Chapter 23
She’s My Mother-in-law, But I Don’t Want In-law Drama
“The winner will receive a special sword crafted by the blacksmith of House Layton! And the top scorer… will be awarded the Stirrup of Baeksil, a gift only bestowed upon noble steeds!”
“Wowwww!”
The sword from House Layton had already been requested from Helene in advance, and the stirrup had been taken when the former Duke’s famed steed was no longer in use.
If they had gone as far as to take the horse, surely they could part with this one item too.
It was said that a splendid stirrup like that was every soldier’s dream.
As expected, the audience’s cheers doubled once the rewards were announced.
‘So far, everything’s going according to plan. Now then…’
“Let the first-ever Masked Martial Arts Tournament begin! First match: Sir Wobbly Slime versus Sir Savory Pig Trotter! Please come forward!”
The tournament had finally begun.
‘The mood’s good.’
Thanks to the unexpected grand prizes, the hilarious costumes, and the silly nicknames, the atmosphere of the tournament had ripened just right.
“Oh! Sir Blueish Bear loses a point! He slips and tumbles to the ground!”
“I told you, we know it’s you, Sir Billy! Just come down already!”
“Hahaha! How’s he supposed to hide that bulk?”
As I gave commentary, people laughed and chatted without mentioning rank or status.
‘Is this how event MCs feel?’
It was a surprisingly refreshing experience.
Now I kind of understood why once someone tasted showbiz, they couldn’t return to a regular job.
“Count, what are your thoughts on this match?”
Watching the bear knight get toyed with by a knight in a puppy mask, I passed the magical loudspeaker to the border count.
He took the enchanted wooden speaker, which amplified sound, and continued the commentary.
“Sir Blueish Bear’s strength is undeniable, but his movements are clumsy. Looks like he’s in for some special training after this.”
“Special training, haha!”
The way the border count said the silly nickname with a straight face was entertaining on its own.
As the crowd roared with laughter, the count, seemingly satisfied, handed the speaker back to me.
Having two of these would be handy, but we had only borrowed one from my family’s estate.
Before we knew it, it was time for the final match of the preliminaries.
After confirming that the spectators had written their guesses on slips of paper and handed them to the attendants, we moved on with the event.
“Alright, onto the next match! Including the winner of this bout, a total of eight knights will advance to the quarterfinals. Now, the final match—Sir Duck from the Swamp! And Sir Fairy Wearing a Pie!”
A knight climbed onto the stage, dressed ridiculously with dark, swamp-like boots and a duck hat.
Following him was a fairy wearing a large pie helmet that looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Even though the duck knight looked silly with his crooked wings, the fairy had it worse.
Pretending to have fairy wings, colorful glass beads were strung to a towel on his back, and he wore a 50cm-wide pie-shaped helmet.
‘That’s Nata, isn’t it.’
Honestly, when the kids recommended that costume to Nata, I hoped he would choose something else.
I had tried on that pie helmet once—it had thick padding stuffed into a leather helmet, made breathing difficult, and the visibility was terrible.
Fighting in that thing? That was just unreasonable.
But Nata had agreed to wear it. His reason was simple:
“Because the kids made it for me.”
He said he wanted to repay the children who looked up to him as a knight.
‘They’d probably forget all about it if you just bought them some snacks.’
I sighed at his earnestness, but thanks to that pie helmet, the crowd’s excitement skyrocketed.
“Haha! And who might this be?”
“Isn’t that Sir Helton? But I thought he already fought earlier?”
“Maybe Sir Boily then…?”
“Then that messes up my prediction!”
Amusingly, none of them guessed Nata.
They probably assumed he’d already been eliminated or wouldn’t fight under such handicaps.
“Then let the match between Sir Duck from the Swamp and Sir Fairy Wearing a Pie begin!”
As I announced the match, the two knights bowed briefly to each other.
Then they each pulled out their weapons… and the audience burst into snickers upon seeing Nata’s.
“What the—he’s fighting with that?”
What he held was a toy chef set that looked like it was meant for kids.
A dull butter knife, an oversized ladle, tongs, and measuring spoons were loosely attached to a crude belt.
It was a common noble kids’ toy set, and when the children saw it, they once jokingly suggested it to him as a weapon.
I thought he’d refuse, but he accepted it as if he had some kind of revelation.
‘It makes for a dramatic entrance, sure… but still.’
I didn’t say anything out loud, but truthfully, I was worried.
No matter how skilled Nata was, could he really win with those?
The opponent may be using a dull practice sword, but it was still shaped like a real weapon, and likely familiar in hand.
I wasn’t the only one thinking that. The duck knight sneered and taunted him.
“Looks like someone’s having too much fun. Do you really think you can beat me with children’s toys? Whoever you are, this is…”
Before he could finish, Nata suddenly leapt toward him.
“Gah!”
Caught off guard, the duck knight swung his sword to block, but Nata twisted his body like a circus performer, dodging the blade.
Then, he pointed his ladle at the knight’s chin.
Startled by the sneak attack, the duck knight gasped, and Nata spoke in a high-pitched, strained voice.
“Step one in making a delicious pie! Never get distracted in front of your ingredients!”
“What the…?”
“Step two! Even with a small pie, give it your all!”
Then he took two steps back and held his ladle like a sword.
“Now begins—The Fairy’s Pie-Making Show!”
…And with that absurd line, the audience exploded into laughter.
“Pwahahaha!”
“What the heck is this? A cooking contest?”
The soldiers were the ones laughing the most.
Caught up in the fun, they took Nata’s lines and actions as part of the entertainment.
But the atmosphere among the knights was different.
They had noticed something strange in Nata’s movement and began focusing instead of laughing.
‘They’ve realized that wasn’t a lucky move.’
After watching a few matches, even I had developed an eye for judging strength.
Whether it was the talent in Bilhelmina’s body, or just my own observational skill—I wasn’t sure.
But I could tell now who had the upper hand in a match.
This one had been decided with that single strike.
The duck knight couldn’t win against Nata.
“And now, provoked by the Pie Fairy’s antics—Sir Duck charges in with his sword!”
He swung with fury.
He must have felt it too—that he was going to lose.
As if to shake off that fear, he swung violently and recklessly—
“And the winner is—Pie Fairy!”
The match ended just as I predicted.
How does a fighter gain the audience’s recognition in a duel?
The two competitors may understand each other’s skill, but spectators don’t.
To prove Nata’s skill to them, a regular duel wouldn’t have been enough.
That’s why the performance was necessary.
If the crowd could say: “Wow, those two really gave it their all!”
Then they’d respect the loser, and admire the winner even more.
‘Just like reality TV competitions.’
It reminded me of Korean audition shows.
At first, the audience is drawn in by masked singers battling.
But then, impressed by the performance, they begin to truly appreciate their talent.
When the loser’s identity is revealed, curiosity turns to the victor.
“Who could have beaten a singer like that?”
They start rooting for the mystery contestant, eager for the next round.
One more key ingredient is needed for this kind of show—
The loser must appear to have fought with everything.
Even if no adult would say, “I didn’t try my best,” it’s the audience’s perception that matters.
The supporting role of the defeated is just as important.
So when I told Nata to win, I also gave him extra advice.
Even if there was a big skill gap, he must not win in an overwhelming manner.
It had to be a moving victory—one that would stay in people’s hearts even after the event ended.
“And with that, the semifinals conclude, and the final two contenders are decided! Contestants, step forward!”
