Mr. & Mrs Meropide

Chapter Forty-Four: First Round of Elimination

The names of everyone who had made it through were displayed outside the Opéra Epiclese, along with a diagram of how the tournament would proceed. The format was straightforward—single-elimination. If a team lost, they were out of the competition. The winning team would advance to the next round, where they would face the victor of another matchup. It was a classic playoff-style tournament, where each match brought them closer to the final showdown.

A large crowd had gathered around the board, eager to see the results. "Look at that, Lynette, we made it!" Lyney announced excitedly to his sister, his eyes gleaming with pride.

Lynette gave a small nod of acknowledgment, her expression calm as usual.

However, nearby, Freminet stood quietly, his expression clouded with disappointment. "I didn't..." he said softly, his voice heavy with the weight of just barely missing out on advancing. His sad eyes lingered on the list, knowing how close he had been to participating.

"I'm sure you'll get it next time," Lyney said, trying to encourage Freminet.

"Yeah, I guess," Freminet replied with a small sigh. "Good luck in the competition. I'll be cheering for you from the stands."

"You know we actually don't stand a chance," Lynette remarked, her face as passive as ever.

"I'm aware," Lyney responded, his expression a little more serious now. "Especially with Clorinde playing. It'll be ruthless if we run into her." His eyes traced the tournament bracket, realizing that they could very well face off against her team.

Clorinde, overhearing the conversation, approached with a small, teasing smile. "You can always forfeit," she suggested, her tone light.

Lyney laughed, though the idea of forfeit didn't seem entirely unappealing. "Ahaha, I'm not going to make it that easy for you," he grinned, but the thought lingered in his mind for a moment longer than he'd admit.

"Doesn't look like we'll face each other," Navia remarked, scanning the list and finding herself and Furina placed on the opposite side of the bracket. "Seems like we're up against some adventurers."

"I think all of us will win our first fights," Furina said confidently, her eyes flicking over the list.

"There are bound to be a lot of people lacking real fighting skills," Chiori chimed in, having seen that she, too, had made it through. "They probably relied on the trivia round, hoping the stronger fighters wouldn't make the cut."

"Tomorrow will be a sight to behold," Navia said with excitement in her voice. "I heard the competition won't be in the opera house."

"Good," Furina added, her usual flair shining through. "That just means there'll be more room for us to show what we can really do."

Clorinde and Wriothesley decided to spend the day at the Fortress of Meropide, honing their skills in the pankration ring by sparring with groups of inmates. As expected, the fights went entirely in their favor, further boosting their confidence.

"I think we've got this tomorrow," Clorinde said, wiping sweat from her brow and taking a sip of water.

"The real challenge will come in the later rounds," Vire remarked, approaching them with Maria and Sigewinne by his side. His gremlin, as usual, clung tightly to his leg, as if it were a normal part of his walk.

Wriothesley nodded. "We just need to conserve our energy early on. The trick is not getting too tired."

"The best part is, we're not entirely dependent on each other for success," Clorinde added, expanding on their strategy. "As long as one of us wins our fight, we'll have a two-versus-one advantage. At that point, there's no way we'll lose."