209-Chapter 14-5 Ultra-short-term decision

Then let's go over the rules. Your team's general is Tida, and I win if Tida is judged not to be able to continue fighting. If one of the students can effectively hit me, they win. I don't use offensive magic and weapons. You can use your magic and weapons as you please.

Are you sure that's the right rule?　And, Temma-san's equipment....

It's a good idea for me and the royal family to be able to do this because the worst case scenario is that only one person can be injured by this rule. That in itself is something that even Teeda agrees with, but I'm also worried about my equipment.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.　

''Is there something wrong?''

'No, well is that what you're wearing?'

''Oh, as expected, you should at least take your jacket off. Well, you won't get attacked, but if you get dirty from the dirt and dust, it's a pain in the ass to clean it up before the party.

As I took off my jacket and handed it to Mr. Jean (the referee), both Tida and Mr. Jean looked dumbfounded. Behind Tida, Aimee was smiling bitterly and the other students looked annoyed.

'Temma, moderate provocation then, both sides away!　Begin!

Mr. Jean gave the signal to start, but I didn't move from my spot, I was doing bending exercises and stretching my Achilles tendons.

'I'll give you the lead, I'm ready whenever you are~'

As if the provocation had worked, the students, except for Tida and Aimee, unleashed their magic all at once. Moreover, they each fired with all their might, as if they were trying to decide here.

For a while, as the students' magic continued, suddenly Jean-san

There is a winner!　Winner, Temma!

I announced my victory.

'Yes, good job,'

The students, who were confused even if they were suddenly declared losers, were even more surprised by my voice that came from behind (...) them.

As for me being surprised by the students, I put my arm around Amy and Tida's shoulders and gently grabbed them by the neck.

''Attacking with maximum firepower against an opponent who is showing a lot of leeway is not a bad strategy, but this time, it was a bad move. Your condition for victory is to strike whatever blow you can at the Tenma, and your condition for defeat is that Tida-sama doesn't get hit. The first thing you thought of was to fortify Master Tida's defense.

Jean-san, who was watching the whole thing as a referee, was giving the students a no-no. The students were also listening intently, since Jean-san was a close guard.........

Mr. Temma, how long do you expect me to stay like this?

'Well, maybe until Mr. Jan is done talking?　If the students aren't convinced that they're going to lose, then maybe we can continue the fight. Oh, just stay with the target, Tida, and Amy can go and listen to the story. Jean-san is used to teaching newcomers and such, so he should be able to hear something useful.

Yes!

Aimee replied cheerfully and ran off to listen to Jean's story.

'Amie was the only one who was able to deal with Tenma's moves in this match. It's good that she was able to get between Tida-sama and Tenma, but she couldn't resist, and in the end they were neutralized together. But even so, considering the difference in strength, it was good enough to arrive in time for Tenma's surprise attack.　

Jean-san also praised Amy's moves, saying that they were good. Certainly, it may have something to do with the fact that she was able to read the actions to some extent thanks to her long association with me, but even if you discount that, it was a good move.

''Compared to that, you guys are in too much of a hurry for a lot of things. If you unleash that much magic, you'll lose sight of your targets due to the dust cloud, and the sound will make it difficult to coordinate with them. So Tenma took advantage of that and aimed at Tida-sama in low altitude while distracting him from his presence. At the very least, they could have resisted a bit more if they had placed Tida-sama in the center of the room and had at least three people to guard the area around them. I can understand that if you can get a shot into Temma, you can boast to everyone around you..................but Temma has a pretty bad character. Knowing that, I kept provoking you guys.

It's true that Jean was right, and I did it because I thought that if I provoked him so much, he would do what I was supposed to do... but I don't want to say anything too unsavory.

''Well, just because I was in the palm of Temma's hand doesn't bother me that much. After all, the fact that Temma went that far means that he taught you that there is such a way to fight, but at the same time, he fought you as equal opponents. And Temma. Isn't it about time we broke the spell?

Yes.

The students didn't seem to notice the magic I used as soon as the match started. Tida didn't seem to notice either, and gave me a surprised look at close range.

''Even though we're in the middle of a match, we might as well pay attention to the changes in our surroundings.

As soon as I broke the magic, I heard cheers from the audience. It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family. This way, I didn't let the voice from the audience know that I was going around the students. I've been using wind magic as well to deflect the students' magic and spread the dust cloud over a wide area.

It's a good thing that you're able to find out the magic I used, and thanks to Jean's follow-up, the eyes of the students have changed from looking at the enemy before the game to one of respect.

'By the way, let me tell you, it was Tida who was the worst this time. She couldn't give proper instructions, and even more so, she couldn't attack and was neutralized.

Tida was on the verge of crying a little when she said it in a whisper so tight that only Tida could hear her. However, if she had made a proper plan before the game started and made sure that the students were thoroughly aware of the plan, or if she had called out to them to calm them down when they were about to be provoked, they could have fought a little more decently. Even without that, the general of the students is Tida, so the responsibility for the team's ragged loss is the responsibility of Tida, the general.

''I can't say that I won't be leading a group of knights into battle in the future. It's a good idea to discuss this matter with the king, Caesar, and Lyle.

The king and Caesar-sama from his school days might have considered the idea of commanding on the battlefield, and since Lyle-sama had actually commanded before, he would be able to hear something that would be helpful to Tida.

While he released her, he patted Tida's head as he ruffled her hair, and she shyly brushed his hand away.

'Lord Tida, Temma!　I can't close it down until you come over here!

Before I knew it, Jean's story seemed to be over and we were waiting for me and Tida.

I rushed over, received another declaration of victory, shook hands with the students and returned to the anteroom prepared for me, and was greeted by Maria and Caesar-sama, who looked satisfied in front of the anteroom. Apparently, they were satisfied with the fact that they had finished the game without hurting the students. And they were to be thanked for another reason.

'It's a party, but we're going to have to delay the start time a bit. You won't be tired, but you can kill some time in this room. If you return now, you may be surrounded by students and their associates.

'Right. If it's just those who were originally in that room, then maybe the students and others in the other rooms and the people involved will come to watch. You can take shelter in peace since she's the one who's dealing with Merlin-sama.

When I thought the king was gone, he said it was because he was dealing with his grandpa. Grandpa wanted to come here too, but he was afraid that someone might follow him if he moved, so he is reluctantly staying here. The reason why the king keeps Grandpa company is that Grandpa seems to be somewhat reserved with Maria and Caesar, but he used to be a tutor for the king, so he can feel at ease with them. However, it seems that Maria and Caesar are the same.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well. And after this, they are going to Tida and her friends. The reason they came to me first is because they came to apologize and thank me as the next king for forcing me to play the match...they want to say that they came to apologize and thank me as the next king.

Even though this match was proposed by a reformed nobleman, the fact that Caesar-sama bowed down to me when he should have only asked for it means that the reformers owe Caesar-sama a debt of gratitude. At least that's what the non-Reformed aristocrats, the Royalists and Neutrals, would think. Perhaps some of the Reformed nobles would think so as well.

''Now that we've been hit, we'll have to pay them back.

That's lukewarm for a double dip. We need to take this opportunity to cut down on the reformers a bit more... hey?

Caesar-sama and Maria are both looking bad. After all, Caesar-sama looks like Maria, not the king.

''Well, that's our domain, so Temma can rest and not worry about it. When the time for the party gets closer, I'll send someone from the Kingsguard to call for you.

Saying that, Caesar-sama and Maria-sama went back to the anteroom they were in originally.

''Even if they tell me I can rest I have nothing to do so I'm bored...''

It was better than being surrounded by students and being made a spectacle of, but it was better to have some free time. I regret that I didn't bring something to pass the time with me if I was going to do this. By the way, Slarin and his friends are away at the mansion, and Raiden is not comfortable sitting still in his dimension bag, so he has suspended his activities. The magic bag I'm bringing this time contains only a carriage, and there might be something in the carriage, but there's no room for a carriage in this room. There is also the bracelet-type magic bag that the gods gave us (usually invisible, but it's neatly attached to your arm), but it contains only weapons and food, so there's nothing to pass the time with.

''As expected, if they find out that I'm carrying a weapon for some reason, Caesar-sama and the others might get in trouble...''

Since there's also 'exploration', it wouldn't be so easy to get a peek inside the room, but it's definitely better to have no risk than to have one.

With that said, it won't be much of a waste of time, but when I started preparing to pick up some sweets, I noticed someone approaching. At first I thought it was someone from the Konoe Guard coming to call out to me, but I decided that it wasn't the Konoe Guard, given that they were trying to kill the signs and not make any footsteps.

'Maybe it should be this room........Huh?'

Wow!

Waaaaaah!

When I quietly opened the door and surprised Luna(...) from behind as she walked in, Luna let out a loud voice, more surprised than she expected.

''Ha, ha........ha~........already!　Don't freak me out!

Luna complained to me for a moment, and then sat down after finding a pastry in preparation.

'Is Luna allowed to be here?'

'No!　Because I was forced to go to your mother's work before your brother's game!

I was curious about Lady Isabella's job, so I asked her what it entailed, and she told me that it was a greeting tour. She was accompanied by the royalist and friendly nobles to make small talk and exchange information, and the hostile nobles to exercise restraint. He said the game was temporarily interrupted because it started in the middle of the game, and before it ended and resumed, he escaped under the pretense of returning to his classroom.

'And yet, how could you bring in candy and juice?'

'Well, it's not something you can't do if you want to hide it. But as long as you've eaten it, Luna's an accomplice to it.

Luna nodded happily and reached for her new snack, perhaps liking the word "accomplice" because it felt a little bad to be doing something wrong. It wouldn't be important if she was found out, but sometimes it would be fun to have a little thrill of a treat like this.

'Come to think of it, Aimee-chan, you seem to be very popular with the dumb boys as well (...). She's good at studying, good at magic, and she's my brother's apprentice, but she's from a commoner's background, so there's a guy in my grade who wants to be in my grade as well.

Most of the dumb boys Luna is talking about are either emerging nobles below the baron or poor aristocrats, and they seem to think that if they make Amy a side room or concubine, they can get a connection with me and Albert and the others.

Besides, the 'potential' part can be 'sincerity' or 'magnanimity' or 'charm'!

I say among girls, but I'm guessing that those girls are either girls Luna knows or girls in her grade, but even so, it's safe to assume that they have a pretty bad reputation.

'Girls are scary,'

'Some people talk to me for money, so I have to be careful.

So they share such information with other students who are somewhat close to each other.

'Then how do they know about the boys who have a good reputation?

'Hmmm ... that's more like a good friend of mine can tell me about it or I can collect it myself.

Luna isn't really interested in information about the more reputable ones, she says, just enough to know that they aren't bad students. However, she said she's never collected it herself, but she knows how to collect it, and she told me that there are two main methods.

The first is 'using money' - that is, you either give the money to someone who is willing to sell you the information, or you hire someone who is willing to collect it for you. The second is 'how to use your legs' ... you're a stalker.

'Right. Secondly, it seems like you can get information that hopefully only you know about... but it seems like a lot of times you get caught in the middle of collecting it and it becomes a problem.

The first one, if you use a professional or someone you trust, you might be able to get rid of it if you get caught, but the stalking one is a crime or something close to it. If the person you have a crush on finds out, it would be a fatal blunder.

''Come to think of it, I was stalked by Rion and others before...''

It was something I mumbled about how it was a fond memory, but it seemed to be enough to get Luna's attention, and I had to tell her about it. Well, since the stalking was caused by Rion's laziness, it's basically a funny story, so there's no problem. If there is, it would only be a slight negative impact on Rion's image... but since Rion's lousy episodes seem to be rather famous among the school students, it might be a plus if it's funny. At least Luna is laughing at the story but not in a ridiculous way, so it doesn't feel like it's getting worse.

I suppose it's about time someone else came along but Luna's here because she's worried about me, isn't she?

Hmm?　That's part of it, but mostly it's to get away from your mother.

I don't know if it's a good idea to speak my true feelings in front of the person in question, but I guess that's how well we know each other. Because.

Kuhu...............

Because there was someone outside spying on the room. More than one of them. The person at the center of it all who couldn't hold back his laughter was the person at the center of it all.......the king. When the king opened the door of the room, Luna froze in surprise as the figure of the member who had been peeping on the other side of the door appeared.

The king was smirking, but Isabella-sama beside him was looking at Luna with a blank expression, while Jean and several of his kinsmen behind them were looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow as if they were not concerned.

''Ah, ah!　Brother, I made a mistake!　Backwards!　I only came because I was worried about my brother, and as a result, it was like running away from your mother!

Luna hurriedly told us that she had just made a mistake in her earlier statement, but as expected, that excuse was painful and none of us believed it. Well, since Luna continued to make excuses so desperately, Isabella-sama seemed to have given up in the end. But as a condition, she gave me a condition: 'I'll tell the people around me that you went to check on me and worry about me, without any hesitation. By doing this, they were going to emphasize that the royals were feeling guilty even though the reformers had proposed it, and they were going to manipulate the information. In fact, I don't care about it at all, but it seems the strategy is to get the people on board by making the reformers look bad. I'm being used as the core of that strategy, and my reward for that is to restrain the other nobles with a threat (or something that can't be called a threat) like, 'If you ask me to do something impossible, the reputation of the royal family and the reputation of the people might be damaged. That's what they say.

'Nope - the kind of technique that can be done because of the public's popularity for Temma!

'Yes!　Maybe this wouldn't work with your grandfather!

The king laughed at Luna's words, but even though it was a joke, he was somewhat hurt, and he stroked Luna's head around quite roughly.

''Your Majesty, since the time is approaching, I think it's time to return to the waiting room.

Jean's words seemed to remind the king and the others of their purpose in this room, and they were in a bit of a hurry to return to the waiting room. As they returned, Isabella-sama tugged on Luna's arm, and the king secured some snacks that were in the process of being tidied up and ate them on the move.

'Oh, Temma. You're a little late.

'I'm sorry, Maria. I was more upset than I thought, and I was distracting myself by making small talk with Luna.

At my words, Luna nodded repeatedly. When Maria-sama saw that, she seemed to realize the real reason why Luna was with me, but she didn't dare mention it, instead.

'Yes, that must have been hard on Luna, too. Well, of all the royals, Luna is the one who gets along very well with Temma, so she's the right person to talk to.

In a voice that could be heard by the reformers in the waiting room, he praised Luna. Other than that, he casually said that it was the reformers' fault, but he also apologized for not being able to refuse, and so on and so forth, attacking the reformers in a nasty way. In the meantime.

'Ladies and gentlemen, the party is now ready. Please come to the venue in turn.

It was time to party.