Black Badger

Chapter 428: Old Stories, the Familiar Tournament (2)

The blare of a horn announced the participants’ entrance.

This was my first time seeing a familiar tournament.

With my hands clasped behind my back in proper form, I looked down at the arena. No familiar faces yet.

Unfamiliar men stepped out onto the flat dirt field, each leading their familiars.

Two lines had been drawn on the ground with magic.

They took their positions in front of them.

The familiars moved to stand ahead of their handlers, as if shielding their masters. Throughout the tournament, each handler was allowed to enter with up to three familiars. The competition proceeded in a knockout format—only those with no losses advanced to the finals—and during that time, swapping familiars or forming new contracts was forbidden.

If all of a handler’s familiars died in the first match, it was an automatic loss.

Even if all three familiars were merely injured to the point that they were deemed unable to participate in the next match, that too counted as an automatic loss.

For reference, the condition for winning a match was to render the opponent’s “primary familiar” incapable of combat for ten seconds.

If the opposing handler became unable to continue the match, that was also recognized as a victory.

Intentionally attacking the handler instead of the familiar was against the rules—

But if there was no intent to cause injury, it wasn’t considered a serious violation....

That was the problem.

The word “intentional” was ambiguous.

There was plenty of room for biased judgment.

That was the part we were most worried about in Kairos’s first match.

Kraaah!

Those who entered the familiar tournament craved victory.

There were no restrictions on the types of Creatures one could contract, so handlers gritted their teeth and brought out lethal, massive beasts.

Thud—!

That was why, right now, a bear-like Creature twice the size of a human was fighting an Executioner in front of our eyes.

An Executioner.

I narrowed my eyes at the nasty Creature I’d grown sick of seeing back in the villages.

My stomach churned.

I felt a visceral revulsion toward that goat-like monster with both eyes wrapped in cloth.

Seeing a creature with a goat’s head and a human-like body made my brow crease hard.

Wham!

“Wooooah!”

“Kyaaah!”

“That’s it!”

“Teddy!”

Regardless, the match continued.

The Executioner swung the enormous hammer it was holding.

Amid the crowd’s frenzy, the bear-like Creature was struck and collapsed to the ground.

The bear’s owner cried out, on the verge of tears, calling to his familiar.

“Teddy! Teddy!”

A ruling victory for the Executioner’s side.

The crowd erupted, and the victor raised a clenched fist.

Wooooah!

I sighed as soon as the outcome was decided, watching spectators scream at the top of their lungs.

What was so fun about this that they watched with such fervor?

There were many knights who viewed handlers unfavorably, and in that moment, I thought I understood why.

Watching handlers make their familiars fight in their place wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Even if most of those Creatures were aggressive, cruel beasts marked for extermination.

Kairos seemed like a decent sort, but....

[The next competitors are entering!]

With my brow still furrowed, I looked down as the matches continued.

One bout followed another. Just as I’d heard, when a rookie with no real skill appeared, the match either ended absurdly fast or dragged on to the point of boredom. Reckless orders led to instant conclusions, or else the handlers ran in circles until nothing was decided.

If things went on too long, the match master—using amplification magic on his # Nоvеlight # throat—stepped in to impose penalties.

After settling wins and losses through various restrictions, the next participants were brought out.

“Brabant! Brabant! Brabant!”

The famous handlers stood out immediately.

The atmosphere changed the moment they appeared. The crowd roared with ferocity, and even nobles who’d been slouched lazily in their seats, plucking grapes to eat, straightened up.

So this one must be the same.

“Arsenia!”

Even the Creature he brought out carried a certain renown.

I looked down at the man called Brabant, waving his hand broadly.

Arsenia—the humanoid bull—slammed its spear into the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The surging cheers testified to their reputation.

They seemed a bit less famous than Shane, who’d finished his match in under a minute two bouts ago.

Shane had probably been last year’s champion, if I remembered right.

Then this handler must’ve been the runner-up, or something along those lines.

“Arsenia! Smash them!”

Who was this poor bastard facing him?

I thought as I looked down at the blond man grinning smugly.

“Break all three of them!”

That Creature looked strong enough to rival an Executioner.

Judging by Brabant’s demeanor, he didn’t look like someone who fought gently. I watched him indifferently as he responded to the cheers by repeatedly drawing his thumb across his throat in a cutting gesture.

Apparently that kind of theatrical attitude was part of his appeal.

To me, it looked less like confidence and more like outright arrogance....

[Oh, unfortunately, Brabant’s opponent is a complete newcomer.]

From the opposite side, his competitor walked out.

[The handler’s name is Kairos!]

Kairos.

I watched the red-haired man walk out calmly.

And those dazzling orange eyes that made it impossible to hide his origins.

Kairos wore the same clothes as always.

And he was alone.

“Hm?”

Despite sensing presences, I was momentarily confused.

I couldn’t see any familiars with the naked eye.

“Huh?”

Only after narrowing my eyes did I grasp the situation.

I wasn’t the only one startled. The entire audience let out confused noises. The murmur spread like a current through the crowd. Some people even rose from their seats to get a better look.

I saw Kyle opposite me mouth a curse.

Fair enough.

I let out a hollow laugh as I watched the handler calmly step up to the white line.

Who would bring out such tiny Creatures?

Kairos had, by regulation, entered with three familiars.

They were ones I didn’t even know the names of. Small, white, flying Creatures shaped like tiny human lungs, usually seen moving in swarms. A large, cocoon-like Creature that liked to burrow through the ground.

And a slime.

One of the nobles raised his voice.

“How utterly insolent!”

His booming shout echoed through the arena.

“What do you take the familiar tournament for?!”

At the anger in his voice, the commoners quickly sat back down.

But the one being scolded remained unfazed.

I watched, stunned, as Kairos lifted his head and looked up at the noble.

The red-haired man offered a courteous bow toward the VIP seats.

“I swear on my soul. I am approaching this match with absolute sincerity.”

“And yet you bring such trifles with you?”

A noble who’d risen from his seat sneered.

His unnecessarily loud voice carried his mockery throughout the arena.

“Is that all the Creatures that live on the plains?”

Laughter burst from the crowd.

Some didn’t understand what he meant. Some stiffened at his words. But most laughed along without thinking.

To curry favor with the noble, or simply because they found his taunting amusing.

I carefully suppressed the anger surging up inside me.

Deliberately fixing my gaze on Kairos so I wouldn’t glare at the noble.

And feeling a flicker of pride that Kyle didn’t charge forward.

“No.”

Amazingly, Kairos was still calm.

At this point, it was almost awe-inspiring.

“I will show you a fine match, Baron.”

Rei Renyr recognized him immediately as well.

He seemed interested only in Creatures, yet somehow he’d memorized the nobles’ faces perfectly.

“Sit down and stop disgracing yourself.”

The series of disturbances ended with the finance minister’s indifferent intervention.

“Is there a rule stating one must bring only visually impressive Creatures?”

The Baron couldn’t oppose the Grand Duke at all.

The moment he sat back down with a sour expression, the match began.

I watched the arena, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

No matter how I looked at it, Brabant seemed like he’d come out far too aggressively....

[Match start!]

Wham!

Kiiieeek!

What?

The spear-wielding bull clutched its eyes.

Before anyone could react, the assault continued.

Wham wham—!

“You coward!”

Wham!

The match ended far faster than expected. The reason was simple: tiny flying Creatures had darted too fast to track and stabbed at the bull’s eyes.

They struck again and again, blocking its vision.

Even swinging its hammer blindly, it couldn’t hit anything—they were too fast.

Reeling in pain, the bull lost its balance when a cocoon-like Creature burst up from the ground and struck its heel.

Thud!

“Get up!”

Then it was trapped in slime, unable to move for ten seconds.

“Get up, now!”

And just like that, it was over.

Everyone was stunned.

Amid it all, the match master was the first to recover.

[Kairos wins!!]

“Boooo!”

The audience, regaining their senses, shouted.

“What was that?!”

“That was just a trick. It won’t work twice.”

“Fight fair and square!”

Complaints poured out the moment the victory was confirmed.

The Baron raged and pointed from the VIP seats.

I stood there with my mouth open, watching Kairos—smiling easily even amid the anger—offer his closing salute.

He bowed politely to the nobles who were laughing derisively, then extended a hand to Brabant.

Naturally, it was refused coldly.

Kairos merely showed a brief, bitter smile.

After bowing once more, he calmly gathered his familiars, turned, and left.

What was he planning to do from tomorrow’s match onward?

I watched the red-haired man recede, my thoughts heavy.

Now that he’d shown his hand, that tactic wouldn’t work again in the next match....

***

That worry quickly proved pointless.

The tournament usually lasted between twenty and twenty-five days. The exact length varied with the number of participants, but one thing didn’t change: each participant fought one match every other day.

A familiar tournament that continued until a final victor was decided.

This year, the undeniable center of attention was Kairos.

Both inside and outside the arena.

Brabant, who’d lost to Kairos on the first day, harbored resentment and attempted a nighttime ambush.

It was fortunate we’d called Kairos to our tent beforehand, just in case. Kyle personally dealt with Arsenia and Brabant, beating them down neatly. Kairos actually had to stop Kyle, saying it was enough.

Rumors spread, of course.

Whether because of those rumors or because of his bizarre familiars, the crowd was noticeably larger at Kairos’s second match.

Even nobles like Meierbold and Grand Duke Jacques—who weren’t expected to attend—showed up again.

In that packed second match, Kairos won a resounding victory.

I thought he’d win the same way again—

But this time, Kairos used the slime to swallow spells fired by the opposing familiar, then returned them in spectacular fashion.

I’d never known a slime could attack like that.

“Wooooah!”

This time, the crowd cheered.

They raised their fists, shouting that they never knew slimes could be so powerful.

“So the first match wasn’t a fluke!”

The third match wasn’t a fluke either.

None of his victories were cheap. There were no losses. Kairos continued to claim victory using small, nameless Creatures.

Watching the number of people rooting for him steadily grow, I let out a silent breath of admiration.

Winning in a different way every single match—it was nothing short of astonishing.

Is this what they mean by a comet-like rookie?

I should’ve known, after seeing how he handled a Bambi Winged Bird.

As the tournament entered its later stages, the days Kairos fought drew especially large crowds.

It seemed the nobles had heard the news too, as their numbers gradually increased.

The Grand Duke even left immediately after Kairos’s matches ended.

Which was to say—he’d come solely to see what the red-haired handler would do.

Watching the entire affair with weary eyes, Kyle commented on the day Kairos secured his spot in the semifinals,

“Why is that guy always at the center of every rumor?”

Sounds like his tribe went through plenty as well....

There were attempts at interference.

Handlers who, when cornered, pulled out a fourth familiar, or those who “accidentally” tried to poison Kairos.

Those who didn’t resort to dirty tricks were practically rare.

Yet in none of those situations did I need to step in.

Before I could even leap into the arena, Kairos handled it himself.

Had he trained specifically for moments like this?

His responses were deft.

In any case, each response only added more brilliance to the red-haired handler’s dramatic victories.

His name swept through the Imperial Avenue like wildfire.

To what extent?

On the day of the semifinals, the Emperor, the master of the mage tower, and the High Priest appeared side by side.

Counts and marquesses were there as well.

It wasn’t even the final....

The semifinals were so packed that people stood shoulder to shoulder beside the seats.

“Do you think that rookie will make it to the finals alive.”

As we waited for the match to begin, Kysis—appearing in the arena for the first time—approached and spoke.

“I’m hearing some curious rumors.”

I stared straight into his violet eyes.