The Bear And The Hero

My name was Roylotte Blake.

I usually lived as an unremarkable B-rank adventurer, but today I came to watch the Combat Tournament dressed in a bear costume.

The Belgion Arena was a circular coliseum, with the fighting arena surrounded by four tiers of spectator seating.

It could hold around fifty thousand people, and spectators ranging from locals to tourists had packed the place.

Nobles and royalty had also come to watch, and there were even special viewing boxes reserved for distinguished guests.

The arena was also used for battles against monsters trained by Monster Tamers, but this tournament was a competition where adventurers tested their strength and skills against one another.

Killing was forbidden as a general rule.

And matches were, in principle, one-on-one.

Monster Tamers, however, were allowed to enter alongside their monster partners.

“The real highlight’s gotta be the showdown between the Hero and Nick Bluestar.”

“Rosa the Drifter’s entering too, right? I can’t wait to see how this turns out.”

The spectators were all talking about the showdown between the Hero and the hero who had saved a nation.

Apparently Rosa was participating too. You got paid for every match you fought in the Combat Tournament, after all. She was probably in it for the money.

Posters bearing portraits of the Hero, Vanrost Rain, and the great hero Nick Bluestar had even been plastered across the arena walls.

The event probably brought a tremendous economic boost to Belgion.

Apparently, contestants were also allowed to watch the other matches from the stands until it was their turn, and several armed competitors were seated among the spectators.

Our seats were on the second tier, ten rows back from the very front.

They obviously weren’t front-row seats, but we still had an excellent view of the arena.

Without adventurer privileges, seats this good would be pretty hard to get.

‘And we’re underway! First up, we have a battle between B-rank adventurers!’

‘It looks like quite a few of this year’s B-rank competitors are making their tournament debut.’

There was both an announcer calling the action and a commentator providing analysis, and their voices were carried throughout the entire venue by voice-amplifying Magic Stones.

Huh. It had been a long time since I’d visited an arena, but the world sure had gotten convenient.

Having both an announcer and a commentator made the matches more enjoyable to watch.

Only adventurers of B-rank or higher were eligible to enter the Combat Tournament.

If I’d applied in advance, technically I could’ve entered too… not that I had any intention of doing so.

The cymbal signaling the start of the match rang out, and the battle between the two B-rank adventurers began.

They both looked like warriors. They stared each other down for a while before finally charging forward and clashing sword against sword.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

It couldn’t be helped that the swords made such light sounds when they struck.

They were bladeless practice swords made specifically for matches, so the fighters wouldn’t accidentally kill each other.

Even so, they seemed to be swinging their swords rather blindly. At that rate, they’d probably wear themselves out fast.

“Watching them like this, their movements and speed are completely different from yours, Roy. If you entered as a B-rank adventurer, people might accuse you of fraud instead.”

“…Yeah, maybe.”

That was exactly why I tried to avoid flashy places like this whenever possible.

Even when I worked, I almost never formed teams with other adventurers and usually accepted requests on my own.

At most, I’d done a little monster extermination together with Wolk.

If I ever did anything too spectacular, I’d get buried under troublesome requests and lose my easygoing, carefree lifestyle.

“Hey, Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear. Did you two come here as spectators today?”

Who the hell was talking to us so casually…? Oh. It was Nick Bluestar.

Yuri hurriedly stood up and thanked him in a more formal tone, saying, “Thank you very much for earlier.”

“What happened? Did this guy help you with something?”

“Yeah. He saved me from some rough-looking people.”

At Yuri’s answer, Nick burst out laughing.

Had she said something that funny?

Apparently Nick found it absolutely hilarious, because tears had formed in his eyes.

“Young lady, I don’t think most people would dismiss the celebrated Hero of our age as just some ‘rough-looking person.’”

“What, that idiot Hero was bothering you?”

“Y-Yeah. He asked if I wanted to join his party.”

That bastard. So he’d taken an interest in Yuri even while she was disguised.

I was about to get angry… Hey, Nick. You’re laughing way too hard. Do you really have to clutch your stomach? What the hell was so funny?

“You two don’t have even the slightest bit of reverence for the Hero, do you?”

“Why would I?”

“Ha! I like you guys. I hate that bastard too. I want to beat the hell out of him in this Combat Tournament.”

“Yeah? Then I’ll be cheering for you with everything I’ve got. Good luck.”

I gave Nick a fist pump with my bear paw.

Nick smiled brightly and nodded, then suddenly stared intently at me.

“By the way, Mr. Bear. Any interest in adventuring with us?”

“—Huh?”

“That slap you used to take down that A-rank adventurer in one hit was incredible. I just thought it’d be fun to go adventuring with you.”

…This was exactly why I shouldn’t do flashy things.

I’d just gotten an invitation from the hero who had saved an entire country.

For now, I’d better turn him down as politely as possible.

“Me Like Being Alone. You Good Guy, But Me Cannot Go With You.”

“Why did you suddenly start talking like that?”

“Anyway, I’m bad at working in groups, so go ask someone else.”

I waved my bear paws wildly from side to side.

Maybe being invited to join the Twilight Ravens, renowned as the strongest party in history, was supposed to be an honor.

Nick smiled a little sadly and replied.

“Hmm, I see. Well, if you ever change your mind, come find me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”

I nodded repeatedly.

Though I doubted I’d ever change my mind.

“Actually, there’s one other person I’d like to recruit, and I’ve been trying to find them… Hey, have you two ever heard of Yuri Claudevel, the one who used to be in the Hero’s party?”

“”…!?““

“I heard the Hero’s party kicked him out. I’d like to bring him into our party instead, but I haven’t been able to track him down.”

Well, that made sense.

She had registered at a Guild Hall far from the tavern where she’d been dismissed, and the Eto Branch was especially strict about protecting personal information.

“I’ve never heard of him.”

The person answering him was Yuri herself.

From Nick’s perspective, though, it was simply a woman calling herself Julia who had answered.

Yuri’s expression had stiffened… She probably still wasn’t ready to even consider joining another party.

Even if she understood intellectually that the members of the Twilight Ravens were different from the Hero’s party, the wound left by being abandoned by her companions wouldn’t heal easily.

I decided to back Yuri up.

“I haven’t heard of him either. This is the first I’ve even heard that the Hero kicked someone out of his party. Why are you looking for this person?”

“Yuri Claudevel was the backbone of that party. The Hero was a complete idiot to kick him out without even realizing that.”

Hearing those words, Yuri’s eyes widened beneath her mask.

She probably hadn’t imagined there was anyone who thought that highly of her.

If Nick valued Yuri’s abilities that much, then at the very least, he seemed like the kind of person who would treat her well.

But judging by how Yuri kept averting her gaze from Nick, she clearly had no interest whatsoever.

And part of me felt relieved by that… Yeah, that wasn’t good. I shouldn’t be feeling that way.

Just then, a young messenger called out toward the spectator seats.

“The next matches will begin shortly! All S-rank and SS-rank competitors, please wait in the preparation room!”

Nick rose from his seat, smiled cheerfully, and waved.

“Well, it’s my turn now. See you later, Mr. Bear, young lady.”

Man, what a refreshing smile.

If a handsome guy like that smiled at Yuri, surely she’d… No, apparently not.

She was looking at me with a complicated expression.

“Roy… I… I can’t imagine joining a new party right now.”

“Yeah, there’s no need to force yourself. For now, let’s just focus on watching the matches.”

“O-Okay!”

For now, simply working alongside companions might still have frightened her.

But given enough time, Yuri’s heart would surely begin to heal.

And if she eventually regained enough peace of mind to seek out further adventures of her own, I wanted to be someone who could give her that push forward.

…Would I really be able to push her forward?

Just imagining that day had already left me feeling depressed.