Chapter 44: Great of Rounds ①

The heated debate finally came to an end.

The proposal to allow Titles for Third- and Fourth-Class Explorers passed smoothly, since there were no major objections.
However, the proposal to unify Title rights across all races—rather than handling them separately—was met with strong opposition and was ultimately scrapped.

Well, that’s understandable.

Still, if it had passed, even Pakira and Axe would’ve been granted official titles.
It wouldn’t just be party names anymore.

Hmm… if Pakira got one, what would it be?
Maybe “White Cat Princess” or “Heavenly White Cat”?
And Axe-san… maybe something like “Steel Fist of Dawn”?
As for Hoss-san, maybe “Scrap Meat Chef.”

And me—no, let’s not go there.
I thought about it idly as I ate lunch.

Then, it was time for the arena.

The arena was one of the Hydrangea Grand Hall’s main attractions.
Apparently, it hosted everything from duels to chariot races.
From what I’d heard, it looked almost exactly like a Colosseum from my past life’s memories.

When I arrived, it was packed to the brim—completely full, noisy beyond belief.
Where did all these people even come from?

“C’mon, hurry—hurry—!”

Chive-san dragged me along, leading me to the special seating area.

It was located on the third floor, giving a clear view of the entire arena.
A line of VIP seats had been prepared for the First-Class Explorers.

There were twenty-seven seats in total—none for attendant explorers like me.

“Come on, sit here, sit here.” 

Chive urged, patting the seat beside her.

“Eh—is that really okay?”
“It’s empty, so it’s fine~.”

True, quite a few of the twenty-seven seats were unoccupied.
The one I took belonged to the Witch, who had returned home for work.
Munieka-san was also absent—she’d gone to serve the Tasan family under her maid contract.

Shiro-san wasn’t interested and had gone back to her room.
Viewing the First-Class Explorers’ exhibition matches was optional, after all.
Most didn’t bother to come—including Alweld.

“Oh, Wof-san.”
“Emi-san, hello.”
“Yes, lovely weather, isn’t it?”

With a soft grunt, Emi-san settled into the seat in front of me.
She was probably here to watch Enth-san’s promotion ceremony.

Her belly was visibly round—pregnant. I couldn’t help but worry a little.
Chive-san, meanwhile, was brimming with curiosity.

“Wowww, your belly’s amazing as always—you’ve got a baby in there, huh~?”
“That’s right. Actually, two—twins.”
“Two!? Whoa—!”
“I—is that safe?”
“Yes, I’m already in the stable period, so it’s fine.”
“Um… what about Axe-san?”
“He said he wasn’t coming, but… I think he’s somewhere around here. You know how he is.”
“…Yeah, that sounds like him.”

It was complicated, but I agreed—Axe-san would definitely show up to watch.

“Well, if it isn’t Wof.”
“Ah, Arifa-san. Hello.”
“Oh right, you’re a knight attendant, huh?”
“Yes. And, uh—congratulations on Agaro-san’s promotion.”
“Haha, oh don’t bother with that. Still, that idiot becoming First-Class… it feels kind of embarrassing, you know?”

Arifa-san scratched her cheek, looking bashful.

“What are you talking about? You were drinking till late last night celebrating!”

A deep voice called out from behind her— a tall, red-haired woman with an eyepatch stepped forward.

She had the same faun-like features as Arifa, but with a more imposing, battle-hardened air.
She flashed me a fierce grin.

“So, you’re the famous Wof, huh?”
“Y-yes, nice to meet you.”
“Name’s Dralov—Dralov Flame-Tongue.”
“She’s our aunt, actually.” 

Arifa explained.

“Say older sister, will ya.” 

Dralov snorted with a booming laugh.

She had the vibe of a loud, good-natured aunt at a family gathering.

“‘Heroine with the Dragon’s Eye’—she’s best known as the wielder of the pseudo-divine Relic [Ancient Dragon].”

“Pseudo-divine…”

So, besides Juicy-san, there was another.
And not just any dragon—an Ancient Dragon, a true elder wyrm.

Dralov gave Chive a suspicious glare.

“You got somethin’ to say, little beast?”
“Just sayin’—for a big ol’ lizard like you, no wonder you’ll die single~.”
“Wanna get burned, brat?”
“Then maybe I’ll shatter you into emerald dust~.”

Chive drew her emerald blade,
and fire flickered at the corners of Dralov’s mouth— the killing intent between them burst out so sharply the nearby guests flinched.

What do I do!?

“You two, that’s enough. It’s about to begin.”

The calm voice belonged to a gentleman in a silk top hat, wearing a crisp black suit and carrying himself with refined grace. White-haired, sharp-eyed—an elegant elder.

“Gravis.” 

Chive muttered.

“If Grandpa says so, then fine~.” 

She relented.

“Ho-ho-ho-ho! The opening ceremony is about to begin!”

With that, the old gentleman placed his cane aside and sat down.
Both Chive and Dralov followed suit quietly.

Whoever he was, he’d just saved us all.

Then— a trumpet blared loudly across the arena.

“Silence!” 

The herald shouted repeatedly and the roaring crowd fell quiet in an instant.

At the center of the arena, Alhazard Abramelin stood proudly.

“From this moment onward—‘The Great of Rounds’ begins!”

At that declaration, the arena shook under a thunderous roar of applause.

It had technically already begun long ago, so making a fresh proclamation felt a bit unnecessary.
Beside me, Chive sighed, resting her chin on her hand and muttering with mild exasperation.

“Haa, the same old performance as always.”
“Ah, that’s what you mean.”
“Well, whatever. Those guys don’t care about boring meetings anyway.”
“True enough.”

In the earliest days, it hadn’t even been called “The Great of Rounds.”
It was simply a gathering—a quiet meeting that began quietly and ended quietly.
No spectators, no fanfare. Just business.

But eventually, it was rebranded as The Great of Rounds, complete with theatrical flair and spectacle.
There were many reasons, but one of the biggest was simple: money troubles.

By turning it into a festival-like entertainment event, the Guild brought in massive revenue.
And so, the Great of Rounds continued in that form to this day.

“Next, we will begin the promotion ceremony. Agaro, Megadia Megalopolis, Ens Hylant. The three called, step forward.”

As commanded, the three of them walked out and knelt before Alhazard Abramelin.

He held in his hand a staff made of pure white metal, crowned with a large crystal orb.
He raised it high.

“To all Explorers, to all Explorer Guilds—by the authority of the Grand Guild, I, Alhazard Abramelin, Grand Guildmaster, hereby give my approval.”

The crystal atop the staff flared with radiant light.

“That staff…?”
“Ahh, that’s a ceremonial Legendary. The Staff of Illumination, I think? And that light—don’t worry—it’s harmless.”
“So… just for show?”
“Pretty much.”

Well, a bit of showmanship never hurts.

“Agaro, Megadia Megalopolis, Ens Hylant. I hereby promote you to First-Class Explorers. Pursue the great dreams that burn within your hearts, and continue your exploration. Great Glory!”

From the staff’s orb, a beam of light shot up toward the heavens.
It burst high above the arena, scattering into countless glittering motes that rained down like starlight.

The arena buzzed with awe as people reached up to touch the lights, which vanished at a touch.

“Blessings be upon you.”

With that chant-like benediction, Alhazard lowered his staff.
The three newly promoted Explorers stood, bowing respectfully.

“That concludes the promotion ceremony.”

The cheering that followed was even louder than before—enough to shake the colosseum again.

And next came what everyone had been waiting for: the Exhibition Match.

“Doha of Earth” vs. “Sea Lord” Gymnema Sylvester.

On one side stood a man with an afro and star-shaped sunglasses, dressed in flamboyant, gaudy colors—Doha.
On the other, a man in a tuxedo whose head was, quite literally, that of a fish—Gymnema Sylvester.

From appearance alone, this was clearly going to be a clown match.

Chive grinned mischievously.

“Heehee, Wof-chi. Watch those two carefully—it’s gonna be real entertaining.”

Honestly, it already looked plenty entertaining.
I just nodded quietly.