Chapter 47: The Villainous Aristocrat realizes that there is a queen among the participants in the tournament.

“It’s starting!! The first Gardanakia Kingdom Tournament is underway!! First, the opening ceremony!!”

After completing my registration for the tournament and waiting for the next instructions in the waiting room, the announcer’s voice echoed through.

The Colosseum’s waiting room was spacious.

It was filled with armed participants, probably dozens of them.

However, this waiting room was just one among many.

In other words, there should be at least ten times more participants in the tournament.

There were many participants who seemed strong, and there were no children like me.

I stood out like a sore thumb.

“Hey, a kid’s joining too?”

“The guy who gets him in the first round is lucky.”

“Cut it out. He probably has some circumstances.”

Half the glances were clearly disdainful, and the other half seemed pitying.

I felt really uncomfortable.

“Hey, kid.”

“…?”

“There’s no one here but you, kid.”

Oh, me. Well, I knew I was the only kid here.

Don’t pick on the kid; it’s not very adult-like.

While thinking that, I looked at the person who spoke, and she was quite a beauty.

She had strong-looking crimson eyes and fiery red hair tied back in a ponytail, reminiscent of blazing flames.

She didn’t carry any weapons and wore a black uniform. Is she a martial artist?

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“I’m not saying bad things. Just forfeit and go home right now.”

She had a sharp tongue, but her words didn’t seem to be aimed at belittling me.

The female martial artist sat next to me and continued speaking.

“Just look around.”

“…There are quite a few unsavory characters here.”

“Yeah, that guy over there is a famous bandit. He attacks travelers, robs them of their valuables, kills the men, violates the women, and then sells them as slaves in the black market. He’s scum.”

Wait, why is someone like that participating in the tournament?

“The grand prize for this tournament is the ‘Anything You Wish for the Queen’ right. Probably wants to erase his crimes.”

“Yeah, this tournament’s qualifications are quite lax. There’s no age restriction either.”

Well, I guess it’s because this is the first event of its kind…

“There are quite a few people like him in this tournament. They won’t kill anyone in a public place, but there will definitely be serious injuries. I’m not trying to be rude, but kid, you should just go home.”

“Don’t worry. There seem to be safety measures in place just in case.”

In the tournament, measures have been taken to ensure that there are no fatalities.

Specifically, a saintess summoned by Freyja through her connections has come to the tournament.

She’s a popular heroine from the main story of “Fantasista Stories,” known for her rich character traits, often rivaling the popularity of characters like Felsy and Wendy.

She’s an incredibly skilled character, capable of using basic resurrection magic when she joins the protagonist’s party.

Well, it’s not foolproof because basic resurrection magic has a certain chance of failure.

Still, the healing magic used by the saintess has effects several times stronger than normal. Even if someone’s bones are shattered, as long as they’re still breathing, she can heal them instantly.

The judges of the tournament are the kingdom’s knights, so they would stop anything extreme from happening.

“…I’ve given you a warning.”

“You’re quite kind, miss. But there’s really no need to worry.”

“Hmph, as long as you’re prepared, it’s fine. It’s none of my business.”

“No, not at all.”

Saying that, the female martial artist fell silent. I also kept quiet, waiting for the opening ceremony of the tournament to end.

However, a problem arose at this moment.

“What’s this? We’ve got a kid here, hehe.”

Unlike the female martial artist, this time a man approached me, wearing a clearly disdainful expression and a lewd grin.

How troublesome.

The female martial artist’s concern was genuine, so it didn’t bother me, but dealing with someone like this was truly annoying.

“…What do you want?”

“I really love tormenting and killing brats like you—guph!?”

In an instant, the man was sprawled on the floor.

Like a frog squashed flat on the ground as if run over by a car.

I looked at the person who had flattened the man on the floor.

They were a tall figure clad entirely in golden armor.

They carried a spear with a blade that resembled an ear of rice and a large shield made of gold, towering over them in height.

Their equipment was excessively shiny, with their eyes gleaming brightly.

“Are you alright?”

Although she wore a full-face helmet, the voice was undoubtedly that of a woman.

Hearing that voice, I quickly realized the true identity of the golden knight.

“I’m fine…. But more importantly, what are you doing?”

“Well, there’s no rule in the tournament regulations that says participants can’t stretch before the tournament, you know.”

“No, not that.”

“?”

I approached the golden knight and whispered softly.

“What are you doing, Your Majesty?”

“W-What are you talking about? There’s no way the Queen would be in a place like this.”

Freya, disguised as the golden knight, tried to feign composure despite her agitation.

However, I couldn’t be fooled.

It might be hard to tell from the armor, but her transparently beautiful voice and impeccable figure made it obvious right away.

“No, I understand.”

“W-Why, how did you figure it out?”

Why? Well, you see…

“There’s no way I would mistake Your Majesty for someone else.”

“Huh?”

“I have the confidence to recognize Your Majesty, no matter what disguise you wear.”

Someone with Freya’s figure couldn’t just stroll around without being noticed. 

It was obvious at first glance and unmistakable upon hearing her voice.

“Y-you, y-you’re trying to woo me?”

“Ar-are you, um, trying to, um, woo me?”

“Woo you? No, I don’t have any intentions like that.”

“I-I see…”

Freya said something strange.

“Anyway, that’s an impressive suit of armor you have. It has a unique sense of style.”

“Hmm? Ah, this is a secret armor passed down within the royal family. It’s made of orichalcum. Quite stylish, isn’t it?”

Orichalcum!? 

In the game, isn’t it the material needed to craft the hero’s ultimate weapon? 

So, does this golden weapon and armor boast considerable performance? I’m really curious. 

Well, questioning the taste a bit with all that glitter.

“Now, it’s about to begin. Kunou, I wish you the best of luck.”

“Yes. Your Majesty, please take care not to get hurt.”

“Hahaha, there’s no way I would get injured. I’ll defeat them all.”

I hope I’m not among the ones she’s planning to defeat.

With the opening ceremony concluded, the participants of the tournament started entering the colosseum.

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