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Chapter 281 – All-Heaven Festival Contest Final Stage “Demon King Castle Bloody Field” (3) / Former Number Ones

281 – All-Heaven Festival Contest Final Stage “Demon King Castle Bloody Field” (3) / Former Number Ones

The final stage of the All-Heaven Festival Contest.

The winners of each group, a total of four parties, would be fighting against those who had made legends of themselves.

『And these are the ones who will meet the winners in the final stage…!!!』

And so they made their appearance.

『The former number ones in the world, who once stood at the top of the Adventuring world… the Altreed Party…!!!』

The best Adventurers, they were the ones who inspired me to become a hero.

The Altreed Party consisted of a Hero, a Warrior, a Hunter, a Paladin, and a Wizard.

It was the best kind of composition for adventurer parties.

『The strongest adventurer in the business, the “Warrior”… or should I say “Great Warrior” Hector!』

A large man clad in heavy armor. He is a quiet man but has a scary-looking face, and there have been some occurrences where small children cried as soon as they saw him.

Hector was closer to the “Heavy Warrior” category within the Warrior class, and was good at fighting with a heavy setup.

Moreover, it was said that he was also behind the formulation of the party’s strategy.

The reason why Wraith calls me the brains of the Party may be because he was aware that someone doesn’t have to be the leader to be the strategist of the Party.

There was no mistaking that Hector was the strongest Warrior, as he has never lost in single combat in the strategy videos.

Of course, Dungeons are very prone to group battles, so one-on-one combat was a rare occurrence in such places. For example, there was a case where a high-ranking Wizard used a wide range of magic in order to leave the field before a one-on-one battle could be established, but still.

In all of the videos showing the Altreed Party’s conquest of the Dungeons, Hector has never lost in any of the one-on-one battles that did take place there.

『His magical bow and arrows pierce through their target the moment they are shot, without any need for them to fly there… the “Silver Bow” Orion!』

While everyone at the Altreed Party looks like they are around their fifties, Orion looks like he is in his thirties. He is a handsome man who looks like the actors typically seen on TV.

Even gestures that would normally appear pretentious would turn out to be okay when someone like him did them.

The bow he wields is a Magic Tool, and it certainly causes the phenomenon mentioned in his introduction… And yet, I don’t think that’s where his charm lies.

Orion didn’t rely on the effects of his Magic Tool, but rather uses them as one of his available options if the situation calls for it.

Or should I say, there simply are more opportunities for him to shoot arrows normally?

The moment an enemy is at the mercy of an attack by this first-class archer, who is able to perfectly conceal his presence…

The arrows he is able to unleash would quickly close the gap between them, and the enemy would be pierced by an unexpected blow.

He wasn’t strong because his Magic Tool had excellent performance. Rather, his strength stands out because he is good at using Magic Tools.

『Now, the veteran warrior who serves as the deputy commander of the Knights’ Order…The Sacred Knight Maximillian!!』

Maximillian is a strict-looking man with a white beard.

A blessed physique and a well-trained body. As the party’s front liner, his movements are both steady and nimble, not only being able to attack directly from the front, but also remaining unfazed by the attacks of any enemies who tried to push through him, and calmly repelling them.

He looks like what the “final form” of a Paladin should be.

Depending on his steadiness at the front line, the rest of the party’s degree of freedom to do their thing would change considerably.

『She can master various attributes, and even has access to magic that no one else in this world other than she can use… The Good Witch Rogestilla! 』

Rogestilla is a gentle woman who has a habit of saying “Ara ara~”.

Michel of the Aerial Party specializes in one attribute, and Merlin of the Ex Party has access to many attributes, so it seems that she is not as well remembered as a Wizard as them, but she is nonetheless a wonderful Wizard as well.

She is the world’s most excellent “feeling” Wizard, and by “feeling” in this case I mean that she can make magic happen with an incredible sense of weightlessness.

For example, when it comes to casting Black Magic, normally a Wizard would have to make many decisions, such as making it so it has an effect such as “reducing the target’s physical attack by a 10%,” and being able to fire it at “10 meters ahead” after “3 seconds”.

This is an extremely rough explanation, and casting Magic is actually much more complicated than that…

But in Rogestilla’s case, she would only say something like “I wonder what’ll happen next?”, and this would be poured into her thoughts and effortlessly realized as Magic.

This feeling of weightlessness given off by the way she casts Magic has even caused Merlin to say “I have no idea how she’s able to make Magic happen”.

And because of this, it is said that not even Rogestilla herself knows what kind of effects her Magic spells will have until she actually activates them.

Among the Wizards, she is the only one who seems to live under different rules.

That said, she basically uses normal Magic spells, so her charm and awesomeness might not be as clear by simply watching her performance in the Altreed Party’s strategy videos.

『He is the only hero who has reached the number 1 rank in the world without the protection of a Spirit… The Unyielding Hero Altreed!!!』

Needless to say, he is the best Hero.

While not as much as Orion, he is still full of youth.

He does look a bit like Wraith, but both his hair and eyes are brown.

Calm and cheerful, he has an air of familiarity that makes him feel like an uncle who will teach you how to play all sorts of games.

But once he dives into a Dungeon, he becomes the coolest man in the world.

A Hero who did not lose his spirit despite not being chosen by the spirits, and steadily raised his rank with his companions, reaching the top.

We, the Adventurers on the challenger side, quickly started feeling the power of the former number ones who appeared in front of us, and were excited about the battle that was about to unfold.

The Demon King was also grinning.

However, the reaction of the audience was mixed.

They hadn’t exactly lost their enthusiasm, but rather, it felt like a different kind of enthusiasm from before.

Among the spectators, there are many people who are expecting the flashy moves of those chosen by the Four Great Spirits such as Aerial, Fenix, and Wraith.

Even for a party such as Altreed’s, which was the world’s 1st ranked – even if only for one year -, those in the crowd didn’t seem to be all that interested in them.

It is what it is, I suppose. Everyone has their own reasons for coming here to watch the contest. Some of them might not even have the strongest interest, some may just want to cheer for the players whose faces they like the most, others might have come here simply because it was the talk of the town, or to accompany a friend…

But…

「Eh, who’re they?」「They say they used to be the number ones, but I haven’t heard of’em~」「Hurry up and bring out the strongest Demon King, that’s the one we’re here for…」「Wasn’t the Aerial Party who were the ones at the top?」「 The news said that they were at the top for one year, but it seems that they were dethroned the following year.」

It’s painful and sad for someone who admires the Altreed Party to hear such heartless words being spat out like that.

Wraith had been listening to this public evaluation for a while, and seemed to be ready to jump in to argue with them all. Just like his father, he fights in a way that doesn’t rely on spirits, so he was keen on trying to prove that his father’s methods were correct.

Noticing that Wraith’s face was getting colder with each passing second, I deliberately spoke to him in a cheerful tone.

「It’s okay, Wraith.」

He replied with a much sulkier tone.

「…I didn’t say anything, though.」

「It’s okay. Those noisy people will shut up as soon they see Altreed fight with their own eyes.」

Wraith’s eyes were wide open.

「I thought you wouldn’t say bad things about people, Lem.」

I see, even if it was just calling those spectators “noisy”, it might have come across as if I was insulting them. Still…

「Well, I’m no saint, and I find it very annoying to see someone I care about being made fun of.」

After I said that, Wraith laughed in a very childish manner. Though considering his age, I should say that his way of laughing was actually appropriate for his age.

「Ahahaha! I see! Yeah, “noisy”… that’s good.」

His face, which had been burning with cold anger after hearing the crowd disrespecting his father, had now returned to a lively expression.

「You’re right, Lem. It’s no use thinking about what these worthless mobs have to say. I get it now, Lem…」

「Wait, no, I didn’t say that…」

Oh well, at least he seemed to have cheered up a bit.

It is common for ignorant people to say irrelevant things.

But just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s not painful, so it’s understandable to feel dejected after hearing so many harsh comments.

The truth is, Altreed and his companions were only looking at us from among all of their opponents for the upcoming fight.

『Next, the participating monsters will come to the stage… but before that! Introducing a special guest from the adventurer side!』

「Huh?」

Wraith seemed confused.

We hadn’t been informed about anything like that either.

After seeing the person that appeared on stage after the Altreed Party, the venue became even noisier.

The only ones who didn’t seem to be surprised by this were those of the Altreed Party, who probably knew about it beforehand.

The reaction from the Aerial Party was particularly striking. Everyone seemed to be completely taken aback by this development.

Though it was only natural.

That’s because, for some reason, the one who had just arrived was their former party member.

『Who is the most famous White Sorcerer in the world!? Only one name should come to mind… it would be none other than this person… “The Great Saint” Panacea!』

The former member of the Aerial Party, the White Sorcerer Panacea.

She is a thirty-two years old beautiful woman with almost-shoulder-length black hair.

She has a bright and friendly personality and is also the wife of the Samurai Masamune.

This year, she announced her retirement so that she could have their third child.

Ewan joined the Aerial Party as her replacement.

…It’s not like she retired right after being blessed with their new child, but the news reported that her third child was safely born, and because of this, it might be possible that she wouldn’t be able to participate in the contest.

Though I can’t help but wonder if – even though this fight would be using avatars – fighting here today wouldn’t be bad for her body. Or rather, for her children… Oh well, it’s not something I should be thinking about after all.

I have to calm down. I‘m just surprised and a little shaken.

This was only natural as well.

Although not as much as a Black Sorcerer, Panacea, who was unluckily a White Sorcerer but still became the world’s number one at that, had become a great source of moral support to me.

She was proof that even if you awaken to a support-type Job, you can still aim to become the number one in the world, and you can actually achieve it.

Unlike me, Panacea was also a talented White Sorcerer, but… I had a lot of respect for her as someone who was ahead of others in a similar situation.

I was simply taken aback by the unexpected appearance of a person I admired.

「P-P-Pana, you… Why?」

Masamune, who was much more shaken than me, asked in a trembling voice.

Panacea didn’t answer, and just laughed coolly.

「Doesn’t she seem to be a bit different than usual?」, said Wraith.

「No… she’s probably playing out a role. This time she’s our enemy…」

While holding his forehead, Masamune considered his wife’s condition.

「Is it “enemy-like” to smile boldly like that? what a cute wife…」

Wraith started laughing out loud.

I heard another faint laugh, and when I turned around to find its source I found that it had been Fenix.

He was also looking at me.

「This is good, isn’t it, Lem? Everyone has gathered here…」

…

The Altreed Party, who inspired me to become a hero.

Panacea, who I have been looking up to ever since I became an adventurer.

Lucifer, the world’s strongest Demon King, who trained a helpless kid in the countryside.

Today, I have come face to face with everyone I have ever admired.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled.

「We still don’t know, do we? Do you think that person is coming as well?」

「Yeah.」, Fenix affirmed.

Not only that, but he said one more thing.

「Definitely.」