"Winner, Second Firstest! "
The referee voiced the result.
A man looked down with an expression tinged in sadness, a man kneeled down, on the verge of fainting.
This was, no matter how one looked at it, a complete victory by Second Firstest.
Namely. It meant the loss of a great champion who had reigned at the top of the Issenza matches for over twenty years.
Namely. It meant the birth of a new Issenza, one who completed all the matches in less than forty seconds without ever getting wounded since the first match.
...And that meant. The curtain of a new era was opening, so beautiful that it blinded everyone laying their eyes upon it, so overwhelming that it took away their breath.
"――! ! "
Like a dam breaking, energetic cheers echoed all across the arena.
That Rothman, the former Issenza, didn't put up a fight. There was nothing he could do. He was beaten instantly, as if one was twisting a baby's arm.
This was what all spectators were feeling. This was all too unusual. And yet, there were only a few who could understand what had happened, in the truest sense of the word.
There were those who didn't think too deeply about it and simply accepted the facts in front of them, becoming quite excited. They were those who knew of their own powerlessness, and disagreed with the unreasonable scene in front of them. Those who couldn't comprehend what had happened and just tried to escape from reality. Those who sensed a transcendental and almost god-like skill, unable to keep themselves from trembling. Those who fell in love. Those who became captivated. Those who felt shocked. Those who felt afraid.
Various emotions, both positive and negative turned into an unstoppable vortex.
However, everyone surely carved this in their hearts. That was, the name of the man called Second Firstest.
What will happen with this man in the future? What on earth will he show us? Everyone paid careful attention, with crazy high expectations.
Finally, it had come. Second Firstest was finally being recognized by the world.
He had taken the first step towards returning to the position of the number one in the world.
And he did so with quite the noisy step.
However, most of the spectators present didn't know yet――That this man would appear in other Title Matches.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Klaus. What are your thoughts? "
"I can no longer be shocked by it. Your Majesty."
At the spectator seats, right in front of the arena. King Maine Castall spoke to his brother, Klaus.
Right now, he was just a man serving under him, having lost his position as First Prince, the Castall name, and having become Maine's slave.
"I didn't know what was happening. But you know, right Klaus? "
"Yeah. If it's about swordsmanship, and with the exception of those who participate in the Issenza matches, I'm proud that my own skill is among the top in the Kingdom."
Although it was a bit polite, Maine spoke to him from a superior position. And Klaus, on the other hand, bowed his head and responded with respectful words. This was an unthinkable sight just a while ago, but this was now their absolute relationship in the royal palace.
Klaus was barely able to keep his life by becoming Maine's slave. This because of the protection by Maine's biological mother, Freon Castall, and also in consideration for the circumstances which placed him in a not so terrible position.
The restrictions he had as a slave were quite severe. There were over a dozen additional restrictions, such a "absolute obedience" that made it impossible for him to defy any order by his master, and "attack limitations", by which he could never attack specific people. But Klaus accepted them with no problem.
"That's Second-san for you, right?"
"I don't think you can just sum it up like that."
"Is there more to it? "
"Yeah."
Klaus was a bit irked by Maine's comment, which was pretty much the same as not thinking too deeply about what had happened.
Do you know how much skill had that man shown!? If he could utter words like that, he wanted to snap back. It wasn't hard for Klaus to understand this much, since he himself was a first-class swordsman. Yet, it was very frustrating for him not being able to share his excitement with Maine right now. Furthermore, he thought that he wouldn't be able to properly serve King Castall unless he made him understand this.
However, coincidentally, he understood why Maine had made him watch the Issenza match together with him. And that was, so that he could explain the contents of the match. Maine was trying to make up for his ignorance by having Klaus by his side, and learn from him. Without modesty and diligence, an ignorant would remain ignorant. In his mind, Klaus envisioned this as another form of a King.
An opponent that up until now he had been hostile to and evaded. However, now that their distance was forced to shrink, he saw several things in a new light.
"Your Majesty. These are just my thoughts, but I think you are somewhat numbed by it."
"Numbed, you say?"
"That's right. Probably, no, I'm sure of it, it's because you've spent time together with the new Issenza, Second."
"Hmm...To what extend am I numbed then? "
Klaus contemplated Maine's question. I wonder how should I explain it in a way that's easy to understand? He thought.
Although he was manipulated by the Prime Minister and the First Queen, he was skilled enough to become the leader of the First Knight Order at the young age of twenty. Furthermore, his ability was unquestionably first-class.
"I have the skills to win against three of the knights from the First Order."
"Yes. That, I know."
"Let's say I have a hundred matches against Kasakari-dono."
"A hundred matches? If it's you, Klaus, I guess you might win 20 of them."
"Not at all. This I can say with confidence. It would be a hundred losses. If we fight a hundred matches, I will certainly lose all hundred. If we were to fight a thousand, I might have the chance to win one of them."
"...Is to that point, huh?"
At this moment, Maine seemed to have finally understood the whole picture.
"The results of the matches between Kasakari-dono and Rothman-dono. I'm sure you're aware of them, Your Majesty."
"That's right. For the past twenty years, Rothman-san has won the Issenza matches..."
As those words left Maine's mouth, his face started to turn blue.
"And THAT Rothman-dono wasn't able to do anything against it. I would like for Your Majesty to understand exactly what this means."
"...However, at one point it looked like Rothman-san was pushing back a little."
"No way. He let him do that. Second Issenza was the one who made him act like that. If I were in their place, I would've been played with too. Or most likely, he tried to prioritize the audience's entertainment. After all, for him, this wasn't a match at all."
"..."
Maine involuntarily closed him mouth hearing Klaus's comments.
He thought he was a man above the clouds. While standing at sea level, he was beyond the clouds, past that invisible peak. But after finally reaching the top of the clouds, he noticed the distance between them and Second was many times higher than the distance from the sea to the clouds. The top was so hazy that it couldn't be seen.()()
It was unclear if even the inhabitants of this world could comprehend the concept outer space. But if they knew it, they all surely would think this. Let alone beyond the clouds, he was already in space. An inhabitant of the space. The top of the mountain was so big that it already reached the outer space.
"Once again, I've felt shivers. Have you too, Klaus? "
"I'm...simply in awe. If I could, I'd love to learn the ways of the sword from him."
Those were unexpected words. Maine's eyes rounded in surprise...Then, he smiled.
"You've become kinder, Big Brother."
A smile that resembled a lot that of his mother, Freon.
Klaus smiled, turning away in embarrassment, his cheeks feeling a bit hot.
"The position as the First Prince. That pride, that thirst for power, and wanting to become the next King. Thinking back on it, it seems all of that was unnecessary for me."
Thus, Maine. His not so stupid little brother. It seemed he had grown up, wisely, and purely――
＊ ＊ ＊
"It's different from what I thought."
Night. I kept on mumbling.
"What is different? Second New Issenza."
Silvia spoke as if to make fun of me.
Currently, there was a small party titled 『Congratulations on winning the Issenza Title』 being held at the Firstest state. The reason why it's small is that Silvia's Kisenshou Title matches are coming up tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow is my Eishou's Title matches. Apparently, a big production is underway for when all the scheduled matches are completed.
However, regardless of whether this is small or not, a party is a party. In addition to the usual members, we also called over a dozen of the high-ranking servants, such a Cubero and Yve. However, despite me telling them "Let's drink together" when I invited them, they were rushing around and serving us, for some reason. So, in the end, it became a dinner party with the usual members.
"Hear this, Silvia."
"Umu. Let's hear it."
For the past hour or so, I've been feeling a little tipsy, and been complaining like this.
"The Title Matches were about ten times worse than I expected."
"T-Ten times...?"
The participants of the Issenza Matches are originally residents of this world. In other words, [Swordsmanship] should be their way of life. They should be pros in [Swordsmanship]. But what was that? ...That was just—-
"Did it bother you? Did you find it strange? How was it? Did you think at any moment that they were pathetic? Did you feel as if you were watching a mud–throwing contest between amateurs? "
"No, in the past I also used to be an amateur like them, so I didn't care about that."
"I see. So there was that point of view too."
Whenever alcohol came into the picture, Silvia and I became quite talkative, Eko simply fell asleep, and Yukari turned even more silent. Therefore, when evening drinks are on the menu, it's always Silvia and I doing all the talking.
"But now I can understand...If it were the me from before, even looking at today's battles, I wouldn't have grasped what you did, Second-dono."
"Are you serious? You were aspiring to become a knight, right? Didn't you learn Swordsmanship? "
"I did learn a bit, but not enough to understand these fights, just the basics. To put it into perspective, the sword moves of Rothman-dono and Kasakari-dono would've been barely visible. Therefore, I might've seen the Title Matches like everyone else, purely as public amusement."
"Public amusement? Because the level was low? "
"Umu. I feel bad saying it that way, but yes. However, I could feel your Swordsmanship also being for the masses in a sense, Second-dono."
"What do you mean? "
"The way you won was vibrant, and it was interesting. Even an amateur would feel a mysterious exhilaration and they would eventually become addicted to it. That's what I meant when I said it was for the masses. On top of that, there's a depth to analyze for the experts, and it can serve as study material for those who want to become stronger, so there are many ways to enjoy it. I'm certain it was much more interesting than a traditional Title Match."
"Ohh, I see, I see. But Silvia, that was only a matter of course. That's how a Title Match should originally be."
"I see, so that's where you were coming from."
"Yeah. That's the reason why I was disappointed."
"So, you were looking forward to it, but when it was time to open the box, the level didn't meet your expectations. That's, how to say it? ...A bit sad."
"Yeah. At first, I was angry...But right now, I'm just sad."
Suddenly, I noticed the servants who had finished serving us and had nothing else to do, were quietly listening to me and Silvia.
"Hey, what do you think I should do? "
Since I thought it would be boring just listening to us, I asked the servants to add them to our chat.
The first person to react was the butler, Cubero.
"How about raising more disciples, like Silvia and Eko? I think it would be possible to raise the level of the Title Matches by having strong people who grew up raising their skills under Master, participate in the Title Matches."
"Not a bad proposal at all. Something else? "
I ask the others for more ideas aside from Cubero's.
Several people raised their hands, so I asked them in order from one side to the other.
"Having us servants eventually participate in the Title Matches. And when that happens, the standard of the Title Matches will surely rise, and that in turn will give you prestige, Master. So It will be like killing two birds with one stone."
Those were the words of a maid called Champani. I see, it might be a good idea to take the servants as my disciples.
"There might be people who haven't participated in the Title Matches yet but have high combat skills, hiding somewhere around the world, or at least that's what I think. Thus, if Master becomes more active or if you provoke them to a certain degree, those people might come out."
Said a red-haired maid with a side ponytail called Es. I admit that's something quite clever to say. Being active, and provoke them, huh? ...If I was the one in hiding, I would never stay silent.
"I think you are fine just as you are now, Master. When they see your great accomplishments, Master, any strong person wouldn't be able to stay quiet or do nothing, definitely. Won't they come in great swarms for the summer season? "
A tomboyish, red-haired maid with semi-long hair named El, said. She's Es' sister. So, combining both sisters' opinions I guess I'm already doing what I need to do, provoking them to a certain degree. Then, does that mean all I have to do now is wait? They indeed have a point.
"I also agree with El-chan on this. With your overflowing and super-charismatic charm, Second-sama, I believe strong and fierce people will gather from all across the world like insects attracted to honey."
This time it was the muscular onee-san-type man named Lilly, the chief gardener. He sure likes to praise me a lot. However, going down that rabbit hole, some pests are also sure to gather and that's something I don't like.
"I...u..."
"I think it would be a good idea to try and raise the overall level of the people by deliberately disclosing information held by you, Master, such as the acquisition condition for some skills. Is what she said."
The words of Yve, the pure-white maid, were conveyed by her interpreter, Luna.
At that moment, the atmosphere suddenly froze. "Is this girl for real? ", With such feelings, gazes of amazement and shock fell on her.
"—-! ...? "
"Did I, have I said something strange again? Is what she said."
"No, it's anything but strange. I think it makes sense."
"Uuuuuh～! "
"Thank you very much, Master, is what she said. Also, she feels embarrassed."
Yve's face flushed as if red paint had been poured over her, thanks to Luna's unwanted and unneeded comment. Well, it's so easy to tell she's bashful thanks to her white skin that it makes me feel a bit sorry for her. "Ptff", hearing me almost fail to contain my laughter, Yve trembled with tears in her eyes and turned to hit Luna with her arms.
"Well then, are these all the ideas? "
Nobody else raised their hand.
I see, I see. Every one of them was a great idea. After listening to everyone's opinion, I was able to make up my mind to some extent.
In the first place, it was a mistake to expect to solve this matter right now. This is still an issue about "from now on". So to speak, right now it's just after the grand server opening. The world of Mobius Online, from now on, must grow with its inhabitants.
That being the case. And if I don't get excited about it, who's going to do it? There's no need to feel shy, just leave everything to me. I'll turn this into an amazing festival.
"Alright...I'll do everything."
"Second-dono, that's-"
"Master, that's-"
I stood up and loudly declared.
Not a second later, both Silvia and Yukari tried to stop me. It's amazing how these two are in synchrony.
"Why are you trying to stop me? "
"Provoking people is bad. Furthermore, wouldn't that put your dignity in question? "
"Don't just go easily disclosing the requirements for the acquisition of thee skills. Those things should be kept secret."
There's that too, I guess? Well, it's not good to go and overdo things.
"Well then, I'll do everything in moderation."
"Like hell I'll believe you! You say you'll do things in moderation but in the end, things will get out of hand for sure! "
"I can't trust your definition of 'moderation', Master. I think if I tell you to add a pinch of salt to a dish, you'll add a spoonful."
Turns out, even though we've been companions for some time now, they still do not trust me it seems. How sad.
Or rather, it appears Yukari might've already told the servants to not let me cook anything.
"I get it, I do. Then, I will consult with you before doing each one. How does that sound? "
"Well, in that case, I don't mind...But never dare getting me involved. Absolutely not! "
"...It can't be helped, I guess. When you make up your mind it's hard to convince you otherwise, Master, so I will compromise."
Maybe I've been messing around with Silvia regularly lately, she for sure looks to be on guard. Or is she pretending?
On the other hand, Yukari still keeps her cold, poisonous tongue. She's quite different from her night self.
"I can not eat anymore. "
"Eh? "
Did Eko say something?
"What's wrong? "
"...ｚｚｚ."
"You're sleep talking!? That's too much! "
And thus, the congratulatory party for winning the Issenza title was held.
Tomorrow is Silvia's Kisenshou battle.