- Hector Black -
"Were all the men captured?" He asked.
"Most of them, Sir. The Vice Director of the Knight's Academy, Sir Ralph is overseeing the process himself so none of our men could get near them."
"Hmm."
Losing those men was never going to be a problem.
If anything, they were meant to be lost.
He had arranged for his subordinates in disguise to hire them from the Black Market. Even if they were caught, they couldn't give out any information… at least any true information as they were not informed about the whole thing themselves.The plan was to take the companions of either the Knight or the Brawler and make one of them give up. Too bad that the Brawler didn't have any close companions here so it left only the Knight remaining.
If questioned, those people would point out the Brawler because that's what they knew as the one who hired them to do everything.
With his experience and knowledge of his father, Hector would never be foolish enough to use his own men or anyone from the Black Order for such a thing.
That would be an obvious way to get caught.
He knew and understood the strength of the Knights of Greenfrost more than anyone… especially since he has been so powerless himself. It had only made him research everything he could about them to overcome them and control them later.
The Knights would tear through the entirety of Greenfrost to find the culprits.
What he was aiming for wasn't the win in this competition. The win would just be a bonus. No. His real aim was always to cause a scandal right under the noses of the Knights of Greenfrost, in front of Uther the Lightbringer and maybe have the word reach His Majesty, the King or even the Prince to make them doubt the management skills of Conrad. After all, contrary to what his father believed, being a good Knight and being a good ruler were completely different things.
In fact, even if the plan had gone smoothly, he would have revealed the whole thing and gotten the Brawler kicked out, gaining a direct victory for his representative as well as sully the reputation of Conrad.
He never doubted the strength of the Black Hand's representative… although he wasn't expecting an outlier like that damned knight to come out of nowhere and destroy that part… or that musclehead Vice Director of the Knight's Academy would find the people and do such a thing.
The entire plan had failed.
Not only was there no scandal, Conrad had also helped resolve the whole incident flawlessly, proving his leadership.
Hector wasn't interested in the competition… or even the rule of the entire Greenfrost for that matter.
No… he just wanted to get back at his father and show him that he was wrong.
"What should we do, my Lord? Should we… get someone to take care of the Knight Arthas and his companions or spread rumours about him?" His subordinate asked.
He closed his eyes and thought for a while.
"Nothing… we do nothing for now. Everyone will be watching like hawks, trying to find any clues in the whole thing." He was pretty sure his father knew or at least had some idea about the whole thing but kept quiet as he didn't have any proof.
There was also the fact that the boy had the attention of his father and Lord Uther now. Targeting him in any way would be too risky. Not to mention, the boy's talent was something else.
If he were to make any such moves, his father would never miss a chance.
Also, with Uther's support, he might one day become a Paladin, someone rivalling his father's level of power. Gaining the enmity of such a person for such a small moment of satisfaction would be the height of foolishness.
"Have our men capture the ones who escaped the Knights and present them to the Knight's custody as well and then move away."
Right now, he could only hope for the Black Hand's representative to win the finals and gain him at least some margin of recognition for using him as a representative.
"Haaaahhhhhh! So annoying."
- Arthas -
I rushed towards the VIP Room as soon as the match ended. Arnold followed right behind me.
We found Veena and Rose quietly waiting outside the room.
I finally let out a sigh of relief as I saw them safe in front of me.
I gave Veena a light hug and then did the same to Rose.
The entire situation had scared me a bit and I would have thrown the match if not for Veena asking me to hold.
"What happened to you two?" I asked, after finally being relieved.
"Some people told us that Lord Arnold had called us and used it to separate us. Veena met Sir Ralph and found that the man was lying. He saved her. I was caught in a sneak attack by the person leading me and imprisoned in a room. Another player saw this and sneaked in to rescue me. We fought with them when the rescue came and saved us." Rose explained everything briefly.
"Player? Who?" There were other players in this town?
I was pretty sure there had to be at least two more towns between Llyne and Greenfrost. In a way, we just skipped the third and fourth town before reaching here due to the Noble title.
Was there someone else who reached here directly?
"Umm yes. She was with her brother so she left. I know where they are staying so we can meet up with them tomorrow."
"Good."
If there are such good players, especially someone who saved Rose's life… then I would obviously invite them to the Guild.
As we talked, Sir Ralph came out of the room and invited me in.
I nodded and followed him. Arnold did as well.
Right now, although both Arnold and I have the same rank of nobility, I am a Knight of Llyne, technically under Arnold.
Inside the room were several people.
A simple scan showed that each of them were T6 and the two old men in the center were the real deals, Paladin.
Uther the Lightbringer and Daren Black, the former Marquis of Greenfrost.
I got down on one knee in a formal salutation position as I was taught back during the award ceremony.
"Get up." Daren Black asked and I did. "Your performance today was commendable. The incident with your companions today was caused due to the lack of security on our end, for that I apologise. Rest assured this will not happen again and you will be compensated accordingly."
"Thank you, My Lord."
"As for the ones responsible, they will be punished accordingly too. Mad Brawler Tyrone will be imprisoned for the next five years and will be barred from ever participating in any such competitions."
…
I hesitated at his words suddenly. It was, however, enough to be noticed by the two people in front of me.
"What is it?"
"I… pardon me for saying this but… I don't think Tyrone was the one who organised such a thing."
"Oh. What makes you say so?"
Now, how do I tell him about my Voice of All Things Skill?
It was the first time it had activated during the fight and it happened when I was thinking about how Tyrone had done all this.
The Skill itself was almost like an instinct right now but it was enough to know that Tyrone… was not aware of any such thing. If anything, the man was a completely pure and dedicated fighter who was actually a really great man.
"When I fought him… I… didn't feel like he was the sort of person who would do such a thing. Perhaps it is just my instinct but it has never steered me in any wrong directions yet." After all, it was the first time the Skill was activated.
"So you want to let him go… based on your instinct?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
… as if I would do that.
"My apologies for my imprudence Sir. I just want the entire thing to be investigated before any sentence is carried out. If a warrior like him were to get punished without a fault of his own, I would never be able to forgive myself." And the real culprit would get away.
I was more doubtful of the Black Hand guys.
Those bastards had obviously pulled a masterstroke here.
Even if the whole matter was discovered, the doubt would go on Tyrone and not them for this… and if Tyrone was removed, their player could directly win the whole game without even fighting in the finals. It was a perfect plan.
The two old men looked at each other and then shared a look before turning towards me.
"As your compensation we were about to reward you with a chance to become a Paladin and be directly taught by Lord Uther. Your strength makes you qualified. But if you want… you can bet it for Mad Brawler Tyrone's freedom. If you are correct then you keep the chance. If you are wrong and Tyrone is guilty, you lose the chance of becoming a Paladin. After all, a Paladin holds a significant amount of power in his hands. Any wrong decision on their part can cause heavy damage to the Kingdom. What do you say?"
…what the fuck?
Is this a test?
It was totally a test.
It couldn't be anything other than a test.
This was so fucking obvious.
As for becoming a Paladin? Nope, I am more interested in the Grand Knight route to become an Imperial Knight than a Paladin. If it had been something like T6 or T7 equipment or Skill Books, I would have hesitated… now however…
"I would like to bet on Tyrone's innocence, Sir." I replied unflinchingly.
…
"Are you sure? A chance to become a Paladin, that too under Lord Uther is one people would kill for." Daren Black asked with a serious face.
"I don't think someone like Lord Uther would ever accept such a person as his student. If I were to become his student at the cost of an innocent man's life and honour, I would not only dishonour him but also the Knight's Academy and this Kingdom. I am sure, Sir."
…
Uther looked at a masked man in the corner of the room who was silently waiting all this time. "What do you think about this?"
Rose had said that it was him who had saved her in the end.
"I think Knight Arthas is indeed a true knight of our kingdom and is qualified for it."
"Good, in that case go ahead." Uther nodded.
The man removed his mask to reveal his face as well as hair.
Blonde hair and blue eyes stared at me as the man looked at me with a smile.
"Knight Arthas. You have proven your integrity and strength with your actions. Not being tempted by power or wealth, you have stood by justice in your heart. Such a quality is something our Kingdom desperately needs. So I, Arthas Menethil, as the prince of the kingdom, reward you with the Lordship of the town of Alverton. Do you accept it?" He smiled.
…
…
…
…huh?
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Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Soul Art Online'
I had expected to get it done a day earlier but couldn't. Sorry for that.
Several things happened.
Rose and Kuroka tag teamed and survived.
Arthas won the semi-finals.
What happened in that fight, we will see in the next chapter.
Hector Black's plans were laid to rest due to some coincidences and encountering a freak like Arthas.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.