Day 4 of the Founding Festival.

    Today, I was visiting the Colosseum along with Parth-san and Justine-san with regard to my guard duty.

    As for how this wind of change was gracing me—

    It was morning, I just entered Master''s office with a sigh, lamenting my fate of being stuck with another day of desk job, when he gave me the security task that I needed to take on in collaboration with the imperial guards.

    The ''Rising Star Cup'' event that was going to be held at the Colosseum today would have young talents from each country participating in it. Participants from Yuglia were elected individuals from the Royal Academy, one per grade, who would be proving their valor while carrying the honor of their nation.

    The first-year representative this year was, as one would expect, Leo.

    The event reminded me of the competition at Rosemieur that I had heard about. Apparently, young mages test their mettle during the long spring holidays in the empire.

    As today''s event was something that would be attended by His Majesty and key nobles of the other nations, the imperial guards had their hands full with their protection.

    The event was also open to the common populace as well, not just to VIPs, with around 30,000 tickets. Though they were such a hot commodity that they were immediately sold-out on the same day.

    But money speaks I guess as the majority of tickets were actually bought out by the nobles of the other nations— so much for the common populace. Anyway, the audience was almost entirely made up of the upper class.

    We, the 3rd legion, along with the police, were tasked to look after the general entrance.

    As a matter of fact, I also thought about looking for a way to get a ticket since I was quite curious about the ceiling of foreign talents, but I had to give up after Master told me to focus on my knightly duties for the duration of the festival. As for how it went—

    "Heavens, are you sure, Master!? Oh goodness, then I have to apologize for even doubting your goodwill! sniff I didn''t know you were always looking after me...... No, I have really misjudged you!"

    I tried to express my gratitude, but Master just clicked his tongue with his typical bloodshot eyes.

    "Do you really think I had nothing better to do to pull some strings just so that you can take that mission?! It''s just that the geezer Godorfun suddenly told me that I should let you watch the Rising Star Cup, using that decree as his weapon, saying ''Wasn''t the order to make Allen run errands as a knight as long as it doesn''t hinder his studies?'' or something. Damn that geezer! I swear, it wouldn''t have killed him to tell me that beforehand!!"

    Eh, I don''t think I had any answer as to why as well......

    Either way, it was a sudden windfall for me. I sent my eternal gratitude to Godorfun-sensei in my heart and left the central station while wearing the ''nihilistic'' mask over my face.

    ◆◆◆

    "That''s it. The winner is Leo Zatsinger."

    The Colosseum erupted in rumbling applause when Godorfun-sensei, the umpire of this tournament, announced the victory of the local hero, Leo.

    The matches were divided by grade level, where the representatives of the eight nations showcased their skill in a tournament-like format.

    The condition to lose was if the umpire decided that the participant was no longer in a state to fight, a K.O. in short, a contestant lost their weapon, a contestant surrendered of their own will, or a contestant fell down from the stage that was 20 m on each side.

    Weapons were allowed, but only wooden ones. The same went for armament in that they had to be made of wood or leather only. Emission magic with elemental factor was not allowed, but detection magic could be used.

    Damn that Leo, did he train this summer vacation? He clearly got stronger......

    Leo''s opponent was by no means a pushover when it came to skill, but Leo''s power level was just above the standard.

    I was sure I could have won the tournament as well if I had been in his place, but that would have been quite an arduous path unlike his absolute dominance.

    Well, I was only carrying my partian bow today but as long as they did not bar the wooden lygo bow and wooden arrows, I sure as heck could snatch the championship. But I wonder if that would be allowed since everyone was using close-quarter weapons.

    Rondy-san''s weapon of choice was a thick and sturdy club, meanwhile Olivia-san''s was a rapier with a slightly broader blade.

    Both of their weapons were wooden work for sure, but they came with elaborate designs unthinkable of wooden craftsmanship, meanwhile their hilts were designed in teardrop fashion.

    A rapier probably had no chance in direct confrontation with a club. She was also not sporting a beefy build like Uncle Shell or Dante-san, so I really couldn''t imagine her trying to parry the club with her wooden rapier.

    A no-hit run while deftly managing incoming attacks was not simple either. Another problem was the abundant mana of Rondy-san which meant he couldn''t be put down in a single attack from an edgeless rapier.

    While I was analyzing the odds of victory for each side, Rondy-san made the first move.

    Gripping the center of the club, he spun it to build momentum, then closed distance while swinging down diagonally from the top right.

    Olivia-san deftly dodged that attack, stepping in closer to thrust her rapier, but Rondy-san was able to counter it.

    I presume he must have considered the chance of his attack being dodged, which was how he managed to switch gears so soon.

    He then followed up with a horizontal strike of his club while covering all the angles she could possibly dodge.

    THUNK!!

    A dull sound echoed on the stage.

    "What the......"

    The scene caused me to unwittingly mutter in daze.

    Against all the possibilities I had thought, Olivia-san astonishingly accepted that strike with her rapier without breaking a single drop of sweat.

    I really had no idea how such a thin rapier could take a club''s attack head on. Admittedly the blade was a bit wider, but that was it.

    In that case, that rapier was definitely not made of ordinary wood. Plus she even made sure to press down the base part of the club which showed her fine skills. The club couldn''t easily be swung if the base was pressed down like that, after all.

    But I think the thing that astonished me far more than anything was her confidence. She had that unwavering confidence where she could definitely take on a direct strike with her rapier. There was no way she would have chosen that risky maneuver of entering her opponent''s range without that unshakable confidence. And with how she managed to gauge all that out even before experiencing the strength of Rondy-san, she was also confident that her body enhancement was incomparable to even the other contestants of the Rising Star Cup.

    Olivia-san was rooted on the spot like a rock while it was Rondy-san who was forced to step back. In that timeframe, Olivia-san twirled on her heel while holding that rapier and kicked away Rondy-san.

    The club left Rondy-san as it flew behind him.

    "Game. The winner is Olivia Rudeon."

    As Godorfun-sensei announced the winner, Olivia-san rushed up to Rondy-san and offered him a helping hand while saying ''It was a great battle!''.

    ''Uh-huh, I lost, huh?'' Rondy-san muttered with a faint smile and took her hand to stand up. The Colosseum was instantly filled with thunderous cheers despite the loss of their representative.

    ◆◆◆

    "Are you kidding me, that duck face did that? No, what are the people of Justeria even doing here?"

    The man next to her replied.

    "Tsk! She''s the daughter of the Rudeon house, the one holding the vanguard of the anti-war and pro Yuglia faction...... It''s clear she had drawn her talent from that Roldeon family. I heard about her prowess, but they surely managed to conceal how great her talent actually was.

    This Rising Star Cup had a tremendous effect in publicity. If they were to use that fame, it might be possible to subvert the kingdom''s opinion and Justeria''s senate as well. Can you win?"

    "Spit! Not even in nine lives would I lose against that ugly duck. Democracy, freedom, and equality my foot. That just makes me want to puke. There''s no hero without the sparkling adoration of the commoners. And history is proof that heroes are always from illustrious lineage and appearance. I will show that bitch how the world works.”