“Why do you constantly evade instead of attacking? Your expression is devoid of life… Are you mocking me!?”
Lost in my thoughts, I narrowly dodge a sword swing without a moment’s respite. Gran’s angry voice, filled with rage, snaps me back to reality.
…I was lost in reminiscing about that day and completely forgot about the match. It must have shown on my face, which seems to have angered him.
“I apologize. I wasn’t mocking you or anything. …I was just lost in my thoughts. If I made you feel bad, I’m sorry.”
Keeping a watchful eye on Gran, I speak cheerfully, like a jester.
“…What are you suddenly talking about? It doesn’t matter.”
“The correct answer is 1,350,000 Rien. It’s a substantial sum… but it wouldn’t be enough for a lavish shopping spree. Even if I bet again in the next match and defeat you, a strong contender for the championship, the odds for the subsequent match will be lower… probably around two times.”
Ignoring Gran’s bewilderment at my sudden tangent, I mutter to myself.
Gran eyes me suspiciously, tightening his grip on his large sword, prepared for whatever comes next.
“If I continue winning… including the round-robin matches leading up to the finals, there will be a total of four matches, including this one. Even if the odds for the next match are two times, the ones after that will be 1.5 times, and the subsequent ones will be 1 to 1… the total amount I can earn would be around 4,450,000. If I divide it in half, it would only be a little over 2,200,000… So, yeah, I’m still a bit concerned.”
“…”
Gran remains silent, glaring at me, clearly on high alert.
“Here’s the thing. Aside from betting on individual matches in this tournament, there’s also a separate betting pool to predict the winners of each block. If I participate in that, I won’t be able to engage in any other gambling activities… But if I, a ‘D-rank adventurer,’ make it through, what do you think the odds would be and how much do you think I would win if I bet forty-five thousand?” I interject, interrupting Gran’s impending words and extending my right hand toward him.
“The correct answer is… 2002-578 times the original bet, which means if you bet forty-five thousand, you would win nine million, one hundred and sixty thousand Rien,” I mutter. Simultaneously, I deploy numerous magic circles around me and unleash a massive barrage of magical projectiles towards Gran.
As the echoes of destruction resound multiple times and the swirling sand and smoke settle, I gaze at the gaping hole that appeared near Gran and murmur, “Just three more matches.”
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In a room at an inn along the Lisante Highway near the tournament venue, with the sign “Kururu Inn.”
“Hehehe… Fufu, Fuhaha… Haaaahhahahaha!!!” Laughter erupts from Jirei Laro, or rather, me, as it seems to go on endlessly.
“Kukuku, just as planned…!” I can’t help but twist my face into a villainous grin as I witness the scene before me.
“Wow… There’s so much money! It’s… it’s impossible to count, right?” Luna, a young girl sitting nearby, trembles in fear as she gazes at the mountain of gold coins. It’s getting close to evening, after the second day of the magic tournament has ended.
Since then, I had successfully progressed through the first and second rounds of the tournament, as well as the third and fourth rounds of the second day. I had safely advanced from Block A.
By the way, all the matches I participated in ended swiftly, with opponents vanishing before they could even feel any pain from the unleashed magical projectiles at the start.
As a result, I suddenly became a rising star known as “Magic Bullet User Rage” and found myself surrounded by other participants, reporters, and interviewers. However, I took advantage of the opportunity and slipped away without any issues.
Throughout the tournament, I had been wearing the “Hanamegane” the entire time, keeping my face hidden.
Now, I had settled into an inn, piled up the earned gold coins, and reveled in my success.
“You were incredibly strong! One hit, and they were all gone! Amazing!” Luna exclaimed, seemingly excited by the sight of the never-before-seen mountain of gold. She kept asking me, “Why are you so strong?”
I replied, “Probably from training and defeating monsters.”
“Hehe… With this much money, I can buy lots of cute clothes that would suit the Demon Lord, and maybe even build a house just for me, Dore, and Fia… Hehe, hehehehehe,” Yuri chimed in, staring at the accumulated gold coins, his imagination running wild with a sloppy expression.
“I’ve got it! Demon Lord-sama, let’s bet it all on your match tomorrow! Then we’ll never have to worry about money again!” Luna exclaimed.
“That’s a good idea, Yuri! Red man – no, Rage. I’m putting everything on you! I’ve made up my mind!” I explained.
“…Sorry to spoil the excitement, but gambling is not allowed in the final match, so it’s impossible,” I said, dampening their spirits. The two of them were visibly deflated, clearly not fit for gambling as they were easily carried away. They looked like they were going to lose all the money they had earned in an instant.
Oh, and my real name is Jirei, not Rage… Well, it’s too much trouble to correct them, so I’ll just leave it as it is.
“Alright then. I’ll be taking it from here. See you later,” I said as I tried to leave.
“Wait a minute! Yours is significantly less, isn’t it?” Luna pointed at the bag with the gold coins (about 35 million Rien) I was about to take.
“Well, I was able to cooperate this time. It wouldn’t have been possible without you, so I’m okay with it.”
“But! If you’re going to say that, it’s thanks to Rage for inviting us… And the money we bet, I put in 20,000 and Rage put in 25,000, so you have more-“
“Well, I’m just lazy, so I don’t really need a lot of money. I just wanted money this time because it became necessary.”
“And… for some reason, whenever I have too much money, there seems to be a lot of trouble.”
There was a time when I worked hard to save enough money to live as a hermit in case I couldn’t become a king! But when a considerable amount had accumulated, trouble came and everything disappeared.
Sometimes I end up spending more money than I had… and before I know it, I end up in debt. It’s completely incomprehensible.
“So basically I try not to have more money than I need.”
“If I need it, I can just earn it. I don’t really have the desire for a luxurious lifestyle. Occasionally, if I have a lot of money and can buy magical tools, that’s enough for me.”
“Although there are rare cases like this where I suddenly need money… even so, I’ve managed to get through each time so far.”
“So there’s no problem at all. And…”
“…Well, why not use the money to buy clothes or snacks? If you have money, brats like you won’t break in and steal, right?”
Glancing at Luna and Yuri’s shabby attire, I shrugged my shoulders with a sigh.
Since I didn’t want thieves breaking into my store like before, I reluctantly said that.
From what I heard before, it seems like the two of them are traveling together… From the looks of it, there doesn’t seem to be a parent-like figure. Yuri feels like an older sister, and their hair colors are different, so they probably aren’t related by blood.
“Really, really… You are such a good person! I’ve never met anyone so kind…!”
With sparkling eyes, Luna said this in a heartfelt manner.
“We made it, Demon Lord-sama! Let’s use this money to buy some clothes for Demon Lord-sama right away! Let’s go, let’s go!”
“W-Wait, I understand! But don’t grab the clothes! They might tear due to your strength!”
Yuri blushed and shouted, breathing heavily, and Luna and Yuri started to get excited. I found Yuri’s excitement a bit creepy.
Hmm? Déjà vu. It feels like I’ve seen someone who looks like Yuri somewhere before… Well, it must be my imagination. I should be meeting Yuri for the first time.
“Human! Since you seem to be quite useful, when the Demon Lord takes over this world, I might consider sparing you…”
“Yuri! Rage is our benefactor, so don’t say anything rude!… Rage, I’ve finished my business in Magikosmaia, so after watching your match tomorrow, I’ll take a carriage to another city… I’m looking forward to seeing you again! If there’s anything I can do for you, just ask!”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it as well.”
Stuffing the bag filled with gold coins into a pocket dimension, I opened the door and, without looking at Luna and the others, waved my hand and said that.
Luna says such things, but we probably won’t meet again. It’s unlikely that you will meet the same person several times during a journey. Life is full of chance meetings.
After checking out, while watching Luna waving her hand with a smile.
To rest and prepare for tomorrow’s final battle, I went to Charl’s mansion.
———————————————-
Returning home after saying goodbye to Luna, having dinner, sleeping, and waking up the next day.
“From now on, the final day of the 57th Magi Cosmaia Magic Tournament will begin. It will be a round robin between the four qualifiers. The first match will now begin!”
The final battle of the Magic Tournament, the round robin match, began.
The venue was even bigger than during the knockout stage, with a capacity of thousands of people.
“All right, let’s see how far we can go.”
Honestly, I’ve already achieved my initial goal of making money, so it wouldn’t be a problem to withdraw now. I’ve secured 30 million as compensation for Aldi and 5 million for clothes.
However… the prize for winning this tournament is different from previous years. It’s a magical tool.
If it’s a magical tool worthy of being the grand prize, it’s only natural that the collector in me wants it. I really want to get it, no matter what.
By the way, it seems that Lina also participated in the B-block of the Magic Tournament, but she withdrew just before advancing.
She wrote lack of firepower as the reason, but I’m not sure about the details. It was probably due to a disadvantageous matchup with her opponent.
“Now, let me introduce the participants—a shocking turn of events! Overcoming the favorite to win in Block A, “Battle-Hardened Ogre Gran,” and defeating formidable opponents like “Sword Dancer Alore” and “Dark Sorcerer Wise,” he is the rising star and the most anticipated contender in this tournament! With his overwhelming magical prowess that you wouldn’t expect from a D-ranked adventurer, he annihilates his opponents in an instant with his magical bullets. Introducing the participant, Rage, the “Mage Gunner”!
As my introduction echoed through the venue, the crowd erupted with enthusiastic cheers.
I’m attracting more attention than I anticipated.
There might be some trouble after the tournament, but it’s not a problem. It’s not my real name, and my appearance is different. I can always escape if necessary.
The only people who know my real name are the tournament officials who saw the documents I submitted and the organizers, who are members of the royal family named Elena.
There shouldn’t be any leaks of contestant information, and I have no connection to the royal family. So it should be fine.
“On the other hand, another first-time competitor! He never raised a hand, and made all his opponents surrender in every match in Block B! His tenacious and irritating fighting style resembling a turtle has earned him the nickname “Turtle Hero”. The crowd is cold and boos fill the venue! He is a high-ranking adventurer and a hero of “Hardness” – “Lord Schwach”!
When the commentator introduced my opponent, the crowd erupted in boos. Some even threw things. This is terrible.
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