TWEM Vol. 6 Chapter 6 Part 1
Chapter 6 – Team Competition Begins
And just like that, it was the next day.
Me, Finne, Iris, and Kuzel had come to the arena to check on the tournament.
Looking at the tournament schedule, including our group, there were a total of eight groups participating.
Among them were the ‘Seven Royal Guard’ team and the party which Fance belonged to.
Two first-round matches were scheduled for tomorrow and the day after, with the semifinals and finals held on the third day.
The number of teams in the team competition seemed to be smaller than the number of teams in the individual competition, but it was said that unless you had a certain level of ability, you were not allowed to enter a team in the team competition.
Looking around, I saw a group of people who seemed to have come to check the tournament fixture as we did, and among them was Reid.
Next to Reid were three people dressed as knights.
Then, noticing Finne’s presence, Reid called out to her.
“Ms. Finne. Are you in the team competition as well?”
“Mr. Reid. Yes, the four of us are going to compete.”
Finne gestured to us with her hand.
“The ‘Ice Princess,’ the ‘Scarlet Princess,’ and Her Highness the Princess of Perdis all in the same team, huh?”
Reid and the others who glanced at us bow deeply, probably because Iris was there.
“I’m not a princess right now, I’m just Iris, and I’m participating in the tournament. You don’t have to be so formal.”
“Oh, I beg your pardon, Iris-sama.”
“Don’t worry, raise your head.”
“Thank you.”
Reid and the others raised their heads and finally noticed my presence.
“…Excuse me, who are you?”
I take a step forward and introduce myself to Reid and the others.
“I’m Haruto, an adventurer.”
“Adventurer Haruto?…No way!?”
As if they just realized, Reid and the other four raised their voices in shock.
““““The Demon King!?””””
“Hey, don’t be too loud! People will hear you!”
When I warned them, Reid and the others immediately bowed their heads and said, “Sorry.”
I didn’t care that much about it, so I just said “Don’t worry about it” and let it go.
Then, Reid looked straight at me and opened his mouth.
“Rumors regarding Haruto-dono have reached the Empire.”
“Seriously…Ah, and you don’t have to use honorifics with me. Um, Mr. Reid and…”
I didn’t know the names of the three other than Reid, so I’m at a loss for words.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself yet. If you’re with Finne-dono, you probably already know me, I’m Reid.”
The next person to speak was a man with long blonde hair tied in a bun behind his back.
“I am Sentes. I am a member of the ‘Seven Royal Guard,’ just like Reid.”
“I’m Ash. I’m also a member of ‘Seven Royal Guard.’”
After Sentes, a man with short red hair with curious eyes opened his mouth.
Finally, the large man opened his mouth.
“I am Gaiz, also a member of ‘Seven Royal Guard.’ Pleased to meet you, the rumored Demon King.”
“Please stop calling me that… Haruto is fine.”
“Hahaha! Isn’t it good?”
Gaiz laughed out loud.
Sentes and Ash look about the same age as Reid. I think only Gaiz was a little older.
Apparently, the remaining three members of the ‘Seven Royal Guard’ would not participate in the tournament in order to protect the Emperor.
We, too, introduced ourselves once again, and the eight of us looked at the tournament fixture together.
“Haruto-san, it looks like we’re the last one.”
“That’s right.”
Finne was correct, we were scheduled for the fourth match, on the day after tomorrow.
“We’re… the first?”
Gaiz muttered as he looked at the tournament table.
Fance’s party was scheduled for the third game tomorrow, so if we and they win, we’ll meet them in the second semifinal.
Reid turned to me.
“Haruto, hopefully we’ll be competing in the finals.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
“Don’t lose, okay?”
“You too.”
After confirming the time of the match, we said goodbye to Reid and the others and returned to our inn.
～
The next day, we went to the arena early in the morning.
The schedule today was the introduction of the participating teams and the two first-round matches.
The audience seats were full, looking down at us on stage and it looked like they were having fun.
Then, when the time came, Nina’s voice echoed through the arena.
‘‘Thank you everyone for waiting! The group competition starts today! The team battle is a 4-on-4 brawl format, and your team’s strategy will be tested, whether you take on the enemy one-on-one, or use strategies to divide them and aim to defeat each one individually in a many-on-one battle! It looks like we’ll see a different kind of battle compared to the individual battles!’’
After Nina took a breather, she began to introduce each team that would be participating in the team competition.
‘‘Now, without further ado, let me introduce the teams and members who will be participating in the team competition! …First of all, the strongest knights that the empire is proud of, the ‘Seven Royal Guard’!! Including Reid, who unfortunately came in second place in the individual competition, the four members who will be participating: Sentes, Ash, and Gaiz!!’’
The venue was buzzing with Nina’s commentary, and Reid and the others were waving to the audience in response.
‘‘Following that――’’
After a few introductions, it was the turn of Fance and the others.
‘‘Next up is the team led by Fance, who won the championship after a fierce battle with Reid in the individual tournament! I’m looking forward to seeing how far he will progress along with the A-rank adventurer party he normally works with, making him a highly anticipated winner!’’
The venue was filled with cheers, although not as loud as Reid’s.
And finally, our team was introduced.
‘‘Now, let’s introduce the final team!’’
Nina’s voice echoed through the silent venue.
‘‘You could say this team is the dark horse this time! Of the four members, three of them made it through the individual tournament preliminaries. One of them is Finne, also known as the ‘Ice Princess,’ who manipulates the two attributes of ice and water magic and confuses the enemy with illusions! The next participant is Iris, also known as ‘Thunder Cutter,’ who unleashes attacks like lightning and storms! And the other one is Kuzel, also known as the ‘Scarlet Princess,’ who serves as the vice-captain of a knight order in a certain country and is also active as an A-rank adventurer! Lastly, who the hell is this man with those three people?’’
Finally, it was my introduction, and Nina seemed to be at the height of her excitement.
‘‘A talented person who single-handedly annihilated an army of over 10,000 monsters led by one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings that appeared in the Kingdom of Perdis! The strongest adventurer who achieved an unprecedented EX-rank with two titles such as ‘Annihilator’ and ‘Demon King’ ――HarutoooooooO!!’’
After a moment of silence, the audience erupted in excitement like never before.
The air in the arena seemed to tremble.
We responded by waving our hands, as did the other participants.
～
“I don’t like to stand out.”
“Haruto-san, it’s too late now.”
I said to myself, and Finne laughed bitterly.
I had some expectations when I decided to participate without hiding my true identity, but to be honest, I didn’t expect it to be this hyped up.
‘‘Now, which team will win this team competition? Which is packed with the best of the best? After the participants leave the venue, the first round will begin as soon as everything is ready!’’
Nina’s announcement filled the venue with cheers once again, and we moved from the stage to the audience seats.
Well, our turn will come tomorrow.
I was thinking of watching today’s match before heading home…
The first match ended in an overwhelming victory for Reid and his team.
As expected of the strongest knights of the empire, the other three were also quite strong.
I watched the second match and saw the A-rank adventurer’s party won, but I think Reid and his team would emerge victorious too.
…But before that, we have to win as well.
～