Chapter 15

Rayto heaved a heavy sigh while watching the ongoing fight.

Both he and Lux were focused on the battle; they were probably trying to learn something from their opponent's fighting style.

Given the high chance they might face the next winner.

"Uh, now that I think about it, isn't it unbalanced?"

Coming to a realization, Rayto blinked, muttering these words as he turned to Lux.

"What do you mean?"

Lux asked, turning to Rayto, who held his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, if you think about it, we'll be five; there would be an extra person left out. If you and I get paired with two other people, what about the third?"

"Oh, that... now that I think of it, the last time, the remaining five fought a round royale, and the two of us left fought a final match after an hour break."

Rayto, hearing this, frowned and rubbed his forehead. "Isn't this a mess?" he asked exasperatedly.

Then he rested his back against the wall.

"Are we using the same tactics until the finals?"

Lux asked, his gaze fixed on the hologram-like screen as he continued watching the fight.

"There's a high chance of that happening." Having said this, Rayto closed his eyes.

He had other things to think about now.

Closing his eyes, Rayto drifted into his subconsciousness, another perk he had gained thanks to the system.

Though it was mainly used to communicate with the system.

'Okay system... we need to talk.'

[Yes, host].

Calling the system out, a blue panel flickered in front of Rayto.

'Now, you said earlier that the more progress I make in the main quest, the more I get missions to complete, is that it?'

[Yes.]

[Host, think of it as a story.]

[The further the storyline progresses, the more elements will be connected to it.]

[In host's case, it's the same.]

[While the multiversal function is still locked, host can think of the time-limited quest as a time-limited event in a game.]

[As long as the player reaches a required level, regardless of whether they're a low-level player.]

[They would be able to participate in the limited event.]

'...'

Rayto fell deep in thought, his relaxed face forming into a frown. 'I more or less understand.'

The analogy of using games and stories made Rayto understand it even more.

In that moment, a line of thought ran across his mind.

However—

Rayto mentally ignored it.

Some things are rather best not known, at least for now.

'System... Can I skip that time-limited quest?' Rayto asked, changing the topic.

[Correct.]

[Host can skip the time-limited quest.]

[Does host want to proceed with skipping the quest?]

[Yes] [No]

Another panel appeared in front of Rayto, who eyed it surprisingly.

He then racked his brain about it.

'...'

But then.

After thinking for a few more seconds, he decided. 'No, leave it for now. I'll decide later.'

[Affirmative.]

Rayto, having ended the conversation and about to exit his subconsciousness, was suddenly exasperated by what he saw next.

[Notice.]

The system panel appeared once again in front of him, displaying the following.

[A new side quest is being generated.]

[Side Quest]

[Quest name]: [Forces of Evil]

[Quest details: Come in contact with the Black Marketeer.]

'Pftt—cough, cough!'

As if chocking.

Even though he was in his subconsciousness, Rayto felt as if something had gotten stuck inside his throat.

'Oi! What sort of flag is this?'

Rayto internally screamed at the system, which didn't reply. Rather, it couldn't.

While it could answer some questions, it was ultimately an AI.

However, not getting an answer only further irked him—albeit slightly. 'Fuuuu!'

Calming himself down, he then thought about it.

But before he could come to a conclusion—

"—to-san."

"Rayto-san."

It was Lux's voice calling him. Groggily opening his eyes, Rayto blinked at him confusedly, to which Lux simply shook his head, pointing at the screen.

"Huh—That is..."

"The matches are all done. There will be a ten-minute short break before the last match."

Lux said, standing up and adjusting his Sword Device on his waist.

"I see, then, let's get prepared too..." Rayto said, standing up. He looked around the now-empty waiting room.

"By the way, the three we're facing are from the four great noble houses?" Rayto asked.

Lux nodded. "The representative of the Ralgris house came to a draw with the representative of the house of Schultzed."

"But then, the representative of the Ralgris house himself surrendered, giving a win to the representative of Schultzed."

"So, technically, we'll be facing the four great nobles themselves?"

Rayto asked, feeling a bit apprehensive despite his confidence.

"Would we be okay?"

Lux spaced out for a moment before nodding. "You'll be okay... I think."

"What do you mean by 'I think'?"

"Rayto-san, don't worry. Coming out on top in this match would mean you're already recognized by the kingdom itself. Even the four great nobles wouldn't openly show their hostility."

Lux knew what Rayto was wary of.

Besting the representatives of the four great noble houses might be seen as a slap in the face, depending on the context.

However, them being fan favorites means the populace has already accepted them.

By the time the Queen gives her declaration, plus the fact that the yearly tournament is close by, Lux believed the nobles wouldn't openly show hostility, even if they did harbor some.

Lux, on the other hand, is a different case.

If Rayto knew about his situation, he would be more confused and bewildered than shocked or surprised.

"So, I have nothing to worry about?" Rayto asked surprised glancing at Lux who nodded intently. "Then, that's a relief."

"Since that's solved, let's just get this over with."

This was, after all, an event spanning the whole day, designed to serve as experience for most participants, including the military at the border of the New Kingdom.

When all that was said and done, the final minutes passed, and the remaining five headed towards the ring.

Rayto and Lux emerged from the left wing, while the representatives of three of the four great nobles came out from the right.

"Everybody! It's finally time! We have reached the climax of today's mock duel!"

The tension in the air rose even higher than before as everyone's eyes fixed on the ring.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime battle event. 

One amongst the five had been recognized as the strongest, boasting over a hundred participations and wins.

The second of the first is a newbie, participating for the first time but equal to the hyped-up strongest, going toe to toe with an experienced Ex-class Drag Knight.

The remaining three were Ex-class Drag Knights from noble houses, each with a high affinity with a Drag-Machine.

This was truly what a finals should be like.

In the ring, beside Lux, Rayto cast a side glance towards him.

"Seems like it's a three-versus-two situation here. Haha, this is already more messed up than I thought."

Lux nodded with a nervous smile, scratching the back of his head.

Ever since they changed the rules last month because of the upcoming tournament, the mock duels hadn't been as messy and chaotic as this one.

Either way....

"We'll just have to deal with it, Rayto-san."

"No shit."

The head referee stepped forward, looking at both sides.

He had already understood at a glance what sort of situation this was—no, not just him, the nobles themselves were more aware of this than anyone in the colosseum.

While to others, this might seem like a battle between two fan favorites and some other competitors.

But to the nobles, it was a fight between the prince of the old empire and the four representatives of the new kingdom.

The tension was palpable as the head referee raised his hand to signal the start.