"Winner, second-farth test!

　The verdict is handed down by the judge.

　A man looks down with a sad face and a man kneeling and fainting.
　By all accounts, it was a complete victory for the second first test.


　That is, the great man who had reigned for more than twenty years had lost his crown.

　That is. It means the birth of a new Ichusenza, who never suffered a scratch from his first fight, ending all of their confrontations in less than 40 seconds.

　...... Instantly. A new era dawns, so beautiful and soul-destroyingly overwhelming that everyone is dazzled.


“--!

　Like a dam, an angry cheer exploded throughout the arena.

　That Rossman former single flashing zodiac was not even a match. There was no hand or foot in the air. He was instantly killed as if he was twisting a baby's hand.

　All the spectators could sense it. That it was too extraordinary. But there were only a few who truly understood it.
　Those who stopped thinking without understanding and only accepted the facts in front of them in a frenzy. Those who object to the inexcusable ludicrousness of it, knowing that they are powerless to do anything about it. Those who cannot understand and escape from reality. Those who perceive the unconventional and divinely transcendent technique and tremble. Those who fall in love with it. Those who admire it. One who is amazed. Some are afraid.

　All kinds of emotions, positive and negative, are intertwined in a whirlpool, and never stop.

　But everyone will have had it engraved in their hearts. The name "Second First Test".
　What will happen to this man? What will he show us? All eyes are on him, waiting in frenzied anticipation.

　At last. The second first test will be recognized by the world.

　This is the first step in our quest to return to the top spot in the world.
　And it was a big step, too big a step.


　Most of the spectators here don't know yet - that he'll be competing for another title.




　　* * * *.



Klaus. What do you think?
'I am no longer dismayed. Your Majesty.

　The bleachers at the front of the arena. King Mine Castal speaks to his brother, Klaus Castal, who is now only a squire, having lost his title as First Prince and the name Castal.

　He is now a mere squire, having lost his title as First Prince, the name Castal, and become Mine's 'slave'.

I had no idea what was going on. Klaus seems to have figured it out, doesn't he?
Yes. When it comes to swordsmanship, I'm proud to say that, with the exception of the contestants in the Unassault Tournament, I'm ranked number one or two in the kingdom.

　Mine says things from above, albeit in a polite manner. Klaus, with his fluent respectful language, bows his head. Not long ago, this would have been an unthinkable sight, but in the current royal palace, this is an absolute relationship.

　Klaus was able to barely hold on to his life by becoming Mine's slave due to the strong protection provided by Mine's own mother, Fron Castal, and due to no small amount of extenuating circumstances.

　The restrictions of slavery are unparalleled and severe. There are more than a dozen additional restrictions, including "absolute obedience," which makes it impossible to disobey any of their master's orders, and "no attacks" which means that they can never attack a specific person. as well. Klaus accepted them indulgently.


'Quintessential Second, is it?'
It's not like that's all you need to do.
Shouldn't it be done?
Yeah.

　Klaus was a little irritated by Mine's muttered 'quicksilver', which could be described as a thought stoppage.

　How in the world was that skill that that man had just displayed just now!　I would have barked that if I could. It was only because Klaus himself was a top-notch swordsman that he hated it. He was extremely frustrated that he couldn't share that excitement with Mine right now. He also thought that without understanding that, he would not be able to serve as King Castal.

　But at the same time, it made sense why Mein had placed himself next to him to watch this single-sided match. It was to make him explain the content of the match. Mine was trying to compensate for his own ignorance with Klaus, and he was trying to learn. If he was ignorant, he would spend his time humbly and diligently, like an ignoramus. Klaus has changed his mind about that as well as one of the ways of being a king.

　Until now, they were enemies and avoided each other. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the future.


''Your Majesty. I think Your Majesty is numb to the senses.
Paralysis, sir?
'Yes. Probably, no, no doubt, because he spent some time with the Second New Sparkle.
Hmm ...... how numb are you to the extent that you are?

　Klaus thinks about Mine's question. He wonders how to explain it in a way that is easy to understand.

　Even though he was used by the vizier and the First Queen, he was a man who had been the First Knight Commander at the age of 20, his groundwork was not that bad. Also, his abilities were undoubtedly top-notch.

''I am skilled enough to overwhelm three average knights of the First Order.
'Yes. I know it well.
Suppose I were to have a hundred fights with Lord Kasakari.
'A hundred fights? Klaus would have won twenty.

No. I can say with certainty that I have lost 100 fights. I can say with certainty that it's a hundred losses; a hundred fights and a hundred losses; if you've fought a thousand fights, you've won one, and you may or may not get it.

............ That's it, huh?

　Here, Mine finally seemed to understand the full picture.

''Kasakari-dono and Rothman-dono's results against each other. ''You know that, Your Majesty.''
'Yes. For the past 20 years, Mr. Rothman has been a flashpoint for the past 20 years. ......

　Mine makes a blue face as he says to himself.

''I let that Lord Rothman twist and crush you unilaterally without a hand or foot. I want you to know exactly how this is going to happen.
...... But at one point it looked like Ms. Rothman was pushing it a bit.
'No way. I was letting him push. The Second Flashing Zodiac dared to skimp on what he could have originally decided. If it was too tasteless, they must have played with it a bit. Or they were more concerned with entertainment for the audience. At the end of the day, it wasn't even a game to begin with.
............

　Mine cringed at Klaus' explanation.

　He had thought that he was above the clouds. He kept looking up from the foot of zero meters above sea level all the way to the summit, which is hidden by the clouds. Finally, when I reached the top of the clouds ...... the distance from the bottom to the clouds was tens of times higher than the distance from the bottom to the clouds. The top was so hazy that you couldn't see it.

　I'm not sure if the concept of the universe exists for them living in this world. But if they knew about it, they would surely think that they were of the universe. That he is a man of the universe. He is an alien. That the top of the mountain must have reached into outer space.


'Once again I found it terrifying. And so does Klaus?
I am ...... in awe. If I could, I would learn the sword from him.

　Unexpected words. Mine rolled his eyes ...... and then chuckled.

'You're getting round, brother.'

　A smile much like his mother, Hron.
　Klaus smiled back, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit.

''The position of First Prince. The pride, the power, and the adherence to the next king. Now that I think about it, it seems I didn't need it.''


　And Mein. You're not a fool, little brother. You've grown up to be a smart, innocent man.




　　* * * *




It's not what I expected.

　Night. Mumbling, I insisted.

'What's the difference?　The Second New Flash Theater.

　Silvia says teasingly.

　There is currently a modest "Congratulations on winning the First Test Mansion" party being held. The reason why it's so modest is because Sylvia's battle against General Kisenshou is coming up tomorrow, and my battle against General Eishou is coming up the day after tomorrow, so it's ass-kicking. A big party will be held after all the events are over.

　But even if it's a small party, it's a party of sorts. In addition to the usual members, about a dozen or so servants of high rank such as Cubero and Eve have been invited to join the party. However, although we invited them to join us for a drink, they were busy serving us for some reason. So we ended up having dinner with the usual members.

Do you hear me, Sylvia?
Hmm. Let's hear it.

　It's been an hour now, and I'm complaining about this, tipsy, and I'm complaining about this.

"The title fight was about 10 times lower than I expected.
Jeez, tenfold: ......

　The contestants of the first round of matches, they are residents of this world from the beginning. That is to say, they should be swordsmen for a living. They are supposed to be professional swordsmen. And yet, that's ...... too much.

I'm curious. That's worrisome. How is it?　Didn't you feel pathetic until now?　Wasn't it boring watching amateurs muddle through with each other?
'No, I used to be a better amateur than you, so I didn't really care.
I see. That's one way of looking at it.

　Whenever there's alcohol, Silvia and I become talkative, Eco falls asleep and Yukari becomes even more silent. That's why it's always me and Silvia who talk most of the time when it comes to the evening drink.

'Only, I can understand it now, but ...... not long ago, I wouldn't have been able to see what Second-dono was doing watching the fight today.
You're not serious. You're an aspiring knight?　Didn't you ever learn swordsmanship?
''Even if you learned some, you wouldn't recognize that one, usually. It's not a bad idea to have a little bit of training. That's why the title fights are so entertaining for the masses.
Is it just because it's low-level stuff for the masses?
"Hmm. I'm sorry to say it, but yes. But I suppose Second-dono's swordsmanship is also for the masses in a way.
What do you mean?
'The way you win is brilliant and pleasant. For the layman, it's a mysterious and exhilarating experience that will become a habit. That's why it's for the masses. Plus, it's a lot of fun for the experts to contemplate, and for the stronger players to learn a lot. It's certainly more interesting than traditional title fights, in my opinion.
Oh, that's right. Sylvia, that's, you know, it's a given. Essentially, that's what a title fight should be.
Okay, I see.
'Yes. So I was disappointed.
'I was looking forward to it, but when I opened the lid, it wasn't even up to the level it should have been. That's kind of ...... pathetic.
'Yes. I was angry at first, but now ...... I'm just sad.


　Suddenly, I noticed that the servants, who had finished serving and were unavailable, were quietly listening to me and Sylvia's conversation.

''Hey, what do you think we should do?''

　I tried to talk to the servants, as it would be boring to listen in silence.
　The first person to respond was the butler, Cubero.

'How about raising an apprentice like Silvia-sama and Eco-sama? I foolishly think that it would be possible to raise the standard of the title fight by having high-level people who have grown up with Second-sama as their master compete in the title fight.
That's a pretty nice offer. What else?

　I asked for ideas in addition to the cubellos.
　Several people raised their hands, so I popped them in order from one end to the other.

'Our servants will eventually compete in the title game for you to see. That would surely raise the standard of the title fight and bring honor to the master, killing two birds with one stone.

　The words of a ladylike maid named Champagne. I see, making a servant as an apprentice might be a good idea.

''I am of the opinion that somewhere in the world there is someone hiding who has not yet competed in a title fight, but is highly skilled in combat. Therefore, I believe that those people will be uncovered by the master's great efforts or by provoking them to a great extent.

　A red-haired maid with a side-tail named S. He's quite sharp. Activity, and provocation or ...... if I'm that lurking fellow, I'll never be quiet.

I think it's best to be master just the way you are. After seeing what the master did today, a strong man would not be able to stand still for a long time. I'm sure a lot of people will be there during the summer months, right?

　A manly, semi-long red-haired maid named Elle. You're Es's sister. If you combine that with my sister's opinion, I've already been active and provoked, so all I have to do is wait and see, is that what you're saying?　Hmmm, you do have a point.

I agree with you, Elle. The Second Lady's overflowing, super charismatic charm is sure to attract the world's most powerful men and women like insects drawn to honey.

　Lily, the garden-headed, muckiest lady in the world. She's always complimenting me. But with that governor's theory, I don't like the idea of attracting vermin.

Oh ...... ......
I dare to disclose some of the information about the master's skill acquisition requirements to the public in order to raise the overall standard. I am suggesting that we try to raise the overall standard.

　The words of Eve, the pure white maid, were stated by Luna, the interpreter.

　Instantly, I felt the air freeze. ''Is this guy insane?'' A stare that could be both surprised and dismayed, such as.

''Ha!　......?
'Did I say something strange again?　I do, sir.
No, not in the least bit. I guess that makes sense.
''Huh~!''
'Thank you, master,' he said. And I am embarrassed.

　Because of the unwanted supplementation by Luna, Eve's face is flushed as if it was mixed with red paint. It's easy to understand because of the white skin, poor thing. When I unintentionally blurted out, Eve got teary-eyed and shuddered, and bashed Luna next to her.


'Now, have you got an idea?'

　There were no more hands raised after that.

　Okay, I see. All great ideas. After hearing everyone's opinions, I've been able to sort things out for myself.

　It was a mistake to get my hopes up in the first place. It was still a story of the future. It's just after the grand opening, so to speak. The world of Mövius Online will continue to grow together with its inhabitants.

　And if it is. If I don't enliven it, who is going to? I'm not going to be the only one. I'll give you a good vibe.


"Okay, ...... I'll take care of everything.

Mr. Second, that's...
Master, it's-

　I stand up and declare.
　Immediately, Sylvia and Yukari came in to stop me. It's not surprising that these two people are in unison with each other's voices.

''Why stop?''
That's not a good idea. Isn't that the kind of thing that's degrading?
"You must not easily disclose the conditions of your skill set. It must be kept secret.

　Is that right?　Well, you can't do too much of anything.

Then do it all in moderation.
Can you believe it?　You always talk about moderation and messing things up!
I don't trust the master to be moderate. When he hears a pinch of salt, he throws in a handful.

　The fact that they were my friends and yet, now and then, I found out that they didn't trust me at all. Sad.
　Or perhaps it was Yukari's words that revealed to the servants that I can't cook anything other than barbecue very well.

I know, I know. Well, I'll talk to you about it first. Is that all right?
'Well, that's fine with me, but ...... don't ever get me involved. Never!
...... There's no way around it. Master won't listen to you once you start talking, so we'll compromise.

　Sylvia is wary of the fact that she must be in a bad way because she has been tinkering with it too much on a regular basis. Is she faking it?
　Yukari is still as cold and venomous as ever. It's a different person from the night.

''I can't eat anymore, okay?
What?

　Eco said something.

'What's up?'
............zzz.
'You talk in your sleep!　It's too clear!


　Thus, the congratulations party for winning the Ichibenzza was over.

　Tomorrow, it will be Silvia's Demon Punisher's Battle.