At last, the long-awaited semifinal match between Ken and Favian was upon her. Though her face showed a calm expression, the veins on the back of her hands gripping the spear shaft were bulging red.
‘I will make him pay.’
With determination, she stepped onto the training ground. However…
“We are announcing that Sir Favian de McNeil has forfeited the match, granting Sir Ken a bye to the finals!”
At the judge’s announcement, Ken could only stand there with a vacant expression. At that time, in the VIP seats with the Marquis:
Tap, tap, tap.
A young man accompanied by several escort knights approached the Marquis.
“Sir Favian, what is the meaning of this? Forfeiting?”
The Marquis asked with a puzzled expression, to which Favian, who was somewhat handsome, replied with a regretful look.
“Unfortunately, something urgent has come up at the main house, and I must return. I apologize for not being able to stay until the end.”
“Is that so? It can’t be helped. Thank you for coming all this way. Pass my regards to your family head.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure to visit again when I get the chance.”
As he bowed and turned to leave, Favian’s eyes met Raul’s. Favian gave a sly smile and then left without any hesitation. Raul watched Favian’s shameless face and clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘What issue? He’s just cutting his losses because he looks likely to lose. Ken must be feeling quite vexed.’
However, he couldn’t help but think it seemed unnecessary to leave right now. There were many other excuses to give up without having to leave altogether.
「Kane, assign someone to follow them and find out what they’re up to.」
「Understood. I also noticed some suspicious individuals entering the arena slightly late.」
「Suspicious individuals?」
「Yes, they had cloaks on, which isn’t too unusual, but their faces were expressionless, almost like dolls.」
「Track their location and inform the knights. If they show any suspicious behavior, subdue them. I’ll take responsibility.」
「Yes, Master.」
Finishing the guild communication, Raul frowned as he recalled something.
‘Could it be those guys showing up already?’
It had been nearly a year since the players appeared. While it wasn’t strange for something new to emerge around this time, he hadn’t expected it so soon.
At that moment, Rabel, who had just returned from the Skill Codex, appeared with a serious expression.
“Raul, there’s something strange about this arena.”
“What do you mean?”
“On the surface, it looks like it only has standard reinforcement and recovery magic circles, but I think there’s something else beneath them. I need to investigate.”
“Be careful. There might be someone who can notice your presence.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.”
With that, Rabel disappeared somewhere in the arena.
‘I should have called her out earlier instead of letting her indulge in her passion for power armor-related magic circles.’
Though the tournament was nearing its conclusion and the banquet was on its final day, there was an unsettling feeling gathering.
*
The final match ended with Ken’s overwhelming victory. Josh attempted to find an opening using his unconventional dual-blade technique, but it was futile.
On top of her solid foundation of traditional training, Ken had the robust advanced spear techniques of a prestigious family supporting her, making it difficult for the still-developing Josh to compete effectively.
In addition, at the upper level of Expert, she could project mana spears.
The already considerable reach of her spear made it hard for Josh to close the distance, and with mana spears flying from a distance, he struggled even to dodge.
In the end, a completely drained Josh was swept out of the ring by a mana wave, concluding the match. Moreover, before the final match began, rumors about Ken’s true identity had started as mere speculation but eventually became a certainty.
By the time the match ended, everyone in the arena knew her true identity.
“Wow!”
“Lady Kaylee, that was an amazing victory!”
“A genius has emerged from our Greer Marquisate!”
“Long live Lady Kaylee!”
Ken stood on the training ground, too overwhelmed by her emotions to move.
“See? Everyone is so happy. What were you so worried about? Instead of standing there in a daze, how about waving to them?”
Josh, who had dusted himself off and gotten up, said with a broad smile. Just as he said, there was no trace of animosity toward a female knight from any part of the audience.
Instead, they were cheering with joy at having an outstanding knight from their family. It seemed like the audience had completely forgotten about her being a woman, her age, and her past of running away from home.
“How about it? Does it feel like you’ve finally returned home?”
Raul asked as he walked onto the training ground. Ken nodded slightly. While trying to appear calm on the surface, her heart must have been swelling with emotions.
“Now that your true identity is revealed, how about making peace with the Marquis?”
Raul suggested subtly, prompting Ken to look towards the VIP seats. There, her father, the Marquis, was seen descending the steps, seemingly to prepare for the award ceremony.
“But… but will he forgive me?”
Whether it was intentional or not, she had fled from a marriage arrangement her father had set up. In doing so, she had tarnished the family’s honor, and she felt she didn’t have the face to see her father.
“Forgiveness? For something like this? Moreover, you’ve returned as an accomplished knight.”
Achieving upper-level Expert status at the age of 18 is remarkable. Other than Raul, perhaps no one else on the continent had attained such a rapid accomplishment.
As if to prove Raul’s point, the Marquis’s face was filled with pride and satisfaction even from a distance. While it seemed like everything would wrap up warmly, Raul’s intuition was not wrong.
Boom!
“Ahh!”
“Screaah!”
Screams erupted as an explosion went off in one part of the audience stands.
“What’s happening!”
Bang! Boom!
“Save us!”
“A person… a person exploded!”
Explosions and splattered blood were occurring all over the vast audience stands that could accommodate thousands.
‘These madmen!’
In Raul’s sight, the torso of a knight began to swell.
“Get down!”
As he shouted, he stretched his hand out, using psychokinesis to throw the swelling knight into the air above the audience.
Boom!
The knight, whose body had swollen like a balloon, exploded mid-air, scattering flesh, bones, and armor fragments in all directions.
Thud, thud, thud.
The red fragments were stopped by the psychokinetic barrier that Raul had erected, creating a crimson canopy above the crowd.
“Tattoo! Block the mana roads created by the tattoos! If not, their bodies will explode!”
Raul shouted with all his might as he opened a guild communication line.
「All First Knights, equip your power armor! Knights, keep an eye on anyone whose body appears to be deforming in the audience. Ken and Josh, protect the Marquis!」
「Understood, Master!」
Immediately, the twenty knights who had been guarding Raul donned their power armor and leapt into various parts of the stands.
They used their armored shields to cover the exploding individuals, preventing the shrapnel from reaching the audience.
‘I never thought they’d carry out such an indiscriminate terror attack like this! I was too complacent.’
The Emperor’s Mark.
A mysterious tattoo that amplified abilities and elevated one’s level without much effort. But the price for that was exactly this.
When the spellcaster pulls the trigger, it turns into a ‘human mana bomb,’ a devilish trap.
Previously, when dealing with the Imperial Hounds, there were almost no ordinary people with the Emperor’s Mark (black tattoo from the Emperor’s Insignia).
Naturally, they wouldn’t immediately sacrifice their own forces, so it was manageable.
But here…
‘Focusing on seclusion and training has backfired.’
The news that the Empire’s intelligence agency had resumed its activities hadn’t properly reached them, and those desperate for growth easily fell for the temptation.
Many of the knights and soldiers stationed in the arena were falling victim to the Emperor’s Mark. So far, only those with low levels and tattoos close to their hearts had exploded, but the real problem was yet to come.
‘The more mana one possesses, the more powerful the mana bomb.’
「Rabel, where are you?」
「Ah, Raul. I was just about to contact you. There’s something hidden beneath the training ground! And there’s a cleverly placed barrier behind the magic circle; it seems intended to block entry to the arena.」
It seemed like they had prepared many things for today. But the immediate fires needed to be extinguished first.
「Sorry, but I need you to help here first. Can you come here and set up a barrier?」
「If it’s a temporary barrier, I can make one right away. I’m on my way!」
Judging by the explosions happening all around, it seemed they were sending the detonation signal from a distance, not directly activating the self-destruct switches.
In that case, the solution was simple. Either deal with the spellcaster or block the signal from reaching the targets.
Drrrr.
Raul drew his sword, planted it into the training ground, and ran while drawing a large circle.
「Send anyone showing self-destruct signs but still having some time left to where I am!」
Raul opened the magic circle blueprint Rabel urgently sent him on one side of his vision, then leapt into the air and released his mana sword.
Swish! Swish!
The golden mana sword cut across the training ground floor, creating a massive magic circle.
“Well done! Leave the rest to me.”
Arriving in the meantime, Rabel pulled out her staff and began breathing life into the incomplete magic circle. Raul then sheathed his weapon and focused all his senses.
“Hah!”
As Raul spread his arms and shouted.
“Ugh, what’s this?”
“What now?”
Dozens of people, clutching parts of their bodies in agony, floated up and were drawn towards Raul.
Thud, bang, bump.
Raul shouted at the tattoo victims who were tossed a bit roughly.
“Hold out inside the barrier as long as you can until we deal with the spellcaster! If you step outside the barrier, I can’t help you anymore.”
More victims arrived, escorted by the knights. Soon, the temporary barrier was packed with over a hundred people.
“Hah, the pressure has finally eased.”
“Damn it. I thought I was going to die.”
As the spellcaster’s command was blocked, the pace of mana overload rapidly slowed down. Thanks to that, the explosions that had covered the arena began to subside. But…
‘Too many have been sacrificed.’
In those few minutes, over hundreds of innocent citizens had been sacrificed. Nearly one-third of the Marquis’ knights and almost half of the soldiers assigned to secure the arena had been incapacitated.
Fortunately, the Marquis and the VIPs seemed to have escaped significant harm, but the real attack was just beginning.
「Master! Those suspicious figures we spotted earlier, they are demonic soldiers! And now the Empire’s intelligence operatives are approaching the outskirts of the arena. Be careful!」
As soon as Kane’s warning came through, various demonic soldiers began pouring out from the stands’ passageways.
“Grr!”
“Awooo!”
Clang! Clang!
“A mon-monster!”
“Where did these come from?”
The Marquisate soldiers and knights, who were encountering Imperial demonic soldiers for the first time, were in disarray.
Moreover, the spectators who hadn’t managed to evacuate yet were running around the stands, screaming, making the place a complete madhouse.
“Everyone, calm down! Knights, focus on dealing with those monsters, and soldiers, prioritize protecting the spectators! Blue Spear Knights, follow me!”
With the Marquis taking charge, the chaos began to subside.
Despite the surprise attack, the prestige of the noble house was evident.
Just as the Count Ashton’s family had the Golden Bear Knights, the Greer Marquisate had the Blue Spear Knights.
Once the Marquis’s elite guard, composed of warriors at Intermediate Expert level and above, joined the fray, the simple demonic soldiers were pushed to the periphery.
“Evacuate the citizens immediately! We must not increase the number of casualties!”
Soldiers were sent to check the passages leading out of the arena, but…
“All exits are blocked! It seems something invisible is preventing anyone from passing.”
At the same time, black-armored knights were beginning to enter the arena.
‘Those uniforms…! How did the Empire’s men get here?’
This arena was located right outside the inner castle, in the heart of the Marquisate’s capital. Seeing the Imperial knights appear in such a central location, the Marquis bit his lip.
A troubling realization filled his mind.
‘Who could have betrayed us…!’
However, there was no time to ponder such questions.
Inside the arena, the black-armored Imperial knights and the blue-armored Marquisate knights were facing off, while the spectators, many still unable to evacuate, filled the stands.
At that moment, someone among the Imperial knights began walking out slowly and spoke:
“Oh dear. To think so many have survived, this is troublesome indeed.”
The owner of the brass mask, 5th of the Imperial Hound executives, revealed himself.
(To be continued)