38 – Falling Leaf Thirty seconds. That was the total amount of time that I used between the first fight and the third. It was the result of strictly adhering to the Lord Count’s order of ‘instant kill.’ However, as for how the spectators were taking it, the atmosphere had become rather ominous. Every time…
37 – Lightning Speed ‘…The Combat Technique Tournament, third pair of the general division! It’s time for the fighters to enter!” The arena was filled with the greatest cheering of that day yet. Amidst this storm of voices, I stepped foot into the arena. ‘Now, the east corner! Dorto Savan, and his most unusual whip…
36 – The Combat Technique Tournament – Begins ‘…We have another heated summer this year! It is now the second day of the tournament, and time for the general division! The battle to determine the year’s strongest warrior starts now! I’ll be your commentator today, Konomi Abanesy from the Times On Fighter Information Department! And…
35 – Prelude The Combat Technique Tournament, preliminaries. In order to participate—you had to have a recommendation. That was it. Your age, experience and everything else was not taken into consideration at all. Because that was the job of the person who recommended you. While it was sometimes referred to as the general battle, it…
34 – Dragon and Tiger Summer. The four seasons in the empire were similar to Japan. In terms of the changes in temperature, that is. Well, the empire was much larger, so it was probably more extreme if you went far to the north or south. But the old capital of Viskenel at least, was…
33 – Invitation to Battle After some time had passed; a day when Summer was near. “You want me to participate in the Combat Technique Tournament?” I tilted my head with confusion at the Count’s words. ‘Ah,’ he muttered with a nod, and then handed me an envelope that he picked up from the desk.…
32 – Unfair “Sorry to keep you waiting, teacher.” Early morning. I had visited Count Orlando’s house, and was drinking tea as I waited. And then Ms. Iria appeared. “Not at all. I’m sorry for calling on you so early.” “No. It seems that I slept late today.” “It’s a holiday. Oversleeping sometimes is probably…
31 – Spill Over (Iria Orlando) Today, I have that dream again. A dream that I have seen over and over again. “_______!” I leapt towards him after finishing my training in the garden. He was taller than me, and so I had to look up at his face. But his back was towards the…
30 – Weight and Connection Ms. Iria was avoiding me. I realized this after about three days had passed since I started to train Ms. Aize. “Ms. Iria. It’s about the Combat Technique Tournament…” “I’m sorry, teacher. I’m busy right now…please excuse me.” Huh? I thought. At first. However, after the second and third times,…
29 – Nameless Emotion (Iria Orlando) “What is with that teacher!?” A disgruntled male student’s voice echoed through the classroom, and Iria furrowed her brows slightly. “Once again, he lets us do nothing but swing. What is the point of that kind of training?” “Exactly. And he acts so important in spite of being a…
28 – Thousand Nights “I heard that swords are stronger than guns, but never put it to the test. I would like to try it very much.” “You crazy bastard…!” In spite of saying that, I did wonder if I was being an idiot. But it could not be stopped. I didn’t want it to.…
27 – Fistfight “Gin. Shut up and stay out. We’re negotiating…” “Negotiating? Don’t be a fool, Ragi. They’re the ones who attacked first!” The man called Gin said as he walked heavily towards us. He stopped in front of me. Looked down with a grin. “You, squirt. Are you as strong as he says?” “Who…
26 – Butterfly of Death It was located in a corner of the underworld. What was left of the magic reactor, which was abandoned during construction. That being said, the actual ether core and reactor had been dismantled a long time ago. It was just metal pipes and platforms now. And there they were. The…
25 – Underworld The city had three faces. The new, traditional, and commercial. However, the truth was that there were other faces. And today was the day that Yukito first realized this. “There are places like this…” “Indeed.” The slums. That was the word that came to his mind as he looked at the walls…
24 – Reunion with the Hunter The old capital of Viskinel was largely separated into three districts. On the south-side of the ancient capital, there was the newly developed district, composed of a beautifully bustling commercial area and a modern office district with tall buildings. The east was a traditional district, which preserved the old-fashioned…