8. The Grand Martial Tournament> Roa, the Capital of Tian
—Tian was astir with a festive mood.
A grand festival was to be held to commemorate the end of the transfer of royal authority.
The flower of that festival, no matter what anyone said, was Tian’s
—Grand Martial Tournament.
Small martial tournaments were held even in ordinary times, but the tournament taking place this time was on an entirely different level.
Because all of Tian’s renowned martial officers would be participating, the core forces had to form groups and hold preliminaries in each region before coming up, to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the gap to infiltrate.
The prize money and goods at stake were just that enormous.
The royal family did not provide that prize money or those goods.
The royal family merely issued priority rights to supply festival goods to the merchant companies that put up the most money and prizes.
And so, merchant companies from across the nation put up prize money and goods like mad.
Because the benefits to be gained from the festival were truly immense.
In fact, in the case of the Kirion Merchant Company, they had provided prize money and goods great enough to make the company stagger for the martial tournament celebrating the Kradan royal family’s victory in the transfer, but by earning several times that amount in profit in an instant, they had been able to expand their influence at a tremendous pace.
The Grand Martial Tournament was broadly divided into two branches. The
They were not divided by taking an exam. There were no standards either.
One simply chose for oneself.
If one was confident, one applied for “Kaloan”; if not, one applied for “Haron.”
There was nothing shameful at all about choosing Haron.
Those who chose Kaloan were only those truly confident in their ability.
That was because it was a festival for the core armed forces that upheld Tian, the Masters and high-ranking Exers.
For that reason, the Haron Martial Tournament became a stage for rising stars and future pillars, while the Kaloan Martial Tournament became a duel between older great warriors who had already proven themselves.
Third-rank administrator Girdin could hardly keep his wits about him because of the documents pouring in from the festival administration.
As he was frantically checking documents and receiving approvals, one document caught his eye.
[Grand Martial Tournament
—Kaloan Martial Tournament Participant List]
Girdin was busy, but he could not pass over that document.
That was because he had a special interest in martial officers, enough to subscribe regularly to the monthly publication
In particular,
Since they, too, would have applied this time, Girdin was scanning the list to see where they had been assigned when he soon found something strange in the document.
“…
What is this? Participant age… twenty-four… seventeen…….”
Girdin thought it had to be one of two things.
Either a fool who should have applied for the Haron class had applied incorrectly, or a future patient who failed to properly gauge his own ability and would be carried off to the infirmary.
In the past, talented youths overflowing with confidence who had recklessly applied for Kaloan usually all ended up being carried to the emergency infirmary beside the training ground.
But Girdin realized that both of his predictions were wrong.
Because he was able to confirm the names he had missed while his eyes had been drawn to their ages.
They were two rising stars who had reached the level of Master and were currently making names for themselves with frightening momentum. Though young, no one looked down on these two.
If it was them, they were more than qualified to step into Kaloan.
Rian and Kuntarian were often compared because they had both achieved the lofty realm of Master at a young age and were handsome men with peerless looks.
But recalling the decisive difference between the two, Girdin frowned.
Their personalities.
Kuntarian’s ill reputation was even more undervalued in comparison with Rian’s, and though he had not been in the capital for long, he had already earned the nickname
Girdin inwardly prayed for Rian’s victory… but according to the experts of
‘I just hope no major incident breaks out…….’
Girdin felt an inexplicable unease, but soon, seeing the stack of documents piled before his eyes, he quickly cleared away his idle thoughts and began to focus on his work again.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Damn it. What the hell happened!”
Kuntarian, who had lost consciousness and collapsed in the blink of an eye, woke up and, without even thinking of causing a rampage, hurriedly left the medical room and headed for the lodging where he was staying.
‘…
Damn it! Was it that old man Kirain’s doing?’
Given the circumstances, it was obvious. That damn wench must have tattled to her grandfather.
He had known the old man was dangerous, but to think it was to this extent.
On top of that, for someone called Gran-Vander to launch a sneak attack so disgracefully.
Though it was true he had been distracted by that wench Sellin, his armor’s protective magic formation had been broken, and he had been taken down in an instant. It was something utterly impossible for someone of merely Master-level ability.
Thinking that this was why women were hopeless, Kuntarian decided that for the time being, he would have to set aside his interest in Sellin.
He had said he would not cross the line, but because he had never heard that Sword Duke Kirain doted on his granddaughter with such devotion, he had approached boldly. It seemed the rumors had been wrong. For him to come moving that old body of his personally to protect her.
Kuntarian’s determination to obtain the championship prize this time burned even hotter.
The Kaloan Grand Martial Tournament. He absolutely needed the championship prize at stake there.
The others might think its value was simply that of a good sword, but he knew the secret hidden within it.
If he had that, he would be able to awaken a considerable portion of his remaining power, and then he would no longer have to fear an old man like that.
When that day came, that old man Kirain would be beneath his feet, and that wench Sellin would be beneath his belly.
‘Hehe…….’
Thinking of that time put Kuntarian in a good mood again, and in order to prepare for the Grand Martial Tournament that was now right before his nose, he decided to try doing something called training for the first time in a while.
As a supreme genius, he was strong even without doing things like training, but to overwhelmingly toy with his opponents, it would be good to learn how to exert himself a little.
‘Mm… before that, should I loosen up a bit?’
Thinking that warming up was also necessary before beginning proper training, he moved to seek out Traan Street on the outskirts of the capital.
After all, the brothel district there was better than any place he had ever visited.
☆ ☆ ☆
Sian spoke as he looked at Sellin, who seemed to be in a good mood.
“It seems that halfwit hasn’t been coming by lately?”
“Halfwit? Who’s the halfwit?”
“Kunta… whatever… that guy.”
“Ah… Kuntarian. Come to think of it, he’s been quiet since then. Haha.”
Kuntarian’s personality was a complete mess, but his martial strength alone was formidable.
That was why Sellin had not immediately thought of him when she heard the word halfwit.
‘That’s something only this guy could say……. But still… he isn’t the type to back down like this…….’
Knowing how persistent he was, Sellin found it strange that he had withdrawn so meekly, but since she could not know the reason for now, she immediately changed the subject.
To the hottest topic these days, the Grand Martial Tournament.
“Mm… Anyway, aren’t you participating in the tournament this time? The prizes and prize money are incredible. With your level, you could just enter and win.”
“Haha! A gentle person like me, meek as a lamb, dislikes violence, so I do not participate in such barbaric tournaments.”
“…….”
Sellin, who remembered Sian swinging a sword sheath at Kuntarian just a few days ago, stared at him with an incredulous gaze, and Sian avoided her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I simply found it bothersome. I’m not interested either. Did you participate, Miss Sellin?”
“Haha! In a way, that’s just like you. As for me, I registered for Kaloan. Winning would be impossible, but I’ll be able to check where I stand through this opportunity. Honestly, chances to spar with such a wide variety of Masters and Exers aren’t common.”
Come to think of it, one-third of those uncommon Masters had already been beaten up by Sian’s own hands.
Thinking that, it seemed only natural that Sian had no interest in this tournament.
If Sian, a Gran-Vander, stepped into a place like this, that would truly be cheating.
Imagining Tian’s martial officers rolling across the training ground after being struck on the back of the head with a sword sheath, Sellin could not help but let out a chuckle.
“Yes, that’s just like you. Haha. Then make sure to cheer properly for Sir Rian and me.”
“Haha. You’ll both do well on your own, so why say that?”
Sian was not particularly worried about Sir Sellin. She was a woman who knew how to back off appropriately when things became dangerous.
What worried him was his older brother, Rian.
His older brother, who seemed to live like a protagonist as though some novel had been injected into his head when he was young, was always too hot-blooded, and that was the problem.
That was why Sian liked him, but at times, his brother caused their parents even more worry than Sian himself did. Like when he had said he would volunteer for the Great Northern Wall in the past.
They said there had been no cases so far of someone being seriously injured or dying in the martial tournament, but because his older brother tried harder than necessary, Sian was worried that he might charge at an opponent stronger than himself as if he meant to die.
The bigger problem was that it was difficult for Sian to stop him.
If he helped his brother in such a situation, his brother was the kind of person who would commit suicide.
‘Ha… somehow, he’s even more troublesome than I am…….’
Occasionally thinking the ridiculous thought that he wished his brother would live a little more like an ordinary person instead of a protagonist, Sian headed outside to attend to his Garan-Tia patrol duties.
☆ ☆ ☆
The Kaloan-class Grand Martial Tournament progressed faster than expected.
Unlike the Haron-class individuals, who did not have much else to do, the Kaloan-class participants were core martial officers who could not be absent from their posts for long, so they could not waste time dragging out the tournament.
Because no one knew what might happen while they were away from their posts.
For that reason, the high-level combat forces, nearly one hundred and twenty in number, made up of almost all the martial officers and high-ranking Exers, could not participate all at once. Most remained at their posts and held preliminaries against one another in each region before advancing.
Since the Grand Martial Tournament was an event for all of Tian, this method was also good for the entire populace to watch.
In Roa-Tian, the capital, the martial officers belonging to the capital also held their own preliminary matches.
Since the battle over the transfer of royal authority had ended, the Masters and Exers of each noble faction had returned to their families, so roughly thirty Masters would be holding preliminaries in the capital.
The people who always became the issue in tournaments like this were the new forces.
In other words, those who had only recently entered the level of Master.
The returnees, Sir Rian, and Kuntarian fell into this category.
Among them, interest in Sir Rian and Kuntarian had risen to an extreme level.
Leaving aside their personalities, both had made names for themselves among the martial officers at a young age, so people were highly expectant about how far they could rise against Tian’s famed established martial officers.
Today was the final day of the preliminaries, where Kuntarian and Sir Rian would each display their skills.
Among the sixteen who had defeated their opponents and advanced on the first day of the preliminaries, the eight who won today would participate in the main tournament. With that, all thirty-two participants in the main tournament would be decided.
For that reason, today’s venue was more crowded than ever.
Because the training ground today would become the place where it would be proven who the talents were that would lead Tian in the future, and who the talents were that supported Tian now.
“Wow… what an incredible crowd.”
“I know. I heard one B-seat ticket costs more than twenty-five Talents. Maybe it’s because they’re people of the capital, but everyone seems to have a lot of money.”
The ones sitting in the audience seats and talking were Sellin and Sian. Since Sellin was a participant, and Sian had the power of his father, Count Roman, behind him, both were able to take seats in the S-class section with the best view of the arena.
Considering that the R-class seats above them were only for the highest-ranking nobles such as King Narasha, Count Roman, and Sword Duke Kirain, it was the best possible position for watching the matches.
“By the way, Miss Sellin, you really did get eliminated at the speed of light. Haha.”
“…
I didn’t know Sir Rian’s skills had improved that much. Ha…….”
Even as she said it, Sellin thought it sounded like an utterly pathetic excuse.
But to some extent, it was true.
Sir Rian’s skills had, at some point, changed beyond recognition.
Even just a few months ago, when Sian had entered Garan-Tia, he had clearly been only a little stronger than her, and weaker than the returnee Jacques.
But when the lid was opened on the first day of the preliminaries, Sir Rian’s abilities had risen to a level that could not be compared to back then.
On the very first day of the preliminaries, Celine met Sir Rian. Against Sir Rian, who came charging in, she was driven onto the defensive again and again, only to be subdued in an instant. He did not go easy on her.
Sir Rian was usually considerate and gentle, and that same air showed in his swordsmanship, but whatever had happened over the past three months, Sir Rian now pressed his opponents with the aura of a wild beast.
“Haha! He’s been undergoing special training with Father this time. Something about the Path of the Lion… or whatever it was… Father said it was time for my brother to inherit it too, and drove him hard.”
“…
You don’t know your own family’s training method?”
“Well… I’ve never trained in it, so how would I know?”
“…….”
Sometimes, this guy really was unbearably lucky, Celine grumbled inwardly.
“Ah! It’s starting!”
While the two of them were exchanging idle chatter, Sir Rian’s match began.
His opponent was Roxanne, daughter of the returned Natalan sword family.
“I love you, Sir Rian!”
“Marry me!”
Roxanne (36)
watched Rian enter amid cheers from every direction with an expressionless face. ‘He really is immensely popular…….’ Since she was a woman herself, she could understand it to some extent.
Rather than his father, Count Roman, he had inherited his mother’s delicate, sculpture-like features, paired with a beast-like physique that did not match them.
Armed with sincerity, manners that showed consideration for his opponent, a sense of justice, and passion, Sir Rian was the sort of being almost any woman would find difficult not to fall for—someone one would expect to see only in a novel.
And that was not all. At twenty-four, he had ascended to Master and proven his abilities himself, and on top of that, his family was that House Roman.
At this point, one could only call him the complete package.
But it had nothing to do with her. After all, he was nothing more than an opponent she had to defeat.
“I am Rian von Roman.”
“Roxanne de Natalan. I look forward to the match.”
After exchanging formal greetings, the two took their stances.
And the match began at once.
The one who charged first was not Roxanne, famed for being bellicose, but Rian.
With an aura utterly different from a few months prior, Rian pressed in on Roxanne from every direction. His movements were like those of a wild beast.
They looked rough, but every one of those movements was swung with meticulous calculation—a great combat art.
This was the secret sword-fighting art of House Roman, the “Path of the Lion,” which had made Count Roman famous and earned him the name Mad Brown Bear.
It seemed true that House Roman only trained its members in basic swordsmanship until they reached a certain level, and did not allow them to practice the family’s secret sword art.
However, Roxanne had already watched his matches and had expected it to some degree, so she responded accordingly. Yet she could feel, little by little, that something was going wrong. ‘…
Damn. My paths are being cut off.’ To be precise, she was being overwhelmed by his momentum.
There were clearly places where she could swing, yet she was forced back by his ferocious aura and could not do so. As a result, the number of choices available to her dwindled more and more, until the initiative was taken from her.
In the end, though their skill levels were similar, Roxanne was subdued by Sir Rian.
“You did well, Lady Roxanne. Are you all right?”
“…….”
After being subdued, Roxanne took Sir Rian’s hand as he helped her up, rose to her feet, and stared at him expressionlessly. Then she snapped her body around and ran out of the arena. ‘Oh dear… She must be quite frustrated.’ Sir Rian smiled wryly inwardly as he listened to the cheers directed at him, then headed out of the arena on the opposite side from Sir Roxanne. ☆ ☆ ☆ “Goodness. Well… another one has fallen.”
“Huh? You mean Lady Roxanne?”
“Hrr… That’s right. There isn’t just one or two of them, I tell you. Not one or two.”
“…
No, why? For what reason?”
Celine still could not understand Sian’s claim that Lady Roxanne had developed feelings for Sir Rian.
No, there had been absolutely nothing in that match just now that would make someone feel attracted to him. How in the world could she develop feelings in such a short time?
Seeing Celine looking bewildered, Sian taught Sir Celine one of the truths of the world.
“His face is a thug.”
“…
What is that supposed to mean now?”
“It means his face is a gangster.”
“…….”
“When you look at it that way, Sir Celine, you’re rather fascinating. I’ve almost never seen a woman who stayed by my brother’s side and didn’t end up liking him.”
Hearing Sian’s words, Celine thought it over carefully and realized that the women around Sir Rian did all seem to like and admire him.
Objectively and subjectively, Sir Rian was certainly a man qualified for that sort of thing.
But perhaps because her awareness of him as a colleague was so strong, she did not particularly think of him that way.
“Hmm… I don’t really.”
“Haha. I said it without much meaning, so please don’t mind it too much. Oh! The next match is starting.”
“Uh… hm… right. Who is in this match?”
“Sir Celine’s man, of course. Hahaha!”
“…….”
Hearing those words, Celine immediately knew who was next.
The next match was Kuntarian’s, that utter scoundrel. ‘Hm… That bastard called Rian… He really is an annoying bastard.’ Kuntarian compared the cheers directed at him with the cheers that had resounded when Rian entered earlier, then ground his teeth.
That pretty-faced fellow named Rian, who looked like a male prostitute from Traan Street, had not a single thing about him that Kuntarian liked.
Unlike himself, who as a fallen noble had been forced from a young age to walk the path of a mercenary, that fellow had been born into the prestigious House Roman and walked a smooth road.
Rian had not obtained strength through hardship and training(?) like Kuntarian, but had been born into a good family, trained prettily in a mansion, and ascended to Master. Kuntarian could not bring himself to look kindly on him no matter how hard he tried.
He also could not understand the wenches who liked men like that more than him. ‘Heh heh… But it’ll only last for a moment anyway, so enjoy it while you can.’ If he won here and advanced to the main tournament, he would someday clash with that fellow Rian.
Since Rian was the son of that old man Roman, Kuntarian had not touched him so far, but if they met during a match, he would trample him thoroughly and humiliate him without mercy.
From what he had heard about the people of House Roman, they were terribly diligent about things like honor and whatnot. In that case, that old Grand-Bander would not be able to hold him responsible for what happened during a match. He would only have to suffer in silence.
Besides, if Kuntarian obtained the prize that would come with winning, he would no longer have to cower before those unpleasant old men, including the Grand-Banders, who threw their weight around.
Having finished his thoughts, Kuntarian looked at the man named Jacques before him.
Deciding to first vent the foul mood Rian had given him on the fellow in front of him, Kuntarian used Exar on his own body, cast miracles, and charged at the man named Jacques.
“…
It’s one-sided.”
Celine once again felt that while the man called Kuntarian was insufferable, she had no choice but to acknowledge his skill.
In the arena, Sir Jacques, a returned one who was quite strong even among Masters, was being beaten to his heart’s content.
Celine was not particularly close to Sir Jacques, but it was enough to make her pity him.
They were both Masters, but their levels were different.
On top of that, the man called Kuntarian was one of the truly few
His use of Exar was not shoddy, either. The sight of Kuntarian fighting while casting
If that was what ordinary Masters, including Sir Celine, thought, the thoughts of the Grand-Banders, including Sian, were a little different.
“Hmm… What did you say that boy had been doing before he came here, Count Roman?”
“I heard he was a mercenary, Sword Duke.”
“…
Everything is completely disjointed.”
“I don’t know where he learned it, but… the way he uses his power is extremely clumsy.”
“…
A half-baked fool.”
“Indeed.”
King Narasha, the Sword Duke Kirain, and Count Roman were seated together in the R-section stands, watching the match.
The three of them seemed so close that it was hard to believe they had been at odds with one another until only a month ago.
Their shared opinion was one thing.
At first, they had not been able to tell, but watching Kuntarian use his power from above like this made it clear.
That man had undoubtedly picked something up somewhere. And something of an extraordinary level, at that.
He was showing the typical traits of someone who had gained immense power in an instant.
Before he obtained it, he had probably been at a hopelessly pathetic level.
At the Master level, it might not be easy to see, but in the eyes of the Grand-Banders, all of the ways he operated his power were visible.
Because the quantity and quality of his energy were overwhelming and his physical ability was exceptionally high, it might be difficult to notice, but the activation of his techniques, his timing, the amount of energy he should be using, and the strength of his attacks were all completely mismatched.
When he needed to be strong, he fell short; when he needed to be moderate, he overdid it.
When he needed to press slowly, he rushed; when he needed to strike quickly and move in, he took his time.
He did not know how to use power at all. If he met someone strong at the same level, he would probably be killed in an instant.
The Grand-Banders, including King Narasha, found that regrettable.
“Whew… And yet there is no talent capable of defeating a half-baked fool like that… not in Kaloan right now.”
They did not know what he had obtained, but it was certainly something of a remarkable level.
That man was undeniably so strong that, excluding the Grand-Banders, there was no one who could defeat him.
Though they called him half-baked, the difference in his basic specifications was so severe that it looked difficult for anyone else to withstand him.
“If only that boy Rian had a little more time… What a pity.”
In the eyes of the Grand-Banders, the boy named Rian was truly a jewel-like talent. If he had been polished for just a few more years, he would have been able to easily break a half-baked fool like that, but for now it was impossible. The gap in power was too great.
“This Kaloan is terribly lacking in interest. I shall return, Your Majesty.”
Watching Kuntarian vent his anger on Jacques, who had already been beaten to the point of losing consciousness, the Sword Duke Kirain frowned. Unable to endure it any longer, he left before the match had even ended. He would probably never come to watch another match.
King Narasha and Count Roman were in positions where they had to remain, so they sat silently and watched the match to the end before leaving.
Starting tomorrow would be the main tournament.
But they, too, felt that this Kaloan would be terribly lacking in interest, and King Narasha and Count Roman smiled bitterly.