"Seeking! The Strong!
Royal Capital Martial Arts Festival — Participants Wanted!!
(Gold Rank and above only)
Grand Prize: Skill Book"
When I entered the adventurer's guild, it was a bit noisy.
That was because the receptionist had just been putting up a rather ornate poster on the wall.
So it's that time of year already.
The Royal Capital Martial Arts Festival, held once a year.
You might imagine fierce battles between the powerful, but if you go in expecting that, you'll be disappointed.
After all, this is nothing more than a contest of pride among nobles.
Nobles pit their strongest fighters against each other and compete over who can show off more.
Of course, there's plenty of political maneuvering involved—you can't beat someone sent by a noble of higher rank than yourself.
Even if you have the power to
WIN
...you still have to make sure you lose gracefully in the end.
Boring, isn't it.
I know because my former family, the Vermilion house, used to do this too.
Mind you, when nobles of equal rank are involved, they pre-arrange who's going to win beforehand.
And to make matters worse, you can actually place bets on this tournament.
Ordinary people can place bets too, but since the authorities keep track of who the commoners are placing the most money on, the winner is obviously arranged to avoid those picks.
That's why the vast majority of commoners never win their bets.
It's fraud on a national scale.
Technically, anyone ranked Gold or above can enter without a noble's backing, but if by some miracle it looks like that person might actually win, they'll conveniently either withdraw or meet with an unfortunate accident — one or the other.
◇◇◇
"Listen well, Cain. Last time, the dragon subjugation in Fandantal failed because there was no dragon to be found, and you were unable to become a [Sword Saint]. However, this time the Royal Capital Martial God Festival has a 'Book of Skills' as its prize. If you obtain it, you'll gain a new swordsman skill and be able to advance from [Sword Master] to [Sword Saint]."
"Yes, Father."
"I've already spread a considerable amount of gold around and made all the necessary arrangements. The victory of Hector, the mercenary entering on behalf of the Vermilion house, is guaranteed. Rest easy."
"Yes, Father."
Cain — though still dispirited from the failed dragon subjugation, he was the son of the first wife and the heir apparent.
"However, I've spent a bit too much and we're slightly short on funds. So I've arranged for assistance from Count Butterfly's family. The price is one night with their eldest daughter, Agris."
"! No! Please, anything but that!"
Up until now, Cain had been nothing more than a machine that nodded along to whatever his father said — but this time he pushed back.
The eldest daughter of the Butterfly family, Agris — where to begin. Unflattering appearance, a figure so plump it practically screamed "never exercises," and on top of that, she was a shut-in rumored to spend her nights drawing pictures of men together and indulging in her own pleasures.
Apparently that sort of thing had its fans among a certain like-minded crowd, but setting all that aside, the head of the Butterfly family still thought even this daughter of his was adorable and had been lining up marriage prospects for her.
Every single one of them had fallen through, and she'd sailed past her prime years unmarried into her late twenties.
"Don't worry, I've prepared an aphrodisiac. It's made from Black Ogre testicles through [Alchemy] — a delicacy favored by the royal family. One drink and you'll last all night. No, at your age, two nights should be no problem. It wasn't cheap, so give it your all."
*You could've used that money to make arrangements instead* — Cain barely managed to swallow those words. As the heir apparent, he was in no position to defy the dealings between noble house heads, so he could only fall silent.
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Skills: [Reverse], [Divine Eye], [Sword God], [Phantom Thief Gentleman], [Dark Magic], [Rock Iron Magic], [Holy Magic], [Space-Time Magic], [Scorching Magic], [Freezing Ice Magic], [Magic Hand], [Temptation]
Rank: Silver
Thank you for always reading! 😊