Heroine Hunter

I was in a tough spot.  

“Is that really true?”  

The tournament official nodded.  

“Yes, it’s true. From the Round of 16 onward, all participants are prohibited from using their own equipment and must use only the equipment provided by us.”  

Zeke, who had only just greeted me, looked concerned on my behalf.  

The pig beastman, who had just insulted the princess and the saintess, protested to the official.  

“Look here. All of us here, except for this one—” He pointed at me. “—Are seasoned fighters. We’re all used to our own weapons and armor. How can you spring this on us without prior notice?”  

The official shrugged.  

“A true imperial knight must be able to skillfully handle any weapon in any situation.”  

The pig beastman erupted in anger.  

“That’s a load of—”  

The official cut him off.  

“Those were His Majesty the Emperor’s words.”  

The pig fell silent, then spoke.  

“… So, we just go to the next room and pick?”  

I slumped back into my seat in the waiting room.  

I stared at the dildo spear in my hand.  

Seeing my drooping shoulders, Zeke spoke hesitantly.  

“That’s quite a… unique weapon you have there.”  

I infused mana into the spear.  

Bzzzz—  

The surrounding participants flinched.  

“This was how I managed to get most of them to forfeit.”  

Since Zeke had been awarded the title of count for his accomplishments, I couldn’t speak casually to him.  

‘… A pacifist, I see. I respect that.’

He was trying so hard to find something to praise; it was almost pitiful.  

I deactivated the dildo spear and changed the subject.  

“By the way, I heard you accomplished great feats in the war?”  

“It was all thanks to you, Castoloni. Just as you suggested, I went to the Adventurers’ Guild. In the first dungeon I entered, I consumed an unknown potion and suddenly became incredibly strong…”  

Zeke scratched his head awkwardly.  

It seemed he had stumbled upon a fortunate encounter.  

“How is that my doing? It was your exceptional skill, Count.”  

“Please speak freely. Castoloni, you’re my lifesaver. Had you not helped me back then…”  

Zeke appeared emotional.  

“I’m honored that I could help.”  

The pig beastman, who had been loitering around after recognizing Zeke, finally couldn’t supress his curiosity.  

“Count, why are you participating in this tournament?”  

He meant, why is someone as ridiculously strong as you here, ruining the balance?  

The other participants turned their attention to us.

Everyone was curious. However, none dared to ask outright.  

“I didn’t want to participate either, but His Majesty insisted…”  

“Oh.”  

“Don’t worry. If I win, the Emperor has promised to grant a title to the second-place winner.”  

“I see.”  

The pig beastman stepped back.  

The other participants seemed to accept this with expressions that said, “Well, fair enough.”  

The official shouted, “Those who have selected their weapons and armor, please draw a number and proceed to your assigned positions!”  

Another official approached me.  

“Mr. Ian Castoloni?”  

“Yes.”  

“Please come and select your weapon.”  

I got up and gave a small nod to Zeke.  

“See you in a bit.”  

“Yes.”  

As I left the room, I glanced at Zeke’s status window.  

[Zeke Friesen]  

[Occupation: Imperial Knight/War Hero/Count of Friesen]  

[Status: Respect/Gratitude]  

[Meeting him again must be the heavens’ way of telling me to repay my debt. How should I do it?]  

————

[Rose’s Chamber]  

Evangeline crossed her arms and lamented.  

“So lately, he doesn’t even treat me like a princess, but more like a mere sex slave. The moment our eyes meet, he gets aroused and throws me onto the bed. Even this morning, I told him to save his strength for the tournament, but he just couldn’t help himself.”  

She shook her head.  

‘So he was with her this morning too…’  

Emilia clasped her hands together, looking concerned.  

“Oh dear. That must be tough for you. I understand exactly how you feel. Imagine how it was for me—stranded on a deserted island with nothing to do. Some days, it felt like we did it every waking moment until we fell asleep.”  

“Haha. Really?”  

Evangeline struggled to maintain her composure.  

“And the other day, he came at night, and we kept going until sunrise. Of course, I love it when Ian is with me, but it can be overwhelming.”  

Emilia shrugged her shoulders.  

“Exactly, right? Ian is just…”  

Evangeline crossed her legs, pretending to remain calm as she tapped her foot.  

[All day? I’ve never gone all day before… Sure, Ian could probably keep going, but wouldn’t that be too much for a woman to handle? I need to start some stamina training from today.]  

Gazing out the window, deep in thought, Evangeline glanced at Emilia, who wore a triumphant smile.  

‘That smug look… It makes me so mad. I can’t let this go. I wasn’t going to mention this…’  

Evangeline cleared her throat and began to speak.  

“Ahem. Saintess, has Ian ever… Done it from behind?”  

“… Pardon?”  

Emilia felt like her body had frozen at that moment.  

“This side.”  

Evangeline gestured toward her own rear.  

“There…?”  

Emilia hesitated, and Evangeline smiled triumphantly, puffing out her chest.  

“Oh. So you’ve never tried it. That’s a relief. Lately, Ian has been begging me to let him do it from behind. Honestly. We’ve done it a few times, and now my body is fully trained to his… size. It’s a real problem.”  

Clatter.  

Emilia set her teacup down. The smile vanished from her face.  

‘From behind? Is that even possible?’  

Evangeline forced a weary expression.  

“Saintess, if Ian ever asks you to let him do it from behind, don’t ever let him.”  

“W-Why? Is it very painful?”  

Emilia was willing to offer her ass if it made Ian happy.  

Evangeline waved her hand lightly.  

“No, no. Ian is very good at it, so it doesn’t hurt at all. But the problem is, once it’s been, well… trained, sometimes it feels even better than the front. It’s like your body changes in a strange way… It’s hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it.”  

She leaned back in her chair, savoring her victory.  

“I see…”  

Emilia looked disheartened. Seeing that expression, Evangeline suddenly snapped back to her senses.  

‘Oh no!’  

While bonding with Emilia over their shared grievances about Ian, she had let her competitiveness get the better of her.  

Evangeline quickly changed the subject.  

“By the way, there’s been a lot of talk from the Women’s Bureau lately about abolishing the role of the Saintess.”  

The Women’s Bureau claimed to protect the rights of the Empire’s women, but it was notorious for being ineffective. Its main activity seemed to be openly suppressing any woman who received more attention or admiration than the Empress.  

“Well, that’s nothing new.”  

Emilia gave a bitter smile.  

She still wanted to leave her role as the Saintess to live with Ian. But now that Ian had given her the power to perform miracles, she didn’t want to step down in disgrace.  

More than anything, she didn’t want to feel socially inferior to the princess, her rival sitting right in front of her. 

She knew Ian wouldn’t differentiate between them based on status, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to back down.  

Evangeline spoke up.  

“If I become Empress, the first thing I’ll do is abolish the Women’s Bureau. They waste money and do nothing useful. They’re completely worthless.”

The Women’s Bureau was a department created by the First Prince’s mother, the Empress, to use the Empire’s budget at her whim.  

“Then, I suppose I must support Your Highness’s return all the more.”  

The eyes of both women sparkled as they looked at each other.  

Evangeline gazed out the window in the direction of the arena.  

“Ian entered the knight tournament for us.”  

“I just hope he doesn’t get hurt.”

Emilia clasped her hands as if in prayer.  

Evangeline nodded.  

“Yes. He’s already given us so much. He doesn’t have to push himself.”  

Emilia asked, “Is there anything we can do for him?”  

Evangeline stood up.  

“We have to do whatever we can. First, let’s go cheer for him at the tournament. Saintess, is there a way for me to leave here?”  

“I can use the ring to send you back to where you were, but if you want to go to the arena, how about we go together? Everyone from the temple is at the tournament today, so there’s no one outside.”  

Evangeline fiddled with her hair.  

“Like this?”  

“I have a way.”  

Emilia smiled brightly.  

———-

After selecting my equipment, I drew my lot.  

“Mr. Castoloni, you’re number 4. That means you’re in the second match.”  

Following the tournament staff’s directions, I headed to my seat in the arena.  

Below the VIP stands, there was a row of 16 seats designated for the participants.  

On the opposite side, a large bracket was being generated on a magic display for the audience to see. It seemed to be an illusion spell.  

Dodoria Pigman ┐__________

Ian Castoloni ┘

The second match bracket was completed.  

The audience murmured among themselves.  

“Who’s Ian Castoloni?”  

“Isn’t that the Dildo King?”  

“He managed to get through the preliminaries with that ridiculous weapon, but honestly, this is as far as he goes.”  

“From the round of 16 onwards, they have to use real swords provided by the organizers. Even with protective magic, facing Dodoria might end in death.”  

“Place your bets, folks! Who’s advancing to the semifinals?”  

It looked like they were gambling on the matches as well.  

I headed to the contestant area.

Someone was sitting in the seat designated as number 4. 

It was the scrawny man from the waiting room who had said he wanted to be the saintess’s knight. 

I tapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey, that’s my seat.”

He looked up at me with an annoyed expression.

“Just sit anywhere, will you?”

The tournament staff approached.

“Please sit in your designated seat.”

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue at me and moved to seat number 1. 

It appeared he was in the first match. 

I sat down in seat number 4.

The red-haired female knight I saw in the waiting room was seated next to me in seat number 5.

[Mika Vern (Virgin)]

[Occupation: Female Knight/Fallen Noble]

He must have wanted my seat because of her. 

She had a youthful face that seemed almost out of place for a knight, coupled with striking beauty. 

There was an aura of noble dignity about her.

She nodded at me in greeting. 

I nodded back.

Just then, the crowd around us rose like a wave. 

The emperor and his entourage were entering the VIP stands.

‘So, that’s them.’

The First Prince and the Empress were among them.