Colbert seemed to be okay, so we decided to head back to watch the next match. The current match was between a guy named Abbab, a B-Ranked adventurer, and a student of the Dimitris-style school.

This Abbab guy seems to be a magic swordsman. He uses scimitars for close combat, and water and poison magic for long range.

Listening to the commentary, I learned that he was Eihwaz’s disciple. I see, his fighting style is certainly disgusting. And his personality seemed to be bad as well as he uses weak attacks to tease his opponents, who are unable to move due to his poison. But there is no doubt that he is strong.

『His personality was terrible, but his movements are quite refined. But we’re talking about Eihwaz’s disciple here…』

(He might also try to poison us)

『Yeah. We’ll have to be careful about that too. I can think of a few countermeasures, like checking to make sure he doesn’t use an item bag』

Mordred managed to block our attack by bringing the one-time use barrier stone in his item bag after all. Fran seems to be thinking about various measures for that.

「Fran, that was a good fight」

「Mordred? You’re allowed to go?」

「Yeah, somehow」

Mordred, who had just been engaged in a fierce battle with Fran, called out to her as the current match came to an end.

He was a little unsteady on his feet, but he seemed to be physically able to move.

There was no frustration or anger on his face, just a refreshing warm smile.

「I’m sorry about that last moment」

「About the lava?」

「I had used a spell to increase my resistance to molten iron before the match. Even if I’m unconscious, once the magic is cast, it lasts for the duration of the spell. But that was like attacking after the winner was decided. And that was bad manners」

Then he bowed deeply. What a man of honor.

「I understand. I accept your apology」

「Thanks」

「In return, I’d like to ask you a few questions」

「That’s fine, ask me anything」

「About our fight earlier, first――」

Fran then asked Mordred a series of questions about their fight. Mordred also answers them thoroughly.

It’s not often that we get to talk to a veteran. He also seems to enjoy the fact that he has something to teach Fran. What a caring man he is.

We were able to see an expert fight up close and review the match with him. It had been a great experience for Fran to be able to fight Mordred here.

After the dozens of minutes of a recap of their previous fight, we were now switching to analyzing the other contestants’ battles.

「If it’s Mordred, how would you deal with that Abbab guy from earlier?」

「If it is an opponent I have little information about, I will first keep my distance from them. Then I’ll mainly use molten iron magic and look for an opening in the meantime」

「I see」

「Or, if you’re feeling confident, you can bring the fight into close combat. In Fran’s case, since you fight using a sword, bringing the fight into close combat before your opponent could pull any tricks would give you the advantage」

Mordred’s words gave Fran a heavy blow as he was able to hunt down Fran with that simple tactic before.

「I also think he can actually cast his poison magic with a much shorter chant」

「How do you know?」

「He once fired his poison magic at a faster time than usual, probably in panic when his opponent rushed towards him. It’s hard to imagine that one shot was just a coincidence」

「Is he trying to make his opponent think that his chant shortening skill is not a big deal?」

「I think so」

Just listening to Mordred’s analysis is interesting in many ways.

That’s how it was going, but then one of his men came to Mordred. Fran had completely forgotten about him, but he was a man she had met before on a request to escort a ship.

I can see that he has a lot of respect for Fran, who won against Mordred. Mordred must have educated him well.

It appears that he had some business to attend to.

「Is it that time already?」

「Yes」

「Well, I’d better be going. It has been a good time. Let’s leave the talk about the magical area for another time」

「Nn. Thanks. I also enjoyed it」

「Yeah」

Then, when Fran was alone and had just started rubbing Urushi, someone approached her again.

「Um, Fran-oneesama」

「Nn? Katley, and Nilfe too」

「H-hello…」

「Woof!」

It was the kid duo, Katley and Nilfe. They seemed to have been in the noble seats, which were reserved only for the nobility, but they must have come to the special spectator seats after they spotted Fran.

I had noticed them a few minutes ago, but they seemed to have refrained from calling out to Fran because of Mordred. Or was it simply that they were afraid of Mordred?

In case you’re wondering, the special spectator seats are reserved for officials and people who are related to the contestants or have invested in them.

The seats where the general audience is are open for free. Special spectator seats are for officials, and guest seats are for invitees. That’s how it’s divided. People in the guest seats are treated as special guests, so they can come here too.

「It was Mordred-sama you were talking to earlier, wasn’t it?」

「Nn」

「You seemed to be quite close with him…」

「Nn. It’s because he’s a fellow adventurer?」

Fran tilted her head in wonder. Come to think of it, what words to use to describe our relationship with Mordred?

「You just fought him a while ago. Are you not bothered by him?」

「Why?」

「He might hold grudges against you for example…」

「It was just a contest」

Well, it only applies to Fran and Mordred who are the easy-going type though. There are some who might hold a grudge over a win or a loss.

But Katley, who admired Fran so much, seemed to have taken it for granted. She looked impressed and was convinced. Nilfe was the same too.

「I-I see, That was just a contest after all…」

「Amazing」

「Nn. Win or lose, no hard feelings」

Fran’s words then reminded them of the reason they had come so far, and they both congratulated her on her victory.

「Oneesama, congratulations on your victory!」

「Congratulations!」

「Thanks」

「Your fight was really amazing!」

Katie and Nilfe then excitedly talk about the battle between Fran and Mordred.

「I didn’t really grasp what had happened on the stage during the whole thing…」

「But it was awesome」

「Yes, that’s right!」

It seems that after Mordred’s lava covered the entire area inside the barrier, nothing could be seen from the outside.

But the audience, surprisingly, seemed to enjoy even that.

「It was a sight I had never seen before, like a glass cup filled with orange lava. I didn’t know that lava could be so beautiful」

「It was beautiful!」

Certainly, it would have been an unusual sight to see. Since the heat was blocked by the barrier, only the beauty of the scene seemed to remain.

Though it only lasted a few minutes, it was a good thing that it was settled before the audience got bored.

「Are you injured?」

「This much injury is not uncommon」

「I-I see… If I’m going to be an adventurer, I need to be prepared!」

「Good luck」

「Yes!」

Kaley didn’t seem to be afraid, in fact she seemed to be even more motivated. I wondered if it was because of Fran or if it was just her nature. But I think she could become a famous adventurer in the future.

Nilfe, who nodded from time to time, seemed to be interested too. Though Fran wasn’t the best at explaining things, it was still a good learning material for the two.

「It was a pity that oneesama’s friend, Charlotte, lose her match」

「Nn. But, she fought better than last year」

One of the most interesting matches of the day was probably the one between Elsa and Charlotte. Elsa and Charlotte were on the same block as last year, and the outcome was very similar as well.

The only difference was that Charlotte fought longer. She was also showing much better movements. However, it seemed that she had not yet acquired enough offensive power to break through Elsa’s defense, and in the end she was thrown to the ground and lost.

「Oneesama, good luck in your next match. I’ll be rooting for you! Your opponent would be one of the adventurers we met in the dungeon after all!」

「Nn. I’ll win this」

「Yes!」

As Katley said, our opponent for the next round was one of the two people we met in the dungeon before, Biscot.