Registering for the Tournament

Qi Yan was astonished by how well-informed the king was. What had happened at the city gates had reached the king's ears so quickly. A man who could rule in a place surrounded by magical beasts, develop his kingdom to such prosperity, and even dare to slay a dragon was truly no simple figure.

But Erza quickly calmed down. "Since Your Majesty has already made all the necessary preparations, why issue an SS-Rank quest and commission us?"

The king explained, "The purpose of issuing this commission is simple. The Demon Dragon's sealing site lies deep within the Great Monster Forest. The monsters in its depths have been influenced by the Demon Dragon's power for years, turning them all into terrifyingly powerful creatures. I once sent troops to subdue them, but we suffered severe losses. Unless those monsters are dealt with, reaching the temple is impossible."

"Our job is to clear out those monsters?"

The king nodded. "Yes, but that is not the primary task. Your main duty is to protect the dragon-slaying swordsman—or, more precisely, to protect this sword."

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but since it is a Demon Dragon, wouldn't it be more appropriate to report this to the Magic Council?"

Erza asked in confusion. A Demon Dragon certainly fell under the domain of magic, and anything related to magic was managed by the Magic Council.

At the mention of the Magic Council, the king's expression turned somewhat disdainful. "The Magic Council? I reported it two years ago. Do you know what solution they proposed?"

Qi Yan and Erza both looked at the king curiously.

"They proposed using Etherion."

"Etherion?!"

Erza's expression changed drastically. Etherion was the Magic Council's ultimate weapon. Through the Satellite Magic Array, it could strike any location on the Ishgar Continent with pinpoint accuracy, and its power could even destroy an entire country.

"That's right! Never mind whether Etherion could kill the Demon Dragon—once it was fired, this city could be at risk of annihilation. Even if the city was spared, the Great Monster Forest would certainly be destroyed. It is an important strategic resource for our country. If the Great Monster Forest were destroyed, our nation's economy would suffer a devastating blow!"

Qi Yan considered it and found that it was indeed true. Although this country bordered the dangerous Great Monster Forest, it had also grown stronger through that very danger. If the Magic Council fired Etherion, it would be no different from smashing this country's livelihood. As the king, how could he not take issue with the Magic Council?

"You two, I have truthfully told you everything concerning this mission. What do you think?"

The king looked at Qi Yan and Erza.

Erza looked at Qi Yan. "Qi Yan, what do you think?"

Qi Yan fell into thought. He knew all too well how terrifying dragons were. Even a dying camel was bigger than a horse; even if a dragon was in a weakened state, it was not something ordinary human mages could contend with, because dragons possessed powerful resistance to human magic.

A dragon's body also possessed extraordinary physical resistance. It was naturally impervious to blades and spears.

Without that sword, humanity's chance of victory was less than ten percent. With it, their odds should rise to around thirty percent.

Thirty percent might have sounded low, but it was actually already quite high.

Logically, with less than a fifty percent chance of winning, giving up would have been the safer choice. Yet he could feel his blood boiling and his heart leaping with excitement. Dragon slaying—those two words alone were enough to stir any young man into impulsiveness.

Not to mention the rewards of two ten-pulls displayed on the system panel.

"I think we can give it a try."

"Mm... I think so too. His Majesty definitely will not abandon this plan, and as he said, if the Demon Dragon escaped and recovered its strength, it would surely take revenge on humanity. Countless people would die or be injured then. I cannot just stand by and do nothing."

"Your Majesty, we have discussed it."

"And what is your decision?"

"We have decided to accept this mission."

"Good!"

The king was very pleased to hear Erza's words. Although he still did not know the two of them's strength, anyone capable of accepting an S-Rank commission had to be an extremely powerful mage. That would make the dragon-slaying plan more likely to succeed.

"You may stay in the royal palace for the time being. Tomorrow, the preliminaries for the 'World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament' will be held. If you are interested, you may participate as well. The winner's prize is quite generous. Once a victor has been decided, we will proceed with the Demon Dragon subjugation."

Erza declined. "There is no need to trouble yourself, Your Majesty. We can stay at an inn outside and take the opportunity to experience the local customs of this city."

The king nodded. "That works as well."

Qi Yan and Erza left the royal palace and found an inn nearby.

The three days of travel had left Qi Yan somewhat tired. After checking into the inn, he quickly went to sleep and did not wake until the next morning.

When he woke up, Qi Yan found that Erza was not in the room. She seemed to have gone out shopping. Qi Yan also wanted to take a walk and perhaps buy some local specialties.

The moment he stepped out of the inn, Qi Yan saw the streets and alleys bustling with activity. Everyone was heading in the same direction.

Qi Yan overheard their conversation and remembered that the preliminaries the king had mentioned began today. These people were all going to watch.

Although he had absorbed Yoriichi Tsugikuni's memories, that did not change the fact that he was a complete novice with the sword. Naturally, he would not overestimate himself and make a fool of himself.

Still, he was quite interested in large-scale events like this, so he followed the crowd toward the arena.

After a while, Qi Yan arrived at the entrance to the arena.

Just like the style of this country, the arena gave Qi Yan the impression of being huge—enormous. It was more than twice the size of any football stadium he had seen in his previous life.

"The registration deadline for the preliminaries! Only ten minutes remain! Anyone who has not registered, hurry up and sign up!!"

Qi Yan had barely reached the entrance when he heard someone shouting.

"I heard His Majesty has offered an incredibly generous prize for this competition."

"How much is it?"

"I heard first place gets twenty million J."

"Twenty million J?! That much?!"

"Yeah! That is why swordsmanship experts from all over the country, and even quite a few from abroad, have come to compete!"

"Then the matches this time are sure to be amazing!"

"Of course! I can hardly wait!"

At that moment, at the registration desk.

"Mm... Time is about up. There probably will not be anyone else registering."

Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Wait! I want to register! I want to enter the tournament!!"

"Your name."

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni."