After about an hour and a half of driving the Tanikaze, we were able to reach the mansion.
　The djinn seem to be nervous about meeting their grandfather, but my guess is that they're glaring at someone who's going to be more nervous soon.

　There were still a lot of people in front of the mansion, but as I approached the carriage, they gladly cleared the way for me, so it seems that there are no recriminations or other poor quality people today (...).

'Open the gate!'

　I give the order at the gate, and two golems grow out from by the gate, opening the gate and guiding me to the carriage.
　I continue to lead the carriage to the front door, and I find a familiar, modest carriage that does not belong to the house at the carriage yard. It looks like my prediction was correct.

'I'm home.'

　I stood in front of the front door, and it opened in time for me to do so.

'Welcome home, Temma-sama,'

　
　When that sister (Aina) raised her head, I saw her sister (Aura) coming over here in a hurry.

''Oh, welcome home, Tenma-sama!

I'm home. And Aina. I've brought four guests with me today, so I need you to prepare food and lodging for them.　

Yes, sir. Aura, please escort our guest to the parlor. And Master Temma, our guest is waiting for you and Merlin.　

　Aura's presence fades as Aina responds to her. Lately, I've been doing things like being the head maid of this mansion at one hand, so I've gotten into the habit of asking Aina to do things unintentionally.

''I get it. Is the place your grandfather's room?

　Aina nodded at my question.
　There are two people I can quickly think of who would come to my house at this time of year and wait in my grandfather's room.

Yo!

　The muscular man was there. And as expected, it was his son.

'I knew it was my son.'

　The Military Service Lord (Lyle-sama) nodded his head at my words. My grandfather seemed to have figured out everything by my words alone, and he laughed and told Lyle-sama.

The three of us laughed for a moment, and then I remembered that I had something to discuss with Lyle-sama.

''Does Lyle-sama know about Shadow Crimson?''

　Lyle-sama and Grandpa's eyes sharpened at my words, and they came to stare at me.

''Temma what happened?''

You're not exactly curious if you're putting that name out there in front of me. Did you get any information?

　I was a little surprised by their reactions, but I told them that Leena had seen someone who looked like that.

I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on, but I can't just move the knights around without a second hand account of someone who seems to be," he said. I'm sorry, but please call this Lina or something like that.

　Hearing those words, I went to the parlor to call Leena and found the members of the Sword of Dawn there, quite relaxed. Slarin and the others were there as well, begging for a snack (but only the two wolves and dragons).

''Leena, I'm sorry, but can you come over?''

Me? I understand.　

　He seemed a little doubtful that he was the only one called, but Leena followed me without asking any questions.

'I've brought her in,'

　He seemed to feel uncomfortable with the words I used, but I ignored Leena, who was looking at me curiously, and let her pass into the room.

''I asked you to do something.......Lyle-sama! I beg your pardon!

　Distracted by her grandfather, Leena was slow to notice Master Lyle, and as soon as she noticed, she immediately fell to her knees and bowed her head.

'This is not an official occasion, make yourself comfortable. More importantly, I heard from Tenma that you saw what appears to be the remnants of the Shadow Crimson... am I right?

'Yes, sir! There was a bit of distance between us, but I saw someone who looked like the features I'd heard about, and as soon as the other one made eye contact with me, he walked unnaturally into a narrow alleyway... only I can't say for sure that he was a member of Shadow Crimson. .....　

　Leena is still nervous after she finishes speaking, still kneeling down and bowing her head.
　Lyle-sama is still crossing his arms and making a difficult face after he finished listening to Leena's story. She seems to be thinking about something.

''Lyle-sama, is there something wrong?''

　After hearing my words, Master Lyle finally opened his mouth.

''No, it's not. I want to keep this between us, but the truth is that in the past month, we have received several reports that we have seen those people in towns and villages close to the royal capital. I think we should do a proper search for this one.

　So, while Lyle-sama was speaking with a serious face, I saw a luxurious carriage stop in front of the gate of the house from the window.
　That carriage is coming through the gate without being stopped by the gate keeper's golem, and is coming towards the front door of the house.

''It appears that Master Lyle has a guest.

　I could imagine what kind of person was coming, and I told Master Lyle that.

'Huh? I have a visitor? .... no way!

　Lyle-sama hurriedly runs to the front door. When we, who were left in the room, also went after Lyle-sama, Aina, who was waiting at the entrance, was just about to open the door.
　Just before Aina opened the door, Lyle-sama quickly cleaned up his appearance and became upright and immobile, looking rather awkward.
　When we arrived next to Lyle-sama, a carriage stopped in front of the open doorway and a woman got out.

'I knew you were here, Lyle.

　Hearing a smiling but sharp pressure-laden voice, not only Lyle-sama, but all the people present broke out in a cold sweat.

''No, Mother. There's a reason for this...''

What is it? Is that more important than the work of royalty?

　Lyle-sama, whose voice was getting sharper and sharper, and who was finally becoming dangerous, unexpectedly put me in front of Maria-sama's eyes.

''In fact, I just heard from Temma that we cannot overlook it in terms of security, and I was trying to take measures!

Well, yes, Tenma but no, that's not the point, congratulations on making it to the final.　

　Maria hugs me while saying that. After hugging me for a moment, I noticed Leena who was behind me.

"As I recall, that's Viscount Trinit........

'Yes, sir! My name is Leena. But I'm far from the Trinit family, so I don't have a name at the moment.

Yeah ... so what's your relationship with Temma?　

　At the growing sharpness of her gaze, Leena said once and for all...

A friend!

　I said so. Maria-sama smiled at those words, and the pressure that was being directed at Leena went weak.

''Come to think of it, you also registered for the team competition. Good luck........Lyle, I'm going! Also, I'll ask you in detail in front of His Majesty about using Temma as an excuse. Aina, you don't have to come back today.

Yes, sir.　　

　Saying that, Maria-sama goes to collect Lyle-sama. Lyle-sama understood that the excuse for using me was known and followed Maria-sama meekly with a pale face.

''Then let's have dinner.''

　Aina closed the door and headed into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.
　When I took Grandpa and Leena to the parlor, I found the three of them there, quiet as if they were killing their breath, Jeanne and Aura giggling beside them.

'What are you doing, all three of you?'

No, because... you know... you hear 'Lyle' and 'Maria' and then all of a sudden you feel a lot of pressure... you know, you're supposed to be quiet and see what happens.　

　Menace and Garratt nodded at Jin's words. By the way, Jeanne and Aura are smiling bitterly because they are used to things like that, so they felt how out of tune their senses are after seeing the three of them react.

　From then on, there were no major happenings. It had been a long time since we'd had a noisy meal. At the beginning of the meal, the four of us who had been nervous about "Merlin the Wise" lightly drank (including my grandfather), and then Nami Taro's intrusion seemed to lift our tensions, and we were having a great time talking about me and the tournament.

　Jin and Garratt went to bed early, as expected, but Menas and Leena stayed up late chatting with the women of the house.



　The next morning, they felt a presence and went out into the garden to find Jin and Garratt there.

'Yo!'

Morning practice?

　While returning the greetings to the two people who called out to me, I took a look at their condition and confirmed that they were recovering a lot.

''If it looks like this, we should be able to recover to a fighting condition by tomorrow.

　They nodded at my words. They will never fully recover, and if they're not good enough, they might just get beaten one way or the other, but it looks like we can still avoid the worst-case scenario of abstaining or putting the burden solely on the women's team.

To be honest, I don't even know if we'll make it through the first round, but at least we'll be on the stage.

'Yeah, Jin's right. You won't get the prize money for this competition, either, if you don't compete.

　The prize money that Garratt refers to is a kind of participation prize that is given to the finalists. The amount of money is 10,000G, but considering the cost of accommodation and living expenses in the royal capital, I'd like to take what I can get.
　Furthermore, if he was able to win, he would get a prize on top of that.

　Even though the Sword of Dawn had the third place prize money in Jin's individual competition, he didn't make that much money because of the injuries and damage to his weapons.
　Besides, maybe there might be some bargains to be had at the auction that will be held after the tournament, so he wants to be able to afford as much as possible.

''Well, if the worst comes to the worst, we can just do some adventurer activities near the King's Capital!

　As a party, Garratt would be in the main competition, and individually, with Garratt in the main competition and Jin in third place, the reputation of the Sword of Dawn would have increased considerably. With that in mind, it was almost certain that they would be able to turn in work that was better than the market rate.

''But don't take it too far.......as expected, it's hard to wake up from sleep when two people die.''

'Don't say anything unlucky!'　

　They both shouted in unison and were breathing on their shoulders, a little tired.

'Are you okay? Don't take it easy.

Whose fault is that, exactly?

You can't tell me that, Jin. Tenma's enjoying himself.

　As Garratt said, having enjoyed the whole thing, I swapped places with the two people sitting nearby and started the morning training.
　First, we unwinded our bodies, ran lightly around the yard, did some bare-bones swinging, self-styled kata, magic control exercises, and finally organizational exercises.........

　In the middle of the day, Jin and Garratt, who had recovered, as well as Menace and Leena, who had woken up, joined them, making it a lively morning practice.
　When the morning practice was over, Aina with Jeanne and Aura brought towels and water bottles for us, so we took a short break before breakfast.

'Speaking of which, isn't anyone going to watch the game today?'

　Everyone shook their heads at my simple question.
　Apparently, no one is interested in a match where no one they know is playing.

'Generally speaking, it's been said that pair matches are full of inferior players compared to individuals and teams.

　Menace added to Jin's words.

''Most people who make it as an adventurer work individually or form a party, right? That's why most of the guys who play alone tend to be brothers, girlfriends or couples. And because the games are scheduled in the middle of the day, the guys who play individually or on a team tend to stay away. As a result, there are fewer famous guys competing.

'Well, some of them only go to pairs of competitions, and some of them are very good at it.

　Leena followed up with a follow-up, but it is true that they are somewhat less exciting than the individuals and teams.

'There are people every year who think that that's why they're the target... but those people usually get beaten up by the pairs' regulars.

　I heard that most of the pairs that participate in the tournament every year advance to the final round, and this tournament was also the first time none of the pairs participated in the final round.

''Then I guess that means everyone is staying quiet for today... anyway, Jin and the others should stay over today too.

'I appreciate that, but I'd have to at least show up at the inn.

　When Jin asked for the name of the inn, Grandpa responded to the name.

When he heard the name of the inn, the old man responded. Oh, in that case I'll talk to the owner of the inn, he's from our hometown.

　To my surprise, it was owned by an innkeeper in the village of Kukri.
　That's why Grandpa decided to take Menas and Leena to the inn after dinner.
　The reason why Menas and Leena are accompanying him is because he can't take Jin and Garratt, who are still not completely healed, with him, and also because he can't enter the girls' room that they are renting, so he decided to go with them.



''At any rate, the two of you should take your medicine and rest after you finish eating.

　Then I handed them both the pills.
　As an added bonus, I handed Jeanne the refill of the pills and she told me that she wanted to talk to me for a bit, so I had to go to my room.

'So what's going on?'

　When I entered Jeanne's room, Aura and Aina were there, and I was surrounded by them, like they wouldn't let me escape.

'It's actually about my usual medication...'

　Jeanne began to speak as she held out the vial of medicine I had given her.

'This potion ... what is it? Since I started taking this potion, not only do I feel better, but I feel like my magic power has gone up as well... this isn't a normal potion, is it?

　As I was thinking about how I was going to misrepresent myself in response to Jeanne's words, Aina saw the situation and opened her mouth.

'Temma-sama, we know what the ingredients for this potion are (...). So please answer honestly. What is it, what is this potion?　

　After hearing Aina's words, I realize that it seems impossible to fake it. So I decide to be honest with you.

'This potion is really a potion made from my blood.

Why did you use it on these two men?　

　Aina doesn't change her face when she hears my answer. On the contrary, Jeanne and Aura have a subtle look on their faces.

'Simply because Jeanne needed a potion made from my blood. Aina would know that the blood of a creature with high magic power can sometimes become a medicine............................that's what I used my blood for Jeanne's medicine.

　It's true about the effects of blood, although it's deceptive in places. In a way, you could think of it as being similar to drinking the blood of spuds.

''I see, that was the reason... but was it necessary for Aura too?''

No, Aura is just a bonus for Jeanne.

Hi-Duck!

　Aura quickly put in a reaction, but me and Aina completely ignored her.

''Then why did this potion make Jeanne and Aura's magical power stronger?

Perhaps it's because my magic power was so strong. Have you ever heard of the rare occasions when you've ingested the flesh and blood of a demon with strong magical power and it increased your magical power?

　These things can be found in the legends and traditions of previous lives. For example, it is the same as the story of how he became immortal by bathing in the blood of a dragon, or how he became long-lived by eating the flesh of a mermaid.
　However, in this world where fantasy creatures called demons and magic and witchcraft actually exist, eating demons and temporarily or semi-permanently increasing their power is a well-documented phenomenon. However, it's really rare...

'I guess that means my blood was good for their constitutions. It's just that if you drink too much of it, it could be poisonous in reverse, so I thought it was time to get you to stop.

'I see..........................I understand. Just don't talk about it to anyone. Jeanne and Aura as well. If the story gets out, there will definitely be people who will come up with something wrong.　

　Jeanne and Aura nodded silently at Aina's words. Even for me, I don't want to get involved in such troublesome things, so I nodded honestly.


Name...Jeanne.
Age...14
Race... human race.
Titles... saint, former baroness, slave of the Temma

HP... 3000.
MP...12,000.

Strength...C-
Defensive Power...C-
Speed...C+
Magical power...A+.
Mental capacity...C+.
Growth Potential...A+
Luck... B

Skills....Light Magic 6, Life Force Enhancement 5, Magic Enhancement 5, Patience 5, Water Magic 4, Swordsmanship 4, Anomaly Resistance 4, Resilience Enhancement 4, Fire Magic 3, Earth Magic 3, Stick Art 3, Growth Enhancement 3.

Blessing...blessing of the goddess of love, blessing of the goddess of earth, blessing of the goddess of life


Her name... is Aura.
Age...16
Race... human race.
Title: Maid Temma's slave.

HP...5500
MP...6500.

Muscle strength...C+.
Defensive Power...C+
Speed...C+
Magic... B
Mental capacity...B
Growth Potential...A
Luck... B

Skills....cooking 9, patience 7, spearmanship 5, fire magic 4, water magic 4, archery 4, swordsmanship 4, martial arts 4, anomaly resistance 4, light magic 3, earth magic 2.

　Their statuses also show some growth. Even if the magic power is influenced by my blood, the increase in muscle strength and patience is definitely due to Aina's discipline.

　When this story was over, there was nothing to do and I had some free time.
　As I was thinking about how I was going to spend my time, someone seemed to be coming to the gate and one of the gatekeeper golems came over here.

　The golem was followed by Aina, so I went back to my room and was preparing to polish my weapons, when Aina came calling for me.
　Apparently, it was my guest who was at the gate earlier, so I went to the parlor and found a woman I didn't recognize there.

'Who are you?'

　I asked him anyway, and he said he was a convention attendant. Apparently, he had come because he was able to let us know at short notice.
　When I took a seat across from them, Jin and the others entered the room a little later. Menas and Leena were also with them. Apparently, Aina had approached them just before they went to the inn.

'So what was the news?'

'Yes, sir! In fact, it's kind of a short notice, but we've decided to change some of the rules!　

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

　The female attendant replied with a nervous look on her face, to which we all shouted out in surprise at the sudden decision.
　The female attendant was surprised and slightly frightened by it. However, she began to talk nervously, trying to elaborate.

''Le, the changes to the rules are 'advance application for the weapons and armor to be used' and 'lending a magic bag specifically for the tournament'. Since the foul play of Cayos was so vicious, it was decided that we should know the weapons and armor to be brought in beforehand...

'Out of the blue it's true that there were some monkeys in the rules of the tournament, but it's not something to change during the tournament, is it?'

　The female attendant shrugs at Menace's point. 'It's certainly too hasty and doing it now would only cause confusion.

''As for the circumstances of the decision, I'm a lowly person, so I don't know much about it. There was also talk of 'restrictions on weapons and armor,' but it seems that this was removed as untenable. Because of the delay in the referee's response, they are going to declare the use of any weapons other than those that were applied for as penalties and try to make the match run as smoothly as possible.

But doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a trump card?

　We nodded at Jin's words.

''We'll just have to give them the benefit of the doubt and trust that the convention officials won't divulge anything about it to the outside world.

'I'm not sure I'm supposed to believe you but what are the participants today saying?'

　In response to Garratt's question, the female attendant looked a little troubled.

'There was a strong rebellion at first. However, when we inspected them a bit more forcefully, we found that nearly half of the players had something that looked like it could be trapped in the regulations.

What do you mean by that?　

　In response to Leena's question, the female attendant took out her notes and gave examples while checking them.

'Well, the most common were potions such as magic recovery, some of which were divided into small bottles and pill types. The next most common were potions that increased resistance. These were also brought in small bottles and pill types. We've also seen disposable barrier-type items.

　I don't think all of those items are intended to be used during the game. However, I thought it might make sense to change the rule, since it is possible to use the pill-type items, for example, without the referee noticing.

In order to eliminate as many violations as possible, they're going to deal with the other rules with as little disruption to the players as possible. I'm sorry, but we would appreciate your cooperation.

　The female attendant bowed her head as she said that. After actually inspecting the item and finding a suspicious item with a questionable purpose of use, there may be some things that can't be helped.

The reason for this is that I understand why, and I want to cooperate to the extent that I can. But please just show me the fairness in a way that everyone can understand.

　The djinn agreed with my words. The female attendant seemed relieved to see them.

'Thank you! As far as fairness is concerned, we've asked the Knights and others for their cooperation and have received their approval for now. But, I'm glad. We were able to get the approval of the Temma players!

　Unlike when I came, the female attendant was a bit buoyant. When I asked her about it, she gave me a surprising look.

'Huh? Because it's not surprising that Temma is the most popular player in this tournament. I was told from above that when I heard that a player like that had come around to agree with me, it should make it easier for me and others to agree!

　While saying this, the female attendant left with a light step, as if she was half skipping.

'When did I become so influential?'

　At the question I casually spilled, everyone present looked at me as if they were looking at a strange object.

''.......what?''

　Seeing my reaction, Jin comes over and puts his hand on my shoulder. Then Jin walked back into the room without saying a word. Seeing this, we each started to move.

'Temma your own success is extraordinary by all accounts!

　Before I knew it, Namitarou, who had been approaching me, was laughing at me when he said that.
　

　After that, it was decided to proceed with preparations for tomorrow's tournament, a little bewildered.