The demon horde that attacked the town has been defeated, and peace has been restored to the town.
　The damage to the town was minimal, and although some people were injured, there were no deaths, which made the townspeople very happy.

''Gasp! I killed this huge monster with one blow! Look at these magnificent horns!

How many times do you have to tell me that? I'll tell you what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the monster with the big fangs.

How many times have you told me that?

"Gasp!

　The adventurers, whose pockets had become warm after hunting a large number of demons, were in a good mood and discussing their own saga in a good mood.
　And the person in a good mood was here too.

''The Dragon Princess Ritual will be held soon, right!

　You're Leune.
　Ryune originally came to this town to participate in the Dragon Princess Ceremony.

　There were fears that the event would be held due to an attack by a demon, but since there was unexpectedly little damage, it's a relief that the ceremony will be held as usual.

　And what made the townspeople happier than anything else was the fact that they were able to hold the ceremony as usual.
　Not only was the town suddenly attacked by a swarm of demons, they were also worried that they might lose their annual fun.

Good luck with the championship.

'Yes! That's why I've trained so hard to this day! We'll win for sure!

　While Leune-san is so enthusiastic about it, Liliella-san and the others are looking at her in a relaxed manner and giving her a gentle glance.

''Well, even if you don't get worked up about it, there's no doubt we'll win, right?

Well, I guess there aren't many people who can beat someone who throws dragons to the ground.

　And then Liliera and her friends turn their attention to me.

There's no way for that unlikely person to participate in a women-only tournament, and their victory is unassailable.

It's easy to be a spectator.

I wonder who's in charge of this ritual bet.

　While the ladies were in a mellow mood, confident that Ms. Leune would win, only Megri was scurrying around looking for a body to participate in the bet that was going on behind the ritual.

'I mean, aren't you all going to participate?

　This tournament is for women only, so me and Jairo-kun and the others can't participate, but Liliela-san and the others should be able to participate since they are women.

I don't think so. It's not only that, but they're also very conspicuous in this town. I don't want to be any more conspicuous than I already am.

Oh, well, that's a problem.

　And that's when.
　A familiar voice responded to Lilliera-san's statement.

''You are........the guild leader⁉︎''

　️Yes, the person who spoke to us was the guild leader who managed the adventurer's guild in this town.
　And the guild leader had a well-dressed uncle next to him that I didn't recognize.

'Hey, isn't that the guild leader?'

What's going on again?

The adventurers buzzed as the guild leader appeared in the guild's lobby.

''If you, the rumored reincarnation of the Dragon Princess, don't show up for this year's Dragon Princess ceremony, it will be a lack of excitement.

The guild leader's words made Liliella look disgusted.

''You all rumor that, but I'm not a dragon princess, so...''

When Liliera-san said that, the guild leader nodded in agreement.

It's a good thing that you have a good point. The fact is that you took down a dragon alone, in front of the townspeople. And that's in front of the townspeople. So, if you are not the Dragon Princess, you came to town at this time of year, it is natural to expect that you would participate in the Dragon Princess ceremony.

So the timing was too good for many things.
I just happened to arrive at the time of the Dragon Princess Ritual, and I happened to defeat a stray dragon that happened to appear in town, and I helped fight off a bunch of demons that happened to attack the town.
Yeah, I feel like I can't blame them for questioning the relationship in a normal way.

'Furthermore, during the demon attack the other day, the golden and silver dragons intervened in the battle as if they were protecting this town. Just like a legendary dragon knight.

'I had nothing to do with that dragon. I was fighting them on the ground.

It seems.

When Liliera-san claimed her alibi, the guild leader easily affirmed it.

''But after all, the residents of the town expect you to simply be strong. They want to see you participate in the Dragon Princess Ceremony and win.

As I said before, I'm not interested.

'Hey, hey, why isn't Miss Liliera in the tournament? If you win, you'll be famous.

Jairo-kun asks Mina-san in a whisper behind her.
Jairo-kun's goal of becoming an adventurer is to become a top-notch adventurer and gain fame, so he doesn't understand why Liliera-san doesn't want to stand out.

''Well, normally the main reason would be that he's mistaken for a dragon princess. I don't care if you become famous for being recognized for your activities as an adventurer, you don't want to be associated with a legend that has nothing to do with you and become famous because it feels like snatching the credit from someone else.

Hmm, that's something.

Well, I don't know about that, because I was told that the Dragon Emperor was resurrected too.
In the past life, I was always in trouble because of being hailed as a hero.
So I'll stay put this time.
There's no way I'm going to participate in the ritual.

So let's just say I'm the one who asked you to do it, shall we?

And then a man next to the guild leader interrupted the conversation.

''Request........is it?''

"Yes, I ask you to participate in the Dragon Princess ritual.

Liliera-san nodded her head at the sudden and strange request.

''....Um, why would you bother with such a request?

Yeah, Liliella's question is fair, too.
Because making a request means that a fee will be charged.
I don't know why I would pay to have Liliella-san fight, no matter how much I want her to fight, I don't know why I would pay for it.
The surrounding adventurers were also tilting their heads at the strange request.

''Oops, I'm late in introducing myself. I'm Mornig, the mayor of this town.

A mayor's office...

We couldn't believe our client was the mayor of the town and we couldn't help but shout out, "The Dragon Princess ceremony is an important ceremony for the town.

The "Dragon Princess Ceremony" is an important ceremony in the town. It's not just a simple ceremony, it's also a big part of the festival that attracts people from outside the town.

I wonder if you're referring to what Leune was talking about before, about making the Dragon Princess ceremony like a martial arts competition to get more customers?

I don't want to do anything that would undermine the festivities.

'Well, if that's what you mean, I don't know...'

In other words, to the townspeople, Liliera-san, who defeated the dragon, would be perceived as a special guest.

She's a guest, so of course she'll be participating in the festival.
I would be disappointed if she didn't show up when I was expecting that.

And if my expectations are disappointed.
The number of repeat visitors for next year's festival might decrease.

The idea is that if that happens, the management would be very vulnerable, so they would pay to have people become de facto guests.

In a past life, a merchant I knew once said, "Even if it's an unscheduled event, if the guests are expecting it, it's a top-notch merchant to meet their expectations!　Otherwise, our sales would be down! But that doesn't mean that you should have forced me to join you when I happened to be in town on a mission.

But that doesn't mean that you should have forced me to join you when I happened to be in town on a mission.

"Hmm, with a reward...

Lilliera-san starts to worry when she hears that she's going to get a reward.

''I noticed in the reward, is there any reward for the Dragon Princess Ritual itself?''

And Megri asks if there are any advantages to participating in the Dragon Princess ceremony.

Yes. The Dragon Princess Ceremony offers 200 gold coins as a reward for the winner in order to bring out the bragging rights.

'Oh!　Two hundred gold coins!

　Megri-san's eyes light up when she hears 200 gold coins.

''Two hundred pieces........double the reward, converted to rent for the inn.......''

No, no, no, Liliella, we're homeowners now.

Oh, what?　Could it be that we're going to have more rivals!

　Seeing Megri-san begin her preparations and Liliella-san seriously worried, Leune-san's face turns blue and begins to cringe.

''No, but there's still a disadvantage.......I have enough money to send money home now.......''

　But perhaps she doesn't like being treated like a dragon princess after all, and Liliella's mind begins to lean toward rejecting the request.
But at this point, the head of the guild gives her some support.

About that, if the guild can get you to participate in the Dragon Princess's ceremony, we can provide you with the merit that you deserve.

And at this point, the guild leader joins the negotiations to back up the mayor.

"From the guild?

''Oh, if you're willing to participate in the Dragon Princess Ceremony, I'll make sure you're promoted to the S rank.

A promotion to S-rank...

The guild was in an uproar over the unexpected promotion to S-rank.

''Isn't that a bad idea?

''No, you're capable of defeating dragons on your own. If that's the case, there's nothing wrong with promotion to S-rank. It's a bit of a minor issue, but if you can show your strength at the ceremony, it should be enough to make your performance stand out. After all, all the spectators who come to watch the ceremony will be witnesses.

You're thinking so well, Guild leader.
The benefits are so great that Liliela-san had a hard time saying no at once.

''Ummm........double rewards and an S rank guarantee......and a direct request from the guild leader......''

Further additional rewards were proposed, and Liliella-san was troubled as she glanced at the guild leader, holding her head in her hands.

''Aww........''

Incidentally, Rieliela-san was troubled about her decision, and Ryune-san was looking at her with a pale face.
And after a short pause, Liliera-san, who seems to have made her decision, looked up.

''........I understand. I'll accept that request.''



''Gaaaaaah!''

Cheers and screams echoed through the lobby.

''No, thank you very much. Now I can face my ancestors who have incorporated a martial arts competition into the Dragon Princess ceremony.

Ah, I see, your ancestors were involved in the rituals, which is why they negotiated so seriously... right?

So, you're an ancestor...

Wow, I didn't think that the town's mayor's ancestor was the one who made the Dragon Princess' ceremony like it is now.........................It's like we're related by blood.

''........because the guild leader personally appointed you. It's impossible to say no.

　I see, the reason Lilliera-san was asked to participate in the tournament was to make the guild leader look good.
　It's true that we adventurers belong to the Adventurer's Guild.
　It's awkward for us to refuse a request from the head of the guild.

　But the murmurings that Liliera-san uttered were drowned out by the cheers blowing in the lobby, and only those of us nearby could hear them.

'I'm glad we got the story straight,'

And at this point, the guild leader raises his hand with his voice, and the guild becomes quiet again.
Everyone looks at the head of the guild to see if there is anything more.

''As for the Dragon Princess Ceremony, due to certain circumstances, we have decided to postpone the date of the event.

""What?"

　Everyone voiced their dissatisfaction at the unexpected declaration of postponement.

''I wonder if the demon's attack had some adverse effect on them after all?

No, we've decided to hold a ceremony at the same time this year. In order to prepare for it, we've decided to move it up.

A ritual?

'That's right!　From this year, it has been decided that not only the Dragon Princess Ceremony for women only, but also the Dragon Emperor Ceremony for men will be held!

""What?"

　The adventurers in the guild became colorful when the mayor's mouth told them that the Dragon Emperor's Ceremony for men would be held.

'Seriously?　We can participate in a tournament that we've only been watching until now?

Of course there will be prize money in this tournament too, right?

Of course there will be prizes for this one, right?　After all, it's a ceremony to choose the role of our nation's legendary Dragon Emperor!　And to commemorate the fact that this is the first ceremony, the prize is 400 gold coins, double the amount of the Dragon Princess ceremony!

""Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

'The ceremony will take place in a month!　It's the first ceremony to choose the role of His Majesty the Dragon Emperor, and some of the noblemen who live in the royal capital will be there!　Depending on how well you do, you could be promoted as a knight!

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

"Seriously?　You're not just gonna bring home 400 gold pieces, you're gonna be a knight?

Hey, you can't win anything. I'll give you 400 gold and a knighthood.

"f*ck you, I'm going to win this thing!

　The adventurers became giggly-eyed and excited by the mayor's continuous remarks.
　Come to think of it, the story of the great swordsman Rygaard's adventures, where the adventurer is recognized by the nobles and becomes a knight, is a popular story of a commoner's rise to prominence.

In that story, Rygaard is recommended for knighthood after saving his friends and the nobles, but Rygaard chooses his freedom and declines the story.
But instead, Rygaard recommends his fellow swordsman for knighthood.
People say they like the fact that Rygaard's fellow swordsman was knighted, but I felt sympathy for Rygaard for choosing freedom, even if it meant giving up the honor.

'Brother, brother!　Let's get us in on it!

And as I was thinking about this, Jairo-kun excitedly invited me to the competition.

'What?'　Jairo, did you want to be a knight?

　No, but Jairo, your goal is to become famous, so if you win and become a knight, will you achieve your goal?

'I don't care if you're a knight or not. It looks like something stiff. I'm more interested in fighting in a tournament!　After all, I get to pick the role of the most powerful king in the country!　And with a cash prize of 400 gold coins!　There's going to be a bunch of d*mn fine folks in here!　And I want to fight those guys to make sure I'm okay!　My brother trained me to be strong!

Of course, Jairo-kun's goal is to fight a fierce opponent who has come to seek the prize money and the title of knight.
　It's true that even if humans and demons are of the same rank, they can still have a hard time with their wits.

So why don't you come out with me, brother!

What?　Me too!

　No, no, I don't want to participate in these competitions because I don't want to show off too much.

"Don't say that, bro, I want to fight you, too!　I'll have Norbu join you, too!

"What?　You want me to join you?

　Ugh, Gyro-kun is staring at me with sparkling eyes.
　I'm sure you really want to fight a strong opponent.
　You'll need to be able to use it in order to get the job done.

I'd like to request you to do the same for me.

And then the head of the guild joins him.

"Even the guild leader...

My men tell me what happened at the demolition site. I've heard from my men that you are adventurers who can take down dragons, and one of them is an S-ranked adventurer. And since one of you is an S-ranked adventurer.

　Ah, you're the head of the guild. Do you at least know the identity of the adventurers you belong to?

The same is true for her, Liliera-kun, but we need guests for the festival. The Dragon Emperor's Rite in particular is not only the first tournament of its kind, but also a glorious tournament to determine the Dragon Emperor, the most powerful person in our country. At such a time, it's not surprising that an S-ranked adventurer came to this town to feel some kind of fate?

　No, it's not right!　It's a coincidence, it really is a coincidence!

'Haha, but I'm not interested in the prize money or the knighthood...'

Come on, let's take it, Mr. Lex.

　And that's when it happened.
　All of a sudden Liliela-san joined the conversation from behind me.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be a part of it because Lex-san wanted us to fight the dragons in the city by ourselves. If that's the case, I think Lex is obliged to participate in this tournament.

　When I saw Liliella's expression as she grabbed my arm with her Nimari, for some reason I imagined the undead trying to drag the victim to the bottom of the dark earth.
　I'm not sure if I'm the only one who's going to let them stay under the warmth of the sun, but she's got a gloomy look in her eyes, as if to say.

''No, I'm not in need of money, and I'm not interested in honor.

　In fact, my goal is to be a humble adventurer, hunting demons for a day's work.
　I don't want to have any honor in my life, but I want to live a life that doesn't involve any honor.

Oh, that's okay. "Oh, that's okay, I've got a better idea.

....

I don't know why, but it doesn't seem like a very good idea.

　◆.

''It seems the whole country is getting word of the Dragon Emperor's ceremony as planned.

''Mm, this means we can smoke out a new Dragon Emperor in the name of the tournament as planned.

　In a corner of the mansion, in a saloon away from the servants, we had gathered for a plot.
　There was a gathering to succeed in the plot to bury the new Dragon Emperor who is said to have risen in this era unnoticed.

　We were horrified to hear that the swarm of demons that had attacked the city of Tatsutron had been eradicated by the efforts of the gore-de-de-goat.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the top of the mountain.

　The resurrection of a great emperor, it was a celebration for the people of Dragonia, but not for us, the people of Dragonia.
　At least for us senior nobles.

　In the past, the Dragon Emperor did not return in the battle with the demons, and Dragonia was inherited by the Prince born to the Dragon Princess.
　However, an epidemic that occurred in a later era had killed all the dragon knights of that time, and every single one of them had lost their lives.
　Most problematic of all, one of the victims was the Dragon Emperor of the time, who was one of the dragon knights.

　What was even worse was that the blood relatives of the Dragon Emperor at that time were all dragon knights.
　It was a horrible fact that in a very short period of time, none of the Dragon Emperor's blood relatives had disappeared.
　There was no way the country could not be divided with this.

　With the loss of their leader, the Dragonia upper echelon was in a state of disarray.
　For a time, the country was on the verge of being divided in two.

　In the end, the country settled down when the vizier at the time took advantage of the legend that the Dragon Emperor would one day return, by electing the most outstanding person from among the nobles and making that person a substitute emperor.

　It was a game of competition for the chair to elect a new deputy emperor each time he was replaced, and many nobles agreed with the hopeful system that if they were good enough, they could become the de facto emperor.

　Well, it's actually a system in which the great nobles who can receive sufficient education monopolize the position of acting emperor.
　However, even so, this system was still working well.

　It's just a formality that everyone has a chance to be a part of it, but since the aristocrats are eager to bring up excellent successors, there is a high chance that you will be able to get a vassal, even if you don't become a new representative of the emperor.

　However, there was one major hole in this system as well.
　In order for someone else to not monopolize the throne, they had to declare themselves to be the emperor's representatives.

　That declaration was to declare that they were the representative of the Dragon Emperor, and if this declaration was flouted, it was a restriction that could lead to the intervention of not only hostile factions within the country, but even other countries.

　The content of this was, ''When His Majesty the Dragon Emperor returns, the Acting Emperor will return the imperial throne to His Majesty the Dragon Emperor.
　And now, with the undeniable proof of a dragon knight accompanied by a golden dragon, the appearance of the Dragon Emperor in the town of Tatsutron, the nobles of the royal capital were in an uproar.

　But.........

The Dragon Emperor, who is said to have risen from the dead, has yet to come forward and demand his throne back. There is no doubt that he has some sort of agenda in this.

　That's right, he had entered the battle riding the Golden Dragon, but the Dragon Emperor had disappeared after that.
　It was an utterly eerie silence.

''He senses that we have no intention of returning the imperial throne to him?

''Perhaps the lower nobles who don't enjoy the fact that we higher nobles have a monopoly on the position of Acting Emperor are siding with the Dragon Emperor.

　There's a good chance of that.
　No matter how good the lower nobles are, it's difficult for them to rise any higher than that because our higher nobles are monopolizing the higher offices.
　It's highly likely that he's not happy about it, and that's why he's trying to improve his position by welcoming the Dragon Emperor.

''Hmph, how can I give the imperial throne to a ghost from the past after all this time?

　That's right. No matter what your intentions are, it is an unshakable fact that it is us high-ranking aristocrats who are currently in charge of this country's government.

　Everyone knows that this declaration to return the imperial throne to the rising Dragon Emperor is just a convenient way for us to get our hands on the throne.

　That's why we ordered the mayor of Tatsutron to hold the Dragon Emperor's ceremony in the name of reviving the Dragon Emperor.
　In order to carry out the plot to assassinate the Dragon Emperor behind it.

''I've already sent the assassins under the false pretense of being participants in the tournament. I will have them deal with the Dragon Emperor as soon as we find out his identity.

Even a dragon knight with a golden dragon in tow can't be expected to rampage them through the streets.

"Kukkuu, you will disappear before you come back to the throne, Dragon Emperor.

　The best assassins who have been working behind the scenes to secure our rule are gathering in one city to kill a single human being.
　You are the only one who can kill them.

With the announcement of the Dragon Emperor's ceremony, the number of people leaving the town has also been greatly reduced. It seems that as planned, the stream of mercenaries and adventurers have also chosen to stay in town to participate in the tournament.

　Hmm, the decision to hold the Dragon Emperor's Ritual is also for the purpose of stalling the Dragon Emperor who may be hiding in the town.
　Dragonia, where the Emperor himself ruled the country as a dragon knight, shows respect to the strong.

　Hence, if the Dragon Emperor himself doesn't show up at the first competition to determine his own role in the ritual, his strength may be questioned.
　Of course, the facts don't matter.
　All you have to do is spread rumors so that the people will believe that.

'And I have prepared a list of male adventurers from the Adventurer's Guild who are staying in the town of Tattron. The name of the guild is to vet adventurers who may be promoted as knights. There's one among them that I'm interested in.

"Huh?

　His comrade, Count Jihou, spread a list on the table and pointed to the name of one of the adventurers.

''Lex, the big game eater. He's an amazing adventurer who was promoted to S-rank in less than a year after registering as an adventurer.

''An S-rank in one year?!''

　Count Jihou's words caused everyone present to shout in surprise.
　As a matter of fact, adventurer is a lowly occupation, just like a commoner getting rich.

　But the S-ranked adventurer is recognized as a special existence.
　The S-ranked adventurer is a knight in shining armor and contributes to the high ranking nobles of each country by defeating demonic beasts that cannot be defeated by the regular knights and bringing back legendary treasures from the depths of the labyrinth.

　They are literally monsters in human form, the S-ranked adventurers.
　Moreover, they have no natural disposition, and if they don't like it, they will bite any nobleman without regard to his rank.
　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of them, because they're so strong and hard to deal with, and even for us high-ranking nobles, S-rank adventurers are an existence that we have to be careful how we handle.



　But this time there was no need to worry about that.

''That's right. As long as he hasn't come forward so far, I don't think the Dragon Emperor will be in the prominent position of being an S-ranked adventurer.

Hmm, I see. It's just that, well ... the ranks were ranks, and I was a little concerned about that.

Well, one of the best is out of the running. That's not a bad thing.

''Mm, you're right. If such a monster was the Dragon Emperor, he wouldn't be able to assassinate him.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.