The elimination round of the Knight Tournament began swiftly.
In fact, most people hadn't anticipated that X, founder of Lobotomy Corporation, would still be staying in Kazimierz—or even have the leisure to participate directly in the Knight Tournament.
But to Lobotomy Corporation itself, such a move wasn't surprising. They needed to gather sufficient emotion to utilize that disposable Well and extract an Abnormality. Under these circumstances, naturally, they needed to be on-site and introduce some slight "variations" into the tournament.
The more spectacular the competition became, the better—at least from Lobotomy Corporation's standpoint.
And now, in some sense, Lobotomy Corporation had even become one of the tournament's organizers. With this status, the competition inevitably faced additional twists and turns.
"Which match are you scheduled for?"
At this moment, amidst the ongoing intensity of the Knight Tournament, Nearl raised her head and asked Don Quixote.
"Hmm, looks like I'm in the very last match of the elimination round. How about you?"
"My match is next…but there's no problem, you don't need to worry."
Nearl exhaled lightly, putting away her competition certificate. But alongside this, a faint sense of worry crept up within her.
With Don Quixote appearing as the final act…somehow I feel something quite troublesome might happen.
Don Quixote had indeed gone ahead and prepared that absurd "amusement park." Even based solely on such an extravagant battle style, Nearl was certain he would attract considerable attention. And being the final match, there would definitely be even more unnecessary scrutiny…
Nearl silently pondered this, letting out a resigned sigh.
Just as her sigh fell, a loudspeaker announcement summoned Nearl to enter the arena. Nearl immediately put on her mask and quickly entered the stadium.
With Nearl gone, Don Quixote suddenly found himself alone for the first time in days. After a brief warm-up, he began his somewhat bored wait.
It was at this very moment that Don Quixote sensed someone approaching him, stopping just behind him. He turned around abruptly, his pupils contracting sharply.
The figure before him calmly patted Don Quixote's shoulder and spoke evenly:
"Good morning, Don Quixote. It's been a while."
The person standing before Don Quixote right now was Hai.
Even though Don Quixote had already heard from X that Hai was coming, he still couldn't help but brighten up upon seeing him. He blurted out without thinking:
"I've been meaning to ask—did you quit your job?"
"As I recall, your job didn't allow you enough leisure time to come all the way out to Kazimierz!"
Hearing Don Quixote's words, Hai silently withdrew his hand from Don Quixote's shoulder.
"Only temporarily…someone else is covering for me."
Hai sighed lightly, giving this reply:
"Let's focus on your current matter. After all, I'm essentially here to support your operation."
"Oh…I know about that. In short, we need to make the fights even more spectacular, right?"
"Exactly."
Hai snapped his fingers and continued:
"Therefore, you should mentally prepare yourself—your battle may be full of deliberate 'variations.'"
"Don't worry, I can handle it. Just leave it to me."
Don Quixote smiled confidently. Hai smiled back lightly, circling slowly around Don Quixote before suddenly throwing out a question:
"By the way, Don Quixote… Do you know much about your squire, Nearl?"
Don Quixote shook his head gently.
"I never pry into things she doesn't wish to discuss."
"I see…"
Hai raised his head, appearing deep in thought for a moment, then softly exhaled:
"Be cautious during this period. Your squire might be in danger here in Kazimierz."
A flicker passed through Don Quixote's eyes.
Yet quickly, his usual bright smile returned to his face. He waved a hand at Hai and said casually:
"Relax. I trust she knows how to handle herself. If something really does happen, I can step in."
After saying this, both waited quietly. Shortly thereafter, Nearl emerged from the stadium, unmistakably victorious.
...
Two hours passed before the elimination matches finally reached the last bout. Don Quixote's name echoed over the loudspeakers. With spirits high, he rose energetically and strode towards the arena.
"Hey, Don Quixote. Catch."
At this exact moment, Hai suddenly called out and tossed an earpiece to Don Quixote. Hai's gaze remained calm, as he softly explained:
"If anything unexpected occurs, I'll use this earpiece to offer you support and guidance."
"Thanks. But I don't expect there'll be any surprises."
Don Quixote grinned widely, confidently stepping into the arena. The moment he walked in, Hai quietly exhaled, raising his head toward X among the organizers.
At that moment, X closed his eyes briefly, then decisively gave the order:
"Release the Abnormality. Yes, in this very battle."
At the same time, elsewhere…
At the Chamber of Commerce, inside the offices of the Roar Guards, a solemn mood pervaded as everyone stared at the freshly delivered set of materials. Even they felt a bit conflicted upon seeing this new information.
These materials…to use them or not to use them?
Their hesitation stemmed from a simple reason: the newly arrived materials all originated from the recent Knight Tournament matches. Not using them would indeed be a waste.
However…these particular materials involved a rather sensitive issue.
Looking at the photograph of a masked knight holding a blood-red lance, the Roar Guards' chief editor inhaled deeply, feeling slightly numb.
Others might not immediately recognize her, but for the perceptive eyes of the Roar Guards, it was quite different.
Their sharp insight allowed them to discern clearly—this knight's movements, attack patterns, and ingrained habits… these unmistakable details all pointed towards one single person, someone they knew well:
The legendary competitive knight who once dominated the Knight Tournament.
The Radiant Knight.
And who had, long ago, been exiled from Kazimierz. But now, shockingly, she seemed to have reappeared in disguise, right in the midst of the tournament's elimination round.
The resemblance was uncanny, incredibly so. Even if they couldn't confirm it with absolute certainty, at the very least, this figure strongly resembled her shadow.
Thus, they found themselves trapped in dilemma. If they chose not to report it, they'd lose out on a huge payday—"The Radiant Knight's possible return" was unquestionably sensational news. Yet, if they did report it…
It might cause trouble far more severe than mere financial losses.
After prolonged deliberation, the chief editor of the Roar Guards slowly opened his mouth:
"In any case…"
"Let's inform the Armorless Union about this first."