When Noise sees permission to explore the Mystery, she bows back with a small smile.
　Then there's applause coming out of the stadium... and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.
　The voices of the court nobles who are conducting the ceremony echo through the stadium again, as the applause of the audience in the general auditorium and the audience in the VIP seat echoes.
　Instead of the noise, Ray heads from the edge of the stage to the center of the stadium.
　When you stop walking in front of the management committee of the competition, you kneel down toward the emperor, unlike the noise mentioned earlier.
　Ray didn't like kneeling in public, but he was still in front of the emperor even though he was a foreign country. Moreover, Ray felt it was no use ceremonially to think that he was Vihela's father.
　And it was only because of the noise of Rank S that they were allowed not to kneel before the emperor. No matter how much you've played the final against the noise, you can't be forgiven by an adventurer of the rank B level.
　It was the aristocrats who were conducting the awards ceremony that let out a sigh of relief at Ray's appearance.
　Noise's behavior was behavior, so I wondered if Ray would ignore the same courtesy.
　And most of all, the person who breathed the most relief was Dasker, who was watching this in the state of honor.
　As long as Ray is involved, his attitude inevitably leads to the evaluation of Dusker and the evaluation of the Kingdom of Milliana.
　If you try to ignore the courtesy of an emperor of one country...or the emperor of the Vestian Empire, which has a high national power, it could be an international matter as long as Dusker's position represents the Kingdom of Milliana.

Ray, runner-up in the competition. What do you want as a prize for second place?'

　the voice of a kneeling Ray
　Ray looks up and opens his mouth to the voice.

"Magic items that can be used in real life"

　As he answered, Ray was honest that this wish would never come true.
　If you are going to receive a prize here, the official prize will be presented at a grand ceremony to be held at the castle at a later date.

(Perhaps the explosion was the work of the Vihelas. Then, there is a high possibility that the ceremony will not be held.)

　Trajist nods to Ray's words, looking down at him from the VIP stand.

"Well, I see. Let's promise to give the runner-up of the competition the right magic item. You can look forward to the ceremony at a later date."

　Rey nods again at Trajist's words, kneeling down and rising back to the edge of the stage.
　The fact that he can't win a prize is huge, but Ray now has more to think about.
　In other words, it's a desire for noise.
　The Mystery Mountain. I can't imagine what it is like. And the noise is probably heading there after the competition.
　That's why... Ray couldn't help but feel mixed feelings.

(It is true that the third prince's faction would be grateful that the enemy had no noise when a civil war broke out. if the enemy had noise, we would not know how much damage would be done to our friends.)

　Yes, it's the best course given the pure victory of the third prince. It's understood by Ray.
　But...

(With no restrictions on my strength on the battlefield... I want to fight noise with Seto, too.) Me, Seto and I wear crimson. I was thinking of joining the Vihelas for it.)

　This competition prohibits the impersonation of summoning animals and demons to participate in the battle because of the size of the stage and its history.
　But there are no such restrictions on the battlefield.
　With that in mind, it was only natural for Ray to want to do his best to fight against the noise barrier he first encountered.

(Well, I have to be able to use the armour of the hegemony before I do that.)

　Fighting against noise means moving fast again in the armor of the hegemonic king.
　In Ray's present situation, the armor of the hegemony itself consumes a great deal of magical power and manages to wrap itself around the body. Ray's own analysis was that he would not be able to use the armor of the hegemony, which enables high-speed travel, if not very well.
　In fact, I tried to use it even though I was still immature during a match with noise, but I hardly remember it, perhaps because it was an almost unconscious action.

(The farther it is, the farther it is.) But we could still see the way to the noise. Then the rest depends on my own strength.)

　If I mutter in my heart, I turn my gaze to the noise and then turn to the center of the stage where the management committee is gathered.
　As if waiting for the timing, the trajist opens his mouth in the state of honor.

"This year's competition was great, too. power, skill, magic Or I'm happy to be able to see many other than that. I'm glad to see so many battles, but it's a bit disappointing to think that next year's competition will be as exciting as this year."

　This year's competition featured the noise of a Rank S adventurer. In addition, Ray, who was well known in a bad way in the Westian Empire, participated. Both of them had high name values, for better or worse, so it was true that this year's competition was more exciting than usual.
　However, these two are not the only celebrities. Several other Rank A adventurers, including the water dragon Digma, have also appeared, and many have made their mark in the villages, towns and cities they are based in.
　Still, if Noise and Ray hadn't participated in this year's competition, no one would be able to nod with confidence.

(And I'm not sure if next year's competition will be held.)

　Ray murmurs inwardly, glancing at the noise standing beside him.
　The uproar that will arise could even escalate into a civil war in the Vestian Empire if not to speak of it.
　On the whole, civil wars are prolonged due to the fact that they are fighting in the country, and it is not uncommon for them to go through tragic circumstances rather than fighting against other countries because they are relatives.

(however, as the kingdom of Milliana, which has been at war many times against the Vestian Empire, it must be aimed at it.)

　For the kingdom of Milliana... more precisely for the neutrals and aristocrats involved in this case, I hope this civil war will reduce the power of the Westian Empire. It was understandable to Ray that he had such a strong feeling.
　The king's faction, the largest of the Millian kingdoms, was not concerned with the affair, but it was none of his business as a mere adventurer, and there was a feeling that Dusker and Elena's father, Duke Kelebel, would do anything about it.
　While Ray is thinking inside, the story of Trajist moves on.
　Having been the emperor of the Vestian Empire, I'm sure he's the first in terms of charisma... no, you could say he's above the top.

(If such a man is standing at the top, it is understandable that the Empire of Bestia has become so powerful. ...hegemony, or rather, the occupation of the surrounding small countries, is understandable when you think of that ambitious impression.

　Trajist's voice echoes throughout the stadium and has something to do with the audience. Even if I could understand that, it was worth taking part in this competition.
　While secretly thinking so, Ray himself ignores the story of the Trajist.

"...!?"

　But did you notice Ray's attitude, or was it just a coincidence?
　Anyway, Trajist's gaze suddenly turns to Ray.
　Not to my friend, but to Ray next to me.
　Despite the situation, the story of Trajist still goes on... and only a few minutes later, with his eyes fixed on Ray.

(What was it? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if only the emperor of the Westian Empire cared about me. but I don't think that's the way I look at it... you know I'm cooperating with Vihela and Theoreum, do you?)

　The awards ceremony will continue afterwards, with a slight bad feeling.
　As long as the most formal one is to be held at the castle at a later date, it is only a simple ceremony that is held here. Naturally, it doesn't take that long, and when the management committee finishes talking about this competition, the awards ceremony naturally ends.

"Well, that's the end of the awards ceremony."

　When the voices of the nobles in charge of the ceremony echoed through the stadium, applause began spontaneously.
　It's not from the noble seats. It's from the general audience.
　This has rarely happened in previous competitions. It was probably because this competition was more heated than ever before.
　Ray and Noise leave the stage with such applause.





　There are a lot of people in the stadium who... exactly saw Ray off the back.
　Each had a lot of different thoughts, but now I just had to silently see them off.
　hatred, admiration, envy, respect One of the people who is looking at it muttered, as the eyes of all kinds of emotions are directed at him."...that's a monster,"

　Their voices are low, and in this place, the audience around them is sharing their impressions of the competition, so nobody can hear them.
　Yes, except for the one next to me.

"Oh, that means they didn't do their best when we attacked them."

　If Ray had been here, he would probably have taken his death size out of the mistling and slashed it. Or throw a spear, or shoot an arrowhead using Nebra's eyes, a newly acquired magic item.
　Whatever the means, there is no doubt that they were acting as attacks.
　Because the people who were there were Moura and Sistoy. In other words, a few days ago he was an assassin at the bell of repose for Ray's life.
　Sistoy was supposed to have been thrown with a poisoned knife and stabbed in the back, but he was a member of the bell of repose and was one of the best among them, so he managed to avoid being killed instantly by poison and healed the wound by using a potion or poisoner.
　What is surprising is that Sistoy, who was near deathly seriously injured, recovered to normal walking in just a few days.
　That's how expensive the potions were, but it's only with the strength of Sistoy's training.

"You copied the skill used by the noise, didn't you?"
"I don't want to believe that he actually stole the skills of a Rank S adventurer, though it looks like he's still very unskilled."
"...isn't he something out of the ordinary, like, if you look at his skills, you can you imitate them?"

　Moura's words silence Sistoy. 　
　It's absolutely impossible, if you think about it in a normal way. But since I'm actually seeing the impossible scene in front of me, I can't deny it.
　And it is undeniable that Ray's power in the waiting room... was almost unilaterally trampled down, even when he was not doing his best.
　As Sistoy looks like that, Moura continues to frown reluctantly.

"Don't do that," If Ray is such a monster, what should he do?"
"I don't understand that, but... we'll have no choice but to do it. I can't give up my job at all right.

　Sistoy's words give Moura a sigh of disgust.
　I couldn't really give up my job because I was acting as an assassin to the bell of repose of my soul.
　I am indebted to you for all you have done for me, and some of you are close to me in the organization.
　Throwing out the work of the bell of repose, that is to say, throw it all away... and perhaps they will come to us as pursuers.
　But for Moura, when asked what he could do with Ray after watching today's battle, the answer was only very difficult.
　I think it's better to deal with the bell of repose than to have a affair with Ray.

"Well, I can't really do that," --is the possibility of the castle?"

　The organization has informed us that Vihela is already rampant in the castle.
　As long as Ray and Vihela have a friendly relationship, there is a possibility that Ray will be involved in this case as well, and... Sistoy also nods back to Moura's words with that in mind.
　Thus, the two assassins, released from the bell of repose, begin to act to stick their tusks at Ray again.