Chapter 66

After the goddess was removed from her throne and the threat of the demon king had almost disappeared, peaceful days continued.

At the palace, inspections of the border regions were increased to check the enhanced state of monsters.

It was found that the enhanced monsters could be dealt with sufficiently using the improved magic swords, and training with magic swords was further intensified to enhance combat capabilities.

Elite knights began training soldiers, and at the same time, students from the knight department of the academy were allowed to train with soldiers using magic swords, depending on their abilities.

Cavendish spent about a month locked in his room and was once suspected of losing his sanity, but he eventually recovered to the point where he could manage daily life and returned to the academy.

The student council president was removed from office and was under suspension for about two weeks. Although the atmosphere became somewhat gloomy, he was able to continue his daily life without any problems.

The two-timing girl, after losing the proof of being a goddess, was taken into custody by the church for the crime of using a charm spell and is now confined in a facility similar to an isolation ward.

Since the charm spell was sealed, there was a proposal to send her back to the baron's family, but it seems the baron's family refused.

The child in her womb is developing well, but Cavendish has refused to acknowledge paternity. After birth, the child will either be raised in the church's orphanage or, if the two-timing girl is judged to have a normal mental state and acquires enough common sense to live in society, she will be allowed to live as a commoner under church supervision with her child.

It seems quite difficult at the moment.

The whereabouts of the former goddess are still unknown.

Several children with zero magical power were protected by the church, but the former goddess was not among them, and the search continues.

During this time, we completed various exercises, trained with magic swords, spread the methods of cooking tender meat, promoted soft bread, made hamburgers, sausages, bacon, found cream and made cakes, discovered chocolate as a medicine and showed its potential as a confection, causing a huge hit, made ice cream, and did many other things. However, since Shelly was always by my side, taking notes and passing them on to the palace chefs, it didn't cause much of a problem.

The various dishes originating from the palace have attracted many guests from other countries, causing quite a stir, but their value as export goods is tremendous, and the prime minister hugs and pets me every time we meet.

The cooking utensils I made with barrier magic were introduced to royal craftsmen by the head chef, and I had them make as many as I could think of, which led to me being bombarded with questions from Shelly and the head chef.

Three months have passed since I came to this world.

Today is the day of the swordsmanship tournament, where the results of the exercises will be announced and the growth of the participants will be shown to many people.

Of course, I can't participate, so I'm here to watch, but why am I on the king's lap?

The queen and princesses couldn't make it due to scheduling conflicts and looked very disappointed, but Ingrid managed to clear her schedule, and her attendant was holding his stomach.

The twin princes are too young for such intense stimulation, so they will participate when they are older.

Participation is voluntary, but almost all the students are participating.

Only a few young ladies are not participating, and their enthusiasm is surprising.

The preliminary rounds are already over, and today is the main event.

Even so, more than 100 students are participating, divided into five groups of 20, and the two remaining students from each group will advance to the finals.

Cooperation is allowed, as is individual skill, but obvious abuse of status is despised by the nobility and is not seen in the main event, though it happens in the preliminaries.

The first group had no familiar faces.

Twenty students ascend the circular stage and bow outward in a circle.

——Clang Clang Clang——

The sound of a gong signals the start of the match.

Although it's called a swordsmanship tournament, the students are allowed to use their preferred weapons, so they are fighting with various weapons on the stage.

The most noticeable is a student with a longer-than-normal spear. Even though they are using blunted practice swords and spears, a direct hit can still cause a fracture, yet they fight without mercy!

Standing in the center, the student swings the spear with such force that no one can get close.

The students surrounding him ignore the spear-wielding student and start fighting at the edge of the stage, one after another falling off.

The conditions for defeat are either becoming unable to fight or falling off the stage, so if you fall, it's over.

When about half the students were left, one student, crouching low, entered the range behind the spear-wielding student, kicked him once, and as the spear's rotation stopped, cut him from behind, rendering him unable to fight.

As soon as the fight ended, the fallen student was quickly carried off the stage by the medical staff.

This process continued until only five students remained.

They glared at each other, maintaining their distance, and were hesitant to attack.

After a while, the audience began to heckle.

Pushed by the voices, two students moved, one with a dagger and one with a spear, attacking nearby students.

The dagger-wielding student, with a shorter range, was cut down by the long sword before he could get close, and the spear-wielding student was defeated by an attack from the blind spot on the opposite side.

The two were carried off, leaving three students.

Two of them seemed to know each other and took a cooperative stance, challenging the remaining student together.

The three, all using long swords, engaged in intense combat, and the sounds of clashing swords echoed. Ingrid and the general, sitting next to me, stood up excitedly and cheered.

The winner was the student who fought alone.

This group had one winner.

After a 10-minute break, the next group included Arlsheim and Cavendish.

I was surprised that Cavendish made it to the main event, but it seems to be a common occurrence.

It's a matter of showing favor to the royal family, I understand.

Apparently, just making it to the main event is a matter of honor.

The gong sounded, and the match began.

As soon as it started, people moved away from Arlsheim and Cavendish, leaving them isolated.

While others were fighting, the two stood firm.

As more and more students were eliminated, Cavendish moved and attacked Arlsheim.

Arlsheim easily deflected the attack, and although Cavendish was shouting something, it couldn't be heard from here.

After a few exchanges, Cavendish's sword was knocked away, and he was rendered unable to fight. However, he grabbed a nearby student's sword and attacked Arlsheim again.

While it's not a rule violation, it is considered inappropriate by the nobility, and the king held his head, while the general and Ingrid shouted at Cavendish, though it was too far to hear.

Arlsheim continued to parry without saying a word, and Cavendish kept shouting and attacking, as if not engaging at all.

The other students, seemingly interested in the prince's duel, continued to fight while glancing at them.

When only a third of the students remained, Arlsheim knocked Cavendish's sword away again and kicked him in the stomach, causing Cavendish to stagger and fall off the stage.

With the prince's duel resolved, Arlsheim, as if releasing the stress he had accumulated, began to fiercely attack the remaining students.

Without a magic sword, Arlsheim, whose skill with a single sword is said to guarantee entry into the knights, had no equal, and the battle ended with him in a state of invincibility.

Two students remained on the stage: Arlsheim and an unknown student.

The audience erupted in cheers.

After shaking hands, the two bowed lightly to the royal box and quickly left the stage.

After a break, the next group began.

Among the students who ascended the stage for the third group, the one who stood out the most was Eliza, dressed in a dress that had been modified for ease of movement.

While the young ladies who participated in the first two groups wore clothing and equipment indistinguishable from the male students, Eliza boldly ascended the stage in a dress.

Holding a whip in her hand and standing with her purple hair curled into drills, she looked so regal that

"Oh, it's a queen!"

I couldn't help but clap.

The prime minister chuckled, and the king and general burst into laughter.

For some reason, Ingrid was looking at her with sparkling eyes, but let's leave that aside.

As soon as the gong sounded, Eliza, positioned at the edge of the stage, held her whip loosely and cast a barrier around herself.

It was an excellent barrier that could defend against enemy attacks while allowing her to control her own attacks freely.

Judging that a young lady in a dress would be weak, several male students approached Eliza but were easily sent off the stage.

I wouldn't dare get close to a young lady in a dress who made it to the main event!

Ingrid's eyes sparkled as she watched Eliza send the approaching male students off the stage one after another.

Noticing that I was alternating my gaze between Ingrid and Eliza, the king, general, and prime minister all murmured, "Hm?"

Let's hope Eliza isn't averse to muscles.

In the end, the two students who remained on the stage were the secretary senior and Eliza.

I forgot the secretary senior's name.

They shook hands, bowed lightly to the royal box, and left the stage together.

Ingrid's eyes were gleaming.

After a break, the fourth group began.

This group included Yegram, Jus, and the former student council president.

Yegram, who is not good at swordsmanship, was holding an iron pipe.

Although magic that involves throwing objects is prohibited in a swordsmanship tournament, everyone was curious about how he would fight.

As soon as the gong sounded, everyone moved, and Yegram cast a powerful barrier.

It was similar to Eliza's barrier, but Yegram, who had been with me all the time, had completed a weaker but functional counter-barrier. Since the automatic counterattacks from the barrier do not count as attacks, it was not a rule violation.

However, when attacks were deflected, the attackers lost their balance, and if they were hit by the iron pipe, they fell off the stage.

Yegram walked in a precise position.

Jus fought with a sword, knocking opponents off the stage, and while not flashy, he was solid and safe, performing steadily.

The winners were Yegram and Jus.

The former student council president had disappeared at some point.

The final group included Digray.

A little distance away, Digray's family, who all had a similar atmosphere and hair color, were cheering for him.

Noticing them, Digray waved shyly but happily.

As the gong sounded, everyone moved.

Over the past three months, Digray had focused on speed and control.

Since a one-handed sword has a shorter range than a long sword, he trained to use his speed to get close and attack, and to use hidden weapons in his sleeves to attack vital points.

Of course, he wouldn't target vital points in this tournament.

Incidentally, the hidden weapon Digray uses is a kunai.

While practicing earth magic, I tried various things, extracting iron and copper from the soil and, out of playfulness, created shurikens and kunai.

When I made ninja weapons, Digray got excited, thinking it would be fun.

The kunai, with a round handle and a strong thread, could be retrieved, and I made it smaller than the kunai I saw on a field trip to a ninja village as a child.

When Digray demonstrated it at the palace training ground, the people who usually protect the royal family from the shadows came up to him, asking what the weapon was, causing quite a commotion.

While reminiscing about this, Digray was still standing.

The other student was unknown.

They shook hands, greeted each other, and left the stage.

Digray's family was dancing.