Chapter 159

Jingai Musume 159

The Arena

Editors: Speedphoenix, Joker

My surroundings were filled with naught but noise . The streets were crowded, and the people that filled them continued to shout and laugh as they basked in the city’s celebratory atmosphere .

“Wow…” Enne, whose hand I held, opened her eyes wide as we moved through the city . She was so impressed by how lively it was that she couldn’t help but raise her voice in admiration .

“I know, right? Seems like the king was right . This place is looking pretty festival-like right about now,” I said in a tone indicative of my good mood .

The demon realm’s capital was bustling with so much energy that a single glance was enough for me to feel the excitement radiating from its people . As could be assumed from the sight that lay before us, it had been five days since I spoke to the demon king about what I was going to do for him .

We had finished getting everything ready and set out in order to make our way over to the arena . As we had already spent a decent amount of time wading our way through the streets, we were already almost there . One of the things I had noticed was that every single person that had ventured out of their homes was wearing either a smile or some other expression of joy and excitement . This, of course, included more than just the people wandering the streets . Those looking to profit off of them felt the same way . Countless stalls had been opened up by aspiring and established entrepreneurs alike . The shopkeepers advertised their products by shouting at everyone that walked by . Their merry cries only served to add to the already vibrant atmosphere .

I had sensed a gradual buildup over the past few days . The capital had slowly gotten noisier as more people rolled in . But today, today was different . Everyone’s excitement had suddenly spiked all at once . A part of me was surprised . I had thought that the demon realm was in a situation that wouldn’t have allowed for its people to kick back and relax the way they did . But apparently, I was wrong . And I was fine with that . As far as I was concerned, this was just how festivals had to be .

Logically speaking, it did make sense . Unlike the world I used to live in, this one was suffering from a severe lack of entertainment . People were starved for it . Events like this one were so rare, so few and far between that everyone who was anyone would do their best to enjoy them .

“Does that mean you’ve taken part in festivals before, My Lord?”

“Errr, kinda . ”

I gave a vague, non-committal answer while smiling to gloss the topic over before turning towards the agent left in charge of us and asking her a question . “So, Agent McH-, er, Haloria, what exactly did you say we needed to do again?”

“You need to speak with the arena’s staff and complete your registration at the front desk . Unfortunately, we are unable to exert our influence on the tournament itself, so we have no idea as to who you will be fighting . Match placement is completely random, and the event’s staff will be responsible for guiding you through the rest of the process . ”

“Alright, works . And I think you guys said something about the preliminaries being like some sort of battle royale or something?”

“That is correct,” said Haloria . “It is a fifty person free for all . The last three left standing are permitted to participate in the rest of the tournament . With your strength, surviving the preliminaries should be a breeze . ”

Welp . Time to give it my all and see where it gets me .

“Some of our subordinates have mingled in with the tournament’s staff . We will be happy to assist you, so please ring the bell you were given whenever you wish to call for us . Someone will see to you as soon as possible . ”

“You’re talking about the bell that doesn’t actually make any noise when I ring it, right?”

Like the ring, the bell I was given was an item imbued with magical properties . It wasn’t capable of carrying out a regular bell’s primary feature, but it could release mana at a very specific frequency . Man, the demon king sure does have a whole bunch of cool stuff . Though I guess it’s only natural seeing as how he’s literally in charge of a whole country .

We spent a few more minutes walking and talking as we moved down the main street before finally arriving at the arena . The building was large, round, and for some odd reason, reminded me of the baseball stadiums we had back on Earth . The town had been noisy . But the stadium was even noisier . There were tonnes of people packed into the area . Though some of them were armed, they were all standing in neat lines . Man, seeing people with their weapons and armour out standing around all civilized and shit is pretty weird . Seriously . This shit’s surreal as fuck .

Standardization apparently wasn’t something that demons cared much for . People were holding all sorts of different weapons . One example was a broom with its bristles replaced with needles, and another was a scythe with a hammer on the other end of its snath . It was almost as if each race had its own unique selection of equipment; the line was filled with all sorts of different people wearing and holding all sorts of different things . All in all, the resulting scene almost appeared to be chaotic and disorganized in nature despite the orderly line the warriors stood in . Is this really supposed to be a martial arts tournament? Looks more like a weapons exhibition or trade show to me . Not that I’ve really got the right to actually say anything seeing as how I’ve got myself a Japanese-style sword with a big ass blade .

“Oh yeah, I should probably get myself disguised before I see the receptionist, huh?” I said . “Sorry Leila, but I’m going to have to ditch you . Make sure you use the thing I gave you to get yourself back to the dungeon if something happens . ” I reminded her of the necklace in an indirect manner in order to throw off any would-be eavesdroppers .

“Of course, My Lord,” nodded the maid in understanding .

Unfortunately, we couldn’t be seen together in public after I put on my disguise in order to stop people from making the connection between me and the alter ego I had devised for the sake of the operation .

“Well, Haloria, it looks like it’s going to have to be your job to keep Leila safe while I’m out . I know she’s kinda famous and whatnot, so make sure no one ends up bugging her too much, alright?”

Her words caused a sweatdrop to appear on the back of my head . Yeah uh… she’s totally just going to warp out if she gets into any trouble, so you should also probably focus on getting yourself to safety .

“That looks like it would probably be a good spot to change . ” The agent pointed me to a piece of cover I could probably use to get out of sight . I followed her prompt and headed over with Enne whilst checking my surroundings both by looking at my map and by actively focusing on my enemy detection skill . Only after I was completely sure that we were out of sight did I make use of the Ring of Transfiguration and grab the mask I had stored away in my inventory .

My new mask was quite different from the one I had worn back when I was helping the humans . This one didn’t so much resemble a clown as it did the mask worn by the molecular manipulator known as the black reaper . Oh wait, it’s missing the thunderbolt that’s supposed to be running through one of the eyes .

Leaving the mask as nothing but a blank slate with eyeholes and a fake mouth made it seem a bit too creepy for my tastes, so I ended up embedding a random star-shaped gem just under its left eyehole . Like basically every other fancy thing I had picked up in the demon realm, it was something I had gotten from its king . He had casually handed it to me without a care in the world the moment I asked for it . Man, Iunno if it’s just me, but he seems hella loaded .

Like everything else I made with Weapon Transmutation, the mask was a weapon . Technically speaking, it was a boomerang, just a dysfunctional one . I could totally throw it at someone and use it to hurt them, but it probably wouldn’t ever turn around, let alone come back . Not that it really matters . I’m probably never actually going to throw this thing, so yeah .

While the clown mask came in a pair, I only had one reaper mask . I didn’t make a second with the mouth area exposed this time around because it wasn’t necessary for me to keep the artificial face on at all times .

“Okay, looks like I’m just about ready to be seen in public . ” I said before turning to the sword girl by my side . “I’m sorry you have to miss the festival, Enne . How about I make up to you by letting you pick what we do in the evening?”

“Okay,” nodded the kimono-clad weapon . “And I don’t mind, Master . Anything is okay as long as we’re together . ”

She spoke a series of words that made me extremely happy whilst allowing the slightest bit of shyness to tinge upon her usually expressionless face . Ermagawd . Isn’t she just the cutest thing ever? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way . Don’t actually answer it .

“Thanks, Enne . I like spending time with you too . ” I smiled and patted her on the head as I spoke . “Could you do me a favour and go back to possessing your main body?”

“Okay . ” She nodded and touched the weapon I held in front of her . And as she did, she disappeared . It almost looked like she had fused with it the moment she and it made contact .

I hoisted her over my shoulders and sighed after confirming that the process was over . “Welp . Leggo . ”

***

I arrived at the desk after sitting through the line . There, I was greeted by a receptionist that seemed to belong to one of the demonic races—she had both a tail and a pair of horns . “Good morning, sir . If you’re here to complete the signup process, then please present the document you were given at the time of your initial registration . ”

I handed her the card that served as the proof of my registration .

“Please give me just one second to confirm the details . ” The receptionist paused to look over the documents . She stopped each time she went over a major detail and asked me to confirm it . “To sum things up, Mr . Ypsilon, you were born here in Regighihegg, and your weapon of choice is the greatsword? Would the weapon you have mounted on your back be