Chapter 124: Match Pairings for the Royal Tournament

“Who are the contenders for the championship among the noble families? Last time we talked, it was said that all the margrave families are strong, but are there any other strong ones?”

In the inn’s living room, Isamu asked Captain Felix of the guard while looking at the paper spread out on the table.

“Well… As you say, first of all, the three margrave families usually advance to the top every year. The winner last year was the Zabadak margrave family.”

Felix answered while thinking for a moment.

Isamu and the others were looking at the tournament bracket for the royal tournament, which is starting today.

To prevent pre-tournament lobbying, the pairings are announced early in the morning on the day of the event.

This year’s pairings were just announced a moment ago, and they were discussing them by spreading out the sheet brought back from the royal castle by the female knight Tiramisu.

“Is that the Margrave from before? Ah, he’s exempt from the first round.”

The “incident” that Isamu and the others were involved in regarding the engagement approval a few days ago was what was referred to. The lord may have been plotting, but as expected of knights from a margrave’s domain, they were strong.

“Yes. It depends on the number of participants, but the top teams, including last year’s winner, are exempt from the first round. This year, eight teams are exempt.”

Since participation in the royal tournament is not mandatory, there are some territories that do not participate, such as those in distant domains or those without large knight orders.

About 120 teams participate each year, so there are often eight seeded slots, as is the case this year. Just like last year, the top eight are seeded.

Also, it seems that consideration has been given to ensure that teams that are usually in the top 32 don’t meet too early in the first round.

“Quite a few familiar names are exempt, huh…”

As Isamu picked up each seeded slot on the tournament bracket, he groaned.

Regardless of the quality of their content, the family that had an early reaction to Isamu and his surroundings, who were neither sea nor mountain, might be outstanding in various ways.

In addition to the previously mentioned margrave Zabadak and margrave Innocenti, the third margrave, Balsham, is also naturally a seeded slot.

Other than that, the red-haired Count Felker family, the eldest son of the Duke of Yaderud, who visited the birthplace of the fire magic stone, and the Chartreuse Marquis family, whom they met the other day, were also listed.

There were two families Isamu didn’t know. Count Erikson’s family and the only lower noble family seeded, Viscount Heiron’s family.

“Count Erikson’s family is always mentioned as the top contender for the championship. Or rather, this family is a bit special.”

Selfers, who had finally been released from New Year’s duties and was in a relaxed mood, joined the conversation.

“Special, you say?”

“Yeah. The Erikson family is also known as the ‘Mercenary Counts.’ They send their knight order as mercenaries to various parts of the kingdom to make a living. They technically have a territory, but it’s the smallest in the kingdom. They only need a territory to produce the minimum food they need to eat. Rather than spending time managing their territory, they prefer to spend time training, so they begged His Majesty to return most of their territory and obtained exemptions from taxes and permission to operate as mercenaries for other noble families in the kingdom.”

“That’s… quite something. Truly remarkable.”

Isamu was amazed by Selfers’ explanation.

When the kingdom was expanding its territory, there were mercenary groups that were active on the battlefield.

Initially, it was a small group of five mercenaries, but as rumors of their battlefield exploits spread, more and more people joined.

The group eventually grew to about a hundred members, and it was led by Nesta Erikson, who later founded the Erikson family thanks to his military prowess.

Nesta’s background is unclear, but he first participated in war as a mercenary at the age of fifteen, then honed his skills by fighting in various places, and at the age of twenty, he formed the Erikson Mercenary Group with five comrades he met on the battlefield.

Their exploits were remarkable, and the group, clad in armor dyed the same deep blue color as Nesta’s hair, became known as the “Indigo Devils” and were feared by enemy nations.

Nesta received numerous rewards for his achievements and received invitations to become a knight from many noble families, but he declined them all.

He remained a mercenary until he was over sixty, serving as the rear guard for retreating allies until he lost his left arm.

And when he retired from active duty, he was ennobled and became a noble for his long years of service and protection of his allies at the risk of his own life.

Furthermore, because he had already earned the title of first generation baron through repeated awards, he was given the title of viscount when he became a hereditary peerage.

“At that time, he also received territory, but he returned it within a year and obtained tax exemptions instead. They’ve been like this ever since.”

“Wow, he’s like the protagonist of a story, this Nesta guy.”

“Exactly. There are naturally stories based on him, and bards often sing about him. Thanks to that, the family is extremely popular among the common people.”

The truth is often stranger than fiction. Although if you started saying that, Isamu and his companions were already strange enough to be a story on their own.

“For now, it’s a relief that we won’t be facing those eight teams in the second round. I don’t plan on losing, but I’d like to avoid unnecessary exhaustion.”

Based on the information he heard, Isamu looked at the pairings again. At the stage where the field is narrowed down to 32 teams after the second round, the pairings are redrawn to prevent cheating.

So, whether or not they’ll face the seeded teams in the second round is the point of concern for each family.

“Come to think of it, how did the Klaufeldt family perform last year?”

Isamu asked, recalling something he had completely forgotten.

“Last year, we ended up facing Margrave Balsham’s family in the second round… Unfortunately, we were defeated in the second round.”

Felix replied with a bitter expression.

“That being said, we usually don’t get knocked out in the first round, but it’s usually the second or third round.” 

Selfers added, picking up on Felix’s statement.

“I see… Thank you.”

If they frequently made it to the third round, they would likely be in the top 50 among all the nobles, but the top 30 would be challenging, it seemed.

“So, this year’s opponent in the first round is Baron Reynolds’ family. What kind of opponent are they?”

“I don’t recall them making it into the top ranks, so they’re probably not in the first or second round every year.”

Felix answered Isamu’s question after retracing his memory.

“I see. In that case, normal equipment should suffice for the first round, right?”

“Yes. Just to be safe, I plan to equip Felis Type 1 and Physical Shield Xiao-mao Type 1, but I don’t intend to activate them.”

“Understood. It’d be pointless to be overly confident and struggle. If things get tough, don’t hesitate to use them.”

“Thanks to the training I’ve undergone over the past month, I’ll show them a decisive victory with my normal equipment.”

Saying so, Felix thumped his chest.

After that, they discussed their potential opponents for the second round and when to use magic equipment, and arrived at the practice field, which would serve as the venue for the first round, about an hour before the start of the match.

Since there are many matches in the first and second rounds, they are held separately in practice fields throughout the capital.

From the second day onwards, matches are held in places like the Colosseum, and it is customary for the king and other members of the royal family to attend on the third day.

After completing a light warm-up, “Team Nyafumo” decided to watch the match to decide the opponent for the second round, which would be held first.

“Let’s see… It’s a battle between Count Lanzetta’s family and Viscount Balbastre’s family.”

Isamu said while double-checking the pairings.

“Yes. The Lanzetta territory is an open plain close to the capital, so there aren’t many monsters. The family tends to invest more in the development of the city than in military preparations. On the other hand, the Balbastre territory has many mountains and forests, and it’s on the way to the fire magic stone mines, so I think they put quite a bit of effort into their military preparations.”

Anne-Marie, who was knowledgeable about other noble families, promptly provided information about both families.

“In that case, is the Balbastre family likely to have the upper hand?”

Isamu asked Felix after hearing the information.

“Probably. Also, Viscount Balbastre is a ward of Duke Yaderud, so we might have a bit of history with them.”

“Ah, so that’s where the fire magic stone mine is. I see… Wait, why does that captain-like person over there seem to be glaring at us?”

Isamu glanced over to where a group from Viscount Balbastre’s team was gathered.

Among them, one person, a man with a captain’s insignia on his shoulder armor, was glaring directly at them, or more precisely, at Isamu.

“Wow… He’s definitely glaring. Did Isamu-sama do something?”

Tiramisu, looking over her shoulder, asked Isamu with a slightly nervous tone.

“If I did something, I’d understand why he’s glaring… Unfortunately, I’ve never even heard his name before.”

Isamu could only smile wryly in response to Tiramisu’s question.

However, the reason for that glare would soon be revealed by an unexpected source.

“Chigor-sama…”

Anne-Marie murmured softly.

“Huh? Anne, do you know him?”

“Yes. I’m acquainted with him…”

Anne-Marie replied Isamu’s question with a hesitant tone.

“Ah, no need to force it. But if you know why he’s glaring at me, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me.”

Isamu smiled gently and shrugged.

“Well, it’s alright. Just before Isamu-san came here, there was a marriage proposal from Viscount Balbastre’s family… and the person who proposed to me was him, Chigor Balbastre, the eldest son of Viscount Balbastre.”

Anne-Marie said with downcast eyes.

“I see. Well, if someone as beautiful as Anne is involved, it wouldn’t be strange to receive ten or twenty marriage proposals.”

“Isamu-san…”

“But you declined it, didn’t you?”

“Yes… He said if I came to their house, he would guarantee a life without any inconvenience. He said I wouldn’t have to endure digging up worthless magic stones anymore… I declined because even if only worthless magic stones are produced, I take pride in Klaufendamm and the people who live there. Probably because of that…”

Anne-Marie bit her lip tightly and bowed her head.

“Ah, so he’s holding a grudge because he was rejected by the beautiful Anne, and I got engaged instead?”

“Probably…”

“Sigh… I understand lamenting not being able to marry Anne, but holding a grudge is just petty.”

Isamu shook his head vigorously.

“He’s a typical loser. Thinking that you’ll make him happy rather than wanting to make you happy, that’s pretty lame. He’s mistaken the power of his house for his own power!”

Tiramisu seemed unexpectedly angry, but perhaps there was some unpleasant memory associated with it.

“Anyway, we can’t afford to stumble in the second round. Let’s put aside personal grudges and focus on winning. Agreed?”

“””Understood!”””

The voices of Team Nyafuno echoed in unison.

“Well then, let’s observe carefully. There’s a saying in my world, ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.’ Information is the best weapon, so everyone, please observe closely.”

“””Yes!”””

Once again, everyone’s voices harmonized.

And so, amidst the intertwining of various emotions, the curtain was about to rise on the prestigious matches that would unfold over three days.

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