Welcome to the Impregnable Demon King Castle - Chapter 232

232 – The Partying Participants 2

What a strange feast.

Various races gathered around a fire in a Magical Energy space set to be nighttime, laughing and reveling.

「Hey, Alba, your swordsmanship has all gone to shit ’cause you rely on your Magic Sword, so let’s have a practice round.」

「Huh? The hell is this drunkard saying?」

The Warrior Alba and Blanca are strangely compatible in some places.

「I borrowed a wooden sword, so why don’t you see if you can get a hit in.」

「Where the hell did you get that…? Tsk, whatever. I’ll show ya that not just our leader, but this Warrior’s got a winning arm, too.」

「Hah! That’s the spirit.」

People around them were getting excited, watching them go at it for a while with wooden swords.

Alba tends to prioritize his gut feeling over reason at the very last minute because he has a sense for these things.

This often works well, but if the opponent is the same type of person with even more experience…

「Hah ha! Up goes the sword!」

「Dammit…!」

Alba’s wooden sword danced in the air as Blanca’s wooden sword was at his throat.

「Still too young. It ain’t enough to just be greedy.」

「…Old hag.」

「Looks like he’s rarin’ for another fight」

「Whoa, you old- H-hey! I haven’t even picked up my sword yet!」

A sword was swung at Alba at speeds just barely slow enough for him to dodge.

「You think that excuse is gonna fly in a real fight?」

「You’re the one who called it a practice round!」

「Well aren’t you a pure kid, believing the enemy’s words like that.」

「Shut it! Ah, dammit! You wanna go?!」

「C’mon, c’mon. And a bang, and a boom!」

「What’s with the sound effects?!」

They look like they’re having fun.

「Are you alright, Bella? You aren’t good with all this noise, right?」

「I am fine, Lily. I have gotten used to after-Clear celebrations, and besides… I don’t particularly hate watching a lively spectacle, especially when it doesn’t involve me.」

The Hunter Lily and the Frost Hero Bella were sitting on a fallen tree, slowly sipping on fruit wine.

Lily would pierce any men trying to inch closer to them with her icy stare, and they would retreat, dejected.

When the Elves that took part in the preliminaries started talking to her, several people gathered and a calm conversation developed.

Bella didn’t really take part in it, but she didn’t walk away either. She just sat there, absentmindedly listening to the conversation.

By the way, the Paladin Lark was surrounded by girls around the time he was choosing what food to be served, and he had his usual sleepy-looking face.

Even so, the girls seemed to be having fun screaming their heads off around him.

…Lark has always been incredibly popular with the ladies.

「Whooooaaa!! The drinking competition between Gorka and Barbatos…it’s still going!」「Magma Beer… they say that drinking that’ll burn the throat of any ordinary person!!」「They’re already opening another cask!」

The Beast-Controlling Thief Barbatos of the Western Demon King Castle’s Big Four and the Heavy Warrior Gorka of the Garo party are having a drinking competition.

It isn’t an act that I can easily recommend, but they are adults after all. I’m sure they know their own limits, so I guess it’s fine?

I should probably find some White Sorcerers, in addition to Josh.

「You’re a hell of an opponent, Gorka! I’ve wanted to face off against you!」

「You aren’t too shabby yourself, Sir Barbatos! Heh, I’m sure we will have plenty of opportunities from here on out!」

「I suppose so! First off…」

「Indeed. We drink until one of us makes a sound.」

Then they both yell「Fight!」in unison.

「It warms my heart to see everyone enjoying the festivities so.」

「Heh, Didn’t I tell ya? I knew you could do it.」

The Ash Hero Garo appreciatively hits the Wizard Blau on the shoulder, the man who worked hard to make this all possible.

「I’ve been dealing with your ridiculous demands since we were kids, so this wasn’t any different. I was able to get help from Lem this time.」

「You really outdid yourself.」

There was a moment of silence between them.

「…We’ll pass the preliminaries.」

「Yeah.」

「I…I know that you are the strongest, brother.」

「Yeah.」

「Let’s win the next one.」

「Of course, little brother. Let’s win, and have fun doing it!」

「Right.」

Laughter escapes from Blau’s lips.

The Garo party doesn’t dwell in defeat. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t care about it.

They simply have the strong will to swallow their past regrets, enjoy the present, and fight for the future.

While all this is happening, the Sword Dancer Rafa has been showing off a bewitching dance, illuminated by the fire.

The surrounding girls take turns being her dance partner, their shoddy dancing skills being turned into a thing of beauty.

If the girl’s buttocks and breasts weren’t felt up every time they took turns, I would be honestly moved by the dance.

Is it lucky that the girls aren’t against it because of Rafa’s demeanor or perhaps because of her being the lead in the dance?

「Lem.」

Before I knew it, Fenix was standing beside me.

I was handed a wooden jug filled with beer.

「Thanks.」

I take it and take a drink.

「So, how are you liking the new party?」

「It’s fun. I see you guys have gotten better than last time.」

「After we lost in the Demon King Castle, everyone took what you said to them to heart and earnestly made an effort to improve.」

…I definitely remember giving them some advice at the time.

「I see. Well, it looks like we’re both doing well.」

Once again we toast each other.

「Lem.」

「What?」

「I want to fight you at full power again.」

I am currently participating as the Black Sorcerer Lem.

Ever since the preliminaries, I haven’t used even an ounce of the Magical Energy in the horn.

I used my own Magical Energy that was compressed and purified through the Holy Sword.

「…I wonder about that. I mean, it’s fine if it doesn’t happen this time, right?」

「That’s…」

「Just come again. We will take you and your allies on, once you reach that place.」

My subordinates and I will be waiting in the Demon King Castle tenth stratum.

Fenix laughed.

「Heh, I’ll do that.」

「It’s not gonna be easy, though.」

「It doesn’t matter how hard it is. I’ll reach you. After all…I’m a hero.」

And just like that, we enjoyed our beer in silence for a moment.

The knights were perplexed at first, but gradually, they started to talk with other people.

After she finished talking with us, Astrea explains what a knight really is to Josh. …Actually I sorta excused myself from the conversation to get away from it, so I should probably bring Josh some food later.

Wraith and Fran were huddled together, sleeping, and Melania was watching over them with a gentle expression on her face.

And then…hm? Where’s Valac?

「Ah, I just noticed! Isn’t there usually that kinda thing at feasts or festivals? You know, fireworks? Let me show you the…reverse order?  The Reverse-Reverse Eruption!」

Reverse Eruption is Valac’s Technique where she spews fire while in the air, greatly accelerating her downwards, as she ends the fight with a high-powered ax kick.

The reverse of the Reverse Eruption would be…spewing fire while aiming at the sky, I guess.

「Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, Valac! I can’t let you steal the show! Simply spewing a great plume of fire isn’t fireworks. Leave that to my bro and me, who have been known in our neighborhood since we were kids as the Firework Bros. Let’s go, Blau!」

「Yeah, yeah… Everything’s ready.」

「Fireworks Bros., huh? Well then, let’s have a match to see which one of us can excite the audience more.」

「You’re on. In that case, I’ll recruit others! Are there any other fire users around?!」

If this was in the middle of a city, it would probably be under strict supervision, but we’re in a Magical Energy space, so it should be fine.

Astrea said「They’ve been doing this…since they were children?」as her eyes narrowed, but Josh immediately pulls her attention away by asking her a question about her work.

「Why don’t you go, Fenix?」

I say to Fenix.

「Me? No, I…」

「Hmm?」

「…I guess I’ll go. Even if it’s just a sideshow performance, there’s no way that the Contractor of the main Fire Spirit can shy away, right?」

It’s not like you’re preparing to go to war here…

「Yeah, good luck.」

「Thanks. I’ll go in with enough fighting spirit to light up the night sky.」

「I think that’s called the sun.」

I smile sarcastically as I see him off.

The…fireworks showdown, I guess? That was a white-hot show.

That marked the end of the preliminaries.

The results were announced and the scheduled main event was approaching.