Chapter 49 [Rip instead](2)
“Hey Reed, look over there! This is the boy who won the last dragon race!”
“…Oh, is it real?”
Lesta Empire, South Main Street.
Two men walking down the street stop for a moment and then focus their attention on the opposite street corner.
The figure of a boy with pure white hair and golden eyes comes into their field of vision.
They looked at each other’s faces and raised the corners of their mouths.
“Looks like we’re getting a little lucky today? Seeing the jet-black lion in real life, which has been rumored throughout the empire these days.”
“That’s right. But it’s a bit disappointing. It would have been nice to have my familiar black dragon with me.”
Right after the men had passed the street, a few children came out of the alley this time and started laughing and talking.
“Guys! Did I see a huge dragon in the central plaza earlier?”
“Ah, are you talking about the black dragon that was in that race?”
“Yeah! What a great acquaintance!”
“””Wow…”
At the bragging of the girl with brown hair, the children open their mouths in envy.
“Huh, did the winner’s brother tell Asha about Yongyong’s name?”
“Really? Monde Monde!”
“Tell me!”
At the children’s urging, Asha pursed her lips with her big smile.
◇
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“How the f*ck does this person’s name ‘Dark flame princess’ You crazy bastard!!!!!”
“…!? Kek…!”
As Olivia violently grabbed Dante by the collar, Olivia let out an almost screaming scream.
“Dark Flame Princess will freeze to death!!!”
“Keuk!? Kek..! Wait a minute…!”
The frenzied black dragon let out a snarl and ferocious cry and began shaking Dante’s collar in the air.
The body of a weak demon commoner swayed desperately like a leaf blowing in the wind due to its tremendous power.
“Kek..! So who… Kek heuk…! Wide-area aggro…!?”
Still holding on to his guts, Dante punched Olivia with her trembling hands.
‘This is the dragon I chose. Endure with evil.’
An eye for an eye. In this.
I can’t be alone.
A truly courageous life is like this.
He grinned hatefully, curling up the corners of his mouth.
“If you twist it… You’ll hit it…!”
“What!? You just said…! Oh, I can’t really hit this!!”
Olivia frowned, looking like she was really going to go crazy.
In my mind, I wanted to blow at least one ear, but
“…….Dog love.”
Because her face was too pretty for that.
Tak!
“Puha…!”
As always, the black dragon couldn’t defeat the boy he loved.
In the end, she had no choice but to let go of Dante’s grip.
“Haa…Haa…”
Dante sat down on the floor of the alleyway, breathing irregularly as the air rushed into his lungs all at once.
Fortunately, there were no people around because it was a deserted place.
Leaving such Dante behind, Olivia muttered helplessly as she looked up at the sky with an almost resigned expression.
“Okay… Let’s think positively, Olivia, you’re on set with her…? Make it feel like a couple.”
The jet-black lion and the black flame princess.
Putting them side by side, they were a pretty good pair.
What is that? If there are many embarrassing, they say that it is 1 out of n.
If you’re wrong, you just need to blow a breath.
…….Ay, was it a bit harsh to grab you by the collar?
You ignorantly shake that weak child with only bones and skin.
“Cough! Cough!”
Looking out of the corner of her eye at Dante, who continued to cough, Olivia brushed her bangs wildly.
I felt sorry for nothing and I was embarrassed.
Today, on a topic that I promised to follow his opinion as much as possible.
…..Yes, f*cking right now, just like you said, my head is a drake.
“…..Hey.”
“Cough..! Why?”
“That, we…”
Olivia said in a cautious voice as she grabbed Dante by the scruff and raised him up.
“…Wouldn’t it be a draw…?”
◇
The current time is 4:50.
Lesta Empire, South Colosseum.
Olivia and Dante, who bought tickets at the box office, managed to get their seats through the crowd.
Fortunately, before Olivia entered the Colosseum, she cast a ‘recognition-degrading spell’ on Dante, so she was able to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that occurred in the central square.
“There are too many people.”
Olivia, who narrowed her red eyes and slowly looked around her, spat out.
Because the inside of the Colosseum was tightly packed with people of all ages and races, regardless of age, adult, child, human, or beast.
Dante replied, nodding her head in agreement.
“The Summon Fight is a public event, and especially if the contestants are high-level academy cadets, it’s bound to draw more attention.”
“A high-level bullsh*t.”
She laughed cynically, snorting at her as if it were ridiculous.
This was Olivia’s final evaluation after slurping through the booklet Dante handed over with the profiles of the cadets written on it.
“Everything is there, but what?”
“In Olivia-sama’s eyes, yes.”
As if it wasn’t that he didn’t understand, Dante turned his eyes to the book again with a wry smile.
The general format of the Summon Fight is the ‘tournament’.
A simple and fierce competition in which several contestants are grouped one-on-one and the match proceeds, the loser is eliminated and the winner faces another winner to determine the final winner.
There are a total of 10 groups in the bracket shown in the booklet, ie 20 participants.
The more people there were, the more diverse familiars could be seen, so the audience tended to value the number of participants more than the size of the event.
Even in her hometown, the Rafri Khan Empire, villagers held Summon Fights several times with her parents, but it was the first time a full-fledged tournament was held in such a large coliseum.
To be honest, I’m really looking forward to it.
“…..You, I’m telling you, but—”
“Ahmyo, Olivia-sama is the best. How do you compare Olivia-sama to those ordinary familiars? No matter what anyone says, you are number one in my heart (combat power ranking), so please don’t worry about anything strange.”
As if it was obvious what was going to happen next, Dante cut off Olivia’s words beforehand and tapped her on the shoulder and spoke sullenly.
“………”
“…What. Why. What to do.”
Effortlessly ignoring the gaze of the black dragon who was looking at him with a very bewildered expression, he stared at the front in silence.
With such an excited heart, time flies and the hands of the clock point to 5 o’clock on the hour.
The presenter, holding a loudspeaker enchanted with amplifying magic, stepped onto the square arena.
“[You’ve waited a long time! From now on, let’s start the Summon Fight, the pride of the Lesta Empire, the excellent students of Summoner Academy!!]”
“””WOW!!!!!”””
The heat of the stadium is already heating up with the loud cheers of the citizens.
Olivia, on the other hand, leaned her head against the back of her padded seat with an expression of total disinterest, and closed her eyes.
“Wake me up when you’re done.”
If this is the case, why did you come here?
◇
“Juno! Avoid ice blast!!”
“Where! Dig into the ground Molly!!”
Boom!!
Following the female student’s instructions, the familiar that resembles a seal spits out an ice block from its mouth, and the familiar that resembles a mole quickly burrows into the arena.
“Don’t miss it! Ice bullet towards the hole!!”
“!? Get out of here, Molly!!”
Unfortunately, however, the male student’s instructions were a step behind.
[Quoong!]
Shuaa!!
The Seal Familiar let out a cute cry and fired sharp ice shards at the hole.
Boom!
[Muuu..!!?]
With the reaction, the mole familiar that had been hiding in the ground jumps out of the arena.
“Ask! Juno!!”
“Oh no Molly!!!”
[Kuong!!]
Kwaduk!
“Molly yee!!!”
This was bitten by the seal familiar, and the match ended.
“[The third match! The winner is Familiar Juno and Summoner Richell Evergreen!!]”
“””Waaa!!”””
The battle between victory and defeat is always thrilling.
A cheer for the winner, encouragement for the loser.
Dante’s golden eyes twinkled as he alternately looked at the two cadets as they walked onto the field for the next game.
Looking forward to what kind of match and what kind of familiars we will show you this time.
It’s fun.
It’s very interesting.
Various familiars that have only been seen in books gather in one place, compete in skills, and fight in harmony with their masters.
To win, to do our best, to be the best.
Isn’t everyone dreaming of being born in this world at least once?
If only I, my parents were alive and had a normal life like everyone else…If so, would I be one of those people standing there?
Did you sign a contract with a familiar familiar, train together, grow together, and run toward the top of the Summoner?
……Would I have been able to keep my childhood dreams?
It was then.
─Little.
“…Huh!?”
In an instant, Dante raised his head excitedly, making a strange sound at the damp touch that licked his ankle.
“[Hey. Ong.]”
I heard the subtly awkward cry of a cat that I had become very familiar with by now.
The thing that brought him back to reality, lost in deep thoughts, was none other than a yellow ball of hair.
“I’m Nagiya…!?”
He shouted in bewilderment.
How did you know this place, and when did you come under my feet?
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“[Nyan.]”
Jakjak jumped onto Dante’s lap and rolled up, Nagi rubbed his cheek against his thigh.
Even if Olivia noticed, would she have noticed? I hurriedly turned to her side.
“…Z..Zz….Z..”
“…… Huh.”
She’s been in a slumber for a long time.
He is sleeping very unknowingly.
I couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that dragons are a weak race.
Whew, with a sigh of relief, Dante raised his sword with both hands.
“[Mnya..]”
It’s soft and stretches vertically like a rice cake, so it’s cute.
“…..Did you follow me all this time?”
“[Mulnon… Nya. Ong…]”
Crying for a long time, Nagi pressed Dante’s forehead with his paw.
“[Here…What are you doing…?]”
Dante answered with a wry smile at the voice that lingered whenever he heard it.
“Are you aware of the familiars contest? It’s a contest where you pit each other’s familiars against each other to determine which familiar is stronger, and this is the venue.”
“[You also… Want to participate…?]”
Dante shook his head.
“I’m just a spectator. See the people over there on the pitch?”
Pointing at the cadets with his finger, he whispered.
“Aren’t they wearing the same clothes? Those clothes are proof that they are cadets of Summoner Academy. This tournament is held among cadets attending the academy.”
“[I see…]”
As Nagi nodded, Dante showed a booklet and smiled brightly with an expression of excitement that he had someone to talk to.
“But look at this. I also knew for the first time, there is a long tradition in the Summon Fight of the Lesta Empire where the spectators around it challenge on the spot to raise the status of the winner.”
Dante tapped the bottom of the book with his fingers.
“Let’s say that the tradition applies to this tournament, and prizes are given to those who challenge the winner regardless of victory or defeat.”
First of all, a basic participation prize is a towel with the Colosseum embroidery on it.
If you hold out for 10 minutes, you will receive a shirt with the Summoner Academy logo.
If you hold out for 20 minutes, a top-notch tableware set with an enhanced enchantment.
.
.
.
“—If we beat the winner at the end, we’ll give you a trophy made of unmelting ice and a chance to visit the academy.”
Aside from the academy tour, a trophy made of ice that doesn’t melt is coveted…?
I thought it would be cool to display it together with the Bacalion luminous horn in the room.
Perhaps he noticed Dante’s gaze on the ice trophy, Nagi said in a relaxed tone.
“[I want that…I want…?]”
“Huh? Eh, I thought it would be pretty to display at home.”
“[……Yeah, okay…Uh…]”
…? What did you know
Nagi quietly licked his front paws.
◇
The summer fight came to an end only when the sun went down and the moon appeared.
After a long time, not only the cadets but also the spectators were physically exhausted, but the heat in the stadium did not cool down at all.
Because the fierce and thrilling matches unfolded non-stop.
And at this moment, the winner of the contest has been revealed.
“[─The final match of the tournament! The winner is…! Familiar Whitefang and Summoner Gene Baden!!!!]”
“”””Waaa!!!!!””””
Whistles, applause, and shouts of people praising the honor of the winner pour down toward the black-haired man standing tall on the pitch.
The tall man called Jean Baden had jet-black hair and blue eyes.
Next to him was his familiar, the gigantic Baekho, enjoying the freedom of victory with his head held high.
A white tiger with pure white fur and black stripes shining brightly.
“Wow Nagiya, look at that, you’re a friend. He’s also very pretty, isn’t he?”
“[…….Not friends.]”
“Eh, huh?”
For some reason, the voice became a bit chilly.
There was no elongation of the tail that was unique to Nagi.
“[…And…Not pretty at all.]”
“That’s right?”
Nagi, slightly frowning, pressed Dante’s chin with his forepaw, as if not to even say such a thing.
From the standards of beauty of tigers, it seems that such a figure belongs to the not-so-pretty axis…
After touching his stomach a few times for a while, Nagi let out a cry with a tired face.
“[Alright! Now that the winner has been decided, according to the old tradition of the Empire, we will now take the challenger from the bleachers!]”
“[Gender, age doesn’t matter! Victory or defeat doesn’t matter! The one who will enjoy the first honor of competing with the winner, who has the courage to fight against the giant white tiger without hesitation!]”
“””……….”””
The grandstand became silent for an instant with the shout of the host.
At least one or two people might raise their hands out of curiosity, but most of them quietly lower their heads as they look into each other’s eyes.
It was a natural reaction if it was natural.
Just a few minutes ago.
So, in the final tournament to determine the winner, the overwhelming match of the white tiger familiar called ‘White Fang’ must have inscribed respect and fear in people’s hearts at the same time.
Dante, people remember.
The blood-soaked figure of the white tiger biting the neck of his opponent, the red wolf.
There was no one here willing to put my precious familiar into the jaws of that ferocious beast.
──Except for one.
“[…You better…Cover your eyes…]”
“What…?”
Tak!
“!? Wait a minute! Where is Nagiya! Nagiyaaa!!!”
Now is the time to prove your worth.
The tiger leaped into the sky using the stone as a support and lifted its tiny front paws into the air.
“[Thunderbolt attack…]”
Garlic Lightning struck the sky.
“[──Lightning.]”
It is a blue thundercloud that covers the whole world.
A legendary lightning strike that lights up the dark night.
The stadium fell into silence at once.
However, after the lightning subsided, nothing happened, and one by one, those with curiosity lifted their heads and began to focus their gaze toward the center.
After the smoke cleared, what appeared in it was—
“[Hey. Ong]”
─A small tuft of golden hair.
Looking at the white tiger with a bewildered expression, as if wondering what he had just seen, Nagi quietly lowered his body.
Tigers do their best even when hunting rabbits.
“[….Kreung.]”
So I’ll tread on you thoroughly.
Don’t ever lift that head up again.
Don’t get caught in the child’s eyes.
….I wasn’t really taking my anger out.
Really.