about the Sword Saint, who will be my opponent. Orghis-sama, who was sitting some distance away, smiled.
"Oh, Sword Saint-dono is waiting in the guest room until the match. Before the match begins, Yuuya-dono and Sword Saint-dono will be summoned by the officials, so please follow them."
"Understood."
"Umu. ──let's start now."
Orghis-sama said, slowly stood up and stood in a position where all the audience could see him. Then, something that looked like a microphone was placed in front of Orghis-sama. Then he opened his mouth to the microphone.
At that moment, Orghis-sama's voice echoed throughout the arena, and all the excited spectators fell silent to listen to his words. I don't know what the principle is, but it must be a magic tool with the same purpose as a microphone.
As I wondered what kind of magic was being used, I couldn't help but notice that Orghis-sama's opening speech was over, and the crowd was getting excited. I'm sorry… I didn't listen to you properly…
When I moved my gaze to the arena while feeling sorry for myself, I saw that the first match was about to take place, and a strong man and a slender man in robes appeared in the arena.
Did they look like two opposites, a magician and a warrior perhaps?
When the battle began, the strong man charged the robed man with his huge sword, swinging it as he looked. However, the man in robes kept his distance from the attack, chanted something, and pointed his palm at the strong man.
Then, a fireball shot out from his palm, aiming at the strong man.
I hadn't had many opportunities to see other people use magic, so it was refreshing to see someone else shoot magic.
"That's a fireball, a fire attribute magic. If you're a regular magician, you'll need two more chants to cast a spell of that power, but that magician seems to be skilled enough to shorten it."
"H-hou…"
Layla-sama explained it to me, but I couldn't really understand how amazing it was.
Of course, the monsters in the Great Devil's Nest use magic, but they don't chant like that. And, as it was written in Sage-san's book, people generally shoot magic while chanting.
If I'm following Layla-sama's explanation, it seems like it takes a bit longer chanting to release the magic of that power, but with the knowledge of Sage-san, I couldn't say for sure.
Moreover, when I looked closely, I saw that the man in the robe was only using fire, so there seemed to be a binding attribute as well. According to Sage-san's book, chanting was unnecessary, and attributes were irrelevant, but what's essential was imagination, so I guess this Sage-san's way of thinking differed from other people's.
As I watched the fight with a fresh mind, the warrior man eventually won by cornering the magician man and pushing him away. I've been training with Yuti a lot lately, so I'm slowly gaining experience fighting against others. However, it's still not enough, so watching others fight like this is a great learning experience.
It's not something that can be applied to all battles in the arena's limited space, but it's still a valuable experience. As the matches progressed, the level of the competition increased as the winners fought each other.
The final match was swordsman against swordsman, and it was a fierce sword fight. I watched the fight closely and concentrated on trying to make the moves as my own. In the past, it was not easy to watch and learn the moves of those who were stronger than a certain level or to steal their techniques.
But now, for some reason, I was confident that I could perfectly master the moves of the swordsmen and magicians who were engaged in fierce battles in the tournament in front of me. What is it? This feeling…
As I was puzzled by the sensation that I had never felt before, the match finally came to an end. Then there was a knock on the door of the room, and an official walked in.
"Excuse me. I'm here to invite the opponent of Sword Saint-sama…"