Finals (2)
morning of the competition.
“There are so many people even in the morning!”
Rize, who came out, looked at the already crowded crowd and slightly flushed her cheeks.
The heat that bloomed from the eve of yesterday evening continues into the morning. Of course, the drunken guests were also visible at the corner of the alley, so he appropriately returned Rize’s gaze.
Rize was completely oblivious to such a thing and was preoccupied with exploring a different street than usual.
It was also because Douglas had continued special training in preparation for the swordsmanship competition until yesterday.
After watching all the preliminaries, I don’t think it’s necessary to go that far, but strangely, Douglas made a fuss.
Did you think that Rize would not be able to win?
It would have been helpful since it was mainly about human combat training, but I wanted to make it enjoyable on the eve.
Of course, it was allowed because Rize had the will to do special training.
No matter how much Douglas tried to force me to do something, I would not have stayed still.
In fact, Douglas had said that he would do special training right before the swordsmanship competition, but of course it was dismissed. Although Rize’s sullen expression was more important than Nana’s or Irina’s objection.
So I went out to see the festival early in the morning.
Of course, this time Douglas was also with them, as well as Scarlett, a guest who had recently arrived.
“Wow, why didn’t there be competitions like this when I was there? That would have been a lot of fun.”
Scarlett also looked around with the same face as Rise, looking curiously at Findel, who was dyed in a festive mood.
Findel’s energy was so high that it couldn’t be found even at New Year’s Eve or Thanksgiving.
Although both festivals were aimed at the residents of Findel, this contest attracted many tourists from other nearby cities due to the overlapping topicality.
After that, it developed into the biggest festival in Findel.
It doesn’t have a name yet, but from next year it will be called the Schreid Festival.
It meant that the Shureid Imperial School and its students were the main characters of the festival.
It could be said that the contest, where you can see the duel of the next-generation strongmen right in front of you, caught people’s attention.
Of course, there must have been a virtue in not missing this opportunity that the emperor was coming and forming a grandiose street stall.
“dad! Can I eat this now?”
Even though it continued from yesterday until morning, the smells that stimulated the sense of smell were spreading from the stalls.
Rize’s eyes were shining at the thought of having a new experience, probably because she had never eaten such greasy food in the morning.
But I shook my head lightly.
“Not yet.”
“no? I was expecting a lot of festival food, right?”
“Where are we supposed to go now?”
“Oh, I see.”
Currently, we were on our way to the Schreid School arena where the magic tournament was held in the morning.
Rize said she wanted to watch the magic tournament, so they decided to go together. I don’t know if I will watch the cooking contest that will be held after that. If you watch it, you will definitely get hungry.
“I heard that eating while watching the competition is so delicious.”
“I want to eat that! Oh, can I buy it outside and go in? It’s the first time I’ve eaten delicious food while watching a fun match!”
Rize raised her voice with clenched fists, as if she was already excited just thinking about it.
While holding Rize’s hand, I suddenly looked around and didn’t see a single person.
“Yes, give me that and that. Oh, don’t put too much sauce on it. Uh, that looks delicious too.”
Looking where the sound was coming from, I saw Scarlett walking around the stalls holding several food items.
If that’s the case, I wondered what would be the use of what I said.
Scarlett, who joined us again, immediately pushed out towards Rize.
“Rize, would you like to try one?”
“Uh, can I?”
“then. I bought this for my Rize. Since there is a competition today, shouldn’t we eat it now?”
Rize gulped, looked at me, and asked for my opinion.
Even though he asked for his opinion, how could I say anything when he looked at me with such sparkling eyes. All I could do was nod my head.
“Now, ah~.”
“Ah~.”
It wasn’t enough to call her Rise, so she even fed her herself.
It wasn’t enough, and on the other hand, I received it from Rize, and it made my father’s stomach ache forever.
If I had known this would happen, I would have bought it first.
“Rize takes care of you, but doesn’t Dad have anything?”
“This is the leftovers. Do you want me to give it to you?”
“This is why they say raising a daughter is useless.”
Douglas, who showed a lot of regret, stared at me as he said that.
It seemed like you were saying it wasn’t too long, but our Rize wouldn’t do that.
Aren’t you still taking a sausage and giving it to me?
The arena they arrived at was definitely filled with more spectators than the preliminaries.
We also sat down roughly, but Rize was the only one in the party with eyes sparkling in anticipation.
I hadn’t seen the magic tournament qualifiers, but I didn’t think there would be such outstanding talent in Findel yet. In the first place, magic wasn’t that easy to come into contact with.
“I heard that the age of participation in magic tournaments has been raised to 17 years old.”
“Was there a small number of participants?”
“Or maybe no one was skilled enough to call it a festival.”
Should I say it as expected?
This side couldn’t gather people, so it seemed like they were trying to fill it up somehow.
Still, when the school comes in next year, there will be a magic department, so things will get better.
However, even so, it was magic that was difficult for ordinary people to come into contact with.
“Wow!”
“That level of water attribute magic in a place where there is no water!”
“Wow! It’s a surprise!”
So even if it was a little flashy, people showed great cheers.
The spectacle of sparks and water droplets forming in a place where there is nothing would be amazing.
In addition, there was a hemisphere-shaped shield protecting the audience, so the participants also threw their magic without any hesitation.
Of course, there were protection devices for the participants, so more spectacular matches followed than expected.
It didn’t feel very practical, though.
“Aha, that magic is used like that. Wow, such a connection? Ah, that is an unknown magic.”
Still, it seemed to be of some help to Rize.
In particular, as if the actual mercenaries had come out, their practical movements and use of magic were extraordinary.
Rize had tried using magic in the dungeon, but it was still difficult to use it freely in actual combat. Seeing this, I thought it would be good to have a magic tournament next year.
Next year, participants would gather from all over the country, not just Findel, and there would be a lot to learn from dueling with people.
So, the magic contest ended pretty quickly with the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, and the cooking contest continued smoothly.
It wasn’t something I was very interested in, but since Rize suggested it, I decided to watch it calmly.
It was amazing to see kitchen facilities and cooking utensils quickly fill up on the stage where magic was being used.
In the cooking competition, all 16 participants started cooking at the same time, and the goal was to complete their dishes within the time limit.
And today’s content was for the three judges to give an evaluation out of 10 and select the top four.
In addition, we selected audiences through a lottery and handed out the finished food, and we were lucky enough to receive one.
“Dad, this meat is so tender and so delicious! Whoa, can we eat again later?”
“Maybe the person who runs the restaurant, wouldn’t it be registered as a regular menu?”
It was also the food that won first place.
Looking at what I remembered, I was sure that I would be able to eat at that person’s restaurant again.
I’ll have to dig a little harder to remember which restaurant it was.
“Then, today’s cooking contest will end with this. Please give warm applause to the contestants, judges, and audience all worked hard. Finals are tomorrow! We are preparing more products than today. Then, after about an hour of rest, let’s start the finals of the swordsmanship competition!”
“Wow!”
Cheers and applause filled all directions at the words of the moderator who organized the hall.
The long-awaited swordsmanship tournament was finally about to begin, so Rize couldn’t stand it and even jumped up from her seat.
“Are you looking forward to it?”
“Yeah, great! It’s the first time I’ve ever wielded a sword in front of so many people.”
Rize’s cheeks turned red, clearly revealing that she was more excited than usual.
If you get too excited, it could naturally affect the match.
I calmly held Rize’s hand, and the slightly trembling hand gradually regained its stability.
“You’re going to win and show your dad a cool side?”
“huh! of course! I will keep winning and even win!”
“Yes, I will only trust Rize.”
“Hi-Hi.”
With the other hand, lightly stroked Rize’s hair and let go, followed by Douglas and Scarlett, who continued to cheer and encourage her.
Making a fuss more than me, I wondered if I was being too quiet.
That’s how Irina took Rize to the waiting room, and we moved to the front seats.
“Senior, what’s good about winning the Rize championship?”
“I am worried too. Should I give a girly gift? It can’t be helped that my daughter is like this.”
“Wow, are you blaming me there? Shall we compete as a gift for Rize?”
“Hmm, isn’t it a bit like dragging Rize into a match like that?”
They made a fuss like that, but both of them, like me, were convinced of Rize’s victory.
Well, unless there really was a natural disaster, Rize wouldn’t lose to any contestant.
I also decided to think of a better championship gift.
* * *
Before the start of the swordsmanship competition.
Rize was in the waiting room and came out for a while.
It was because their order was the last, and since they were confident in their skills, the atmosphere in the waiting room was so bloody that it was uncomfortable to sit still.
The person who handed over the brackets told me that I only needed to come before the start of the match, so I thought of looking around a bit.
“Hi-Hi.”
Only contestants were allowed into the waiting room, so Irina went back to her seat, and Rize, now alone, looked straight ahead with a small smile.
The main building of the Shureid Imperial School boasting a large scale.
Rize tried imagining herself going around, but it didn’t work out.
It was because there were still four years left, so I had no idea what it would look like.
still… … I thought it would be nice if I could stand confidently next to Irvin.
When you go to school, you will also wear a school uniform, and I was looking forward to that too.
I hadn’t even thought about school before, but when I thought I was going to go to school, it felt really new to see a place like this.
During the festival, the school itself was not under construction, and Rize moved to see the school.
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First of all, various people were making something at the training ground, which was several times larger than the dueling ground.
“There’s an art contest over there.”
Rize, who slowed down for a moment, looked at it and then turned around.
It was because it was strange to see the unfinished works gradually taking shape, so I felt like I was just watching it.
It was not possible to enter the main building because the construction was not yet completed, but the outside was open to the public.
I still don’t know what the place is, but just imagining it was a lot of fun.
Wouldn’t it be okay if I didn’t go back yet?
It was at that moment that Rize, who had been roughly estimating the time, turned toward the auditorium this time.
“Whoa… … .”
I heard someone’s sigh.
Rize made a slightly puzzled expression, then slowly moved her feet in the direction from which the sound came.
There were quite a few people in the arena or training ground, but no one entered the main building.
He was curious to see if he was a person who had the same thoughts as himself.
As she turned the corner of the auditorium, she saw a person standing, but Rize tilted her head.
It was because he was wearing a navy blue robe, so it was impossible to identify who he was. However, it was clear that he was a child because his body was much smaller than himself.
“What are you doing there?”
“Hick?!”
When I spoke to her, the surprised child looked at Rize like a small animal.
Those eyes… … It had a brilliant golden light.