Chapter 26

The second round of preliminaries proceeded smoothly.

Before I knew it, it was the final.

"Aller, if we win this, we'll be in the main tournament! Please do your best!"

"Even if I were there or not, Lilia would have been eliminated in the preliminaries, anyway."

"Even I couldn't make it to the final!?"

We were in the same block, so if we both advanced, we would have faced each other in the final.

But Lilia had lost in the semi-finals.

My opponent was the swordsman who defeated Lilia.

"A Magic Swordsman, huh. That's quite a rare class."

"...I don't want to hear that from someone who's Unemployed."

My opponent glared at me fiercely.

She was a woman a little older than me.

As a B-rank swordsman, she was an Advanced Class, a Magic Swordsman, capable of mastering both sword and magic skills.

This is a tournament for swordsmen, but as long as you are registered with the guild, you can participate even if you don't have a swordsman class.

Even I, an Unemployed, can participate.

And, for example, a Mage can use magic to fight.

It becomes a mixed martial arts match, but swordsmen firmly believe that swords are the strongest, and in fact, all those who have participated with weapons other than swords have been eliminated in the preliminaries. That's why using other weapons is allowed.

So, of course, a Magic Swordsman can use magic without any problem.

Since she is also a swordsman, the audience's reaction is somewhat milder compared to a completely different class. Earlier, a Summoner summoned a monster to fight, and the audience was harsh, calling them a "coward who can't do anything on their own!" and a "weakling who can't even swing a sword!"

"Still, being able to use swords for close combat and magic for long-range combat is quite convenient."

"While saying that, you seem quite relaxed..."

"It's true that both are somewhat mediocre."

"!"

I easily dodged both the sword and magic she unleashed.

Indeed, being able to use both is a significant advantage, but in terms of sword skills, she doesn't match the Advanced Classes of swordsmen, and in terms of magic, she is inferior to the Advanced Classes of mages.

She is in a middle ground.

If she could master both, she might be the strongest.

...Hmm.

By the way, I've been wondering for a while now.

Can I use magic if I try hard enough?

"Actually, I wanted to save this for the main tournament... but there's no choice."

"Hmm?"

My opponent muttered something meaningful.

"Relax. You won't make it to the main tournament anyway. If you have any hidden skills, it's better to use them now. You'll regret it if you lose without giving your all."

"! You're mocking me...!"

I was just stating the facts...

"I'll show you! ...Magic Sword!"

"Hmm."

I couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

The sword in her hand was suddenly enveloped in flames, burning brightly.

"I see. A skill to imbue a sword with magic."

"That's right. It's the strongest sword that only a Magic Swordsman can wield."

She swung her sword on the spot.

The flames extended like a whip and attacked me.

I dodged by jumping back, but when she flicked her wrist, the flame whip immediately changed its trajectory and pursued me.

...She can use it like this.

With this Magic Sword, she can fight at close, medium, and long range.

Quite interesting.

"Thanks for showing me a good skill. As expected of a city of swords. There's much to learn. If I make it to the main tournament, I might see even more unique skills."

"Unfortunately, the one advancing to the main tournament is me...!"

I left an "afterimage" and entered her guard, finishing the fight with the Sword Maiden's ultimate skill, Piercing Tempest.

Her blessing disappeared instantly.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

I advanced to the main tournament by breaking through the second round of preliminaries.

Lilia was eliminated, but Rina, who won the 8th block, also secured a spot in the main tournament.

"Two participants from our guild in the main tournament of the Sword God Cup! How many years has it been?"

"You're happy even though you lost?"

"Why not!? I'm a big-hearted person who can sincerely celebrate my comrades' success!"

"Doubtful. What's your real reason?"

"I bet heavily on Aller and made a fortune, hehehe... No, that's not it! Yes, I did make a profit, though!"

All sword fights in this city are betting targets.

The preliminaries of the Sword God Cup are no exception, and it seems Lilia had bet on me.

"Didn't you bet on yourself?"

"Y-Yes..."

Lilia nodded weakly.

But she quickly regained her composure,

"Yes, that's right! I thought it was impossible from the start! What's wrong with that!"

In a way, it was refreshing.

The main tournament is in a week.

So, we were back in the dungeon.

The 14th floor.

We used a convenient teleportation magic circle to return to where we had reached before the second round of preliminaries.

Rumor has it that from around the 15th floor, Living Armors, which are the highest class, occasionally appear.

The highest classes I've met so far are the Sword Maiden and the Dual Sword King.

But the Dual Sword King is Lilia's father, so I haven't seen his skills.

Well, with his skills, even if he tried, he probably couldn't show them.

There are also other swordsmen classes like the Sword Emperor and the Absolute Swordsman.

For knights, there are classes like the Maiden Knight and the King of Knights.

There are probably other classes that are not publicly known.

"Looking forward to it."

At that moment, a cry that sounded like "D-D-D-Who!?" echoed.