"The Radiant Knight returns in glory. Radiant Knight vs. Flamebringer—who will win?"
Seeing the overwhelming flood of online news about Radiant Knight Nearl, and the newly released Nearl figurine on his desk, Daniel couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. He hadn't lifted a finger for any of this.
He had to admit—the merchants were fast. Barely a day had passed, and already all kinds of Nearl merchandise were flooding the market.
"Looks like you've taken control of the Commercial Union," said the Doctor softly, seated across from Daniel.
"That's right. Now all we have to do is wait patiently. The Grand Knight Commander seems to value you a great deal—just arrived and already a Tier-4 Campaign Knight assigned to protect you."
Gravel, the girl standing behind the Doctor, was one of the Doctor's most commonly used Specialist Operators in the game. Her fast redeployment ability made her an ideal sacrificial unit, beloved by veterans and new players alike.
In the game, Gravel's role was to soak hits—not much else. But in reality, it was a different story altogether. As a Tier-4 Campaign Knight, Gravel's strength was no joke. Even facing Platinum, she could hold her own.
The Grand Knight Commander was truly an interesting figure. Just casually handing over a Tier-4 Campaign Knight to Rhodes Island—though this was probably the old knight who raised Gravel's idea.
Gravel had been sold to Kazimierz as a slave—an ironic twist. It wasn't that slavery didn't exist on Terra; in fact, it was legally sanctioned. Even though the old knight had never treated Gravel like a slave—perhaps raising her more like a granddaughter—she still bore the brand of slavery, a deep wound in her heart. That mark would likely remain unless she left Kazimierz, and so the old knight had sent her to Rhodes Island. Staying here meant she would never move past it.
"Thanks to a certain someone, Kazimierz isn't exactly safe these days."
"That's true—the public order here is really quite poor."
Hearing this exchange, Gravel's half-closed eyes behind the Doctor briefly opened. As a Campaign Knight, she knew the truth—Kazimierz's current chaos was directly caused by a certain individual.
"Now then, regarding whether to deploy the Campaign Knights to maintain order—let's vote." In the Commercial Union's building, the directors were gathered in a massive conference room, preparing to vote on the latest proposal.
After a fierce round of debate where no one could persuade the others, a vote was the only option.
"Against."
"There's no precedent for this."
"In favor."
"Agree."
"Abstain."
"Abstain."
As each director cast their vote, the tension in the room thickened. The Union's voting was not anonymous—each vote was made publicly. In such an environment, few dared to vote yes or no outright. Most abstained, eyes drifting toward the top seats.
While there were many directors, only a few major corporations truly held power: Rosepaper Group, Meshko Group, Howling Guard Co., and a handful of others. If these giants disagreed, the rest didn't matter.
"In favor," said the vice president of Meshko Group, causing visible reactions across the room.
"In favor," said Howling Guard Co.
"In favor."
One by one, the rest followed suit—until all eyes landed on Rosepaper Group's representative: Mackie. With his father absent, Mackie stood in his place.
"You've all lost your minds! Do you even know what this means?" Mackie stood up, furious. He couldn't understand why they would make such a decision. Their interests were aligned—disputes or not, now was not the time to fracture.
"It means we don't want to die. Your coward of a father had the right idea—he ran off to Columbia."
"You—"
Seeing the Meshko VP dare to insult his father openly, Mackie felt a sinking feeling. For them to be so bold, they had to be absolutely confident.
"Since the vote passed, notify the Grand Knight Commander immediately."
"Silverlance Pegasi? Why are they here so fast—don't tell me..."
As the order went out, the news of the Silverlance Pegasi entering the city spread rapidly. Sensing something was wrong, Mackie tried to contact his father—but the call wouldn't go through. Then, his own phone rang.
"Spokesman, something's wrong. The Silverlance Pegasi are about to search District Zero!"
The moment he picked up, a panicked voice blurted out on the other end.
"What?! Who gave them the authority?! Stop them immediately!"
"Spokesman, by order of the Radiant Knight, the Commercial Union is under investigation for illegal pharmaceutical experiments in District Zero. With the approval of the Judiciary and National Assembly, the Silverlance Pegasi will now take control of the area."
Before Mackie could respond, a cold voice relayed the message—and hung up.
"Why are the Silverlance Pegasi authorized to search District Zero? What is the Assembly doing?!" Mackie immediately dialed another number and screamed.
"Deputy Adjudicator Duke of the National Assembly has been arrested on charges of bribery, illegal trade, murder, and dereliction of duty. That is all."
Another cold voice. Another call hung up.
"Mr. Mackie, help me!"
"Spokesman, Campaign Knights are here!"
One bad call after another poured in. Subordinates, fellow spokesmen, all calling for help.
In the end, Mackie turned off his phone and tossed it aside, collapsing onto the sofa. It was clear now—the enemy had planned all of this long ago. If the Commercial Union had stood united, maybe they could've resisted. But as things stood, they were lambs to the slaughter.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Spokesman?" A stranger's voice cut through the silence, causing Mackie to jump to his feet—only to see a familiar face.
"You're behind all of this." Seeing Daniel appear before him, Mackie was reminded of what he'd said earlier.
"That's right. You Commercial Union types love throwing your weight around. Now it's your turn to taste that."
"You think this will change Kazimierz? Don't make me laugh. Without us, this place will collapse even faster!"
At this point, Mackie understood what this was all about.
"For Kazimierz? Hahaha. Don't flatter yourself. I couldn't care less what happens to this country. The only reason I'm doing this is because the Radiant Knight wants to change Kazimierz. Having her stay here to play power games with you people is a waste. So I figured I'd just remove you all, and then she wouldn't need to stay. If not for her, you could burn this country to the ground and I wouldn't blink."
"Just for the Radiant Knight?" Mackie looked stunned.
"Of course. I've no reason to lie to a dead man. You like the Candle Knight, don't you? Too bad—you two were never meant to be."
In terms of status, Mackie and the Candle Knight weren't a bad match. But ideologically, they were worlds apart.
"Goodbye, Mr. Spokesman."
Daniel raised a hand crossbow and fired—an arrow pierced Mackie's heart.
"Sorry—I lied to you at the end."
Daniel shook his head at the lifeless body. He had indeed come to Kazimierz for Nearl. Otherwise, why not go to Bolivar, where things were worse? But not for the reason he claimed—he had no special feelings for Nearl.
He simply didn't want her wasting her time on capitalist scum.
"Mr. Czarny, Mr. Markiewicz—I'll leave the rest of the tournament to you."
With most spokesmen arrested, Daniel summoned Czarny to take charge of the tournament, along with Markiewicz.
Knight competitions had become part of everyday life for Kazimierz's citizens. Countless people made a living off it. If it were canceled, countless would lose their jobs. His task now was to reform the tournament and prevent it from corrupting people's hearts.
Earlier, the Doctor had told him about Ambriel—who once longed to visit her homeland and see old friends. Now she bitterly regretted returning.
Just like how Mackie once believed Daniel couldn't change Kazimierz. He simply didn't know what Daniel was capable of.
"Understood," Czarny and Markiewicz replied in unison.
"Power and wealth corrupt. I believe in you both, but I'll say this upfront: if either of you is corrupted—don't blame me for what happens."
"You have our word."
"Meshko Group… you're in luck."
Daniel didn't care much for Rosepaper, Howling Guard, or Allen Select. But Meshko? That was different. They made mobile city modules.
Cutting Edge just happened to need them. It was perfect timing. With this, they could expand, maybe even become a mega-city like the Grand Knight Territory, which was made from four mobile cities fused together.
In the Nearl family estate's courtyard, a celebration was held for Margaret's return. In attendance were old family friends and members of Rhodes Island.
Surprisingly, Młynar and Toland were present. With the shifting political tide, Młynar likely wouldn't stay behind the scenes anymore. Perhaps he was preparing to find Margaret's parents.
They weren't confirmed dead—just missing. Probably trapped somewhere. If they had been around back then, Kazimierz might not have fallen so far.
"Miss Amiya, long time no see."
"Hello, Mr. Shen."
"Come now, don't be so formal." Daniel said as he reached out and gently touched Amiya's ear. Though they looked strange, her ears were surprisingly soft.
"Mr. Shen!" Amiya grumbled and brushed his hand away.
"Alright, alright. I get it."
"Thank you." The Apostles—Shining, Nearl, and Nightingale—approached together. It seemed the Doctor had told them everything. Normally, the three preferred not to be separated. Now they no longer had to be.
"You're welcome. It's no big deal for me. But if we're truly going to change Kazimierz—or Terra itself—what's the most urgent thing?"
The answer was obvious: a cure for Oripathy. Without that, everything was just talk. In the original storyline, Flame Tail and the others collaborated with the Judiciary to legitimize their identities and expose the Union's crimes.
But even if their identities became legal—what about the Originium crystals in their bodies?
Originally, that was a near-impossible goal. But Daniel's arrival brought real hope.
"Mr. Shen, I have a favor to ask—about Auntie Zofia," Margaret said.
"I told you to call me sister!" Zofia quickly corrected her. Though technically her aunt, she wasn't that much older. Being called "auntie" made her feel ancient—and no woman liked that. Being "forever seventeen" was totally normal. Even Kal'tsit was no different. Bring up age with her and you'd either get a broken grip tester—or end up as a corpse.
"Zofia's left arm was seriously injured in a past match," Margaret explained.
"No problem." Daniel walked over to Zofia. "The lovely lady with the whip," Zofia looked like a third Nearl sister when standing with Margaret and Maria.
"My fair lady, may I borrow your hand?"
He gently lifted Zofia's left hand. She was left-handed, until an injury forced her to switch. Her combat ability had suffered, but she was still formidable.
"Is there a quiet room?"
The injury was trivial for Daniel—but seeing all the people around, he decided to heal her in private.
"There is—this way," Maria said quickly. She'd realized Daniel could heal Zofia.
"Zofia, your hand is okay now?" They soon returned from the room, and to others, it looked like Daniel had used his Originium Arts.
"Yes, as long as I don't strain it for a week, it will fully recover."
"That's wonderful!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, today's featured match—Radiant Knight versus Candle Knight!"
As time passed, the tournament officially began, with Bigmouth Mob once again serving as commentator.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.