The rules for the Quadrennial Contest preliminaries were as follows:
One hundred participants are thrown into a large, circular arena.
The fighting does not stop until only sixteen remain to advance to the main tournament.
No matter how many are injured, no matter who begs for their life, the sealed gates will not open.
Not until the blood of eighty-four people soaks the floor.
Thrumm—! Thrumm—!
The sound of a drum announced the start of the preliminaries.
However, the participants only kept their distance, wary of one another. No one made a rash move to start a fight.
It was only natural.
Even if it was just the preliminaries, these were still contestants in the Quadrennial Contest. Not a single one of them was a pushover.
Furthermore, a one-on-one duel was already a life-or-death affair. Imagine that same fight taking place in the middle of dozens of others.
This was less a duel and more a war.
'The tension is suffocating...'
Dominic, one of the contestants, broke out in a cold sweat. It felt like a single wrong move would mean instant death. His grip on his sword tightened.
'Calm down. I have to stay calm to survive.'
Dominic took a deep breath and surveyed his surroundings.
'The Quack isn't moving.'
Chastity, the Quack.
An old woman who claimed to have learned shamanism, she was famous in Owlheim for her nickname.
And for good reason—what kind of crazy orc shaman would teach their craft to a human?
Nevertheless, she was well-known because those who persecuted her had all met with untimely deaths. Since then, no one dared call her a quack to her face.
'Blue Rose is also just watching the situation...'
Blue Rose, Donat.
A man with blonde hair and blue eyes, as beautiful as a painting.
He earned the nickname because his swordplay was said to resemble a blooming blue rose.
His origins were unclear.
Rumors swirled that he was the son of a noble, or perhaps even royalty.
But the one rumor that was certainly true was that he was incredibly strong.
'Besides them, the other favorites to win are...'
Just as Dominic was scanning the arena, he heard it.
"Aaargh!"
"Gah!"
CRUNCH!
Screams erupted.
Turning toward the sound, he saw a man of enormous build smash two other contestants' heads together, bursting them open.
'The Barbarian, Berko...!'
A barbarian from the northern Politia Duchy.
A man who boasted a massive frame and bulging muscles, he was already famous in Owlheim for his inhuman strength.
He was the one closest to winning the Quadrennial Contest.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?!"
Another commotion broke out elsewhere.
It was in Chastity the Quack's direction.
Five contestants, their faces dazed as if possessed, were protectively surrounding her in a circle.
'What is going on...'
"Kuaaargh!"
This time, it came from Blue Rose Donat's direction.
His drawn sword was already stained crimson with blood. Around him, contestants with severed arms and legs writhed on the ground.
Dominic swallowed hard.
He had expected it, but they were all monsters.
Could he survive among beasts like these? Had entering the Quadrennial Contest been a foolish mistake born of pride?
Just as fear began to consume him, another scream rang out.
"Hieeeeeeek!!!"
'Who is it this time?!'
Dominic's trembling eyes darted over.
He saw some crazy bastard rolling on the ground, dodging swords and spears.
"Hiek! Hieeek!"
Amazingly, even while rolling on the ground, he was dodging everything he needed to.
He must have incredible luck.
Did he save a country in a past life?
'...Well, if a guy like that can compete...'
Then why can't I?
'Who cares if they're the favorites?'
All I have to do is survive the preliminaries and make it into the final sixteen.
I can surrender in the main tournament, after all.
Dominic took a sharp, ragged breath—
"Uwoooaaaaah!!!"
—and with a war cry, he charged at another contestant. In his current state, he felt like he could beat anyone.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thud—! Thud—!
The drum sounded, signaling the end of the preliminaries.
The sealed gates opened, and the sixteen survivors who would advance to the main tournament walked out of the arena.
Among them was the red-haired young man who had been rolling on the ground, but Dominic, who had charged so valiantly, was not.
*
"What in the world were you thinking?!"
I had just returned to the inn after a hard day's work when Annie suddenly started screaming at me.
Did she eat something bad?
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Yes! Of course I've lost my mind! My life was almost ruined because of you!"
Annie tore at her hair as she explained why she was so angry.
After hearing her reason, I couldn't help but be impressed.
"You bet the deed to the inn?
And not on the one with the high chance of winning, but on the one with the high payout?
As a complete rookie?"
"I need to correct myself. You were already a crazy bitch."
She didn't even look that old.
Poor girl...
Then again, to survive in this harsh Alitia Kingdom, you probably couldn't stay sane.
"I asked you why you did that in the preliminaries, but you keep changing the subject! Hurry up and explain yourself properly!"
"Quiet, server girl! Stop your yapping and bring me some noodles!"
"Server girl? What's that? And what are noodles?!"
"Just shut up and bring me something to eat. Before I decide to change the inn's owner."
"...Fine."
Annie glared at me for a moment, muttering under her breath, before heading into the kitchen.
This is why you can't deal with kids.
They only listen when you get angry.
"By the way, what brings you here, sir?"
I turned my head and spoke to the merchant leader, who had been watching Annie and me with an amused expression.
Our escort contract was definitely over, so why was this old man here?
"I happened to run into that young lady in the audience, you see. When she said she was the owner of the inn you were staying at, I thought it must be fate and followed her. Am I intruding?"
"I wouldn't go that far."
I took a seat at the table next to the merchant leader's. As I leaned back in my chair and rolled my stiff shoulders, he asked me a question.
"You're planning to make a big score, aren't you?"
"Pardon?"
"Hiding your skills in the preliminaries. You're planning to raise the betting odds for the main tournament and clean up, aren't you?"
"That's right."
There was no other reason to roll around on the ground.
At my answer, the merchant leader's expression turned serious.
"Don't do it."
"Pardon?"
As I tilted my head, he repeated himself, his face grave.
"This is my sincere advice. Listen. You're not the first person to aim for a big score like this. Of course there have been others, this is a place where big money changes hands. But without exception, it never ended well for any of them."
"What do you mean, it never ended well?"
"As you must have felt today, there are no easy opponents in the Quadrennial Contest. It's only natural. It's a tournament where lives are on the line. Do you think anyone who isn't confident in their skills would participate?"
Annie brought over two mugs of ale, placing one on the merchant leader's table and one on mine. Then she casually sat down next to me and began listening to his story.
Hey, what gives? I asked for food.
"And among them, it's the overly confident ones like you who try to pull such stunts. They create a close-call situation to hide their true abilities."
The merchant leader took a sip of ale and continued.
"I may not know much about the world of swords, but I know one thing: a single moment of carelessness can cost you your life. And this is the Quadrennial Contest. Every single one of them is a powerhouse, famous in their own right. How many of those who tried to put on a show do you think survived?"
His point was that there were plenty of idiots who got themselves killed trying to act while holding back.
"And the gamblers aren't fools. Unless your acting is truly superb, they'll see through it soon enough. Which means that even if you put on an act, the odds won't increase by much."
A clumsy act won't fool them.
Was my performance in the preliminaries clumsy?
Well, it was a bit over the top. Even I think rolling on the ground was a bit much.
I should have just taken a knife to the gut instead of rolling around.
A small regret.
"And let's say you get lucky and succeed. You pull off your little trick and win a huge amount of money. But what about the people who lost money because of your trick? Do you think they'll just let you walk away?"
Having finished his speech, the merchant leader took another sip of ale. I summarized his words and then opened my mouth.
"So what you're saying is... as long as I'm skilled enough to pull off a convincing act against the other Quadrennial Contest contestants, brilliant enough to fool the gamblers, and powerful enough not to worry about the consequences after taking the money... I can do it, right?"
"...Well, you're not wrong, but..."
"Then I'm all set."
I raised my mug and drank the ale.
The merchant leader and Annie stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.
"...Even so, I'm not betting on you anymore."
Annie said, narrowing her eyes.
*
"Didn't you say you weren't going to bet?"
"This is the absolute last time."
"Hah..."
The merchant leader stared at Annie, who was clutching a slip of paper, with an expression of disbelief.
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?! It might not be a big deal to you, sir, but my life is on the line here!"
"Didn't you make quite a bit of money yesterday? You doubled your entire fortune."
"How is my life going to change much with that kind of money? Even with a small lump sum, I'll still have to cook and serve at the inn. I don't want that, I want to turn my life around!"
"...Alright."
Kids these days, always looking for the easy way out. Back in my day...
The merchant leader let out a deep sigh.
Ignoring him, Annie stared at her slip of paper with feverish eyes.
Chastity: 10
Cloud: 1
It meant that the amount of money the audience bet on Chastity was ten times the amount bet on Cloud.
She had bet her entire fortune of 25,000 Gold on Cloud. If he won...
'I'll make over 200,000 Gold...!'
With that kind of money, she wouldn't have to do this miserable inn work anymore. It was enough to buy a decent-sized farm and a slave.
'I'll make the slave do all the work while I just play and eat!'
Just as Annie was imagining her happy future, a wide grin spreading across her face, a voice came from behind her.
"Huh? What's this, missy? Did you bet on that Cloud fella?"
Annie turned around at the sound of mocking laughter. A pot-bellied, middle-aged man sitting in the row behind her was looking at her with a pathetic expression.
"Missy, it's good to be greedy for money, but you went a little too far this time."
"Who are you, mister? Why are you picking a fight?"
"No, it's just that you look young, so I feel sorry for you. Looks like you're about to throw away all the money you worked so hard to save."
"..."
Annie scowled at him, and the middle-aged man shrugged.
"That guy Cloud, he's the one, right? The one who barely survived the preliminaries by running away. You think a guy like that can beat Chastity?"
"You don't know the result until the match is over."
"That's true, too. If it's a match between opponents of similar skill, that is."
The middle-aged man smirked and continued.
"Everyone calls her a quack, but deep down, they know, don't they? That Chastity has some kind of extraordinary power. You saw it in the preliminaries, didn't you? How she instantly mesmerized five people and used them as her pawns. You think that Cloud guy can stand up to that strange power?"
"...You don't know until you see the match through to the end."
"At this point, you're just being stubborn. Well, we'll see. Looks like it's about to start."
The middle-aged man's gaze shifted to the arena.
Chastity and Cloud were facing each other from a distance of 20 meters. The moment the announcer struck the drum, the match would begin.
And then.
Thud—!
With the sound of the drum, the match began.
Chastity began to wave her skull-topped staff. She looked like a madwoman, hopping up and down and muttering something.
A moment later, something strange happened.
A wisp of black energy began to rise from the tip of her staff.
As Chastity swung her staff toward Cloud, the black energy shot forward and zipped into the body of the charging Cloud.
Cloud's running form flinched and froze.
The middle-aged man watching this grinned. The spectators who had bet on Chastity roared with cheers.
"See? I told you it wouldn't be a match. Missy, I know you're sad about losing your money, but..."
However, the cheers didn't last long.
"...?"
Cloud, who had taken a direct hit from the black energy, just tilted his head, then started moving again as if nothing had happened.
Startled by this, Chastity began hopping and waving her staff again.
A larger bundle of black energy than before flew out and entered Cloud's body.
Still, there was no change in Cloud. He wore a puzzled expression, as if to say, 'What is this?', and walked toward Chastity.
Chastity's hopping grew frantic.
She shook her staff wildly and began to spout words the audience couldn't understand.
Just as her antics reached their peak, Cloud arrived in front of her.
Startled, Chastity turned to flee. Cloud's sword pierced her through the back. Chastity let out a terrible scream of pain, then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she died.
"..."
Silence fell over the arena.
Everyone was still reeling from the shock.
The announcer, belatedly coming to his senses, shouted loudly.
"First round, Cloud is the winner!"
Only after the announcer spoke did a commotion erupt among the previously silent crowd.
"Holy shit! Was she a real quack?!"
"Hey! You said she was the real deal! I bet the money I snuck from my wife because you said so!"
"Who's the bastard that recommended that quack bitch?! Show yourself!!!"
"N-no, I swear I saw her use real shamanism! You saw it in the preliminaries too!"
"She must have bribed her way through, you idiot! Give me back my money, fuck!"
Most of them were spectators who had bet on Chastity.
They grabbed each other by the collar and fought, or threw tomatoes at Chastity's corpse.
"See? I told you, you never know until it's over."
Annie taunted the middle-aged man with a sly grin.
The man didn't respond. He just stared at the fallen Chastity with a soulless expression.
That's right.
He, too, had bet his entire fortune, just like Annie. And unlike Annie, he had lost it all. He was now a penniless beggar in the harsh Alitia Kingdom.
His future... was bleak, to say the least.
*
On the way back to the contestant waiting room after the match.
Cloud slit his own wrist with a dagger. Watching the black, viscous blood drip down, he let out a smirk.
"I learned it properly."
Only after crimson blood began to flow instead of black did he drink a potion and start walking again.