Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Zofia nodded, recalling those same passionate years.

Fighting for glory in a knightly arena sounds so romantic.

Now, however, she has become a mentor who earnestly advises Maria.

The young man who once aspired to achieve great things now appears exhausted.

"However, you should also know that my rejection of you is not because of the company's image, right?"

Zofia gave Mark a wry smile, and he returned the same expression, though Mark seemed more comfortable making that face.

"Yes, I understand what you were thinking at the time..."

Even after retiring, Zofia is still incredibly wealthy thanks to the fortune he accumulated through his competitions and his financial acumen.

But after Mark's company went bankrupt, he was left with huge debts and became a low-level employee.

Ultimately, their circumstances are different.

"Ah, is that Miss Maria over there? I see. Are you instructing her? It's reassuring to have someone as upright as you by my side."

Mark subconsciously made an assessment of Zofia.

She is undoubtedly an upright and good person.

But why, when placed under Charne's standard, that same standard of right and wrong that extends to the entire Kazimierz region, does he become an accomplice of "bad guys"?

While he was lost in thought, Tomat spoke up.

However, she was speaking to Frostnova:

"Famous? How could that be? Have you ever heard of the legend of 'Santa Claus'?"

Froststar thought for a moment and answered this seemingly nonsensical question:

"Hmm? That monster with a list in its hand that can break into people's homes through chimneys? That's not just a legend, is it? Don't the Ursus military and police do that all the time?"

The old craftsman from Ursus, the white bear, coughed beside him.

It's clear that Frostnova's understanding of Santa Claus differs considerably from the actual legend.

There's a reason why no one has ever seen Santa Claus. Do you know why?

Thomas stood up and strode straight toward Mark, who was still in a daze.

[Main Text] Terra's World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament. Debate Chapter: Chapter Fifty-Six - Grit Your Teeth!

"I'm hiding my identity just because I don't want the hassle, there's no other reason. As long as you don't do anything to cause me trouble, it doesn't matter whether you know or not, understand?"

Just when everyone thought Thomas was about to do something outrageous, he simply grabbed Mark's shoulder and gave him a serious warning.

Mark nodded repeatedly, and the other party's behavior was precisely a verification of his identity.

He is Rookie Knight, a man who looks much younger than himself, and is a super rookie who has made amazing performances in two consecutive competitions.

"You scared me...you gave me a fright."

After Thomas released his grip, Mark pressed his hand to his pounding chest.

"What, are you afraid I'll silence you?"

"...A little."

"That's good, because it was just to scare you anyway, but the first thing I said was true, so don't cause me any trouble."

Thomas sensed the surrounding atmosphere. The area was still deserted, with few people approaching. It was clear that the other party had not come here in a group.

"Indeed, many people find pleasure in uncovering the real identities of knights. Many knights are forced into the profession—they only want their knight image to be famous, not their real appearance or identity. So, in addition to protecting the head, helmets also exist to conceal one's identity."

Zofia has a deep understanding of this type of person.

"So Maria wasn't wearing a helmet to announce her identity as a member of the Nearl family?"

The veteran knight then brought up a question that Maria had been concerned about since her first competition, but which few people had actually pursued.

"No, no, no. If you want to announce your identity, just add a family crest to your armor. There's no need to show your face. She's not wearing a helmet; she's simply imitating Margaret."

Seeing Zofia speaking to her in a reproachful tone, she could only awkwardly chuckle and scratch her head.

Then, everyone turned their attention back to the uninvited intruder.

The drinks and food at "Dread Martin" are of high quality, after all, it reflects the personal standards of a former knight. However, due to its remote location and rustic decor, few people notice this little bar. Most people who find it are simply lucky rather than drawn by its reputation. The bar itself has not been exposed since Maria went to war, so everyone felt that Mark's arrival had ulterior motives.

"Would you like something to drink, sir?"

It was the boss, Martin, who eased Mark's tension with words. He noticed that Mark looked uneasy both when he first came in and after being intimidated by Tomat, so he invited him to sit down.

Even though Mark seems to be a business person, judging from the way Zofia dealt with him before, he's not beyond redemption. Martin has seen this kind of tired and timid look many times before.

"Um... Ah, thank you, sorry to bother you..." Mark, snapping out of his daze after being called, looked at the photo and instinctively chose the cheapest beer by the glass from the list of drinks. "Beer is fine, do you have Blue Ears?"

"Please wait a moment, and make yourself at home."

Mark randomly picked a spot at the bar away from the crowd—but couldn't help glancing at Tomat, who was sitting quite a few seats away from him.

He was also looking for an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Thomas, from a great distance, turned to Mark and asked.

"Huh? You...you're calling me?"

Mark looked at Tomat with a mixture of nervousness and surprise, pointed to himself, and then looked around the bar, which wasn't very crowded, thinking that Tomat wouldn't take the initiative to talk to him.

"Otherwise what? A grown man in a bar, instead of looking at other women, is staring at another grown man. Either he wants to fight, or he has something else on his mind. Do you want to fight?"

Mark understood the logic, but why did Thomas want to separate "fighting" from "other things"?

Does this person consider everything other than fighting as "other things"?

"Maybe they're looking at me?"

Frostnova, sitting next to Tomat, added a sentence while Mark was organizing his thoughts.

“Then I can try to pluck his eyeballs out.” Tomat looked at Mark, who was shaking his head repeatedly, and then changed his tone, “—Just kidding, what happened to the last passerby who looked at you like that? You did it yourself, didn’t you?”

"It's probably thawed by now, yeah, it should be."

Listening to their conversation, Mark felt as if he had simply escaped from the company and moved from a place where he felt out of place to a space that seemed to have nothing to do with him.

A rising star in equestrian sports, a renowned equestrian rider of the previous era, a one-armed man dressed like a corporate office worker...

The only thing I could sense in common was the man sitting in the corner, drinking and eating meat in silence; he didn't seem to have any intention of joining their conversation.

"Actually..."

After gathering his thoughts and words, Mark haltingly explained his current "setting" to Tomat.

A former employee who benefited from the "Vegetable Knight" program has now become the boss and is recruiting competitive knights for the company.

"...That's it. Now, would you be willing to accept our company's sponsorship?"

"Congratulations! But that sounds familiar."

Zofia, who was standing next to Mark, first congratulated him on his current situation, and then, because of his story, recalled the time when she was recruited by Mark in the past.

A fledgling workshop and a rising star.

However, the current situation seems somewhat different from what it was back then?

"Haha... I'm sorry you had to see this."

Mark could only awkwardly smile at Zofia and anxiously await Tomat's response.

"Your beer."

A thick layer of foam floated on the surface of the ice-cold beer, which was then served. Mark subconsciously thanked the waiter but didn't touch it, continuing to watch Tomart, who was eating a large plate of meat sauce and fries.

"...Drink the wine first, and then I'll tell you my decision."

"Huh? Oh, okay..."

Tomat's decision not to refuse outright as usual surprised those present.

Although they hadn't seen how he had evaded the offers of those large corporations, his carefree demeanor suggested that those companies offering hefty compensation were not worth a second thought in his eyes.

"Glug glug glug...whoosh—"

Beer dripped down Mark's unkempt chin, staining his brand-new suit.

However, Mark, who has always been meticulous in his calculations since the bankruptcy, had no time to attend to such trivial matters.

He needs a concrete answer.

"Then, Sir Knight Cai, what are your thoughts?"

Without even turning his head, Thomas dipped a fries into a generous amount of meat sauce, chewed, and said:

"My thought is—you're talking nonsense. Before asking for help, learn to tell the truth first."

The sudden revelation left Mark completely stunned.

"Based on your answer, I'll decide how to beat you up. You should order a strong drink."

[Main Text] Terra's World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament. Debate Chapter: Chapter 57 Is This Reasonable?

"You said you wanted to make a comeback, so you sought out the person who had unintentionally helped you in the past to work with."

"You also said you know I'm dismissive of big corporations' attempts to win me over and won't be swayed by money alone, so you'll work hard to start from scratch and provide me with what I truly want."

"Leaving aside whether you can give me what I want, at least trying to win me over is not what you want."

Mark still remembered what Tomat had said earlier.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry to deny his true thoughts with lies—he really had not thought about winning over Tomat.

This is a task, a task that you are unwilling to do but have to do.

Therefore, Mark chose to ask questions rather than deny them:

Why...why do you say that?

Thomas pointed a French fry at Mark, who was more flustered than confused.