The bingo game was quite fierce.
As predicted, the second and third place prizes were very popular, and everyone was flocking over to those who had hit the jackpot and won those prizes, trying to exchange them with theirs.
I don't know what kind of tactics they are using to negotiate, but it seems that a very advanced information warfare is being waged. Still, they surely are noisy, probably because of all the alcohol they drank.
"Are you sure you don't want to join them to try and trade yours?"
"Yeah. In these kinds of events, it is the greedy ones who end up losing."
I was quietly drinking some wine with Klaus in a corner.
I should say, as expected of a former prince, he can say some rather profound things without batting an eye.
"It feels kind of weird having you speaking politely to me."
"...I hope you can forgive me for my past transgressions."
"That was awful, indeed..."
"I feel ashamed to agree with that assessment."
It's an extreme transformation. It seems like a lie that time he approached me all high and mighty saying "I'll allow you to join the First Knight Order".
"You don't have to force yourself to shoulder the blame this much."
"Is that so? ...Well, if you say so, Second-sankan, I'll take your word for it."
"Yeah, that's already better. It feels more like you."
I guess it was asking for the impossible to keep him all that polite.
"Please wait. Don't get me wrong. I indeed respect you from the bottom of my heart. It's just that this arrogant way of speaking has been ingrained in me over the years and it's somewhat hard to get rid of."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that. And I suppose it can't be helped, a high position comes with pros and cons."
"It can be helped, huh? Hahaha. But His Majesty, even as a prince, was quite disciplined about himself even from an early age."
"No, I think it was all thanks to you. It was because he had a harsh older brother that your modest younger brother grew up to become such a fine man."
"...It's nice to hear you say that."
He must have some strong regrets about bullying Maine. Klaus had a bitter expression as he took a sip of his drink. Then he opened his mouth to change the topic.
"By the way, Second-sankan. I would really like to learn Swordsmanship from you. Do you have any apprentices at present?"
"For real? A disciple, huh? I'll have to think about it..."
It's quite a sudden request.
"I was deeply impressed by what I saw in the Issenza matches. And I have His Majesty's permission. I would like to learn some of your techniques and hone my skills as a royal guard."
I see how it is.
To be honest, I've never taken an apprentice before, so I don't know if I'll be able to teach him properly. Silvia and Eko were sort of my apprentices even if only for a little while, but even then, they couldn't win the Title in the end.
However, Klaus might be asking me to become his teacher because that doesn't matter to him. At least that's what I can tell from how enthusiastic he's about it.
"Let's see...I'll have to place three conditions though."
"Anything."
"First one. I want all your Swordsmanship skills to reach Grade nine. You can use Magic Swordsmanship, right? Which attributes?"
"Water and Wind Attribute up to the Third Form."
"Then, go around the Reus dungeon using Combine of Water third form. There are only fire attribute monsters there. If you're not confident enough to kill the boss, you can just go around the shallow levels."
"Alright."
"Do you know the conditions to learn Dragon King and Dragon Horse?"
"Yeah, it's been passed down through the royal family."
"That's great. Then let me see you challenge it until it becomes a breeze. But remember to be careful."
The first condition seems to be fine. I don't want to lose sleep over this so please don't die. Also, I hope you don't run your mouth about me giving out advice that's not part of the bingo prizes.
"The second one is, take part in the Issenza title tournament. I don't like you doing this simply for being a royal guard."
"...That is..."
"My techniques are used to reign supreme as the number one in the world, not to protect someone. You can't just sit on the sidelines after learning it. I'll have you stand proudly on the line of fire too."
"Understood. I'll be prepared for it."
He also agreed to the second condition. Then, last but not least.
"Number three. Tell me one embarrassing secret. Then I'll also reveal to you something embarrassing. This will strengthen our relationship as master and disciple."
"Wha–...Uh, an embarrassing… secret?"
"Correct. And it has to be the kind of dirty little secret you can't tell anyone."
"...Ugh."
I can't readily trust Klaus because of what happened in the past. That's the reason I asked him to reveal an embarrassing secret.
Taking into consideration Klaus' character, I think this third condition might be the hardest one.
Still, as a common courtesy, I will also reveal one of my secrets. You can call this part of the bro code, a deal between men. After all, I have this image that the relationship between master and disciple must be first and foremost one of trust.
"...Guh...!"
Klaus was visibly troubled. I guess he wanted to be my apprentice but didn't want to reveal his secret. That I could tell from his anguished expression.
And I know this kind of guy. A half-baked secret is not enough. He was thinking so seriously that I felt like just that was enough to make me trust him, but this is this and that is that. I somehow don't want to hear his secret after seeing him like this, but if we don't reveal one secret then this deal would be off. Still, it's not like I'm doing this to hear his secrets.
"...Okay. Just don't tell this to anyone else."
Some tens of seconds later, Klaus was finally ready. His was the face of a man who steeled himself to enter a gambling den.
"Alright, let's hear it."
"..."
However, the next words didn't come out.
It was most likely not because of him being drunk. As I turned to look at Klaus, I could see his face was turning redder than a tomato.
"I-I..."
He started to mutter with an extremely high-pitched voice.
"...You know, the s-second q-queen F-F-Freon? I—"
"Okay, stop. I won't tell anyone."
It was an outrageous revelation.
...
"I-I've told you my s-secret!"
Seems like he's pushing through by sheer will.
I have no idea what my expression at this moment is like. But looking at Klaus' face, I can tell I must have been quite the shocked one.
"I'll tell you mine."
"Yes."
I'm glad I stopped him. Nobody will really benefit from this...
"...Your younger brother, isn't he way too cute? It makes you question yourself, right?"
"......"
Wow, that's a really shocked expression. I'm sure I looked something like that when he told me his secret. I swear somebody who has been told that a meteorite is coming tomorrow and will wipe out the whole human race might still make a better expression.
"Ha, hahaha, HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Ha, hahaha, HAHAHAHAHA!"
Out of nowhere, both of us laughed.
I suppose we couldn't help but laugh.
It's strange how friendships sometimes just develop out of nowhere.
And thus, like this, a new potential disciple was born.
"Daaaamn! Secooooond! Guaaaaaa!!"
"Whoa."
As the bingo game was over and I started to go around the tables, trouble found me right from the beginning.
"What's wrong with this guy?"
Nil looked kinda rough. Or rather, he was crying.
"It seems like the was rejected again by Alpha-san. Besides, he drank at least three glasses just while I was watching."
Rokunchea explained to me.
So, he's drinking his problems out...
"Listen to this! Is it normal to just be ignored!? All I did was ask her what prize she was aiming for!"
"No, I actually think you being ignored is something that can't be helped..."
"Daaaaaaaamn!"
Although that's supposed to be quite a strong liquor, Nil is chugging it down as if it were water. I guess I have no choice but to let him stay over tonight.
"By the way, what did you guys win? Did you get a good one?"
Leaving the noisy Nil on his own for now, I turned to the other three. Rokunchea, Rothman, and Vogue.
I have high expectations for these three. I'm certain they still have much room to grow. And I'm looking forward to how much they'll prepare for the next season.
"Unfortunately, I was fourth."
"Yeah, I was fifth, quite the shame."
For some reason, the atmosphere feels strained. I wonder if these two don't get along very well.
"They were competing against each other."
Rokunchea came close and whispered to me. I see, so that means these two are being childish. I know, you don't have to say it, I too am a bit of a sore loser. When you reign at the top for a long time you can't afford to lose.
"By the way, I won first."
I could see the glint of the "Bishop Exchange Mithril Earrings" on Rokunchea's ears.
"Ohh! Nice!"
"Yeah. And I've also understood what you meant the other day, Second-sankan.
"I see, then I'm glad you got the first prize."
"I think these two also understood."
Rokunchea saw me off to another table with a "thank you".
There's only one thing I wanted to convey to the person who won the Bishop Exchange Mithril Earrings. The importance of "Performance Enhancement"and "Bestowal Magic" on equipment, in other words, the need for a Blacksmith Master.
These earrings have actually been strengthened to 3 out of 3 stages. Although it's just a bonus, the increase in stats is not negligible. Furthermore, 'Bishop Exchange' is usually just present in items dropped from monsters. However, mithril earrings are not a drop item. To put it differently, this proves that there is a way to artificially add the desired effect. If it were possible to bestow Bishop Exchange to every piece of gear equipped, the increased critical strike rate would be extraordinary.
I'm quite glad it was Rokunchea the one who won the first prize. By his words, he most likely is already aware of the " Bestowal – Disassembly – Manufacturing" loop. And that it costs a lot of money. But him being the first human to win the Kongou title must also come with some hefty amount of money. I'm sure this will end up with something good.
In addition, it seems that Rothman and Vogue also understood the truth of their prize. It's easy to level the 4th to 16th class range. Just hunt monsters safely and efficiently, and earn experience points, that's it. Don't limit yourself to the monsters I taught you. I want you to investigate yourselves, and while ensuring your safety, realize the importance of hunting monsters every day. You must work hard at it since you guys have been skipping it up until now. You must do it. You still haven't experienced the fun of it. There's still a long way for you to go, Mobius.
"I've been waiting for you, Second-shi! Come, the magical magic! Teach me the magical magic!"
"Close! Way too close! Get away from me, you creep!"
I was caught off guard. After losing myself in thought it seems I arrived at the next table and was almost kissed by Muratti by how close he got to me.
"Huh, wait. Did you win the second or third prize?"
"EXACTLY! I struggled to death, but I managed to get the second prize."
"I see. Then, I'll teach you later. See ya."
"Huh? Aren't you being a bit too cold? ...But that's also cool!"
His excitement was just too much for me to keep up with. Come to think of it, Muratti has always been at full throttle when he's talking to me. I really can't tell if he's someone who's easy to talk to or someone's who's difficult to talk to.
"Ohh, there you are. It's been since this morning."
"It's been a while, Second."
Turning my back to Muratti, I saw the Lumberjack siblings, the fact that these two aren't making a fuss means they most likely didn't win the third prize.
"Hey, Jerez, that was some nice curry. Thanks for your cheering, Chérie, I heard you loud and clear. Judging by your expressions, did you get a miss?"
"Oh, not at all, well I guess you could call it a miss when compared to the other prizes, but this in of itself is really a hit. Right?"
"I guess so. It's such a great prize that would be unthinkable in a normal scenario. Makes me feel like all my efforts have been for nothing..."
"I think those efforts and hard work will be more crucial starting now...Well, it doesn't matter. More than anything I'm happy that you like it. And above all else, please do your best to earn experience points."
"Leave it to me. I'll catch up to you by next season's Issenza tournament."
"Hmph! I think it will prove impossible for you, Onii-sama, with you wandering around all year round. But don't worry, I will beat Second in the Reiou matches. Just wait and see!"
"Hahaha, what are you saying when you're not even qualified to participate yet?"
"You too, Onii-sama, don't get all high and mighty, you got defeated in an instant anyways!"
"What did you say!?"
...The two siblings started quarreling again, so I quickly slipped away.
At the next table were Sherry, her great-aunt Cesta, and Alpha.
"Ohho, there you are lady killer."
"Oh, thank you, my fair lady."
"Ahahaha! Would you look at that? Did you hear it Sherry, Alpha? I'm a fair lady!"
"...You should stop, that was just blatant flattery."
"Eh, ah, that, yes. I think so too."
This table was also noisy. Alpha seemed to be getting along quite well with them.
"Did everyone get a miss?"
"Uhmm, that is..."
When I asked, Alpha raised her hand cautiously.
"I got the third prize."
Seriously?
"...Ha, hahaha!"
"E-ehehe...?"
I laughed unintentionally. This girl was the one who I wanted to get a "hit" the most out of all of them.
Alpha also laughed happily alongside me. As usual, I couldn't really tell her expression behind her hair and glasses, but I could tell by her gestures.
"Say, why don't you become my disciple?"
"――!!"
When I said so, her curled-up body straightened up in a startle.
"A-Are you serious...? But I'm just...?"
"I'm as serious as I can be. You may have not realized it yourself, but you have an incredibly good sense."
In addition to mastering the hit-and-run tactics by First Form in just two days, she also immediately applied the "laying-down casting" that I showed to her during our match. The latter one was particularly noteworthy. It made me notice her innate talent, and her strength of spirit at critical moments. In terms of battle sense alone, she might be the best among all contestants.()
"If you want, I can take you as my apprentice."
"...I'll, have to ask my house."
"Leave your house out for just a minute. What is it that you want?"
"!"
Of course, Nil is to blame for Alpha getting into that sort of situation with him, but I still think her lack of initiative is also a contributing factor. Either that or the influence her house has on her is just too strong.
I don't know what kind of educational policy the Promenade household has, but if Alpha wants to become my disciple and they try to get in the way, I'm prepared to take strong measures.
I waited for her response while thinking of something else, then moments later Alpha broke the silence as if she made up her mind.
"I, want...want you to teach me."
"Then, when the talks are done, come to my house."
"Yes!"
And just like this, a new disciple was born following Klaus.
With Sherry's rude comments barely reaching my ears, "It's the breasts, I knew it", I turned my back and moved to the next table.
"Welcome, new Issenza-dono."
"It's been a while, Second-sankan."
"Helloooo...Second-saaaan..."
I was greeted by two completely drunk men and a totally smashed young man. Kasakari, Gram, and Capito.
"Kasakari. We all went to the Karai curry shop this morning. It was pretty good. Thanks for letting us know about it."
"Yeah, yeah. I already heard from Capito-dono. I'm glad that you liked it. Now, in return, let me show you the dance of my hometown."
"You don't have to. I don't particularly want to see it."
I tried to stop him, but Kasakari started wiggling and dancing without a care in the world. Seriously, that's why drunk people are...
"You switched from your longsword, Gram."
"Yeah, someone pointed that out to me."
"Ohh. I wonder who that someone is? I hope he's a decent person."
"An amazing man. He won an unprecedented triple crown on his first appearance."
"Wow, that's amazing. I wonder who that is?"
"Hahahaha, sorry about then. I want to apologize for the trouble I caused you."
"It's fine, rather, I should be the one thanking you. That was helpful to the growth of Silvia and Eko."
"They've grown splendidly. I doubt I can win against them in a one versus one anymore."
"This is just the beginning. There's still a long way to go for you, as well as me and those girls."
"I'm sure."
I had one drink and then left the table. It seems all three of them got a miss from the bingo game.
I asked Cubero to take care of Capito, who was lying flat on the table. I wouldn't really stand it if he threw up in the hall. Hopefully, he'll drink a detox potion or at least empty the contents of his stomach in a proper place so he can feel better soon.
Well then, the last table is...
"We've been waiting for you, Second-sankan."
As I approached, a man greeted me before I could speak without even turning his eyes towards me. He was Alfredo, the blind archer. Most likely due to his blindness, his other senses have become sharper. He probably sensed me by the sound of my footsteps, the vibration of the ground, or the flow of the air.
"Hey, yeah, sorry I'm late."
"..."
"..."
As I returned my greeting, I looked at Alfredo, towards the Mix sisters.
The expression on their faces was quite distinct. The older sister, Dee was frightened and stiff, while the younger one, Jay showed visible hostility.
I suppose the dogeza incident is still fresh in their minds. Well, it's only natural.
"Well then, who won the seventeenth prize?"
I knew it was someone from this group, so I decided to go ahead and ask.
Alfredo then opened his mouth, a bitter smile on his face.
"That would be me. But I have one request."
"Go ahead."
"Second-sankan, since you'll be taking care of 'that' matter anyways, I feel like I'm already getting enough out of this. Therefore, could you please give the advice to these two girls?"
Alfredo pleaded with his head bowed.
"These two, huh...?"
I see. By 'that' matter he must be talking about the [Healing Magic]to cure his blindness, right? I already promised him that I'd go to the Sacred Country of Kamel to investigate that. So, if he were to receive my 'advice' on top of that, it's easy to see why he would feel like getting too much out of this.
That said, it would still be unfair for the sisters if he were to trade his bingo prize with only one of them. Alfredo should've picked up the girls that Ernte abandoned and became their master. And that's not something he can do as their teacher. That's why he kept the seventeenth prize card to himself in hopes that I could give my advice to both the girls.
Quite cunning, I must say. But it's not something I dislike.
"Alright. You three come to my house at a later date."
"...You have my thanks. I can't begin to express my gratitude."
"It's fine, I tell you."
Alfredo probably bowed his head to me because he thought it would be more effective for the Mix sisters to receive the advice directly from me than for me to teach him first. Originally, he participated in the Kisenshou matches in order to take revenge on Ernte and save the Mix sisters. Just how could they not respect him when he went that far for their sake?
"Ohh, right, about 'that' matter."
Just as I was leaving, I whispered to Alfredo.
"Due to some circumstances, my departure might be delayed a bit. Unless something unexpected happens."
"I understand. I wish you good luck."
Muratti seems to be ready to barge in tomorrow as soon as it's socially acceptable, or even sooner. I think I'll leave for the Sacred Country of Kamel after that mess is taken care of.
...Well then.
"I'm back."
"Welcome. What's wrong? Are you tired?"
"So so. Or rather, aren't you the tired one?"
"Umu, so so."
After circling around, I came back to my table, which was located at the front of the venue. Silvia, who greeted me with a smile, looked just as tired as I was. She, just like me, had just returned from doing the same round of greetings. She was meeting with some distinguished people, so she probably felt that weight on her shoulders.
"I'm baaackー!"
Just then, another one returned. More merry and energetic, I must add.
Eko was carrying a plate full of food. She then sat down and began munching on it with a truly happy expression.
"Must be nice being as energetic as you, Eko."
The 17-year-old girl muttered something that sounded like from an old lady.
"Master. Here you go."
"Thank you."
Yukari brought me and Silvia some food. The plates placed in front of me were filled with all my favorite food. If there were more 'energy giving' foods that would be a sign of what's to come later tonight. But to be honest, I'm glad that's not the case this evening.
...Slowly, I'm back to my usual mood.
I can't lie to myself. I really like this scenery.
It must be one compatible with being the number one in the world. One must not abandon their daily lives to challenge the world but rather takes their daily lives in as they challenge the top spot.
There aren't any enemies. However, it's still a long way to the top.
To those days at the summit.
"It'll become busy."
"Umu, it will indeed."
"Nmmfhー"
"Eko. Don't talk while you're eating."
Gotta keep training.
This Second, which was an alt character. Three companions. The servants, disciples, contestants. And all the people in this world.
Seriously, it will become busy.
But such busy and enjoyable daily life. It's the first time I've had it.