Chapter 61. The Qualifiers Begin
The selection of Royal Guard candidates has ended.
The guard was established with 700 members, far exceeding the initial plan of 100.
The captain is my mentor, Cayenne.
Kristia was chosen as vice-captain.
For better or worse, she’s highly competent.
Though she does have some truly unfortunate tendencies.
Lucina is here to keep Kristia from running wild.
I really need Lucina to do her best.
Even Lydia ended up being selected for the Royal Guard.
She’s now responsible for managing the warehouse for supplies and equipment while undergoing training.
With her crest of immense strength, organizing a warehouse is no trouble for her.
But is it really okay for Lydia, who’s the same age as me at 12, to be in the guard?
She’s still a minor—a child, after all.
When I asked my father, Aslad, about this...
“Oh, I forgot to set an age restriction.”
…That’s what he said.
Seriously, Dad?
And so, spring arrived.
The qualifiers for the martial arts tournament are starting across the regions.
Today, the capital is also hosting qualifiers, and I’m here to spectate.
“That spear user is quite something. Not as good as Jun, though.”
“Yeah, not as good as onii-chan.”
“That man with the battle axe is also impressive. Of course, surpassing Jun-sama is unthinkable.”
“That swordsman over there looks strong too, but Jun-sama seems stronger.”
Everyone is scouting the qualifiers for someone who might be stronger than me.
There’s a reason for this—Mom caused a bit of a scene.
It all started last week.
“Onii-chan, are you really not entering the tournament?”
“No, I’m not. Besides, the deadline’s already passed.”
“Boo. That’s boring.”
“I wanted to see it too—Jun showing off his skills.”
“Me too. If I can’t participate, at least let me see the one I love looking cool.”
“Even if you say that, martial arts tournaments aren’t really my thing.”
I thought I was living a peaceful life.
Sure, I’ve trained in combat since being reborn, but still...
“Hmm… Ah, I’ve got it! Hey, Jun!”
“Yes, what is it?”
“How about just two matches in the tournament?”
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“You’ll fight the champion of the martial arts division and the champion of the magic division in a special match!”
“What?!”
“That sounds amazing!”
“An exhibition match!”
Yuu and Ai were all for it.
But I’m the one who has to do it, right?
“Will the champions even agree to that?”
“They won’t lose their titles even if they lose to you—it’s just a fun event.”
Yuu and Ai looked at me with sparkling eyes.
They really wanted this, huh?
“Fine, fine. I’ll do it.”
““Yay!””
“Thanks, Jun!”
“But I’ll leave the announcements to you, Mom. Please don’t make it too flashy.”
“Leave it to me! Hehe.”
Even if I lose, it’s against the tournament champions.
It wouldn’t be too embarrassing.
That’s how I left it to Mom last week.
Then, yesterday, she revealed her hand.
Mom brought a flyer announcing my special match with the champions.
“Here you go, Jun! Do your best!”
“Sigh. A flyer?”
“Yes, promoting your match with the champions… Wait, what’s this?!”
“If the winner defeats Jun, he’ll grant any wish they have within reason? What’s this, Mother-in-law?!”
“Well, I figured Jun wouldn’t take it seriously otherwise. You were probably thinking it’d be fine to lose, right?”
Ugh.
Sometimes Mom can be really sharp.
“But what if the champion is a woman and makes an unreasonable request?”
“Yeah! What if she asks to marry onii-chan?”
“Well, in that case, she’d just be the third fiancée alongside Shansey and Ai, right?”
“No way!”
Marriage to the tournament champion?
I can’t help but imagine someone huge and muscular, like a pro wrestler.
The magic division might have some hope, but still—marriage?
“Oh, come on. Just win, and it won’t matter. Do your best!”
Mom left with a smile.
What have you done, Mom?
I thought I could finally relax now that the Royal Guard stuff had settled.
“Jun! Let’s start training! There’s still time before the finals! If you win, it’ll be fine!”
“Y-Yeah, you’re right. If I win, it’s fine. And it’s not like the champion will definitely be a woman or want to get married.”
“Exactly! Let’s train hard!”
At the time, I believed that.
The champion might not be a woman. Even if she is, winning will solve everything.
I was naive.
“We’ll now begin the martial arts tournament qualifiers!”
The qualifiers at the capital’s venue have started.
We’re watching from the VIP seats.
Today, our usual group is joined by my parents, Sebas, and the four little maids.
The Fenrir family, including Hati, didn’t seem interested and stayed behind.
“And as you all likely know! Whoever wins the finals will earn the right to face our Demon Prince, Jun-sama, in a special match! If victorious, Jun-sama will grant any wish within reason! Let’s give it our all!”
“““WOOOOO!!!”””
Oooooooooooiiiiiii!!!!
What is that announcer even saying?!
There’s no way I can grant every wish!
“By the way, the Demon Lord's family is watching from the VIP seats! And of course, Jun-sama is here too!”
"""“WOOOOOOOOOO!!!”"""
Ugh, I can feel the stares piercing me.
Hundreds of participants in the capital’s preliminaries.
The pressure from all their gazes is overwhelming.
Wait, isn’t that announcer… Wuush from the Adventurer’s Guild?
What is she doing here?
“That announcer is Wuush, the receptionist from the guild. Why is she here?”
“She’s moonlighting. During the tournament season, adventurers participate, so the guild gets a little quieter.”
“Oh, Larc. You’re here.”
“Guildmaster, have you gotten over your heartbreak yet?”
“Guh… Missy, that’s not something you should bring up!”
Larc bursts into tears at Ai’s question.
It seems his full recovery will take some time.
“A-anyway, listen to the participants! They’re shouting all sorts of things!”
“Shouting?”
Sure enough, the participants are yelling in our direction.
It’s hard to make out what they’re saying with all the overlapping voices,
but I can catch a few.
“Jun-sama! If I win, please marry me!”
“If I win, spend one night with me!”
Those are from the female participants.
But I realized how naive I was when I heard the male participants.
“Jun-sama! If I win, I’ll have you marry my daughter!”
“If I win, please take my sister as your bride!”
Exactly.
Even if I lose to a male, they might demand marriage… to their relatives.
But there’s an even bigger problem.
“Jun-samaaa~! If I win, make me your wifeeee!”
“Nooo! Jun-sama will be MY husband!”
“What did you say, punk?!”
“You wanna go, huh?!”
I’m speechless at the chaos.
If one of those drag queens wins…
I might accidentally blow them away without holding back.
And then, I spotted the most problematic presence.
“W-wait, no way. Please tell me I’m seeing things. Someone, say this isn’t real!”
I’ve confirmed someone I didn’t want to see among the participants.
Why is she here?!
“Jun, what’s wrong?”
“Onii-chan, what’s wro—oh.”
“Oh? Isn’t that Stephania? She joined too, huh?”
“Oh my, it’s Stephania-chan! Do your best, Stephania-chan~!”
Hearing Mama cheer, Stephania notices us and waves back.
Why is she here?!
Of all people, I didn’t want her to join!
“Jun-chaaaan! I’ll do my best~! If I win, please lend me Sebas and Sebast for about three months~!”
Sebas and Sebast gasp and turn pale.
Sorry, I’m a bit relieved to realize I’m not her target this time.
“Father, how strong is Stephania? She once said she’s terrible at fighting…”
“Hmm? She said that? Nah, she’s strong. I’ve escorted her a few times as an adventurer, but honestly, she didn’t need any help.”
“Yeah, her hammer strikes are absurdly fast and strong. A single swing can reduce a boulder to dust.”
What the heck, that’s way too strong!
“Among these participants… she stands out as exceptional.”
“She’ll clear the preliminaries without breaking a sweat.”
So that’s how it is.
I had a feeling she was strong since we first met, but still…
“Jun-sama.”
“Sebas?”
“If Stephania wins, please, I beg you, defeat her in the final. I’m begging you.”
“Me too, Jun-sama. Please don’t lose to her.”
“U-understood.”
Sebas and Sebast’s eyes are dead serious.
Their dignity is at stake, after all. Can’t blame them.
It’s not just their problem; I’m involved too.
“Umm, I think Stephania and Sebas’s relationship is just wrong,”
“Tina agrees. Honestly, it’s just gross.”
“Yeah, I’d rather guys act like guys.”
“But the true pairing is Jun-sama x Sebast, right?”
I overhear a troubling conversation from the little maids.
Who taught them about this stuff?!
“Jun-sama! Don’t worry, if I win, there’ll be no problem!”
“I don’t think I’d feel very reassured, Sis.”
The one yelling is Christea, with Lucina standing beside her.
Honestly, I’m still uneasy even if Christea wins, but considering the drag queens…
I’ll cheer for her.
“Go for it, Christea! Just this once, I’m rooting for you!”
Yes, just this once!
“No, no, Jun. There’s another top contender. You might want to support him instead.”
“Top contender?”
“Yeah. Over there. Cayenne is participating.”
Master is here?!
“It’s true! Master! As expected of him! Coming to save his disciple in a time of crisis!”
Master looks so radiant!
“No, the decision to include your special match came after registration closed, so it’s unrelated.”
Papa says something, but that doesn’t matter!
What’s important is that Master is here!
If Master’s participating, he’s undoubtedly a top contender.
I’ll pray those troublesome people face him and lose.
Really, I’m counting on you, Master!