Kays Translations

Chapter 48: The Villainous Aristocrat Try Various Things in the Preliminary Round

"Now, we will begin the preliminary matches of the arena tournament!! The rules are very simple!! Divide into groups of ten, and the last person standing in the ring will be the winner!! Killing is strictly forbidden!! Beat them up and throw them out of the ring!! Our excellent healers in the country should be able to handle the rest, probably!!"

It seems that way.

In the colosseum, several small rings were set up, and each group was assigned to a specific ring.

I was in the fourth group.

There were seven men, including me, and three women. Everyone was fully armed and looked eager.

"Begin!!"

With the referee's signal, the battles began in each ring.

And in my fourth group, there was movement too.

They all surrounded me.

"Don't take it personally, alright? It's a strategy to knock down the weak ones first."

"...Please don't mind."

I really wanted to say, "Are you even adults!? What you're doing is despicable!!"

My goal is to observe how the participants fight.

But well, I can do that thoroughly in the main tournament. For now, winning is the top priority.

I take out some weapons from my magic bag.

"Magic bag user!?"

"No, more importantly, what's that?"

"A pendulum...?"

What I took out was something attached to a metal piece at the end of a string extending from a ring.

The term "pendulum" is the closest description.

However, this is not a tool for divination; it's a sturdy bludgeon.

I attach them to the ends of each of my ten fingers and swing the pendulums sideways.

"Sooi!!"

"Gohaa!?"

“”!!!???"”

The string of the pendulum is made of magical spider silk that expands and contracts when infused with magic.

In other words, the range is adjustable at will.

The metal, accelerated by centrifugal force, carries enough power to dent a 5mm thick iron plate.

Furthermore, the metal attached to the end of the string is imbued with magic that seems useful in battle.

I channeled magic through the thread into the metal.

*Zap!!*

"Huh? 

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”

"I guess I messed up the power adjustment of the lightning magic."

A pendulum infused with lightning magic, if I were to name it, it would be the Pendulum of Thunder, overly powerful and dangerous.

Huh?

Oh, I should mention, most of the weapons I'm going to use now haven't been thoroughly tested.

I got carried away while making them, and before I knew it, it was the day of the arena tournament.

I made sure not to create anything with power enough to kill someone, so there shouldn't be concerns about that... unless it hits a really unlucky spot.

Well, I thought I could confirm the power during the actual fight, and some serious injuries are unavoidable, I guess.

"W-What just happened?"

"I don't know!! Anyway, let's get that brat!!"

"We're in too!!"

Well, it seems the adults are not too thrilled about this.

Oh well, it means I don't have to hold back either, which works out just fine.

"Shall I try the next pendulum?"

I swing another pendulum.

"Are you planning to hit us with the same move again?!!"

Unfortunately, this time it's not the Pendulum of Thunder.

When I swing the pendulum, the tip's metal gets wrapped in ice, forming a large chunk of ice.

This is the Pendulum of Ice.

Simultaneously channeling magic, the ice magic I imbued activates, attacking the enemy as an overwhelming mass.

While the Pendulum of Thunder is meant to incapacitate the enemy, this Pendulum of Ice aims to render them combat ineffective through sheer destructive power.

The moment they try to guard against it, defeat is inevitable.

"Higya!?"

"That's two down."

I tried pendulums of fire, wind, earth, and water, among others.

It was a surprising result that the power of fire, wind, and water didn't come out very well.

And here's where trouble arose.

"Uh-oh, it's tangled."

Handling the pendulum is quite challenging.

Weapons using threads like this require careful operation, considering the possibility of this happening.

Hmm, I had created some wire-action devices inspired by Spider-Man and certain three-dimensional maneuver gear from a popular anime, but those might be dangerous.

I should test them for safety before using them again.

"Now's the time!!"

"Uoooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Somehow, the fourth group, including me, had dwindled down to four participants.

There are still plenty of things I want to try...

Honestly, I wish the adults would put up a bit more of a fight.

"This time, it's your turn."

I packed away all the pendulums into my magic bag and drew a sword.

I intercepted the attacks of the young swordsman and the spear-wielding woman with the sword swung by the former and the spear thrust by the latter.

*Crack!!*

"Huh? M-My mithril sword broke!?"

"No way!? My steel spear snapped in half!?"

"Hmm, the vibration sword might be useful. Seems suited for destroying weapons."

In earth magic, there are spells that can cause minor earthquakes.

I reduced the scale considerably and applied it to the blade.

Vibration Sword, that's what I call it. Or Vibration Blade.

It could easily snap anything slightly harder in material.

Then, I suddenly had a thought.

"...This would be really dangerous if used on a human body."

“"!?"”

The young swordsman and the spear-wielding woman shivered visibly.

"I forfeit."

"I, too."

Huh? Even though they were ready to fight even after losing their weapons, they decided to forfeit.

Ugh, there were still so many things I wanted to try.

Well, there's one person left. I should be fine if I test the rest of my weapons on them!!

"Now, what kind of weapon should I try next—"

I was thinking enthusiastically when suddenly,

The last member of the fourth group raised their hand toward the referee.

"I, too, forfeit."

Huh? Wait a minute!!

"Please wait!! There are still so many things I haven't tried yet!!"

"Ah!! P-Please don't come near me!!"

"S-Stop!! The winner of the fourth group, Kunou Von Draussen!! Hey, don't chase after them!!"

The referee announces the end.

Tch, the last one got away. There were still so many things I wanted to try!!

Transforming weapons and lightsabers and such.

Ugh, there's nothing I can do about what's already over. I'll save the rest for the main tournament starting tomorrow.

"Just now, all group matches have concluded!! Ladies and gentlemen in the audience, let's applaud the thirty-six participants who made it through!!"

The audience erupts into enthusiastic applause.

Glancing at the other surviving participants, Freya, clad in golden armor, stood confidently as expected.

There were also the familiar but kind-hearted female martial artist.

"The main tournament begins tomorrow!! We'll go until the semifinals on the second day!! The finals and third-place match will be on the third day, so please come and watch everyone!!"

The announcer reveals the schedule for the upcoming days.

And thus, I safely pass through the qualifiers of the arena tournament.

I curse my own misfortune.

Why on earth did I think it was a good idea to take a shortcut through the alleyways to get to the colosseum?

"Hehehe♡ Oh, delightful♡ I feel so much love♡ But love isn't enough just to receive♡ Love must be returned♡ I want you all to feel my love even more♡... but it's a shame. You couldn't respond to my love."

"Ugh..."

"W-What is this monstrous woman...?"

The back alleys of the capital were a scene of carnage.

Thugs lay scattered around a young girl, each one defeated and sprawled on the ground.

"B・T・W♡ How about you over there? Want to see if you can respond to my love?"

"Uh, I'll pass."

I responded to the girl's question with a deadpan expression.

Of all the places, why is she here?

In the game's scenario, she was a girl who lost her position due to the Demon Lord's scheme, was saved by the protagonist, and then joined the journey, becoming one of the companions.

On game forums and bulletin boards, she was dubbed the "Missionary of Love," the "New Type of Eccentric Beautiful Girl," or even the "Love Addict."

Despite the harsh nicknames, she enjoyed popularity equivalent to characters like Felsy and Wendy, a heroine named Saintess Nakia.

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