Did Lewis lose?
That fact hit me like a bam.
I didn’t just leave him to it, I had him fight monsters appropriate for second and third years to gain experience points, right?
Yet he still lost? He must have gained even more experience than the original story!
It was just ridiculous.
It almost seemed like he was completely toyed with! This was a huge twist.
With Lewis being defeated like that, the winner was essentially confirmed to be that man. I wanted to stop the tournament right now and catch him for an investigation, but… I couldn’t stir up trouble without evidence.
Unfortunately, I was just a knight escort. I didn’t have the authority to randomly grab someone and interrogate them.
“Renny, don’t you think that guy Stork looks a bit suspicious?”
“Hmm? Suspicious?”
Renny didn’t seem to have any particular doubt about the guy named Stork.
Of course, that was to be expected. With my knowledge of the original story, I could feel the oddness, but for someone living in this world, a powerful figure who had never been known before could easily be accepted.
I had no choice but to think of a way to appeal to Renny regarding that guy.
I just confirmed that saying he looked suspicious out of nowhere wouldn’t resonate at all.
So, I needed to approach this a bit differently.
“Renny, think about it. What reason would an unknown powerhouse have to show up at an event like this?”
“Umm… to make a name for himself?”
“I hate to say it, but Lewis wouldn’t be outright crushed even against a decent knight. But you’re telling me that an unknown just shattered him? With that level of skill, they could handle an aura.”
“Now that you mention it, it is a bit suspicious… but if he’s participating in the tournament, doesn’t that mean his identity is solid? The security force must have confirmed everything thoroughly…”
Renny still looked unsure.
Was this all because of the incompetent security force? She seemed to be hesitating because she trusted them too much.
I wanted to shout, “Those guys! So useless!” but I stuffed it deep down and rebuffed her statement.
“Identity can be manipulated if someone wants to. And… what would a powerhouse like that have to gain by appearing in a tournament hosted by an academy like this? The prize isn’t exactly tempting.”
The prize was just a small sum of money, and the real deal was receiving blessings from the Saint.
If that guy was an assassin, he would definitely be looking for an opportunity. No matter how much we try to block it off in advance, sneaky strikes from close range are hard to stop.
An attack being executed from less than 50CM away wouldn’t easily be dodged, even by Renny.
“…Are you trying to say he’s targeting Lady Karina?”
“There’s a possibility.”
“Hmm… You’ve never been wrong, so I’ll be cautious.”
Fortunately, Renny quickly grasped my words. Now that I had succeeded in planting a sense of vigilance, the next step was to find a way to verify that guy was an assassin.
Since I had no grounds for suspicion, if I prodded him without a plan and achieved nothing, I could end up tagged as someone with a paranoia disorder, overstepping my boundaries as the Saint’s knight protector, so I had to approach this carefully, even though he might not be an assassin.
So, first and foremost, I needed to check the information the security had brought.
“Karina, could you wait a moment? I’d like to check something.”
“You want to check something?”
“Yeah. It involves your safety.”
At my words, Karina’s expression darkened. Could it be that she was recalling what had happened in Lorelei? I placed my hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything before threats come to you.”
“Right. I won’t let you go through that again.”
“…Thank you both.”
We waited in the now emptying Colosseum until the security force returned. The guard arrived, sweating profusely, just as people were nearly all out of the arena.
“Huff… here it is.”
“Thanks.”
“Not at all. Just doing my job.”
I opened the notebook handed by the guard. It contained a brief account of the participants’ backgrounds.
Flipping through the pages in search of the information on the man named Stork, it appeared about two-thirds in.
[Name: Stork
Age: 27
Occupation: Mercenary
Special Notes: Considered to possess outstanding swordsmanship. Previously active in the Southern region, known by the nickname “Invincible Stork.”
His past before being a mercenary is unknown.]
…The information was just terribly written.
That’s typical for them…
“Renny, you’re a mercenary, so you’d know. Have you ever worked in the South?”
“I’m from the North.”
I didn’t know that before.
“Is there a custom among mercenaries to confirm each other? I’ve heard that mercenaries check each other’s identities even on the battlefield and won’t fight unless there’s a good reason.”
“Usually it’s among mercenary bands. But even without that, you can usually tell just by looking; mercenaries have their own style. They believe in a lot of superstitions.”
Renny frowned as if bad memories bubbled up at the mention of superstitions. What was she remembering?
“Thinking about superstitions is making me dizzy… Anyway, if he’s also a mercenary, he should know about it, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm… but wouldn’t he know enough for it not to matter if everyone knows about it?”
“It’s just one of many methods.”
Using mercenary superstitions is just one option among others. There were several ways to clarify that guy’s identity. The top three methods to try out instantly came to mind.
But for that, I needed a legitimate way to approach him.
For instance, I could present the award on his behalf if he won, or somehow squeeze myself into the situation.
There were many ways.
But whatever method I would use, I had to consult the event organizers. Especially, getting Merlin’s approval was essential. If he gave the nod, everything else would proceed smoothly.
“…I’d like to have a brief discussion with the organizers.”
“With the organizers?”
“That’s the only way.”
Running in recklessly would be something only a fool would do. Such risky actions could also affect Karina.
If I accidentally lost and caused things to spiral out of control, I could find myself in a situation I’d regret.
“Renny, can I step out for a moment?”
“It’s like I’m guarding myself alone here… Hurry back. I’ll be waiting at the Liberal Arts Department café.”
Renny must have sensed I wouldn’t be stopped; she let me go without any issues.
Then, I guess I’ll hurry over.
I quickly left the Colosseum.
—————–
“…What an interesting event, isn’t it?”
“How so?”
“About 200 years ago, a knight protector of the Saint did something similar.”
Someone did what I was planning to do? I leaned in to hear Merlin’s words as he spoke with a serious face.
“But that knight protector ended up in disgrace and was driven out.”
“Is that so?”
So, someone had a run-in just like me before and got slaughtered. I couldn’t help but give a wry smile at his words. If I were normally, I would have hesitated to put this plan into action.
But there wasn’t a more certain way than this.
It was better to directly confront the problem than to beat around the bush. Especially while we had the advantage.
“Don’t underestimate it, my friend. No matter how well it’s going for you now, you can fall to the depths in an instant.”
“…It’s something that must be done.”
“You’re quite stubborn… I was the same at your age…”
Don’t start reminiscing now, old man. Before he slipped deeper into memories, I urged him again.
“Can you please do this for me? I’d appreciate it.”
“…Alright. I see. I’ll do it, so don’t get too excited.”
“Thank you.”
“…You’ll be fully responsible for the aftermath, understood?”
“I’m prepared.”
“…Then I will handle it.”
“Thank you very much.”
My request was received with a slightly worried glance. It seemed my actions as the Saint’s knight protector did the trick. I stood up with a much lighter heart.
“Then I’ll head back to guard now.”
“…I know you’re dedicated to protecting the Saint, but don’t overdo it. I wouldn’t want to lose someone like you.”
“…Thank you.”
…I didn’t expect to be cared for like this.
I promptly left the principal’s office and headed to the Liberal Arts Department. She must be leisurely enjoying some tea by now. I moved my feet quickly, hoping nothing would go wrong on the way.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.