--The royal castle is the princess's office.


I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

　There is no one else in this room right now.

　No wonder I'm at work. I've called Futa, so I'll be alone until he arrives.

　She had just gotten off work and was in a sea of thoughts about what she was going to say to Futa.

　What she said was the name calling that Prim had done in the last game.

　She had acted on Lilac's order to fight as she had at the Colosseum.

　He let out a small sigh, remembering.

　It wasn't disappointment. Rather, it was admiration.

Cool ....... I want to do it too: ......

　Let's not forget that she is not only a strategist with an eye on reality, but also a romantic with an eye on what looks good.

　When she welcomed Futa, she was a bit excited by his words that his weapon was her weapon of choice, and her skill at it.

　We have a Colosseum to prepare.
　And I'm going to be there.

"After all, there's a lot to think about ......, the name, the performance, the costumes, the way you appear .......

　I was suddenly going to be as cool as I could be.

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

"Tenka hassen: 1 no tachi, ...... ah ...... gorgeously dancing ...... hmm .......

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It doesn't feel right. ......

　I wonder if I should include the princess. The princess has too many sounds.
　Wicked man?　Who was that? I'll bury him.

　Maybe we should call in the experts.
　"Not necessarily a poet, but someone with a good sense of language?

　Hmm, that's a tough one.

"Dear Lilac, it's Futa.
"Yes.
Excuse me, Mr. Lilac, what are you doing?
......

　I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I answered in the usual way.
　My pose was not quite right.

Oh, ......, I was dealing with an intruder.
"Isn't that a big deal?　Who are you?　Come on out!

　Futa rushes to Lilac's front door.

...... It's okay. I just killed a bug.
I'm not sure if it's a good idea.　...... That was a cute little intruder, too.
Well, that happens sometimes.

　Lilac put away the conch, deceiving herself appropriately.

　It was only Futa who was able to deceive her, but it was her heartfelt defense that she would not have responded naturally if it had not been for his voice.

　Also known as an excuse.

"Well... So, what can I tell you?
"Please have a seat. The tea is ready.
Oh, yes.

　I saw that the tea set was indeed ready.
　The tea set was already in place, though it didn't look like Corona had made it.
　She must have gotten a suitable maid of honor to do it.

"Well. I'm going to talk to Prim about it, but I need you to tell me about the Colosseum.
You want to talk about the Colosseum?
Yeah. Specifically, how it was run and why. I don't expect Prim to be able to tell me about the operation and the reasons behind it.
...... Also.

　I'm not sure I can ask Prim about the management and the reasons for it.

　He sat down and drank a cup of tea. After taking a breather, Futa recalled some things about the operation of the Colosseum.

　He was no longer in the mood for painful memories or gloomy feelings.

In the end, the basic idea was to pit the strongest players against each other and make it exciting to see who was stronger.　That's why I kept training. That's why I kept on training. ......
I see.

　As a side note, when Beatrix heard this story through Lilac, she laughed at it.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it. It's a character business, of course. I'm not sure how the average person, including myself, can understand the skill of a sword, so let me pull you in because I want to root for one of them, you incompetent bastard. If you want to have fun with macho guys who don't have any episodes, take them to the battlefield.　I'm sure you'll be fine.

　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it. But Beatrix said that if you are a useless manager, you will just die in the field.　But Beatrix was looking down on the Colosseum's "managers" with a cupcake in her hand, as if to say, "If you're not a good manager, you'll just die in the street. It was a big deal.



　Quiet .

So, in order to clarify the strength, there was a league.
"Oh, leagues. The Eight Flashes of Heaven.
"Yes, yes.

　Futa nodded at Lilac, who was unexpectedly impressed.

The Eight Flashes of Heaven was a league of the eight strongest players who competed for the right to challenge the champions, the so-called major classes. Below that, there is a league for those who want to move up to the minor classes.
"I see. How many people were in that league?
"Well...

　According to Futa's explanation, there were quite a few swordsmen.
　And there were five leagues.

　First, there were about 8,000 people in the beginner's league, where first-time fighters were assigned.
　They were not allowed to play in the Colosseum, and fought on and on without any cheering. Since there was little fight money, most of them were looking for other ways to earn money.

　The Under-League is a fierce competition, and only about 100 players can take the promotion test. There are about 1,000 players in the league.
　The top 20 or so players in the league can take the promotion test, while the bottom 100 players are relegated to the beginner league.

　Above that is the Normal League. This is where you are finally allowed to fight on the Colosseum stage. There are about 100 players in this league, who are sent as starters to liven up the scene.
　Only the top five finishers are promoted to the next round, while 20 are relegated to the next round.
　At this point, it was finally possible to make a living as a swordsman, and it was a harsh world.

　This is where the minor leagues finally came into play.
　There were 20 players in the league. Only two are allowed to challenge for promotion, and five are relegated.
　Minor league fencers are usually very popular, and events are often held to celebrate their promotion to the major class.

　And.
　Eight members. One throne to reach for next.
　Everyone is a fierce competitor who has made a name for himself throughout the principality, and only two major classes are likely to disappear.
　That's the Eight Flashes of Heaven.

So the sixth of these is Prim?
"Yes. He said he got there by wielding a spear. ...... It's a long way.
I see. But the fact that even Prim is still in sixth place shows the thickness of the layer.
People thought Prim was still going to grow from here, and I agreed with them.
"I'd like to hear your honest opinion, Futa.
Yes.
Do you think Prim will stay in sixth place now?
Oh, I don't know, .......

　Crossing his arms, Fouta is troubled.

Crossing his arms, Futa is troubled. "I don't know the other eight flashes, so I can't say. But if you compare them to the ones back then, they could have come in third.
"Third place?
Is that surprising?
...... Well... It wouldn't have been a surprise if she had been told she could have been number one, or if she had been told she would remain number six. It seemed to me that it was clearly stated that there were two people who outranked her.
"Oh, ...... well, yes.
I see. ...... No, thank you. It's going to be a fun preparation period for the league structure.
"If you can say that, Lilac, then it was worth talking about.

　Lilac tipped her tea thoughtfully.
　The road to becoming a champion was going to be more difficult than she thought.

　She knew that there was a wall between Prim and Huta, but she wondered if there would be another one in between.

　--Fun.

　That's why it's worth crossing swords.
　Let Prim be a stepping stone at best.
　Of course she doesn't mean it. That's why it's worth crossing swords with her too.

I'd like to do the same thing with the league itself. After all, titles do look good.
That's true. Prim didn't seem to care much about the name, though.
What?
...... What?

　When I looked up, Lilac was glaring at me in a way I'd never seen her do before.
　I've seen a lot of scary looks from her, but this is a new one.
　I don't know, it looks like hatred, but it's not.

　Her pupils were dilated, which was really scary.

"Master Lilac?
"You got a nickname like that and you're not ...... caring?　I'm not sure.　Hmmm. ...... I see. ...... Hmmm. ......
Are you jealous by any chance?
I'm frankly jealous.
Jealous?
She's a bit of a Lancaster, isn't she?


"What kind of abuse?


"Let the man in charge figure it out. ...... No, no, no, no, no. ......


　I thought I heard an auditory hallucination of her running through a field of flowers.

　Her eyes turned from looking at the garbage and she put the cup back on the saucer.

She put the cup back in the saucer and said, "Well, we'll think about that later. I don't know how many of us will be fighting for the ticket to the throne, but we'll see. You're going to be very busy.
That's right. Preparation time.
Yeah, you're going to be working with Bear Pasta.
...... Well, yes.

　Futa poked the back of his cheek with his tongue.

I'm sure there will be some ...... trouble with me as well.
"Is that so?
Yes. I'm sure you're not going to be able to do it by force this time,......, but when the time comes, you can count on me, Futa.

　She smiled, her expression beautiful as always.

　You can't doubt that she means what she says in her voice.

　Futa nodded and smiled back.

　He tried to do the best he could, no matter what the trouble.









I will not leave my title to you, for that matter.
What?
If you want to be of service to me, then yes. If you want to serve me, you must be diligent.

　He stuck his finger under Futa's nose and said, "I'm sorry.
　Lilac's face broke into a happy smile.