I Was a Sword When I Reincarnated (LN) - Volume 17 - Chapter Pr

Prologue

IT WAS ONE day after the Ulmutt qualifiers, and Fran stood before the coliseum. Top competitors should have their match schedules delivered to them, but she couldn’t wait any longer to find out.

The matches are already announced, but… Didn’t think we’d go up against an acquaintance.

…Who?

I don’t blame you for not remembering him.

Sixty-four names were written on the giant wooden board. The names were split into two brackets of thirty-two which would ultimately meet in the middle.

Fran’s name was the first on the chart.

As the previous year’s third-place finisher, she was given the A Seed treatment.

At the bottom of Fran’s bracket was the B Seed, Dias. Hiltoria was in the middle of the opposite bracket as a C Seed, while Phelms was on the opposite corner as a D Seed.

The seed selection was based on the competitors’ previous placement. Their fame and accomplishments didn’t count. This was why Fran was above Dias and Hilt (both A Ranks) despite being B Rank.

Being an A Seed sure felt good. It meant being the tournament favorite.

Fran felt the same way as she read the list with stars in her eyes.

Teacher, my name’s first!

People will be watching you. We can’t give them a bad show.

Hm! I’ll do my best.

If things went smoothly, we would face Dias in the semifinals and either Hilt or Phelms in the finals.

Our first opponent is Dufaux.

I told her a little bit about him, since Fran seemed to be drawing a complete blank. Dufaux was one of the rookie adventurers of Bulbola. She’d actually sparred with him before.

Hm… Who?

And she was still completely lost!

Remember back in Bulbola when Gammod asked you to train some newbies?

The dwarven guildmaster had asked us to put the rookies in their place. We’d taken the same boat to the Beastman Nation with Riddick, Naria, and Miguel and trained during the trip.

Fran remembered those three, but the rest of the rookies might as well have been neglected footnotes.

He was an Illusion Blade who was the strongest of them.

…I guess?

Fran couldn’t remember no matter how well I described him. As strong as Dufaux was, he was only strong for a rookie.

And our next likely match is—Mordred.

Fran nodded excitedly when she saw his name. She remembered Mordred. Not surprising. The B-Rank adventurer had taken on the bodyguard quest with her when we sailed for the Beastman Nation.

He was a strong and competent adventurer excelling both in combat and command. Good at spotting enemies, too. He used his spear and Steel Magic skillfully in a fight. His unique fighting style left a deep impression on her.

Mordred’s first match is against Naria.

Naria!

As I said, Naria had studied under Fran for a short period of time. The rookie archer had somehow managed to qualify. Projectiles were at a disadvantage, given the arena’s less than spacious size, causing most mages and archers to be eliminated in the preliminary battle royale. Naria must have really grown if she’d managed to make it. Fran also looked happy at her progress. She was excited to see how much stronger her student had become.

Still, one year probably wasn’t enough time for her to best Mordred. If things went as predicted, he would be our second match.

I wonder who our third match will be?

“Hmm.”

There weren’t any other names we recognized in our block. All except for one.

Isn’t Biscott the guy who was with Sibyl?

“Hm?”

Apparently, Fran didn’t remember him. When I looked closer, Sibyl’s name was also in this block.

I hadn’t thought the (suspected) Raydossian spies would compete in the tournament. Were they not spies after all…or were they simply not thinking things through?

Their brackets were pretty close, too. They might end up fighting each other if they got unlucky.

Assuming Sibyl wins, we’ll face her in the quarterfinals.

Hm. Looking forward to it.

Suddenly, the people around us started stirring. The same reaction as when Fran first set foot in the place. Had a famous adventurer just shown up?

We waited until a man eventually made it to the tournament board. Looking at him, I could understand the crowd’s surprise. He had the head of an insect. A mantis’s head on a human body. It wasn’t a face anyone could soon forget.

“Ahem. Excuse me…”

I was expecting a scratchy bug’s voice, but he sounded like an ordinary human. In fact, he sounded…cool. Like he was voiced by a handsome voice actor. Regal, almost.

He was strong, too. His silenced footfalls, his aura, everything about him screamed first-rate fighter. He didn’t carry a weapon, so I thought maybe he fought barehanded, but perhaps he had retractable scythes in his arms.

If nothing else, Fran was excited to meet him. He was at least as strong as Colbert.

“Who’s that?”

“Beats me. No insectoid halfling adventurers in Ulmutt last I checked.”

“Must be from out of town. He looks tough, though.”

“Yeah?”

“His movements are clean.”

The Ulmutt adventurers didn’t recognize him, either.He was from either another town or another country.

We couldn’t let our guard down if powerful unknowns like him were competing in the tournament.

As we watched the mantis man check out the announcement board, his head suddenly turned to face Fran.

And his head literally turned. Like it was on a swivel. His body remained perfectly still. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie. The Menacing Mantis Man! Of all the mantis things he could have inherited, why did this have to be the one?

I readied myself to use telekinesis, but the mantis man unexpectedly asked, “Are you Fran the Black Lightning Princess?”

“Hm.”

“I knew it! Thank you for helping my friends in the capital!”

The capital? So that means—

Is he acquainted with Erianthe?

Erianthe, the guildmaster of Granzell’s capital, was a spider halfling. She was also acquainted with the insectoid-halfling mercenary band Feeler and Shell.

The mercenary band was unique in that it consisted solely of… Well, you get the idea.

“…Do you know Erianthe?”

“That I do!”

I knew it.

Mantis man sounded happy when Fran mentioned Erianthe. His face didn’t betray any emotions, however, so the only thing we had to go on was the tone of his voice.

“I am Knighthart, captain of Feeler and Shell. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Knighthart put his right hand on his chest and bowed. A true gentleman.

“You’re the captain?”

“Yes… Although the position was forced upon me since no one else wanted it.”

Even so, I could tell that Knighthart’s presence commanded respect. His humility and the other members’ lack of command skills aside, he seemed fit for the position.

“I heard you were lovely, but you are far more beautiful than I imagined.”

“Hm?”

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to be so forward.”

Knighthart was such a gentleman that I didn’t sense any malice in his words.

“I thank you again for helping my friends. Please let me know if I can be of assistance. I owe you that much, at least. It is also my reason for being in this line of work. I simply love helping damsels in distress!”

Why was this mantis such a catch?!

“I’d say we’re even. They helped me out, too.”

“Aah, but I know you saved their lives. I truly am grateful for that.”

“Okay.”

“Even so, I won’t hold back if we happen to cross paths in the tournament.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Fran gave Knighthart a confident smile. She was getting excited just thinking how strong he could be.

The insectoid-halfling mercenaries we’d met at the capital were all strong. It followed that the captain must be stronger than the others. No wonder Fran’s battle thirst was kicking in.

But Knighthart faced both Phelms and Elza in his block. He would have to get through both of them to fight Fran.

I wondered if he could do it.

“…Are the others here, too?”

“Robin and the rest are still helping Erianthe at the capital. But I think they’ll be moving to a new warzone soon.”

“I thought you were the captain.”

“You’re curious what I am doing here?”

“Hm.”

“I am looking for new members. Among other things.”

Knighthart’s plan was to perform well at the tournament to act as a beacon for the other insectoid halflings.

Feeler and Shell was a mercenary band of only insectoid halflings, but they weren’t being exclusive for its own sake. They wanted to help each other since insectoid halflings were seen as freaks by society.

They might get some harsh comments if their insect features weren’t too pronounced; and that was fine. But with cases like Knighthart, halflings could face traumatic persecution.

It was these halflings that the band wanted to provide a safe haven for.

It was why Feeler and Shell recruited only insectoid halflings—foregoing humans, elves, dwarves, and all the other races.

But there weren’t that many insectoid halflings with strong insectoid genes. It was unlikely that Knighthart could add to their ranks no matter how well he did.

“I’m looking to draw the other halflings out of the woodwork. I’m sure they will take notice if I perform well at the tournament.”

At least Knighthart’s looks would definitely get people talking. It increased the odds of word spreading about Feeler and Shell.

“I see.”

“If you run into any insectoid halflings in your journey, please tell them about us.”

“Sure. And if you run into any Black Cats, tell them about how to evolve.”

“Very well. We shall aid each other in our endeavors.”

Knighthart knew about the Black Cats’ condition. He was also already aware of their evolution requirements.

The information probably came in handy for the mercenary band.

“Oh. There is one other thing I must tell you.”

“Hm?”

“There seem to be people who are sniffing around for you. I don’t know the exact details of who they are, but I do not think they are adventurers.”

“Are they info gathering for the tournament?”

“Perhaps, but the tournament season attracts all kinds of ne’er do wells to Ulmutt. You may have inadvertently caused someone to bear a grudge against you. Such is the price of fame, I suppose. Regardless, do be careful.”

“All right. Thanks for telling me.”

“Think nothing of it. ’Til we meet again.”

“Hm.”

Knighthart bowed again before leaving.

So, there are people sniffing around for you.

Enemies?

I don’t know. Maybe they’re just looking into famous adventurers.

Jet was still keeping watch on Sibyl and the others. I would have to stay on guard instead.