Colorful fireworks burst into the clear blue sky. Seeing this, the gathered crowd erupted into cheers. At last, the long-awaited grand festival had begun.

“From this moment on! I declare the commencement of the Royal Swordsmanship Tournament!”

A special venue had been set up in the largest square of the castle town, Clockronde Grand Plaza. As expected, a great number of people had gathered, celebrating the start of the festival with great joy.

“““Uoooooohhhhhh!!”””

Once a year, on the anniversary of Chronostaria’s founding, the Royal Swordsmanship Tournament is held. Spanning two days, this festival draws visitors from both within and outside the country, many traveling specifically for this occasion. No exception to this, in my first life, I—lazy and foolish as I was—had eagerly anticipated this annual event and indulged myself without restraint on the festival day.

──── Dine and dash, causing disturbances for other spectators, abusing my authority to flirt with any woman I pleased…

That’s just what I can remember. If I take into account the hazy parts of my memory, I might have done even worse things. No matter how I look back on it, I was utterly vile. Honestly, with all the misdeeds I committed, I’m surprised I wasn’t thrown straight into the underground prison.

“Well, I mean, I did end up getting thrown in there in the end…”

In fact, right here in this very plaza, I was executed by beheading before the public. My head was lopped off and went rolling… Yeah, let’s not think about this any further. My mental state is at risk.

“Brother, is something the matter?”

As bitter memories resurfaced, I nearly self-destructed, but I managed to keep my composure. I am no longer the foolish version of myself from my first life. I have learned to control my desires and exercise restraint.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Shaking my head, I answered Alice, who tilted her head in curiosity.

“Hey, Clay! Let’s go already!!”

“I-Is it really okay for me to take a break? What if the grandmaster kills me later…?”

“W-Wait, I get to go out with Clay-sama!?”

Meanwhile, the ones who seemed far more likely to cause trouble than my past self were right here. A duke’s daughter brimming with excitement, a hero looking somewhat anxious, and a troublesome woman getting hyped for entirely different reasons…

“How did it come to this???”

I don’t understand why there are even more unstable elements than in my first life. Where exactly did I go wrong?

“Hey, hey! Where should we go first!?”

And so, with this lively group of five, we set off to enjoy the festival.

The streets branching out from the grand plaza were lined with countless stalls and shops, adding to the festival’s liveliness. Meanwhile, performances by musicians and acrobats took turns entertaining the crowd in the heart of the festivities. Naturally, each of us had different objectives for the festival.

“Calm down, Freesia. Alice is with us, so let’s take it easy. If you run off on your own and get lost, don’t complain later.”

“Boo!!”

For instance, this excitable young lady was most eager for the swordsmanship tournament to be held in the coliseum that afternoon. She likely wanted to visit as many festival stalls with us as possible before then.

“C-Clay… The grandmaster won’t suddenly show up and yell ‘Training!!’ right? It’s okay, right?”

Likewise, the hero walking beside me was also nervous about the same event.

“Relax, Weiss. That old man mentioned he had business this morning, so he won’t suddenly appear and drag you into something crazy… probably.”

“Clay!?”

Weiss had been staying at my place during this summer break, where he had been subjected to my grandfather’s… I mean, his rigorous training. It had clearly drained him. And now, he had apparently been ordered to participate in the swordsmanship tournament. Well, that’s exactly the kind of thing you’d expect from a student at the Magic Sword Academy.

“Haa… It really is different when the siblings are together. The sheer preciousness is on another level…”

“Levia, just make sure you don’t get lost.”

“Yes!!”

For some reason, the troublesome woman already looked quite satisfied, so she probably had no particular objective. Best to just leave her be. With such interactions, we plunged into the festival’s bustle.

The Coliseum where the swordsmanship tournament was being held lay to the northeast of the plaza, roughly an hour’s walk away.

Of course, the festival stalls along the way would slow us down, likely doubling our travel time.

“Ah! That grilled skewer looks delicious!”

However, the festival had only just begun. There was more than enough time before they needed to reach the Coliseum.

“Hey, hey! Let’s do that target-shooting game! I challenge you, Clay!!”

There was indeed plenty of time, but… This duke’s daughter was already at peak excitement from the start. Stop pulling my arm so hard—you’re going to tear it off… Well, fine. It’s a festival, after all. People should enjoy themselves freely. However────

“Hey, Freesia…”

“Hm? What is it, Clay?”

“You’re getting way too carried away.”

“…Am I?”

Tilting her head cutely, she was oblivious to her current state.

In both hands, she was clutching a ridiculous number of grilled skewers and sweets. On her head, she wore an extravagant mask, putting any tribal warrior to shame. Under one arm, she held a massive stuffed animal. She was fully decked out. No one would believe this was the duke’s daughter, Freesia Greyfrost.

──── Were you always the type to enjoy yourself so shamelessly?

As I was distracted by her excessive enthusiasm, we ended up losing sight of Alice and the others.

“Ah… You really did get carried away. We lost the others because of it. Haah… This is going to be a pain to find them again…”

Looking around, I couldn’t spot any familiar faces. With the festival crowding the streets, finding them again would be nearly impossible.

Fortunately, Alice was with Weiss and the others. Even if we couldn’t regroup right away, our destination was the same. As long as we headed for the Coliseum, we would meet up eventually. But────

“Oh, did you want some too, Clay? Geez, I guess I have no choice… Here!!”

“I wasn’t… Wait, you’re just giving me one because you can’t carry them all yourself, aren’t you? That’s why I told you not to buy so much… Well, whatever. I’ll take it.”

Accepting a grilled skewer from Freesia, I took a bite. Eating while walking wasn’t exactly polite, but this was a festival. No one would care. As we strolled, Freesia suddenly giggled beside me.

“What? Do I have something on my face?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Curious, I asked, but her answer was vague.

“Then why are you laughing…?”

“Fufu, no reason at all.”

She remained cheerful, and that carefree attitude of hers was driving me insane.

──── Lately, she’s been acting strangely.

I had a rough idea of the reason, but I couldn’t put it into words. Not because I found her feelings bothersome or insignificant. Quite the opposite. It was precisely because of that that I couldn’t respond to them… No, I shouldn’t.

──── Not until I kill that damn lizard.

By the time I accomplish that, Claym Bradley might────

“What’s wrong, Clay?”

“…It’s nothing.”

There was no point in worrying about hypotheticals.

“Before heading to the Coliseum, we’re stopping by Eisel’s place.”

“Oh! Today’s the day the sword is ready!!”

“Yeah.”

And so, I continued pretending not to notice. Even as I felt a faint sense of guilt toward the dazzling smile beside me…