I needed to thoroughly analyze the rules of this tournament before making a move.
“I understand that the competition is divided into eight groups, but how are the groups assigned? How are the brackets determined? Also, is entry open to anyone who wants to join?”
“First, there’s a preliminary round. As we speak, it’s already underway. Anyone who manages to break even a single layer of the magic prepared by the Church of Goddess⋯⋯ the『The Wild Dog That Protects the Goddess』—will qualify.”
“Ah, that magic.”
I had seen Tara use it before. A Divine Magic with excellent defensive properties that was capable of summoning a massive shield with three dog heads.
It was the perfect tool for filtering out unqualified participants. Anyone hoping to break through would need to be at least an average of 2 Stars in ability, meaning a random farmer from a remote village wouldn’t be making the cut.
But what happened to those who did pass?
“Those who clear the preliminaries earn the right to participate in the group tournaments, which are held sequentially.”
“What do you mean by ‘sequentially?’”
“The Tournament of 『Courage』 runs first, followed by 『Faithfulness』, then 『Immutability』, and finally 『Obedience』. Those who pass the preliminaries can choose which group they wish to compete in.”The critical detail here was that participants could choose their own group.
This alone would ignite a fierce information war. No one would want to enter a bracket where a powerhouse was competing, leading to intense maneuvering as contenders observed the movements of the top-ranked participants.
For example, if the Sword Saint of the Empire, the boy knight were to compete in the Tournament of 『Courage』. Then anyone with common sense would aim for a later group unless they were complete idiots. Interesting.
So far, the system seemed fair, but⋯⋯.
“Then, what about the matchups within each tournament? How are those decided?”
“They are determined through a ‘fair drawing’.”
“A fair drawing.”
Yeah, right. I knew they would have a loophole like that.
The War Priest’s tone said it all—I could already tell it wasn’t going to be fair. The Cardinal Faction would undoubtedly rig the brackets.
Take this scenario: if there were three strong candidates, and one contender favored by the Cardinals, they could easily manipulate the matchups so that the strongest competitors eliminated each other, leaving the path clear for their chosen champion.
After all, each group selected two finalists, not just one.
It might look a little unsightly, but their candidate would become the ‘Hero’ because he only faced off against weak opponents due to sheer ‘luck’⋯⋯. That kind of result could be orchestrated by the Cardinal Faction.
That covered the structure.
===============================================================
Next, I needed to learn about the key players.
“In that case, I need to hear about the⋯⋯ notable participants in this festival. Bennet, can you go over who we should be keeping an eye on?”
“I’ll start with the major factions. Here’s a list of key figures—listen carefully while referring to it.”
First up, Duke Redburn’s faction.
According to informants from the 『Reformist Faction』, the Redburns are taking a particularly aggressive approach, gathering intelligence on potential competitors. However, their actual representative remains unclear.
“We’ve confirmed that several knights from the Duke Redburn Family have arrived in the Holy City. It’s highly likely they’ll be competing.”
So they were sending knights. Was Duke Red Flavor seriously aiming for the Hero’s position? I might need to visit Roderus in a dream to dig up more intel.
Next was the Imperial Family’s faction.
Pink-Haired Lesbian provided the information for this one.
“Second Prince Irid has no interest in the Hero’s position. However, at Princess Elaine’s request, he’s traveling with a knight—specifically, the deputy commander of the 『Azure Wind Knight Order』, Cicel Yurensto.
So Irid had no personal stake in the tournament, but Elaine did? It seemed like she had entrusted him with something.
“⋯⋯Wait, Yurensto?”
“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”
My heart sank for a moment.
The Tower Master’s full name was Yuna Yurensto Violetiris, with the long thing at the end being a title granted by the Imperial Family. This meant that, by blood, she was a member of the Count Yurensto Family.
Yuna despised the household she grew up in. She referred to her father as “the Count” with such cold formality that the bitterness in her voice was unmistakable.
⋯⋯I’d probably run into this vice-captain while trying to persuade Irid. Maybe I could learn more about Yuna through them.
Next was the Grand Duke of the North’s faction.
Even without additional intel, I could piece this together. Grand Duke Daisy had a habit of oversharing with Heart, so I already had a solid grasp of the situation in the North.
‘Daisy’ was always resentful of this fact. If he could resolve these issues on his own, the funds spent on imports could be redirected toward developing the region instead.
From the perspective of the Grand Duke of the North⋯⋯ the title of Hero was extremely appealing. If a Hero loyal to his family emerged and wielded immense Divine Power for the benefit of the estate⋯⋯
If I were him, I’d leverage the Divine Magic’s powerful ‘preservation’ abilities to construct a supermassive greenhouse. A stretch of land in the perpetually frozen North could become a spring oasis, and they could farm there.
Or he could use the Hero’s prestige to secure funding and support from the Church of the Goddess. Either way, it would be a game-changer for the North.
Pink-Haired Lesbian seemed genuinely impressed by my analysis.
“I never expected life to take this kind of turn, Mima. I thought this whole situation was just absurd, but seeing it helping like this… You really do have a knack for seducing men.”
“Don’t tease me, darling.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯Eueum.”
“Come on, don’t get flustered⋯⋯fight back!”
That covered the three major factions involved.
It all felt familiar to me since I’d crossed paths with them so many times, but this was a massive game. Two of the Empire’s three Duke families had joined, and even the Imperial Family was getting involved.
The entire nation’s attention was locked onto one place—the Holy City. That’s how valuable the Hero’s title was.
Naturally, ambitious individuals would come flooding in as well. These were the ones I needed to watch out for. I could manipulate the major factions, but these wild cards were unknown variables.
Bennet tapped the list in front of him..
“As you’d expect, we couldn’t account for every powerful individual. This only includes known contenders with a certain degree of fame.”
“⋯⋯Yuri, could you read it for me and memorize it?”
“Gladly.”
I was hopeless when it came to documents filled with long lists of names⋯⋯!
===============================================================
TITLE
Mercenary King’s Vanguard, Wolfhild.
Estimated Rank 『Metamorphosis』.
Fire Wizard exiled from the Red Tower, Kravellin Render.
Estimated Rank: 『Metamorphosis』
Wandering Swordsman, Ifar.
Estimated Rank: 『3 Stars』
(The rest is omitted.)
===============================================================
Goal 1: Eliminate the Cardinal Faction’s chosen candidate. Given that the Cardinals controlled the bracket arrangement, this would be difficult—but if I succeeded, it would cripple their influence.
Because, of course, the first step was screwing them over.
Goal 2: Secure as many of the eight Hero candidate slots for our allies as possible. This was to maximize the time I got to meddle with the Holy Sword.
I had a track record of extracting information from the Goddess’s 『Divine Punishment』. So, if I had enough time, I might even be able to hack the Holy Sword itself.
I wasn’t sure how much time each candidate would be allowed to spend with the Holy Sword, but assuming a standard of three minutes…
The safest bet was securing four slots. Three or two would be cutting it close. Just one would be too difficult.
With these two main objectives in mind, the plan was set. I would need to persuade major factions one by one to join our side, and recruit prominent individuals if possible.
For those resistant to persuasion or recruitment, alternative methods were already on the table. While I wasn’t planning to go full villain and simply eliminate them, maybe a bit of strategic seduction or well-placed slander⋯⋯?
If I could secure four out of the eight slots this way, victory was guaranteed.
And in the process⋯⋯ I’d have the perfect opportunity to uncover the secrets of the Church of the Goddess. With that, I might find something that could help in removing it .
Also.
“If things go south, we could always stage a coup. Taking the Pope hostage should do the trick, don’t you think?”
[Or, if that doesn’t work, we could just disappear into some remote mountain village and live quietly together. The three of us. So don’t worry too much, Tara!]
“⋯⋯I wasn’t worried? But yeah, no matter how things turn out⋯⋯ as long as we can stay together…”
May those three get their happy ending.
⋯⋯And may my own love life find its happy ending too!
That was the blueprint of my precise, grand, long-term plan.
========================================================
Tap. Tap.
Pieces moved across the board under the dim red glow. A knight advanced, securing a crucial position. The masked man hesitated for a moment, pondering the Duke’s clever move⋯⋯ then finally pushed a pawn forward as he spoke.
“『Noose』⋯⋯ I’ve heard you’ve been meddling with the affairs of the Church of the Goddess.”
“Do you have an issue? 『Lamb』?”
“No⋯⋯ just curiosity. With the casting of the Evil God’s Sculpture nearing completion, I was wondering why you would start another game.”
“It’s because I’ve come to realize that the Evil God’s Sculpture is not absolute.”
Cleench.
Duke Redburn’s fingers tightened around the knight, as though he was about to crush it. Then, with deliberate force, he placed it down. His movements were laced with anxiety and suspicion.
“That⋯⋯wasn’t that simply due to 『Virgin』’s incompetence?”
“Absolute power requires no skill. If poor handling can lead to failure, then it was never absolute to begin with.”
『Virgin』’s last known act had been devouring an entire squad of annihilation operatives who infiltrated her lair. And then, shortly afterward, she perished.
Duke Redburn had concluded that the Imperial Family had hidden forces at play. The Extermination Squad had likely been bait—sacrifices meant to draw 『Virgin』 out and kill her.
He had been doing everything he could to track the Empire’s five known Sublimation(昇華)-level combatants. But on the day of 『Virgin』’s death, the Empire’s Sword Saint had been confirmed elsewhere⋯⋯ and the others had remained in their domains.
The only plausible suspect was the Purple Magic Tower Master, but⋯⋯
“The Purple Magic Tower Master has never left the academy. I can personally guarantee that. If she was involved, it could only have been by projecting her consciousness into the Queen’s Nest and attacking remotely⋯⋯.”
“By that logic, 『Virgin』 should have been the perfect counter to her.”
“Exactly. Or, to be precise, their abilities should have clashed evenly… since her mind is incredibly unstable. If we were to push the Purple Magic Tower Master’s mental state beyond its limit, her Sublimation would collapse—without a doubt.”
And 『Virgin』’s ability was particularly potent against mental attacks. Even with her lack of experience in handling the Evil God’s Sculpture, she should have at least taken them down with her… or at least escaped.
Which led Duke Redburn to a single conclusion.
“What if there is another⋯⋯ like the Sword Saint?”
A hidden force. A sixth 『Sublimation』 level combatant that the Imperial Family had kept concealed.
“A blade in the shadows⋯⋯ a very sharp one, at that. That is certainly a plausible hypothesis. If true, he must possess an extraordinary mental fortitude.”
“Or he might be specialized in mental attacks—just like『Virgin』.”
The Dark Wizards considered the possibility of a sixth Sublimation-level combatant—one who, officially, did not exist. If he was real, they would have to proceed with even greater caution⋯⋯ and wager higher stakes.
Which was precisely why⋯⋯
“Research into divine power has been ongoing. I assume you’ve been conducting your own as well. After all, we share the same hunger—to grasp what lies beyond the Evil God’s Sculpture. The source itself.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“And I have found hope in the Goddess. Have you ever thought about it 『Lamb』? Have you ever wondered how she bestows Divine Power?”
Across this vast world, among countless individuals, how did she select her champions? How did she detect betrayal and revoke her blessings?
How could she possibly know all of this?
The answer was simple.
She had the ability to perceive it. A vast detection ability, spanning the entire continent. A force that continuously gathered information.
In other words—
“The Goddess possesses the『Eye of Heaven』.
“⋯⋯Ah. And you—you have the『Lantern of Foresight(豫知燈籠)』⋯⋯.”
Duke Redburn’s Sublimation, the Lantern of Foresight, granted him control over fate itself—so long as he possessed the knowledge to guide it. The more information he acquired, the closer he came to perfection.
But what if he could combine it with the『Eye of Heaven』?
And what if its output could be amplified through the Evil God’s Sculpture?
“It’s just a possibility, but if all the pieces fall into place── the Burnt Offering Sublimation(燔祭昇華) I will achieve in that moment will grant me the power to take over the world.”
“And even if we can’t steal the Eye of the Goddess in its entirety… even a fraction of its power⋯⋯ that would be more than enough to shift the balance. A wise plan, 『Noose』.”
And with that, Duke Redburn revealed his trump card.
The 『House of Illegitimate Children』.
A place designed to produce loyal, obedient pawns. There had already been numerous experiments of this kind. Some had yielded promising results—results that had been refined, generation after generation.
Among them, Roderus had been an exceptional blade. But he had not been the ‘best.’
The true masterpiece was a creation of interwoven fates. A faceless, emotionless specter—an assassin crafted to follow only Duke Redburn’s orders.
And she would be sent to the Hero Selection Tournament.
Even if she failed to claim the title of Hero, her true mission was to infiltrate the heart of the Church of the Goddess… and steal the 『Eye of Heaven』.
『Lamb』 smiled lightly, toppling her king.
“Then I suppose you’ll need the assistance of a skilled Illusion Wizard. I understand why you summoned me now⋯⋯ Very well, I’ll cooperate.”
“There can be no room for error, 『Lamb』.”
“I don’t make mistakes. Neither will your pawn. This plan is already a success.”
The two raised their wine glasses in a silent toast, sealing their pact.
They were going to use the Hero Selection Tournament to seize what they desired.
This was the moment where the schemes of the Dark Wizard and the Crazy Wizard were set to collide.
***
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