Chapter 57
“Yes! Next up is a Border Collie from the 1st District of the capital, Luare. Its owner is a trusted confidant of His Imperial Majesty and the proprietor of the seventeenth-closest estate to the Imperial Palace….”
Time flowed on, and the competition had already reached its latter half.
The sun sank low, and the amusement park—soon to open—lit up in brilliant splendor.
“Woooow….”
Children who still couldn’t cross the line and had been watching the competition from outside the fence gasped as the Ferris wheel began to glitter against the night sky, and the carousel—its bulbs flicking on one by one—started to turn.
An agility competition held in a lakeside park with an amusement park as its backdrop.
Picturesque enough to want to paint and preserve.
Even this loud, over-the-top magical saint battle outfit somehow suited the amusement park scenery.
“But so what. The competition itself is rotten.”
I shot a sideways glare at the face of some minister—boasting of an estate seventeenth closest to the palace—who, after losing first place by a mere 0.1 seconds, didn’t even hug his dog and instead waved for it to be taken away. Then I slipped closer to the field.
“And for the final contestant! A mixed-breed puppy from a tomato farm near the capital! Its owners are the Nuttynuffy sisters, producers of the Empire’s most delicious tomatoes and cabbages…!”
“Raccoon! You can do it!”
“It’s okay even if you don’t!”
The Nuttynuffy sisters led Raccoon to the starting line as his name was called.
When Nuffy scratched his neck, Raccoon barked, “Woof!”
Those bright, alert eyes. That determined expression.
So cute.
In the very front of the stands sat Tofu, Cassian, and Arden, who had finished their run long ago.
Did they get closer while bathing together?
Tofu stood on his hind legs with his front paws on Arden’s shoulder, barking insistently at him, while Arden—apparently having given up—smacked Tofu’s butt over and over.
“Geez….”
Afraid Arden’s constantly scanning gaze—clearly searching for something (probably me?)—might catch me, I ducked my head quickly.
I was wrapped head to toe in a waterproof sheet I’d picked up backstage earlier, so it was unlikely I’d be recognized, but still—better safe than sorry.
Crab-walking my way over, I stopped at the fence where the crowd was thickest.
A little kid sitting behind the fence—the one who had earlier asked their older sister if they could watch from inside—tilted their head at me.
“Miss, what are you?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it—just watch the race.”
Soon, Raccoon hopped down from Nuffy’s wheelchair and stood at the starting line.
Nutty, standing beside him, swallowed nervously.
Bang!
“Raccoon! Hang in there!”
Leaving behind Nuffy’s cheers—unable to run alongside him—Raccoon took off.
“He’s so fast!”
Exclamations burst out of the crowd the moment he started.
Seriously!
How is he that fast with such short legs?!
In an instant, the first obstacle—
The hurdle.
Nearly as tall as my forehead.
So absurdly high that even Border Collies several times Raccoon’s size often tripped and fell trying to clear it.
(What about Tofu? …For the honor of divine beasts, let’s keep that a secret.)
“Raccoon! It’s okay if you can’t jump it!”
Just as expected, Nutty, running alongside the course, shouted.
“Don’t push yourself! Don’t get hurt!”
But I won’t let him get hurt.
The moment Raccoon—his facial fur blown back by the wind—reached the hurdle and leapt—
The first spell.
Boing!
A small spring popped up from the ground. Raccoon stepped on it and practically flew over the hurdle.
“Wooooah!”
Cheers exploded at the unbelievable sight.
Ears flapping, Raccoon landed cleanly, barked once—“Woof!”—and sprinted onward.
“Uh…?”
“Miss!”
Nutty, who had frozen in shock, snapped back to attention at her sister’s shout.
“Raccoon!”
With his lips pressed tight, Raccoon surged forward, clearing several more hurdles before reaching the second obstacle.
The seesaw.
Raccoon raced almost flying to its center, but—
“That seesaw’s way too heavy for that puppy!”
“It’s not even moving!”
That’s why the magical saint is here.
The instant Raccoon stood stiffly atop the unmoving seesaw—
The second spell followed immediately.
Heavy gingerbread men suddenly appeared, dangling from the opposite end.
Already looking somewhat aggrieved, the gingerbread men strained with a grunt.
The seesaw tipped.
As Raccoon crossed and hopped down, the gingerbread men—having done their duty—vanished.
“Just now—?!”
Only the kids, whose eye level was lower than the adults’, saw the gingerbread men appear and disappear beneath the seesaw.
I waved my hand at a startled child behind the fence who turned to look at me.
“Wasn’t me.”
Don’t talk to me—I need to focus.
“Because this is where it really matters.”
The final stretch.
The tunnel and zigzag jumps.
For a tailless dog, a course demanding such sharp turns is fatal.
Coming out of the tunnel and twisting back immediately, or snapping into a sudden turn, can easily throw off balance and send them flying.
I focused.
One.
Two.
Three.
Now!
The instant Raccoon entered the tunnel, I attached two white wings to his side.
To replace the tail he no longer had.
The third and final spell was complete.
“I’ve done everything I can.”
I even used all three spells.
And let me be clear—I didn’t rig the match. I merely adjusted the conditions so it could be fair.
That’s why I used all three spells.
It would’ve been far too much work to bundle that into just one.
Anyway, now all that remained was to wait for the result—
“Wooooah!”
Already?!
Before I could even breathe, Raccoon burst out of the tunnel and twisted his body.
He cleared the final zigzag jumps in a flash and leapt into Nutty’s arms, barking triumphantly.
I stared at the large clock mounted at the edge of the field.
37.07 seconds…
What place is that?!
“37.07! 37.07! Raccoon from the tomato farm—new record!”
First place?!
“Wooo!”
I threw both arms into the air, cheering.
“Wooooo!”
“Yaaaah!”
People beyond the fence cheered along with me.
“First place?! We’re first place?!”
The kid beside me tugged on my waterproof sheet and asked.
It wasn’t even their dog, but they said “we.”
“That’s right!”
I scooped the kid up and spun them around.
“We’re first place!”
But then—
“What?”
“An artistry score deduction?”
There’s an artistry score in agility competitions?
“Normally there isn’t, but since this is a special competition commemorating the opening of the Dream and Hope Amusement Park, graciously bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince—”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“You’re lying!”
“How is that a thing?!”
“You can’t just make up criteria on the spot!”
Boos rained down from all sides toward the imperial official announcing the results, sweat dripping down his face.
Even he seemed to know how absurd it was—he couldn’t lift his head.
Anyone could tell this order came from above.
In a competition with so many nobles, they couldn’t let a commoner with no title—and a mongrel dog, at that—take first place.
Always. Every time.
Nobles had to be superior to commoners.
“This is bullshit!”
“Thieves!”
“Boooo!”
Regardless of the outrage beyond the fence, the ranking announcement continued.
“After combining the artistry score, the first-place winner receiving the Golden Ticket is—”
“Wooo!”
No matter how furious the people outside were, inside the fence it was a celebration.
Even some nobles who had looked awkward soon lifted their heads and joined the cheers—deciding it was better that someone from their group had the ticket.
“Congratulations!”
First place went to the family of the man whose leg Tofu had bitten earlier.
Amid the torrent of boos, a pale-faced boy was led onto the stage by his beaming parents.
At first, the child looked uncertain—but once the winner’s cape and crown were placed on him, his expression changed.
Smiling brightly, the young boy raised the Golden Ticket high.
As though he truly believed the result was just.
The child who had just been spun around in my arms sucked on their finger as they looked up at the newly crowned star of the day.
The kid’s older sister beside them said,
“They say you have to be reborn.”
“…….”
I looked down at the boing hammer—its glow extinguished after all three spells were spent.
“…….”
Maybe I’d been wrong.
This competition had been broken from the start.
So then—
“…Maybe flipping the whole thing over is the answer.”
I tore off the waterproof sheet wrapped around my body.
“A magical saint?!”
Leaving behind the shocked kids, I sprinted toward the stands.
Toward Arden, who—uncharacteristically furious—was shouting at the organizers.
“You’re doing whatever you want and using the Crown Prince as an excuse! Did you even get his consent?!”
“Sir Arden!”
