[Rakudai Kishi no Eiyuutan]

The one who greeted Ikki, who had defeated the the Seven Stars Sword King Yuudai Moroboshi and succeeded in advancing to the second round, at the gate to congratulate him was none other than his lover Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion, who had yet to be seen at the venue due to a delay on the Shinkansen.

Whoops and cheers went up as she came out of the gate.

「It's the Crimson Princess, Stella Vermillion! She's arrived!」

「Ooh, it really is her! It's the Crimson Princess in the flesh!」

「Her hair really is crimson! So pretty...」

「She's got a fine stature...I mean, would'ja look at dem long legs…!」

These did not pale at all in comparison to those that had accompanied Moroboshi's entrance.

Such attention was what should have been expected of an A-Rank Knight.

But the one happiest with her arrival was surely the young man named Ikki Kurogane.

"Wonderful, Stella...you made it."

He too was glad that she could make it, but more than that...he had craved their long-awaited reunion.

His chest burned as if lit by a fire hotter still than his wounds. Only when he was in front of her did he realize just how much he longed for her.

"Well, I did really want to make it on time, but fallen rocks had blocked up the tracks. It took some time to clear them out, you know? The Shinkansen really should just have a drill fitted in the front - it would look cool anyway."

"That was quite the misfortune, huh…"

More importantly, when she said 'clear them out'...

Did she mean she cleared them by hand?

'...Hmm, maybe I shouldn't press for details.'

"That aside, you had a very tough opponent. I only caught the tail end of it, but that alone was more than enough for me to realize that."

"That's true…but I won. It's your turn now."

"Yes, I know," Stella replied immediately, her eyes lit with burning confidence.

The painfully dispirited figure she had cut by the unconscious Touka's bedside was nowhere to be found. Somehow, it seemed that the training with Saikyou had produced satisfactory results.

That's great.

Passing by Ikki, whose heart's load had been lifted, Stella faced the spectators.

"I'm sorry for being late! Stella Vermillion has arrived!"

「Representative Stella apologizes to the audience cheerily! So polite, I like her already!」

「Still, since she didn't get here on time, where will the postponed match be held?」

「The Organizing Committee is conferring on this very matter right now. It might be shifted to the last match or may follow soon after the end of the Block C matches, so I think, but...oh! We have been informed that the conference has ended. Ladies and gentlemen, as the Organizing Committee desires to directly relay its decision to us regarding the fourth match of Block B, please turn your attention to the screen.」

On Iida's cue, all in the stadium turned as one to face the screen.

A bald old man appeared on-screen.

「Ah, it's Kaieta.」

「Oh, really! It's the Thunder of Judgement, Yuuzou Kaieta!」

Those forty-something and over within the stands greeted the bald old man's appearance with enthusiasm. After all, the Thunder of Judgement was the hero of their era, the one who had triumphed in the King of Knights A-League.

And now, this hero was the Chairman of this year's Organizing Committee, representing them to announce the results of their meeting.

「Ehem, dear esteemed guests and participants, good afternoon. I am Yuuzou Kaieta, chairman of the

sixty-second Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival's steering committee. Allow me to share the consensus

of the committee regarding the fourth match of Block B, which was postponed due to the late arrival

of Representative Stella Vermillion. Our consensus is that the fourth match of Block B shall be held

immediately.」

The result was as commentator Iida had anticipated. Since the Block C matches was now over, the

organizers had unanimously agreed that it would be convenient to hold the delayed match right away.

All that was left was the consent of the representatives themselves.

「Representative Vermillion, do you have any objections?」

"I'm fine with it."

Stella replied immediately, because this had all happened due to her tardiness. She would not object

to their decision, regardless of what it was.

"Oh, but I'm not as agreeable."

In opposition to Stella's bright voice, another frigid one cut through the noise. Sharply, it expressed its

dissatisfaction at the decision made. That voice of course belonged to a young lady with ash-blonde

hair, who leapt the ten metres from the spectator stands onto the Dome's arena soundlessly―Mikoto

Tsuruya, the Icy Scorn.

"How troubling, to have disregarded me and made a decision all on your own."

「Oh no, of course we intended to confer with you as well. Might the trouble be that you find holding

this match next to be inconvenient? If that is so, we can arrange for the match to be the last one for

today. This delay was after all not due to any fault of yours, and as such the steering committee is

prepared to be flexible.」

Tsuruya however shook her head at Kaieta's words. He didn't understand. And indeed his lack of

understand was almost appalling. What she was requesting had nothing to do with when the match

would be held.

"I have no objections about the conduct of the match itself. However, I cannot accept that no penalty

will be imposed on those who were late." Tsuruya pointed at Stella from across the ring. "I'm here to

request that an official penalty be imposed on Representative Vermillion."

This caused a stir in the audience.

「Hey, hey, what's this?」

「That ain't like a knight! Fight fair n' square!」

Most of them did not wish for a match with a penalty. What they had looked forward to was a straight-up, full-power battle between young knights. As such, even though there were a small few who could be heard expressing views in favor of Tsuruya's claim, noting that 「Mikoto-san hasn't said anything wrong, has she?」 or 「Isn't it bad to be late as one pleases? It should be fine to impose a penalty」, most were opposed to it. Nonetheless, Tsuruya was unmoved. Her cold, mocking smile never fading, she did not retract her request.

Hmph. You can criticise me all you want. But regardless how 'much you do so, I'm not backing down.:

The Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion was not an opponent she had any odds of beating in a straight-up fight. Hence, she had to manipulate the situation to her advantage. Regardless of how she would be hated for it, it did not matter so long as she won. Winning was the only thing of value to a knight. That was Icy Scorn Mikoto Tsuruya's way of thinking. In a way, she was similar to Ikki and Moroboshi in that they all understood the essence of what it meant to be a knight.

However, her claim did not quite have a leg to stand on.

「Hmmm… indeed, there is precedent for imposing a penalty upon latecomers. However, such actions were limited to those who delayed for malicious reasons or were uncontactable. Since this particular delay has been confirmed to be due to a rockslide messing up the Shinkansen schedule, the steering committee believes that a penalty is unnecessary. If a penalty had to be imposed, the committee feels that having to compete immediately upon arrival is handicap enough.」

"Guh…!"

In truth, the steering committee had already discussed penalizing Stella even without Tsuruya's intervention. But falling back on previous cases, their consensus judged it unnecessary. Thus, Tsuruya's claim would not go through.

That is...

"No, it's not enough."

...unless Stella Vermillion herself were to suggest a penalty as well.

"S-Stella!?"

Ikki sputtered from beside her, his eyes widening at her sudden declaration. She paid him no mind and continued speaking.

"Icy Scorn's suggestion is perfectly reasonable. In the first place, if I had arrived a day before the tournament like everyone else, I would not have been involved in the rockslide incident. Since it was my misjudgment, I think it is necessary to impose some punishment."

At this, Ikki, the spectators, the steering committee… indeed everyone in the Dome was speechless. Naturally, because the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival was a single-elimination tournament, and there was no meaning in daring to make things harder for oneself.

「Well, this… is quite surprising. To think that you would say such a thing…」

Stella nodded.

"Even if Tsuruya-san had not brought it up, I would still have planned to request a penalty. The Vermillion royal family prizes honesty and fairness. I have never considered escaping the punishment due for the error of arriving late."

「Hmm, I see.」

"As such, I have a suggestion regarding the next match."

「A suggestion?」

"Yes. If we were to hold the match according to the existing rules, it would be unfair to Tsuruya-san, who arrived on time. As such, I would like for a special rule enforced as a handicap on myself during our match. In concrete terms, I would like all the remaining members of Block B, starting with Tsuruya-san, to engage in a four-on-one match with me."

「Wh-What did you say!?」

Kaieta nearly croaked at Stella's penalty suggestion. Of course, he was not the only one to be shocked; the spectators in the Dome also began to express their surprise.

「H-Hey now, what kind of crazy stuff is this Princess saying…!」

「There should be a limit to what you mean by 'penalty'!?」

All who heard it thought they might be mistaken.

Even knowing that this was to her advantage, Tsuruya could not help but ask.

"A-Are you serious…!?"

Stella nodded genially in response, and relieving her tone of the formalities adopted in speaking to an elder like Kaieta she grew lighthearted, as one speaking to a young lady of similar age.

"I'm serious. Being late's a heavy enough mistake that disqualification wouldn't be strange. When you think about it that way, this sort of penalty is par for the course, isn't it? Of course, I do want the others to agree first."

Behind her, Ikki paled.

'This… this is bad!'

Why? Naturally, the penalty Stella had suggested was reckless. But the bigger problem here lay with the people who would participate in the battle due to this penalty. Three people were left from the matches of Block B that were already finished, and they were all…

…Members of Akatsuki Academy!

Other contestants might not agree to such an arrangement. After all, they had already won, and thus did not have to butt into Stella's match for Tsuruya's sake. They had no reason to do so. But Akatsuki was different. They were mercenaries hired by the anti-League faction for the task of dominating the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival. Performing well at the Festival, in and of itself, meant nothing to them. Their mission was accomplished so long as any one of them made it to and emerged triumphant in the finals.

As such, they would definitely jump at this delicious opportunity…!

Stella was an A-Rank, the same as Ouma, who was most likely Akatsuki's strongest member. They would not miss this hard-to-come-by chance to defeat her in such an overwhelmingly advantageous position as a four-on-one.

Ikki's premonition proved spot-on.

"Hahahaha… now this is really interesting."

Puppeteer Reisen Hiraga's voice was filled with unbridled amusement at his opponent's suicidal words as he laughed from the spectator stands.

"This is the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival, a competition in which no foe is to be underestimated. To request a four-on-one battle against yourself as a remonstrance… as expected of the Crimson Princess I've heard about, your pride really is a different beast."

With that, he propelled himself from the stands, landing beside Tsuruya.

"Ain't this just the words of some shitty pig with nothin' but power?"

"Kukuku… do not retract your words, Your Crimson Highness."

Following Hiraga's descent, winter wear-clad Yui Tatara the Unturning also descended to take her place beside Tsuruya facing Stella, with Beast Tamer Rinna Kazamatsuri astride her black lion in her wake. They signalled their intent with their actions.

"We of Akatsuki Academy have no objections. Let us do our part for the sake of a fair tournament, shall we?"

「Mhmm. I see…. What about you, Representative Tsuruya?」

"I…I don't have anything to say about these conditions."

Her approval, critical as it was, came out faltering at conditions so favorable that she seemed to almost wish for it to not be so. Nonetheless, she gave her approval all the same.

「Hmmm….」

Having received the approval of all the participants, Kaieta closed his eyes and furrowed his brows in thought.

「Hey, hey, what's he agonizing about? Is he really considering letting this messed up penalty pass?」

「Four versus one isn't a match, it's a lynching!」

「But it's kinda interestin', someways! Let 'em fight!」

A peculiar tension gripped the audience as Kaieta considered. Stella's far-out-of-left-field request and its accompanying rules had piqued the interest of many in the audience. Even those who had cast aspersions on Tsuruya's request for a penalty initially had begun to adopt a position of approval instead. Those with differing opinions even began to debate amongst themselves.

This uproarious situation persisted for around one minute, and then Kaieta's eyes opened.

「I understand. Since there are no objections from the participants, this match will be held with modified rules in accordance with Representative Vermillion's self-appointed handicap.」

He declared in his capacity as head of the steering committee.

「You serious!?」

「What is the committee thinking!?」

「Order, order! Appending the rules based on mutual agreements between knight apprentices is not unheard of, especially in the Seven Stars Sword-Art Festival in which they are the stars. The content of the penalty is indeed a little excessive, but it was ultimately Representative Stella's request. As such, it will be dealt with as per normal.」

Silencing the jeering sections in the crowd, Kaieta then turned to the two people in question.

「I will now confirm the rules. Leaving aside Representative Tsuruya, Representative Vermillion will have to defeat Representatives Hiraga, Kazamatsuri and Tatara. On the other hand, Representative Tsuruya is victorious if she or any of the others defeat Representative Vermillion. Will this be acceptable?」

"It's fine."

"Yes. I thank you for your indulgence, Chairman."

Both parties agreed to accept these modified rules. With this, the steering committee's role ended.

「Mmm…. Then, Iida-san, I leave the rest to you.」

「Eh, ah, y-yes.」

Handing the time over to the commentator Iida, Kaieta flickered out of the screen's view.

「Well, um… s-somehow, something amazing has happened. I've been casting events for a long time, but casting a four-versus-one event is a first for me too. But since the participants have agreed to it, and the steering committee has allowed it, let's get down to the commentary!」

Thought Iida at first seemed shaken by this common-sense-defying turn of events, he quickly

recovered both himself and the peppy organizer's tone he had taken during the other matches.

「In that case, we will soon begin the match between Stella Vermillion and Mikoto Tsuruya! Would the two of you, as well as our guest participants, make your way to the ring please.」

"Well then, I'm off." Stella spoke confidently upon receiving Iida's instructions as she turned to face Ikki. "You can go rest now―you look exhausted, and there's probably nothing to see here at this match."

She was as lighthearted as a child, despite now having to go up against not only Mikoto Tsuruya, one of the previous year's Best Eight, as well as three underworld mercenaries all in one go. Ikki couldn't understand that.

"…Stella… why would you take this kind of unnecessary extra risk onto yourself?"

If she had kept silent, there would have been no need for a penalty. Her actions brought her no benefit in the slightest… or so he could only think. Thus he could not help but ask. Why would she do such a thing?

"Are you confident that you will be able to beat all four of them?"

Stella shook her head.

"Well, I don't know how it will go. At the very least, I can't say that I'm 'confident'… I don't even know what their abilities are in the first place, after all."

"Then, why…"

"Because it's something I have to do."

She spoke softly, and gazed upon the tournament bracket that had replaced Kaieta's face on the screen. Then she glared at the Block B second round matches that would be held the next day.

"The way we are going, the first match of the second round will be between Hiraga and Kazamatsuri, fellow Akatsuki members. They will surely conspire to have one of them leave the field of battle before that."

That was a certain outcome. After all, Akatsuki as mentioned before were not ordinary students but rather a team of mercenaries. They had absolutely no interest in winning personal glory at the Festival. As such, they would not participate in pointless conflicts that would only reduce the fighting strength of their own allies. Therefore, either the Beast Tamer or the Puppeteer would forfeit before

Block B's second round matches began, allowing the other to have a walkover victory.

"…I will never allow that."

"Stella…"

Now that she'd said this much, Ikki understood why she had been so happy to impose that reckless penalty on herself. It was not for some prettied-up reason like the 'royal way' that she had spoken of in front of Kaieta. She had only one purpose.

"I will never allow those who did that to our school and to our friends to get off scot-free right before my very eyes."

She was here for revenge on those who had hurt her dear friends, Touka and Ayatsuji, among others.

"I'll burn them all to ashes."

With a low voice like the bubbling of a volcanic crater before eruption, Stella stepped out. As though answering the call of the unexpressed anger she had held in check since that assault, her hair itself lit on fire, phosphorescent wisps trailing from flaming locks as she walked, gazing dead ahead at the Akatsuki members already in the ring.

Ikki felt that Stella was too fired up. But there was nothing to be done―this stemmed from her kindness and anger for her friends' sakes. Thus, he saw her off on in silence.

'All I can do now is believe.'

In Stella, who had gone through that training with Saikyou, and her strength.

'Do your best, Stella…!'

「Now then! The fourth match of Block B shall begin! LET'S GET STARTED―!!!」

And so match with the abnormal rules began.