Martial arts tournament

1　Festival preparations

Construction of the new village was going smoothly.

What was not going smoothly, on the other hand, was the Festival Organizing Committee.

"In any case, picking one place's festival and copying it outright should be our best option."

"Nobody would enjoy a jumble of different festivals, would they?"

That was the conclusion the Festival Organizing Committee reached after lengthy discussions that occasionally erupted into outright brawls.

So everyone wrote down the names of festivals from various places and made them into lots to draw.

We should have used this method sooner.

I seemed to waste my efforts like this quite often.

"A martial arts tournament?"

That was what the lot I drew said.

Did a martial arts tournament even count as a festival? Who wrote this? Actually, how did I end up drawing this one? Shouldn't we draw again?

My feelings were complicated, but the lots were made from expensive paper. That was to emphasize our determination to settle everything with a single draw. Nobody was allowed to complain, whatever we drew.

And so, the festival's theme was decided.

A martial arts tournament.

Once the whole village knew we would be holding a martial arts tournament, I felt a distinct change in the atmosphere. No, it really had transformed completely.

More people were practicing martial arts outdoors, and everyone seemed full of energy.

At the same time, Lu, Tia, and Flora were using healing magic more often.

Frau and the Civil Servant Girls gathered early each morning and started doing something like jogging.

Several of the lizardmen went into the forest to help with the hunting.

By my estimate, Gran Maria and the others were flying twenty percent faster than before.

As for the dwarves, they began training their bodies by carrying barrels filled with water.

So far, so good. Everything above was within acceptable limits.

However...

"I'd like to go home for a little training."

When Hakuren said that, I immediately stopped her.

You want to compete too? I did not have the courage to ask, so I simply pushed the job of referee onto her.

She seemed quite dissatisfied, but since I knew nothing about martial arts, I persuaded her by saying, "Having someone strong referee would be a huge help to me." Only then did she agree.

The next problem to crop up was...

"I'm going home for a little training."

Rasuti said exactly the same thing as Hakuren. She must have intended to compete too.

I had already put Hakuren in charge of refereeing, so what was I going to do about Rasuti...? I had no idea.

I could not think of anything good, but there was no rule saying I could not appoint two referees.

"I want to fight too."

That did not work.

Come on, think. Find a way.

...That's it!

"Rasuti, have you ever fought Hakuren?"

"Of course. Though I've never won."

"In your dragon forms?"

"Yes."

"Then have you ever tried competing in human form?"

"I don't think so?"

"I see. Then I'd like you and Hakuren to hold an exhibition match in human form. You wouldn't mind either, would you, Hakuren?"

"An exhibition match?"

"Yes, to let everyone watch and learn how to fight. After all, you're both experts qualified to take part in an exhibition match. There's no need for you to bother with weaker opponents in the regular competition."

I egged them on with the word "experts."

"An expert... I'm fine with it! Though I wonder if Rasuti has any objections~"

"An expert... I can do that too. If my opponent is Big Sister Hakuren, she'll certainly be able to take my attacks."

Thank you both.

"Excellent. Then I'll leave the exhibition match to you two, Rasuti and Hakuren. Oh, and please make sure to handle the refereeing too."

"Fiiine."

"Understood."

Very good. I struck a victory pose in my mind, savoring the accomplishment of successfully resolving a difficult problem.

Now, next...

"It's been so long since I beat you up, my arms are complaining."

"It certainly has been a while. I hope your fighting skills haven't deteriorated."

Lu and Tia had already begun their preliminary bout with words.

There was nothing wrong with being fired up for the tournament, but I wished they would not argue while holding Alfred and Tiselle.

I needed to warn them so they would not actually come to blows before the tournament.

We decided to divide the tournament into three divisions: general, warrior, and knight.

The general division was, as the name suggested, for ordinary people. It was for those whose strengths did not lie in combat, such as Frau, the Civil Servant Girls, and the Beastmen.

The warrior division was for warriors. Not quite combat or war, but it was for people who went hunting in the forest. Its main participants were High Elves, members of the Oni Race, lizardmen, dwarves, and Mountain Elves.

The knight division was a rank above the warrior division. Only those selected through my authority as village chief were eligible to enter.

The participants were Lu, Tia, Gran Maria, Kuudel, Corone, Ria of the High Elves, Ann of the Oni Race, Daga of the lizardmen, and Bulga and Stifano of the Demon Race.

I did not actually know how strong the Demon Race pair were, but anyone responsible for looking after Dragons should have considerable fighting ability. Between recommendations from others and the pair volunteering themselves, I placed them in this division.

There were two more entrants in the knight division.

One was Uno, who had distinguished himself in the unofficial competition Kuro and the others held on their own. Since many of the female wolves were pregnant at this time of year, apparently only males had competed. Did that mean Uno was the strongest male? Had even Kuro lost to him? Or had Kuro never intended to participate in the first place?

The other was a spider about half the size of a tatami mat, selected from among Zabuton's children.

The spider had grown that huge, but apparently was one of the brave ones who had infiltrated the Lamias' Southern Dungeon.

Having no name would make things awkward during the matches, so I took this opportunity to give the spider one.

"You look rounder than Zabuton... Let's call you Pillow."

I had absolutely no talent for naming. I knew that myself. Still, since Pillow was happy, that was fine, right?

The referees were Hakuren and Rasuti.

Flora seemed to be the only one who had voluntarily declared she would not compete.

"Are you sure you don't mind sitting this out?"

"Someone needs to concentrate on healing magic, or we'll be in trouble if there's an emergency."

"...Sorry about that."

"I'll make up for it another time. More importantly, aren't you competing, village chief?"

"If I compete, nobody will dare go all out."

"Ahahaha, that's certainly true."

As village chief, I needed to devote all my efforts to organizing the tournament.

And as for those efforts of mine...

They were currently going toward clearing the forest south of the residential area. I was going to build the tournament grounds here.

Originally, I had planned to hold it within the residential area, but everyone's enthusiasm frightened me a little, so I changed the location at the last minute.

The arena was a square stage twenty meters on each side. It stood about fifty centimeters above the surrounding ground, and I had to adjust the stage floor as I tilled it so that it would be packed neither too hard nor too soft.

If possible, I wanted everyone to avoid getting hurt.

To account for the possibility of someone falling off the stage, I made the ground around it extremely soft.

I designated one side of the stage as the competitors' waiting area and surrounded the other three sides with spectator seating. The spectators could have sat directly on the ground, but then those farther away would have had their view blocked by the people in front.

Also, the tournament was expected to take all day, so we needed to provide meals. To make eating easier for everyone, I thought the spectator seats ought to have some design to them, so I did some extra construction.

Making chairs one by one would have taken too much work, so I cut a few corners here. I laid down large logs and shaved the bark off the top, turning them straight into benches. The farther from the stage, the larger the logs I chose, creating tiered spectator seating.

Of course, I did not forget to leave room for aisles between the benches. It looked quite respectable. Yes, the venue was complete.

All that remained was to build a cooking area a little farther away. Of course, we needed a dining area too.

Hmm, cutting logs into round slices to make simple tables and chairs should be acceptable to everyone.

Oh, I could not neglect the toilets either. I needed to build as many as possible. Long waits for the toilet would be a problem. Naturally, I could not forget to put slimes in them.

After all that work, before I knew it, a fairly sizable venue had come into being.

Now, at last, the festival was about to begin.

There were things I had not planned for.

Doraim, Doraim's wife, Death, and Raimeiren all came to watch. They gave off the air of parents looking forward to their daughters' recital.

Beezel and Yuri brought a handsome, middle-aged man I did not recognize to watch. They were probably here to cheer for Frau and the Civil Servant Girls.

Lu's grandfather, the Progenitor, had appeared in the spectator seats at some point. He was chatting amiably with Death and that unfamiliar, handsome middle-aged man. Those

people must have all known each other.

At a glance, the handsome middle-aged man seemed slightly less imposing than the other two.

Six Lamias also came from the Southern Dungeon, hoping to compete in the tournament. They entered the warrior and knight divisions, and I accepted them.

Guraru and three others from Good Forest Village also came to participate, having apparently asked Doraim to bring them here at some point.

I had heard they had once been frightened by a dragon, but now they were quite used to them.

...Well, after seeing dragons transport crops so many times, they ought to have gotten used to them.

Everyone from Good Forest Village wanted to enter the warrior division, and I accepted them.

Since I had not asked anyone to keep the tournament a secret, word might have leaked out through our various channels of communication.

Should I have kept it secret in the first place? No, a festival ought to be lively.

Though many unexpected visitors had arrived, the festival opened as scheduled.

2　Martial arts tournament: general division

While the tournament was being held, the entire village was on holiday.

Even so, some work could not be avoided.

Kuro's descendants and Zabuton's children worked together to guard the whole village.

It would spoil the fun if monsters attacked halfway through the festival. I thanked them and brought them their favorite foods.

We also needed people to prepare food for the tournament participants.

As for my own needs, I needed someone to help look after Alfred and Tiselle.

There were also guests such as Death and the Progenitor present, and I did not know whether they would compete. Though it was hard on the Civil Servant Girls and the Oni Race maids, I hoped they could shoulder a little more.

Of course, I needed to do my best too.

Whether that meant helping run the tournament, helping prepare food, or entertaining guests.

"Village chief, allow me to introduce my father."

Yuri immediately introduced the unfamiliar, handsome middle-aged man to me. If he was Yuri's father, did that not make him...

"The Demon King?"

"Indeed. I am the Demon King of the Galgard Demon Kingdom. Hwahahahahahahahahaha!"

Oh, he certainly had the presence of a Demon King.

"Father, please stop putting on airs."

"I'm Yuri's dad. Pleased to meet you."

"Ah, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you too."

The Demon King's abrupt change in manner startled me a little. Only through our subsequent conversation did I confirm once more that he was the Demon King.

Talking to him felt no different from talking to an ordinary father.

Judging that my exchange of pleasantries with the Demon King was nearly over, the Progenitor came over to greet me.

"Ah, village chief. Sorry for dropping in so suddenly."

"Not at all."

"I've always loved festivals. I intend to enjoy myself today."

During our subsequent chat, I found that the Progenitor was gently hinting that he hoped Lu and I would have another child.

Death came over after the Progenitor.

"I hope Hakuren hasn't been causing you trouble."

"Hahaha, she's been behaving as she always does."

Hearing my answer, Death smiled, seemingly satisfied.

The guests had all brought edible gifts. Mr. Michael had also written a letter expressing his regret that he could not come to watch, and sent some seafood along with it as a congratulatory gift.

Gifts brought to festivals were generally food. I needed to remember that.

Then, while thanking everyone for their kindness, I grappled with these unfamiliar ingredients.

"Village chief, cooking is important, but if the matches don't start soon, the spectators might riot."

Oops, oops. I got too absorbed in cooking.

"Now, the first Big Tree Village Martial Arts Tournament is officially underway!"

At my declaration of the opening, everyone responded with a tremendous cheer.

The vibrations from that wave of sound startled me a little.

"Now, let the general division matches begin."

Gran Maria was the announcer for the general division. Some people had suggested I host it, but I had politely declined.

After all, I had the important task of helping prepare the food. Yet no sooner had I thought that than I was led to a special spectator area near the stage and seated there.

When I had first thought Death and the others might come, I had needed to turn part of the spectator seating into something like a VIP area. One of the Civil Servant Girls had suggested adding this seat then. So it had been intended as the village chief's seat.

As village chief, that meant I had to watch the entire competition from here.

For some reason, the Progenitor and Madam Doraim had taken over my job of helping with the food. Watching them deftly peel potatoes and carrots made me feel terribly bad.

I decided to stop thinking so much and concentrate on the general division's matches.

In the general division, matchups were basically decided by drawing lots, and contestants generally would not compete in consecutive matches.

As for the rules, making your opponent meet a losing condition counted as a victory.

There were several losing conditions.

Having your headband removed or cut, voluntarily surrendering, failing to get up within ten seconds of being knocked down, touching the ground outside the stage and being disqualified for going out of bounds, or being judged unable to continue fighting by the referee. Those were the five.

So I guessed the main ways to win would be to take your opponent's headband or somehow force them off the stage.

Originally, the rules the others had come up with only allowed for making your opponent unable to fight or surrender voluntarily. I thought that was too savage, so I added more conditions to make the matches less intense.

Also, the main restriction was that contestants could bring no more than two weapons. Their opponents had to inspect them before the match, and wrapping them in cloth to reduce the damage they caused was mandatory.

Armor was unrestricted, and magic could be used freely.

Also, this was a festival, not a fight to the death. Anyone who killed an opponent would be immediately disqualified and receive an additional severe punishment.

I did not explain exactly what that severe punishment would entail.

I did not think anyone in the village would do such a thing, but if a contestant learned the punishment, decided they could endure it, and killed recklessly, that would be a problem.

By my common sense, no one should strike hard enough to kill their opponent... but in the heat of a match, accidents could still happen through overexcitement or bloodlust.

I absolutely could not let my guard down on that point.

I hoped the referee would serve her intended purpose, too.

After Hakuren, the referee, stepped onto the stage, Gran Maria announced the two contestants for the first match.

The first match was between a Beastman girl and one of the Civil Servant Girls.

Both normally wore skirts, but today they had changed into trousers. I had suggested that clothing.

The Beastman girl held a sword slightly shorter than an ordinary short sword in each hand, while the civil servant girl carried an ordinary sword and shield.

"Begin!"

At Hakuren's shout, the fight began onstage, and the villagers and visitors gathered around grew excited.

Everyone could cheer however they liked, but I had forbidden insulting opponents beforehand, so all I heard were cheers of encouragement for the contestants they supported.

The match ended in the blink of an eye.

First, the Beastman girl lowered her center of gravity and charged. Just as the civil servant girl prepared to defend with her shield, the Beastman girl suddenly rolled diagonally forward to her right.

The civil servant girl held her sword in her right hand, so that roll took her opponent into a blind spot at her side, away from her attack range. However, while the sword in her right hand was farther away, the shield in her left was right in front of her.

As I wondered how the fight would develop, the Beastman girl reached a foot toward the civil servant girl's legs beneath her shield, trying to hook one and trip her.

She hooked the civil servant girl's leg, throwing her somewhat off balance, but did not bring her down.

Instead, the civil servant girl slammed her shield into the Beastman girl's outstretched foot, landing a direct hit. Dragging her injured foot, the Beastman girl rolled diagonally forward to her right again. Apparently, she intended to stick to staying away from the sword.

Seeing that, the civil servant girl turned sharply to her right and swung her sword straight at the rolling Beastman girl. I supposed that was what they called seizing the initiative.

The Beastman girl refused to give in and swung both short swords.

An instant later, a headband flew into the air.

Apparently, because the Beastman girl had still been rolling, her body and head had been low enough for the civil servant girl's sword to knock her headband off.

Both of the Beastman girl's short swords also struck the civil servant girl's side, but with the cloth around the weapons reducing the damage, her opponent did not fall.

"The match is decided! Stop fighting!"

Hakuren ended the match and declared the civil servant girl, who had knocked off her opponent's headband, the winner.

Cheers immediately filled the venue.

"That last move was very decisive. Even if it was only for an instant, she still exposed her back to her opponent."

Gran Maria explained the fight and pointed out what both contestants should watch out for in the future.

Yes, this job really was not for me.

I had my own job to do.

The victorious civil servant girl came over to me.

I praised her and presented her with the single Reward Medal awarded to the winner.

The civil servant girl accepted the Reward Medal with a broad smile, then suddenly doubled over in pain. Flora hurried to cast healing magic on her.

As it turned out, earlier,

the two short swords striking her side had still done considerable damage.

Uh, if it hurt, she should not have endured it. She should have gotten treatment before coming to collect her prize.

The general division proceeded smoothly like that.

Fortunately, no contestants suffered serious injuries.

As for those with minor injuries... I would leave that unsaid.

Chapter 3: Martial Arts Tournament - Warrior Division

The most exciting match in the general division was probably Frau's fight against Sena of the Beastmen.

Most matches in this division ended in under a minute, but their fight lasted around five minutes.

Frau used a one-handed sword and magic, while Sena actually entered barehanded.

Throughout the match, Sena kept trying to use throws against her opponent, while Frau tried to remove Sena's headband without getting caught.

In the end, the two became entangled and both fell off the stage, ending in a double loss.

A double loss earned no Reward Medals, but since it had been an excellent match, I still praised them verbally.

Still, to think Sena was a grappler... I had never noticed before.

Also, Beezel, Yuri, and the Demon King cheered enthusiastically from the spectator seats.

"What a shame."

"She was so close."

"Beezel's daughter is quite capable, isn't she? Yet that young Beastman girl managed to hold her own to that extent... Hmm..."

Once the general division ended, the warrior division began immediately.

In this division, the winner remained onstage to face the next challenger.

Whoever achieved the longest winning streak would be the champion.

At first, I had wanted a single-elimination tournament, but there were too many participants, so I gave up on that. Even if each match took only about a minute and contestants moved on and off the stage smoothly, finishing every match would still take an enormous amount of time.

If we had prepared several stages from the start, we would not have this problem now... I would leave that as something to address next time.

Though I did not know whether we would hold another martial arts tournament next year.

The warrior division's participants included High Elves, the Oni Race, lizardmen, dwarves, Mountain Elves, Beastmen from Good Forest Village, and Lamias from the Southern Dungeon.

Perhaps choosing a challenger format had been the right decision, though who you faced under these rules also depended heavily on luck.

When the warrior division began, the Progenitor and Madam Doraim, who had been helping prepare food, returned to the spectator seats.

This division's rules were almost the same as the general division's.

However, in addition to headbands, contestants also had cloth wrapped around both hands and both feet.

The Lamias used their tails in place of feet, while the lizardmen had cloth wrapped around both their legs and their tails.

Thus, losing any two pieces of cloth, including the headband, counted as a defeat.

The biggest difference from the general division was that contestants could challenge again after losing.

As long as Flora, who was in charge of healing magic, gave permission, contestants could return to the line.

Also, the division would not end until every participant had fought at least once and the time I had allotted had run out.

Rasuti replaced Hakuren as referee.

Gran Maria handed over the announcer's role to Frau.

Gran Maria herself would compete in the knight division later. It was fortunate Frau had not been injured in her match. No, I should probably have said that was thanks to Flora's healing magic.

Oh, I wished Beezel, Yuri, and the Demon King would stop cheering for the announcer for a while.

The matches proceeded one after another.

As soon as the loser left the stage, the next challenger quickly stepped up.

Since these were consecutive fights with almost no chance to rest between them, very few contestants maintained winning streaks.

Most won one match only to lose the next and leave the stage.

Among them, the most persistent fighters were Donovan the dwarf, Mea the Mountain Elf, and Guraru from Good Forest Village.

There were also the Lamias from the Southern Dungeon.

Four Lamias entered the warrior division, and every one of them was strong. They attacked with swords at close range and used magic at long range. In close combat, coiling their tails around their opponents was also effective. Once caught in a tail, few could escape.

Rasuti usually ended the match at that point, which I thought was the correct decision.

So far, Donovan the dwarf was the only one who had withstood a Lamia's coils.

Not only had he endured the pressure of her tail wrapped around him, he had also pulled off the cloth on the tail before him. Since he had already removed the cloth from his opponent's arm, he won that match.

The other contestants dodged the tails whenever they could.

It seemed the Lamias would be key players in the warrior division.

After everyone had fought once, Mea the Mountain Elf and Guraru from Good Forest Village were tied for the lead with four consecutive wins each.

No matter whom she faced, Mea the Mountain Elf stuck to fighting at midrange, steadily winning with her one-handed sword and magical attacks.

Her winning streak was stopped by a High Elf who forced her way in for close combat. After a scuffle, Mea fell out of bounds.

As for Guraru from Good Forest Village, he had been lucky enough not to face any Lamias, but the Oni Race maid beside me explained that he was quite a capable fighter in his own right.

He toyed with opponents using his strength and speed, then targeted their weaknesses. The rule of winning by removing two pieces of cloth actually favored him.

Guraru lost to a lizardman.

His unfamiliarity with fighting a race with tails might have been the main reason for his defeat. If he fought lizardmen a few more times, perhaps he would not lose so easily.

"Without that level of ability, he could not cross the forest to reach our village. Though this time, he did have one of the Dragons give him a ride."

That was what the Oni Race maid said. I see.

There was only a little time left before the warrior division ended.

At this rate, I would have to declare those two joint champions.

That was what I thought, and the other contestants must have sensed the atmosphere, too.

Everyone left the line, leaving only Mea and Guraru standing onstage.

Now the two had to settle the outcome.

"Sorry for the trouble of facing me."

"I came to win the championship. No hard feelings."

At Rasuti's shout to begin, a fierce battle unfolded.

Mea wore armguards and greaves over her usual clothes and held a one-handed sword.

Since she could use magic, she adopted a strategy of maintaining a certain distance.

Guraru wore the same well-used-looking leather armor as when he had last visited the village, looking like an experienced warrior. He also held a one-handed sword.

Guraru apparently could use magic too, but he was probably no match for Mea in that area.

Thus, he chose close combat, where he had the advantage, and advanced aggressively toward his opponent.

Victory would depend on which of them could secure their preferred fighting distance.

To me, the match looked like two incredibly skilled warriors performing a sword dance. I could not tell which had the upper hand at all.

Suddenly, a tremendous noise rang out, and Mea's one-handed sword flew into the air.

Had Mea lost?

Just as I thought that, the hand that had held her weapon seized Guraru's wrist and pulled him toward her.

Now Guraru could no longer stab Mea. He immediately tried to strike with his sword's pommel, but he was a step too late.

Mea moved her whole body, pulling his captured wrist along, then threw him over her shoulder.

"Th-this is nothing!"

Guraru's body spun about three times in midair, but he quickly adjusted his posture and landed on both feet.

He looked completely unhurt.

However, the spot where Guraru stood was outside the stage.

"The match is decided! Mea wins!"

With Rasuti's announcement, the warrior division had its champion.

Unlike in the general division, the warrior division's champion received seven Reward Medals.

"Thank you very much."

In addition, Donovan the dwarf, the four Lamias, and Guraru each received three Reward Medals for their outstanding performances.

"Village chief, what are these Reward Medals?"

Guraru asked with a slightly puzzled expression, so I showed him the exchange list and explained.

"You can exchange Reward Medals for the items listed here. They won't have any value if you take them back to Good Forest Village, so exchange them before you go home."

"I see. Um, then I'll keep one as a souvenir, and the other two... There really are a lot of things. I'll think about it a little."

I agreed.

Finally, aside from the champion, Mea, and the outstanding contestants mentioned above, everyone who had won at least one match in the warrior division received one Reward Medal.

With that, the warrior division was over, too.

I was glad no one had suffered serious injuries in this division either.

Next, we would take a short break before beginning the knight division.

But before that, we should have a good meal.

Or rather, food had already been available when the general division began.

There were several places serving food, buffet-style, where people could take whatever they wanted... though perhaps it felt more like food stalls at a festival?

Basically, everyone could eat their fill for free.

We had set up a dining area a little way from the stage, but hardly anyone went there. Everyone wanted to take their food back to the spectator seats to eat.

Alcohol was also available, but contestants in the martial arts tournament were advised not to drink before their matches, so it was off-limits to them.

Still, I had warned those who weren't competing beforehand not to keep drinking late into the night.

Having Death and the others fetch their own food seemed a little impolite, so I asked the Oni Race maids who weren't competing and the Civil Servant Girls to help serve them.

In the end, they rushed off to get it themselves anyway.

Had we prepared too many kinds of food? Well, it was a festival, so there was no harm in making things lively.

I was thoroughly enjoying today's food.

Since Lu and Tia still had the knight division to compete in, they had already finished eating and left to get ready. Good luck, you two.

As for me, I enjoyed the festive atmosphere with Alfred, Tiselle, and the Oni Race maids helping look after them.

Chapter 4: Martial arts tournament, knight division, first round, part one

The main event had arrived: the knight division of the martial arts tournament.

First, an introduction to the contestants.

• Lu (vampire)

• Tia (Angel)

• Gran Maria (Angel)

• Kuudel (Angel)

• Corone (Angel)

• Ria (High Elf)

• Ann (Oni Race)

• Daga (lizardman)

• Bulga (Demon Race)

• Stifano (Demon Race)

• Uno (Infernal Wolf)

• Pillow (Zabuton's child)

• Junia (Lamia)

• Sunhea (Lamia)

Everyone gathered on the stage.

Junia and Sunhea were the ruler and chief warrior of the Southern Dungeon.

They had also been captured and brought to the village by Zabuton and Kuro's descendants back then.

The other Lamia who had come that time apparently stayed behind to hold the fort this time.

The knight division used a single-elimination format.

A contestant won by rendering their opponent unable to fight or having them declare their surrender.

The headband-snatching and out-of-bounds rules from the previous two divisions had both been dropped, so the fighting was bound to be intense.

The out-of-bounds rule had been dropped because it gave contestants who could fly too much of an advantage.

In exchange, if contestants moved too far from the stage, the referee could decide the outcome at her discretion.

Weapons could be used freely, without any modifications to reduce the damage they inflicted. This was because everyone agreed that the contestants in this division understood when to stop and could hold back.

I had opposed this at first, but everyone convinced me that wrapping weapons in cloth and such would actually make them more dangerous. Was that really true?

Each match would last about fifteen minutes at most. We couldn't time it precisely because we had to use an hourglass I had thrown together.

If there was still no winner after fifteen minutes, I would have to decide the outcome.

I could only pray that I wouldn't have to step in.

And, if possible, I also wanted to pray that none of the contestants would get hurt.

Hakuren took over from Rasuti as referee again.

Frau continued to serve as announcer.

The contestants gathered on the stage drew lots to determine the single-elimination matchups.

Two of the fourteen would get to skip the first round.

So, how did the draw turn out?

Well, the first match in the knight division was Tia against Gran Maria.

We had a showdown between Angels right off the bat. Gran Maria looked utterly hopeless, but I still hoped she would give it her best.

She was defeated instantly.

Tia's match against Gran Maria ended in an overwhelming victory.

The second match was between Lu and Ann.

Before coming to the village, Ann had worked as a maid under Lu and Flora, so this situation was probably a little complicated.

Would she find it hard to attack?

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime."

I decided to pretend I hadn't heard Ann mutter that.

A bogged-down battle was the best way to describe this match.

Ann sought an extremely close-range brawl, while Lu kept fighting in a way that avoided it.

Both fought barehanded, and dull, heavy blows rang out across the stage, but neither went down.

In terms of injuries, Ann seemed worse off...

"Please clean your room properly!"

Ann's counterattacks hadn't weakened.

"I-I do my best to keep it tidy!"

Lu argued back, too.

"Put things back where they belong after using them!"

"I'm going to use them again soon, so I keep them nearby."

Ann seemed to have built up quite a few grievances. I should be nicer to her from now on.

I also needed to take a good look at my own habits. Yes, I would do that.

The match was nearly out of time, so I thought I would have to decide the winner-but as Hakuren stopped the match, Ann was knocked unconscious, and Lu ultimately claimed victory.

"Rurushi, come here a moment. I'd like to talk about how you've been living lately."

Lu, the victor, began a somewhat lengthy conversation with the Progenitor. Good luck.

The third match was the Lamia Junia against Kuudel.

Did Kuudel have the advantage because she could fly? Personally, I wanted to cheer for Kuudel... but how would it turn out?

As I had expected, Kuudel took to the air as soon as the match began.

I had thought Junia, being a Lamia, could only remain on the defensive, but she used her long tail as a spring to launch herself straight up! Kuudel hadn't expected Junia to be able to fly too, so it was practically a surprise attack, and the tail coiled around her body.

"Damn, this is a real nuisance."

Then both of them dropped straight down. I thought the match was decided, but Kuudel hadn't given up either.

"Wh-what kind of monstrous strength is this?"

"The results of my daily training."

After using her arm strength to pry off Junia's coiling tail, Kuudel grabbed it and swung her around. I found this fighting style based entirely on brute force a little frightening.

After that, Kuudel fended off all of Junia's counterattacks and ultimately won.

Maybe I was biased toward someone I knew, but I was glad it had turned out that way.

The fourth match.

It was the High Elf Ria against Bulga of the Demon Race.

Ria had signed up for the knight division without hesitation... Was she confident? With others recommending her and Ria volunteering herself, I had finally agreed, but now I was starting to worry.

Come to think of it, I didn't know how strong Ria was. Since she hunted in the forest, would she fight with a bow? Would she fight at long range?

If possible, I hoped no one would get hurt.

As for Bulga, she looked after Rasuti's daily needs, so I had had a few opportunities to speak with her.

But although we had talked... I still didn't know how capable she was in combat.

According to Rasuti and Hakuren, anyone too weak couldn't serve the Dragons...

Today, she wore her usual butler's outfit.

Since coming here, she had worn a maid's outfit and dressed as a village girl, but in the end, she had insisted on staying true to herself and settled on the butler's outfit.

If it was about staying true to herself, why did Stifano wear a butler's outfit too?

Anyway, the match began.

As I had predicted, Ria kept her distance and attacked with her bow. Every time she loosed an arrow, the next was already nocked a moment later. Her speed astonished me.

In response, Bulga used... clones? And every clone acted in a completely different way.

They used magical attacks, throwing knives, short swords, and striking techniques as well.

I could see that the clones deliberately staggered the focus of their attacks to keep them from overlapping and interfering with one another.

Though the clones' attacks were overwhelmingly powerful, Ria still shot them down one by one.

Magic, throwing knives, short arrows, and even the fists delivering strikes were all hit by arrows.

Even after shooting down every attack, Ria had arrows to spare, and this time she aimed precisely at Bulga's bodies.

Whenever an arrow struck a body, that clone vanished.

Finally, an arrow pierced Bulga's chest, and that body didn't disappear.

As I realized that the real body had been hit, the sight filled me with panic.

Someone's going to die!

I looked at Hakuren, who was refereeing, but she showed no particular reaction. You've got to be kidding me.

Just as I was about to shout for the match to stop, Bulga's body with the arrow in its chest vanished too.

"Ahaha, you didn't fall for it."

At some point, Bulga had appeared in a corner of the stage.

She was completely unharmed.

"If that little trick had made you let your guard down, things would've been easy for me."

Ria mercilessly kept shooting arrows at the chattering Bulga. Yet Bulga still dodged them with ease.

The arrows she dodged suddenly lost speed and fell to the ground once they flew off the stage. This was the effect of magic that blocked projectiles.

For Ria, who used a bow, Hakuren had cast this magic over the spectator seats before the match.

"Thanks to Lady Hakuren, nobody has to worry about being hit by arrows. How wonderful."

Bulga seemed quite relaxed and even bowed her head to Hakuren in thanks. Yet she still dodged the arrows with her head lowered.

Ria's arrows weren't all the predictable kind that flew straight. I didn't know what technique she used, but she also alternated between arrows that curved left and arrows that curved right.

Bulga dodged every one of them anyway. She wore a smile. Was this what they called a devil's smile?

Bulga's figure vanished in a flash, then reappeared behind Ria, who held her bow raised. Ria dropped her bow and arrows, drew the short blade at her waist, and slashed. Bulga leaned her upper body back to dodge the blade and, looking ready to seize the chance to counterattack, released eight clones around Ria.

The eight Bulgas merely took ready stances without attacking, and Ria didn't move either.

Then Ria declared her surrender.

"I really can't deal with that many clones in time. Please use fewer."

"Ahaha, could you handle seven clones?"

"With seven, I'd still have a small chance."

"Exactly. That's why I used eight. You're a tough opponent."

"Thank you for the compliment... but I lost this match completely."

The match ended in Bulga's victory.

"Bulga really is strong."

I said that to the Oni Race maid beside me, and she replied, "You didn't know?"

I really hadn't known. I hadn't expected Bulga's strength to be fairly well-known.

There were far too many things I didn't know.

Chapter 5: Martial arts tournament, knight division, first round, part two, and an exhibition match

The martial arts tournament, knight division.

The next match was the Lamia Sunhea against the Infernal Wolf Uno.

As soon as Uno appeared, Kuro and the others showed up around the outer edge of the spectator seats. Uno's mate, Kuro Three, appeared too.

Maybe it was my imagination, but Uno seemed to be practically overflowing with fighting spirit.

In contrast, Sunhea seemed rather subdued.

"It's all right. Unlike last time, this is one-on-one. I won't lose a one-on-one fight."

She seemed to be fighting against the trauma from before.

Sunhea held a short spear with a three-pronged tip, like the weapon the sea god carried.

So, how would the battle go?

After the referee, Hakuren, gave the command to "Begin," Uno's horn shone, and the fur all over his body suddenly stood on end, making him look a size larger.

Oh, I've never seen him like this before. He looks strong.

Although I was startled, Sunhea wasn't frightened.

Was she already used to seeing it?

Sunhea contracted her tail like a spring, storing up force. This was the tail-jumping technique Junia had demonstrated earlier.

"Uraaaah!"

Then Sunhea let out a strange roar, raised her short spear, and leaped at Uno.

Uno leaped hard to the side to dodge.

Unexpectedly, Sunhea changed course in midair and continued pursuing Uno as he tried to evade her.

I was wondering how she could change course in midair, but it turned out that the tip of Sunhea's tail hadn't left the ground.

She looked as though she was about to jump, but was she actually just stretching out her body?

Uno bared his fangs to meet this unavoidable attack.

Then the two crossed paths... Before I knew it, his jaws were around Sunhea's neck, and the referee immediately ordered the match stopped.

"That's enough! Uno wins!"

At this announcement, Kuro and the others watching began to howl. Uno looked a little proud up on the stage.

"Ugh, I still couldn't win..."

"Sunhea, you did very well."

"Lady Junia."

"Let's keep training together from the basics tomorrow."

"Yes."

Sunhea seemed completely unharmed despite having had her neck caught in his jaws.

Had Uno only been holding her in his mouth? Whatever the case, I was glad she wasn't hurt.

The final match of the first round was Daga versus Pillow.

Daga had an overwhelming advantage in physique, while Pillow was only about half the size of a tatami mat.

However, Pillow had eight legs and could also attack with thread.

Daga fought in the orthodox style of a swordsman with a sword and shield, and he could attack with his tail as well.

Honestly, I was afraid Daga might smash Pillow to pieces.

The match began.

At first, Daga attacked with his sword and tail, while Pillow nimbly dodged.

Pillow didn't attack and seemed focused entirely on evasion. At this rate, one of Daga's attacks would eventually connect and decide the match. That was what I, an amateur at fighting, thought, but the other spectators saw things differently.

"That was close!"

"Move faster!"

"Just a little more!"

The cheering made it sound more as though Daga was at a disadvantage.

As I tilted my head in confusion, something suddenly glinted on the stage.

Huh? Oh... That was thread.

Pillow had spun countless threads, and some had already wound around Daga's body.

Just as I realized this, threads visible to the naked eye wrapped around Daga, gradually immobilizing him.

Seeing Daga's movements grow increasingly sluggish, Pillow leaped up in one go and settled on his head.

"That's enough! Pillow wins!"

The match was decided.

Pillow was strong.

Pillow raised one leg and waved it toward me, so I waved back.

Frau, who was serving as the host, went to interview Daga, the loser of the match.

"There were no obstacles on the stage. Rather than sticking to your sword and tail, shouldn't you have charged straight in for hand-to-hand combat?"

"Hand-to-hand combat..."

Daga called Pillow over.

"With my speed, catching him would be difficult..."

Daga sat beside Pillow as he crawled over, only for Pillow to lift him, still seated, with just two legs.

"I can't match him in strength, either. So that was my only way to win."

"Ahaha, that was a rude question. My apologies."

That concluded the first round.

The contestants advancing to the second round were as shown in the bracket below:

However, we would give everyone a short break here.

This was to keep the difference in stamina between the seeded contestants and those who had fought in the first round from becoming too great.

The exhibition match I had prepared was meant to fill this break: Hakuren in human form versus Rasuti in human form.

Hakuren and Rasuti stepped onto the stage.

Neither wore her usual skirt. Instead, they wore trousers that were easy to move in. Rasuti's had been altered at the back to let her tail stick out.

Neither wore armor or carried a weapon. With their long hair tied back, they looked as though they were about to go jogging.

"Let's both do our best~"

"I won't lose."

Were they taking this match seriously, or not thinking much of it at all...?

Ah... But remembering what had happened when they first came to the village, I was a little worried they might hit too hard.

Rasuti was terrifying when she lost her temper.

As for Hakuren... Even when she lost her temper, she could maintain a basic level of composure, so I was less worried about her.

Ah, but she might still deliberately go wild for fun. That was unsettling.

Even an exhibition match needed a referee.

Since Hakuren and Rasuti, who had been refereeing earlier, were both competing, someone needed to fill in.

I had asked other people beforehand, but everyone had politely declined, saying they lacked confidence.

So I had provisionally decided to do it myself, but when Doraim came to watch, I decided to ask him to referee. Although Doraim looked nervous, he agreed, yet somehow Death ended up as the referee instead.

"I promise to judge fairly."

With Death saying that, I couldn't refuse.

No, I couldn't have asked for better. Sorry for the trouble.

The exhibition match began.

Right from the start, it reminded me of manga I had read before.

The two moved so fast on the stage that my eyes couldn't keep up. No, I could see where their bodies were, but their hands and feet kept disappearing, and when they reappeared, they had already struck the other person. Even watching from a distance, I couldn't make out their movements... Just how fast were they?

A strong wind suddenly swept across the stage. It seemed Death had used magic to create a protective barrier around the spectators' seats.

That must have been to protect the spectators. Thank you very much. I was glad Death was the referee.

Also, I needed to reflect on having suggested an exhibition match between these two.

If possible, I hoped they would keep the damage to the surroundings to a minimum.

The exhibition match

continued for about five minutes.

At first, they moved around the stage, but now they stood in the center, trading blows. That made it easier to see. Thank you.

Hakuren had the upper hand, but Rasuti refused to give in and continued counterattacking, launching impressive assaults several times.

Of Rasuti's attacks, her short uppercuts landed most often.

Was Hakuren bad at dealing with attacks from below? Could her own breasts be blocking her view... That seemed quite possible.

As I indulged in these idle guesses, another of Rasuti's short uppercuts caught Hakuren under the chin.

That one seemed particularly hard, throwing Hakuren's head far back. This was a golden opportunity for Rasuti.

Rasuti must have thought so too.

Her next, more powerful blow struck Hakuren's body, bending it into a bow, and Rasuti followed up with another attack to her face.

It was too late to think of it now, but I should have had them wear boxing gloves. I needed to reflect on that.

A furious assault!

Every blow in Rasuti's barrage struck Hakuren. Although the punches came in quick succession, each made a heavy impact.

Would Rasuti win at this rate?

No.

Despite being hit repeatedly, Hakuren took a step forward.

"Huh?"

Then she threw an exaggerated straight punch at Rasuti's face.

Hakuren's fist struck Rasuti square in the face, knocking her hard to the ground.

There was a tremendous crash, and cracks appeared in the stage floor.

Rasuti lay motionless.

"That's enough! The exhibition match is over!"

Was she all right? Had she died? Fortunately, my fears were immediately dispelled.

Rasuti suddenly twitched, then stood up as though nothing had happened.

"Ugh, I still can't beat you..."

"I won't let you catch up to me that easily."

Their conversation was very amicable.

Their blows had looked so forceful, yet they seemed to have left no damage at all.

Their faces and the other parts of their bodies that had been struck... didn't even have bruises.

Was this what Dragons were like? As I stood there astonished, I heard Death, who had served as referee, speak.

"You two can control your strength better in human form."

"That's right~"

"Ahaha. Thank you, Grandfather."

...They called that controlling their strength?

If they fought in dragon form... Deciding not to think any further about it, I thanked the two for their efforts in the fight.

Now, it was time for the second round.

Ah, we had to repair the stage before starting the second round. I knew. We needed to fix it quickly.

6 Martial arts tournament, knight division, second round

The first match of the second round.

It was Stifano versus Tia. A clash between the Demon Race and the Angels... Was this destiny?

"Thank you for letting me have those medicinal herbs last time."

"It was nothing. More importantly, today I'll show you the results of my magic research."

Apparently, neither felt any sense of destiny about this encounter.

Tia had eliminated Gran Maria in overwhelming fashion in the first round. How would she fare against Stifano?

I didn't know how strong Stifano was, but if she was about as strong as Bulga, it should be an exciting fight.

Hakuren was the referee. The exhibition match seemed to have had no effect on her.

"Begin!"

At that announcement, Stifano immediately began chanting a spell.

Countless pitch-black spears flew up from around her feet, all aimed at Tia.

Rather than fleeing into the sky, Tia spun gracefully to the side and evaded the pitch-black spears.

Tia immediately counterattacked with magic, and Stifano's body suddenly burst into flames.

The sight shocked me. Was this all right?

Ignoring my concerns, the pitch-black spears flying from around Stifano's feet transformed into a huge cloak that wrapped around the burning Stifano, concealing the flames as well.

When the cloak enclosing the flames opened, there was nothing inside. This was a magic trick.

Stifano reappeared behind Tia.

I thought Stifano intended to close in for hand-to-hand combat, but instead, pitch-black spears flew from all over her body again and pierced Tia.

"Whoa!"

I couldn't help crying out. Fortunately, Tia was fine.

"I have the advantage in terms of affinity."

The pitch-black spears piercing Tia immediately crumbled and disappeared. They left no marks where they had struck.

By contrast, three white spears had pierced Stifano's body at some point.

"You're good, just as I expected. I think I'll concede."

The match between Stifano and Tia ended in Tia's victory.

After the match, I hurriedly checked on Stifano.

"Stifano, are you all right?"

"Oh, Village Chief, thank you for your concern. These little wounds will heal right away."

"Darling, aren't you worried about your beloved wife?"

"I am, but right now, shouldn't I be worrying about Stifano, with those spears sticking out of her?"

"She's fine. I avoided every spot that would cause a fatal wound."

As Tia said this, the white spears that had impaled Stifano vanished.

Although they left puncture marks, there was no bleeding. Those marks also healed in an instant.

Thank goodness. Only then, though a little late, did I feel happy about Tia's victory.

"The next match is... Lu versus Kuudel. Hehe, I hope Miss Lu's fighting skills haven't deteriorated."

After all, Lu had been bogged down in a grueling struggle in the first round.

The second match of the second round was Lu versus Kuudel.

Perhaps because she had spoken at length with the Progenitor, Lu's face was full of fighting spirit.

By contrast, Kuudel looked resigned.

"Kuudel, don't give up right at the start!"

Gran Maria cheered from the spectators' seats, but Kuudel's expression didn't improve.

"Um, Miss Lu is that Rurushi, right? Even Lady Tia, whom the three of us together can't beat, could only fight her to a draw."

"Lady Tia knocked me out just now too! Don't worry, anything can happen."

"Anything... can happen?"

The match began.

Just as Kuudel had expected, it ended in an overwhelming victory for Lu.

Did Lu's struggle in the first round mean Ann was actually very strong? Or had she simply had terrible luck with the draw?

The third match of the second round.

Bulga versus Uno.

I had no idea how this match would go. Judging by the first round, I wasn't sure whether Uno could distinguish Bulga's doubles. If he could work out where the real Bulga was, that might decide the match.

Oh, but weren't those doubles actually afterimages? Could Bulga really create doubles? Each one seemed to move differently... so were they all real? The match was about to begin, so I couldn't go over and ask.

The match began.

Just as in the first round, Bulga used her doubles to attack Uno.

I had wondered whether Uno could dodge them, but he charged straight ahead instead, eliminating Bulga's doubles one after another.

From the look of it, Uno was seriously hunting his opponent. What would he do if he came across the real one?

Bulga kept creating doubles to meet his attacks.

I thought this would be a long match, but to my surprise, it ended fairly quickly.

Once the sheer number of doubles overwhelmed Uno's offense, the referee stopped the match and declared Bulga the winner.

"Ugh, I think I used too many doubles."

Although Bulga raised both hands to celebrate her victory with the crowd, she looked quite exhausted.

Uno, who had lost, actually seemed more energetic, but he still left the stage with his tail drooping in defeat.

The wolves, led by Kuro Three, came out to greet Uno.

Were they comforting him? Uno's tail rose again.

Yes, I thought Uno had worked very hard. I probably wouldn't have lasted even a second.

The fourth match of the second round.

Pillow versus Corone.

While I was still considering their respective advantages and disadvantages, the match ended in a flash.

As soon as it began, Corone tried to take to the sky... but she couldn't get airborne.

At some point, threads had wrapped around her feet, and she was dragged straight back to the ground.

Then Pillow's threads swiftly wrapped several layers around her.

"This fighting style counters me completely! You're practically my natural enemy!"

The match ended in Pillow's victory.

That concluded the second round.

Only the top four competitors remained.

The matchups for the third round, the semifinals, were shown in the bracket below:

Chapter 7: Martial Arts Tournament, Knight Division, Third Round (Semifinals) and Finals

The first match of the third round in the martial arts tournament's knight division.

Tia versus Lu.

They had been rivals before coming to the village, and now this was an internal battle between two mothers of my children.

I expected an intense match, but I couldn't imagine how it would unfold.

Both wore pants and carried no weapons.

"It's been a long time since we faced off like this."

"It has. With the Progenitor watching, I won't hold back."

"Don't worry. I never expected you to. Let's both give it our all and enjoy ourselves."

"Hehe, just what I wanted."

Both were eager to fight.

At the referee Hakuren's announcement, the match officially began.

I initially thought they would fly into the air and put some distance between them, but instead, they slowly walked toward the center of the stage to face each other.

Once they stopped walking, they began punching each other.

What's more, like a scene from an American movie, they took turns throwing punches.

That might have been one thing with two men, but seeing two women do it was quite frightening. And they were both my wives. They were practically scaring me to death.

They weren't slapping each other, but striking with tightly clenched fists. Each aimed precise hooks at the other's face. Even when they took a hit, they never forgot to flash a wicked grin.

I could never do that. From now on, I would do everything I could to avoid marital arguments.

After trading blows like that for a while, they drew apart as though they had agreed on it beforehand.

"Your punches still pack quite a wallop. You haven't lost your touch."

"Neither have you."

A magical battle followed.

Neither needed to chant. Fire, water, and wind magic suddenly flew through the air, colliding in a chaotic jumble.

Although Hakuren's magic protected the spectator stands, my seat was close enough to the stage that I still felt right in the middle of it.

Besides, I couldn't tell who had the upper hand at all.

After that exchange of magic, they flew into the sky and tangled with each other again.

They seemed to be grappling, or perhaps attacking each other with magic, or simply slamming their bodies into each other...

All I knew was that a fierce battle I couldn't make sense of was unfolding before my eyes.

Then came the deciding moment.

When they both returned to the stage from the sky, Tia remained standing straight, but Lu lost her footing and sank to one knee.

"Today's victory is mine."

The winner was Tia.

They were both exhausted, but I was glad neither had suffered serious injuries.

I went over to greet them and offer some words of appreciation.

"Darling, Tia was bullying me!"

"Miss Lu, that's so sneaky."

The second match of the third round.

Bulga versus Pillow.

It turned out to be a one-sided match.

Perhaps Bulga had used up too much energy against Uno in the previous round. She produced far fewer doubles this time and couldn't dodge Pillow's threads.

"Ugh, I was so close to the finals..."

Pillow won.

That settled the final matchup: Tia versus Pillow.

Before that, though, we discussed whether to hold a third-place match. The original plan had been for the two semifinal losers to compete to decide who would take third...

Lu was still reasonably fit, but Bulga was utterly exhausted.

Flora also opposed letting Bulga compete, so the third-place match was canceled. Well, there wasn't really any need to decide third place.

And so we went straight to the finals.

The atmosphere wasn't particularly lively, though.

Yes, I knew why.

After Corone's earlier match against Pillow, any spectator could more or less guess how Tia versus Pillow would go.

"Ah, you really are my nemesis."

Wrapped in threads, Tia said something similar to her subordinate and conceded.

The champion of the martial arts tournament's knight division was Pillow.

Zabuton's child, Pillow, had won. Pillow raised one leg in response to the cheers all around and looked quite happy.

Now that the matches were over, it was time for the award ceremony.

I presented the champion, Pillow, with ten Reward Medals. There was also a wooden championship trophy and a wooden crown, both prepared before the festival.

I had worried that a crown might have unfortunate associations and discussed it with Lu and the others beforehand, but apparently the Demon King Kingdom didn't particularly mind such things.

That was why I had made this crown... unfortunately, it had been designed for a person to wear, and it didn't fit Pillow at all.

While I was still wondering what to do, Pillow took the crown and put it straight onto its rear.

A crown on its rear... it fit quite well, so that was fine.

As though showing off its trophy and crown to the stands, Pillow raised one leg and waved it.

The runner-up received five Reward Medals.

As for the other competitors, those who reached the second round received one, and those who reached the third round received two. Once they had all been handed out, the award ceremony ended.

I hoped everyone would keep doing their best.

That brought the martial arts tournament to a close, but afterward there was a banquet that would last through the night until the following morning.

Since the stage was already set up, anyone who wanted a match was free to go up and fight.

However, a referee remained nearby to keep people from fighting recklessly and getting hurt.

The High Elves, Mountain Elves, and Beastmen other than Guraru from Good Forest Village rushed onto the stage, eager to show their skills after not getting enough fighting in.

From time to time, the Beastmen girls also went up and fought what looked like practice bouts. Even Lu wanted revenge and challenged Tia to another one-on-one match.

After sunset, the fighting continued by torchlight and magical illumination.

Meanwhile, beside the stage...

"Demon King, how about it? Care to have a bout with me?"

"Hahahahaha, you must be joking."

The Demon King was doing his best to turn down Death's provocation, while elsewhere, the Progenitor had struck up a conversation about combat with Beezel.

"It would be nice if magic without chanting became more widespread."

"Magic is weaker without chanting the spell. Isn't it better to follow the proper steps?"

"Isn't leisurely chanting in front of an enemy more dangerous?"

"Wouldn't the real problem be putting a mage somewhere they have no time to chant?"

Yuri joined the conversation.

"I'd like to learn magic without chanting. Could you teach me?"

"Oh? Then let me give you a simple explanation."

"P-please wait a moment. Is that all right? Wouldn't teaching Her Highness the Princess pose something of a problem, given your position?"

"Hmm? My position is no problem at all. Don't worry about such trifles. Relax."

"Thank you so much. I'll study hard."

Doraim was enjoying a meal with his wife, Rasuti, Raimeiren, and Hakuren, making five in all.

"Grandmother, I think I should practice transforming into human form more."

"That's good. But Lastismun, there's no need to rush. Even Doraim took quite some time to look exactly like a human..."

"Mother, please don't bring that up. More importantly, ah, um... right, how are the talks about Seki Ren's marriage going?"

Hakuren glared at Doraim as he tried to change the subject.

"Doraim, what do you mean by discussing our younger sister's marriage in front of me?"

"S-surely it's all right? Being here is practically the same as being married for you, isn't it, Sister?"

"Huh? Ah, y-yes, that's right. Yes, I suppose you could say that..."

Watching the siblings, Madam Doraim couldn't help murmuring:

"To think even Hakuren could get embarrassed... what an unbelievable sight."

"Grafaloon, if you dare laugh at me, I may just reveal your old embarrassing stories."

"Oh my, then shall I tell the village chief about the things you used to get up to?"

Their meal seemed lively too.

Bulga, who had recovered, was busy serving the Dragons with Stifano. They both seemed to be physically fine.

I passed over extra food and drink while taking care not to get in the way of the two members of the Demon Race.

Still, as for Madam Doraim's past... I really wasn't sure I dared hear about it.

All in all, it felt very tiring.

Especially mentally. I seemed to have spent all my energy worrying about the competitors getting hurt.

Next year, I would definitely hold a different kind of festival.

With those thoughts, I spent the night of the festival.

Side Story: A Certain Demon King's Murmurs, Part One

I was the Demon King, ruler of the Galgard Demon Kingdom.

I heard my daughter was going out with Beezel, so I took it upon myself to follow them, only to receive quite a shock.

There were Dragons there.

Although they were in human form, that distinctive magic power couldn't be hidden. Worse still, one of them was the Dragon King, Death.

There were other Dragons around, too, and none of them were weak.

To be honest, I thought I was going to wet myself. Fortunately, I held it in. My lower half really knew how to hold the line.

Well, it had been sudden, but now that I had steeled myself, I could at least go over and greet him.

"Are you the Dragon King, Death? I believe this is our first meeting?"

"So you're the current Demon King. Well, I don't want any trouble with you, so let's get along peacefully."

"Indeed. I also believe peace is best."

It went very smoothly. Good, very good.

I was amazing. Yuri, did you see that? Your father's gallant performance just now!

"Pfft!"

I looked around for Yuri, only to spray out the drink in my mouth.

Someone who shouldn't have been here had appeared. Death, who was nearby, must have noticed too.

Still, that was Death for you.

Unlike my utter shock, he merely gave a wry smile.

The difference in our caliber frustrated me a little... but this was no time to lose heart, because the person who shouldn't have been here was coming over.

Patriarch Wilglas.

The leader of the Korin Religion, arguably the most powerful religion in the lands inhabited by humans!

He always looked young, a living god who never aged. His true identity was that of the progenitor of vampires, a fact known to only a very few.

This was one of the top-secret matters passed down only between successive Demon Kings, which I had learned upon taking office.

"Hello, Demon King. How have you been?"

"Y-yes, fine."

"Hahaha. You're far too tense. Oh, right, is this our first meeting? Sorry, sorry."

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you... um, how did you recognize me?"

"Because you're famous. I see your portrait so often that I unconsciously thought we already knew each other."

"Is that so? Um, I'm honored."

"Hahaha, what are you saying? The honor is mine. Ah, how lucky to run into the Demon King. Don't you agree, Death?"

"Indeed."

He called the Dragon King Death, just like that? Did these two know each other?

No, it wouldn't be strange if they did. He was the progenitor of vampires, after all. Impressive, truly impressive.

Had he met the previous Demon Kings too? No, no, I couldn't keep acting surprised.

Whatever else, I was the Demon King. I had to uphold my nation's reputation. I needed to boldly speak up where I should.

"On another note, Your Holiness, what are your thoughts on the recent conduct of the Kingdom of Fullheart's heroes?"

"Hahaha, that's quite a sharp question. I'd like to say it has nothing to do with me, but it seems I'll inevitably be dragged into it. Very well, I'll tell you. The Kingdom of Fullheart's branch acted on its own authority, and it's causing me trouble too. However, the Garubart Kingdom's branch is putting together a subjugation force. Speaking of which, the Kingdom of Fullheart, the Garubart Kingdom, and the Galgard Demon Kingdom-aren't those names a little too similar? You should put more effort into giving a nation a distinctive name."

"I-I'm very sorry. It came from the original place name... but back to that subjugation force. Is this really all right? Letting information like that slip to me?"

"It's fine, it's fine. Didn't I just say it's causing me trouble too? Selling miracles cheaply doesn't do anyone any good. Oh, and even if you defeat the heroes, the church headquarters won't take action, so rest assured. Our position does require us to issue statements of condemnation and the like, but you can ignore them."

"...Thank you for the information."

"That goes for you too, Death. If the heroes cause trouble at your place, you needn't hold back."

"One group has already come. They were rude, so I chased them off."

"Chased them off? You're so kind, Death. You could have given them a thorough beating."

"It would be troublesome if they resented me for it."

"Ahahaha, true. Well, I'll find a way to settle it soon."

The negotiations had just about yielded a result. What a relief. Those heroes were an absolute nuisance, and the damage they caused wasn't something I could ignore. I hoped this would be resolved soon.

Setting that aside for now... was I going to have to spend the entire day with Death and His Holiness?

Judging by the atmosphere, probably...

Beezel, come save me!

Beezel was accompanying Yuri, chatting happily with the villagers.

Looking closely, wasn't that villager a member of the Demon Race?

How strange... that girl looked awfully familiar... was she some count's or marquis's daughter? Was I remembering wrong? Or did she merely look like someone I knew? That had to be it. The girl herself couldn't possibly be dressed as a village girl, helping with the cooking.

Ah, I recognized that one for certain. Beezel's daughter, Fraurem.

She was this village's local administrator, and she seemed to be doing very well. That was excellent news.

Still, it was because Fraurem was dressed as a village girl that I'd mistaken the demon girl beside her for someone I knew. Honestly.

I needed to pull myself together.

Was this a nightmare come true? I was seated beside Death and His Holiness. Fortunately, my rescuers, Beezel and Yuri, were seated nearby too.

Yuri was chatting casually with the dragon beside Death. Did she know who she was talking to? My stomach hurt.

Also, Beezel, why were you looking at me with such a tender expression? As if to say I was now walking the same road you once had?

"My name is Raimeiren."

"Ah, yes. I am Demon King Galgard."

Now I knew who the dragon talking to Yuri was.

The Typhoon Dragon of the south, and Death's wife. I had recently received that information.

So this was that Raimeiren.

Wasn't she the dragon rumored to be even more ferocious than Death?! I was about to fall apart!

And Beezel, stop looking at me with that pitying expression.

Side story: A certain Demon King's mutterings, part two

Ah... I spent a long time pondering what being the Demon King really meant.

Well, I was the Demon King of the Galgard Demon Kingdom. Yes, the ruler of a nation, with heavy responsibilities.

And yet, I'd skipped work to go out with my daughter, only to end up somewhere beyond anything I knew.

My daughter, you really shouldn't be coming to a place like this. Hahaha.

"Father, are you all right?"

"Hm? Ah, no, I'm fine. Sorry, I must be worn out from my usual duties."

My daughter was worried about me. Nothing could have made me happier.

"Your Majesty, I've brought food and wine. If you're tired, please try this refreshing dish. It's easier to eat."

Beezel was such a thoughtful fellow.

He recommended some food that seemed gentle on the stomach. Ah, delicious.

"Hmm, this wine... has quite a novel flavor."

"Indeed. It may be a new product. I've already asked to purchase some."

"Hmm, it goes down smoothly. I'd like you to obtain two barrels."

"I'll do my best."

Death and His Holiness, who occupied the seats near me, had now begun enjoying the food and wine too, and apparently intended to make purchases as well.

To think they could serve food of this quality in the Forest of Death... even more astonishingly, they even had seafood brought from a southern port town.

Hmm, the table was covered in dishes I had never seen, much less tasted. Every plate was delicious.

"Could we poach the chef here?"

"I believe that would be difficult."

"Borrow them for a while, then?"

"That would likely be difficult too."

"Father, I've already asked about that. It's completely impossible."

"Er, even if the Demon King requests it...?"

Hmm, the prospects looked bleak.

"Then let's ask whether they'll sell us seasonings. I'm especially curious about the seasoning used in this dish."

"Ah, that's called miso. I already have several jars of it at home."

"At your home... why haven't you presented any to me?"

"I felt I first needed to test it for poison myself. Er, its flavor is quite unusual, after all. Hahahahaha. I'll ask whether I can buy some more to take back. Oh, it looks like the matches are about to begin."

A referee had already appeared on the stage.

Hmm, that referee was a dragon too, wasn't he? Best not to look into it.

For some reason, His Holiness, who had been sitting beside me, went to help with the cooking together with a dragon. That considerably reduced the pressure at our seats. I was truly grateful.

It seemed Beezel's daughter, Fraurem, would be competing in the general division coming up next. I would cheer her on.

"Father, Fraurem isn't the only one competing. There are several other demon girls too. Please cheer for them as well."

I, the Demon King, decided not to think too hard and simply cheer with all my might.

Unfortunately, Fraurem's match ended with both contestants out of bounds, but she hadn't fought badly.

Her opponent must have been the problem.

I'd long heard that those living near the Forest of Death were formidable, but I hadn't expected even a young Beastman girl to move like that.

The martial arts tournament continued.

The warrior division, then the knight division.

I couldn't help remembering the contestants who were introduced.

There was the Vampire Princess (Vampire

Princess), the Annihilation Angel, the Bludgeoning Angel, Bulga of the Wild Feast, Stefano of the Black Spear, Mad Dragon Lastismun, and the Gate Dragon's older sister.

Ann of the Oni Race had such strength that it wouldn't be strange for her to have a title.

Then there were High Elves, lizardmen, Elder Dwarves, mountain fairies, and Lamia.

There were practically mountains of Infernal Wolves, and even so many Demon Spider children...

This place was probably stronger than the Demon King's Castle... no, stronger than the entire nation's Demon King's Army.

Though one-on-one, I could just about manage... could I? Even if I could handle Lastismun, that Gate Dragon's older sister gave me nothing but a bad feeling.

Ah, Death, I wasn't going to fight you. Don't ask me. No. Absolutely not.

"Beezel."

"Yes?"

"What about granting the village chief a noble title to win him over?"

"I'm afraid that would be unwise."

"As I thought."

"Yes."

If granting a title would work, Beezel would already have suggested it. Since he hadn't, that meant it wouldn't do much good.

Indeed, winning over a village visited by even Dragon King Death and His Holiness would be too great a burden for the Demon King Kingdom.

Avoiding hostility, doing nothing unnecessary, and maintaining our current relationship was the right choice.

The leader of this village... yes, he was just an ordinary human. When I first met him, I thought it was a joke, but after assessing the situation around him, I couldn't laugh anymore.

According to Beezel's report, he was a powerful individual capable of defeating the wyvern of the Forest of Iron... but at first glance, he was simply an ordinary young man.

Yet an ordinary young man wouldn't build a village in the very center of the Forest of Death, nor could he gather such powerful fighting forces, much less become acquainted with Dragon King Death and His Holiness.

Hmm, fortunately, he didn't seem to have a bad impression of the Demon King Kingdom. That was a tremendous relief.

Furthermore, I could converse with him normally, and he seemed very mild-mannered. As long as he remained the leader here, there probably wouldn't be any problems, at least during that time.

I might as well give him a secret medicine to ensure he lived a long life. That would let him live longer. Ideally, he would stay alive throughout my tenure as Demon King. With a little effort, even humans could live four or five hundred years, couldn't they?

Please don't die after a mere fifty years. Please, I was on my knees.

The worst, worst, worst-case plan would be to consider marrying Yuri off to him... but the position of Demon King wasn't inherited by blood, so a marriage alliance wouldn't help, would it?

Once I stepped down, Yuri would become an ordinary noble girl...

If I disregarded the nation's future and considered only my daughter's safety, should I marry her off here? If he was willing to treat her well, living here would be a good choice...

Unfortunately, the problem was that he had already married the Vampire Princess and the Annihilation Angel. Forcing those women out would hardly be wise, while making Yuri his third or fourth wife would be too pitiful...

No, no. Yuri was still a child. It was too early to discuss marriage.

I would just keep it in mind as one possible backup plan for now.

"Your Majesty, are you all right?"

"Ah, yes. I am fine. More importantly, Beezel."

"At your service."

"You sent your daughter Fraurem here because..."

"My loyalty to the Demon King Kingdom is unwavering. However, I also cherish my daughter."

"I understand how you feel about your daughter, so I won't blame you. And the reason I won't blame you... is that I hope you'll use this connection for Yuri should danger arise."

"As you command. Though a marriage won't be possible, simply living here would be no problem."

"Really?"

"Have you forgotten? Whatever else, I am one of the Demon King Kingdom's Four Heavenly Kings."

"That's Beezel for you. Worthy of my trust."

"I'm considering moving here myself after I retire."

"...Huh? Wait, what? Retire? Hold on, hold on. Wouldn't the Demon King Kingdom be in danger without you?"

"Now, Your Majesty. The festival night is about to begin. Please enjoy this delicious food and wine."

"You were talking about the future just now, weren't you? A thousand or two thousand years from now, for example?"

"Hahahahaha, cheers!"

Damn you.

And Dragon King Death, I wasn't going to fight you. There was absolutely no chance I would go up there and fight you, so stop looking my way.

The festival night passed in lively merriment.

An aside.

Several days later, at the Demon King's Castle.

"When are you retiring?"

"In about one or two hundred years, so please don't worry... may I ask what this is?"

"A written pledge."

"...Do you doubt my loyalty?"

"Sign it already, for my peace of mind."

"Honestly, Your Majesty... Very well, I'll sign... Oh? There seems to be a mistake here. Look at this. It says I have to stay for at least a thousand years?"

"There is no mistake."

"...Is that so? Um, according to this pledge, I must work for at least a thousand years, or until Your Majesty passes away."

"You little bastard! Guards, rebellion! There's a traitor here!"

"Please don't make it sound so awful. I was merely checking~ Ah, guards, His Majesty is having one of his usual episodes. You may go. Also, please stay away from this room for a while."

After a fierce exchange of blows, the two parties agreed on another three hundred years of service.

"Damn it. I couldn't get you to sign that pledge."

"Even without something like that, I wouldn't resign right away. I do have my territory, after all."

Chapter 8: Cleaning up and lingering ripples

The festival was over.

All right, I can finally take it easy~ That was what I had thought, but there was still plenty of work I had to deal with.

Namely, cleaning up after the festival.

Plenty of people were still hungover the next day, but the cleanup went quickly. Having that wild festival atmosphere continue indefinitely would have been troublesome, too.

I discussed with everyone whether to keep the stage and spectator seating. Since they weren't particularly in the way, we ultimately decided to leave them.

I would leave it to everyone to think up ways to use the venue from now on.

Since it was an open-air stage, plays and concerts were the only ideas I could come up with, so I looked forward to everyone else's brainstorming.

Still, while the earthen stage was fine, the wooden spectator seating might rot after prolonged exposure to wind and rain.

This world didn't have waterproof tarps or anything like that.

How had people in ancient times dealt with this problem? Putting up a roof was probably the usual solution, right?

Ah, I had that wrong. I didn't need to worry about those wooden seats at all. I could just make new ones out of packed earth. When I had time later, I would gradually add the earthen seats.

After noon-

Death, Raimeiren, Doraim, Madam Doraim, Beezel, Yuri, the Demon King, and the Progenitor, who had all slept in late, prepared to head home.

They seemed to be discussing something serious before leaving. Had something happened? Well, they were all important people. I was better off not asking too many questions.

I handed over their souvenirs and said goodbye to each of them.

First came Death, Raimeiren, Doraim, and Madam Doraim.

"We had a wonderful time."

"It was splendid to see such a lively festival."

"We would like to stay longer... but we shouldn't impose any further, so we'll be good and go home. We also need to help find new villagers afterward."

"My daughter has become much more composed. Please continue to look after her."

The second group was Beezel, Yuri, and the Demon King.

"It's been a long time since I could relax like this."

"When our kingdom holds a festival, please do us the honor of attending."

"Ah, wait, wasn't that my line? Hmm... Oh well. Um, how should I put this? I look forward to our continued friendship."

Last came the Progenitor.

"I would love to spend a few more days playing with Alfred, but unfortunately, I have plenty to do. Sigh~ Ah, right, right. I saw your medicinal herb field. Could you pick some for me? I'll bring some rare medicinal herbs next time, too."

Everyone set off home in their own way.

The Lamia also woke up and came to say goodbye, and I gave them their souvenirs.

"Are you sure we can have these?"

"Think of it as letting those who couldn't attend the festival share in the atmosphere."

"Thank you very much. Also, next time, I'll definitely go for the win!"

"Hahaha."

I never said there would be a next time...

Although the Lamia went home, Guraru and his group from Good Forest Village stayed.

They wanted to see how the earlier immigrants were doing and planned to return together when the exchange market held under the name of autumn trading began.

In other words, the village now had four extra Beastmen men, including Guraru!

"Dad!"

"My daughter! Have you been well? Oh, everything's fine back home, and your mother is healthy, too."

Four families had conversations like that.

Ah~ All these men were married, yet they had let one of their daughters move to

the village.

All right, I understood. I had no intention of breaking up anyone's family, and I wished all their families happiness.

I was sorry for thinking they would make convenient marriage partners for the Beastmen women in our village.

The cleanup after the martial tournament was finished, and the village's atmosphere returned to normal.

Still, the festival's ripples lingered.

First, a few more people started training on their own. People had already been jogging and stretching before, but now mock battles took place frequently, too.

I hoped everyone would take care not to get hurt.

"Come to think of it, you're a vampire, right, Lu?"

"Why bring that up all of a sudden?"

"During the martial tournament, you didn't seem to fight using your vampire traits. You just fought normally."

"What do you mean, fighting using my vampire traits?"

"Huh? Well, you know..."

The vampires I had in mind...

"Like turning into mist to dodge attacks?"

"Huh? Have I ever turned into mist in front of you, darling? You certainly know a lot."

"No, that was just the impression I had."

"I don't know where you got that impression, darling, but turning into mist isn't suited to combat. It's exhausting, and I can't attack at all. I'm also completely defenseless the instant I change back from mist. It's mainly for slipping into locked rooms."

"I see. Can you turn into animals, then?"

"That isn't suited to combat, either. It doesn't make me stronger than I am in human form. That's mainly a technique for sneaking in, too."

"Why is everything for sneaking into people's houses? Don't tell me that trick for changing your physical age is also...?"

"That isn't a technique. It's more of a trait. When I don't want to use too much power, I look like a child, and when I want to use my full power, I become an adult. Something like that... If I take a powerful hit, my body is also forced to become younger."

"What about that move you used when we first met, where you stole your opponent's strength by drinking blood?"

"I have a darling husband now. I won't drink anyone else's blood."

"Ahaha, what an honor. Other vampire-style attacks... How about hypnosis?"

"Hypnosis?"

"A spell for controlling other people."

"Oh, that's called Enchantment. It only works when the opponent is very weak. Using it on anyone in the Knight Division would just be a waste of energy."

"Ah... Then how about trying to control blood?"

"Control blood? How?"

"For example, spraying blood out of your arm or somewhere and shaping it into a sword to attack your opponent."

"An extension of manipulating liquids? I think I could do it... But spraying out enough blood to make a sword would cost me too much. Weighing it up, I'd be better off not using it."

"Hmm."

"The vampires you imagine are so strange, darling. Have you met vampires other than me, Flora, and the Progenitor?"

"Hahaha, I've just heard descriptions in stories. Please, don't glare at me like that. It's frightening."

After Lu, I went to talk to Tia.

"You can summon golems, right, Tia? Why didn't you use them during the martial tournament?"

"Golems have brute strength, but they move too slowly. They aren't suited to duels like the martial tournament."

"Then when do you use golems?"

"I mainly use them as decoys. When I encounter monsters or beasts, I can send out a golem to draw their attention. And... when I don't want to get my hands dirty."

"Don't want to get your hands dirty?"

"Among monsters and beasts, some are... Well, all I can say is that they're very unhygienic."

"I see."

I started feeling a little sorry for the golems.

Since Ann was there, too, I chatted with her for a bit.

"Ann, I'd like you to be honest. Are there any of my daily habits I need to improve?"

"Nothing in particular needs changing... May I ask what brought this on?"

"Well, I'm worried you might be bottling up too much stress."

"Ah, you mean what happened at the martial tournament? Please don't worry. You've listened to all the suggestions I've given you before, Village Chief."

"What about Lu?"

"No matter how many times I remind her, she never changes... Ah, that wasn't retaliation over a grudge. If she carries on like that, she'll have a bad influence on Young Master Alfred and Miss Tiselle, so I took that opportunity to give her a stern reminder... It seems I went a little too far."

"If you have something to say from now on, just say it. Don't bottle it up."

"In that case, there is one thing I'd like to say."

"Hmm?"

"About calling you Village Chief. I would prefer to call you Master..."

"Don't you already call me that sometimes?"

"Since you get so embarrassed, I can only call you that in the bedroom or bathroom. However, from now on, I would like to call you Master wherever we are."

"I still can't handle that. Please spare me."

Donovan, one of the dwarves, visited my house.

"Village Chief, do you have any more of those very sour fruits? Could I have a few?"

"Very sour fruits... You mean lemons? Sure. That's unusual. What's up?"

"I want to add some flavor to my alcohol. Also, I'd like you to buy more of that drink the merchant brought for the festival."

"You mean Mr. Michael? Are you talking about... mead? Didn't you say it wasn't very good?"

When they heard someone had sent alcohol as a gift, the dwarves, who had learned about it from somewhere, came to taste it.

I remembered their comments hadn't been very flattering...

"That is what I said then, but during the festival, I saw an Oni Race girl use a trick to make it taste better. Of course, I'll explain even if you don't ask. It isn't anything difficult, really. You just pour some extra honey into the mead, then add a tiny bit of juice from that sour fruit. That alone makes the mead incredibly delicious. It's similar to that method you taught us before, adding fruit to alcohol."

"I see. I'll try it next time, too."

"Mm. Sorry for the trouble with buying the alcohol. Also, please don't forget to make the newly purchased alcohol available in exchange for Reward Medals."

"I won't... If it's alcohol we bought, I'll serve it at regular meals, too."

"Is that all right? Drinking alcohol outside of banquets?"

"The main reason for restricting everyone's drinking is that I'm worried all the village's crops will end up being brewed into alcohol and drunk in huge quantities. As long as everyone can exercise self-restraint, I'll lift that restriction eventually."

"Self-restraint, huh? That's a little difficult... All right, I'll try... But let's keep the restriction for now. Drinking every day feels good, but drinking occasionally has its own flavor, too."

"Understood."

Pillow, who had won the martial tournament, placed the championship trophy and crown in my house as decorations.

Perhaps having them displayed in my house felt safer than keeping them in his nest?

In that case, I might as well put up a shelf in a corner of the house and display the trophy and crown there. Yes, I was pleased with that.

Pillow looked at it and seemed very satisfied, too.

As for Zabuton, she watched her child as though she were truly happy for him from the bottom of her heart.

Chapter 9: The review meeting

A large table was set up in my house's hall, and everyone took their seats.

"We will now begin the review meeting for the first Big Tree Village martial tournament."

One of the Civil Servant Girls acted as moderator and made that announcement.

Seated around the large table were representatives of each race, along with the Civil Servant Girls on the Festival Organizing Committee.

Also present were the Oni Race maids who had handled the cooking and behind-the-scenes work during the festival.

"First, let me say... thank you all for your hard work on the martial tournament."

Everyone thanked one another for their hard work, too.

"I think it's fair to call the festival itself a success, but there were inevitably a few minor problems. We should reflect carefully on those and hope to improve the festivals from next year onward."

The meeting went smoothly. Since we had discussed things thoroughly beforehand, there were hardly any shortcomings I was hearing about for the first time.

It felt more like a report for those who didn't know yet.

"Failing to anticipate so many outside guests was a major shortcoming. We must take that into consideration in the future."

We had originally assumed that only our own people would participate.

That was my mistake.

"Guraru's group from Good Forest Village and the Lamia joining at short notice was a good thing, though, wasn't it?"

Indeed.

If only our own people competed, everyone would have a fairly clear idea of their opponents' abilities, making it easy to form preconceptions before fighting.

Having contestants whose abilities weren't entirely clear made the matches more exciting and tense.

Speaking of contestants with uncertain abilities...

"So those two were called Bulga of the Wild Feast and Stefano of the Black Spear?"

I remembered Death and the others calling them that.

"Seems so. There were names just like those in the fairy tales my nurse used to read to me. Maybe they were named after the stories."

One of the civil official girls said this, and the others all agreed.

"Fairy tales?"

"Yes, they're very famous fairy tales in the Demon King's territory. As subordinates of the greater de-

mon Gucchi, two demons fought the army of a certain great nation and even abducted its princess."

Why had I just heard another familiar name...?

"The fairy tales are a series, with quite a few volumes. But almost every book ends with the two demons and the greater demon Gucchi being punished by a dragon."

Punished by a dragon...? Some fairy tales were based on actual events.

Maybe I should ask the next time we met... no, perhaps I was better off not asking?

"Could those two be the original characters from the fairy tales?"

"The actual people? Impossible."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Isn't it obvious? Miss Bulga and Miss Stifano are such nice people. I can't imagine them doing anything cruel like those two in the fairy tales."

"...All right. Perhaps they really were just named after the characters in the books."

"Yes. Besides, plenty of famous people actually have the same names as characters in stories. That way, people know how powerful and frightening they are just from hearing their names."

"I see."

Right, that was it. The civil official girl's idea made more sense. Why had I thought those two were the main characters from the fairy tales?

Probably because they were stronger than I'd imagined. Besides, people generally wouldn't deliberately choose names that gave the exact opposite impression.

Ah, but neither of them had won the tournament, so perhaps they weren't that strong? Maybe they really had just borrowed their names from storybooks?

"We've strayed from the subject. This is a review meeting... were there any problems with the food?"

At my question, one of the Oni Race maids raised her hand.

"Every dish was well received, but they weren't very different from our usual banquet food. We were a little short on dishes with a festive feel."

She was right.

I also thought we should come up with more foods that were distinctive to festivals.

When I thought of festivals, I pictured food stalls. And when it came to food stalls... the first thing that came to mind was candy apples!

They were just apples coated in syrup... but ordinary sweet apples wouldn't work very well.

They had to be sour apples. I resolved to plant some sour apple trees.

What about candied strawberries instead? But just like apples, sweet strawberries wouldn't work as well.

Harvesting the fruit before it turned sweet might work, but deliberately picking fruit that would sweeten when ripe ahead of time, then adding sweetness with sugar, felt like needless extra work.

While I was wavering, a Beastmen girl spoke up.

"Wouldn't ordinary candy do?"

She had hit the nail on the head.

So I decided to simply make ordinary candy, adding fruit juice for flavor.

The finished product was very popular.

Still, I felt that wasn't quite enough, so I tried making cotton candy.

Cotton candy was also made from sugar.

I knew how to make it because I'd seen it on television before.

First, put sugar in a metal can... a metal can?

S-since this was just a trial run, I'd use a bamboo tube instead.

First, I made lots of holes in the sides of the bamboo tube, then attached wire to the top... I didn't have any, so I had to ask Zabuton for some thick thread to use instead.

Once I'd threaded the bamboo tube, I lifted it... I looked up, but there was nothing to support it.

Sorry for the trouble, little one of Zabuton's. Could you attach the thread over there? I wanted to hang this up. Ah, yes, exactly like that. Thank you.

I put sugar inside the suspended bamboo tube.

Underneath, I prepared a campfire. The heat melted the sugar inside the bamboo tube! Once the sugar started melting, I pinched the thread to spin the tube.

Centrifugal force would send the melted strands of sugar toward the sides of the bamboo tube and out through the holes I'd made. The sugar flying out of the holes would form threads, which would cool when they met the air again, completing the sugar strands.

Then I just had to wind the strands around a little stick, and the cotton candy would be ready!

It sounded easy, but if I didn't regulate the campfire's heat properly, the flying sugar strands wouldn't cool easily, or would even catch fire.

It was a failure.

I had no choice but to ask Lu for help and try again with a magical flame.

At first, it seemed to be going fairly well... but now I finally understood why the cotton candy machines at festivals were so big and bulky. Yes, it was because the sugar strands sprayed everywhere.

I ended up having to take a bath in broad daylight.

So I gave up on cotton candy.

Lu ate the only finished portion as soon as it was ready. She had been helping beside me, and we went to bathe together afterward.

"This is amazing! It's like eating a cloud!"

Since she praised it so highly, perhaps I ought to find time after the festival to build a proper cotton candy machine. Just as that thought crossed my mind, Tia, Rasuti, Hakuren, Frau, and several others gathered, having heard about it from Lu.

I had no choice but to use my existing makeshift equipment to make several more portions of cotton candy, getting sprayed all over with sugar strands. I really wished they would wait until I'd built a cotton candy machine.

Aside from that, I tried plenty of other dishes...

In the end, candy was the only thing I could serve at the new festival.

All that remained was to work with the Oni Race maids to develop festival versions of our dishes...

Simply extending our everyday menu wouldn't give them a distinctly festive feel.

Whatever we chose, we wouldn't know until we cooked it.

"We used the seafood Mr. Michael sent us in our cooking, but since we hadn't researched how to season it, the flavor felt a notch below the rest."

True.

It hadn't tasted bad, but compared with our usual dishes, the seasoning felt a little haphazard.

"Usually, people associate festivals with days of feasting on delicious food. But our village already has plenty of delicious food in everyday life..."

That was true too.

"In that respect, I wasn't prepared enough, and I didn't understand enough. I was also too fixated on sweets."

"Not at all. The candy was delicious, and the cotton candy that didn't make it into this festival was simply wonderful. And was that other thing called a crepe? The food made by wrapping whipped cream and fruit in thin bread. Just thinking about the taste makes me... It's such a shame we didn't have enough whipped cream to officially serve it at the festival."

"Ah, yes, thank you for the compliment. But the people who didn't get to taste them are glaring at me angrily, so let's stop discussing those trial dishes."

"Please forgive our rudeness. Besides, we should have been the ones thinking up dishes and making suggestions."

The Oni Race maid tried to bow in apology, but I stopped her.

"Reviewing things is what a review meeting is for, isn't it? We also need to think of solutions."

"Solutions?"

"That's right. What qualities should a dish have to feel festive?"

I put the question to everyone.

"It should be something we don't normally get to eat."

"Wouldn't simply making larger portions work? I think that would feel special enough."

"At festivals celebrating the new year, people eat preserved food made the year before."

"For a harvest festival, people make dishes with crops harvested that season."

"Seafood should be good too, shouldn't it? A whole grilled Helkeiji fish, for example. It looks impressive and feels festive."

Helkeiji fish... that was what I knew as squid.

"Ah! In that case, I think Guzuguzu snails stir-fried with Buburu would be good too."

Guzuguzu snails stir-fried with Buburu were similar to snails cooked in rice wine in my previous world.

"Both need soy sauce for seasoning. It really brings home how important Flora's research results are."

"Speaking of soy sauce, grilled corn is delicious too. We have it at ordinary meals, but we rarely get to eat a whole ear, do we?"

"So larger portions really are better? That way, everyone can eat to their heart's content."

All sorts of opinions came up at the meeting.

"My view may be a little different from giving things a festive feel, but I think we should choose foods that are easy to carry and eat. After all, nearly everyone takes their food to the spectator seats."

That was true too.

"Hardly anyone used the dining area near the kitchen."

That was unfortunate, but luckily, during the latter half of the tournament, it had been turned into a place to temporarily set out dishes, so it had still served a purpose.

"To sum up... we need large portions that are easy to carry, easy to eat, and flavored with soy sauce?"

"I don't think we need to limit ourselves to soy sauce. There are other seasonings we can use."

"But that aroma certainly does whet people's appetites."

"I can't deny that."

At any rate, all the suggestions were recorded on paper.

"Let's leave our review of this matter there for today. I've given the festival food serious thought myself, and everyone's ideas have been very helpful. Even if they're only ideas, please keep sharing them with me."

I gathered up everyone's opinions and moved on to the next topic.

It concerned shortcomings in running the martial arts tournament.

"Contestants took too long to arrive after their names were called."

"The gaps between matches were boring."

"There should have been more time to recover our strength between matches."

The unfairness of some people winning without a fight was also raised.

"Uh, that couldn't be helped."

"We should have tried to get a full sixteen contestants from the start."

There were many other matters too.

The review meeting grew lengthy. Still, that was better than not reviewing anything at all.

If we didn't examine what people liked and disliked, we wouldn't be able to improve next time. Though I had no intention of holding another martial arts tournament...

"I'm looking forward to the second one next year."

"I'm definitely going to win next time!"

In that atmosphere, I really couldn't bring myself to say it.

But I was the village chief, and I had to take responsibility. So I had to tell everyone firmly.

"A-all right, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Next year's festival will also be decided by drawing lots, so we don't know whether it'll be a martial arts tournament yet."

Yes, I'd said it. I really was brave.

"In that case, why don't we hold the martial arts tournament separately?"

"In other words, keep the martial arts tournament separate from the new festival. That would make next year even livelier."

Everyone looked at me expectantly.

"I-I'll consider it."

I'd tried my best, hadn't I?