Chapter 97

The perspective changes in the second half.

"Hey, what's with that puny sword?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you making excuses for when you lose? How pathetic."

"Shut up. Just get ready. No matter how much time you buy, the result will still be your defeat."

"――!! I'll kill you."

Derrick, emitting an incredible aura of anger, readied his shield and sword.

'Alright, it seems both of you are ready! Let's begin the second round, fourth match!'

From the start, Derrick closed the distance.

If I provoke him this much, of course he'll charge in.

Honestly, he's so easy to handle, it's a relief.

Derrick swung his sword down.

When I was with the Hero Party and converted to a bestower, Derrick was already a member of the party.

I've observed his movements for years.

And I've synchronized my Instant Ability Super Boost with his movements many times.

Now, I have your movements completely figured out.

I took half a step back to avoid Derrick's sword, and the tip of the blade passed in front of my eyes.

After confirming that the attack missed, I moved to Derrick's right side and aimed for his neck with my dagger.

"――!?"

Derrick reacted to my attack and tried to dodge.

I know that when Derrick takes evasive action right after an attack, he always starts with his left foot.

As soon as he moved his left foot, I kicked his right foot out from under him.

"What!?"

Then, using the sensation from when I punched him yesterday as a reference, I aimed to break his nose and struck his face with the back of my left hand.

Even if his nose breaks, he can get it healed after the fight, so it's no problem.

"Ugh!"

Derrick dropped his right-hand dagger, drew his longsword from his waist, and launched a follow-up attack at his chest.

"Agh!"

I pressed the tip of my sword to the front of Derrick's chest as he fell backward.

"…It's over."

"Not yet…!"

Derrick's eyes were not dead; he glared at me.

"There's zero chance of you turning this around. Know when to quit."

"Shut up…! ——Gah!"

Derrick, having let go of his shield, tried to punch my shin.

But since his intention was obvious, I instead struck his left hand with my longsword.

"…Judge, make the call."

"……The winner is Orun Doura."

The judge made the call, and I was declared the winner.

As expected, but it was a bit anticlimactic.

Well, next is the tough match against Fuuka.

◇

"Orun, you did it."

When I returned to the waiting room, I heard Will's voice.

"Will? Are you okay now?"

In the waiting room, there were no signs of Fuuka or Hato, only Will and Lucre.

"Thanks to Lucre's healing magic."

"Hehe, be very grateful!"

The serious atmosphere from when she was genuinely worried about Will was gone, and the usual Lucre was back.

"Sure, sure. I'm grateful. ——Congratulations again. Keep working hard for me, too."

"……Yeah. I'll work hard for Will, too."

And thus, the second day of the martial arts tournament ended.

◇ ◇ ◇

The third day of the martial arts tournament.

Fuuka and I left the Clan Home of the "Copper Dusk" and headed to the arena, the venue for the matches.

There were only four people left.

Since two of them are from the "Copper Dusk," I guess that's enough, right?

This tournament is more troublesome than I thought, and my motivation is quite low.

"Aah, I'm so tired."

"Didn't you say you'd take it seriously?"

I received a question from Fuuka, who was walking next to me.

"Well, I thought I would. I've done enough, haven't I? Still, you seem pretty hyped up."

Her expression was the same as usual, and it was hard to tell what she was thinking, but she exuded an atmosphere of a child who couldn't wait for something fun.

"Because I get to fight Orun today. Maybe I'll get to see the real Orun."

Fuuka's eyes were shining.

"By the way, weren't you holding back? I thought you were fighting pretty seriously in the first and second rounds."

"I think I fought with all my strength yesterday and the day before. But the real Orun isn't just that, right?"

Well, even if you ask me to agree, I don't know.

◇

"Hello, Hato."

While waiting in the room, Orun entered.

We're in the same room again today.

"Hey, Orun. How are you feeling?"

"I'm in top form. My opponent today is Fuuka, after all."

Orun seems to be aware of Fuuka.

After hearing Fuuka's evaluation of Orun the other day, I've been paying attention to his fights.

But, as expected, his skill level is average.

His fighting style is good, I'll admit that.

But his potential doesn't match up to Fuuka or me.

"…Hey, Orun. Are you going to fight seriously today?"

"I don't understand the point of your question, but I don't hold back in any of my fights. I'm not arrogant enough to think I can win by holding back."

He doesn't seem to be lying, really.

In this vast world, there are only five people I know who have a chance of beating Fuuka.

But Orun isn't one of them, and even if there's a chance, I don't think Fuuka will lose.

Fuuka is special.

Well, those five are also special in their own way.

'Everyone, hello! The semifinals of the martial arts tournament are about to begin! The remaining participants are all S-rank explorers. It seems the difference between A-rank and S-rank is significant. Let's confirm today's matchups. In the first match, we have Oliver Cardiff from the Hero Party against Hato Tendou from the "Copper Dusk"! A battle between the leaders of S-rank parties! In the second match, we have Fuuka Shinonome from the "Copper Dusk" against Orun Doura from the "Silver Hare of the Night Sky"! A battle between the aces of S-rank parties! Both matches are not to be missed! ——'

The MC's loud voice interrupted my thoughts.

I headed towards the arena, and just as the MC called my name, I walked to the center of the arena.

After we took our positions, I checked Oliver's expression, and he was glaring at me with a blank face.

Despite being clearly the superior, he showed no signs of complacency.

(I never thought I'd end up fighting Oliver like this… Well, let's see what you've got.)

We entered combat stances without exchanging a word.

'And now! The semifinals, first match, begin!'

With the sound of a drum, we closed the distance.

Of course, with a sword versus an unarmed opponent, the one with the sword has the reach advantage.

So, the one with the sword will attack first.

I, as usual, will deal with the attack and look for a counter.

However, contrary to my expectations, Oliver didn't show any signs of swinging