The Sword Saint Festival Begins

"Ugh. *Hurk!*"

Mitsuna woke with a headache.

She had dozed off for the 4th time this hour and woken up for the 5th time. How...?

Holding the mostly empty bottle of alcohol just as tightly as her mouth that she was about to vomit out of, Mitsuna wondered.

'Wasn't I supposed to be immune to poison? Is alcohol even counted as a poison?'

Managing to not vomit, Mitsuna rubbed her eyes.

Standing up from her bed, she fell straight down onto the bed again because of the pain in her head.

Due to the sudden fall, the rest of the alcohol in the bottle ended up on the sheets, to the slight disappointment of Mitsuna.

'NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! MY DRINK!!!'

Wiping a tear, she grabbed the second bottle.

'I wanted to save the other two for another time.'

Mitsuna opened the bottle and took a sip.

It should be stated that every one of the bottles was bigger than her entire arm from the elbow to the tips of her fingers.

"Ahh~. Just as my old classmate had said. The perfect cure for a hangover is more alcohol. What a Legend..."

Just as Mitsuna took another sip, her door was knocked on.

'Hmm. Oh right.'

Opening the door, she peeked out only to see a worker of the inn.

"Good morning."

"Hey."

"I'm here to let you know that it is the day of the festival just as you requested."

The girl told Mitsuna with a perfect business smile while thinking.

'That smells like really high-grade alcohol. Did she get drugged by some man...? Well, she does look really beautiful so I wouldn't be surprised if anyone tried.'

The worker felt sympathetic for Mitsuna while looking at the girl wearing only her underwear and a black shirt.

'What a world we live in. How sad.'

"Ah. It's already that day, huh? Thank you, I'll be out shortly."

Mitsuna replied with a smile as she thanked the girl and was about to close the door.

"If you'd like..."

Mitsuna stopped as she looked at the girl.

"We have some really good breakfast options today. I could eat with you if you are uncomfortable eating alone."

"Oh, sure. I'm not really that uncomfortable though, but yeah I'm down. I'll be ready in a minute."

'She looks really unbothered. Maybe she wasn't drugged but just had a heated night with her lover? She has to have one with her looks.'

The worker had a slight blush as she bowed her head a little and made her way downstairs.

'What a nice girl, I better give her a tip or something.'

Mitsuna closed the door and placed all her alcohol in her [Item Box].

Washing and drying herself off with magic, Mitsuna left her black shirt on while changing her underwear.

Putting on her hazard themed coat and some black tight jeans, she looked at herself in the mirror.

'Hmm. Something's missing. Let's try...'

Mitsuna made a hazard pattern cloth stripe that she placed around the thigh of her right leg and tied her hair in a ponytail with the same type of cloth stripe.

Stretching in front of the mirror, she wanted to look a little fancier for today, it was a festival after all.

Mitsuna planned to go to a jewellery shop or something similar after having breakfast with the girl she met.

Walking downstairs, she was greeted by a surprisingly packed area filled with adventurers and rich looking characters eating food and drinking.

'This early? Tch. Hooligans. At least I drink sparingly.'

As Mitsuna looked around the place, the scene slowly turned quiet as the people around started noticing her.

Hushed whispers were starting to spread, which Mitsuna completely ignored as she dampened her hearing.

Seeing the girl that invited her working at a table nearby, Mitsuna waited for her to finish.

As the girl finished, she noticed how the surroundings had turned quiet.

Mitsuna then walked next to her and started the conversation, slightly startling the girl.

"Hey. I'm ready, where do we sit?"

"Oh! There's a table over there, what would you like?"

"Anything is fine. I'll go sit down and wait. Take your time, I have all day."

"Weren't you going to the festival?"

"If I miss it I'll just wait for the next one."

"Alright, but I'll hurry a little anyways."

"Pft. Sure."

Mitsuna headed to the table that the girl had pointed out and sat down.

The surrounding adventurers and people that were rich enough to stay in this high-class inn were all speechless.

The beauty that has been walking around town and doing adventurer quests was actually staying in this inn, and she had a friend working here?

Most people there had seen her once or twice, those being the adventurers. The others however had only seen her for the first time, now.

To the adventurers, she had always seemed pretty cold and hard to approach. To the others that have only just now learned of her existence, she looked like the perfect woman.

Gorgeous, sociable, young and carefree.

Most men that weren't adventurers already planned to go and chat her up, same for most women.

The ones that were adventurers were slightly hesitant but some young ones who had only joined their seniors for breakfast still wanted to have a go at it.

Needless to say, the reactions were mixed as even some prideful women in the surroundings felt envy towards Mitsuna.

A few moments after Mitsuna had sat down, a male waiter exited the kitchen.

He looked around and noticed how most of the attention was focused on a single table.

Seeing how someone was sitting there, clearly waiting, the man neared the table.

Walking beside Mitsuna who was waiting on the girl, the man asked.

"Hello. May I take your order?"

Mitsuna turned around to look at the man.

The waiter then felt his heart skip a beat as his sight was locked onto her eyes. He now understood why so many were paying attention to this table.

'Why is everyone reacting like this? I guess the only worker I've extensively talked to is the owner so not a lot of others know me here, I have also mostly come and left the place nearing nighttime or when the adventurers' job board is getting updated so maybe I seem rather new? Eh. Whatever. Right now I'm just here to have breakfast.'

"No. It's fine, I'm waiting for someone."

Hearing the answer and seeing how Mitsuna turned her gaze outside the window, the waiter had his pride slightly hurt for whatever reason.

'She's waiting for someone? Who? A man or woman? I'm handsome enough to get every woman in this place so she definitely can't be talking about a man in My presence. It must be a girlfriend. Right. I can still make my move.'

"It is rather early so I think your friend will have trouble getting here with the hustle of the streets due to the festival taking place today. I would recommend you order now."

"No. I'll wait. They won't take long."

"Miss, I assure you-"

'These types of people just don't take a hint.'

Mitsuna thought with a sigh as she turned to the man.

"Listen, buddy. You make at most 5 copper an hour and you think you have the right to talk to me like you're above me?"

"What?"

"Besides, I'm taken. F*ck off cheese face. The best woman you could get is a dead rat. Maidenless little sh*t's don't have a chance with me. Go do your job for your pitiful change that you call minimum wage and leave me alone."

Mitsuna said mockingly as she waved the man away while flashing the ring she got from her father that was on her finger.

The man's heart was shattered in more ways than one as the adventurers around could barely hold in their laughter while the rich people around were shocked.

Some of the rich people lost interest since Mitsuna used such foul vocabulary and said that she was taken while others were somehow even more interested.

The waiter held in his anger and left to the back of the building.

The girl had witnessed this as Mitsuna had started insulting the man just as she came out of the kitchen with the food.

The girl neared the table and placed the food on it.

"H-here it is. It'll be 2 silver."

"Oh, hey. Thanks."

Mitsuna handed over two silver and gestured to the girl.

"Come on, sit down."

"A-alright."

As Mitsuna started enjoying the meal, the girl that invited her was slightly uncomfortable as all the stares were now directed at her.

Feeling her discomfort, Mitsuna glared at the surroundings and soon after, the stares subsided as the surrounding groups started to talk amongst themselves.

"Hey, this is really good. What meat is this?"

Mitsuna started a conversation with the girl as the surroundings started to get louder and their voices started to be drowned out.

"Ah. Right, it's bearbull."

"What's that?"

"It's an animal that lives around the forests here, it's the reason it costs so much."

"Hmm. Tasty. Aren't you going to touch yours? You've barely eaten."

"Oh. Right, right."

"Mm."

Mitsuna swallowed the piece of meat she was chewing on.

"If you're uncomfortable I don't mind eating at some other table."

"Ah. No, No! I'm not! It's just that, you were really mean back there."

"Well, he kept bothering me even when I told him I'm waiting for someone. In my experience, the best way to get rid of those people is to make them leave. Since I didn't want to cause a ruckus, I used words."

"Is it true when you said that you were 'taken'?"

"Nope. A bold lie."

"Then what about that ring?"

"It's a precious gift."

Mitsuna said with a sad smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm Mitsuna by the way."

"Right! I'm Magny, it's a pleasure."

Mitsuna shook Magny's hand and asked.

"That's an interesting name, where'd it come from."

"Haa~. Don't laugh, alright? My parents were Western gun freaks so they named me Magnum. I shortened it to Magny so I wouldn't get made fun of."

"Oh wow. That's a really cool name."

"You don't have to comfort me."

"Okay."

A moment of silence.

"Pft."

"Hehe."

The inside of the inn became more cheerful.

After finishing her meal and talking with Magny, Mitsuna left the inn and made her way to where she was told the festival would take place.

Outside the walls, in the Desert of Blood.

...

Getting to the gates, Mitsuna was surprised to see hundreds upon thousands of people leaving and surrounding the outer walls, looking towards the bloody desert while some rich looking characters had seats prepared for them on the wall surrounding the city.

The walls of the city and the surroundings had tens to hundreds of magic screens that showed off the battle area.

The sky seemed red due to the bloody sand being kicked up by the wind. Red dust flew around as hundreds of weapons laid sunken into the sand.

'Did they place the weapons there? I guess you can't take your own.'

Walking around the gates, Mitsuna saw how tens of huge placement brackets were laid out on the inner walls of the city. The brackets glowed in neon-like light.

Seeing people taking applications from a long line, Mitsuna entered that very same line.

After a while, she got to the front.

"Hey. Is this where you register for the festival?"

"Yes, it is. May I see your ID?"

"Feel free."

Handing over her ID, Mitsuna was handed a paper and sent to the side to wait.

'B. Is that my bracket?'

Looking at the walls, she could see that all the placement brackets were categorized by letter.

'A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O. This is quite a large competition. Can't believe they have it monthly.'

As Mitsuna waited, she saw as every bracket was slowly filling up. What she noticed as the last few brackets were filled was their strange layout.

'I'll just wait for the rules to be explained.'

She continued her wait and after a while, she saw how 15 strange ancient portal-like relics were laid out on the streets.

As the last portal relics were placed, she heard an amplified voice shouting greetings.

"Gentlemen, My Fair Ladies! Welcome!"

Everyone around turned silent as tens of strange magic circles started flying around.

'Cameras?'

"This is The Great Celebration of War! The Sword Saint Festival!!"

The crowd erupted.

"Please, Let me Explain the Rules!"

"This festival is not like any other in this wide world! We have placed each of the challengers throughout this continent in brackets! That's right! This will be the first time that the entire continent will be taking part in the festival!"

Shouts erupted all around.

"Just like always, this festival will be directly broadcast to every continent around this wide world! Put on a great act for our viewers, will you?"

"Now, On to the placement brackets!"

"Each of the 15 brackets has a limit of 100 participants. Out of those 100, the strongest and the one with the most skill and potential will be placed under the role of General while the others take the role of Soldier. All others will receive a slight debuff and then fight that general. 99 against 1! To make it fair, the General role may choose any weapon available to them while the other 99 have to forage the Bloody Desert to get theirs'. The victors of the brackets will be chosen like so: if the General wins, they move on. If the Soldiers win, their bracket will be played again until a winner is picked. This could go on until it ends with a 1 versus 1 scenario. After all 15 victors are chosen, they will be sent to the battlefield altogether, a true final battle of war generals will be held for the finals and the last one standing, or breathing is declared a sword saint in name!"

'I definitely won't be picked as the first General. Haha. Right?'

Mitsuna thought with a dry laugh. She was not expecting much. Her eyes were like that of a dead fish.

'I don't mind standing out, but this might be too much.'

"Now! Fair participants! Let us take a look at the brackets, shall we?"

'This just won't end well. I know it.'

Mitsuna brought out the bottle of alcohol she had opened in the morning and started drinking.

Let us repeat again: Her expectations were very low.

...

"It began just like that. It was so simple at the start."

A woman spoke as she recalled the event that took place. The Destined Festival of War.

"It happened an age ago, and yet still, I recall it true."

"On that night, an iron breeze. A night of course blood in that desert, a reminiscent sight of hell."

"A night pertaining carnage and mayhem."

"This mere festival ensued: Wars and Battles that wrought only despair and fear in the hearts of the divine."

"If we had only acted then. None shouldst have witnessed the ensuing War of Beasts and Gods."

"Yet there we sat, on our mortal thrones, bearing witness to the creation, nay the birth of a being none could contain. Not even the very Rulers of the Laws themselves."

"Most you ask would say it was a debut."

"I differ. It was an inauguration if nothing more."