These days, a problem had been bugging me.
"Found you, Savior! I'mma beat the shit out of you and become the strongest hero… gueh?!"
I whacked the man charging at me on the head with the wooden box I was carrying, knocking him unconscious.
Yes, there had been no end to adventurers that challenged me every day with no questions asked like this man.
Well, it was the price of fame, so it couldn't be helped, but there were too many.
"This is already the 30th… Are these children have so much free time…?"
It left even Phinis-sama slightly stunned.
Most likely, one of the reasons was that all the monsters had been purified.
In truth, most adventurers made a living by exterminating monsters.
They also did dungeon exploration for treasures and served as bodyguards, but the most common thing they did was still to complete monster-extermination quests put out in the guild to make a name for themselves.
Since that had become impossible all of a sudden, it was only natural they would find that they had plenty of time on their hands.
But, I wasn't so free as to play along with them.
"Right… Since they have so much stamina, I wish they could use it to help with the restoration…"
Haa… I sighed looking at the adventurer with his eyes rolled back.
Then again, all the adventurers who challenged me were given a week of forced labor as a present.
They attacked me on their own accord and lost, so they had to do at least that much.
"Yes… But if they get in the way, I'll kill them…"
"N-no, there's no need to go that far…"
"Is that so…? Okay…" Phinis-sama nodded calmly, and I patted my chest in relief.
She seemed to have been feeling lonely since all the monsters she thought of as her own children were gone as she often visited me like this and tried to stay by my side whenever possible.
"..."
—Stare~.
Well, the surveillance on us was kind of strict, though.
Or rather, I'll have that adventurer do labor later, so don't throw him that violently… ah…
I slouched my shoulders in disappointment seeing Arca throwing the adventurer into a haystack while glaring at me.
Arca then stomped over to us and said, "Goddess Phinis. I understand you want to stay by Exa's side, but you're clinging to him too much. You're literally being baggage."
"But I'm sad when I'm away from him… After all, unlike you, I'm yet to carry a new life…"
"Guh…" That seemed to be her weak spot as Arca bit her lips vexedly.
After staying that way for a while, she then sighed softly, "Alright, but at least keep it in moderation…" and reluctantly changed the subject, "Anyway, I guess we do have to take some measures against the adventurers. If this continues happening every time you go somewhere, you won't be able to work with peace of mind, and so will the people. There may even be some people who will go as far as to cause a riot just to lure out Exa."
"There may be… I don't mind taking them on, but if there are guys who cause trouble for everyone…"
"Should I kill them, after all…?" Phinis-sama tilted her head indifferently, and I, again, said, "N-no, there's no need to go that far…"
Knowing her, she'd really kill them if I had said yes…
You couldn't joke about such things with her.
"Fumu, I've been thinking about it for a while, but how about we hold a large-scale fighting tournament where they can fight you and announce that 'whoever wins will have any of their wish granted'? Like Leolinea's Martial God Festival."
"I see. That way, we can relieve the people's frustration at once, too, right?"
"Yeah."
Still, the Martial God Festival, huh. How nostalgic.
If I hadn't met Arca there, I'm sure I wouldn't be who I am today.
"Alright. In that case, let's first hold preliminaries in the arena of every city around the world, and then I'll be facing all the adventurers who won. And with the goddesses' help, we can relay the scenes around the world to serve as some sort of deterrent. Like, if something happens, I'll rush over to the scene immediately."
"Right. While you are the Savior, only a few know your true power. It'll indeed be a good opportunity to show off your power to everyone. So you better go as flashy as possible."
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Then, as soon as today's work is over, let's consult with the rest."
"Very well."
And so, we proceeded to hold a meeting to prepare for the tournament, but we didn't know it at the time.
That there would be a 'man' with a fighting spirit that far surpassed anyone else's in the tournament.