Chapter 136: 136

The car my father was driving was about to finish climbing a long hill.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I checked the scenery around me as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

“Is this the right place?”

My father asked me as we pulled into a large space.

“Yeah, it’s right here.”

I pointed to in front of the car.

There was a person we recognized standing there.

“Welcome! Friends of Gasara!”

With her long, colorful hair bobbing in the air, Nanairo-san, the lone woman of the Paradise siblings, a bird beastman, welcomed us with open arms.

“Thank you for today, Nanairo-san. Where are Gasara and Seijitsu-san?”

“They’re working on the ring! Tightening the ropes and stuff!”

One night after Rouge’s welcome party, we’re visiting a house a short distance from our home.

The house in front of us was a battered bungalow.

This seems to be the Paradise siblings hideout, where Gasara and them sleep.

It was on a small hill not far from the expanded Tusk Crag dungeon and the surrounding forests could be seen with a glance.

From here, they can quickly respond to any problems that may arise.

It’s also close to the community center where the treasure hunters are camped, so it’s a good location.

“You’re going to have a duel? I’m jealous!”

“No, I didn’t really want to fight in a duel…”

“I wish we could fight each other to the bitter end sometimes! Aniki doesn’t let me fight very often! Gasara’s not enough and I can’t hit Aniki!”

Battle junkies are scary.

I’m really glad that Seijitsu-san is holding the reins of this woman.

If Nanairo was left unchecked, all the Yankees in this town would be in the hospital by now.

“Well then! The ring is ready at the back of the hideout! I’ll also go and help!”

With that, Nanairo-san turned towards the bungalow and ran off.

She’s such a restless person.

“Kunpei-san, are you sure those people are okay…?”

I got out of the car and Aoi followed me out of the back seat.

Aoi still had some misgivings about the Paradise siblings, so I could understand her concern.

“It’s okay, Jaja and the others are staying at home, so there’s no problem, right?”

I can’t let them see what I’m about to do. I want the twins to grow up as peacefully as possible.

“But I’m worried about…No matter how strong Kunpei-kun is in a fight, your opponent is a demon.”

Mikuma came out from the door on the other side of the car.

Saeki and Mikuma have been staying at our house since last night.

Saeki, Rouge and Shouhei stayed at home with Jaja and Nana. The anxious Mikuma and Aoi insisted on chaperoning me.

Actually, it was supposed to be just me and my dad.

To be honest, the chances of winning weren’t that great, and I didn’t want to show them my unsightly side.

“Don’t worry. That’s what the boxing rules and witnesses are for.”

I replied, trying to reassure the two that had depressed expressions.

The prince and I are amateurs, to be frank, and I don’t think we can abide by the rules of boxing no matter how much we apply them.

That’s where Nanairo-san and Seijitsu-san come in.

With two professional treasure hunters that are two of the best in the business as witnesses, I could worry a little less.

I’m sure they’re good at what they do, and they’re a lot stronger than I am.

If the prince is strong enough to surpass these two, it will be over in an instant. Then that would be the least of my worries.

“But I’m still worried… The Sea Dragon’s servant, it’s almost like he’s a soldier…”

“Yeah. I was surprised, I didn’t know the ceremony was a street fight that would last for three years.”

As Mikuma, the brain of our family, found out, the ritual of selecting the ‘Sea Dragon’s Servant’ that has been going on for a long time in Dailan was a fierce one.

This was a traditional ceremony held once every ten years in Dailan. The main event of the Sea Dragon Festival.

The duration is three years.

It is a battle royale where anything goes, except murder, many-to-one, and the use of weapons.

Participation is limited to males over the age of ten, regardless of status if they wish to participate, and no one can stop them.

The ritual takes place all over Dailan. The participants wear a single golden bracelet on their right arm and go about their lives as normal.

The ritual begins when the participants find each other, whether in town or anywhere else, even if it is at bedtime or in the bathroom. Those who disable their opponents by means that do not violate the aforementioned rules can take their bracelets.

This is repeated endlessly.

Only those who have collected five bracelets by the end of the last six months are eligible to participate in the main tournament, which starts with a festival held in the royal capital of Dailan.

In the same way, the main competition uses the entire capital of Dailan and follows the same format. The festival does not end until the last person is selected.

It is a violent ritual where the last person to win will be awarded the honor of being the ‘Sea Dragon’s Servant’ for life.

In other words, the title of a fierce warrior chosen over a period of three years.

That is the honor of being the ‘Sea Dragon’s Servant’, the pride of Prince Atol.

It’s not uncommon for a man to live a life of care every day and still win.

“I looked into it more carefully, and found that the rules were based around magic, yet the prince won without using any, right? He’s probably very strong.”

As Mikuma says, there’s no need to guess, he should be strong.

What I felt before about the prince, that he had the air of a fierce fighter, was right on the money.

If he spent three years of his life fighting, he would be strong.

Unlike me, who was just a punk from the streets, the people the prince fought were all warriors with determination and purpose.

And if he could use magic on top of that, it would be too rude to compare him to the average Yankee.

“If the boxing rules work well, maybe there is a chance of winning.”

My father said as he pulled the baggage out of the trunk.

I’m not so sure about that. I don’t know, I’m starting to think it’s going to work against me.

“But we have to win, right?”

It’s really depressing, but there’s a reason I can’t lose.

For the sake of Jaja and Nana, I absolutely had to go to the Sphere Continent. We can go there even if we don’t win, but the reward for winning is the flight home, which is absolutely essential.

Given our financial situation, we can’t afford a plane ticket no matter what we did.

“Oh, um… If it comes down to it, I can just go myself. You don’t have to go out of your way to do anything dangerous, Kunpei-san.”

Aoi made a long face and gently touched my right arm.

“We’re in trouble because you can’t do that. It would take you a week to fly there, right? Even if you can get home faster, how are you going to feed Jaja and Nana in the meantime? Don’t worry. I won’t do anything rash.”

I patted her head roughly because she seemed like she would start crying if I left her alone.

Aoi’s fine hair is so pleasant to the touch it’s almost addictive.

“Ugh… But I still don’t want Kunpei-san to get hurt…”

Hmmm. I don’t like it either, but…

“I don’t really trust Kunpei-kun’s words about not being rash… you don’t have much credibility, you know?”

Mikuma grabbed the other left arm.

“No, that’s…”

“You tend to be especially reckless when it comes to the twins, aren’t you?”

I can’t deny that.

As for this time, that rat is going out of his way to explain the situation.

It must be very important to the twins that Alba, who always tells us important things, left a letter asking us to come to the sphere continent.

Then I’ll do what I can to help.

“That’s what… I think too, but… The most important thing is for Kunpei-san to be next to Jaja and Nana, okay?”

“That’s right, I’m sure the twins don’t want to see their dad injured.”

Oh.

The worried stares coming from both sides of me are really hurting me.

I know. I know.

“You three, you can flirt all you want, but… don’t you think it’s time for you to help your father?”

Oh, I forgot about my dad. He was holding all the luggage. Sorry, sorry.

“Ah! I’m sorry, father-in-law!”

“I’m sorry, I’ll help you now!”

Aoi and Mikuma hurriedly rushed over to my father.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

I carried my luggage around to the back of the bungalow and found Gasara and Seijitsu-san in their jerseys rampaging around in the ring.

“What are you doing?”

I asked Nanairo, who was watching the fight with her head on the ropes.

“It was a final check. They should have called me, but they started on their own. How boring.”

Nanairo-san looked at Gasara and Seijitsu-san.

Is that a knife in Gasara’s right hand? No, but it’s kind of black. Ah, it’s made of rubber.

The soles of his shoes make a squeaking sound against the ring mat, and with a nimble step, he thrusted, cleaved, and swiped the black knife at Seijitsu-san.

In contrast, Seijitsu-san used his bare hands to deal with all of them, and even from the sidelines, it was obvious that he was cutting corners. At any rate, he was only using one hand.

“That looks fun, how nice. I wonder if I should join in.”

Nanairo-san muttered something terrifying as she shook the rope.

Please stop. If you go out of control, the ring you’ve prepared will be destroyed.

“Ah.”

I don’t know if they heard Nanairo’s scary mutterings or not, but the two men rampaging in the ring seem to have reached an end.

Seijitsu-san flicked away Gasara’s black knife with his hand and went straight for a thrust to his midsection.

The flow of the movement was so fast that it was over almost instantly.

“You let your guard down, didn’t you?”

“Ugh, ugh. Sorry, Aniki…”

He stopped just before he hit his midsection.

Gasara, who was soaked with sweat, let out a groan.

Seijitsu-san’s entire body was covered in hair as well, but he didn’t even break a sweat.

“Fuh… w-e-l-c-o-m-e. T-o o-u-r h-i-d-e-o-u-t.”

Oh, the sloth switch is on.

Seijitsu-san took a deep breath and turned to us.

He walked up to the rope with a cute little step and slowly dived under it.

Gasara was slumped in the middle of the ring, breathing heavily. He must have been beaten up pretty badly.

I’ve learned over the past month at the shelter that this irritatingly slow and gentle voice of Seijitsu-san is his true self.

When he gets serious or when he needs to, he suddenly becomes quicker and his voice becomes sharper.

The signal for this change is the look in his eyes.

Normally, he has sleepy eyes that look as if they might not even be open, and they are dull, reminiscent of a small animal, but they become stern, as if he were a different person.

Then his movements were so sharp, like a gust of wind, that I couldn’t possibly catch them.

“Ah, thank you for today. I look forward to working with you.”

I can’t help but naturally use honorifics with this person and Nanairo-san.

Nanairo-san is simply scary, but I respect Seijitsu-san because of the work I saw him do during the Tusk Crag incident and his strength.

I can only praise him for his leadership of the treasure hunters, many of whom are roughnecks, and his skill in the field, as expected of an A-class hunter.

At first, I was baffled by the gap between the Seijitsu-san of that time and the normal Seijitsu-san.

When he’s not doing anything, he doesn’t move a muscle, so much so that you wonder if he’s really alive.

“Yeah, much obliged.”

My father handed the plastic bag in his right hand to Seijitsu-san.

“We had a barbecue at our house yesterday, and I’m sorry to bring you some leftover meat and vegetables. Please eat up quickly.”

My father and Seijitsu-san had become very close during their stay at the shelter.

On the one hand, he was the head of the evacuees’ fathers group. On the other hand, he was the manager of the treasure hunters.

They had many opportunities to talk.

“T-h-a-n-k y-o-u.”

“Meat! Yay!”

Nanairo-san interrupted Seijitsu’s words and snatched the bag.

No, don’t snatch the bag. He’s definitely going to be angry later.

“Gasara. Are you alive?”

“Shut up, you idiot…”

Isn’t your mane a little too moist?

His fluffiness, the charm point of which he was so proud, was now nowhere to be seen.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you…”

Aoi and Mikuma greeted them in the back.

Ah that’s right, Mikuma had never met them before, right?

Those two kept a distance away.

Well, they’ve always been the shy type, and I don’t have to tell you about Aoi anymore.

“It’s nice to meet you! Huh? Are the little ones not here today?”

“Ah, I’m keeping them at home. You know, they’re going to be beating each other up.”

“Hmm. That’s true! That strong sister of yours as well?”

“Yes, Rouge is also staying at home.”

I can’t let them stay at home without Rouge.

By the way, Nanairo-san doesn’t know that Aoi, Rouge, and the twins are dragons.

According to Gasara, “My sister talks without thinking too much, so it’s better not to tell her. I’m sure she won’t, but just in case,” he said, explaining the situation only to Seijitsu-san and not to Nanairo-san.

Even so, Nanairo-san, a hardcore battle junkie, seems to have sensed Rouge and Aoi’s strength with her wild intuition and has taken a liking to them both. She’s really scary.

“Is that so? What a shame!”

It’s not a shame at all.

I’m sure you’ve been planning to fight her every chance you get.

“Kazamachi, we have some time left. You can warm up in the hideout. We’ve got all kinds of equipment.”

Lifting his large body, Gasara pointed to the bungalow.

“Ah, sorry about that. I’ll go change.”

“I think I’ll get some exercise too. I haven’t been getting enough exercise lately. Is that okay?”

My dad brought a change of clothes, too.

“G-o a-h-e-a-d.”

“If you like, I can be your partner! Uncle looks pretty strong too!”

Nanairo-san’s eyes sparkled as she drew near father.

“Haha, stop it. How can an old man beat a youngster?”

Is that so?

I have a feeling that my father would have done well, but I wonder if that’s just me favoring my family.

“What a shame! Oro? I hear a car.”

Hmm? I don’t hear anything.

I tried to listen carefully, but all I could hear was the sound of birds from the surrounding forest and the noisy chorus of cicadas.

“It’s because Aneki’s ears are abnormal. I think the prince is here.”

Gasara replied, leaning against the top rope of the ring.

What kind of hearing do you have to be able to distinguish the sound of a car in the distance from all this noise?

“Ah, she’s right. It’s the sound of a car.”

Aoi put her hand to her right ear and closed her eyes.

Why can’t I hear it?

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“I’m sorry to keep everyone waiting.”

“Hello!!!”

Kayone and Utai were the first to emerge from the limousine doors.

Kayone bowed respectfully with both feet together, while Utai raised her right hand and greeted us with an unnecessarily loud voice.

A large number of birds took off from the surrounding forest at once, and Utai’s voice echoed in the sky far away.

Don’t bother the wild birds.

“You’re so energetic! Ya pipsqueak with big breasts!”

“Yes! Nice to meet you, bird beastman onee-san! My name is Utai Ketsa Inteira!”

“I’m Nanairo Oohashi!”

“Wow! What beautiful feathers! It’s so lovely!”

“Oh? That’s so nice of you to say! I know!”

Oh no.

The combination of Nanairo-san, who has always been light-hearted and talkative, and Utai, who is constantly exploding with energy, is noisier than I imagined.

They seem to be hitting it off, so I’m going to step away for a bit.

My eardrums are about to burst.

“… fuh, it’s a dingy place.”

“Hey, prince.”

I raised my right hand in greeting to Prince Atol, who was getting out of the limousine with a grumpy look on his face, saying something rude at the start.

“Don’t greet me so familiarly. We’re going to be beating each other up, you know?”

Well, I guess that’s true. But we don’t hate each other to the point of killing each other.

We’re just a little pissed off at each other. I think it’s okay to at least to greet each other.

“Kayone. Utai. I’m going to change my clothes. Where is my luggage? Where am I going to change?”

“Please wait, Your Highness. I must thank the treasure hunters for giving us the location earlier.”

“Your Highness! Wait!”

Kayone and Utai chased after the prince, who crossed his arms and strode toward the bungalow.

Ugh, selfish.

“Kunpei, you better get dressed and up too. Don’t forget to stretch.”

“Oops, got it, got it.”

My father hurried me to the bungalow, too. My dad is supposed to be my cornerman. He’s supposed to be my trainer, so to speak. I should follow his instructions.

I don’t get the vibe that we’re about to have a duel at all. I wonder why.

From now on, the prince and I are supposed to beat the crap out of each other until one of us admits defeat, but there’s no sense of tension.

“Kunpei-san, here is your change of clothes.”

“We’ll wait here for you, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I received the backpack from Aoi in front of the door of the bungalow and went through the door with Mikuma seeing me off.

It was a big room that was not very clean, with a couch and a TV roughly placed in it.

There were four doors in a row at the back, this seemed to be the living room.

“Oh, you can change in my room. No shoes allowed in my room. And don’t touch anything you don’t need. There are expensive magic tools in there. I took the prince to my brother’s room first.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Gasara, still moist with sweat, pointed to the rightmost of the four doors.

“The match starts in an hour, my sister and I will call you, so do what you want until then. I’m going to take a bath.”

“Okay.”

A bath.

With that much fur, I wonder what would happen if he took a bath.

What if his body was more slender than mine? No, that guy was a power type.

He looks like he works out a lot, so is he as muscular as he looks?

I opened the door, thinking about such trivial things.

Now, I’ve got to get motivated before the match starts.