“Masayoshi-dono, it’s about time! Please rest your body while we travel.”

“...Haa, haa. Everyone, thank you.”

Three days had passed since training began. By tomorrow noon, the duel between the representatives of the Bardon Kingdom would take place on the Basil Plains.

Among the magical accessories in the Great Mage’s house, I had equipped items that enhanced natural mana recovery and reduced mana consumption. But after using magic continuously for so long, my mana was completely drained.

From here, we would travel by the carriage Gildart-san had arranged while I rested my body, heading near the Basil Plains. There, I would negotiate with Sara-san and the representatives of the Edwards Kingdom, along with their royal entourage, to have the representative changed. ...Well, while I say negotiation, there’s a high chance it might come down to brute force.

“Hoo!”

“Thanks, Fūsuke.”

Fūsuke also seemed to be worried about me. As my summoned beast, Fūsuke could use both barrier magic and wind magic. And both were at a level comparable to an A-rank adventurer. He had even served as my training partner during this training.

...To be honest, I really wanted Fūsuke to fight alongside me. As usual, he could shrink down and conceal himself, striking from outside the opponent’s awareness as my hidden trump card.

However, the duel was a one-on-one match, and fighting alongside a summoned beast was considered cheating. ...Honestly, I think they should allow summoned beasts to fight together.

Once we arrived, Fūsuke would be assigned to protect Sara-san. Naturally, both nations’ royalty would be guarded by knights at a distance from the duel, but having Fūsuke there with his barrier magic would let me fight without worrying about Sara-san and the others.

“Looks like this is as much as we can do. Honestly, I feel bad for the poor guy who has to fight Masayoshi-san.”

“...No matter how I think about it, Masayoshi-san is far more worthy of the title ‘Heir to the Great Mage.’”

“Ian-san, Drain-san, thank you both so much. Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve grown significantly stronger over these past three days.”

Through this intense training, I had come to understand how to wield the power of the Great Mage. Without a doubt, I could now use it far better than I could three days ago.

“Everyone, truly, thank you! I won’t forget this debt. If you ever need help, I’ll do everything in my power to assist you!”

“It was a great experience for us, too. When the Guild Master first told us about this request, we never imagined we’d get to fight someone this strong.”

“Our party has undoubtedly grown stronger during these three days. Honestly, we should be the ones thanking you!”

“I never realized magic could be mastered to this extent. Even low- and mid-tier spells have so much potential! Someday, I’ll definitely become a mage like Masayoshi-san!”

I was deeply grateful to all the adventurers who had gathered. They had come together in just one day and spent three days training with me. If they ever found themselves in trouble, I would do my best to help them.

“Alright, Masayoshi, let’s go! If we’re late for the duel, all of this will be for nothing!”

“Yes, I’m going right away!”

We would head to the Basil Plains by carriage, with Lilith-san and the others guarding us along the way. It was unlikely that we’d be attacked by monsters at this timing, but if that one-in-a-million chance occurred, it would be bad. With Lilith-san and her team as our guards, I could rest easy and focus on recovering.

“Masayoshi-dono, I pray for your victory.”

“Thank you for everything. Once the duel is over, I’ll come back to the Adventurer’s Guild to report.”

Boarding the carriage, I waved to everyone as we parted ways.

By the time I returned to report, I hoped I could deliver the news of my victory. For everyone who had supported me, I had gained yet another reason why I couldn’t afford to lose.

“Alright, I’m going to rest now.”

“Yeah, I’ll wake you when we reach the Basil Plains.”

“Big brother, I’ll protect you no matter what, so rest easy, nya!”

“Alright, I’ll be counting on you... whoa!?”

“What’s wrong!? Is it monsters!?”

Just as the carriage started moving, I was about to turn off my status ailment resistance skill to get some sleep when the carriage suddenly came to a halt. What was going on? Bandits? Monsters?

“Someone suddenly appeared in front of us. They don’t seem to be a bandit, but...”

“Masayoshi-san! Is Masayoshi-san in there?”

Huh? Someone who knows me?

“Yes?”

“Masayoshi-san, it’s been a while!”

“Boris-san!? And Alec-san and the others, too! What are you doing here!?”

Standing before the carriage was the Swift Thunder Party—Boris-san, Alec-san, and the others. The last time I had seen them was after we cleared the dungeon and visited Alec-san’s village, where I had healed his younger brother with recovery magic.

Since they were a B-rank adventurer party, perhaps they had seen the emergency request for training partners and come all the way here? But unfortunately, the training was already over.

“Yeah, we heard at the town’s Adventurer’s Guild that Masayoshi-san was fighting as the nation’s representative against the so-called Heir to the Great Mage. So, we went allllll the way to Baaarrrddonnn to gather some info for you.”

“Whaaat!?”

“We only had three days, so we traveled non-stop, but even so, we barely made it back in time!”

“...You went to the neighboring country just to gather information for me? Thank you so much!”

“Masayoshi-san, you helped my little brother, Nil. This is nothing in return!”

“Yeah, you also saved us back in the dungeon. Besides, we promised to help when you needed it.”

“We were incredibly lucky—we actually found someone in Bardon who had fought against the Heir to the Great Mage firsthand. We wrote down everything we learned here. Read it on the way!”

“Got it! Thank you all so much! I will definitely win!”

“Hell yeah! When you get back, we’ll celebrate with some drinks!”

“Yes, definitely!”

Parting ways with the Swift Thunder Party, we continued our journey toward the Basil Plains.

This time, so many people had lent me their strength. This was truly a battle I couldn’t afford to lose.