episode_0086

Last Point Tournament

“Waaah!!!” “Isn’t that person a woman?! But their opponent…” “Yes! The opponent who will face the new challenger!! He is also a new participant!! The man of immense strength from the East!!! Bearly Bahent!!!”

On the opposite side from where Aria appeared, a burly man in armor slowly revealed himself. Hmm… Rather than this story, it seems I should first explain how this situation came to be. So… how did this happen? An hour ago, Aria and I were wandering the streets, buying and eating various snacks.

“Hmm… This cotton candy is actually pretty good when I try it again. There’s also the fun of tearing it off with my hands.” “And the joy of being torn apart~” “Right… It really is a good snack for you… But when it comes to sweetness, Karizan’s snacks are still a cut above. Well… even though the Village Elder-nim made them after being greatly shocked by spicy food…”

Remembering how the Village Elder-nim had been greatly shocked by the spicy food Revo was eating previously and thus dedicated himself to perfecting sweet foods, I let out a hollow laugh and chewed on the stick snack. At that moment, the taste of the stick snack began to spread in my mouth, and savoring the flavor, I nodded and said,

“Hmm. So this is chocolate. It’s delicious. The snack itself is savory and tasty too.” “Indeed. Oh my? Zeke-nim, look at that.” “Huh?”

Aria pointed at something, and I turned my head in that direction. It was the arena where I had heard the shouts earlier… no, the Coliseum. And what Aria pointed to was a notice hanging on the exterior of the Coliseum.

“Let’s see… ‘A chance has come for brave travelers who have reached the end of the village to prove their strength to everyone… Ruam welcomes those who wish to show off their strength, and during the festival period, that strength can shine even brighter?’ What is this supposed to mean…”

So… they’re offering an opportunity for travelers who have reached the end of the village to display their power? And since the festival period is also a time when various prizes can be awarded, it’ll be even fiercer… Huh?

“The final prize is… Magnod’s Tear…? What… what?! They’re offering a gem like that as a reward?!”

Realizing that the final prize was a gem called Magnod’s Tear, I was greatly astonished. But Aria, seemingly unaware of what Magnod’s Tear was, tilted her head and asked me,

“What kind of gem is that, Zeke-nim? Is it really that valuable?” “Oh, it’s valuable. It is a crystal, but it’s a peculiar one.” “A peculiar crystal?” “That crystal isn’t obtained from magical beasts; it’s not a magic stone, but rather a crystalized form of energy. This gem, called Magnod’s Tear due to the legend that it’s the tear shed by Magnod, the Incarnation of Light, is a crystalized form of ‘pure light energy’ that can only be formed deep within caves with appropriate light and water. It’s so hard to obtain that I had just given up on it…!!!”

As I was explaining about Magnod’s Tear, I felt a sense of unease and slowly turned my head to the side. Then, seeing that Aria was no longer beside me, but had somehow gone all the way to the reception desk at the arena entrance, I was greatly shocked.

‘Ah… Aria, surely not?!’

“As a traveler, can I participate in this tournament?” “Oh my. Are you sure?”

Before I could even realize what Aria was going to do, she had already completed her registration at the reception desk. The receptionist lady was surprised that Aria, a woman, was participating, and Aria was already filling out all her personal details on the application form. I immediately ran towards Aria, but…

“Ah… Aria, wait a moment!!” “The gem Zeke-nim desires… this Aria will surely win it…!!” “Oh… Um… Registration is complete. Please go inside and wait until the bracket is announced. The matches will begin in an hour, so I wish you good luck.”

The receptionist lady took the application form Aria had filled out and went inside, and I quietly watched her, dumbfounded. Then Aria frowned and said to me,

“Zeke-nim…? You’re not interested in that woman, are you…?” “No… *Sigh*… It’s just that I couldn’t stop you beforehand. Even if I wanted that thing… what if you suddenly submit a participation application like that?” “Ah~ So that was the reason~ Don’t worry, Zeke-nim. I’m not confident in losing. So I hope you’ll keep watching me win from the stands~”

“….It’s true that I was worried about you getting hurt… but that’s not what I was worried about.” “Huh? Then what is it?”

“Oh my? Registration is already complete, but you’re still here? Would that gentleman also like to participate in the tournament?” The receptionist lady, who had been organizing applications inside, came out and asked me. I shook my head and replied,

“No, that’s not it. But what kind of match is this Last Point Tournament, exactly?” “Ah~ So you’re curious about this match~ The Last Point Tournament is held four times a year. Our village hosts it so that travelers who arrive here can show off their strength. A long time ago, the Village Elder-nim saw that travelers who came here wanted to compete with other travelers and prove their strength, so he personally built this arena and even brought the final championship reward himself to host the matches.”

“So it’s a historic match that has continued for a long time. Then how many years ago was this match first held?” “I’ve heard it was 231 years ago. The final championship reward changes every time the match is held, so sometimes travelers return specifically for the day this match is held.”

Hmm… I see. It was a historic match. As if to prove it, the marble forming the arena also exuded an ancient feel… But wait a minute. This is important, but I was forgetting the most important thing, wasn’t I…?

“Can you tell me how the match is conducted?” “Oh my. How did you know that participant didn’t hear the rules?” “…I just had a feeling…”

“Hehehe… I don’t need to hear such things!” But you still need to know the rules… Aria’s confidence made me serious, and the receptionist lady also looked a little flustered. Then the receptionist lady pulled out a piece of paper from under the reception desk and showed it to us as she explained.

“The match format is two participants fighting each other, with the winner advancing. This process is repeated until a final champion is determined. If the number of participants is odd, the last participant sometimes gets a bye.” “Hmm… Then what are the match rules?”

“First, and this is obvious, you must not kill your opponent. And weapons and such were uniformly prohibited… but recently, methods to declare surrender and quickly treat injuries have been discovered, making weapon use possible. However, if you kill, you are immediately disqualified, and the fact that the participant committed murder here will spread throughout the entire Herloss region.” “So it’s a rule against reckless behavior. Understood.”

“Yes… But will it be alright? You won’t be able to protect your body in those priest robes… Our side provides armor, so it might be better to wear that…” “No need. The clothes I wear have only been touched by Zeke-nim’s ha—” “Th-that’s enough! Let’s go inside, Aria! Hahahahaha!!”

Before Aria could say something that might be misunderstood by others, I let out a hollow laugh and tried to lead Aria inside. But the receptionist lady extended her hand, blocking my way, and said to me,

“Ah, only participants can enter. Those who are not participants must sit in the spectator stands.” “…What?”

At the receptionist lady’s explanation that only participants could enter, I suddenly felt a chill. This was a big problem… If I didn’t go with her, Aria might suddenly make a mistake, and many headaches would arise… As I made a troubled expression, the receptionist lady looked at her watch and said to me,

“Hmm… There’s about 40 minutes left, so there’s still plenty of time. If you have anything to say to the participant, you can do it all now.” “Ah, yes. Aria, can you come with me for a moment?” “Yes~ Zeke-nim~”

At the mention of 40 minutes remaining, I took Aria and headed under a tree. After confirming that no one was around, I looked at the distant Coliseum and said to Aria,

“Are you confident?” “Yes~ Of course! Zeke-nim also knows how strong I am…” “No, that’s not what I mean… If you accidentally kill even one person, it’ll be a huge problem. Starting with killing someone, the fact that you committed murder will spread throughout this region.”

“I don’t care! It’s not about speaking ill of Zeke-nim—” “Then you won’t be able to travel with me ever again? Is that okay with you?” “…”

Realizing that if she committed murder, she would no longer be able to travel with me, Aria lost her words upon hearing what I said. This was what I was worried about. If Aria accidentally killed a participant, from that moment on, I wouldn’t be able to help her at all, and Aria would eventually crumble alone. I had to prevent that.

“Aria, listen carefully to what I say.” “…Yes.”

“You just have to keep four promises. Then you won’t kill anyone, and you’ll be able to continue traveling with me. Understood?” “…! Yes!”

At the words that she could continue traveling with me as before if she just kept the promises, Aria reacted immediately. Her depressed face was gone, replaced by a face full of determination, and a smile unconsciously appeared on my face.

“Alright. So listen closely. First. Don’t use your staff.” “My staff? Why?”

When I told her not to use her staff, Aria tilted her head and held out her staff to me as she spoke. I then took the staff Aria offered and explained.

“This staff is incredibly sturdy. Don’t use it, because you might kill someone with it. And secondly, don’t use your ability to emit divine power. Only use it for self-defense, and never to kill anyone. Especially, I don’t know if it’s possible now, but absolutely do not use the Radiance of the Sacred Ring.” “Understood.”

“Third, don’t get upset no matter what your opponent says. Especially, don’t get upset even if they insult me.” “…! Th-that…”

At my words to not get upset even if they insulted me, Aria made a troubled expression. Well… I did expect this kind of reaction. So I had already thought of a countermeasure.

“Fourth, if you can’t control your anger, look at my face in the stands. That should help you calm down, right?” “…!! Yes! If it’s that… if it’s that… *hee hee hee*… Zeke-nim watching me fight hard and cheering for me… *hee hee hee*…”

Looking at this reaction, it will definitely be effective. Well… I thought it would be, but seeing Aria so happy with such a bright smile, I’m sure it will be effective.

“Alright. Let’s go then.” “Yes!”

After giving Aria all the advice, I headed back to the reception desk, holding the staff I had received from Aria. But wait a minute… Isn’t there a more certain way than this? A method suddenly came to mind, and I asked the receptionist lady,

“Can I perhaps cancel the participation application?” “Ah… The bracket has already been drawn, so that won’t be possible… The truth is, it used to be possible up until about 100 years ago, but back then, there was an incident where a participant caused a ruckus because their opponent suddenly canceled… So there’s nothing I can do… I apologize.”

Hearing from the receptionist lady that it wasn’t possible, I sighed. Well… It’ll be fine, right…? Aria won’t get hurt… but I am worried about Aria’s opponent…

“There’s nothing for it… Aria, do well, okay? And… be careful.” “Yes! Zeke-nim, please watch my magnificent performance closely from the stands!”

‘….I’ve already seen plenty of that kind of performance during the World Tree incident, so I don’t really need to see it again…?’

Because Aria had already shown so many transcendental performances, I was speechless and merely let out a hollow laugh. 20 minutes passed like that. I headed for the spectator stands, and before the match began, a male announcer shouted from the center of the Coliseum.

“Travelers from other lands! Welcome, everyone!! I, ‘Orgun,’ who will be hosting this match once again, greet you!!” “Waaah!!!”

Along with the announcer’s greeting, the Coliseum was filled with shouts. The fervent atmosphere of the Coliseum made me start to feel nervous too, and somehow… I also felt a surging emotion. Was it because I had never been to a place like this before?

‘So this is what it feels like… It’s not bad.’

“In this tournament, many participants who have competed before, as well as many new participants, have joined!!! Participants renowned in the Herloss region!! And even!! Participants from other regions!!! Of course, it’s usually like this, but… today there are also many participants!! And on top of that, this excitement!!! It’s overflowing!!! The reason is none other than!!! The final championship prize is Magnod’s Tear!!!”

As the announcer was speaking, he suddenly pulled out a box wrapped in a cloth. Then, as he threw the cloth aside, Magnod’s Tear inside the box was revealed. Everyone in the stands, seeing the purple crystal-shaped gem with another blue gem set in its border, began to cheer again.

“Th-that… that’s real!! How did they get it?!” ‘It’s real? Wow… how did they actually get that?’

“This gem, given as a gift by a traveler who visited this place to further ignite the excitement of this match!!! It’s said that even high-grade crystals cannot compare to the value of this gem!!! Indeed!! Who will be the one to obtain the Tear of the Incarnation of Light!! Last Point Tournament!!! It begins now!!!”

Thus, the Last Point Tournament began, and now. Aria slowly began to reveal herself, and on the opposite side, a man named Bahent, clad entirely in armor, was slowly appearing. Then, people in the stands who saw Aria were greatly bewildered and began to whisper among themselves.

“A w-woman…? And she’s not even wearing armor…” “It’s black, but… isn’t that a priest’s robe? So she’s a priest… Why would a priest participate in a tournament like this…?” “I don’t know… Maybe she has magic…” “But she doesn’t even have a staff?”

The sounds of people gasping in astonishment at Aria, who had entered this match without any equipment, reached my ears. Well… since people in the Herloss region don’t know about Aria yet, this reaction is natural…

“…!!! Th-that person?! It’s the Black Saintess-nim!!! I’ve seen her in the Maglion region!!” ‘…?!’

I was greatly flustered when someone in the stands recognized Aria. H-how would someone from the Herloss region know about Aria…? Ah…! Did they learn about her through trade?

“I know her to be a beautiful and benevolent person, so why is she participating in a match like this?!” “Th-then she’s a Saintess?!” “That’s right!! Run away, Saintess-nim!! Hurry!!”

People who realized Aria was a Saintess quickly started shouting for her to run away. Then Bahent, who was in the arena, scoffed and said to Aria,

“Hey, sis. Don’t you hear those shouts now? They’re yelling for you to run away, aren’t they? How about you surrender quickly?” “Why should I? If I surrender, my pride would crumble, you see. I promised to give that gem to the one I love, so I will never back down.”

“What? Hahahahaha!! Your lover must be a weakling and a coward!! Seeing as he sent a woman like you, sis, to a place like this!” Bahent, realizing Aria participated in this match for her lover, began to mock me, and hearing that, I was greatly astonished. Th-that person, is he crazy?! He’s only saying such things because he doesn’t know about Aria, if he did, he would never have done so… Well, anyway, I promised Aria to endure her anger…?

“…Uh…” “What are you doing, sis? Where are you looking? Surrendering? Hahaha!!” I had been looking at Bahent, but I turned my head towards Aria, and when I saw her looking at me, my expression stiffened. Bahent, oblivious to everything, shrugged his shoulders and began mocking Aria again, and I thought to myself, *Is… is this already her limit…?*