Chapter 162: Do You Feel The Difference in Power? (1)

The team tournament, the second round of the Sword of the South Tournament, had finally begun. Unlike the battle royale, which occurred in a separate area from the spectators, the team tournament was held in an arena where spectators could watch the matches up close. Commoners and nobles shared the same space to view the competition, though, of course, the noble seats were much wider and more comfortable.

People had waited a full week for this event, and their anticipation was through the roof. They clamored to see the matches, shouting that even a second’s delay was unbearable.

But the atmosphere among the nobles was entirely different.

“...”

It wasn’t just a few; all the nobles were acting strangely. They weren't filled with anticipation, but rather unease and discomfort. They kept scanning their surroundings, sitting on the edges of their seats as if ready to flee at any moment. They looked like children dragged somewhere they didn’t want to go.

In the section reserved for Sefira sat Myle, Taragon, and Katherine.

“Doesn’t the atmosphere feel off?” asked Taragon.

Myle, without even shifting his gaze, replied, “Pretend you don’t notice for now. Dame Katherine.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Find out why the nobles look so uneasy.”

“Understood.”

For the past week, Myle and his siblings had focused entirely on preparing for the tournament. As a result, they had no idea what had been going on outside. He bit his fingernail in anxiety.

What’s going on? Why are they so distracted from the tournament? Did something happen?

If it were just a few nobles acting this way, he wouldn’t be too concerned, but nearly all of them were behaving the same.

Myle recalled the soldiers stationed just outside the arena. At the time, he had assumed they were ordinary soldiers stationed for public safety, but seeing the nobles now, he realized the truth.

No. They weren’t from the Public Security Army. They were private soldiers—the nobles’ personal troops.

Thinking back, their uniforms had all been different. That meant they weren’t the city’s Public Security Army. The nobles had summoned their personal soldiers into the city, specifically to this arena.

Why? Why so suddenly? It can’t be because of us...

Myle glanced at the nobles. There weren’t many who seemed particularly focused on Sefira. Some glanced over occasionally, but there was no hostility. That was a relief, but it only made him feel more uneasy.

Something’s happening... and we’re the only ones who don’t know. Damn it. My siblings are focused on the tournament, as they should be. But I should have been on alert.

The simplest solution would be to ask the other nobles directly what was going on. But he was certain no one would actually give him an answer.

Calm down. If I get flustered here, I’ll only look more foolish. Let’s trust Katherine and wait. At the very least, nothing should happen during the tournament.

Knowing that rushing only made things worse, Myle took a deep breath to steady himself.

At that moment, the tournament teams and bracket were revealed. The team tournament was divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, with four members per team.

Keter and Anis’ team was placed in Group A. Looking at it, it was an underwhelming lineup. The organizers claimed it was randomly selected, but...

How could Keter and Anis’ team end up with all the two-star knights?

However, if the pairings had been truly rigged, Taragon’s team should have been poorly matched too, but it wasn’t. Taragon’s team had two three-star knights and one four-star knight, clearly showing a strong team. It was strange.

Maybe I’m being too paranoid? No, the suspicion was reasonable.

Myle remained on high alert. He hadn’t forgotten how, during the battle royale, a sudden rule was added that disadvantaged archers.

After reviewing the entire bracket, Myle scratched his head, puzzled.

“The bracket itself... looks fine. No rule changes either.”

He had feared some teams might have been stacked with strong warriors, or that Sefira alone might have been unfairly matched, but nothing stood out. The team placements really did appear random, and the matchings seemed relatively standard.

“In Group A, Lord Rajis and Lady Henya seem to be the toughest opponents.”

In Group B, the biggest threats were Pashian the Red Wolf, Spear Dragon Jordic, and the newly rising star, Norman, a knight from the Shadabon barony.

While Myle calmly analyzed the competitors, the commoners were simply excited to see who would fight whom.

“The Sword Dragon versus the Sword Witch!”

“What will happen to Keter’s team? Can he win the whole battle himself and move on to the next round?”

“If he does, it’ll be either the Sword Dragon or the Sword Witch facing him in the finals!”

“Didn’t the Sword Witch already lose to Keter once? I hope he fights the Sword Dragon this time!”

Just then, the long-awaited announcer appeared and declared the official start of the team tournament. The energy surged. It was so intense it seemed to blow away the chill of the autumn air.

* * *

The match began swiftly. Two teams of four fighters clashed fiercely against each other. Unlike the battle royale, there was nowhere to run. The match would only end when all opponents were either down or had surrendered. It was an intense, action-packed battle from start to finish—exactly the kind of fight the spectators wanted.

It wasn’t just the commoners and nobles in the stands who were glued to it; the competitors waiting in the lounge were also watching the live broadcast on the screen.

In the team tournament, each team was assigned to a shared waiting room, but if desired, participants could request a private room. Keter had done just that, and now, he was resting alone in his private room, having left his teammates behind.

“Phew...”

At the door to Keter’s room, a man let out a deep sigh. Because of his uniquely unattractive face, he was instantly recognizable. It was Rajis, the Sword Dragon.

Wearing a determined expression, he composed himself once more and grabbed the doorknob.

“Excuse me.”

“...!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out behind him. Startled, Rajis instinctively drew his sword and slashed in the direction of the voice. It was a lightning-fast strike, but...

“Whoa, that was close.”

...the man behind him reacted casually, dodging with ease.

Rajis tensed.

I let someone get behind me? And they dodged my sword?

Rajis had pulled out his sword, but he didn’t attack further. He had swung his sword instinctively when he realized he had been followed. The voice behind him was actually familiar. He turned around and saw the very person he had suspected.

“Sir Norman...!”

“Ah, the Sword Dragon remembers my name. I’m honored.”

The man bowed playfully. He was Norman of Shadabon, the rising star who had mimicked and provoked Keter during the battle royale and demonstrated both brutal skill and a ruthless personality.

“What business do you have with me?”

“Oh, no business with you, Sir Rajis. I just came to see Keter.”

“Keter...?”

“Yes. So if you’ll excuse me?”

“...I came to speak with Sir Keter as well. I suggest you wait for your turn.”

“I’m not really the waiting type.”

“...”

Rajis glared, but Norman did not look away. Neither was willing to yield. There was only one answer to that: settle the order with strength. Rajis already had his sword drawn, holding it low but ready. Norman didn’t even wear a sword at his waist, but he couldn’t be underestimated. He had shown enough power to be able to wield an Aura Sword with ease.

The tension was thick. One wrong move and the entire hall could erupt into violence.

Just then...

“Keter sure is popular.”

A third voice made them both flinch and turn in surprise. Then, their faces twisted in frustration.

I was on guard this time... and I still didn’t sense him?

Who the hell is this guy? I didn’t even know he was there until he spoke...

Wearing an immaculate white suit, Kai calmly looked back and forth between them.

“If you don’t mind, could you step aside? I have business with the person inside that room.”

“...Who are you?”

Rajis shifted his stance to keep both Kai and Norman in check. Norman did the same.

“I’m Hanson, head of a small merchant company. I already know both your names, so no need for introductions.”

Voong...

An Aura Sword erupted from Norman’s right hand and pointed directly at Hanson.

“How does some lowly merchant possess power beyond that of a Master?”

“Dismantle your Aura Sword, Sir Norman!”

Rajis raised his sword to Norman’s neck in warning, but Norman ignored him.

Kai shook his head.

“Is there a need for pointless threats? While I do find you interesting, I’m not particularly curious. I don’t care what your goals are. But if you block my path, then I will have no choice but to take interest.”

“...”

Norman eventually withdrew Aura Sword but didn’t step aside, and neither did Rajis. Both remained rooted in front of Keter’s door.

“One last time, gentlemen. I urgently need to speak with Lord Keter. Could you... please move aside?”

His words were polite, but the invisible murderous intent radiating from Kai’s entire body pressed down on both of them.

“...!”

“...”

Others might have backed off at Kai’s warning, but neither Rajis nor Norman had ever had to; they either fought or were always yielded to, but they never surrendered to pressure. Still, even Kai didn’t have time to waste in a standoff like this.

Kai raised a hand. Immediately, Rajis and Norman prepared for battle.

At that very moment...

Clack.

“What the hell are you guys doing?”

Keter opened the door from inside the waiting room and looked at the three men gathered outside.

* * *

"Everyone's lucky today. How did you all know I was drinking this?"

Trickle trickle trickle...

Wine from a crystal bottle, which was obviously expensive, was being poured into three wooden cups.

“...”

Three people sat side by side on the sofa: Kai, Rajis, and Norman. The sight of three individuals from completely different backgrounds, with different personalities and motivations, sitting together was pure chaos. But it wasn’t as chaotic as the rest of the room.

“Ugh...”

The chair Keter was sitting on groaned. It made sense because it wasn’t a chair, but a person. Even the table was a person; they were all people masked and dressed entirely in black. Their faces were swollen like a balloon from how badly they had been beaten.

“What on earth happened here, Sir Keter?”

Several other men wearing black were lying scattered throughout the waiting room, all in battered condition.

Keter casually took a swig straight from the wine bottle and answered nonchalantly, “Huh? Never seen assassins before?”

“...W-well, yes, but...”

There had been four assassins. What was truly remarkable was that none of them had died.

It almost would've been better if they had.

Their limbs were twisted and contorted in such grotesque ways that it was almost strange they weren’t dead yet. They writhed like bugs, hardly resembling people anymore. But these were assassins who had targeted a noble’s life. No one thought Keter’s response was excessive.

That’s not the issue here.

Though they had been briefly distracted by the assassins, the more important matter was something else entirely.

“Why did you call all of us here?”

At Rajis’s question, Kai and Norman both nodded silently.

To everyone’s confusion, Keter had invited all three men who had been waiting at his door. Of course, at first, they had all refused, each claiming their business with Keter was of utmost importance and should be handled first.

“Anyone who doesn’t like it can leave,” said Keter, but no one actually left.

And so, the three had ended up sitting together in the same waiting room.

“It’s fun, isn’t it?”

“...?”

“You all came because you had business with me, right? Then do it. Whatever it is.”

“Lord Keter, are you saying we should discuss personal matters in front of these two?” Kai said to Keter.

He looked to be a mere owner of a merchant company, but he was actually an agent of the Imperial Special Task Force. He hadn’t come here for idle chat; he had come for serious business.

Coincidentally, Rajis was in the same position.

“The same goes for me. What I have to say isn’t for others’ ears.”

Norman, on the other hand, was less concerned. He had simply come because he wanted to ask Keter something. As such, he seemed rather relaxed, unlike the others.

“I don’t mind, so I’ll go first.”

Without asking permission, Norman stood up. Kai and Rajis found his forwardness irritating, but with Keter gesturing for him to go ahead, they had no choice but to listen. It had come to this anyway, so they decided to listen. They watched Norman with interest, wondering what he had come to ask Keter and why he seemed so obsessed with him.

“Lord Keter. Why do you ignore me?”

His question was bizarre. Rajis and Kai didn’t understand it at all. Of course, neither did Keter.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You had time—an entire week. Why didn’t you investigate me at all during that time?”

“So you’re sulking because you didn’t get enough attention?”

“...”

“Fine, I’ll humor you. Want to know why I didn’t bother looking into you? Then drink up first.”

Keter handed him the wooden cup filled with wine. Norman accepted it and downed it in one gulp.

Grinning, Keter continued, “There’s someone who knows you very well. They will explain everything.”

“No such person exists.”

“What do you mean? He’s right here. Someone who knows you better than anyone.”

Keter pointed at Norman with the wine bottle. Realizing what he meant, Norman’s face twisted into a savage scowl.