There was something neither of us knew: I was a country bumpkin who had spent his entire life in a village considered the back of beyond even by backwater standards, and Master was an old man from hundreds of years ago who had vanished into the mists of history.

"You don't have a medal?"

To compete in the Arena, you needed something called a “medal.”

"This must be your first visit. If you don't have a medal, please have one issued and come back. I can't give you an application without one."

The receptionist said this bullshit with a friendly expression. She went on about why this “medal” was necessary and how the Arena operated—things I hadn't even asked about. Standing there in a daze, I asked the only question that mattered.

"Then do I have to line up again?"

"Of course?"

I looked back. The line, already long early that morning, hadn't gotten any shorter. It had grown longer.

I had to wait through that again? With an old man who rambled about ancient history I had no interest in...?

「Don't look at me so disrespectfully.」

"..."

「I told you, I didn't know.」

The receptionist looked at my devastated face as though I were some country bumpkin. Her friendly smile seemed to say, “Here's an idiot who doesn't even know you need a medal to register at the Arena.” My shoulders sagged, and I heaved a deep sigh.

"Ah, fuck."

「As I've told you before, stop at 'fu—'.」

* * *

Medals were coin-shaped pieces divided into black, white, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze. They were classified by color as Black Medals, White Medals, Platinum Medals, Gold Medals, and so on. The reason these “medals,” which hadn't existed in Liam's day, had come into being was simple.

「It never used to be like this. Whether a bloodstained northern barbarian turned up with an axe or some trembling milksop came carrying a sword, we'd drink and make a ruckus and shove them into the ring.」

"Wasn't that hundreds of years ago?"

Unlike its savage, hot-blooded days as the fighting pit, this battleground now called the Arena had grown far too large. It had generated steady profits for hundreds of years, becoming a famous landmark capable of turning a little town into a great city.

No matter how many lunatics the Iron Kingdom had, deadly battles couldn't continue nonstop for hundreds of years. As time passed, fighters wanted to survive even if they lost a duel, and spectators wanted fierce, exciting, real fights rather than mismatched battles that ended anticlimactically in an instant.

That was why medals had been created.

At the very least, they prevented absurd matchups between a sword beginner and a sword runner. They kept clueless novices from facing masters of combat.

Simply put, they established divisions.

Black Medal holders fought other Black Medal holders, Platinum fought Platinum, and Gold fought Gold.

All to produce fights worth watching.

Wasn't it more entertaining when shit-tier fighters faced other shit-tier fighters, and experts faced experts?

In other words...

"Times have changed," I told Liam.

"Besides, apparently these days, even if you win a duel, you generally don't take your opponent's life. They put on a show of killing them, but if you actually do it, you earn grudges and condemnation."

「Ha! It's not some play bards put on in a tavern. What in the...」

As Liam scoffed at how the Arena had changed, we arrived at the place where medals were issued. Unlike the friendly receptionist, the man sitting there looked menacing.

"Here for a medal?"

"Ah, yes."

Picking at his ear with a bored expression, the man asked, "Got anything to prove your identity?"

"No."

"Then any respectable experience? Served in a knightly order, maybe? Or belonged to a reputable guild and completed commissions? Failing that, ever fought in a war, even a small one? If none of those, at least an academy diploma?"

"... I have none of those, either."

After hearing me say no twice, the man snorted and gave me a mocking look. For some reason, that look irritated me.

"Thought as much."

His next words were even more irritating.

But the most irritating thing of all was...

"Take it. A medal that suits you perfectly."

The filthy, stained bronze medal he handed me. No, rather than bronze, it was...

「Shit-colored.」

"Master, you don't have to say it out loud."

And so I received my Bronze Medal.

* * *

Bronze.

The lowest medal rank.

Since I had no means of proving my skill, it was only natural, really. Perhaps it was exactly the right rank for me. Barely a month had passed since I'd met Liam and properly taken up a sword, and I was a novice who had only just become a sword beginner.

「Isn't that better than facing a powerful opponent far beyond your level and getting slaughtered straightaway?」

Well, Liam had a point.

I completed my Arena registration as a Bronze Medal holder. I also learned that the Bronze division's duels would begin that evening.

"That's true."

With time to spare before my duel began, I wandered around the Arena, fingering the hilt of Needle at my waist. There was nothing in particular I wanted to do nearby, I had no money for entertainment, and above all, I disliked the noisy, unfamiliar atmosphere.

My village really was the place I liked best.

Quiet and peaceful in just the right measure, filled with precious memories.

「This battle will be a good experience.」

"Will it?"

「Yes. You've never fought an enemy at a similar level to your own, have you?」

Now that I thought about it, that was true.

「Those intruders were far beneath you, while that sickly knight named Petel was a formidable opponent far above you. You couldn't even begin to deal with him.」

"That's right."

「Which means you've never properly used your true talent.」

My true talent?

I gave Liam a questioning look.

「Your suspicion. That inborn suspiciousness of yours that verges on paranoia.」

"..."

「You'll probably find out shortly just how sharp a weapon it can be.」

My suspicion had helped me plenty so far.

In many ways.

Was he saying it would have an even more dramatic effect against an evenly matched opponent?

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't form a clear picture in my head.

As I stood lost in thought for a moment, Liam spoke.

「Young descendant, what is that?」

"Pardon?"

Coming back to my senses, I looked at Liam. He was staring intently to the left. I turned to follow his gaze and saw a wall decorated with an antique pattern. Countless swords were displayed on it like ornaments, with countless names scrawled in cursive beneath them.

As I stared blankly at the swords, someone approached.

"The Hall of Fame has captured your attention, young lord."

"Pardon? The Hall of Fame...?"

The newcomer was an old man with snow-white hair. He was neatly dressed like a gentleman, and the eye visible behind his monocle held a kindly look.

He gave the impression of being the caretaker here.

"The weapons displayed here belonged to fighters who achieved great things in the Arena. Their edges have worn away, or they've seen all the use they can, so they have little value as weapons now... But we display them here to remember their fighting spirit."

"Ah..."

"If there's anything you're curious about, feel free to ask. I'm the caretaker of this glorious place. You can simply call me Tom."

I'd guessed correctly.

Tom's benevolent smile put me at ease without any effort. His was a warm face that looked as though he always had a kind word to offer. While I briefly enjoyed that sense of ease, Liam spoke.

「Child, ask him what you would have to do to take one of these swords. Whether he could give you one, or whether you could buy one.」

I glanced at Liam, and he quickly added,

「There's a sword there perfectly suited to your level. One that would help you quite a bit if you ate it.」

Ah, was there?

I nodded and immediately spoke to Tom.

"The Hall of Fame seems to be a place of real historical significance. Just looking at the equipment they used makes me feel their passion, their fighting spirit, and their courage—like an undying flame—kindling in my own heart."

"Ha ha! You're a young lord who understands these things."

"Collectors must covet these. No, if I were a collector, I'd covet them myself. Blades that set a man's heart ablaze just by looking at them! Aren't they more valuable and magnificent than any jewel?"

I rattled off that shameless flattery without batting an eye.

Quickly studying Tom's expression, I used my suspicion from moment to moment to say the things he would like to hear. Sure enough, the caretaker smiled brightly and began chatting freely about all sorts of things. After giving him ample time to talk, I finally got to the point.

"Would there happen to be a way for me to acquire one of those swords?"

"Oh, of course."

Was it because I'd won his goodwill?

Tom answered readily.

"Those who prove themselves as fighters earn the right to take one sword from the Hall of Fame as a souvenir, appropriate to the color of their medal."

"Could you tell me more?"

Tom nodded and explained.

"Each time your medal changes color, you may take one sword. What a splendid souvenir, wouldn't you say?"

Okay.

The moment I heard that, I had a goal.

'I'll have to hang a silver medal around my neck.'

I needed to get a Silver Medal.

Before I returned to the village.

* * *

Now that I was a sword beginner, I had another clear objective besides improving my skills. If I won enough victories as a fighter and proved my ability, my medal would change color. And when its color changed, I would receive a reward. Others might see it as a souvenir, but to me, it was a reward more precious than anything else.

「We'll be visiting the fighting pit often from now on. Shouldn't you raise your level and bring back a useful sword whenever you have the chance?」

"It's the Arena, not the fighting pit."

I corrected him, but Liam ignored me and continued saying what he wanted to say.

「Those blades on display in the Hall of Fame are practically a treasure trove for you. So many swords steeped in memories worth their weight in gold.」

"..."

「Some things have improved with the changing times.」

Apparently the Hall of Fame hadn't existed in Liam's day.

As I stretched and limbered up, Liam spoke.

「I'd love to steal the whole lot, but that old caretaker guarding the place seemed to be no ordinary man.」

"No ordinary man? I didn't sense anything from him."

「You wouldn't have sensed anything. The gap between your levels is far too great.」

As I stretched my muscles out, Liam looked at me.

「That old man was wearing Armor, though it was only half-formed.」

"Armor means...?"

「He's a sword expert.」

A sword expert.

A terrifyingly powerful fighter one rank below a swordmaster, who reigned over the battlefield like a god.

My eyes widened at those words.

I didn't ask why a monster like that would be working as a mere caretaker. Liam enjoyed joking around, but when it came to swords, he didn't lie. Never.

Liam said,

「We'll have to wait a good while before we rob the Hall of Fame.」

I wanted to ask why robbing the Hall of Fame was already a foregone conclusion, but I didn't have time to quibble now. Just as I'd finished loosening my muscles, a guard carrying a long spear entered the room. He spoke in an indifferent voice that matched his indifferent face.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

It was time for my debut match in the Arena.