A day after Yuna and Fina left for Crimonia, I went over to Noa and Cliff's house to get to know Cliff better, as well as to learn when we would be leaving, and I found Cliff, Noa, Shia, and Eleanora talking with an old man and a girl about Noa's age. They looked at me when I walked in, and the old man asked Cliff a question that I didn't hear, but I could guess was along the lines of "Who's this?"

"Gran, meet the adventurer who will be guarding us on our way back, Nene. Nene, meet Earl Gran Faren Gramm, and his granddaughter, Misana" (Cliff)

"Hmm? What happened to Yuna?" (Gran)

"Yuna had some other things to take care of in Crimonia, so she went on ahead. She is, however, good friends with Nene, and vouched for her strength, not that that was needed. Nene... actually, Nene, why don't you tell them what you think is fine for them to hear?" (Cliff)

"I take it this means you trust them pretty highly? If so, I see no reason why I shouldn't tell them just about everything. First off, you may wish to sit down before I begin. Ready? My name is Nene Drachen, S ranked adventurer and Empress of the Drachen Empire... were it not that it had been destroyed by a natural disaster a few months back. You may be thinking that I'm too young to be an adventurer, and the answer is that the Empire had no age restrictions on being an adventurer, just..." (Nene)

I continued giving the speech I had given several times before, and showed them both my S and my D rank cards. After a while, they finished asking questions, and we got more or less back on track.

"Cliff, it's not fair that you hoard all of the really good adventurers who are below rank B... Why can't you share one of them with us?" (Gran)

"I don't have much control over where they choose to base themselves. Yuna is in Crimonia because that's where Fina is, and because it's a town that knows her bear suit and doesn't think it's odd. Nene is going to Crimonia because that's where Yuna is, unless I'm wrong" (Cliff)

"No, you're not wrong. So, what were you talking about before I got here?" (Nene)

"Well... as much as I am loathe to admit it, my family is not as influential as we once were, and so we were thinking of trying to raise our influence by sponsoring a fighter that would do well in the tournament that's going to happen in a week or so, but all of the good ones are already sponsored, or are not wanting to be sponsored. I was hoping to get Yuna to enter and be sponsored by us, but that seems like it won't happen..." (Gran)

"You know, Nene is just as good as Yuna. Nene, would you like to enter under Gran's sponsorship?" (Eleanora)

"Sure, if it won't conflict with my taking Cliff and Noa to Crimonia" (Nene)

"We can push our departure back by a week or two. I would love to have an excuse to watch the tournament, and this sounds like it's a good reason" (Cliff)

"In that case, how do I enter? Also, any rules I should be aware of?" (Nene)

We spent an hour going over the rules, and signing me up under Gran's sponsorship. Five days came and went, and the tournament ended up with about a thousand entrants, from the twenty or so D ranks to the seven S ranks that entered, as well as the Captain of the Royal Guard, among other well-known entrants. There were also some mercenaries, some well-known, others not, again, all within that strength range of D to S rank

When the brackets were posted the day before the tournament started, I learned that I was up against a B rank in the first round, and the second round had me up against the Captain of the Royal Guard, unless he managed to lose to a C rank adventurer. I, of course, was entered as a D rank. My foe for the third round was a toss-up between an A rank who was close to S rank and the Assistant Head Court Magician. I later learned that, as soon as Sanya and the King each saw my name, they bet a large amount of money on me... by proxy, but still. It seemed there were several hundred-to-one odds against me, due to my low rank and several strong opponents right out of the gate. Cliff, Eleanora, Gran, and some adventurers from the group I brought back also bet a good amount on me, as did the adventurer's guildmaster from Alayzard, not that I'd learn that for a good long while... like, not for several months

The opening ceremony was boring, but I sat through it, and then...

"For the fifth round in block A, we have rank B's [Ice Queen], the one, the only, WEISS! She is 17 years old, known for her extremely potent, almost unparalleled ice magic. Her opponent, a foreign adventurer who registered just a month ago, NENE, who... Wait, this can't be right... This says she's 12 years old, but she is an adventurer? That can't be, there must be a typo somewhere... What th- !" (Announcer)

"No, I really am 12 years old, and I really am a D rank adventurer. My home country didn't have any age restrictions, just a minimum standard of strength that meant that our F ranks are... were... as capable as high E ranks or low D ranks here, and our A ranks were as good as S ranks here, I think. Hmm... Oh, this doesn't have any of my other names, such as [Miniature Dragon], [Perfect Princess], or [Unnatural Disaster], as well as [Draconic Empress]. Now then, please, do continue" (Nene)

"Uh... Sorry about that folks, looks like Nene knows how to use the Spatial magic {Gate} and was not afraid to stick her head into the announcer's room when she's still in the waiting room. As I was saying... Contestants, please move to the field! The match will start in one minute. Mages, prepare the barriers... And make them extra thick, as we have a really strong mage on the field with powerful wide-ranging magic!" (Announcer)

"If you were referring to Weiss, then the correct statement would be TWO really strong mages" (Nene)

I moved to the field, a raised platform about 30 meters across, where touching the ground anywhere but on the platform would count as a loss, as would touching the barrier that is placed about five meters out of bounds. Everyone competing was issued a bracelet known as a {Bracelet of Damage Translocation} or {BDT} that could be charged with magic to prevent up to a certain amount of damage dealt to the wearer, and would show the amount of magic it had left on a screen above the stage. You would also lose when it showed that you had 20% of its magic left. This means that there are few major injuries in these events, and it also means there are four ways to lose: surrendering, ring-outs, loss of magic, or disqualification for breaking a rule, such as by attacking someone whose {BDT} has lost its power.

"So, you're Nene... you look younger than twelve, actually. I'm going to give you a chance to give up, you can't beat me... not unless you know something like {Hellfire Mantle}" (Weiss)

"I know it, but I'm not going to use it. I'll beat you at your own game: ice magic" (Nene)

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! Nene just said she knows the S ranked {Hellfire Mantle}, but she declared that she won't use it, instead, she'll win using ICE MAGIC!!! Weiss has the strongest Ice magic in the country, save for the S ranked [Millennial Archmage]! I doubt that Nene can use {Hellfire Mantle}, and I know that she can't win with Ice magic alone against Weiss... What is she thinking... FIGHTERS, BEGIN!!!" (Announcer)

"{White Nova}" (Weiss)

"{Niflheim}" (Nene)

"I... I can't see anything, there's just a raging blizzard! I heard Weiss open the match with the A ranked ice magic {White Nova}, but... I don't know what the {Niflheim} spell Nene used was... What's this? Nene's {BDT} is showing that she hasn't taken any damage, but Weiss's has lost 70%... 75%... NOW IT'S REACHED 80%! MATCH OVER!!! NENE, WINNING IN A LANDSLIDE, COMING OUT UNSCATHED FROM WEISS'S ASSAULT! ARE WE SEEING THE START OF A DARK HORSE'S SAGA OF VICTORY?!?!" (Announcer)

When the announcer, who is also the referee, said that the match is over, I stopped my spell, and used raw (non-elemental) magic to contain all of the remnants of magic into an area with nobody in it.

"I... I don't believe it... you used the only ice magic I have been training to use, but still can't use... {Niflheim}... the highest of the S ranked ice magics... You win... I'm not mad about losing in the least. Do you think that you could give me some tips on how to use it?" (Weiss)

"Sure. After the tournament, I'm going to be leaving for Crimonia, and I plan to live there for the foreseeable future, but if you are ever in the area, feel free to drop by for a lesson" (Nene)

The second round, I faced the Captain of the Royal Guard, who gathered large cheers from the crowd.

"You may wish to give up, my blade, a gift from the King, protects me from magic, and can cut through an Elder Dragon's scales with ease" (Captain)

"Is everyone going to tell me to give up? If so... I'm going to be thoroughly sick of hearing it by the time I get to the finals" (Nene)

"Nene just said that she's going to make it all the way to the finals, and doesn't care about the fact that the Captain's sword is known as the [Magic Eater], a sword that can cut through even {Hellfire Mantle} with ease! Is that just a bluff, or does she have a plan? Find out, in just a moment! Ready... BEGIN!" (Announcer)

The Captain moved slowly towards me, and I just casually walked out while undoing the clasps on my cloak. When we were about three meters away from each other, I stored my cloak in my Hoard, revealing my scales to everyone. I did, however, use my shapeshifting ahead of time to make them look like Gold-bordered White scales instead of Gold-bordered Purple, while keeping their defensive strength.

"I didn't see that one coming... You have a full set of Dragonscale armor. It's only from a Young Dragon though, so you still can't rely on it to defend you from my-" (Captain)

"They are Gold-bordered scales, for your information. I don't think you can hurt me with that sword" (Nene)

"WHAT'S THIS!? NENE HAS ARMOR MADE FROM THE SCALES OF AN ANCIENT DRAGON!" (Announcer)

"This sword can cut through the scales of an Elder Dragon with ease, but that doesn't mean that an Ancient Dragon's scales are that hard to cut through for it" (Captain)

"We'll see" (Nene)

I ran up to him, and launched a kick at his belly, which he avoided and countered with a vertical cut with his sword. I was expecting that, and caught his slice with my outstretched hand. I then threw out a punch to his exposed flank, which he tried to catch with his free hand... though I wound up having his hand grab my fist before it got pinned between my knuckles and his hip. That one strike cut 45% off of his {BDT}, and the remainder was blasted off by my spinning kick splendidly striking his helmet.

"Let me give you a word of advice: a Dragon's scales can conduct magic quite well, if you have the aptitude for it. As I do, my scales are several tiers tougher than they seem to be. I'd estimate them to be at around Gold-bordered Purple. Your sword is strong, but you rely on it too much. If you think it can cut through anything, you don't think about how to defend from any retaliatory strikes, as you don't think anyone can remain in fighting shape after you hit them. That's a fatal error, and one that you need to fix" (Nene)

"Urg... I'll work on it. Still... I wouldn't have pegged you for the physical type, considering the skill you have with magic and the size of your body, no offence" (Captain)

"None taken. It's better to use physical attacks on smallfry that don't warrant the use of magic, such as Goblins, Goblin Kings, Ogres, Lesser Hydras, and Lesser Wyrms" (Nene)

"Nene... NENE JUST CALLED B RANK MONSTERS SMALLFRY! DOES THIS MEAN THAT SHE IS AS STRONG AS AN A OR S RANK ADVEN... Wait, she just beat a B rank and the Captain..." (Announcer)

For the third round, which was the last round for the day, I fought against an A rank on the verge of getting to S rank, and he was a summoner to top it off. I asked, and learned that the restrictions on summons was that they needed to be smaller than a Tiger Wolf, that you couldn't use more than five in one match, and that you could have no more than two out at any given time.

"For this match, I won't attack you myself. I will simply let my own summons do it. Speaking of, I will only have one out at a time, and though I doubt that she would lose, if she does, I will only use one backup summon. In addition, I won't even use magic to block your attacks, I will only dodge them" (Nene)

"You... Why am I not surprised that you'd have summons? Whatever, my name is Solomon. Prepare to lose due to placing too many restrictions upon yourself" (Solomon)

"BEGIN!" (Announcer)

"Come forth, oh great wolf of the northern ice, Fenrir! Come forth, oh mighty serpent of the deep sea and blue skies, Leviathan!" (Solomon)

"Lapis, time to dye thy blue scales red with blood as you shine a brilliant gold!" (Nene)

Two gates, one of dark blue and one of light blue, appeared on either side of Solomon, as a small one of blue and gold opened above my head. From the ones by Solomon, a light blue wolf the same size as a Tiger Wolf stepped out, freezing the ground where it stepped, as a serpent of a similar size swam out and through the air as if it were in water. Meanwhile, the gate above my head had Lapis, my Gold-bordered Blue Dragon fly out at a size similar to that of a plump chicken, before she grew to about the size of an ordinary Wolf (the monster, not the animal from earth)

"What's this? Nene has summoned a small Dragon, one with Blue scales. Is this why she's apparently called the [Miniature Dragon] and [Draconic Empress]? Or does she have more secrets yet to be unveiled? Meanwhile, Solomon summoned the same two he has used in both of his prior matches, the [Demonic Wolf of Ice] Fenrir, and the [Serpent of a Thousand Shipwrecks] Leviathan, both in miniature form" (Announcer)

After that, there wasn't much that happened. Lapis made short work of Fenrir, leaving him alive, before turning to Leviathan, whose attacks I was casually dodging. After Leviathan lost before Fenrir's replacement could come out, Solomon gave up, and asked to see Lapis up close after the end of the tournament.

"Astounding! Nene, the dark horse of this year, has beaten a B rank, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and an A rank close to reaching S rank, all with their own specialties! What will we see from her next? HOW FAR WILL SHE MANAGE TO GO!?!?" (Announcer)

Later, I brought him to the training area, where I made Lapis grow to the size of a large Black Tiger, and he learned that she was, indeed, a God Dragon. I asked him to keep quiet about that bit of information, or at least, not go around spreading it too much. I want to keep a SOMEWHAT low profile, though I know winning this thing would make me known around the country.