Chapter 100 :

Episode 100 — Wrap-Up

After Edan collapsed, what fell upon Lia, who stood alone in the arena, was not boos but cheers.

Lia looked down at Edan, who was sprawled out miserably, under encouraging applause and cheers she had received for the first time in her life.

It was an empty end.

For the final moment of her hero, whom she had thought she would never be able to defeat for her entire life, no, whom she had never even thought of defeating.

“W-Winner, Lia!!!”

At the referee’s belated shout, Lia turned around without hesitation.

What she felt in the moment she had always dreamed of was more bitterness than joy.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, the tournament had already ended, and everyone inside the arena had also left.

At least, it seemed that way.

Judging by how quiet the surroundings were, and how the thing in front of my eyes was the tent of the player waiting room.

Damn it, how long did I sleep this time?

“You slept for about half a day.”

When I frowned and raised myself up, Jing spoke as if he had read my mind.

Half a day, huh.

“The temple sure generously allowed us to rest.”

“It seems they are still discussing how to deal with Ratel.”

Lia’s worried voice came from behind me.

When I turned my head, Lia, whose appearance was just as much of a mess as mine, was looking down at me.

It seemed her duel with Edan had not been easy.

“What should we do? If they try to keep holding Ratel…”

Lia muttered worriedly while looking at the temple building.

“Well, I do not think it will be easy for the temple to keep holding that guy either.”

At my answer, Lia smiled slightly.

“Seeing that you have the leisure to joke, you must really be all right.”

“I was serious.”

There was no way a small temple like that could handle that guy’s filthy temper.

“That is right, Miss Lia. I do not think they will be all that comfortable keeping Ratel locked up either.”

When Jing’s serious voice added weight to my opinion, a serious look appeared on Lia’s face as well.

“…Then is that not even more serious? It would be a big problem if Ratel does something inside.”

“….”

That too was a valid opinion, so we hurried our steps a little and headed out of the tent.

Lia’s first prediction came true.

“That guy’s innocence has not yet been proven. Until then, we cannot acknowledge your victory either.”

Those bastards tried to overturn the result of the tournament.

“Is it not also true that there is no way to prove his guilt? No evidence came out at all.”

“That is why I am telling you to wait! Everyone, leave!”

Even at Jing’s protest, the temple did not stop forcing the issue.

Unable to even enter the temple building, we suddenly found ourselves grabbed by knights and dragged outside.

While the muscles all over my body were screaming, having my arm grabbed made curses come out naturally.

But until permission to enter Limis Village was granted, I could not resist.

The knights dragged us out and threw us outside the temple.

Instead of barely avoiding kissing the ground, I sacrificed one arm and had to bury my face in both arms for a moment, swallowing a scream of pain.

What wonderful treatment.

It was the moment I vowed never to come back to Lucha Village again until the day I died.

“Waaaaaaaah!!!”

Absurdly enough, cheers fell over my head.

At the sound that did not suit the rough treatment at all, I finally raised my head and checked the surroundings.

The people surrounding the temple fence were cheering.

As more people confirmed the sight of us sprawled on the ground, the heat slowly calmed down, but they were still giving us quite a long round of applause.

“Wh-What is this?”

It seemed I was not the only one flustered, because Lia, who was likewise stuck to the ground, stammered.

“It seems to be applause for the winners.”

Jing answered while lightly lifting Lia and me, who had no idea how to get up, with both arms.

It seemed Jing was right.

Judging by the fact that, among the villagers, there were people mixed in who were calling out Lia’s, Jing’s, and my names.

Lia looked around at the people in disbelief.

There were not many, but they were definitely people gathered to send applause to the winners of Lucha.

“What is this commotion!”

The priests, who came out in surprise at the people’s cheers, also flinched in surprise at the unexpected scene.

“Be quiet, be quiet! These people have not won yet!”

The knights who had dragged us out shouted in panic.

Thanks to that, the sound of applause completely stopped, but what remained afterward was the people’s confusion.

“They did not win?”

“If that is not a victory after going that far, then what exactly counts as a victory?”

The people began murmuring.

In a way, it was natural.

In this year’s Lucha, the preferential treatment Edan had received from the temple had been too great.

No one openly rebelled against the temple, but there were many people showing doubt.

As the murmuring of the people grew louder and louder, the ones who became flustered were the temple’s side.

The bastards, experiencing for the first time a situation where people did not simply accept the temple’s decision, could not hide their confusion.

“Silence! Everyone, leave!”

I approached the priest, who was repeatedly driving people away.

“If you do not want this year to be the last Lucha tournament, would it not be better to be moderately stubborn?”

“What?”

He glared at me irritably.

“If a rumor spreads that the winner of Lucha is ultimately decided according to the temple’s taste, how many residents do you think will participate in the tournament next year?”

“Do not say ridiculous things. Lucha will be safely held next year too.”

He snorted as if my words were laughable.

That might be true.

“Then we will come again next year too. Perhaps the year after that as well.”

At my answer, the priest’s face turned white.

Because it was no different from saying I would keep stopping by Lucha Village until he acknowledged our victory.

If this kind of thing kept repeating, then just as I said, someday the people trying to participate in the Lucha tournament would probably disappear entirely.

“What will you do? Even if you get cursed a little, it seems you will lose less by leaving the aftermath to someone else.”

At my advice, the priest glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, but it did not matter.

It was not as if there had only been one or two people in the world who had murderous intent toward me.

* * *

At last, the temple completely acknowledged Group 34’s victory.

Since our victory had been confirmed in front of everyone, there was no reason to keep holding Ratel.

“Ratel! You suffered a lot!”

Lia warmly welcomed Ratel as he was released from the temple.

“Lia, judging by your appearance, we look more like the ones who had been detained.”

I said while looking back and forth between Ratel, whose complexion seemed to have improved while he was detained, and Lia’s appearance.

“You look like a mess.”

Ratel said as he looked us up and down.

“Still, we kept our promise!”

Lia said excitedly, without caring.

It seemed the emotion she had received from the cheers of the villagers a little while ago had not faded yet.

It was enough to make me a little worried that she might say she would stay in the village.

If she still decided to stay in the village….then I would have to ask her to guide us to Limis and coax her that way.

* * *

The villagers tried to take us to the largest tavern in the village to celebrate our victory.

They only tried.

“I am not going. What are you planning to do with someone who is so tired he could die?”

It was thanks to Ratel’s cold words and chilly expression, which poured cold water over them.

Everyone scattered while cursing Ratel’s unlucky personality.

Thanks to that, our destination after achieving a difficult victory was once again the restaurant we were using as our lodging.

Lia was with us too.

She said that when she had returned home, Edan’s shop had been firmly closed.

The one who cheered up Lia, who looked a little gloomy, was Jing.

He dragged Ratel, who insisted that he was tired to death despite having done nothing, and Lia out to the shopping district.

And according to his own theory that hard work must be rewarded, we returned with a huge amount of food.

“Didn’t we buy too much? I think a lot will be left over.”

Lia, who did not know much about Jing and Ratel’s stomachs, soon had to confirm that her naive expectation was wrong.

And then she began stuffing food into her mouth, following the two who were diligently putting food away.

Everyone gathered downstairs and held a small but enjoyable party.

Except for me.

The reason that I would rest upstairs because I was not feeling well was a very suitable excuse for me, since I had even fainted during the tournament.

When I leaned against the window while using the muffled voices coming through the cheap inn walls that were not soundproof as a lullaby, a cold wind brushed past my head.

“Weak child, are you sleeping because you are tired?”

A playful and insolent voice, along with soft fur, tickled my face.

“I’m going to sleep, so go downstairs and get something to eat. If you go to Lia, she will give you as much as you want.”

“Do you think I would fear going hungry?”

“Then why are you here? There is nothing more you can get from me now.”

“If someone heard you, they would think I only asked you for food every day.”

Was that not true?

I thought the reasons he had stayed with me were prophecy and food.

“If it is not food, then why did you come?”

“I came because I have something to ask. And to check how badly you were hurt.”

As if proving his words, El climbed up and down my arms and legs, then, apparently confirming that there was nothing particularly wrong, approached my face again.

“You are more intact than I expected. To be honest, I was not certain you would be able to use it properly.”

I knew it.

No wonder he had shown no sincerity when teaching me.

“It did not go as well as I thought. It was hard to hide because my skin tried to turn into a bear. So, is that all you wanted to ask?”

At my question, El slowly closed and opened his eyes.

His golden eyes turned toward me.

“Reckless child, what were you going to do if your body had not transformed as you wished during this tournament?”

I could not understand why he was asking something like that after everything had ended well, but I calmly answered.

“Obviously, I was going to run away.”

“Truly?”

Lia was one thing, but this many people not trusting my words was a problem.

“I did have some intention of taking a little risk to achieve the first objective.”

“The first objective?”

“Lia. She is someone who would not be bad to have travel with Ratel.”

“What is so impressive about that girl?”

El, who rudely referred to Lia that way, looked down toward the lower floor where she was, as if he could not understand.

In the novel, Lia was the person who became Ratel’s companion after Jing.

There was also a role she would take later.

“Then why did you not say so from the beginning? You might have been able to find a less dangerous method.”

El asked as if he could not understand.

“Because we do not have time.”

If I had honestly said that we had to take someone with us, so let us participate in the tournament here and take a detour, the argument probably would have gone on much longer.

Jing’s impatience would have doubled in its own way, and he would not have looked kindly at Lia.

And if Jing had not agreed, Ratel would not even have pretended to listen to me.

“I chose the most efficient method.”

At my answer, El moved his lips as if he had something to say.

“What?”

When I urged him, El opened his mouth.

“But, insolent child, a relationship formed that way will not last long. Surely, surely, the day will come when the accumulated lies burst.”

“How fascinating. For the first time, you are giving elder-like advice.”

When I answered, El silently stared into my eyes.

The black eyes of the small squirrel were clearly looking at me, but it felt as though the person El was speaking to was not me.

It seemed like advice he was giving not to me, but to someone in his memories.

“….It is only a brief connection anyway. Once this matter is over, I will go my own way, and the others will go theirs.”

My voice came out smaller than I expected.

El did not continue speaking and climbed onto my shoulder, then pushed himself inside my pocket.

* * *

Lia spoke while unable to take her eyes off the second floor, where Ran’s room was.

“You can say that again. Today, we will have to sleep very quietly.”

Jing, who laughed heartily while cutting a pie and putting it in his mouth, was silently watched by Lia, who then quietly approached him and lowered her voice.

“It feels strange to ask this now, but are the three of you planning to work as mercenaries after receiving the blessing?”

“Well, something similar.”

When Jing gave a vague answer, Lia looked back and forth between Jing and Ratel.

“The combination of the three of you is so unusual. Jing is one thing, but Ran is….hmm, does he suit being a mercenary?”

Lia narrowed her eyes and briefly recalled Ran’s appearance.

Although he had defeated Edan in the tournament, he did not seem particularly used to using his fists.

It did not seem like he trained diligently either, and it was not as though he had a special weapon.

Having thought that far, Lia shook her head.

“He does not suit it at all. Then are the two of you people hired by Ran?”

At Lia’s words, Ratel glared toward Lia.

“So it is not that either.”

“It seems he really cannot come. He must have been very tired today.”

Lia, who met his eyes, answered as if she understood.

Jing briefly wondered how he should explain this.

“Hmm….Ran is someone who joined us to help us. Without him, we would be in a great deal of trouble.”

“So you have a purpose that is difficult to talk about.”

Lia picked up a piece of well-cut lamb and put it into her mouth.

“Then how long will the three of you be together?”

Jing, who had been answering diligently, could not give a clear answer this time.

That was true. Would Ran stay with us until all the sacred relics were destroyed?