I explained the situation with the Goblins to Riese, as he stared back at me in disbelief. I leave out the bits about my being the Maou, but it seems the rest was surprising enough as is because after I finish he is left silent and awe-struck.

Was I wrong to tell him about this?

Cold sweat begins to run down my spine as the silence runs long.

What will happen if he decides to tell people about the village? The goblin chief said that humans hunt down monster settlements.

"How do I talk to them?" I hear in a sheepish voice

"Eh?" I let out as his words snap me back to the situation at hand

"I don't know how to speak goblin! What do I cook?! Do goblins like monster meat? They must... but what kinds?! Wait... Goblins are even smaller than humans! Ahhh! What if I step on one?!" The giants worries erupt all at once

As I watch him anguish over the minor details, my worries flow away. I'm not quite sure what it is about him, but he seems like the type that couldn't even tell a lie, much the less betray someone.

He does bring up a good point though, what will the new people I bring in do in regards to cross-communication? Reise understood the chief's questions, so he must have been speaking the human language when we were talking, but the other goblins certainly don't know it. Even if I asked the chief to start teaching the other goblins the human language, it wouldn't solve the problem if I started bringing in other monsters like the Chief wanted... I suppose that's another issue to tackle in the future.

"You're worrying too much! The goblins will eat just about anything happily, and trust me when I say they are nimble enough to avoid you... so long as you don't try to stomp on them that is." I say as I remember our fight

Seriously, why is he so fast? His movements were unnaturally quick for something that big. Is it a bug? Must be a bug.

"Communication might be a bit slow, but the chief should be able to help you out. If any of the goblins bully you, you let me know alright? They can be a little mischievous." I explain

I bet at least one group of the "human-hating faction" is going to try something. I would already be thinking up countermeasures... but honestly, I doubt they could even scratch him. The worst they could do is some emotional damage, which Riese seems unfortunately susceptible to.

"Oh! I'm glad to see you two are getting along!" I suddenly hear in an enthusiastic voice behind me

I nearly jump out of my skin in surprise as I turn to find Tea standing there looking up in amazement. He seems to be carrying something wrapped heavily in cloth that is tied down with leather straps under one arm.

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"Geez, don't sneak up on people like that. My nerves are still a bit shot from my last fight." I let out with an exasperated sigh

I don't even know who my opponent is. I haven't met the man I befriended at the opening ceremony, nor have I worked up the nerve to admit that I can't read so someone can tell me. Since anybody could be my next opponent I just can't seem to relax. It's hard to believe nobody will try to play dirty.

"Me? Sneaky? You must be rather shaken up there lass, I'm a lot of things, but quiet isn't one of them. With all the tools I'm carrying you could hear me jingling down the streets from miles away." Tea explains as he taps his belt with his free hand

"I told you the tournament was nothing to scoff at! Well, whether you win or lose all that matters, in the end, is that you got away without serious injury." Tea says as he nods to himself

"Hmm, I suppose so. Next round would have been a lot harder if I was dealing with an injury like that." I respond

That said, I haven't found the limits of my "Restore" spell yet. If it doesn't kill me, or leave me out of MP, I should be able to make a full recovery from most wounds quickly. I hope the Yuusha doesn't have an ability like this, at least let me monopolize monster-like regeneration.

"Hm? Wait! You won?! You're going to the next round?!" He lets out in surprise as he drops his package

"Yes? Isn't that why you're here? To deliver my weapon for the second round?" I ask in confusion

The thing he just dropped is my sword, right?

"Well, yes, but... wait, who did you fight? I was told it was some reeeeally big guy!" Tea asks with disbelief and excitement

Not really sure how to answer I just point to Riese behind me.

"Not that big though?!" Tea practically screams out as he looks at Riese again

It's a little embarrassing actually, so I look around to make sure nobody saw.

"Hah...Hah...Hah. Okay, I think I'm good now." Tea says as he catches his breath

"Your no joke, are you lass? When I was told you were going to be participating I got really worried. Kiel made a friend, then that friend threw herself into the swords of the worlds strongest fighters in basically no time at all. If you could beat someone like that without even a weapon though, maybe you really have a shot... I'm rooting for you! Hopefully, my weapon is good enough that it won't hold you back!" Tea says as he unwraps the sword

I can't help but stare at it in stunned silence when he does. It looks completely different from before. The previously silver metal is now a shineless black. In stark contrast to the murky white gem that forms the tip of the blade.

In my surprise, I forget to comment on the reveal, and Tea begins to look at me with concern.

"Is something wrong with it?" He asks as he gives the blade a once over again, checking for cracks or nicks in the blade

"Not at all, it's just... this is quite the upgrade," I say as I stare at the blade

There is one concern I have, but it's not one I could voice. The blade... looks like the kind of thing a villain would wield. It has an ominous vibe to it, the kind that makes you worried that it's cursed.

"Isn't it?! I tried a new tempering method with magic iron. It should adapt to the magic flow of the user, which should make the interference with the magic crystal much lower. Since I already had a magic crystal attuned to your magic from before, I went ahead and let the metal absorb and adapt to you. I was afraid I messed up somehow when it changed colors, but the durability seems to have improved." He begins to gush as he hands the blade to me

Growing weapon obtained:

Demonic Rapier lvl 1