This will be my last post of the year.
"The winner is — Tenma Ohtori!"
In the martial tournament's
semi-
fi-
nals,
I defeated Branca, who was battered beyond recognition. It was the most overwhelming victory yet. After all,
"The folks down south sure are close. After all, five of them besides Amour all entered the same mountain together."
Just as Hana-san's letter had mentioned, the top southern fighters who had previously teamed up with Branca also entered the Individual Battle, and every last one of them — including the seeded Branca — achieved the remarkable feat of advancing to the main tournament. A curious sight appeared on the main tournament bracket, with all their names lined up right next to each other (Branca in the first seed slot, southern fighters in slots two through five).
Most of the spectators who saw that bracket figured the outcomes had been pre-arranged... But defying those expectations, the southern fighters went all-out from the very first round. Well, that was the proper way to run a tournament, but because two of the southern pairs went all-out, it created an atmosphere in the venue where Branca — also from the south — felt compelled to fight the same way. Before long, Branca was essentially forced into a no-strategy slugfest too. What's more, the southern fighters who had advanced continued brawling with Branca until they were knocked out cold. By the time Branca made it to the semifinals, he could barely stand.
"It felt rough delivering the finishing blow to Branca in that state."
"Yet for someone saying that, you mercilessly landed a triple body combo twice over."
"With Branca, even when he's beaten half to death, he can still have a devastating strike hidden away. So unless you're absolutely certain you've weakened him, you could end up taking a nasty hit."
I tested the waters with a triple combo, then threw in another triple combo just to be safe before delivering a strike to his jaw to put him down for good. People might call me merciless, but this was a real fight — Branca would rather get pummeled than have his opponent hold back.
"Well, it's a shame for Branca, but Amour advanced to the finals, so the south managed to save face."
The winner from the other bracket was Amour, who had defeated Jin in the semifinals to reach the finals. As for Jeanne, who had been giving it her all — she lost to me in the quarterfinals. She was a troublesome opponent since she knew my moves and had excellent technique.
"Tomorrow's your turn, Grandpa."
"Indeed! I'm worried about my partner's condition, but I should be fine on my own."
This time around, Grandpa is only entering the pair battle, and according to prior predictions, he's all but guaranteed to advance to the finals. For reference, Grandpa's partner is Amour. She does look pretty worn out from her fight with Jin, but the skill gap between Grandpa's pair and the others is so wide that he could advance even solo — so there shouldn't be any problem with holding Amour in reserve.
The bigger problem, though, was whether we'd run into the other main contender along the way. They said Branca's pair was on par with Grandpa and Amour, and the real question was who Branca had chosen as her partner.
"Still, I didn't expect Branca to bring the Robo Honorary Count as her partner."
"They say he and the other are ranked second and third in the South, and judging from how they fought in the Preliminary, it's safe to say he's roughly on par with Branca. In a fistfight, I might be at a slight disadvantage."
He could just fight with magic, but Grandpa seemed dead set on hand-to-hand combat.
"Branca's condition and Amour's fighting spirit might end up deciding the whole thing."
Since we'd beaten Branca pretty badly along with the other top fighters from the South, I doubted she'd make a full recovery by the finals. But the same went for Amour — depending on how her Individual Battle final against me went, Grandpa could be in for a really tough fight.
"Well, I don't know who'll end up taking the championship, but at this rate, it looks like the top spots will all be filled by people we know."
The Individual Battle was down to me and Amour, the Pair Battle looked like it'd come down to Grandpa and Amour's pair versus Branca and the Robo Honorary Count, and as for the Team Battle—
"'The Southern Alliance' led by Branca versus 'Dawn Sword' with Amour added to the roster... That one's really impossible to predict."
Those two teams were the big favorites for the Team Battle the day after tomorrow, and if they ended up on opposite sides of the bracket, the finals would almost certainly be that matchup.
"With both 'The Southern Alliance' and 'Dawn Sword,' there are still questions about Branca's and Amour's conditions, but there's still the Robo Honorary Count and Jin. I can't say how it'll turn out, but it looks like the talk of the tournament will be all about the athletes from the Southern Autonomous Zone."
It wasn't like I was making up for only competing in the Individual Battle or anything, but with Branca and Amour each competing in the Individual, Pair, and Team Battles, plus the Robo Honorary Count and the other top Southern fighters putting on impressive shows, the excitement was at least on par with previous years — maybe even more. You could safely say this year's tournament had become a showcase of just how deep the Southern Autonomous Zone's talent pool really was.
"Well then, I'd better make sure I beat Amour so the Southern Autonomous Zone doesn't sweep every title."
I said it in a slightly joking tone, but I was confident I could win against Amour if I just fought like I normally did. I'd felt the gap between us widen over the past few years, and more importantly, unlike me — who could focus solely on the Individual Battle — Amour had to keep the Pair and Team Battles in mind too. And besides,
"She was going on and on about pummeling the Robo Honorary Count. I think she's probably more hung up on that than on the Individual Battle."
As long as she was fighting, Amour surely intended to win the Individual Battle too, but with other ambitions on her mind, she'd probably want to hold something in reserve. For my part, though — especially with the marriage adding extra meaning to it all — I couldn't afford to lose the championship.
"It looks like the difference in commitment to the Individual Battle will be the deciding factor. When you think about it — Tenma, who has the strength to win every single event, is putting everything into just one...
His opponent in the finals
can only be pitied."
That wasn't just something Grandpa and I were saying — it was something people had been talking about even before the main tournament started.
"Regardless, I'll fight without letting my guard down as usual... So, nice to meet you, Amour."
"Hmm... Tenma, what would it take for you to fight me while blindfolded with both hands and feet bound?"
Something along those lines — Amour, who'd been hiding and watching us, made yet another foolish remark, but —
"For the record, I can still cast Tempest even in that state."
"Indeed! Fighting fair and square is the best way!"
He tried to sweep his earlier statement under the rug in a rush. Well, it was just our usual banter — I had no intention of giving him a handicap, nor did I plan to use Tempest. Besides, if I used a spell like Tempest in the Arena... things would get ugly. Even if it technically wasn't against the rules.
"Enough of this nonsense — let's get going. Tenma has wedding preparations to tend to, and Amour, you've got matches both tomorrow and the day after."
With only one match left for me this year, I'd apparently been under the mistaken impression that I had more free time. Since I'd only entered the Individual Battle this year to focus on wedding preparations, most of my spare time needed to go toward that.
"All that's left is preparing the venue and the costume fitting, right? Anything else?"
"Besides that, confirming the guest list, sorting out the seating arrangement, and prepping backup food, I suppose?"
The wedding was still over a month away, so we couldn't start venue preparations yet, and the outfits were running slightly behind due to the special materials. As for the guest list and seating arrangements, we needed to coordinate with Duke Sanga, so the only thing I could handle on my own was the food.
"Also, once the tournament's over, we should go pay a visit to the Gunjou City knights' order."
Primera planned to leave the knights upon getting married, and since I already had connections with the Gunjou City knights, the two of us had decided to go together and pay our respects. In addition, there were people whose attendance at the wedding had been confirmed — like the knight commander Alan and Sir Frute, the guild master — to whom we needed to hand-deliver invitations in person. And for the old man and the proprietress who couldn't attend the wedding, we had to bring them the news.
"That sounds right. Very well then — let's head home, shall we?"
"At this rate, Tenma's going to get surrounded by fans again."
Inside the venue, those involved could use passages that bypassed the audience to get outside without crossing paths with them. But fans who knew this would lie in wait along the very routes their favorite competitors took to leave. It was poor etiquette but not a clear criminal offense (though some would push the boundaries), so the guards and security personnel on standby could issue warnings but couldn't actually crack down on it.
"Then how about we make a run for it once we're outside?"
Since Jeanne and the others should have already left, I suggested we sprint past the fans waiting to ambush us, and —
"No need to run. I've already told Jeanne and Aura to have a carriage ready, so we should be fine. Come now — it wouldn't be right to keep them waiting, so let's get a move on."
Grandpa told us he'd already had the two of them prepare the carriage, and started walking toward the venue's carriage staging area.
The carriage staging area still had plenty of carriages remaining, but near the Otoutori family carriage there were only three others, making it look like we could depart at any moment.
"You sure managed to secure a spot in this spacious area... Oh, Primera's here too — sorry to keep you waiting."
"No, I only just joined up with you a moment ago... But..."
Since Primera kept hesitating and glancing at Jeanne and Aura, I called out to the two of them.
"Some nobles noticed the carriage belonged to the Otoutori family and casually surrounded it."
"If Lord Albert and Lord Cain hadn't come, Raiden would have gone berserk..."
Apparently, several nobles — and what appeared to be their personal engineers — had tried to get close enough to steal even a little of the carriage's technology, creeping right up to the edge of where Jeanne and Aura had parked our carriage. That nearly set Raiden off. Albert and Cain then showed up, scolded everyone in the area by explaining what a terrifying presence Raiden was, and lured Raiden over to where their own carriages were parked.
That spot was in the area where the upper nobility gathered — and within that, even further up, near where the carriages of the King and the Duke Sanga family and other top-tier noble households were stationed. Albert had our carriage moved there, he said, to avoid causing a disturbance. As it happened, the reason Albert and Cain had come to the staging area in the first place was because the Duke and the Marquis had told them this would likely happen.
"There you are! You were gone so long I was worried something terrible had happened!"
While I was thanking Albert and Cain, Lion came striding over, shouting at the top of his lungs. Apparently, Albert and Cain had been watching the matches alongside Lion, but when Duke Sanga and Marquis Samons summoned them to the carriage staging area, they'd had a staff member pass along a message to Lion saying they were going to the restroom.
When I asked why they'd told such a lie:
"We just had a feeling."
That was the answer. Well, you could call it their usual response — but in truth, it was an order from each of their respective heads of household, so even Lion couldn't very well share it freely. Probably.
"So what are the three of you doing from here? Lion's got his own thing, but Albert and Cain — you've each got your family's carriage, right?"
"That's the thing. If we showed up while the tournament's still going on, we'd end up causing trouble no matter what. So I'm planning not to visit until the tournament's over."
"I don't want anyone saying we went there just to interfere, and in Albert's case, it's obvious people would claim he used his position as brother-in-law to barge in at a critical moment before the finals. There are already plenty of people who're jealous of how close he and Tenma usually are, spreading rumors left and right about things that never happened."
"The next time we visit Tenma's place will be the day he wins the championship!"
Lion tried to wrap things up with that, but—
"Are ye saying that me and Amour can't win as a pair?"
"I still have the Team Battle too."
And so, having committed an absolutely terrible slip of the tongue, I frantically bowed my head over and over again.
Then, a few days later,
"Haah… mgh!"
Amour's Bardiche was slicing through the air as it was swung at me repeatedly without pause. However,
"Right here!"
"Ngh! It slipped… guh!"
I dodged the diagonal slash by a hair's breadth, then stomped on the Bardiche to drive it into the ground. With that opening, I pressed the tip of Kogarumaru against Amour's throat.
"…I yield. I surrender."
"The winner of the Individual Battle is Tenma Ootori!"
And just like that, my victory in the Individual Battle was decided. When you put it into words, it sounds like it was settled in an instant, but in reality, I had been dodging Amour's attacks for quite a long time.
Amour launched a surprise attack right from the start, then pressed the assault relentlessly for over ten minutes without a moment's rest. Amour's weapon was a Bardiche, and mine was Kogarumaru, so if I carelessly blocked a hit, my sword could get caught and wrenched away. That meant I couldn't afford to trade blows, and instead had to wait for Amour to tire and leave an opening. But Amour had far more stamina than I'd expected, and the sheer power generated by swinging such a massive weapon around made it nearly impossible for me to close the distance. Because of that, I'd been stuck on the defensive the whole time.
"I thought I could keep going once I'd seized the initiative…"
"Well, counterattacks were tough, but as long as nothing hits you, a chance is bound to come eventually."
"I'll take out all this frustration on that guy! …Anyway, I'm gonna take a nap."
I'd drained my stamina, but I hadn't taken any real damage, and Amour's recovery was fairly high. An hour of rest should be enough to get back in fighting shape.
"I think I'll do a little something to settle my stomach first. Tenma, sorry, but could you bring out some food?"
Grandpa seemed to want a meal and asked me to produce something, but…
"I haven't gotten the Magic Bag back yet, so give me a moment."
I still hadn't retrieved the Magic Bag I'd lent to Jeanne, so all I had on hand was the bag with my weapons in it—plus the secret one the gods had given me.
I headed straight for where Jeanne and the others were—the private noble's quarters Albert had secured—and was congratulated by Primera and the rest inside. But since I had Grandpa waiting, I kept it brief and headed back to the waiting room. That was when—
"Tenma, you're slow!"
"That's right. The event starts in less than thirty minutes, you know."
The two of them sat at the table complaining.
"Alright, alright, sorry, sorry. Anyway, you shouldn't eat anything heavy, so here—rice balls and misoh soup. And pickles too."
I picked out items from my usual stock that were easy to eat and unlikely to cause indigestion, and within mere seconds they had finished everything.
"Second helpings!"
"I'd happily serve you more once you've beaten Branca and Robot Honorary Viscount into a pulp."
When there was a chance of them eating more, there was no point talking about digestion, so I limited them to one rice ball and one cup of misoh soup.
"Hmph… You obstruct me at every turn. I'll show you what I'm capable of!"
"Indeed. Let's take those two down quickly so we can get our second helpings!"
"Right!"
Grandpa and Amour were going to fight the two of them—for reasons that were either grudge-driven or just petty venting, entirely selfish motivations. But setting Grandpa aside, Amour still had Team Battle ahead even if Individual Battle was over, so she wouldn't be able to fill her stomach… No, I wasn't even sure she'd be in any state to eat at all.
"Merlin Ootori, Amour. It's almost time, so please head over."
"Mm, understood."
"Tenma… I'm gonna pound you good!"
With that, the two of them followed the attendant out.
"Huh? Tenma, shouldn't you be waiting in the changing room?"
As soon as the two left the changing room, I moved over to the private room where Primera and the others were. Cain, whom I ran into just outside the door, looked puzzled, but—
"My turn's already over. I stayed behind in the changing room since I'm family, but I figured it was a bit much to just camp out there."
"Hmm… Did you get lonely?"
"It's less about being lonely and more that this is my first time watching the tournament from the audience seats. Since I have the chance, I figured I'd watch from here. Besides, if I'd stayed in the changing room, I'd probably have ended up sticking around all the way through the team battles without even meaning to."
That would also mean having to deal with Jin and the others, which would be its own hassle. Just like Gramps and Amour had done, I was feeling hungry too.
"Also, since I'm already here, I thought it might be nice to eat a meal while watching the fights."
"So you're spectating from the sidelines, huh. And next year, you'll scatter the other champions across the floor... so you say."
"I don't know what kind of pair or team I'll be in next year, but I'd like to make that happen."
With conversation like that, I entered the private room, greeted everyone, and got the meal preparations underway.
Thank you once again for reading *Adventurer of Another World Reincarnation* this year.
This year, I aimed to post one chapter per week (well, I took a break during New Year's, so strictly speaking I didn't quite achieve that), but next year I'm thinking of slowing down the pace for a few reasons.
Even so, I'll aim for one chapter every one to two weeks—ideally about ten days—so I'd appreciate your continued support in the new year as well.