CH 33

“ーーThe first match of the 86th Magikosmaia Magic Tournament, Block A, will now begin! All opponents, please take your positionsーー”

The table with the matches was announced……And the long await magic tournament began.

The total number of participants this time was 64.

Compared to a large tournament with several hundred participants, this is a small number.

However, each and every one of the participants was selected as a fierce competitor. So, you can never be too careful.

The tournament was being held for three days in a row. On the first and second days, the winners were eliminated in blocks A through D, and on the final day, the four semi-finalists who made it to the final round will be eliminated in a round-robin tournament.

Depending on the organizer’s intentions for this year’s event, it might be a round-robin tournament from the beginning, or a team competition with two to four players. …Neither seem to be the selection for this year’s event.

However, it is more convenient for me. The overall odds ratio is greater in a winner-takes-all competition, and that…is a dream come true.

“We are pleased to introduce to you a new playerーーPersonally recommended by, Dean Aldi! The ‘D-class Adventurer’, Loray Ray!”

My registered tournament name is called out loudly, and sparse cheering rises in the A block hall.

Then the magic board projected in the air showed my odds as 30 times.

“It’s lower than I thought it would be….Well, it’s okay.”

My assumption was that it would go 50 times…..The fact that I was introduced by Aldi probably raised some expectations. Well, to be honest, I don’t really care about the odds for this match. More importantlyーー

“ーーSensei! If you win, buy me something!”

“ーーJirei-kun! Good luck!”

As I was pondering, familiar voices came from the audience.

I looked over and saw Char waving happily alomg with other eight students of the school, including Ludas, as our eyes met.

I chuckle and lightly wave towards the audience.

I know Char is here, but…Those guys were here too? …Even if they’re a famouse son or daughter, it’s not a problem that they don’t have an escort nearby as far as I can see.

…No, it’s Aldi, so he’s perhaps secretly escorting them to avoid antagonizing them. Maybe.

“They…..Okay, they’re here.”

In addition, after looking around the auditorium, I visually spot the people I’m looking forーーLuna and Yuri. It’s safe to say they didn’t back out.

…By the way, I’m currently wearing those lame-ass magic glasses.

I really didn’t want to wear them, even if it killed me…It seems that the host of the event, a royal family memberーーPrincess Elena was coming to watch the game, and the tournament officials tearfully pleaded with me, “We can’t force you to do so, but we do ask that you wear them”.

So, although it is truly regrettable, I have no choice but to wear them. If I could, I would slap them on the ground right now.

“The clan master of ‘Goyou Kaiketsu’, and the champion of the 84th tournament, Gran Loubaust! He is also a candidate to win this year’s tournament, and is famous for single-handledly defeating, an S-class monster, the Monocular Giant!”

The live commentator introduced my opponent, a big man with steel-like muscles and thick pull plates.

At the same time, enthusiastic cheering erupted in the Block A venue.

The odds of the big man projected on the magic board are 1.05x. Quite low.

Sinec he is touted as the favorite to win, one can sasume that no one doubts the man’s victory.

In other words……They think I’m a small fry. But that’s how my plan flourishes.

“So….Both of you, let the match begin!”

The whistle sounds to start the match, and we face each other.

“ーーWithdraw. You can’t beat me.”

While I was waiting to see how my oppenent would react, the large man, Gran, said something like that in a low voice that shook the ground. A provocation?

“…We won’t know until we try, right?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to provoke you. I am saying this thinking of you. …Wounds heal, but the fear that is instilled in you, will never go away.”

Gran dropped his eyes a little and kept his gaze on the place where we were standingーー”Block A, 1st Fighting Area” with a somewhat sad expression.

“Ah….So that’s what you mean.”

I took one look at Gran, whose face was a little gloomy and understood what he was trying to say.

[The contest’s battlefield]

The battlefield, which is a type of “barrier” will restore the damage done no matter how ugly, but your memories won’t disappear.

This man must have been concerned about my possible defeat and warned me in advance. I thought he was trying to provoke me, but that didn’t seem like his intention to do so. Maybe he is a good guy. Butーー

“I’m sorry…….But I can’t withdraw. I can’t lose.”

“….I see. You also have something in this tournament that you will not give up for?”

Gran’s eyes widen for a moment and he mutters something like that as if he has made up his mind. He says like it’s some big deal, but I wonder if I should just say that I want the money.

“ThenーーI, in response to your bravery, I hereby pledge to give it my all in the name of Gran Loubaust.”

Gran’s whole body was filled with fighting spirit, and he lightly held the heavy-looking sowrd on his back with one hand.

A tremendous fighting spirit.

He is indeed the 84th tournament champion. Just by standing there, I could feel the space being overwhelmed and shaking.

“ーー’m coming.”

Then, Gran kicked the ground with such force that it cracked, and rushed toward me.

His speed was unimaginable from his slow and heavy appearance.

If he slammed that huge sword into me at this speed, even imperial-class barrier magic wouldn’t be able to get away with it.

Just as Gran was approaching.

I glance at Luna and Yuri in the audience. They are looking very anxious and flustered, but it’s okay.

I was more concerned about whether Luna was following through with the “plan” that we had made that day than about this match.

Yes, it was like a revelation, that “plan” came to meーー

¶

“Huh? You want me to bet it all on you?”

When I approached Luna and told her the outline of my overly innovative plan….Luna rolled her eyes, surprised and said something like that.

“Yeah, I can’t bet on myself because of the tournament rules….So I want you guys to do it.”

“But I think that would be cheating?”

“It’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m betting.”

I confidently reassure Luna that I’m not betting on myself. It is forbidden to bet on yourself, but it’s not forbidden to have someone else bet on you. In other words, it’s okay! It’s legal!

“But, I don’t know if you’ll win….And this is the only money I have….”

“Demon Lord! Let’s do it, since we’re here. If this man wins, that’s all that matters, and if he loses, I’ll make mincemeat out of him!”

Yuri, who is eager to get on board, shouts something like that to encourage Luna, who anxiously looks at the few coins she has taken out of her pocket.

With Yuri’s encouragement, Luna begins to worry, “Nghhhh…But gambling is not good…..And I don’t have a lot of money….Mumu”

Since she was apparently unsure about the money aspect, and I said in a gentle voice to reassure Luna,

“It’s fine, I’ll wager a little myself, and it doesn’t matter if the total is small. ーーIt’s not like I’m betting on a single game.”

“….? What do you mean?”

She tilted her head cutely and a question mark appeared over her head.

I open my mouth to explain as clearly as possible.

“In other wordsーー”

¶

“ーーWhy do you keep dodging and not attacking me!? You’re face is feckless…..So you think I’m a fool!?”

As I was thinking and just barely dodging the great sword thta was being swinging at me without letting a moment to catch my breathーーーGran’s angry shout brought my consciousness back to reality.

…I was remembering what had happened that day, and I was getting distracted from the match. It seemed to have shown on my face, and he got angry.

“Sorry. I’m not trying to make fun of you… I was just thinking about ‘the plan’.”

“…’The plan’, huh?”

Gran loosens his hand holding the great sword a little and recites in a flat voice, with a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was looking somewhere other than here.

I said in a clownish tone of voice while looking sideways at Gran, who for some reason had a slightly vacant expression on his face.

“ーーーA little bit of arithmetic. The odds on me winning this fight are 30 to 1. How much would I get if I bet 60k rien on you? …Easy, isn’t it?”

“…What are you tlaking about all of a sudden. That doesn’t matter.”

“The correct answer is 1.8 million rien. It’s a lot of money…but I’m not sure it would be enough if I were to go on a expensive clothing shopping spree. Even if I bet again on the next game, the odds of me beating you, the favorite to win, are naturally gonna be lower for the next game…..Maybe 2x at best.”

Ignoring Gran’s scornful glare, I muttered.

Gran stared at me wistfully as I suddenly said something strange, and gripped his greatsword even deeper to be ready for whatever might come.

“Winning steadily…The total number of games until the final round-robin matches is four, including this one. Even if the next odds were 2x, the next 1.5x, and the following 1.1xーーThe money you would get is 5.94 million rien. Divide that by two, and the amount would be a little over 2.9m. …I’m still a little nervous about this.”

“…..”

Gran stares at me, being silent and wary.

“ーーThat’s all. Apart from betting on a single match, this tournament has a weger to predict who will pass the block. If you participate in this, you will not be able to bet on any other match, but…..What if, I, a ‘D-class adventurer’ gets throughー What do you think the odds would be, and how much do you think I could get if I bet 60k?”

“….Bullshit. I don’t knowーー”

“The correct answer isーー”

I interrupt Gran as he is about to say, and turn to my right.

“1,483,578 times, if you bet 60kーーー88,980,000 million rien.”

At the same time I finish muttering, Magic circles were deployed around Gran, and I released a huge number of magic bullets towards him.

When the sound of destruction rang out over and over again, and the cloud of dust that had been rising to cover the surrounding area subsided,

“Three more matches to go.”

I mutter to myself as I looked at the area around Gran, where a large hole had been gouged out.