Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Even when mentioned by others, Bardock merely raised an eyelid, snorted, and made no further reaction.

"However, I only care about fighting. Whether it's a knightly competition or not doesn't matter. Even if I don't have any other purpose, this place is more suitable."

Thomas, on the other hand, clarified his pure purpose.

Those present had already heard this phrase once before during the previous broadcast of the brawl tournament.

"Perhaps the Minoan gladiatorial arena is more suitable for you, as it is closer to pure combat than knightly arena."

The old knight, Wald, spoke from his extensive experience.

"Gladiator arena? Is it as bad as the previous infected arena?"

Wald didn't recall mentioning the Infected Arena at any time, but based on his recollection of it, he answered without hesitation:

"The only place worse than that is the Ursus mines, but I've never been there."

Tomat's expression showed a hint of interest.

"That's worth taking a look at."

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

Maria's panicked voice rang out as the doorbell rang as she pushed the door open. Dressed in casual clothes, Maria rushed in, panting as she gulped down a drink from the bar.

"Pfft—cough cough cough...!!! What, it's alcohol?"

Maria, her face flushed red from choking, drank the water that was handed to her in one gulp while Zofia patted her back.

"I ordered those, but what's wrong with you? Why are you in such a panic? Did you run into paparazzi?"

"Hmm... they've clearly changed their clothes, even wearing sunglasses and a mask..."

Maria slumped into her seat.

"It's not that simple. Your face has already been broadcast by various media outlets. Even if there's only one pixel left in the photo, they could probably still recognize you."

Zofia, on the other hand, recounts her social influence as a renowned knight, things she has personally experienced.

Wherever I go, a group of enthusiastic fans shouting "Lord Zofia, please whip me hard!" will jump out from unexpected corners.

Then, as she looked down at the other person with the same condescending gaze one would give someone who was dirty, and then chased them away...

Her popularity seems to have increased even more.

“Maria, you need to know that this is also a situation you will have to face after becoming a knight. What will give you a headache is never just the enemy.”

Maria nodded, seemingly understanding.

Being praised and recognized as a hero and knight was indeed something she had fantasized about.

But this kind of "popularity" doesn't seem to be what she originally wanted.

Hearing this discussion, Gohan thoughtfully remarked:

"If I become famous, will giving my name be more effective at deterring criminals than before...?"

Thomas then quickly followed up with a sarcastic remark:

“I think... the fact that criminals who meet you for the first time don’t take you seriously has little to do with your ‘fame’.”

Faced with Tomat's denial, Gohan asked incredulously:

"You can't say it's a problem with the design, can you!?"

Seeing Gohan unconsciously eliminate the correct option, Tomat didn't argue. He simply waved his hand with a "whatever you like" expression and said rather smugly:

"Anyway, I don't have that problem. After all, what does the Rookie Knight have to do with me, Tomat? The Rookie Knight never takes off his helmet!"

"Squeak-"

That's the sound of the bar's small wooden door being opened.

A Kuranta man, dressed in a fairly well-tailored suit, pushed the door open halfway, stood at the entrance, and peeked in. His face was weary, but a hint of surprise could be seen in his eyes.

"Um...you...you're Mr. Rookie Knight?"

The small bar, which would normally never have any other customers, was suddenly visited by Mark, who had been forcibly promoted to the position of big boss.

[Main Text] Terra's World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament: Debate Chapter 55 There's a Reason Nobody's Ever Seen Santa Claus

Even with the help of business alliances, turning an office building into an operational company in just two or three days is a bit too rushed.

So now the civilian staff who were "gifted" to Mark are handling various affairs, and to be precise, Mark is not allowed to meddle.

Even though they address him respectfully as "boss," whenever he offers to help in any way, they give him an extremely cold look and say something like:

"You just need to sit in the boss's seat and leave the rest to us."

This prevented him from even deciding what the main business of the newly established company should be.

However, Mark also felt that Ciarne wouldn't care.

This is just a shell company used to achieve its purpose.

He was chosen to become the company's puppet "boss".

“When I was a manager, I personally handled the business. Now that I’m idle anyway, let me go around and see if I can find any clues to contact Cai Knight.”

He used this reason to leave the suffocating office building.

The civilian staff did not stop him—in their view, he was just a lowly, hardworking man who couldn't stay idle.

This is how people are; they become anxious and uneasy if they don't do something, fearing that their situation will be worse than it is now, so they do some "labor" as a form of self-comfort.

And they weren't worried that Mark would escape or try to do something else.

This is Kazimierz, and he, who has no means of self-reliance, cannot escape.

So, just to escape this pressure, Mark headed into a secluded alleyway.

Here, at least you won't see those dazzling signs of knights and businesses.

He suddenly remembered that he had helped Swoma recruit Maria before he was fired.

"If I remember correctly, according to rumors, Maria frequents this bar..."

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the place where I was supposed to be conducting my work visit; perhaps it was the ingrained desire to be busy that was getting to me.

Even though he could be the most relaxed person right now, Mark still feels overwhelmed and can't breathe.

Anyway, finding that rookie knight is highly unrealistic, so let's just go and take a look over there.

Perhaps I'll run into Maria, who also refused corporate invitations—I wonder what happened to that young girl who shared the same passion and confidence as countless other knights.

The Lightbringer family is now in decline, and the passing of the older generation of Radiant Knights has further diminished their influence.

The new generation of Radiant Knights' open defiance of knightly competitions and their exile due to infection became a source of ridicule for other emerging nobles.

Both their family's strength and their personal abilities are far inferior to everything else.

And they are the people Charné said who opposed the trends of the Casimir era for the sake of "outdated honor and chivalry" and "self-deceiving humanism".

Are they bad people?

No one has provided an answer, but at least in the public eye, these people will be regarded as "stupid people".

But that's all in the past. This time, why is the sister of the Radiant Knight participating in the Knights Arena as a knight?

To emulate her grandfather and defend the chivalry that has been erased from the moral education textbooks of Kazimierz?

Like her sister, she criticized the Knights' Games and advocated for better conditions for the Kazimierz infected.

Is Maria a bad person too?

Charné did not ask this question during the previous dinner.

Mark himself had this thought.

Is Charné, who suddenly appears before him and changes his life, a good person?

He claimed it was true because he said the commercial league was for Kazimierz, while the equestrian sports were in line with the times.

And if I were to do what he said, to recruit strong people and eliminate opponents for the "Business Alliance and all the residents of Kazimierz", to do what I have always done in the shadows, things that are known but never done, am I also a good person?

He convinced himself that it was true, because eliminating these "selfish" minorities would make the business league more stable, allow the equestrian competition to continue, and then more people would benefit from the booming development of capital, which was doing a good deed.

"I feel like... something's off."

Mark had a vague feeling that these things couldn't be simply categorized as "good" or "bad".

This appears to be a conflict of some deeper stance.

what is it?

His thinking could no longer delve into any further areas; he could only stand at the doorway, which was etched with questions.

He then arrived at the door of the small bar "Dread Martin".

This is a small shop that looks very hidden from the outside, but once you step in, you can feel a strong old-fashioned Kazimierz knight style.

Just like in those chivalric tales, it's a place where knights, having finished their adventures, chat and drink heartily, without any signs of commercialism or celebrity endorsements.

"After all, what does the Rookie Knight have to do with me, Tomat? The Rookie Knight never takes off his helmet!"

He stopped halfway through pushing the door open and looked at the young man sitting next to a white-haired Carter, who seemed unaware of the visitor's arrival.

"Um...you're Rookie Knight?"

Under the somewhat surprised gazes of the crowd, he asked in a timid tone, his fearful expression as if he were about to turn into a mournful face, or as if he were ready to pull back his neck that had been stuck into the store and run away at any moment.

"Looks like someone's about to become famous. They can't do weird things to their fans, I've read about those kinds of things in books."

Froststar's tone was very calm, but compared to her usual manner of speaking, it was actually a joke, though few people could hear the difference.

Just as Tomat was awkwardly finishing his sentence, Zofia recognized the newcomer.

"Ah, I remember you. You're the manager from before, right?"

Zofia's words brought Mark back to his senses, and he realized that the elegant Kuranta woman was sitting with Maria.

"Is this... Miss Whipblade Knight Zofia? I... I didn't expect you to remember me?"

Mark felt flattered even though he wasn't called by his name.

"Yes, I have a pretty deep impression of you. After all, among the investors who came to me, you had the smallest business, and you were so enthusiastic, hoping that I would become your knight in shining armor. I remember that very clearly."