The crowd was applauding Amur for winning the fight, but when the referee pronounced him the winner, he didn't move a bit.

　The worried referee approached Amur and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground.
　The panicked referee instructed the attendant who had gone to get a stretcher for Jin to bring another one.

　As a result, from the top of the fighting table, not only the loser, but even the winner was sent straight to the infirmary, and there was an air of uncertainty in the air, with the spectators not knowing how to react since both of the athletes to be honored were now gone.

　In the midst of this atmosphere, the referee announced to the audience that today's match was over and we were to disperse.

　I thought about going to visit Jin, but I didn't go directly to the infirmary because I thought I might run into Amur, but instead I grabbed one of the attendants and asked Menas or Leena, who should have gone to the infirmary, to give them directions.



　As I was relaxing in my anteroom after asking the attendant to give them a word, Leena came in.

'Thank God! He's still here!

　I asked the attendants to stay in the waiting room for a while so as not to delay the time of going home with the audience, and to show up later if possible.

　I was taking a rest in the waiting room because I didn't want to leave right away and attract the attention of the audience.

What's going on?

　From Leena's condition, it doesn't seem like Jin's condition has worsened or anything, so it must be like he has regained consciousness or something.

''Yes, Jin-san has regained consciousness! And a couple of things I'd like to ask...

　After talking to him, it seems that he wants to share some of the recovery medicine with you.
　The medicine I made was more effective than the over-the-counter medicine, so he wants to use it on Jin, and he wants you to help him bring Jin and Garratt back.

'That's fine but are Jin and the others so bad that they can't walk on their own?

　If it's not a hassle to carry the djinn and the others or something, but if it's so bad, will the team fight be okay? I thought.

'No, I've treated most of the major injuries, but the doctor said I've suffered quite a bit of head damage, so he told me to rest for today and tomorrow. And just to be sure, I wasn't strong enough to lend him a shoulder to walk on, but I wasn't strong enough to do it...

　I understood why, but there was a little thing that stuck with me.
　Couldn't that be done by arranging a carriage or something without bowing to me? That's what it means.
　Even if it's true, Leena is from a nobleman's family, so it's hard to imagine her refusing, and I don't think the Sword of Dawn is so short of money that she can't arrange a carriage.

　I'm sure she has an idea, but I don't feel like she's trying to trick me, and I'm not so new to the djinn that I'd refuse, so I told Leena I'd take it on and started preparing to leave.



　When I headed to the infirmary with Leena, I found Jin there, with only his upper body up in bed, looking dazed and quiet.
　Amur was not in this room. Apparently they thought it would be bad to put the winner and the loser in the same room, so they put them in separate rooms.

'Yo! I'm here!

　When I called out to him in a deliberately cheerful manner, Jin slowly responded.

'Ah, Temma... sorry to bother you...'

　He seemed to be depressed to the extent that it was hard to imagine from his usual djinn, and Menas and Garratt who were by his side also looked gloomy as if they had been caught.

'You're not feeling well... yeah, yeah, Leena asked me for some medicine! Um ... here it is! That's it!

　I pulled a vial of pills out of my bag and handed it to Jin.　

'It's one of the most effective pills I've ever made! Come on, go for it!

　Jin opens the lid with a slow movement as I rush him and gulps it into his mouth. But.........　

Whoa! Ew!

　The djinn sprayed out a good mist of green liquid. And in the direction where Menace and Garratt were........

What happened? Bitter!
"Meh, meh! Yikes!

　Menas has just gotten some of Jin's blown pills in his mouth, but Garratt seems to have gotten them in his eyes and trachea and is coughing and almost throwing up.

　Leena hands Jin and Garratt a towel, Menace goes to wash his face, and I'm pissed off at the doctor who was in the infirmary.　

　After being angered for a while, the doctor licks the medicine that was left in the bottle.

I'm sure you've got some pretty good herbs in there.......if you still have some of this medicine left, could you give me another one? Of course I'll pay for it.

　Jin, not me, responded to those words.

'Hey!' You're not going to use it on the Bandit King, are you!

What's the matter with you?

　Silently the doctor admitted that he would use the drug on Amur. This angered Jin.

'A great deal! You know that Tenma's opponent in the final was the Bandit King! Why would Temma go to the trouble of saving the enemy!

'That's none of my business. I have a good medicine in front of me, and I just want to use it on my patients. Besides, you're getting medicine from Temma, aren't you? As I recall, you've made it to the finals in the team competition as well. Then you should be an enemy of Temma's, right?

Ugh.　

　Jin can no longer argue with the doctor's words. Garratt and Leena also looked awkward as they remembered that they could hit me in a team fight.

''Isn't that a bit different?''

　Menace interjected when he came back to it.

It's true that our team could clash with Temma in the tournament. But our relationship with Tenma is not so shallow that we need to distinguish ourselves as enemies or allies just because we might become opponents in a tournament.

　At Menace's words, the djinn regain their momentum and try to cover Menace.
　The doctor, in contrast, frowned.

It's not something that can be destroyed by such a thing.

　I ministered to Menace's words.
　Then, while I was ministering, I took the pills out of the bag and handed them to the doctor.

'Yes, here are the pills. Just make sure it's harmless for you before you use it.

Good. And I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry for talking to you like that.

　The doctor apologized to me, Jin and the others as he took the pills and tried to pay for them.

You don't have to pay. You'll get the prize money anyway so tell Amur that I'm sharing it with you.

　He didn't accept payment from the doctor for such a slight.
　The doctor smiled bitterly and walked out of the room.

'Hey, was that good? That pill should make the Bandit King recover a lot better. Probably, he should be fully recovered by the final.

　Jin, who is experiencing the effects of the drug firsthand, speaks to me.

It'll be okay. Even if Amur is in perfect condition, I'll still win!

It's kind of complicated for me to say that, but...

　Jin got an indescribable look on his face when he heard my words.

'No, I'm not saying that Jin is weak. It's just that Jin and Amur weren't a good match for each other... and if Amur had taken off that fur from the start, I believe Jin would have won by taking countermeasures.

　 To be honest, it's troublesome.

　As I was thinking about what to do with the seriously ill djinn, Menace tapped me on the shoulder. He hasn't said it out loud, but it seems that he wants me to leave it to him.
　I was curious to see how Menace, who had known Jin for a long time, would encourage him, so I gave Menace the side of the bed, and suddenly Menace slapped Jin on the cheek.

Phew!

Listen, Ging, listen to me!　

　The power of Menace's power pushed Jin to straighten his posture.

'Temma wouldn't tell such a silly lie, would she? After all, it's Temma. He's a tenma who loves to beat the crap out of his opponents, mercilessly. Really, if Jin is so much inferior to the Bandit King, Temma would not only be honest, but he'd exaggerate it a lot and make you look like an idiot that you can't get over! And the Bandit King is Tenma's opponent in the final. There's no way Tenma could misread the strength of an opponent like that! You got it!

　I thought he was going to encourage Jin, but no matter how I hear it, Menace is talking bad about me. However, Menace's words seemed to have an effect, and Jin seemed to have regained his composure a bit.
　You'll be able to find out what you want to say and feel refreshed, and I held out a glass of liquid from the side to Menas, who felt refreshed after saying all that she wanted to say.

''Yeah, thanks.''

　Menace puffs the contents of the cup in one go without checking the contents (stirring). But in the next moment, the contents blew out cleanly............................towards the gin.

Boo!

'Geez! My eyes, my eyes!

　The contents of the cup are really a mixture of vinegar with chili peppers soaked in the medicine given to the gin.
　I don't want to imagine what it tastes like, but it would definitely not be the way the medicine was used.

'That's right Gin. I'm a guy who loves this sort of thing so if Jin was really weak, I'd be tinkering with it in a more interesting way!

　Rather than Jin, he tried to tell Menace, but they were having none of it.
　Menace ran out of the room once more, while Jin wiped his face on a towel with the water in the jug.

　We were fussing around like that, and sure enough, the doctor came back and we were pissed off.

　The doctor examined Jin and Garratt, who had taken off their clothes just for the sake of it, and told them to go home, telling them to stay in bed for the rest of the day tomorrow.
　As a doctor, I didn't think that was appropriate, but it seems that the closing time of the hall is approaching and I can't keep them in bed forever.

　We had no choice, so I took Jin on my back, Menace helped Garratt with his shoulder, and Leena led us to the entrance of the venue.

　Although we didn't pass anyone other than the attendants until near the entrance of the venue, there was one person acting suspiciously at the entrance.　
　When Leena found the person, she became more cautious for some reason and took out her staff from her bag.

　I was feeling uncomfortable with Leena's behavior, but before I could point it out, I called out to the man in front of us who was acting suspiciously.

'What are you doing in a place like that? Ash?

　The suspicious man was Ash Borgman, my first round opponent.
　Ash was startled by my voice and stopped moving for a moment, but he looked relieved when he realized that his opponent was me.

'Oh, it was Temma don't surprise me.

　Ash said and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

'No, I'm the one who's surprised... after all, there's a guy acting like how suspicious he is... if it was a guy I didn't know, I'd report him to the officer without talking to him. I was just there. What the hell have you been doing?

　Hearing my words, Ash reassesses his actions.
　And when he understood that what I was saying was correct, his face turned red and he scratched his cheek.



　Leena seemed to let her guard down somewhat when she saw me and Ash talking, and she tucked her wand into her bag.

'So what was Ash really up to?'

　Ash looked annoyed by my question, but he seemed to see that I wasn't going to drop the question, so he reluctantly told me.

'Temma, do you see that woman standing over there?'

　As I quietly peeked my face from where Ash was acting suspiciously, I saw a woman standing outside the hall with a squire in tow. Although I don't know the details, the woman, who clearly looks much older than Ash, is probably an aristocrat, judging from her well-tailored clothes and the way she's leading her attendants.

　When I used 'Appraisal' to try it out........

His name is Midia Aurio.
Age... 36.
Race... human race.
Title: Third daughter of Viscount Aurio.

　

　As I was twisting my head around at the results of my appraisal, Jin, who was at my back, and Leena, who was peeking out from behind me, seemed to know about Midia.

''Ahhhh.......you're being eyed for being troublesome.......''

It's true... of all things, I wouldn't want to be that wayward old lady...

　It seems to be just a simple matter of being late. In a previous life, it would not be unusual to be unmarried even at the age of 36, but in this world, and in addition to being a nobleman, this is the first time I think I've seen a 36-year-old unmarried.
　Well, from the looks of it, it's understandable that Midea is said to be unmarried.
　After all, she is not a pretty woman by any means, and she also wears heavy makeup and has a bad look in her eyes. And she has been shouting and kicking at her attendant who has been waiting for her for some time now. It's no wonder he's unmarried.
　If this was a family of more than an earl or something umami, minus the marriage with Midea, there might have been a partner, but it might be a difficult order for the Viscount family.

''So, why is Ash hiding from such an aunt?''

　I could imagine most of what Jin and Leena said, but I decided to ask Ash what was going on to confirm it, but before Ash could answer my question, Leena opened her mouth.

'Be your own mistress anyway! .... or something like that.

　Ash nods silently at Leena's speculation. It seems that she is a victim of stalking.
　If this is just a normal person, there would be no problem if Ash himself solved the problem by force, but the other party is a nobleman, so he seems to be confused about taking a hard-line approach.

''Why don't you just go home through the other doorway?

　Ash shook his head at Menace's words. Apparently, that old lady has set up guards at all the entrances and exits.
　I feel bad for Ash, who is in trouble, but since it looks like a hassle, for me, I feel like leaving quickly.
　But for some reason, Leena is trying to think of a solution with a serious face. When I whispered to her to go home quickly, she didn't even notice.

　Could it be that Leena has fallen in love with Ash, so she's thinking seriously about it? Just as I was thinking, Leena suddenly turned to me.

'Can't you do something about it, Temma-san?'

　Leena was looking too serious, so I decided that if she was in love with Ash, I would at least help her out a bit as a friend, so I decided to come up with an idea.

'I guess we need to get out of here first. This one is easy, let me handle it. But the biggest problem is getting that old lady to give up on Ash. The quickest thing to do is for Ash to get a nobleman's girlfriend (.........). Preferably a baronial(s).........

I suppose it's for the best. 'Leena, your family was a baronial family, wasn't it? Do you have any idea who you are?

　Menace, who understood what I was saying, gave Leena a straightforward pass.
　But Leena.........

None.....I haven't been much of a social butterfly myself, so...

　He struck out beautifully. And.....

'Let's get out of here first! Tell us your strategy!

Leena calls Menace's nice pass such a thing and seems to have no teeth in it.
　Me and Menace look at each other and nod our heads, but Leena doesn't notice as she glares at the direction where Midea would be.

''Oh, oh okay ... wait a minute, I think I'm almost ... here.''

　At just the right moment, something that looked like liquid came pouring out of the drain.

"What's the slime here!

　Startled, Ash tried to draw his sword, but Jin and Garratt, who were next to him, stopped him by holding his shoulder.

'Don't panic, that's Temma's family.

　With Jin's explanation, Ash seemed to remember that Slarin was a member of my team's battle team, and he apologized incessantly.

''So, how could Slarin be in the mission... no way!　

　Ash had a strange look on his face, but the faces of the Sword of Dawn seemed to have an idea of the plan we're about to carry out and looked very (...) uncomfortable.

''It's the plan for the invasion and escape. Slarin........Go!

　At my signal, Slarin spreads his body and makes a gesture like he's opening his mouth.
　The part that looks like a mouth looks like a dim curtain or door, which makes the djinn and the others even more anxious.

'You're serious?'

Seriously. This is the hardest to spot.

　I answered Jin's question in all seriousness. In fact, it was less risky and easier than trying to force my way through, and as an added bonus, it had a proven track record. I was convinced that this method was quite practical the last time I used it, so I had practiced it a few times with Slarin since then.

'Now that you've got it figured out, let's get into it.

　I carried Jin on my back and walked into Slarin's.

'Wait a minute! You can at least prepare yourself...

　Jin is making a lot of noise behind my back, but I decide not to worry about it.
　With me and Jin in, the rest of the crew are afraid to enter as well. After confirming that everyone has finished entering, Slarin goes into the drainage ditch with the same small body as he came in and heads back the way he came.


''Temma-oh this isn't quite the slime we're used to.

　Jin, who was sitting on Solomon's favorite sofa, which was set up in Slarin's bag, muttered something like he couldn't believe it.
　That didn't seem to be Jin's only opinion, and everyone else nodded after hearing Jin's words.

''Is that so? But if it's a place you're going to spend your time, even if it's only temporary, then it's only fair to make it easier to spend it, right?

　Jin was dismayed by my words. However, those words seemed to be able to gain the sympathy of the ladies, and Menace and Leena nodded their heads in agreement.
　By the way, Ash seemed to think that Slarin was just a strong slime, and was half in love with Slarin's series of substandard parts.

'By the way, Leena. Are you hiding something from me?

　At my words, I decided to ask Leena, who had let her guard down as soon as she entered Slarin's room, if she had the audacity to ask her directly.

''Hey, what do you mean by that...?''

　Leena is trying to deceive by turning away, but it was clear to everyone that she was trying to deceive.

　Menace, who was suspicious of Leena's situation, pulled Leena and me to the corner.

''Leena, what are you hiding from me? Don't hide anything from Temma, who has taken the trouble to help you,

　Questioned by Menace, who had a slightly stronger tone, Leena indeed gave up and began to tell me the real reason why she had called me.

''I might be looking at it wrong, but I saw someone who looks like a member of 'Shadow Crimson'...''

　Menace frowned at the words, but I didn't recognize the name.

'What's that?'

　They seemed a little surprised by my words, but they seemed to agree on something of their own accord and told me in a small voice.

'It's the name of a party of outcasts. It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

Most of them were either executed or dropped into criminal slavery but three members of the group have not been caught and are still wanted.

　That's why Jin and Garratt, as well as the people involved, Menas and Reena, may have been targeted.

'Didn't Menas and Leena join in?

　When I asked about it, it seems that the request was made by a makeshift party consisting of just Jin and Garratt, as well as some male adventurers they knew. The reason why Menas and the others were left out of the party was because the djinn thought that it would almost certainly lead to a killing contest, so they called for a party of men only.

'I heard that they didn't have that much strength for being involved in violent crimes, but the three who escaped were cunning, and because of that, it was hard for those guys' misdeeds to be discovered.

So I used Mr. Tenma to ensure my safety. I'm sorry.　

I apologize to you but Leena, you have to tell your friends about such an important matter!

　Menace apologized to me and then dropped his fist to Leena, who was bowing next to him.
　Leena was squirming in pain, but she started to tell me why she was silent as she held her head down.

'But I didn't think it would be a good idea to worry about Jin-san and Garratt-san, who were badly injured, just to say that there was something like that... I simply forgot about Menace-san, but...' ...Ouch!

　Leena, who added the last bit of extraneous information, had been dropped for the second time today, a fist shot.

''It would be more dangerous if I didn't tell you!

　Watching the two of them interact with each other, I didn't care about being used.

''Well, I'll forgive Menace's fist-bone for using me. As for the survival of those outcasts, I'll have them report back to you through my acquaintances in the royal city, and I'll try to keep an eye out for them as well.

　He concluded that for now, and the three of them walked back to Jin and the others.

'Hey. What were the three of you talking about, just the three of you?

　He asked with a bit of anger at the fact that Jin was left out of the group. Garratt doesn't seem to be as angry as Jin, but he still seemed to be a little concerned that Menace had taken me instead of them.

''Well, well, you know...''

'Well....'

　They turned to the two who seemed to have trouble saying it, and I decided to explain it to Jin and the others.

''Actually, Jin........''

Oh, yeah.

　I suddenly made a serious face and started talking, so Jin and Garratt naturally turned serious as well.

When Menace heard about it, he was mad at Leena earlier.

　I said such a joke with a serious look on my face, so Jin and Garratt couldn't seem to get their heads around what was said for a moment. But the moment they understood what I had done, Garratt laughed out loud and Jin hurriedly started sniffing his body.

''Hahahahaha... ta, you sure do smell like sweat now Jin!

　Jin was depressed when Garratt even told him. Leena was about to say something, but couldn't speak as Menace blocked her mouth from behind, so she couldn't say anything.

''Well I'm sorry I'll have to hurry up and wash up when I get home...''

　In my mind, I apologized to Jin, but I decided not to tell him the truth for now.

'Oh, and by the way, Jin and the others can stop at my place for today.

　When I told them that, the djinn looked at me and looked like they wanted to say something.
　Just as Jin was about to open his mouth, Slarin's mouth opened first, revealing a doorway that was connected to the outside.

　Just to be sure, I went out first, and found that it was in an alleyway far away from the venue.
　After making sure there was no one around, I brought out the djinn from inside the slarin'.

'Is Ash okay around here?'

　Hearing my words, Ash, who had been quiet until then, checked his surroundings and nodded.

'Yeah, it's okay. My inn is close from here. I got a pretty good inn, so once you're inside, no matter how noble you are, you can't mess with it. Thank you Temma, thank you for your help.

　With that, he shook hands with me and Ash walked out of the alley.

'Well, we'll be on our way then,'

　With that said, I got Tanikaze and the carriage out of my bag, tied it up, and decided to pick everyone up and head home.