Knight Tournament (5)
“Even on the brink of death, they won’t admit they’re wrong. You bastards.”
Krout restrained Calix, who was on the verge of exploding.
He himself felt like he might lose his mind to rage, but as a knight, he had to steady his lord right now.
Young master, regain your composure. This is about as much sincerity as he could muster. Conversations between nobles are mostly like this.
Shut up, I know that.
Calix shook off Krout’s hand and strode toward Rublin, who was kneeling on the ground.
Crack!
“Guh!”
The moment Calix smashed the hilt of his sword into Rublin’s head, everyone around froze with mouths agape.
But he didn’t care. He grabbed Rublin by the collar, hoisted him up, and slammed the hilt down again.
Thud!
“Young master! Isn’t this going too far?”
“Want me to do it one more time?”
“Grr!”
Gritting his teeth, Hamilton approached Rublin and helped him up.
Blood trickled down from Rublin’s forehead.
Rublin briefly lost consciousness before coming to, looking around dazedly.
“Wh-what? Where am I?”
“The Secret Garden salon.”
“Salon? Why’d I come to a salon?”
“Ugh……”
Hamilton let out a sigh and shot back at Calix.
“Young master, I won’t forget this.”
“Suit yourself. I hold grudges like a champ, so watch your back at night.”
Hamilton shook his head in exasperation at Calix’s unyielding retorts and left the annex.
“Isn’t that a bit too extreme, my lord? It’s not like you at all. You’re always so cool-headed, but today……”
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
Calix couldn’t say it was because of him, so he brushed it off vaguely.
“Sure, I was pissed. But that’s not all.”
“What other scheme do you have in mind?”
“Heh, you know that dimwit Rublin is one of the top favorites to win this Knight Tournament?”
“Hm? Ah…… No wonder his face looked familiar. He’s that candidate who showed such impressive skills in part one!”
“Right. And his family, the Lander Count’s house, has produced Royal Knights for generations. It’s an old, prestigious lineage.”
“Royal Knights…… Do you think the one who rigged the group assignments was Lander’s commander?”
“Retired Royal Knights get a pension until their family dies. Not much time left anyway. They’d fear a stained reputation more than a few coins.”
“So only someone willing to sacrifice their honor for the family could’ve pulled this off.”
Calix nodded.
“That’s my take, at least. Their subtle reactions earlier just confirmed it more.”
“Then smashing Rublin Lander’s head was……”
“Revenge for the rigging, sure. But I also figure I can use that guy to shake things up over there. With his massive ego, after that humiliation…… don’t you think he’ll want payback?”
Krout looked incredulous.
“Hm…… You really think he’s that simple-minded?”
After dominating part one, Calix had noticed more eyes subtly watching him.
They were probing his every move for strengths and weaknesses.
Not just prestigious martial houses wary of a strong rival, but even foreign spies gauging Lock Kingdom’s forces.
A motley crew kept tabs on the Knight Tournament every year.
And,
By now, there are probably gazes from those who want me dead mixed in too.
“Now the real thing begins, my lord.”
Krout spoke from behind Calix as he tightened his armor straps.
“You’ve faced monsters in the field plenty of times, so I’m not too worried. Still, stay sharp. These are the same bastards who rigged the groups. Who knows what else they’ll try?”
“Even they won’t risk direct violence at an event like this with their heads on the line. Too messy to cover up.”
“Still, your life is irreplaceable, my lord. And more precious to us than anything. It’s not the kind of ‘acceptable loss’ they’d gamble with.”
“Got it. I’ll be careful.”
“What weapon will you use?”
“Just a one-handed sword since it’s only weakened small monsters anyway. Oh, and grab a shield just in case.”
“Understood.”
Having aced part one flawlessly, Calix now faced part two, the Blood Rite—the true test of skill.
In simple terms, it was a team monster hunt and evaluation.
To gauge raw ability accurately, personal items were banned; only standard-issue armor and weapons from the organizers were allowed.
Calix set aside his usual gear and donned the provided equipment.
“Ugh, unnecessarily heavy and sturdy.”
“Haha, now you see how good your usual gear was, even if you always griped about it?”
Calix didn’t reply.
In the game, sure—but to him, familiar with legendary S-grade artifacts, neither satisfied him.
Tch, now that I’m class 4, time to scout some decent gear. Pick something up in a dungeon…… or get something custom-made……
At the entrance to the royal hunting grounds, Calix scanned his clustered teammates.
Lance, Sial, Bernu, Rones, Todler.
Five commoner candidates.
Their status windows were predictably dismal, as expected.
Well, a veteran Royal Knight retired long enough would have an eye sharp enough not to need one……
Then, a familiar face approached with five or six others.
“Hey! What a pleasant surprise.”
It was Rublin, greeting them brightly.
If you didn’t know what happened between them, you’d mistake them for close friends.
“All your other four teammates are commoners, huh? How’s that feel? Oh right! Ever hear the rumor that grouping with commoners disqualifies you from part three? Sit back in the stands and watch me win the rest in envy. Heh heh heh.”
Calix forced an expression of utter fury.
He held his breath to redden his face, clenched his fists, and trembled all over.
“This has to be the organizers’ scheme. I’ll file a protest.”
“Hahaha! Go ahead, try it. In over two hundred years of Knight Tournaments, they’ve never redone group assignments.”
“No. At minimum, they need to disclose the grouping criteria clearly. I’ll make a huge stink and crush everyone involved.”
“Wh-what?”
“You know something?”
“N-no. Why would I? And even if I did, you think I’d tell you?”
“Too bad. If you knew, you could’ve made a fortune.”
“Fortune? Don’t exaggerate over pocket change.”
“One thousand gold.”
“What?”
At that, not just Rublin but his teammates—and even Calix’s own gloomy, guilt-ridden group—widened their eyes.
“You wouldn’t know, but that annex you saw? Thirty gold a night. I rented it exclusive for a month. Do the math.”
“You madman……!”
“I’ve got money to burn. So I’m posting a bounty.”
“B-bounty?”
“Yeah. Spread the word: anyone who knows about this ‘rigging’ gets one thousand gold. Don’t you think someone’ll tip me off? If I were the culprit, I’d confess, rat out the boss, and demand the bounty instead. Think about it—one thousand gold coins could let you live lavishly in the Empire for life.”
“Uh, uh……”
“Why’re you suddenly sweating? Not that hot today, is it? Inner armor too thick?”
“Y-yeah, seems like it. Gotta change.”
Rublin hastily led his group away.
Once only Calix’s team remained, one spoke up.
“The rigging…… Is it true?”
“Who’re you?”
“Lance, sir.”
He was a knight candidate from a dojo run by a retired knight, son of a wealthy commoner.
“No proof…… but yeah, I think so.”
“Then the bounty for real?”
“What? One thousand gold isn’t dog food. Why waste it on that?”
He looked baffled.
“Then what was all that?”
“Just messing with him.”
“That your answer?”
“That’s it.”
“Damn it……”
As the talk ended, all five faces darkened in unison, as if by agreement.
Calix tilted his head.
“Why the funeral faces?”
“Failing to advance to the part three tournament means we’re just another face in the crowd of candidates.”
“From what I’ve seen of your skills, you’re not much different from that ‘crowd’ anyway?”
“A fair grouping would’ve given us at least a shot.”
“Mad you can’t ride someone else’s coattails?”
Todler, the toad-like one, snapped angrily.
“Don’t talk like that! Do you know the hardships we endured just to enter this Knight Tournament? We learned scraps over shoulders for ten years, eating scraps. They never taught us Mana Breathing Method to the end. Noble and knight kids learn that hateful thing at age five!”
The others nodded, sharing his frustration.
“It’s because of you. Someone hates you, so the commoner candidates—who should’ve been spread one per group—got lumped together. We’re all done for. Damn it!”
Calix clicked his tongue in pity.
“Tch tch…… Know who created the Knight Tournament?”
“We’re commoners, so no proper history lessons, but we’re knight candidates. We know who erected the monument at the arena entrance during opening ceremonies. Though no one follows his legacy now.”
“You know your stuff. But back then, could commoners easily learn Mana Breathing Method like now?”
“No……”
“Then why did founding king Sedrak allow commoners in the Knight Tournament, knowing that?”
None of the five could answer Calix’s question.
“Don’t know? Then just follow my lead. I’ll show you the real legacy he left.”
“Leg……acy?”
“No way the Mana Breathing Method……”
“Tch tch, what imagination. Shut up and follow.”
Just then, a staffer approached.
“Listen up. Here’s the rules. Final goal: follow the map to the objective, retrieve the iron marker. Monsters en route? Kill or dodge, your call. If you kill, cut the designated part as proof. No proof, no points. And……”
He smirked bitterly at the tense participants.
“Well, do your best. You’ll soon feel the commoner limit in your bones. Heh heh.”
With a contemptuous glance at the flustered rookies who couldn’t retort, he asked,
“Any questions?”
No one spoke. The staffer jerked his chin toward the dark forest path.
“Then go. Hunting grounds have surveillance crystals everywhere—no funny business. Move out!”
Thus, Calix and his five knight candidates slowly ventured into the thick underbrush, with no proper path.