It Seems That the Demon King Is Among the Members of the Hero’s Party

58. Martial Arts Tournament Begins

Two days have passed since I went shopping with Cecil. Currently, I’m participating in the martial arts tournament hosted by the Dwarf Kingdom and waiting in the preparation room guided by the staff.

Dal, the tribe leader, submitted my application, and the reception went smoothly. Tor-san also wanted to participate, but he gave up since he can’t fight seriously with his right arm missing.

Sasha wasn’t coming to drink, but Darl and Tra-san were cheering from the audience seats. Cecil was also there, supporting me.

Now, the weapon I’ll be using is a sword with a broken blade, prepared by the organizers. That means I can’t bring Durandal. I could leave it in the waiting room, but there’s a risk of it getting stolen, so I’ve entrusted it to Darl.

“I’ll take care of it!” he said with a loud laugh.

From the cheers outside, I can tell the match is underway. My turn is still ahead, but I’m feeling a bit bored waiting here.

There are other participants around me, but they’re all tense and hard to talk to. I think I need to relax a bit more.

───Yesterday, I spent the whole day investigating after talking to Mirabel. I wanted to confirm how many reincarnators are in this world.

As Silvy said, there are reincarnators who have left their mark on history. I researched heroes who left their names in the annals of time and criminals who made a name for themselves.

Not everyone was clear, but there were some who were undoubtedly reincarnators.

One was the first king of the “Jungle Emperor”. Another was a dwarf architect. The beastmen and dwarves expanded their power around the time the second demon king, Adel, was defeated by the second brave, Sherry Felgrand.

It seems that Kobayashi, one of the four heavenly kings of the demon tribe and a reincarnator, died around that time. After Adel was defeated, Kobayashi seems to have led a strong attack on the brave party.

The result is obvious. The second brave party was a problematic party, and apart from Sherry, the other members committed crimes and were caught.

Some were betrayed and killed by their allies, while others were devoured by monsters and died.

Let’s set aside the story about the reincarnators who aren’t from around here. The second demon king, Adel, was incredibly strong. The demon tribe’s offensive became more intense due to the hatred from the first demon king’s death.

The humans and elves, who were the two major powers, suffered significant damage in the war against the demon tribe. During that time, the beastmen and dwarves expanded their power.

Reincarnators were involved in both of these countries, and it was very clear.

───The first king of the “Jungle Emperor”, “Totoko Leo-tarou”

When I saw the name, I quietly closed the book. The name was too ridiculous. The alias was also ridiculous. I think it was “21st-century cat-type superhero”?

Undoubtedly a reincarnator. Probably from the same Japan as me. There are many things I want to say, but I’ll hold back for now.

The cause of his death was a love affair, just like Takeshi-san. He had a lover outside of his marriage, and that lover bit his vital parts and killed him in a fit of rage. It was a big scandal.

Until the moment of his execution, he was shouting that it was unfair that Leo-tarou didn’t love him.

───The legacy left by the reincarnator in the dwarf country still remains today.

The place I’m in now is a building called an arena. Not a colosseum, but a sports dome-like structure designed by a reincarnator.

It’s made of stone, with a solid spectator seating area. Originally, it was built for sports, but now it’s being used for the martial arts tournament.

Apparently, the dwarf country has a soccer culture. Undoubtedly a legacy left by a reincarnator.

When I investigated, I found out that the reincarnator’s name was Knox Estes. Unlike Leo-tarou, his name wasn’t ridiculous, but his alias gave him away.

───”Soccer lover”. That’s Knox’s alias. Undoubtedly a reincarnator.

It seems that since rubber wasn’t discovered, they made a soccer ball-like object by processing wood. I think it would hurt a lot if you kicked it with all your might.

I heard that those who play soccer need to reinforce themselves with magic or they’ll die. It’s a dangerous sport.

Knox seems to have created a magic-infused ball and kicked it with his feet to attack.

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The cause of his death was different from his previous life. He died from a brain hemorrhage after being hit in the head by a hard ball. Was he killed by soccer…?

There was another obvious reincarnator.

That was the first pope, Rudgar Christof. I was surprised when I saw the name. It seems that the first pope was Noel’s ancestor.

I think the reason Noel’s family has held high positions is related to this.

The position of pope isn’t hereditary, but rather selected from among the high-ranking clergy. Still, the bloodline of the first pope is significant.

Now, what he did was establish the world’s first religious organization and unify the global currency. The religious organization is what we know as the church today.

At that time, it wasn’t a large organization, but over the centuries, it gained followers and became the massive organization it is today.

The church is the only place where you can discover your magical aptitude and receive blessings from God. It’s convenient, so the church organization spread quickly around the world.

When it gained significant influence, it proposed unifying the global currency to the kings of each country. The reincarnators in Tangmarin and Jungle Emperor agreed, while Alcadia and Crematas opposed. Telma was neutral?

The unification of currency was declared, and Jungle Emperor, Tangmarin, and the pope persuaded Telma to implement it. As a result, the economy developed.

At first, there was chaos, but with the unification of currency, merchants found it easier to do business, and travel between the three countries became more frequent. On the other hand, merchants began to avoid Arcadia and Cremaltas, which had different currencies.

The problem was that the Dwarf merchants stopped coming. The Dwarf-made magical tools, which had been renowned for their high technology, were convenient and had an impact on the daily lives of the citizens. The people’s dissatisfaction grew, and even the royal family judged it to be a bad situation.

In the end, Arcadia and Cremaltas also unified their currencies, following the example of other countries.

It’s likely that the influence of the Dwarf-made magical tools played a significant role in the smooth progress of this development. Without them, it would have been really inconvenient. The possibility is high that the three reincarnators led the way.

That’s how the currency “Gold” came to be used. Its value is around 1 Gold per 1 yen.

There are several types of Gold coins, such as 1 Gold coin and 10 Gold coin. I think they were created with a similar feel to the previous world.

Thanks to this, I have fewer worries.

I thought that the Gold currency might have been thought up by the locals, but after reading the church’s treaty created by him, I was convinced that he was a reincarnator.

The treaty is like a set of rules that priests must follow. I know many of them. For example, “When granting blessings, always confirm the thoughts of both parties.”

You’re listening, next-generation Law Emperor-san. I think it’s better to follow the treaty!

My personal feelings got in the way. Let’s get back on track. The treaty has many written rules, but they’re not that strict. There’s no penalty like seppuku for desertion. However, it gets more casual towards the end. Let me give you a few examples: “Snacks are limited to 500 Gold,” “Banana-like fruits are not snacks,” “Let’s keep early to bed and early to rise in mind,” and “Mirabel is an evil god. Never worship her.”

Just looking at these, it’s clear that it was written by a reincarnator.

Law Emperor Edmond Armstrong II, who was killed, seemed to have struggled to abolish the treaty “Snacks are limited to 500 Gold.”

According to Cecil, he was a big sweet-tooth, and the treaty limited the sweets he could eat, causing him trouble. It seems that priests who shared the same thoughts gathered around him.

Was he loved by his fellow sweet-tooths? That’s unlikely.

The “Banana-like fruit” is similar to bananas in the previous world. I think it was added in a joking manner, like “Can bananas be snacks?” during a school trip.

From that treaty, it seems that fruits are not snacks, so it’s okay to eat them as a substitute. Many priests do so.

What caught my attention was the treaty regarding Mirabel. It seems that the first Law Emperor, Ludgar, didn’t trust Mirabel at all. He believed in the god who granted magical knowledge to the world and guided the Elves. It’s a strange story, but no matter how many books I read, I couldn’t find the name of this god.

I myself only recognize the church’s god. Even Cecil said, “God is god, after all.” It seems that there’s something to the fact that the god’s name is unknown.

Still, to treat Mirabel as an evil god? Did something happen between Ludgar and Mirabel? Wait, I’m involved with the evil god Mirabel, am I okay? I’ll ask Noel about it next time.

Regarding Ludgar’s cause of death, he was killed by a female human who held the position of archbishop.

It seems that she was motivated by the church’s policies or something. She stabbed him in the back when he was off guard, and then repeatedly stabbed his face until it was unrecognizable.

She proudly confessed to the crime after being caught. The problem is her final statement.

───”Long live Mirabel-sama! May we be glorified!”

She was smiling triumphantly until the end, and even in prison, she was saying things like “I’ll have hope in the next life.”

With Ludgar’s death, Mirabel became a complete enemy of the church, a being who shouldn’t be tolerated, just like demons.

If my relationship with Mirabel is exposed, it won’t be good.

Let’s put that aside for now. While Leotaro and Knox are involved, Ludgar’s death clearly has something to do with Mirabel. It’s possible that Mirabel even ordered the murder.

Looking at the evidence so far, I don’t feel like trusting her.

Thanks to Maxwell-san, I was able to investigate the deaths of the reincarnators. He had collected numerous books over nearly 1,000 years. He was so confident, saying, “I wrote a book too, read it!” and pushing it onto me. It seems to be his pride and joy.

I thought it was a book about magic, but it was a romance novel.

When I flipped through it lightly, it seemed to be a story about the great love between a female demon named Tierra and a male named Tesla. Apparently, it’s a true story.

It was quite thick, so I’ll read it later. I borrowed the book.

The door to the waiting room opened.

“Kail player, it’s your turn.”

“I’m ready.”

It seems it’s finally my turn. I looked at the tournament table, but who was my first opponent again?

I think it was someone named Shunsa Tsaremus.

Well, we’ll see how it goes.