Chapter 191: The Morning of the First Round

Chapter 191: The Morning of the First Round

『Morning Fran, you get a good night’s sleep?』

「Nn...」

Fran was still only half awake, but somehow managed to have absolutely no difficulty shoveling her breakfast down her throat regardless.

『Today’s the day. The tourney’s finally starting.』

「Nn...」

I’d been a bit worried as to whether or not Fran would actually be able to get a good night’s rest, but it turned out that my concerns had been totally needless. To her, today was honestly just another day.

Our morning routine went just as usual. I washed her face, dried her hair with warm air, and gave it a good brushing.

『Today’s your big day, so we’ll have to make sure you look even cuter than usual.』

「Doesn’t matter.」

『Don’t be silly. Of course it’s going to matter, you’re practically going to be put on display.』

I finished styling her hair as I responded to her. Only after I finished that did her eyes finally snap open and fill with energy. She promptly began imitating my actions by brushing Urushi’s. The wolf narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation for a few moments before flipping onto his back and demanding more affection. The way he acted reminded me of the Golden Retriever one of my older neighbors had in the past. He seriously didn’t give off even the slightest bit of the feral feel you’d normally expect from a wolf.

『We’re still a bit ahead of schedule. Feel like doing anything in particular, or?』

「Nn. Master, over here.」

『Huh? What’s up?』

「Nn.」

Fran grabbed a cloth and began polishing me off.

『We haven’t actually fought yet, so make sure you don’t tire yourself out doing that, alright?』

「Not problem.」

『But-』

「Because not just me.」

『What’s that supposed to mean?』

「Master also being put on display. Will have to make Master look cool.」

She continued polishing me as I brooded over whether I should thank her or tell her to stop. As far as I was concerned, Fran was going to be the star of the show, and I was just going to be an extra. I would’ve loved to keep contemplating so I could actually arrive at an answer, but ultimately stopped giving a sheet not too long after she started because of how good it felt.

My loss of control led her to continue polishing me for a good 30 minutes, after which my blade became nice and sparkly.

『Are you sure that didn’t tire you out?』Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com

「Still okay.」

「Master, something wrong?」

I must’ve seemed really shocked, as Fran had immediately turned her head towards me in confusion.

『It’s just that Kurusu’s the one that ended up winning is all.』

「Kurusu?」

『Did you really forg- oh, whatever. Let’s get ready to go. We’ll be up soon.』

「Nn. Got it.」

It didn’t take long for a guide to show up at our door after Kurusu’s and Radyer’s matches came to an end. Said guide not only led us over to the arena, but also handed us a Bracelet of Judgement along the way. Surprisingly, the bracelet didn’t actually take up an accessory slot, so we didn’t have to swap any of our stuff out.

The venue used for the main tournament was both gigantic and incredibly well lit. I called out to Fran on our way to the actual arena part because I was a bit worried as to whether or not she’d be nervous. Again, it turned out that my worries were completely needless, as Fran was in such a good mood that she’d actually been skipping along as we moved.

『Are you really not even the slightest bit nervous?』

「Nn!」

『Nice. Let’s do this then.』

「Can’t wait.」

『Make sure you stay in the shadows till after Fran gives the signal, alright Urushi?』

(Woof.)

The moment we entered the arena, we discovered that there were over ten times as many audience members present as there were during the secondary preliminary round.

They were so numerous that I found it incredibly difficult to discern individual comments anymore. There were so many different people cheering that the whole thing just kind of came off like a wave of sound.

「Mmph.」

The crowd’s cheers roared at such high volume that Fran ended up grimacing and lowering her ears.

『You alright?』

「Nn... Already used to it.」

Whew.

The sheer volume of the sound waves blasted at us made me understand that having sensitive hearing wasn’t actually always a good thing. I didn’t get how rabbitkin like Royce and basically anyone else with super sensitive hearing could actually manage to cope.

「And our contestants have arrived! In one corner we have a fair maiden whose strength betrays her looks, the youngest C ranked adventurer to date. Ladies and gentlemen, please, extend your welcomes to Block A’s 11th contestant, Fran, the Magic Sword Girl!」

Fran slowly stepped up onto the stage with the caster’s announcement as her cue. On top of it stood her opponent; he’d already been awaiting her arrival.

「Mmph.」

Her expression immediately stiffened the moment she saw him.

「And in the other corner, we have an incredible man with a mercenary band at his back. Put your hands together for one of the younger generation’s most respected Blue Catkin: Blue Pride’s Leader and Block A’s 12th contestant, Zefmate, the Blue Strike!」

Fran’s opponent was not only none other than one of the Blue Catkin she detested, but also Blue Pride’s leader. Knowing that, she glared him, reached for me, and silently drew me from my sheath.