Ryuugoroshi no Sugosuhibi Chapter 25

Chapter 25: “Congratulations Kousuke, you get to partic.i.p.ate after all!”

Kousuke groggily got up from his bed and changed his clothes before heading out of his room. Sensing no movements in Viare and Alice’s rooms, Kousuke figured the two were still asleep.

Straightening his clothes, Kousuke strode out and headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast.  The inn employed chefs to prepare the meals for the guest, but he figured it would be more enjoyable making it himself.

Any of the guests can request for ingredients from the kitchen. As long as the requested amount isn’t excessive, the inn doesn’t charge for the ingredients since it’s treated as the included meal from the rent.

Though he was somewhat upbeat, the real reason for cooking himself is for Alice. After she stayed at the inn for three days she got sick of their food so she asked Kousuke if he could make something different.

Reaching the kitchen, he was immediately surrounded by the scent of food. The chefs were already preparing the meals. While listening to the sounds of vegetables being cut and the sizzling of the frying pans, Kousuke approached one of the maids cleaning the tables.

「Good morning. Mind if I can get some ingredients?」(Kousuke)

「Good morning, sir. Which particular ones are you interested in?」(Maid1)

「Sliced bread, jam and some b.u.t.ter. Also, some lettuce, cuc.u.mbers, tomatoes and vinaigrette dressing. Hmm, and some eggs and thinly sliced ham. Please prepare three people’s worth」(Kousuke)

He decided to keep things simple with toast, salad and some fried egg n’ham. Since the two ladies had a “small stomach” in the morning, he felt this was enough.

After confirming the order once more, the maid promptly headed to the kitchen’s interior. She returned with a pushcart filled with the ingredients.

「Is everything here satisfactory?」(Maid1)

「Yes, thank you very much」(Kousuke)

「The kitchen s.p.a.ce reserved for guest use is located in the room besides the dining area.

Once you are done, please lightly clean the tools and have them placed inside the cart in the guest’s kitchen.

After your meal, the same rules apply to the dishes and utensils used」(Maid1)

「I understand, thank you」(Kousuke)

Giving his thanks, Kousuke immediately headed to the guest’s kitchen to begin cooking.

If anyone experienced were to see his culinary skills, they would be impressed since he looked so young. Kousuke’s movements were just that fluid and masterful.

Despite this, his only experience cooking consistently in this world was at Alice’s home. He just improved rapidly… Thanks to his cheat-like learning capabilities.

Furthermore, Alice and Horun pushed the cooking duty to Kousuke more often as he improved. His culinary skills surpa.s.sed Horun’s before he left for St. Beria with Borudosu and was infinitely close to Alice’s. He’s still far from being a first cla.s.s chef, but he can easily overwhelm a third rate establishment.

【TL: Author probably meant that Kou-chan’s cooking is better than the inn they’re staying at】

*chopchop* the rhythmic sound of the knife evenly slicing vegetables resounded throughout the kitchen. Kousuke tasted the vinaigrette dressing and poured some into two containers before adjusting one of them with seasonings. He even cooked one of the eggs differently.

Since he only knew about Alice’s preference, he cooked and seasoned for hers separately but kept Viare’s the same as his since he didn’t know hers.

Kousuke was in a really good mood though since he could clearly see his skills improved again.

「Finished~」(Kousuke)

He placed the food onto a tray and quickly cleans the cooking tools.

Upon his return, he noticed the two were still asleep so the living room was quiet.

He decided to wake up Viare up since she had to work later. Getting no response after knocking three times, Kousuke tensed slightly before opening the door.

「Good morning~」(Kousuke)

Kousuke greeted as he entered and saw some movement under the blanket.

While squirming under the blanket, Viare finally responded.

「Wah? Kousuke-san?」(Viare)

「It’s morning already so it’s time to get up. I made breakfast already」(Kousuke)

「It’s morning…? … Ah.. Good morning」(Viare)

「Mm」(Kousuke)

After telling her to come to the living room, he left her room.

He stood in front of Alice’s room and got no response again so he also went into her room.

She didn’t respond even after calling out to her so he shook her awake.

「Good morning」(Kousuke)

「Mmm…. It’s morning already?」(Alice)

「Yup. I made breakfast for everyone so please wake up」(Kousuke)

「… Oh.. that’s right, I asked you to. I’ll be up soon」(Alice)

After heading out of Alice’s room, Kousuke finally relaxed. 【TL: For those confused, he’s basically invading a girl’s room, which explains him tensing up and feeling nervous】

Viare was still in her pajamas, pouring a drink for everyone in the living room. It looked like she woke up completely after was.h.i.+ng her face.

「The seat with the seasoned dressing is Alice’s by the way. Make sure you don’t eat that one」(Kousuke)

「Okay~」(Viare)

Alice, who finished was.h.i.+ng up, came into the living room, sat down at her seat, gave her prayers, and then began eating.

「Delicious」(Alice)

She leaked out the compliment when she tasted the salad since it fitted her preference perfectly.

「You haven’t been slacking, I see」(Alice)

「I guess so. I’m glad that it tastes good.

How about you Viare? Do you want it sweeter or saltier? I’ll try to match it for next time」(Kousuke)

「I’m pretty satisfied. If I had to be nit-picky, then I think I’d like a milder flavor?」(Viare)

「Mild, got it got it」(Kousuke)

Kousuke bit into his apple jam toast as he memorized Viare’s taste.

He completely ignored Viare’s muttering about how much better he is at cooking than her.

Twenty minutes after breakfast was finished, Viare, who needed to work, and Kousuke, who needed to return the dishes, left the room together. With the exception of working at the sharpener’s store, Kousuke had nothing else to do. Alice placed him under house arrest to keep him from causing any more trouble.

As compensation, Alice taught him more about magic and about the world so he didn’t feel too stifled.

「Have a safe trip」(Kousuke)

「Mm, I’m off」(Viare)

After seeing Viare off, Kousuke headed to the kitchen to return the dishes. On his way back to his room his feet suddenly stopped as he spotted Nagare in front of him.

Noticing his presence, Nagare lightly bowed and approached him.

「Good morning」(Nagare)

「Good morning to you too. Is there something you need?」(Kousuke)

「Yes, a small favor if you would」(Nagare)

「Let’s not discuss this here. Let’s continue this in my room」(Kousuke)

Giving consideration to Alice, Kousuke suggested to continue their conversation back in his room.

「May I know who this is?」(Alice)

Glancing at the entrance when the two entered, Alice asked upon seeing an unknown woman with Kousuke.

「She’s the attendant of the n.o.ble’s child. I mentioned about her, she’s Nagare-san」(Kousuke)

「Ah, you certainly did mention her. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I’m Alicia. Kousuke’s my disciple」(Alice) 【TL: For those who forgot, Alice is a nickname】

Upon hearing her name, Nagare showed a slight reaction. Alice’s name is quite famous, there’s no way Nagare would not know of her. However, Alice’s age doesn’t match her appearance and there were too many unknown factors so Nagare concluded that she just had the same name.

「The pleasure is mine, I’m called Nagare. Young miss has been in Kousuke-kun’s care」(Nagare)

「I’ve heard the details already. Well, talking at the entrance is a bit bothersome so please come in」(Alice)

「Then I’ll be troubling you」(Nagare)

Alice took a seat and asked Kousuke to prepare some tea. She prompted Nagare to have a seat and the two began to chat. Alice’s tone was vastly different from her usual self. Once Kousuke brought back the tea for everyone, the three got to the main topic.

「So you came to visit Kousuke today?」(Alice)

「I wished to ask him for a small favor」(Nagare)

「……A small favor, I see. Could you further indulge us?」(Alice)

「I hoped he would partic.i.p.ate in the tournament, under special conditions」(Nagare)

Alice slowly placed her cup down after hearing this.

「Please explain further, and why under special conditions?」(Alice)

「This may sound blunt but I believed that Kousuke would definitely partic.i.p.ate in the tournament.

However, upon investigating the contestants enrolled for my master, his name did not appear」(Nagare)

「Of course his name won’t appear. He did not come to this city as a contestant but as a part of the audience」(Alice)

Hearing something that naturally fitted Kousuke’s disposition, Nagare gave a wry smile.

「With his abilities, it can be easily a.s.sumed he would partic.i.p.ate.

Therefore, everyone was looking forward to his partic.i.p.ation in the tournament.

When I reported to my master about my findings, he kept demanding for Kousuke-kun’s partic.i.p.ation」(Nagare)

「I see, so that is why you’re here」(Alice)

「Yes. I came hoping to change his mind.

We’ve already handled the discussion with the tournament organizers. We only require your permission to proceed with the rest」(Nagare)

Seeing Kousuke’s unenthusiastic expression, Nagare muttered “Is this no good?”,

Her actions were not meant to seem compulsory, in fact even if he did refuse there would be no repercussions. It’ll only give her a slight headache when she has to deal with the Father-daughter pair.

However, to everyone’s surprise, Alice spoke up in an accepting tone.

「By special conditions, what exactly are they?」(Alice)

「Waived from the qualifiers and his partic.i.p.ation begins when there are 64 contestants remaining」(Nagare)

The contestants would engage in a one-vs-one duels when only 64 of them remain. Prior to that, each round is a 10-way free-for-all.

「…… I will allow it under a few conditions」(Alice)

「What conditions?」(Nagare)

Kousuke couldn’t open his mouth at this sudden development. Despite his shock, he kept quiet as he figured Alice had something in mind.

「Your household must keep other’s from finding out about Kousuke.

This includes not only during the tournament but also afterwards as well. Especially keep silent around n.o.bles, royalties and others of high influence.

Have this written down as an oath and leave it with me.

If this can be met and maintained, Kousuke may partic.i.p.ate since neither he nor I wish to stand out」(Alice)

Hearing Nagare’s request, Alice wanted to take advantage of the situation to silence the Rubidas.h.i.+a household. Since she lacked the necessary influence around the Rubidas.h.i.+a household, for them to come to her was a miraculous occurrence.

In fact, just keeping quiet about Kousuke is nothing for the Rubidas.h.i.+a household. This is because the existence known as Kousuke is deemed neither beneficial nor disadvantageous for them.

「Am I required to produce an immediate answer to your condition?」(Nagare)

「No, decide after discussing with your master」(Alice)

「Understood, I’ll take my leave for today then」(Nagare)

Nagare stood up and gave a light bow before heading to the entrance.

She suddenly halted and turned around. Her expression showed that she suddenly recalled an important detail.

「I understand that you wish for us to keep a low profile about Kousuke, but wouldn’t his partic.i.p.ation in the tournament be the opposite of that?

The tournament staff, contestants and the audience, we cannot expect their silence so is there a countermeasure in mind?」(Alice)

「I’ve already taught Kousuke a disguising magic. He simply needs to use that and enroll with a false name.

For your side, being able to watch him fight is enough, correct?」(Alice)

「That is… certainly correct」(Nagare)

「In that case, your side should be satisfied as long as I provide the appearance and name he will use」(Alice)

「I understand, I shall deliver this information」(Nagare)

With that concluded, Nagare finally left the room.

As a matter of fact, Nagare already deduced that they would use a disguise. She only asked in a “curious” manner to gain more information on just how developed their disguising abilities were.

However, Alice saw through her ploy but still openly revealed it. There was simply no need to hide it since she was originally going to reveal it to them.

「Make sure you partic.i.p.ate since it’s already like this」(Alice)

「I really want to refuse though….」(Kousuke)

「Bear with it since it’s to completely settle the issues YOU caused in this city」(Alice)

Despite it being the truth, Kousuke still felt a bit wronged.

He eventually agreed to partic.i.p.ate and the two began discussing about the appearance of the disguise.

Their immediate thought was Ride Hero. Having already learned some superficial magic to mimic the appearance of Ride Hero’s super techniques, on top of being an interesting character, they agreed to use it as the disguise.

Viare, upon her return, was shocked hearing the news about Kousuke’s plan to enter the tournament. His adamant att.i.tude of not partic.i.p.ating was suddenly overturned, it’ll be a wonder if she wasn’t shocked.

After listening to Alice’s explanation for his sudden change of heart, Viare looked towards Kousuke with eyes filled with sympathy.

The following day, Nagare returned stating the acceptance of Alice’s conditions. The deal was finalized with Kousuke’s alias being added into the tournament roster.

The official doc.u.ment to abide by the conditions signed by Gen’ou personally would later be delivered and guarded by the guilds. Prior to this, neither party is obligated to follow the conditions.

… And soon, the first day of the tournament arrived.

The city became flooded with people. Among the torrent of people, not all were heading to the arena.

With the use of projection magic, those who decided against going to the arena due to disliking crowds or only watching for the fun of it could enjoy it too. Just think of it as something like a limited-time television.

The biggest downside, however, is that this magic is limited to the visual aspects only. Despite not being able to replicate the audio, the largeness of the projection gave it a strong enough impact for the audience.

The ones entering the arena were fans of watching raw fights.

Kousuke and co. were mixed in with the arena crowd. Since Kousuke’s partic.i.p.ation was guaranteed, Gen’ou provided Alice and Viare VIP seat tickets as well.

His debut would begin from the third day of the tournament so Kousuke was also given a VIP ticket for the first two days.

The arena before them was permeating ancientness filled with an unfathomable history. According to Alice, this place had to be constantly repaired and maintained for the tournaments. However, it was smaller than a baseball stadium and the Coliseum on Earth was also bigger. If all the seats and standing areas were filled, 30,000 occupants was probably the limit.

After buying some refreshments, the three headed toward their reserved seats.

Their seats were separated from the other reserved seats, with the best front and center view of the stage.

As for the special rooms in the upper area of the arena, those were specifically reserved for the upper n.o.bility and royalty.

「This kind of thing is a first for me」(Viare)

Viare was curiously looking around her like a child.

「I’ve experienced this quite a few times. Mmm, still though, it’s been around ten years since I watched though」(Alice)

「I think I only experienced this once before?」(Kousuke)

Kousuke overlapped his current experience with Earth’s pro baseball game. Even if the events are different the sensation and excitement felt the same.

The three waited in antic.i.p.ation for around thirty minutes when a gong resounded loudly throughout the arena and beyond, signaling the start of the tournament.

On the stage, a few people suddenly appeared. Among them, Gen’ou was there.

An announcement suddenly sounded from an unknown source.

「An announcement from the tournament administrator」(???)

The audience quickly quieted down.

The elderly man signaled the mage behind him to cast a volume increasing spell before speaking.

「I hereby declare the start of the martial arts tournament!」(Administrator?)

In under ten seconds the elderly man finished and quickly stepped back.

The arena was quickly filled with applause and shouts of joy.

Once the audience calmed down, another announcement was heard.

「The return of the champions.h.i.+p pennant, our previous tournament’s champion,

Sir Ritai Muzetsu, ENTER!」(Announcer)

In accordance to the announcer, a man in his mid-20s holding a small flag walked onto the stage and handed the flag to the administrator.

Upon receiving the flag, the administrator and Ritai began discussing something, but no one else could hear them.

At the announcer’s urging, the group on stage left before he continued with the important facts of the tournament.

To summarize:

Killing is disallowed. In the case that someone is killed, if deemed an accident, no penalties will be applied. However, if the a.s.sailant’s a.s.sault is deemed to be either in excess or filled with killing intent, he/she will be judged accordingly.

A loss is determined by someone giving up, falling unconscious or landing outside the boundaries of the stage. Going too far from the boundaries will also be deemed as a loss, therefore flying is also prohibited.

All contestants are free to choose their weapons, however, in the case of damaged or destroyed equipment, the owner may not demand remuneration from the opponent.

The same applies to injuries since the tournament organizer has arranged for healers to provide treatment, free of charge.

With the rules explained, the announcer also stated that the first round of the first match will begin soon.

「The entrants are getting on the stage now it seems. The round should be starting soon」(Alice)

The gates around the stage opened and ten warriors stepped out onto the stage while keeping some distance from each other.

「Umm, is everyone ready?」(???)

A different voice from the announcer asked the contestants on stage.

To which all nodded in affirmation. With this the announcer shouted the start of the match.

「First match of the preliminary round….. BEGIN!」(Announcer)

Simultaneous to the announcement, all ten contestants moved. Each and every one moved with respect to their thoughts.

A few charging headfirst towards their closest opponent, two that began to use magic, one person that retreated to the edge to see how things play out, a few that stayed immobile while staying vigilant, etc.

In the end, the victor went to the warrior who retreated first. A brilliant use of calm observation and energy preservation lead to victory.

The next round was similar to the first and ended in around twenty minutes. There were only two instances where a round ended in under ten minutes.

Those were contrary to what Kousuke expected. Seemingly impossible moves, trained through gifts and years of combat, were displayed flas.h.i.+ly. It was like an action movie and thoroughly entertained him. Going above and beyond Kousuke’s expectations, this tournament suddenly became a fountain of knowledge for him. Just from observing his strength was increasing.

「I wonder when it’s Borudosu’s turn」(Kousuke)

「We didn’t overlook him, did we?」(Viare)

「Your worries are unfounded. I wouldn’t miss him even if he tried to hide」(Alice)

——————-

They actually already met with Borudosu earlier.

When he came into town, Alice “tracked” him and the three gave a surprise visit.

The dumbfounded look on his face when they arrived was priceless. His face became even more twisted in shock as they discussed what transpired the past few weeks.

Borudosu came to the city with a few friends as well. Among then, Clarice was also present. Her “reason” was because she was interested in seeing the tournament. She left her cousin to take care of the store. 【TL: Clarice, we all know why you’re there ;D】

Peering at the rest of his crew, Kousuke noticed there was another woman dressed as an adventurer among them. Putting two and two together, he guessed she was the other who fell for Borudosu. After being introduced to her, it became concrete but surprisingly, she was not partic.i.p.ating in the tournament.

Once those two “lovers” heard that Alice was Borudosu’s foster mother, they became stiff for the rest of the visit.

When Borudosu asked Kousuke if he was partic.i.p.ating, after hesitating for a brief moment, Kousuke shook his head. Just in case, he decided to keep it a secret from Borudosu as well since others were around.

——————-

The intermission ended and the tournament resumed.  After an hour, Borudosu’s figure finally appeared on stage.

「Ah, there he is」(Kousuke)

「Where?」(Viare)

Kousuke pointed at Borudosu’s figure on stage for Viare.

Borudosu has yet to see the three of them though. Despite how easy to find they were, he never dreamed that they would be seated in the VIP area, so he didn’t even look around. They tried to call for him, but the three’s voices were drowned out by the audience.

「Well then, let’s see if he’ll last until the end」(Alice)

Alice smiled excitedly as she impatiently awaited for the round to begin.

Borudosu was wielding his favorite axe. To adhere to the tournament rules, he blunted the edge with a special cover. Still though, with his strength, breaking a bone or two would still be a breeze.

The round began.

Borudosu immediately dashed toward the nearest opponent. He clashed violently against the opponent and immediately knocked him unconscious before rapidly finding another target.

This group didn’t have any abnormals, so after a while only Borudosu and a mage was left in a 1v1 situation.

The finale of this round was: Borudosu charging valiantly at the mage while enduring the various bolts of spells pelting him. In the end, the mage couldn’t stop his charge and was shoulder tackled off the stage. 【TL: THIS. IS. SPARTAAAAA!!!】

With this, Borudosu safely advanced to the second rounds of the preliminaries.

His appearance seemed slightly haggard as he exited the stage.

「I’m glad Borudosu-san won」(Viare)

「Mm」(Kousuke)

「He did alright, but at this rate he’ll lose sooner or later」(Alice)

「Is it really impossible for him to win?」(Viare)

Viare asked back.

「Well, he can’t beat Kousuke」(Alice) 【TL: Poor Borudosu…】

「Ah, that’s true」(Viare)

「It’s a different story if he got a trump card while he was travelling though」(Alice)

Alice was convinced that it won’t be like that though. With their long relations.h.i.+p, there’s no way Borudosu’s strength would be overlooked by her.

「I can say he did well only if he manages to win his way to the top 64 and manages to win at least one of the matches」(Alice)

「Even though he’s strong.. it’s only good if he manages just up to there?」(Viare)

「He’s in a handicapped situation since he can’t use his gift」(Alice)

His gift will make him unrestrained, unfortunately. He’ll be able to perform at his peak, but more likely than not he’ll end up killing with that uncontrolled strength. Since this tournament punishes murder, it’s easy to conclude that this gift of his is taboo.

His decision to partic.i.p.ate despite the disadvantage was because the prizes for the top 64 and to get a clearer picture of where his current strength stands.

Also, as an adventurer, it’s a form of prestige just by getting into the top 64.

While Alice was explaining the two about why Borudosu was entering, the next match began.

One match after another proceeded and the first day of the tournament finally came to a conclusion.

Seeing the audience leaving, the three followed the crowd out.

They listened to the clamors of the crowd. Excited chatters of the best fights, groans and cheers from the gamblers, there was not one person among them that stayed quiet.

Even as the night grew, the crowd wouldn’t disappear until the guards forcefully dispersed them.

The following day, the three got their refreshments once again before heading to their seats.

The matches were still the same 10 people free-for-all, but all the contestants were more riled up.

The more hot-blooded the fights, the more the audience cheered.

Borudosu also managed to win his matches today. His opponents were stronger than yesterday so he looked even more battered after today.

Just like the rest of the contestants, he received treatment for his wounds. Kousuke hoped that Borudosu would be well rested for tomorrow’s matches.

【TL: Since you’ll be kicking his a.s.s, right Kou-chan?