--Inside the King's Castle, late at night.

　The light from the candelabra glittered and created a warm color around the desk, and together with the unreliable ore lamp, it finally decorated the room to the fullest.

　Gently inserting her pen into the penholder at hand, Princess Lilac broke off, "So," she said.

"Tomorrow. Is there something amiss?
"You tell me.

　The girl who sniffed was Pasta Pomodoro, slumped on the parlor sofa, crunching on a cupcake.

　She is wearing a hood to protect herself.
　Under the cloth as a precaution, only her glistening mouth moves to chew.

　Tomorrow, the fighting tournament begins.
　The second tournament is a tag-team match, a far cry from the first tournament.

　Of course, this information has been shared between the two of them before, and there's no reason for them to be upset about it now.

　In other words, there was no reason for Pasta to be in this room at this moment.

　Unless there was some kind of incident or unexpected accident.

　That's why Lilac readily allowed Pasta's visit, even if she didn't welcome it, and wanted to discuss any problems that might arise.

　But on the other hand.
　On the other hand, Lilac had not received any information that would be detrimental to her, and unlike last time, this time she had already taken care of the problem.

　King Gilbert, for example, was no more than a machine that gave its stamp of approval.

　Lilac's question was a mild provocation, just a greeting.

There are plenty of inconveniences, you know. What's with the pasta-chan performance before and after the game? Was that a joke of yours?
No, I was approached by the Chamber of Commerce.
d*mn it!

　Table bangs!

I'm glad you're doing ...... so well, but ......!
It's a difficult way to live.
You're the only one who can say that.

　The later in the tournament, the fewer matches there will be.
　Of course, the more semi-finals and finals there are, the more satisfied the audience will be, but they are too short.
　In order to fill the gap, a plan was devised to throw Pasta-chan in during her free time.

And you're not that careless, are you?
I don't like the way you said that, because I wasn't trapped. Well, yes. I've got Mirabelle working on some new songs.
Your new song?
No, no, no!　It's sword fighting. Sword fighting.
You mean like inspiring your friends in battle?
To put it bluntly, yes. We'll see about that when the tournament starts.
I've already told you about the entrance music.
"So how do you know about it?

　Pasta looks at Lilac with a stare.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　It would have been a little sad to hear only an announcement when the swordsman came in. That's why I elaborated on it, but I don't know where she got the idea that I was meddling in my own music. This woman is a masterpiece.

Well, ......, that's enough. That's not all, but I'm sure they had a lot of music-related meetings. And that's not what I want to talk about right now.
"Hmm. Well, what are you talking about?
What I know.

　The look in his eyes no longer had the air of casualness that it had earlier.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

What's your purpose this time?
What is your purpose ......?　I'm sure you'll agree.
You're right. You're right, we're going to have a second tournament. If you include the box office and the publicity, the timing is right. Also .......

　What Pasta is saying, that is, what Lilac is doing, is correct. It is a reasonable thing to do.
　So there is no room for doubt. It's simple, they want to make more money by having a second tournament. And grow the spectacle at the same time.

　There's no mystery to the question.

　You're too quiet for a lilac. That's what she was asking.

　She looked at me and I looked at her and she looked at me and she looked at me.

"Well. What do I have to tell you?
I'm sure you're not the only one.　At the very least, Huta has managed to find a partner and is foolishly coming for the win. He's trying to be a different kind of champion than the Colosseum, but he still wants to keep his title.
"..................

　Lilac's eyes narrowed slightly at the reference to her opponent.
　Lilac's eyes narrowed slightly at the person being quoted, and she thought for a moment, deciding if she should tell the woman in front of her.

I'm not planning on doing any damage to Spectacula.



　I told him so.

What do you think?
"Well, if there's one thing I have to say, it's that the tag-team approach has been very convenient. I'm not trying to harm anyone or ruin anyone right now. I just want to win. As a warrior.
"..................

　Now it was Pasta's turn to stare at Lilac and ponder.
　They stared at each other for a while and then sighed.

Yeah. I'm not going to tell you how to run the ...... swordfight, though I am curious if the tag team match was convenient.
"Yes, please do. I'm sure it's a lot of work, especially with the preferential treatment. I've got an early morning too, so shall we call it a night?
...... Yes. Let's do that.

　Pasta looks back one more time as he pulls back the hood that has almost fallen off and jumps out of his chair.
　Lilac shook her head loosely and said in an annoyed tone.

I'm not planning anything this time, if that's what you're thinking. Be careful on your way home.
"I don't need you to tell me that.

　I was about to say that it was your presence that made me most wary of returning home, but I retracted my words and Pasta left the room.

　In the room where she was left alone, Lilac muttered to herself with a troubled expression on her face.

I don't like the idea that I'm always up to something. That's not very nice.

　I wasn't thinking about anything serious this time.
　It's a tag-team match, and the number of entries has increased. The number of people advancing to the finals has quadrupled by simple calculation.

　I'm only planning to have the best warriors who have attracted attention stay in Spectakura.

　"It's time for the guards to go it alone.


"It's just that the guards aren't going to be enough anymore.

　Lilac murmured, softly brushing her lips.














　--The next day. The next day, the spectacle of the arena of King's Landing.

　The fireworks went off with a bang, bang, bang.
　The flames billowed out over the high, high outer walls of the arena.

　The crowd was packed. They threw their hands in the air and cheered.
　Those who knew the first show, and those who knew Pasta-chan's performance. Those who knew of the first show, those who knew of Pasta-chan's performance, and those who were excited by the unseen excitement were all gathered in this place.


"Good day to you. I am Lilac M. Fangini, the first princess of the kingdom.


　It echoes, it echoes, it echoes.
　As if to pierce through the rainbow-colored cheers that were almost like shouts of anger, the cool voice became a gust of wind, attracting the attention of the people who were intoxicated by the heat.

　A wide, cobblestone battlefield.
　Standing proudly in the middle of it is the silver princess.

　Last time, she was narrowly defeated by the champion in the semifinals, but her skill lives up to her name as the "strongest in the kingdom.

　The crowd erupted when they remembered that she had been the one to address the opening ceremony of the first tournament.

　Ah, it's really the start of the second round.

　It's going to be like the good old days all over again.

"It's been a while. How have you been? The joys of each season. Happy times. Or maybe you've had some down times. But--

　Gently put your hand on your chest.
　I'm sure you've had your share of disappointments.

The fighting sword is back!

　With her hands outstretched, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The joyous and heart-pounding extraordinary life that accompanies your daily life will begin again in this spectacle. Please wait in anticipation. --So long.

　He clears his throat.

　Everyone braced themselves as if they knew the opening announcement of the tournament was coming. With a burst of excitement, they were waiting for her voice.

　But then she slowly lowered her magic weapon.

　Before you can even think about what she's doing...


"What the hell?
"Hey, what's that?
Here it comes--the gate!

　The crowd was buzzing, and the smart ones were pointing.
　Coming through the gates were all of the finalists from the last arena.

　Leafy Lean Glide walks forward with a tense look on her face.

　Bob strolls next to her with a carefree air.

　Izuna Sienzan is smiling happily with a relaxed look on her face.

　Prim Lancaster waves to the crowd.

　Richter L. Klingbloom looks at the crowd in disgust, but walks proudly.

　Aylan B. Smiles appears with a parasol in his hand, seemingly uninterested in all of this.

　They gather on the cobblestone.

　And the voice of a young girl echoes.




Prior to the tournament, I would like to introduce you to the players who will be participating in this year's scholarship program and to ...... you, big brother.


　The familiar voice made both children and adults react with surprise.


I'm sure you'll agree. ...... here, with your permission.



　The young man's voice was so simple that he looked up.
　The audience looked up at the commentary table.




"I hereby declare myself the first champion.




　As soon as I breathed in.

　It was only a second before the crowd erupted.




"Let the second combat tournament begin.



　The arena exploded.