Chapter 701

Chapter 701

「It was a good fight」

「Sensei! You're here?」

「Nn」

After witnessing Mordred's victory, Fran went straight to the waiting room where Naria was waiting.

I think it's not usually this easy to get this kind of information, but when Fran asked the officials, they promptly told her where Naria is. The promptness of their response made me worry that their information management might be a little too sloppy.

Well, I guess it's because Fran is a celebrity. This would be impossible on earth, but here, depending on one's rank, popularity, and status, even black can become white.

Well, at the very least, we have no plan to abuse this privilege.

Familiar faces were gathered in Naria's waiting room.

Miguel, the great sword user, and Riddick, the spear user, who had received Fran's training on the ship with Naria, are comforting Naria. They apparently lost in the preliminary round.

「The main battle was just like a monster's den…」

「The tournament is a place where skilled people from all over the country gather after all. In addition to the famous ones, there are also those unknown strong participants」

「The female swordsman who beat me was just like that. She was sleeping outside the venue when I first saw her. With her conspicuous red hair, I can't believe she's a nobody…」

The three of them slumped their shoulders while letting out a sigh. But, a female swordsman with conspicuous red hair, huh?

「What was the name of the one who defeated Miguel?」

「Eh? Umm, I can't quite remember. What I remember is that she's a red-haired swordsman with an oddly imposing air about her」

It's probably Sibylla. So, her choice of weapon is a sword, huh?

Fran likes to fight strong opponents, but she tends to get more fired up when she is up against a swordsman, which is just like her. She was probably thrilled to find out that Sibylla's weapon of choice was a sword.

In fact, a faint smile has appeared on her face.

「Okay, I'm going back to the spectator area」

「Ah, Thank you for coming!」

「Nn. What are you guys going to do now?」

「I think I'll be joining with Dufour and the others and go to the dungeon… I'll have to train more for next year's tournament」

「Nn. Do your best」

「Yes!」

Naria was depressed, but she doesn't seem to be discouraged.

I think she realizes that, even if only for a moment, her strategy worked against someone stronger than her like Mordred. Even from my point of view, it was a good fight.

For instance, what if her dagger was a magic sword? It might have withstood Mordred's molten iron magic. If that had happened, the battle would have been prolonged a little longer.

Or at the very least, it would have given her time to pull out of the bad situation.

To the ordinary observer, it may only add a few more seconds for her to lose. It would look like a lower-ranked person struggling in vain.

But it's a great chance for Naria. What if she had grown more and gotten some sort of special move? Those few seconds could make a big difference in determining the outcome of the battle.

I'm sure it made her realize that her training was not in vain.

When I looked at her face as we left, I saw that she was already smiling. It looked just like Fran's face when she said she wanted to train.

『Do your best』

「?」

『Ah, it's nothing. I just thought that Fran's students would work harder next time』

「Nn. Naria's doing her best. She'll do better next time」

『Yeah』

When we were about to return to the spectator area, we saw a familiar man approaching us with an angry look on his face.

「Oi! You!」

He approaches us with an angry voice and an annoyed look on his face. Well, it was the ill-mannered fat guy from earlier.

「How rude of you to ignore me! But in the first place, there is no way that this kid is strong. I knew I couldn't rely on those adventurers' gossip!」

「…」

「Well, whatever. You shall rejoice!」

「?」

「The king of my country is going to make you a knight and use you! It is unheard of for an adventurer to become a knight of our glorious country!」

Is this a solicitation from some country? Well, I don't know if I can call this a solicitation though. After all, I don't think they really want Fran to be a knight, and this guy is just deliberately trying to be rude and piss us off.

I wonder what's his reason for doing this.

「But since we're going to make a knight out of a mere adventurer, we'll have to give you a test! First, we'll have you complete a mission from us, and if you succeed, we'll make you a knight of our country, and then――」

「I decline. I don't have any intention of becoming a knight」

「W-what? Did I hear you wrong? Oi, I'm offering to make you a knight, you know? You should be grateful and kneel before me!」

「Are you stupid? Becoming a knight of a country with people like you? I'd rather die」

「F-for a mere beastman adventurer like you to say that…!」

This guy… I don't know what he's after, but he's made an enemy of Fran in an instant. Fran, who had been mocked for her identity as an adventurer and a beastman at the same time, glared at the man with an angry expression.

Then the man who had been hit by the unrestrained anger fell into panic.

He seemed to be the type of person who talks more when he feels fear. I guess this is what they mean with "the weaker the dog, the more it barks".

He began to scream in an unpleasant voice, wetting his pants and the floor with his leak.

「W-wh-what's with that attitude of yours! I am a member of the royal family of the glorious Kingdom of Shallus! I am Viscount Emmert! You animal! You've been acting all high and mighty for a while now! Get down! Get down on your knees and lick my feet or I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you!」

『Let's shut him up for now』

「Nn」

I used wind magic to block out the sound. He seems to have lost his composure, so I don't think he will run away.

The only problem is, there's no lie in his words… So, it looks like he really is a viscount of the Kingdom of Shallus.

While I was wondering what to do with this leaking Viscount, I saw a figure running from across the hallway, he looked to be in his thirties. And when he saw Viscount Emmert, he had a desperate look on his face.

「V-Viscount Emmert…!」

Damn, he's with one of his men? We're in a lot of trouble for making a scene here… I braced myself with caution, but what he did next was something that I didn't expect.

「B-Black Lighting Princess-sama!? We're really sorry!」

The man, who seemed to be one of the Viscount's men, quickly got down on his knees in front of Fran.