Ch.8181. An Intermission Story

After leaving the city, a peaceful daily routine continued for a while.

The Tarask ensures a comfortable journey, albeit slower than riding Corin or Astra, and the fairies under Fairy Princess Tristia take care of any minor enemies that approach.

Thanks to this, we had an abundance of free time on our hands. To make use of this overflow of time, we sent out Corin and Minerva, sharing their vision to observe the scenery around the Tarask’s path…

And naturally, the two of us became interested in the sporting events held in the Empire.

“…Oh, I can see it. Can you see it too, Sophia?”

“Yes, confirmed, Gregory. The match seems about to begin.”

While tournaments in the feudal state of the Frank Kingdom mostly consist of jousting or martial arts competitions, the Holy Empire surprisingly hosts professional sports leagues based on regional affiliations.

Of course, the nature of these professional sports was, to someone like me with memories of a past life, unimaginably primitive and violent.

The basic objective is similar to American football or soccer—getting a ball placed in the center into the opponent’s goal.

However, the components are incredibly brutal.

The ball is a solid chunk of metal that could kill someone if hit directly, and deliberately aiming it at opponents is considered a legitimate strategy.

Like American football players wearing protective gear, these athletes wear thick plate armor when entering the game.

Naturally, sportsmanship and fair play were abandoned long ago. All manner of fouls and violence run rampant on the field.

Wearing knuckles and metal gauntlets as “protective gear” is considered basic equipment.

Players bringing various weapons onto the field with the most shameless excuses is completely normal.

While gunpowder weapons and magical tools are prohibited, it’s essentially no different from a war with matched numbers of participants.

There are referees, but they’re practically useless.

Their authority extends only to prohibiting attacks on already fallen players and the use of illegal weapons, and referees who actively interfere in matches are even praised as virtuous.

Of course, the outcome of the match has nothing to do with violence or bloodshed between players. The team that scores more points wins.

…But the fact that the best way to prevent the opponent from scoring is to knock down the player with the ball is what makes this sport so twisted.

The rule that you can still win by knocking down all opponents and then leisurely scoring is firmly established, and because of this, the game is violent… but this violence attracts massive audiences.

To be frank, this chaotic management is what makes the sport entertaining and contributes to its ever-increasing popularity.

“Ohhh!! Go for it!!!”

[Blow them away! Blow them away!!]

[Now, there! Hit them! Hit them!]

“Kill them! Kill them all!!!”

Whenever a match is held nearby, we gather in the living room, eat snacks (made by me), and watch through shared vision.

A sport characterized by high violence and unpredictable developments in many ways couldn’t help but be entertaining.

Some teams shamelessly field City Ogres (intermediate level, strong) as mercenaries, while other players who look suspiciously like soldiers—definitely not civilians—form battle formations against opposing teams.

And even…

“…Wait, isn’t that a manticore?”

[Are they insane?! Who’s bringing a man-eating monster in as a substitute player?!]

Under the miraculous logic that it has a human face and is therefore human, someone bribed the referee to allow a manticore to participate as a player, and the match began to heat up in earnest.

A monster with a lion’s body, bat wings, scorpion tail, and the head of an elderly human.

The manticore approaches the opposing team’s players while salivating, and the simple-minded City Ogre charges forward with a roar, wielding “something that is definitely not a club.”

Meanwhile, suspiciously green-skinned players join the opposing team against those in battle formation, and coaches who are “absolutely not magic tower mages” weave mana to support their teams.

As the flow of the game becomes increasingly chaotic, the situation grows more confused and tense as time passes…

In the end, with both teams completely destroyed and devastated, the match concluded 17:144 thanks to a halfling who survived by hiding alone, taking advantage of his small stature.

“That was an entertaining match today, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. The oracle was fun too.”

If you viewed it as a legitimate sport, your blood pressure might rise dangerously, but as mere entertainment, it was unparalleled.

…That is, if you didn’t feel uncomfortable with the fact that this was a sport enjoyed by people of all ages and genders.

※ ※ ※

After the broadcast ended, I began preparing sherbet, a sweet treat to give the fairies as per our “contract.”

“Robo, I need your help.”

“Sure!”

-Fsssssh…!

Using Robo’s cold energy, I prepared ice and slightly frozen fruits sorted by type. Then I finely ground them by precisely generating “slashes.”

I added a little milk for a smooth taste, along with honey and sugar to enhance the sweetness.

Finally, by quickly freezing it with Robo’s power and poking it repeatedly with something fork-like, I could easily make sherbet.

[[[What are you doing? What are you doing?]]]

“Chikchiki? I’m making snacks for the fairies. Want to try some?”

[[[Yes! Yes!]]]

I gave some fruits and pieces of sherbet to the Chikchiki who had come over, attracted by the sweet smell.

The sight of them carrying trays on their heads was adorable, but at the same time, I seriously contemplated the amount of sherbet I needed to make.

Unless I hired a professional cook, repeating this labor-intensive process multiple times would be time-consuming and exhausting.

Anyway, while I was mechanically producing sherbet and pondering this, Robo, who was also engaged in repetitive work and apparently quite bored, cautiously asked me a question.

[Um, Master. I’m curious about something. Can I ask?]

“Of course. What’s your question?”

[Well, we’re all intermediate level, right? So… are there adventurer teams where not everyone is intermediate?]

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, if only one person in an adventurer party is intermediate level, which role is strongest as an intermediate?”

Like a child who’s not just physically large, the question sounded oddly childish. I calmed my startled feelings and began to consider…

“Robo, by adventurer party, do you mean one classified into vanguard, scout, magic user, and healer?”

[Yes!]

“Then… I’d say the vanguard… the close-combat warrior. Then the scout, then the magic user. The healer would be last.”

[Why is that?]

After considering how to answer, I slowly began to explain my reasoning.

“Warriors are the core of a party. Below intermediate level, if there’s even one aura awakener, they can handle whatever enemy appears, but the reverse isn’t true. In small-scale engagements, a warrior’s influence is very powerful.”

[…?? So an intermediate warrior is stronger than an intermediate magic user?]

“I wouldn’t say that. They have different directions. Hmm… how should I explain this?”

I started thinking about how to explain the value of intermediate warriors versus mages in small parties… and suddenly realized I might be overreacting to what was essentially a child’s “who’s stronger” question.

If that was the case, any answer that satisfied Robo would be sufficient.

“Just think of it as a ranking of who would be most problematic if missing. Even a low-level magic user can cast support spells.”

Though I said this, the reality is a bit more complex.

The biggest advantage of aura awakeners, a prerequisite for becoming an intermediate vanguard, is that they can reliably contribute their share in most situations.

Even low-level magic users can cast buffs or healing spells on allies, albeit with reduced effectiveness.

In contrast, low-level warriors can never defeat intermediate warriors due to the difference in physical capability.

In other words, a low-level warrior with intermediate support would just be disposable cannon fodder in intermediate-level combat, but an intermediate warrior with low-level support can expect meaningful enhancement to their combat ability.

[I see! So I’m important to our team!]

“W-well, that’s right.”

Whether Robo actually understood or not, he became proud after hearing my explanation and happily growled with satisfaction… but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the complete truth.

This only applies when just one party member is intermediate level.

In a party where everyone is intermediate, magic users are actually more valuable due to their rarity—but there was no need to ruin the mood by pointing this out.