Heroine Hunter

The Next Day.

The day of the semifinals and finals.  

“Woooaaahhh—!”  

The stadium was packed with far more people than during the Round of 16. 

The crowd’s cheers were almost overwhelming.  

While waiting, I spent time chatting with Zeke.  

An attendant came over and said, “It’s time to enter.”  

Unlike the Round of 16, the four remaining contestants were introduced one by one as they entered the arena.  

“First up, the mustached knight, Sagal Gellion!”  

“The empire’s hero, Zeke Friesen!”  

“The illusion sword dancer, Mika Vern!”  

Then it was my turn. 

The attendant politely gestured with both hands, signaling for me to enter.  

“And next, the mighty club-wielder! Iaaaan Castoloooniii!”  

Huh? No mention of ‘Dildo King’? 

Did they censor it?  

I entered the circular arena with an awkward smile.  

“Woooaaahhhh!!”  

The cheers grew even louder.  

The other three contestants were already standing in line.

I took my place next to the female knight, Mika Vern.  

In the VIP box, I saw the white-haired saintess, Emilia Rosebloom. She was clapping as I made my entrance.  

Amidst the cheers, the emperor, empress, first prince, and their entourage appeared.  

Rose stood and exchanged formal greetings with them.  

The emperor remained standing while the others took their seats.  

As the applause and cheers gradually died down, a heavy silence settled over the stadium.  

The four semifinal contestants, including me, stood facing the VIP box.  

The emperor leaned on a magical staff and stepped up to the platform.

The four of us, including myself, knelt on one knee and bowed our heads.  

‘This is such a hassle.’

The emperor surveyed the arena before speaking.  

As the tip of his staff began to glow, his voice resonated throughout the entire stadium.  

“Knights of the empire are the future of the Lorelein Empire. I am filled with anticipation to witness the emergence of this new future with my own eyes today. I expect all four of you, who are participating in this match, to fight with the honor and dignity befitting knights, keeping the empire’s future in mind.”  

I glanced up slightly, and the emperor seemed to be looking directly at me.  

It felt like our eyes met briefly.  

I quickly lowered my head again.  

‘Is he talking to me?’  

The emperor returned to his seat.  

The first match of the semifinals was between the mustached knight and Zeke.  

Mika Vern, the female knight, and I moved to the waiting area and took our seats.  

The mustached knight and Zeke stood in the arena, facing each other, fully equipped.  

Mika watched them from our seats and muttered,  

“It seems like people are more excited for your match, Castolini.”  

Originally, by the tournament schedule, Mika and I were supposed to fight first.  

However, our match had been intentionally moved to a later slot.  

“Probably because it was more… intense.”

The duel began, and the two knights clashed swords.  

Each strike sent shockwaves and sparks flew from the impact.  

In the midst of the loud cheers, Mika leaned slightly toward me.  

“Was it because of your popularity?”  

“No, not at all. My match got more heated because of some personal history with those two.”  

“I see.”  

“Don’t worry, I’ll approach our match with the utmost respect.”  

“… With that?”  

Mika glanced at the broken club in my hand.  

The wooden club still had bite marks from the time it had been inside Kaskal’s mouth the previous week.  

Just then—  

Someone tapped my shoulder from behind.  

“Mr. Castoloni.”  

It was one of the tournament attendants, and behind him stood the first prince.  

Mika and I immediately stood up and knelt beside our chairs to show respect.  

With his hands clasped behind his back, the prince looked down at me and spoke.  

“Ian Castoloni.”  

“Yes, Your Highness.”  

“Last time, I overlooked your uncouth behavior during the match, considering your background and profession.”  

“… ”  

“But if you fight like a brute again today, I will not tolerate it.”  

“I apologize, Your Highness.”  

“Take this.” 

The first prince handed me a sword. It was sheathed in an elegant scabbard.  

“This is…”  

“For today’s match, use this sword instead of that club.”  

“Mika Vern.”  

“Yes, Your Highness.”  

“Any objections?”  

Mika bowed her head even lower.  

“None at all, Your Highness. I am grateful for the opportunity to have a proper duel, thanks to your generosity.”  

“Good.”  

The first prince turned and walked back to his seat, hands clasped behind his back.  

I watched a maid follow behind him, bowing her head as she walked.  

[Karen Claudia (Virgin)]  

[Occupation: Demon Army (Succubus)]  

[Status: Disguised as Maid / Conflicted]  

[It’s done. Now, all I need to do is activate the sword during the final match, and I can kill Zeke instantly… I have to… I must kill my brother.]  

I glanced at the sword.  

[‘Sword of Instant Death of the 17th Demon Army Commander’]  

[A sentient sword that responds only to its master’s call. With a single swing, it can lay waste to the surroundings and instantly kill its target.]  

‘Hmm. So that’s the plan.’  

Mika and I returned to our seats.  

The match seemed evenly balanced.  

I had asked Zeke to draw the match out, and it seemed he was doing just that.

This gave me enough time to scan the status windows of the people surrounding the first prince and the empress.  

Zeke glanced at me from the arena.  

I nodded.  

Suddenly, the mustached knight and Zeke collided with a loud clang.

As the dust slowly cleared, the two figures became visible.  

The mustached knight knelt on one knee, using his sword to support himself, while Zeke held his blade to the knight’s neck.  

With a defeated expression, the mustached knight mouthed the words, “I surrender.”  

The referee waved the flag.  

“The winner is Zeeeeke Friesen!”  

Even before the attendant arrived, Mika and I stood up from our seats.  

I grabbed the sword.  

The real showdown would be in the final.

Up until the finals, I couldn’t afford any unknown factors around me. 

First, I needed to learn more about this sword, which hadn’t appeared in the novel, and Mika Vern, whom I knew little about.  

A spirit sword, huh?  

In the novel, the protagonist could talk to his sword. 

I was curious if I could do the same.  

‘Is it because I’m not its master?’  

The sword remained silent.  

As for Mika.

[Mika Vern (Virgin)]  

[Occupation: Female Knight / Fallen Noble]  

[Status: Determined]  

[Winning might be impossible, but maybe I can manage something with this guy. If I handle his strength well, there’s a chance. If I make it to the finals, I’ll be granted an official title. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to restore my family.]  

She was quite pretty.  

Mika and I stepped into the arena.  

“Wooooaaaah—!”  

“Dildo King! Dildo King! Dildo King!”  

“Mika! Mika! Mika! Mika! Mika!”  

The cheers for Mika Vern sounded like a group of fanboys at an idol concert.  

It made sense, though.  

With her stunning appearance and the background of a fallen noble, she embodied the fantasy that maybe, just maybe, a commoner could dream of reaching her.  

On top of that, her graceful and skillful swordsmanship only added to her allure.  

In a way, she was like an idol, with both talent and beauty, as well as a story people wanted to root for.

I stood about ten paces away from her.  

Schwing—

Mika Vern unsheathed her sword.  

The commentator and announcer exchanged words.  

“If you look closely, you’ll see that Castolini is holding a sword instead of his usual club.”  

“What’s going on here?”  

“According to the new rules, from the semifinals onwards, participants are allowed to use their own weapons. That sword, I hear, was personally bestowed by the first prince.”  

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what Ian Castolini can do with a sword.”  

I lifted the scabbard and then drove it into the ground.  

Thud.

The scabbard sunk a few inches into the dirt. 

It was surprising that it didn’t break.  

Mika’s eyes widened in shock.  

After all, I had just treated a sword given by the first prince carelessly.  

I drew the sword from the scabbard, then put it back.  

Schwing. Schwing. Schwing.

I repeatedly drew and sheathed the sword.  

The movement was suggestive, resembling something indecent.  

Mika frowned, clearly finding the act crude.  

Meanwhile, the audience erupted in cheers.  

“Dildo King! Dildo King! Dildo King!”  

I glanced over at the first prince. 

He had shot up from his seat, clearly furious.  

He must have thought I was insulting him.  

He was right.  

When your opponent loses their composure, it always gives you an advantage.  

Schwing. Schwing. Schwing.

I moved the sword even faster.  

At that moment—  

[Hey! Stop that, idiot! It’s embarrassing! What are you doing?]  

The sword vibrated in my hand like a buzzing rotor.  

I looked at it in surprise.  

“Wait. Was that you talking?”  

Schwing. Schwing. Schwing.

I moved it faster.  

[Stop it! You foolish human! I’m not just any sword! What will people think of this great demonic sword?!]  

Wasn’t it supposed to only respond to its master?  

Maybe ‘respond’ referred not to speech but to activating its power?  

“What’s your name?”  

[You moron! Swords don’t have names!]  

Well, some do, don’t they?  

“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I just need you to do one simple thing for me, and then I’ll stop.”  

[… What is it?]  

“Just repeat after me once. It’s easy.”  

[…]  

“Ask me, ‘Are you my master?’ Just once.”  

[Wh-what?! You’re not even my master! Why would I say that?!]  

I shoved the sword even faster into the scabbard.  

Schwing. Schwing. Schwing.

[Okay, okay! I’ll do it!]  

It seemed utterly humiliated.  

I stopped moving.  

Reluctantly, the spirit sword muttered.  

[I… I ask you… Damn it… Are you my m-m-master?]  

Schwing—

I pulled the sword out, reflecting its blade in the sunlight.  

“Yes. I am your master.”  

[Sword of Instant Death (Virgin)]  

[Occupation: Spirit Sword]  

[Status: Identity Crisis]  

[W-wait, what?!]