When Lilly suddenly regained her consciousness, she found herself being carried on Godhand's back.
'Huh?'
For a moment, she thought she was dreaming due to her drunken state, but that wasn't the case.
Leaning against Godhand's broad back, she was being carefully carried through the city.
'What! What is this? What's going on?'
Lilly was about to exclaim in surprise when,
"Lilly, are you awake?"
Godhand turned to ask. Acting quickly, she closed her eyes and pretended to still be in a drunken sleep.
"Mmm, hiccup, Godhand you fool..."
She mumbled, subtly mixing in her true feelings.
"..."
Noticing Lilly's condition, Godhand adjusted the way he carried her and continued walking slowly forward.
"I'm sorry, Lilly."
An apology escaped Godhand's lips.
Lilly almost snorted. Ah, so he knows he should be sorry?
"Um... it might be awkward to say this, but I'm new to dating... I'm quite inexperienced. After my kingdom was destroyed, I was too busy surviving to even think about love."
"..."
"My squad members are like younger siblings who only follow me, so I'll have to continue looking after them. I might make things hard for you, Lilly."
Lilly's arms, which were wrapped around Godhand's neck, tightened.
Should I choke him? No, hold back, my inner pyromancer... Lilly managed to suppress her urge and exhaled.
"But, um, my feelings for you, Lilly, are genuine. So, I really am..."
"..."
Lilly's ears perked up.
Really? Really what?
"Phew... this isn't it."
Godhand let out a long sigh.
"I thought I was good with words, but why am I so tongue-tied when it comes to love?"
"..."
"I'm glad you're asleep, Lilly. If you were awake, I'd be too embarrassed to even... practice like this."
I am awake, you idiot! I am awake!
Lilly's lips trembled but remained closed. Fine, let's assume I'm asleep! Then spill more of your heart! Shout it out!
"..."
But Godhand, after glancing back at the pretending-to-be-asleep Lilly, simply closed his mouth and continued walking.
Lilly's lodgings were inside an alchemy workshop. The Alchemist's Guild had arranged this for her because of her mobility issues.
Godhand walked right into her living quarters without hesitation.
Oblivious to Lilly's pounding heart, he gently laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
Then, sitting next to the bed, he quietly looked down at the pretending-to-be-asleep Lilly.
"..."
His face gradually drew closer.
Though her eyes were tightly shut, the hyper-aware Lilly felt his breath nearing her.
'What, what? Is he, is he going to kiss me? Is he going to? Whaaat?!'
Just as Lilly was inwardly excited and waiting,
"...Something's stuck here."
Godhand reached out and casually removed something (probably a piece of snack from earlier) stuck in her hair, then stood up.
"Sleep well, Lilly. See you tomorrow."
Leaving the room with a warm smile, he made his way out of Lilly's room.
"Hey!"
Finally, Lilly exploded.
Jumping up from her bed, she stretched out her arms and choked him from behind. Gasping for air, he turned around in shock.
"Li-Lilly? When did you wake up..."
"You are so clueless! Ugh!"
"Gah! Lilly, I can't breathe..."
"You don't deserve oxygen, you love idiot!"
Crash! Bang!
From Lilly's room, the sounds of something rolling violently, his screams, and the grand explosion of a fire spell leaked out.
"..."
"..."
Sitting next to Lilly's room and sipping on their drinks, the master and deputy master of the Alchemist Guild calmly poured more alcohol into their glasses.
"Ah, the spirit of the festival."
"It is a festival, after all."
Boom! Splash!
My pitiful cry eventually faded away.
And so, the first night of the Fall Festival passed like this.
***
The next day. In the barracks.
I arrived here in the morning to watch the martial arts tournament.
"Hmm... is it just me..."
Sweat trickled down my face as I looked at the bustling crowd.
"There seem to be a lot of people..."
There appeared to be more people than what I had seen yesterday in downtown Crossroad. What's going on?
Damien, who had been trailing behind me, let out a yawn before answering.
"Didn't you know, Your Highness? It seems that the Silver Winter Merchant Guild promoted the Crossroad Festival in nearby cities."
"What? Really?"
"Yes. The martial arts tournament starts today, so it looks like people from nearby cities have begun to arrive to spectate."
Ah, so that explains the sudden influx of tourists.
Internally, I sighed at Serenade's incredible efficiency. When did they even manage to do the promotion?
The martial arts tournament was being held in an arena within the barracks. A crowd of early spectators had already gathered around the arena like a cloud.
My seat was prepared in the best viewing area. Long live the power of a Lord.
I made space for Damien to sit beside me and looked around.
"Where are the rest of our party?"
"Junior drank too much yesterday and is resting. Evangeline is participating in the tournament, so she's gone to prepare..."
While we were chatting, a soldier approached us and handed over a sheet of paper. It was the same soldier I had seen at the tournament registration desk yesterday.
"Lord, here is the list of today's tournament participants."
"Ah, thanks."
A quick glance revealed many familiar names. A significant number of my heroic characters had entered the competition.
"Are they all that enticed by the tournament prizes?"
As I muttered, the mercenaries around me nodded in unison.
"A limitless market pass for 5th to 8th place? Can't resist that!"
"Gift vouchers from the Silver Winter Merchant Guild for 3rd and 4th place? It's as good as cash!"
"A full set of custom equipment for 2nd place?! If you can resist that, you're no mercenary!"
"Hmm... but why are you all conveniently skipping over the 1st place prize?"
These guys were only talking about the other prizes. What about the chance to become my knight if you win?
But when the topic of who would come in first place came up, the mercenaries collectively let out a loud "Woooo!" to express their disapproval.
"We don't need any honorable first-place awards!"
"What we want is tangible material rewards!"
"Maybe the finals will be a battle of who forfeits first?"
"Arrgh! These guys!"
I gritted my teeth at the mercenaries' blunt honesty. You bastards! I've memorized your faces! You'll pay for this later!
Just as the chatter continued, the opening match began. Let's see who the competitor for the opening match was...
'Lucas?'
Lucas appeared, standing on one side of the arena. Of all people, why did it have to be you for the opening match?
"...Ah."
Lucas looked uncomfortable when our eyes met, then quietly lowered his head. I scratched my chin, emitting a sound of awkwardness.
Lucas's opponent was one of the N-ranked heroes belonging to our front-line sub-party.
He clenched his fists nervously in front of his chest.
In this unarmed combat tournament, no weapons were allowed. Not only wooden weapons but also magic and skills were entirely sealed by special magic circles.
Purely physical.
Fist against fist was the rule of the duel.
Surrender, ring-out, or two downs would end the game instantly.
Though the event was more for entertainment, priests were standing by just next to the arena for emergencies.
"Contestants, get ready!"
Aider, who had appeared as a referee, called out in a resounding voice. So this is where the director has been hanging out during the festival.
Lucas and his opponent stood at opposite ends of the arena, bowed slightly in a show of courtesy, and Aider's hand swung down as he yelled.
"Begin!"
Whoosh!
Lucas dashed forward, his feet pounding the ground.
Vrooom!
With immense momentum, Lucas lunged his fist forward. The opposing mercenary rolled on the ground in a panic to narrowly dodge it.
Wham!
A gust followed Lucas's missed punch.
It was no joke; a gust of wind had actually rushed out along the trajectory of the punch. It was powerful enough to dishevel the spectators' hair.
I dropped my jaw in awe. Man, if you get hit by that, you'd be in the hospital for weeks!
"I, I surrender! I give up!"
The color drained from the face of the opposing mercenary as he immediately raised both hands above his head to forfeit.
Lucas silently lowered his fist and relaxed his combat stance.
"The winner! Sir Lucas!"
Aider grabbed one of Lucas's arms and raised it high.
Ooooo!
Clap, clap, clap, clap...!
The audience broke into applause in unison.
Though the match ended in a flash, the impact of that punch had so impressed the audience that they seemed content.
"..."
Lucas gave me a slight bow before heading down from the arena.
I nodded my head, arms crossed. I hope you win since you've participated, Lucas.
The tournament progressed quickly. The next match was already being prepared. The next contestant was also a familiar face.
In fact, he might be the most advantaged in this unarmed tournament due to his class as a martial artist.
It was Bandit King Kuilan.
"Kuilan!"
I yelled in disbelief as I saw the huge, red-haired man limbering up and stepping into the arena.
"Why are you participating?"
"Don't you know? Silver Winter's Merchant Guild coupons are as good as cash."
Kuilan loosened his clenched fists, grinning from ear to ear.
"Gonna save up money and reclaim my homeland! Haha! Third and fourth place are all mine!"
Why not aim for first place, man? Go for the gold!
And the opponent that stepped up to face Kuilan was... huh?
A tiny figure draped in a robe—a girl.
'Who is she?'
Confused, I broke into a cold sweat looking at her small stature. She seemed even smaller than Evangeline. Who is this?
Anyone could participate in the martial arts tournament as long as they proved they had a basic level of combat skill. So, this girl must have met at least the minimum criteria.
However, in front of the towering, muscle-bound Kuilan, who stood over 2 meters tall, the tiny and frail girl looked like she didn't stand a chance.
"Hey, kid. How about you forfeit? I don't like hitting children."
"..."
Despite Kuilan's warning, the girl remained silent. Kuilan sighed, taking on a martial arts stance.
"Well, no choice then. I'll go easy on you, but don't cry if it hurts...!"
The match began.
Whoosh—!
With a fearsome momentum, Kuilan charged toward the girl. He seemed intent on ending the match in a single strike.
Unmoving in the face of this, the girl slowly extended her hand and brought her fingers together. Then—
Snap!
She flicked her fingers against Kuilan's charging forehead.
And then—
"What the—?!"
Kuilan was sent flying in the opposite direction. What just happened?
Kuilan's enormous body floated in midair for a moment before crashing down and rolling grotesquely across the ground.
When the tumbling giant finally stopped, the foam at his mouth revealed that he had passed out.
'A one-hit knockout?'
My mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Even accounting for the fact that Kuilan was in 'fragile human' mode, could a mere flick from such a small girl send him flying like this?
Moreover, the use of magic power was restricted in the current arena. Was she able to incapacitate Kuilan with just a finger flick?
Whooosh—
At this unexpected turn of events, the entire audience froze.
The shockwave from her flick lifted the hood from her head.
Beneath the hood, her jet-black hair flowed down like ebony, crowned with a silver tiara. Below that, her pumpkin-colored eyes emitted a mischievous glow.
Eyes with vertically slit pupils, like a reptile's.
Dragon Eyes.
"Heh."
Exposing her sharp, shark-like teeth, a playful smile crept across the girl's lips.
"Aren't foreign festivals quite enjoyable?"