After the wild festivity of the first night passed, the morning of the second day dawned.
The five members of the main party stepped out of the lord’s mansion and began walking down the main road.
“Ugh…”
“My head hurts…”
Everyone looked miserable, having overdone it the night before. Their eyes were puffy, their cheeks sallow, and their hair a complete mess.
“Hahaha! Lucas, what’s with your hair!”
Laughing at the sight of the knight, whose usually neat blond hair was now tangled in all directions, Junior beside me started sweating coldly.
“Your Highness isn’t looking too great either…”
“What did you say? Ah!”
I was shocked when I felt my hair, and indeed, it was sticking out in all directions. Did I get hit by a bomb in my sleep or what!
“More importantly, I don’t remember anything after the drinking contest… Nothing bad happened, right?”
“Nothing much. Except for Senior saying, ‘Is this a drinking show? Then I should strip~,’ and trying to take off your top…”
Did Ash pull that stunt again? Or is this a problem with being RetroAddict?!
Evangeline started braiding Lucas’s tangled side hair on her own whim, while Lucas, looking as if he had attained enlightenment, smiled benignly at the morning sun. This guy still seems drunk, doesn’t he?
Damian pressed down my wild hair as if saying ‘lie down, lie down.’ You’re the last conscience of Crossroad, Damian.
“Your Highness, shall we get some hangover soup? There’s a place selling soup over there. I’ll go buy some.”
“Oh, that sounds good. I’m counting on you, conscience number 2, Junior.”
Junior, puzzled by the term ‘conscience,’ hurried off towards the soup vendor that was open early in the morning.
It’s good that at least one member is looking out for their health.
Holding a cup of hangover soup each, we sipped on our soups as we lazily walked towards the southern plains.
This was in preparation for the main event of the festival, the martial arts tournament.
The tournament was set up in the southern plains.
Since this tournament was fundamentally a 5 versus 5 party battle, the usual arena was too small to accommodate the scale, so they had to set it up outside.
‘It’s the southern plains, so it won’t matter much if it gets a bit destroyed…’
The tournament area was spacious.
It was nothing more than a large square marked on the ground, surrounded by seating and standing areas for the audience to comfortably watch.
And at the center of the arena was…
Something very large, covered with a white cloth, displaying its majesty. Evangeline, who was stuffing soup in her mouth, tilted her head in curiosity.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. We’ll unveil it once all the participants arrive.”
Before long, the hero party started showing up one by one, shuffling in. Simultaneously, the audience began to trickle in, gradually filling the stands.
The audience would come and go throughout the day as the tournament progressed, and once all the heroes had gathered, I began the announcement.
“I will explain the rules of this martial arts tournament!”
While a rough outline had been given to everyone beforehand, this was the first time the exact rules were being disclosed.
“First, the victory condition! This tournament is not just a simple party versus party duel.”
I approached the large object in the center of the arena, grabbed the white cloth covering it, and then yanked it to the side.
Flap!
As the cloth was removed, the crowd gasped in surprise. I smirked.
“This… you will have to fight against a Fake Dragon!”
Boom!
That sound wasn’t made by me but actually came from an internal sound system inside the… artifact-laden wooden dragon.
It’s an object shaped like a dragon, covered in various magic artifacts.
Not only does it resemble a dragon in appearance, but its neck, legs, and tail can move, and it’s also gigantic.
It was commissioned by me from the production guild to simulate battles against the Great Black Dragon Legion.
“Really… making that thing was a hell of a lot of work for a month…”
Lilly pretended to wipe away tears, followed by the alchemist guild master and the carpenter guild master, who also wiped away their tears.
The conditions I had set for making this Fake Dragon were bizarre, and these people from the workshops had worked themselves to death over the past month or so to create it… You’ve done well.
“The victory condition for this martial arts tournament is simple! Hit the set targets across the dragon’s body to accumulate a total of 10,000 points, and you can win!”
As the heroes looked bewildered at the somewhat comically shaped dragon’s face, they refocused their attention on me. I continued the explanation.
“The points are determined based on where you hit. As you can see, non-vulnerable areas score poorly, while hitting closer to vulnerable areas scores higher.”
The dragon’s legs, touching the ground, would not score much.
In reality, a dragon’s legs are strong and robust, areas to be avoided during raids.
Wings, neck, heart area, eyes, etc., score relatively high… And there’s a key point.
“A ‘Reverse Scale’ point will appear randomly. If you hit it by any means, you instantly gain 10,000 points and win.”
The Achilles’ heel of dragonkind, a born vulnerability.
Reverse Scales exist. Since every member of the Black Dragon Legion has different vulnerable spots, the Fake Dragon was designed to randomly display one such spot on its body.
The rule that hitting the Reverse Scale wins the match immediately caused an uproar among the heroes.
“Are we bringing training camp meta here?!”
“What’s the point of hitting anything else if one hit on the Reverse Scale scores way higher?!”
“Doesn’t that make Damian’s party the strongest then?!”
“That’s just trying to win for free! Boo! Outrage! Boo!”
I waved my hands to calm the vehemently protesting heroes.
“Everyone, remember, this is a ‘martial arts tournament.’”
“…!”
“Yes. You can ‘interfere’ with the opposing party as much as you like…!”
Only then did the heroes fully understand the rules of the game, and they all let out a sigh of realization before…
Immediately starting to laugh wickedly. Those are some scary guys.
‘If it were just a straightforward 5-on-5 brawl, someone would definitely get seriously hurt.’
So, I presented another object, another score target.
Fundamentally, to win, one must hit the dragon to accumulate points. However, at the same time, it’s necessary to interfere with the competing party.
Balancing attacks on the dragon, interfering with the opposing party, and defending against interference will dictate the strategy.
Each party has different stats and compositions. Naturally, the tactics they adopt will differ, and so will their countermeasures.
It was quite a decent training opportunity before facing the Black Dragon Legion, every match filled with variables.
“As you’ve been informed, it’s a team competition with 5-member parties! However, all weapons must be wooden equipment crafted by the Crossroad forge, and the output of magicians is restricted to one-tenth!”
The heroes, excited, shrugged their shoulders as I clapped my hands.
“The points for hitting the Fake Dragon will be accurately tallied by sensor artifacts. And since the Fake Dragon itself is wrapped in barrier artifacts, don’t worry about breaking it and hit as hard as you can.”
“Oh!”
“Basically, just by participating, you’ll receive a participation award. For parties reaching the top 16, luxurious prizes prepared with care by the Silver Winter Merchant Guild will be provided…”
Serenade really put in some effort here.
The prizes, far more splendid than those of the first year’s autumn festival, were sparkling behind the Fake Dragon, making it look like a dragon’s treasure hoard.
“…And the prize for the first-place party is the appointment as a knight of Crossroad, a tradition and honor.”
Boos flew from the crowd, as expected. Having experienced this during the first year, I responded calmly.
“In addition to the knighthood, the winning party will receive all the prizes from the finals to the top 16 as a bonus. So, give it your all.”
Cheers erupted, the reaction of all heroes flipping 180 degrees. I like how straightforward and honest you guys are about this…
“As previously announced, the performance in this martial arts tournament will be reflected in the selection of parties for the Black Dragon Subjugation.”
The heroes immediately calmed down at my words.
Yes, this martial arts tournament is certainly a part of this festival, and an extension of a fun, laughing, and enjoyable training session but…
Let me be clear.
It’s also a stage for tactical evaluation in preparation for the Black Dragon Subjugation.
I smiled broadly and stretched out my hand.
“Now, heroes! Let’s see who can prove themselves to be the strongest party on this frontline!”
Cheers!
The cheering came not from the heroes but from the audience, which had filled the stands without us noticing.
Thus, the main event of Crossroad’s third-year autumn festival… the martial arts tournament began!
***
Our main party was set to fight from the opening match. The bracket was drawn randomly, and it was my fault for drawing the short straw. Sigh.
“Let’s quickly finish this and rest until the next match!”
All the members nodded at Evangeline’s words, but Lucas still looked pale.
Seeing he hadn’t even undone the braid Evangeline made for him, it seems his hangover hadn’t fully cleared yet.
That’s when it happened.
“Hey~ Young and fresh. Just looking at you is refreshing.”
“I’d love to stick a straw in that youth and suck it dry. Keke.”
Approaching us with bizarrely creepy remarks were… the ‘Uncles’ party.
Originating from the Leprosy Extermination Squad, our frontline’s super tanker, Torkel.
From the Inquisitor, SSR-grade healer and damage dealer, Zenis.
From the Blacklist, the blind swordsman, Nobody. The dark mage, Chain.
And… Dearmudin!
Our opening match opponent was this formidable contender for the championship, replacing Lucas with the mighty Elder of the Ivory Tower.
This is tough from the get-go! Even the comments are harsh!
“Hey~ Lucas, dear.”
“Looks like you’ve run off to a younger and brighter party, huh?”
Nobody and Chain, among the teasing uncles, crunched up their faces and leaned into Lucas.
Lucas rolled his eyes left and right, his face slick with cold sweat. It seems he’s feeling a bit guilty, having been traded to our side.
“I, I didn’t betray you! This was entirely the will of my lord…”
Before Lucas could finish his excuse, the two uncles gripped his shoulders tightly.
“Hehe. Running away won’t do any good.”
“The shadow of an uncle always strides large steps behind you, right? Keke.”
“Eek?!”
“Run all you want, but when you look back…”
“You’ll find that the 30s are right upon you…”
“The 40s come even quicker…”
“And then from the 50s, it’s just a blink of an eye…!”
With wicked chants, Nobody and Chain laughed among themselves and walked into the arena.
Torkel and Zenis followed after a bashful bow, and Dearmudin, stroking his beard solemnly, left us with a word.
“Tsk tsk, you don’t know that it’s actually better to be an uncle… Ah, standing up has made my back hurt.”
Dropping a comment that seemed a level deeper, even this old man headed towards the arena. Ah, grandpa! Quit spoiling life!
As the uncles walked away, Lucas, trembling, finally spoke up.
“Just you wait… I will… never become an uncle…!”
Lucas seems unaware of the law that saying ‘never’ ‘definitely’ ‘absolutely’ makes it inevitably happen.
I briefly imagined Lucas as an uncle. Would he have a beard? He’s always so tense, maybe he’d have wrinkles between his brows too.
“…”
I then looked at Damian, Evangeline, and Junior. The kids tilted their heads at my gaze.
When I first saw them two years ago, they were just kids, but now they’ve grown up or are close to being adults.
‘I miss you.’
I want to see you all become uncles and aunts, grandpas and grandmas.
I want to be there through the time, the wrinkles, the graying hair, the bending backs.
‘I want to grow old with all of you.’
And that, surely, will be beautiful.
I smiled faintly and patted the heads of the clueless kids.
Yes, to see that day, I will protect this world from the coming destruction.
“Let’s go!”
I slapped Lucas on the back and led the way. The rest of the main party members hurriedly followed.
I smirked, adjusting my glove.
“Let’s show these uncles that the kids these days have got quite the temper!”
…But then again, am I not the biggest uncle here?
Oops?
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt