570 - - Episode 568 The Beginning of a Fun Time

The day of the blacksmithing competition. While I was relieved that the competition could be held without any problems, I found that the blacksmith guild where the competition was to be held was in chaos. It seems that the criminal acts that were uncovered by Sylphy's cheat investigative abilities have triggered a major crackdown within the Blacksmith Guild. Whatever the case, will the tournament be held properly?

"Well, I'm glad you came instead of running away."

What?

I don't understand the reality of what's happening in front of me.

Well, what do you mean?

"Huh?　What is a pathetic man saying to himself, "Just because I can't get the workshop by myself, I'm going to join a clique and try to forcibly take it from Mel?"

While I'm a little confused, Eunice fires back.

I don't like it when he bites me, but I like it when he's on my side.

At any rate, Mr. Gorden and the others seem to be having a hard time with Yunis who lost her temper at the moment, so let's calm down and get the situation straightened out.

First of all, when we entered the room, Mr. Gorden and the others looked away from us awkwardly.

I found out the reason for this from Sylphy.

It was because they were uncomfortable with the fact that after the attack, they had falsely accused me of being the culprit.

It was natural that they couldn't see eye to eye with me since I had called people criminals and seriously appealed to the security organization, but they were wrong.

Yes, I understand so far.

But I don't know what you do after that.

In the first place, the work is already completed, so I don't understand the meaning of provocation.　

Oh, maybe he came up to us to apologize at first, but then he saw us and became hateful, so he turned the tables on us?

Haha, no way, that's ...... too ...... likely.

I guess they couldn't allow me to bow down to them and bet that they wouldn't find out that I framed them.

From Mr. Gorden's point of view, if the knights don't talk to me, they won't be found out, and it is not surprising that they think it is unlikely that the knights will discuss the case with us, who are not involved in the attack.

In fact, I did it and Sylphy's presence makes it all known, but if the incident had happened without my involvement, it is highly possible that I would have let it go through.

I see, I have tried to help them with great, great regret, but Mr. Gorden and the others are going to pretend it never happened.

Well, I can understand how you feel. If I were in Mr. Gorden's shoes, it would piss me off to death to bow down to me.

If I had to apologize, I might try to cover it up, taking a chance that I won't be found out.

I could understand the feelings of Mr. Gorden and the others somehow. ......, but that doesn't mean I understand it or agree with it.

Fine. I was originally going to give them a hard time, but if that's what they want, I'm not going to go easy on them.

No, I wasn't going to go easy on them in the first place, but I'm going to crush their pride, including this incident, until it's shattered.

"Ah, Mr. Yuta, I'm sorry, but can you give us some time?"

As I was making a dark determination in my heart, before I knew it, Mr. Tablé was right in front of me. Instantaneous movement?

"Well, I'd like to submit Mel's work first, but not after that?"

Well, it's going to take a while because that Mel is being hugged by the yunis who are biting the gibbering Goldens. ...... and the Goldens are already in tears, which is funny.

"Sorry, this is about the convention, so you'll have to listen to us first."

About the convention, or maybe about postponing or canceling the convention, given the current situation?

**

As expected, it was to discuss the postponement of the tournament.

There is a lot of confusion in the blacksmith guild and we need an explanation for all the commotion. People who had nothing to do with the tournament were beginning to gather at the guild after learning about the injustice of the officials, and they wanted the tournament postponed if possible.

Of course, I did not accept their advice and strongly demanded that the tournament be held.

I was now ready to beat Mr. Gorden and the others as hard as I could, and it would be a great opportunity to spread the word about Mel's abilities if a lot of people would gather, even if they were not involved in the tournament.

I don't want to postpone it because I'm ready to humiliate Mr. Gorden and the others.

Since it was basically the Blacksmith's Guild's fault, my insistent demand was met and the tournament went ahead as planned.

I do feel a little sorry for the Blacksmith's Guild, even though they had it coming to them.

Sylphy said that even in the state of confusion, they were even more confused when Mel's work was accepted and the degraded version of Damascus was confirmed.

The current blacksmith guild is in a state of panic after panic after panic.

I'm starting to get a little worried about whether the tournament will be held properly or not.

What?　Would you like me to address the organizers?　I can't.

*****

"Then let the judging begin!"

Although a number of things happened and we were a little later than scheduled, I think the Blacksmith's Guild deserves a lot of credit for the competition that they managed to put together.

At the same time as the MC spoke, the first work was brought on a cart in front of the five judges on the stage.

I wonder if Mr. Dolgem would have been among those judges if Sylphy had not deported him to the castle.

...... Well, I can't help thinking about those who were thrown in jail again.

I thought about using Mr. Dorgem's fame, but it seems to have more disadvantages for Mel, so it would be a hindrance.

The five judges appraise the longsword from various angles.

From my point of view, all I can tell is that it's a beautiful sword, but the experts seem to know a lot about it, pointing out details as they evaluate it.

It's a bit like that show where they appraise treasures.

Hmmm...　A small figure among the judges: .......

Perhaps intrigued, the Belles join the jury before we know it. Is that ...... OK?

If someone can sense the presence of a spirit, won't they misunderstand that I've done something to them?

...... makes me a little nervous, but it's probably okay because the results of the screening will be overwhelmingly different.

Above all, I have to forgive the belles who think they are appraising with the judges, because they are incredibly cute.

After the first round of judging is over, the longsword is brought to the tentative first place.

The judging method is similar to the famous comic grand prix, where the ranking changes with each judging and the last entry in the first place is the winner.

The second piece was brought in.

Like the first one, it was a longsword, but the reaction of the judges and the audience was different. The blacksmiths seemed to be able to easily distinguish between the two pieces.

A longsword is brought to the first place after the evaluation. The previous piece is moved to the second place.

One of the three, including Mr. Gorden, is clearly pleased, and the blacksmith, who seems to have lost his place, is clearly depressed.

The blacksmith who participated in the ...... competition should have been quarantined. The meaning of the secret judging is lost if the participants show their emotions so blatantly.

It's OK this time because of the overwhelming difference, but I'll be careful the next time I organize a similar competition.

The third and fourth appraisals proceeded smoothly.

It seems that this judging format is easy to understand to the layman's eye, and there are cheers from people other than the blacksmiths every time the rankings are changed.

As the organizer, I was frankly pleased to see the excitement of the competition.

As soon as the fifth piece is brought in, there is a stir among the audience.

The difference is obvious even to me, an amateur.

The blade is even longer than that of the longsword. The handle is also twice as long as other swords. It seems to be what is commonly called a two-handed sword.

However, in a labyrinth city filled with various weapons, the appearance of a two-handed sword is not enough to cause a stir.

The cause of the stir is a thin gradation floating on the blade of the sword. This gradation is similar to that of Mel's father's work.

Although the gradation is darker in Mel's father's work, Mr. Gorden and others have said that they are studying Mel's father's sword. I am sure that the Goldens' work is in the same vein.

I looked at Mr. Gorden to make sure, and our eyes met. He has a very disgusted expression on his face.

The expression on his face makes me want to punch him, as if to say, "You see, this is my ability, you should regret challenging me. Please think about the meaning of the secret screening.

"Mel. What about that sword?"

"I think ...... is awesome. I couldn't have gotten there on my own."

"I see."

You must be pretty good at what you do if you're bragging about it. Your smug face is annoying me, but I'll admit that you are good at what you do.

The judges and the audience responded favorably, and the number of comments was more than double compared to the previous years. Naturally, Mr. Gorden's sword moves into the first place.

Still, Goldens sword is a definite loser.

I can't wait to see his disgusting face contorted in defeat.

The sixth and seventh rounds of judging proceeded, but Mr. Gorden's sword remained in first place, and it was Mel's turn to be the last to be judged.

I had known this from Sylphy's reconnaissance, but I had made it to the end without causing any disturbance.

It's not the most exciting tournament, but for me it's all good because I'm right on schedule. The real show is just beginning.

Mel's work is brought in on a cart. Here comes a sword that is both powerful and beautiful in a way that no ordinary sword can be.

It is a short sword, but its presence is far more impressive than Mr. Gorden's two-handed sword.

A perplexed atmosphere prevails in the hall.

Listening to the whispering voices, I realized that it was Damascus, wasn't it?　Hey, did you exhibit a weapon from the labyrinth?　I hear voices such as "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Hmmm, the reaction is as expected.

Even I, an unscrupulous person, am not so out of the loop as to think that a degraded version of Damascus by Meru would be accepted.

The question is, who will fall for this trap? .......

"Screw you!　Hey, the Blacksmith's Guild is not going to approve of this travesty!　Are you going to abandon your blacksmithing pride in fear of a man like that!"

Mr. Gorden shouts while pointing his finger at me.

My smug look made him realize that the Sword of Damascus is Mel's work. Hmmm, I can't say the same for the meaning of the anonymous judging.

But Mr. Gorden seems to have a surprisingly quick mind.

He must have figured out that I was trying to force his hand with almost no time lag after realizing that it was Mel's work.

Well, it's a false accusation. I'm not going to call a deer a horse in a situation like this.

Well, it's time for the fun part.

Now that we've been falsely accused twice, let's fight back as hard as we can.

But first, let's get the rest of the disciples and Belle and the others out of here. I can't let the pure kids see me grinning as I hunt people down.