Evening.
One after another, the participants from the title tournament gathered at my home.
The party was held on the first floor of the mansion with the water motif, located in the northwest part of the state. With the clear blue of the water as the main theme, the lush green of nature, and the dark and light brown tones of the buildings and bridges. It was a place that exuded majestic beauty and harmony.
When one comes here during the daytime, the reflection of the blue sky over the mirror-like surface of the water makes the scenery even more beautiful. But the evening has its own charm with a calming atmosphere. At first glance. it looks like the submerged ruins of a palace. It's more like a castle than a house, to be honest, it's closer to a large building like a hotel.
There were 17 participants in total, as planned. From the Issenza battles were Rothman, Kasakari, Jerez, and Gram. From the Kisenshou were the Mix sisters and Alfredo. From the Eishou one, Muratti, Cesta, Nil, and Alpha. From the Kongou was Rokunchea; and Vogue and Capito from the Reiou title matches.
Chérie and Sherry also joined us. As for Maine, Earl Barel Lumberjack, and Margrave Steam Bitter-Valley, they all send me a large adorned wreath each.
Furthermore, the man who delivered the wreath from Maine also came to join the party. It seems he received permission from Maine to do so.
His name was Klaus. Formerly first prince and commander of the First Knight Order, he was now a slave and attendant to his younger brother Maine. While using polite speech, he emphasized that his participation in tonight's "Triple Crown Celebration Party" was a personal matter, with no diplomatic intentions behind it.
Alright, now all actors have gathered.
Tonight is not just a party. Tonight is a way for me to rally the contestants in preparation for the summer title tournament.
Naturally, all the servants were mobilized, and a great deal of effort was put into the food and drinks served. It's great to have something good to eat and drink while having fun together. Still, speaking of parties, there's one thing that must happen.
"Bingo game!"
I find that little thrill quite exciting.
17 prizes were prepared, to match the number of people.
The first prize was a pair of Mithril Earrings bestowed with "Bishop Exchange". These earrings, when equipped, increase the chance to score a critical hit by 5%. This is a gift because it was a duplicate item made by our great Blacksmith Master and Bestower Yukari, when she was training, in the looping process of "Bestowal, Disassembly, and Manufacturing".
The second and third prizes are to learn how to acquire a skill. The gift itself is me teaching the winner one way to learn a skill they don't know yet.
From the fourth to the sixteenth place, the prize is a memo that describes in detail the characteristics and behavioral patterns of monsters of intermediate-level dungeons. In other words, it's pretty much a guide on how to capture a dungeon and on how to efficiently earn experience points. However, it would pose quite a problem if they suddenly rush into strong monsters and die, so the list I wrote is from monsters on the lower range of the intermediate class. Still, if their experience gain is accelerated by this, I'll consider it to be a great success.
And then the seventeenth. The lowest prize seems to be a hidden gem. It's "advice". This was supposed to be just me telling them something random I've noticed, but according to Silvia, "that's actually the best prize". Sure, the range of what this advice can be might be large, but on one side, it could actually be a jackpot. Turns out, even a loser can be a winner at times.
Oh man, I'm getting really excited about it.
Come one, come all. Cheat, collude, and trick them out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It's a bingo game with no holds barred.
Come on, Let's BINGO――!
＊ ＊ ＊
Quite out of character for some of them, the 17 participants were quite excited.
It all started when they set foot in the Firstest state. No matter how many Title Contenders have been in the past, none of them have been this "stupidly rich". Even the Lumberjack siblings, with their father being an Earl, or even Klaus, who was born and raised in the royal palace, were taken aback by the sheer size of this property.
The level of the servants was also higher than they had imagined. What they lacked in skill, they made up for with their youthful energy, demonstrated in both in the quality and speed they carried. Furthermore, ever since Second achieved the Triple Crown, they had been even more enthusiastic about their job. Each of them conducted themselves with their utmost care so as to not embarrass their prideful identity as servants of the Firstest household, and this showed, from the top of their heads to the tip of their toes.
Many wondered how was it possible for servants hired just a few months ago to demonstrate such great teamwork and clean performance. And such doubts on those who were new to the Firstest household were easy to understand, as they had no way of knowing the extraordinarily high standards of education set by the chief maid, Yukari, nor the spectacular budget spent on it.
But their surprises didn't end there. Both the interior and exterior of the party venue were without a doubt first class, same as with the service and food served. And when the members of the "Es Squad", part of the all-purpose maid corps, started playing instruments, even Second, who was their master, appeared surprised. This appeared to be one of the celebratory surprises prepared by Yukari, and seeing the shocked expression on Second's face, she looked a bit happy.
And then, just as the celebration was about to begin in earnest, the greatest surprise of the night was revealed.
A bingo game. Normally it would be an event where you could win prizes that would me you go "Cool" at best. However, common sense was out of the window this time around.
Upon seeing the list of prizes, the first person to speak up was the big-breasted bespectacled elf, Alpha.
"AH...!"
The first to be revealed was the bottom prize. But she had already received Second's "advice" once, so she knew of how useful it could really be.
"Hohoho, this is–."
"...Uhmm."
And she was not alone in this. Kasakari and Gram also wanted further advice. After all, both of them had also received strong advice.
Aim for last. This was the secret competition these three, who knew that it was actually a jackpot, were going for.
On the other hand, there was a man whose excitement was higher than usual...
"Oh, ohhhhh, OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH! A SKILL!? AND ANY SKILL AT THAT!? THIS HAS TO BE A DREAM!"
It was the sweaty fat guy with glasses, Muratti. The moment he heard he could be taught anything he needed to know about how to learn a skill, his brain began to calculate which skill offered the best value for the prize, obviously counting the chickens before they hatched. He obviously felt so troubled.
Maybe Lightning Attribute magic, or maybe 'Magical Magic'... This was the ultimate choice for him.
"Sherry. Which one do you want?"
"Great-aunt?"
"I'm going to retire soon. So, if I win something you want, I'll give it to you."
"Are you sure? Isn't it too early for you to retire?"
"No, the time is just right. The Eishou tournament is about to enter a new age. And with these old bones of mine, I won't be able to keep up."
Cesta chugged her strong drink, having a distant look in her eyes as she spoke.
Sherry felt a loss for words on how to answer. With the arrival of Second, the common sense of the Eishou battles was about to change completely. And she was well aware of how difficult it would be for someone the age of Cesta to start over from scratch.
This gave her the perfect moment to quit. And to do so while passing something over to the next generation. So, when Sherry realized this, she took a deep breath before opening her mouth.
"...Great-aunt. What I want is information on monsters."
"Oh. Are you sure you don't prefer the method to learn a skill?"
"It's fine, however, Great-aunt. No, Cesta-sama. Would you teach me about the Fifth Form of fire attribute magic?"
Experience points were possible to earn by oneself. And regardless if it was something she wasn't good at, she had just learned the First Form of Fire Attribute magic, so she could just learn the rest from now on. This was her way of declaring her determination to completely bite into this new era that Second was creating.
"So, you'll be my last disciple, huh..."
Cesta muttered to herself, filled with emotion, then slowly nodded while silently taking a sip of her drink with a gentle expression.
And thus, Sherry became Cesta's apprentice. The first woman to become an apprentice in a bingo game, and the first woman to take in an apprentice while in a bingo game.
"――Let's see, it says the first prize is 'Bishop Exchange Mithril Earrings'."
"I see, thank you Capito-kun. You've really helped me."
On another table, an unexpected group had formed. Capito was reading the list of bingo prizes to the blind Alfredo, and if these were the only ones at the table that would've been perfectly normal. The problem lied in the other two members, the Mix sisters.
The girls have been at their wits' end after being abandoned by the Kisenshou titleholder, Ernte, and were brought to this party without knowing why, by their new mentor, Alfredo. An hour had passed since the party started but there were no signs of a conversation even starting between the girls and the two men.
"No, no, it's nothing. By the way, I'm aiming for the second place, but what about you, Alfredo-san?"
"Me? ...The seventeenth one, maybe?"
Alfredo answered Capito's question his eyes closed and a smile on his face while turning towards the Mix sister's direction.
Dee and Jay simply ate their food slowly and quietly, paying no attention to the bingo matter, probably as a small act of defiance.
"Then, if I get the 17th one, would you trade it with me?"
"That sounds good. Then I shall pray for the second or third prize."
"Ahahahaha."
Capito laughed while glancing at the Mix sisters. He was specially selected as a member of this table in anticipation for this particular matter, to work as a facilitator between Alfredo and the Mix sisters. When Second consulted with him previously, he gave an immediate positive reply. As one would expect from this yes-man and calming dog beastman.
And so, he quickly made his move.
"Uhmm, Dee-san, Jay-san. If you're not going to play bingo, can I have your bingo card?"
"...Suit yourself."
"I don't need it either."
"Eh, are you sure!?"
He deliberately exaggerated his reaction.
Understanding Capito's aim, Alfredo followed up after the beastman.
"Dee, Jay. Stop that useless pride and self-abandonment. I'm sure you still don't realize the true value of the prizes. At least hold on to your cards until the end of the bingo game."
"Can you stop trying to act like our teacher? In the end, you were beaten by that man's underling."
"Yeah, and your former master too, wasn't even a match for him. He got beat to a pulp even after he gave a 'two-piece' handicap, wasn't he?"
"...Tch...That is..."
Capito and Alfredo had a firm understanding. The Mix sisters needed time to reflect, to think about themselves. However, if they were left to their own devices, they would never come up with anything. Therefore, they had to encourage them to think at any cost. And as the first step to that, this bingo game was a great opportunity.
"You girls have to become stronger than Ernte. By summer."
"...That's impossible. Teacher, he is strong. Becoming stronger isn't as simple as saying we will do it."
"Think carefully. The man who easily beat up that old man is handing out prizes. He's giving away exactly seventeen of them. Do you understand? If you listened to his speech yesterday you should already know the answer."
"Still, even then, being able to defeat master is..."
Their vulnerability surfaced as soon as the sisters spoke about Ernte. It was easy to imagine the way he had trained them for decades.
Alfredo continued his sincere words, keeping in check his hatred for Ernte to prevent it from showing.
"If only for just half a year. Can you at least believe in me, in him, for only this time? ...Please."
"I'd like to ask you the same. I don't think neither Alfredo-san nor Second-san have said anything wrong."
The two men bowed their heads.
Why is someone who's trying to become their master, regardless of not being recognized as such, bowing his head to them? And why is the Dragon tamer from the Reiou matches also bowing his head when he's completely unrelated? The Mix sisters couldn't understand any of this.
However, there were two facts the two of them could understand. One was that this was the first time they felt this way in their entire lives. And the second was that it made their chests ache. Although it wasn't a bad feeling.
"...Hmph."
Dee grumbled, poking a hole in her bingo card with her index finger.
Jay reluctantly followed along after seeing the behavior of her older sister.
"Thank you."
Alfredo, noticing the sound of the two girls punching a hole in their bingo cards, smiled happily from the bottom of his heart.
With his role being fulfilled, Capito quietly left the table.
The sisters who played the role of the evil guy, and a smiling blind man.
Today, from this moment on, a strange master-student relationship between him and these girls began.
"Hey, Onii-sama. If you win the second or third prize, give it to me."
"Not a chance."
"Why? This much should be fine."
"There are still skills I want to learn. You should try your best on your own."
"...Hmph."
"Ouch! What are you doing!? It hurts, you know!?"
"I hate you, Onii-sama."
"You've always been a spoiled kid, Chérie!"
"What did you say!? Isn't it fine!? After all, you've already met the conditions to enter the title tournament, Onii-sama!"
"What you lack right now is experience! I think it's better if I give you information about the monsters and you give me the second or third prize if you win them!"
"There are also other skills that I want to learn! I'm feeling the limits of just using Summoning Magic alone now!"
"I've also come to learn that swordsmanship alone isn't enough! This is non-negotiable!"
"Ugh...Having siblings at the same table makes them quite noisy..."
Muratti, who was placed at the same table as the Lumberjack siblings, muttered to himself, feeling fed up. He thought it was a good idea to share the table with the siblings who were acquainted with Second, making it easier for him to talk to him, but that decision completely backfired on him. The siblings were extremely noisy. And most people wouldn't know that without the maid Mariposa between them, the brother and sister were always like this.
However, and maybe thanks to that, Muratti regained his composure. After much deliberation, he decided that if he won the second or third prize, he would ask to be taught how to use Magical Magic. And he prayed to God for his win, despite not being really a believer.
"Second or third prize, second or third prize, second or third prize..."
Needless to say, the sight of a large, sweat-soaked man hunched over, with fogged up glasses muttering to himself in an almost fanatic manner was, simply put, gross.
"U-Uwoa..."
"Y-Yeah, that's a bit..."
And before one noticed, the table where Muratti, Chérie, and Jerez were at suddenly became unusually quiet, maybe thanks to the unique enthusiasm of a particular member.
"Wow, quite the lavish feast, wouldn't you agree?"
"You look unusually calm, Rothman. Which one are you after?"
"I'll take the first prize. What about you?"
"Is that so? Then I guess I'll also aim for the first prize."
"Ha, ha, ha, how kind of you."
"Yeah, I am very kind, fufufu."
"......"
This table also had a strange air to it.
The members were quite colorful too. The former Issenza titleholder, Rothman; the former Reiou titleholder, Vogue; and for some reason also Nil Weissroy sat at this table.
Nil was uncomfortably sandwiched between the hero and the fair maiden, a grim expression on his face, as he listened to the pair bicker to each other.
"Ohh, so you're both aiming for the first prize? Then I'll aim for the second and third prize, so if it comes down to it, we can trade it, okay?"
At that point, the current Kongou titleholder, Rokunchea appeared. Up until now he had been with Eko, talking at length about [Shield Arts], but was now finally back at the table.
"Sure, that should be fine, right?"
"Sorry, I'm not the kind of girl who likes exchanging my stuff."
"...You are, huh? Then I suppose I won't be able to trade it to you after I win it."
"Fufu, is that so? A shame you won't be winning it."
Rothman and Vogue were both as stubborn as they came. In the first place, they didn't even want the top prize. They just couldn't leave their strange pride behind and be satisfied with anything less than the best. In reality, they would've preferred the second or third prize. However, they couldn't be honest with themselves. It was kind of the price they paid for having ruled at the top for so many years.
Rokunchea, knowing their feelings, dared to tease them in this manner. Seeing him like this, Nil made a mental note to not go against this man.
"Is there something on my face?"
"...No, it's nothing. I haven't even seen you before in the first place."
"Oh my, how rude of me. In any case, the curry this morning sure was delicious. Shall we go give our thanks to Kasakari later?"
"It was so-so. But I don't see the reason why I should go out of my way to give my thanks."
"Fufufufu, is that so?"
"...Tch."
Nil felt embarrassed because Rokunchea seemed to see through his inner thoughts, so after a single click of his tongue, he turned away and focused on the bingo.
Halfway through, he noticed Alpha's profile, causing his chest to tighten.
「And it's a mistake to think that you can even understand someone without making the effort to convey your own feelings to them.」――Suddenly, Second's words from this morning came back to him.
Nil lost himself in thought, drinking on the strong liquor which he ordered in an 'a little too tall' glass.
"..."
I wonder what is she aiming for...?