~ Chapter 129: The kidnapping attempt ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

I had to admit, that I never expected to see Tamara drunk from just half a tankard of mead. No matter how young or silly she was, that was far too little to achieve such an astounding effect. Either her tolerance to alcohol was ridiculously weak or she swiped the drinks from other tables as well, not just ours. Either way, we had Drumora and Amadeus stay back at the inn today in order to nurse the silly kitten, while the rest of us went to the coliseum in order to participate in the last part of the tournament.

Today, all the tribunes were filled up to the brim. There were more spectators now than ever before, especially among the noble ranks. From what I could see, not all of them were from this country. While I did not recognize any of the family crests, just by looking at their clothes, I had the feeling that I wasn’t that far off from the truth. If I could hear what they were saying, I could be more certain of this assumption of mine, but, with so many people talking and shouting in the tribunes, it was a miracle if I did not go deaf.

Luckily for me, there was someone in our group who had a bit of an idea of who was supposed to belong to this Kingdom and who didn’t.

Ildea was wearing a frown on her pretty face when she was looking up at the noble tribunes.

“Foreigners?” I asked just to be certain.

“Yes, and a good number of them from Akutan. What’s going on? Why would my father invite all those people here?” she wondered.

“Maybe there’s some sort of big reveal or surprise at the end of the tournament?” I shrugged.

“Back in medieval times, tournaments of all kinds had different hidden meanings besides those of entertainment and a test of might between contestants.” Kalderan said as he looked up at them.

“What other hidden meanings?” I asked, and Ildea seemed to be interested in this as well.

“A good example would be to decide upon the rights of governance over a region at the border. Another example would be to decide whether or not they should go to war. Another would be to show the other country that they have a stronger military than them. They also used them as ways to impress the future groom or bride, but it was never just a simple test of skill and strength.” he explained.

“If that’s the case, then I can only assume that father is thinking about showing the might of our Ten Swords Kingdom to the other nations, maybe as a way of telling them that they would have many losses if they dared to attack us.” Ildea said.

“Could be, either way, it’s not something that concerns us.” I shrugged “I’m just going to win this thing, then ask for an audience with the Queen. Once I am in the same room with her, I will explain that I’m on your side and use that opportunity to snatch her away from that awful place. With a bit of luck, maybe there are a bunch of nobles who are willing to support you from the shadows.” I said as I stretched and then went back to my seat.

“I just hope that everything will go according to plan...” Kalderan sent a worried gaze towards the tribunes of the Akutan nobility.

“Hm, who knows? Personally, I wish to solve this mess and then be on my way to see my lovely wife!” I showed him a big grin.

The battles in the last part of the tournament were much harsher and took longer than expected. All the contestants were trained fighters who stayed on the arena until their body and mind could no longer hold out, leaving them bloody and completely exhausted out there. Workers from this coliseum had to rush over there and drag the poor bastards away so they could receive some proper healing.

On the other hand, Coshun did not seem to be all that bothered with his upcoming opponent, a woman who carried a scythe around. I noticed her during the first rounds, but while she was able to make quick work of her opponents back then, she did not strike me as someone who could handle the mighty dragon prince.

When it was time for the two of them to step in the ring, the woman tossed a few curses and a tempting flirt at him, but Coshun remained immune to her feeble attempts. He wielded his weapon with determination and dashed towards her in a split second. With just a few quick moves, he was able to disarm her and then using the handle of his sword, he struck her in the stomach and tossed her out of the ring. She wanted to get back up on the arena, but she found herself to be too weak to do so and Coshun was declared victorious.

From what I heard from the healers, she had several internal injuries and a couple of broken bones, injuries which you would not have expected of her to receive during the exchange the two had, but I knew better. When Coshun struck, he used the weight of his entire body to perform the attack, which made it exceedingly difficult for that woman to defend even if she reinforced herself with magic. In other words, the attacks seemed to be blocked or parried, but in truth, they sent a shock wave throughout her body which caused unseen injuries.

Just like yesterday, the one to follow after him was Kalderan, who fought against a warrior with a sturdy shield and a thick plate armor. He moved slowly and used a spear, so naturally, my friend had all the time in the world to take his distance and unload his bullets at the joints of his foe. The battle lasted for almost five minutes, but when it was over, the bulky man fell with his back on the floor, and blood was draining out of his armor. He did not die, but his weight made it difficult for the staff to get him out of there and over to the healers.

My battle happened to be the last one. I was paired up against a dual wielding dagger specialist. I saw his previous battles. He used his speed to his advantage by getting close to his opponent, attacking once swiftly and then moving back before he was countered. Most of his opponents were taken out by his daggers before they had a chance to land a single attack, while those who lasted longer were downed by his poison. Of course, no one died, and he made sure to give the healers the right antidote. If he killed them in cold blood in front of all these witnesses, then he would certainly end up labeled as a murderer.

In front of me, however, that overwhelming confidence he carried himself with vanished in thin air. It was replaced with worry and caution.

“Aren’t you going to dash at me with those daggers of yours?” I asked him.

“I would, but you are not an easy target.” he told me.

“Is that so?” I replied, but since we were staring each other down like this, I decided to ask him a few things. After all, I had nothing to lose. “Hey, do you happen to know what’s up with all the murders in the city recently?”

“Rumor has it that someone is recruiting.” he replied.

“Is that so? Then those who were met with death were the ones who refused this blessing?” I asked.

“So says the rumor.”

It was a very distressing rumor because if this was true, then the organizers or maybe even someone with enough power outside of the tournament decided to use this chance to lure in more fighters. Those who refused to stand by their side would get the dagger to the throat while the rest will be welcomed with opened arms. This meant that the one who did the killing had to be at least close to being a Breakthrough-er if they were not one already. It was not easy to put the lid on some of the more powerful individuals here. While I was an exception, a lot of the contestants were actually stronger than the Knights we saw so far.

The man attacked while I was in deep taught, but I just blocked his attack with my armguard and then punched him in the ribs with a fast jab. He lost his breath as he got tossed to the edge of the arena.

“Y-You... are strong.” he said as he struggled to get back up.

“You shouldn’t force yourself; you probably have a few broken ribs.” I warned him.

“Incredible, but... I’m not one to give up that easy!” he shouted and then shot some needles at me.

A normal adventurer would have been downed by these, but not me. I could see them flying at me in slow motion, and just as easily I caught them and then sent them back at him.

“Gah! H-How?” he asked as he fell back, stabbed by his own needles.

“Don’t forget to tell the healers where to find the antidote in your pockets.” I told him with a smile as I looked back at the referee, who didn’t wait long before he announced me as the winner and then sent the poisoned man to the healers.

It was a bit funny to see that he wasn’t immune to his own poisons. It kind of shattered my image of a Poison User, but... maybe he was just an Apprentice? After all, this part of the Human Continent wasn’t very developed in terms of strength and skills. Most of the action took place outside of the Ten Swords Kingdom, and most specifically in the Akutan Empire, or so the stories went.

This battle was technically the last one for today. Coshun, Kalderan, and I were moved to the final round together with five others. Among them, the most noticeable one was Zeberan Brutus, who so far, may not have yet shown his true power, but the others weren’t that bad either. Sibesta Verderak was a woman who used two long thin swords to attack. Pasterun Veertug was a man with a small stature, but he wielded a big war axe that was taller than him. Trutiny was a mysterious warrior from the North who fought with a spear. Markuvinovici used the halberd as a main weapon and a dagger as a secondary one.

The eight of us were scheduled to fight on the next day, with the opening match being between me and Kalderan. Coshun was to fight right after me against Markuvinovici, followed by Zeberan against Trutiny and Sibesta against Pasterun. The competition seemed to be balanced out, which meant that the battle for the first prize was going to be between me, Coshun, Zeberan and maybe Sibesta. Unless I forfeited, it was impossible for Kalderan to win against me.

Once we left the coliseum, we headed back to our inn and prepared for the final day of the tournament. We did not have that much to do except to relax, have a good meal, and a nice chat. It was supposed to be a day like any other, however, while I was down at my table, staring holes in the menu because for the love of all that was holy, I could not find anything delicious in there, we suddenly heard a scream coming from upstairs.

“That was Ildea!” Coshun was the first to react as he got up from his chair and rushed after him.

“I’ll go after him.” Kalderan told me as I was left there with only Risha and Amadeus.

“Wait! My sister is up there!” reacted the boy in the end and then rushed up.

“I’m going to save the table for all of you, so... go ahead.” Risha told me kindly seeing that I was the only one who didn’t get up and rushed after them.

“She probably just saw a rat or Coshun’s dirty underwear.” I shrugged.

“Why would she...” Risha furrowed her brow at me.

She’s judging me, isn’t she? I thought and then let out a sigh.

Honestly, I didn’t feel the need to rush up there mostly because the hallways were crammed and with Coshun and Kalderan up there, I would literally have no place to move around. Thus, instead of going up the stairs, I walked out of the inn and went around, to see if the windows were open.

Just as I turned around the corner, I saw a couple of shadows jumping out of the room with Ildea, Roshelle, and Drumora over their shoulders.

“Huh?” I watched them like an idiot until my brain finally kicked in, and I said “Now wait a minute! That’s kidnapping!”

Right then, Coshun, with the expression of a man who was about to murder someone jumped out the window and rushed after them. Kalderan was not far behind with his weapons out and already shooting bullets at the enemy. I was the only one in the group who was left behind. Well, not for long though.

With a single jump, I reached the rooftop of the buildings and then ran after them.

Our kidnappers, from what I could see, were all wearing long black robes that hid their bodies well and had their heads wrapped in a black bandage that left only their eyes visible. It looked like a good disguise that called out the word ‘suspicious’ from a mile away. If I were one of the guards, I would have arrested them a long time ago, but seeing how they moved on top of the buildings, spotting them first in the dead of night would have been the first tasks to complete before actually attempting to apprehend them.

Coshun didn’t bother to dampen his steps, so a lot of the folks got startled by his stomps, and Kalderan’s guns lacked a suppressor right now. It would have been a good chase if the ones following them were normal adventurers, but... we were not.

Kalderan managed to hit the man who was carrying Drumora right in the shin, and with a groan, he fell off the roof. The girl screamed in panic, but she was easily caught by him before she reached the ground. It was a veritable Hero Save. With a good strong kick to the jaw, Kalderan knocked out the kidnapper and left the other two to us.

I rushed towards the closest one to me, who was holding Roshelle. Unlike Ildea, who was still wearing her mask and cloak, she was only wearing her cloak now, while Drumora also only her cloak. It seemed as though these three arrived exactly when they were about to change.

“Now, if I time this right...” I said and then on my next step I pushed myself forward.

In an instant, I reached the kidnapper and simply pulled Roshelle right out of his arms as I kicked him in the back. Losing his balance, the man rolled down the rooftops and landed in the alley below. I heard some bones crack and a groan of pain, but I didn’t bother to go back to see if he was dead or alive, instead, I went to Kalderan to drop her off.

When I reached him, the man was already giving the guards a detailed explanation of what happened and handed over the kidnapper.

“You’re alright! That’s good, but where’s the big guy?” he asked as he furrowed his brow.

“I’m on it. I’ll leave her with you meanwhile. Go back to the inn.” I told him.

“Will do.” he nodded.

“Thank you for saving me.” the maid said with a soft voice as she got out of my arms.

“No problem.” I told her and then jumped up to the rooftops.

The dragon was already out of sight, but if they were off the rooftops, that meant they were somewhere in the alleys having a brawl. I decided to focus more on what I could hear as I traced back my steps then ran in the general direction they were headed last time I saw them.

Not even a moment later, I heard the clashing of swords coming from somewhere to my left. There, I saw Ildea with her mask taken off hiding behind Coshun as he fought against five kidnappers. This looked like an organized attempt and not just something that happened on the spur of the moment. From the way they fought against the big guy, I could even tell that they were far better than the Knights in capital, which meant that they were part of an immensely powerful organization in this country if not even a foreign one.

Well, leaving my speculations aside, the only reason why I could see them going after the girls, with the exception of being aware of their identity and trying to turn a good coin from the King and the Akutan Ambassador, was that Coshun, Kalderan and I managed to reach the very finals of the tournament. Thus, if my judgement was right, someone did not want us to win or maybe worse, they wanted us to kill someone despite the rules being against it.

“Give us the woman!” one of the kidnappers demanded as he clashed swords with Coshun.

“NEVER!” he roared back at them.

“You will regret this!” another shouted as he attacked him.

The speed of their blows was really fast, and the dragon barely managed to keep up with them. This was not because he was weaker than them but rather because they were wielding short swords meant for speed and he was carrying around his bulky two-handed sword. The difference in speed was expected, but the advantage of strength and weight was shown every time he counter attacked. The kidnappers were pushed back like children who could barely stand on their own two feet.

While they were fighting, I looked around for Ildea’s mask and saw it not far from them, it was broken after someone had stepped on it. My guess was that she either dropped it or someone took it off and smashed it on the ground. Either way, Ildea’s identity was in jeopardy now, and I hoped and prayed that none of these idiots knew who she was.

“So, are you having fun down there?” I asked from atop the rooftop as I looked at Coshun pushing them back.

“Alkelios! You are just in time!” he replied.

“Tch! Another one came!”

“Oh, don’t mind me, he’s more than enough to beat your asses.” I said as I walked past them and approached Ildea “Are you alright? What happened to your mask?” I asked.

“I’m alright... the mask fell off when we stumbled down the rooftop. I don’t know where it fell.” she shook her head.

She probably cannot see it from here. I thought and then gave her my mask. “Use this.”

“Thank you.” she nodded, although, I feared that by now hiding her identity was probably too late.

“Retreat!” one of them called out and then they all fled in different directions.

“What the...” Coshun was stunned for a moment.

“Shouldn’t you go after them?” Ildea asked me.

“We could probably catch three of them, maybe four, but not all of them and by now it’s useless to even attempt to do so... At least one of them would most certainly manage to flee unless I go all out and wreck the place, which is something I definitely don’t want to do because it would bring too much attention to us.” I shook my head.

“Do you think any of them realized who she is?” Coshun asked me.

I shrugged “Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, up until now, she’s been wearing the mask and there’s a low chance any of them actually knew who she really is... maybe? Hopefully...” I shrugged “Either way, I was expecting that sooner or later someone would discover Ildea’s identity. We’ll deal with that when the time comes, no need to worry about it now.” I said as looked towards the Palace.

“Then, does this mean this incident is related to the tournament?” he asked as he sheathed his sword.

“Most definitely because, as I said, Ildea’s been wearing that mask until now. It would have been impossible for anyone to know who she really is.”

“They wanted to kidnap them and make us lose our battles! How cowardly of them!” Coshun growled.

“Yes, but now we have something else to worry about than some poor loser who will get his himself beaten up to a pulp by us tomorrow.” I told him as I patted his shoulder.

“Which is?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“The fact that starting tomorrow... our disguises might not be all that useful anymore...” I said as I looked back at Ildea who was now wearing the mask I gave her.

“Unless... we are lucky and none of them recognized me.” she hoped.

“Yes, if we are lucky, but... luck itself isn’t a guarantee...” I told her and then added “We’ll act as if no one is aware of your identity just yet, besides, the safest place for you is by our side anyway.” I shrugged.

We returned to the inn afterwards and told the others what happened, including the fact that there was a chance that the kidnappers were now aware of who Ildea was, however, Kalderan expressed his doubts about this. He thought that some random kidnappers would be unlikely to know someone like the Princess whose current state was unknown. To sustain his theory, he pointed out that the wanted posters could not be considered an ideal reproduction either.

While he was the optimist among us, the others were not convinced, and the next day, we arrived at the coliseum feeling as though we had walked all the way there with our bare feet on shattered glass. The pressure was annoyingly high and every glance the guards tossed our way felt as though they were aiming them straight at Ildea. It was as if we were walking into a trap, but if we ran away now, things could end up worse, such as turning us into assassins who failed to reach the King or something like that. Either way, pretending like everything was normal was the best way to go about this.