Chapter 277: Silva’s Occupation

We moved to the event hall, where the standing buffet party was held from here on.

It was also an opportunity to interact with skilled powerhouses, and those with high rankings or existing fame were quickly surrounded.

Among them, I hurried to where Silva-san was.

This tournament: Best 12.

A rare person who was a high-ranking powerhouse elderly man yet had zero fame.

Perhaps because of this, no one in particular had gathered around Silva-san.

“Silva-san, you came to the standing buffet party this time.”

“I said I would participate last time but ended up going home, so I was determined to absolutely participate this time.”

“Thank you. I wanted to talk with you, so I’m glad we had this opportunity.”

“Foh foh. I can’t tell any particularly interesting stories though.”

He says that, but there’s no way Silva-san’s life isn’t interesting.

Since I was convinced of this, I immediately tried asking various things.

“I just want to know about you, not looking for entertainment, so it’s fine. First question—why did you participate in this tournament?”

“I came to the royal capital for work and happened to learn about this tournament. I hadn’t participated in large tournaments, but I often participated in small local ones, so it really felt like I participated by pure chance.”

“I see. You tried not to stand out, but you were participating in tournaments.”

“I dislike standing out, but I wasn’t acting with that much thought. I never imagined this tournament would gather so many super-class powerhouses.”

It seems he really participated by chance, not with any particular intention.

When it comes to this, what I’m curious about is Silva-san’s occupation.

His trained physique and the countless old scars visible on his exposed skin.

He’s undoubtedly a combat profession, but with no fame, perhaps he was a soldier from some country like Lua-san.

“It feels strange to say this myself, but I think it’s gathered top-class powerhouses even within the country. That you survived through such competition is mysterious to me… could you perhaps be a legendary soldier?”

“Foh foh. I’m not such a grand person. I’ve been an adventurer since I was 10. However, I’m an adventurer who specializes in hunting goblins.”

Ohh—is it the occupation of Goblin Slayer?

Goblins are numerous, and I’ve heard the damage is proportional to their strength, so Goblin Slayers must be in demand.

“So Silva-san was a Goblin Slayer. Is that why your fame is somewhat lacking compared to your strength?”

“Probably so. No one calls me by such a grand title—to put it simply, I’m just hunting monsters that even rookie adventurers can hunt. However, dust accumulates to become a mountain. Goblins are numerous in number alone, so I’ve accumulated countless combat experiences.”

“So that’s how you gained your strength. Certainly, when even simple practice swings are effective, if you’ve accumulated countless combat experiences, I feel like I understand the reason for your strength alone.”

“I hadn’t thought that deeply about it, but that may indeed be so.”

As if convinced by my words, Silva-san laughed happily.

I was glad to learn what kind of person Silva-san was.

“I think the tournament scale will grow even larger from here, so I’d be happy if you could participate from next year onward.”

“If you invite me, of course I’ll participate. I’ve learned the joy of fighting strong opponents, and above all, this tournament has so many strong people that not standing out is nice.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. Please come visit anytime, regardless of tournaments.”

“When I have work nearby, I’ll come visit. I’d like to try interacting with goblins.”

Having a Goblin Slayer meet Shirei and the others is a bit scary, but with Silva-san, it should be fine.

…Probably.

While harboring a slight unease, I bid farewell to Silva-san and next headed to where Margis-san was.

Margis-san was, in my mind, this tournament’s biggest dark horse.

Yato-san had predicted him as champion, but I had completely overlooked him.

“Margis-san, thank you for your hard work. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this performance, so you excited me.”

“Mm. Thank you for the praise. I think my fighting style wasn’t interesting, so I apologize for that.”

“That’s not true! Margis’s solid defense was interesting!”

“That’s right! A martial arts tournament is interesting because there are various types! Well, as a Dragonkin, it’s pathetic that Margis’s Best 4 is the best record!”

“I think that’s because Ashros-san and Drake-san faced each other early on.”

“If I had defeated Drake, I should have at least made it to the semifinals. …I’m frustrated.”

Ashros-san is genuinely frustrated, but his opponent was Lime who won the championship.

He had his stamina worn down from the death match with Drake-san, so you could only say he had bad tournament luck.

“Lime has otherworldly strength. I thought no one could defeat Mika who completely beat Margis, but he won! Such a strong slime… no, I’ve never seen such a strong monster outside of dragon species!”

“Mm!? We Dragonkin are not monsters! Drake! Take back those words!”

Yato-san, caught by Drake-san’s statement, jumped on him and they became a tangled mess.

I wanted to hear more about Lime, but that was impossible now, so I desperately tried to calm down the rampaging Yato-san.