While Yuuya and Merl were enjoying the amusement park.
Orghis was working in his office at the castle. Suddenly, one of the soldiers arrived in a hurry.
"Your Majesty!"
"What's the matter?"
"We have succeeded in capturing one of the believers of the Evil cult!"
"What?"
It was a report that they had captured a member of the Evil cult who was currently marching through the [Great Devil's Nest] in search of Yuuya.
"I understand; I will be there soon."
Orghis put down the papers in his hand and immediately headed for the believer, guided by the soldier.
The believer was in the interrogation room, and upon his arrival, Orghis was immediately escorted into the room.
There sat a man with his hands and feet bound, and the soldiers watched him to ensure he did not do anything strange.
Orghis sat down in front of the man and asked him directly.
"Are you a believer of the Evil cult?"
The man's tone was one of uncertainty, but he answered matter-of-factly, without pressure.
"If so, what would you say?"
"What?"
"What did we do?"
"That's…"
Orghis could not answer the man's question.
The reason was that, although the Evil cult was a dangerous group that worshipped "Evil," they did not harm the people in their surroundings in any particular way.
The idea of worshipping "Evil," the enemy of mankind, was dangerous in itself, but it was not enough to catch them and punish them.
"This country has become quite barbaric, hasn't it?"
"You!"
"Fine."
The man's words immediately prompted one of the soldiers to slash at him, but Orghis restrained him.
"You are right. The members of the Evil cult did not directly cause damage to our country. But it is also true that this country has suffered tremendous damage due to the Evil you worship. That is why we cannot leave your ideology unchecked."
"…You also stand in our way."
The man muttered quietly in response to Orghis' words, his expression disappearing. But he quickly smiled.
"But it's too late, you know? Our plan is already in motion."
"Plan?"
"Yes! We will summon our God by offering Him our divine enemy who has arrogantly defied us!"
"Wha-?"
Orghis and the others widened their eyes at what the man had just said.
If the man's words were true, then "Evil" that is the incarnation of despair would be resurrected.
"Hey, you! What kind of──"
"───"
Just as Orghis was about to ask more questions, he noticed that the man's eyes were wide open, he was smiling, but he was out of breath.
The blood flowing from his mouth indicated that he had bitten off his tongue.
"Damn it! Hey, heal this guy right away!"
He immediately instructed the soldiers around him to cast a recovery spell on the man, but it was already too late, and the man could not be brought back to life.
"Y-Your Majesty… I apologize…"
"…No, it's fine. This time it is entirely my fault. I misjudged the fanaticism of these Evil believers…"
Orghis would have liked to gather more information if he could, but the man's death made that impossible. Nevertheless, there was certainly information to be obtained.
"We will summon our God… don't tell me they really think they can bring 'Evil' back…?"
Orghis, who thought they had finally found peace after Yuuya had defeated the Evil, now had a grim look on his face as he realized that the threat of the Evil was approaching once again.
The mere resurrection of the "Evil" was significant, but the man had something more problematic to say.
"Offering a divine enemy… Does that mean that there is a ritual that summons the 'Evil' by sacrificing the 'Holy'…?"
As might be expected of the king of a magic powerhouse, he immediately recognized the possibility of the existence of such magic, but he did not infer that the subject of the sacrifice might be Yuuya.
"…The king's council has just concluded, but I will send letters to all countries immediately so that they will be a little more vigilant. I hope my fears are unfounded…"
Orghis sighed heavily and quickly returned to his office.
＊＊＊
After enjoying the holiday with Merl at the amusement park, the school practiced for the athletic festival alongside regular classes, and finally, the morning of the big day arrived.
Unfortunately, I could not bring Night and the others, and Ouma-san was sulking as usual, but I asked him to endure it.
I really wanted them to come as my family, but I wouldn't be able to stay with them all the time, and I wouldn't want anything to happen to them. Well, since Night and the others are smart, I don't have to worry about them, though…
So, when I finished my preparations and headed to the school, I found that many TV cameramen were getting ready to shoot, just as Rin had said.
"Well, here we are again this year, the Ousei Academy Athletic Festival! I am Shirase, a member of the broadcasting committee, and I will be your host for this year's event."
After the preparations were finished, everyone gathered on the field, and then, to the surprise of everyone, the broadcast by Shirase-san, a member of the broadcasting committee, began as if it were a live broadcast!
I have never imagined such a loud broadcast at an athletic festival!
"And this time, we've invited our PE teacher, Ohki-sensei, to act as a commentator! Pleased to be working with you, Ohki-sensei."
"I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's performance."
Along with commentary?
Well, well, it's not like they invited someone from outside or anything; I guess it's normal…?
"Now, I'm sure you all know this, but let me briefly explain the rules. Students are divided into red and white groups in this athletic festival and compete in different competitions, and points are awarded according to their rankings. The winners are decided by the total of the points. However! That doesn't mean that people in the same group are your friends! What's more, the points earned by each class determine the budget for the school festival to be held at a later date! Besides, there will be extra prizes for different rankings, so everyone, let's go out there and die trying to win!"
""""Uuuoooooooooooooo!""""
W-what an amazing enthusiasm…!
At Shirase-san's words, all the participants, men and women alike, were filled with a fighting spirit and shouted heroically.
If it's this passionate, the parents must be bewildered…
With that in mind, I turned my gaze to the audience and saw──.
"White team! Don't looooosseeee! I'm betting all my food on you guys!"
"Ara ara, you're such an amateur to bet on the white team, aren't you? Maybe you're not gathering enough information. This year will be the red group, and that fact will not be reversed!"
"I wish I could have participated when I was younger. The second prize every year is just too good to pass up."
"Sure thing. Last year, the extra prizes were amazing, too. I wish I could have spent my school life like that…"
Everyone seems to be accepting it as normal!
Am I the only one surprised here?
Despite my surprise, after the opening ceremony was over, Shirase-san made another announcement.
"The venue seems to be getting more and more excited! Let's move on to the first competition! All contestants, please assemble at the entrance!"
Thus, at last, the curtain rose on the Ousei Academy's athletic festival.
"Now, the bread-eating contest! The bread you will be eating this time is from Yakitate-do! If you'd like to try some freshly baked, delicious bread, please come to Yakitate-do!"
Are you going to advertise here?
M-maybe we are supposed to advertise in exchange for support from companies in this way?
"By the way, there will be a slice of very spicy bread among the breads prepared for you! This will test not only your foot speed but also your luck."
You're adding a gambling element here!
Several boys from my class are going to participate in this race, led by Akira…
"Well, then, let's move on to the introduction of the athletes… First of all, Akira! It's his first appearance after a long time!"
"Just leave it to me! Let this [Bread-Eating Nobleman] set an example for you!"
Akira's spirit of nobility is truly unfathomable.
But is he going to be okay? I have a strange and bad feeling about this…
As I had a mysterious bad feeling, the bread-eating contest finally started.
Akira was originally good at physical exercise itself and got to the bread place faster than anyone else.
"Fuhahahahaha! Behold this magnificent way of eating bread…!"
Akira bites down vigorously on the dangling bread.
And then──.
"S… S-spicyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"
Akira's face turned bright red, and fire erupted from his mouth!
"Oops, Akira! It looks like he got himself into some super spicy breeaaaadddd!"
"W-water! Give me some wateeeeeerrrrrr!"
Akira went straight off the course and rushed off to get a drink of water. In the meantime, the other students would swallow their bread and reach the finish line without any problems.
When Akira returned to the class-waiting tent, his lips were bright red and swollen.
"Fu-fufufu… as expected, I couldn't beat that spiciness…"
"Um… are you okay?"
"My lips still hurt…"
Right… it's swollen up as far as I can see…
As I was treating Akira, the next competition was about to start.
"Well, next up is… the scavenger hunt! After the players start in unison, they are asked to draw a piece of paper from which the contents are hidden. Then, reach the goal with what is written on it in your hand!"
"Kaede! Don't lose!"
"…Fight."
"Rin-chan, Yukine-chan, thank you! I'll do my best!"
It looks like Kaede will be competing in the scavenger hunt, and I'll be cheering her on.
"Kaede! Good luck!"
"Yu-Yuuya? Y-yeah! I'll do my best!"
Kaede was determined and headed to the starting point.