"Did you lose?"
"You're asking even though you know. Yes, I lost."
"Tsk tsk. The famous Iron Arm Knight is slipping. Losing to a kid who just became an adult?"
The Iron Arm Knight sat back in his chair with a strangely refreshed expression. Around the round table, other knights gathered for a meeting, the atmosphere light enough for them to tease him.
He was a veteran, an elder among them. His easygoing personality played a part in the relaxed mood.
A knight who could be called his friend draped an arm over his shoulder and laughed, but it was time to get down to business.
"Enough idle chatter. So, have you met this Yujin fellow?"
"I have."
"And?"
"Of all people, I get saddled with this... well, I can't be certain, but from what I saw, he‘s a true knight. That‘s rare for a young man these days."
A true knight. In an era where the name "Campaign Knight" was crumbling, those words were hard to hear.
Young people no longer dreamed of knighthood. Nobility and justice had long since collapsed, and the title of "Knight" had morphed into a plaything for the Merchant Association to gamble on.
"Hmm..."
The Iron Arm Knight might not have been a perfect judge of character, but he had an uncanny knack for distinguishing good from evil. If he gave such an evaluation, there had to be a reason.
Not a Sport Knight. Not a pawn of the Merchant Association. Just a Knight of Kazdel who had formed a bond with Daniel Nearl.
The conflict with the Sport Knights was already an open secret, deepening the rift, but the Merchant Association‘s endgame remained obscure.
Those who were once squires now stood above the knights, dragging their honor through the mud. While it was true that Kazimierz could change with the times, this wasn't right.
Sport Knights shouldn't carry the title of Knight. "Athlete" would be more appropriate.
"What is the situation with the Infected?"
Infected. Those afflicted with Oripathy were shunned by every nation. Kazimierz was no exception, but as knights, they could not abandon them.
The Infected were once citizens of Kazimierz. Knights had a duty to protect them.
"They're barely scraping by in Sector Zero. As for what will happen... even I don't know."
Sector Zero. A cage built to house the Infected during the Champions League.
The rage of the Infected was building. But with Kazimierz's greatest festival underway, and the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi having summoned the Silverlance Pegasi under that pretext, there was nothing they could do.
Rage could simply be crushed with overwhelming force.
"What on earth was the Adeptus thinking, calling in the Silverlance Pegasi?"
Through a near-illegal maneuver, the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi had summoned Kazimierz's supreme military force. The move had stunned even the Merchant Association and the Sport Knights, but with the Pegasi already here, nothing could be changed.
Their ability to cover nearly 500 kilometers in a forced march and arrive ready for combat was absurd.
Was there a rift between the Adeptus and the Association that the knights didn't know about? Or was there another reason?
No one knew.
The political situation in Kazimierz was chaotic enough to be called the eye of the storm. Holding a tournament in these conditions seemed questionable at best.
"…What about the next bracket?"
The Round of 16 was underway. Seven Campaign Knights, two independents (Yujin and the Darknight Knight), and six Sport Knights remained.
The politics of Kazimierz were important, but so was the tournament. This was a critical opportunity to assert their rights.
In the end, the meeting of the Campaign Knights dragged deep into the night without reaching a conclusion.
2.
"Let's see here."
Raquelamalin walked the streets, observing the faces of the people. The atmosphere was gloomy, but not despairing. They were moving, preparing to live another day.
Her connection wasn't only with Yujin. During her flight as an Infected, she had formed small bonds with others, and now that her life was stable, she sought them out to repay her debts.
That was why she was here today. Yujin might worry if he saw her, but with the Confessarii‘s eyes gone, she could move freely.
"Child, helping us is good, but maybe you should stop coming here," an old Kuranta woman said worriedly, looking at Larin.
The situation for the Infected was dire. It had always been bad, but the Champions League had intensified the crackdowns. Any Infected seen were being rounded up and thrown into Sector Zero.
People she had spoken to yesterday were gone today. That meant they had been taken.
"Don't worry. You helped me when I knew nothing. I want to help you too."
Not all the weak are good. When Larin first arrived, she was a destitute vagrant, and some had looked at her beauty with predatory intent.
That was why she wore the veil. Hiding her face, she had searched for a way to survive, remembering those who had helped her.
Among the Infected were children. She couldn't abandon those in need.
"Is it good?"
"Yes!"
Watching the children eat with bright smiles, Larin smiled warmly.
It wasn't a good environment for children, but it was better than being caught as Infected and dragged to Sector Zero.
The old woman continued to look at Larin with concern but said no more. She knew the young Sarkaz was stubborn.
Little was known about Sector Zero. While officially a quarantine zone for treatment, every Infected knew it was a prison camp.
Escape was nearly impossible, so information didn't flow out. Only rumors of danger circulated.
Yujin wasn't Infected, so he didn't worry much, but Larin was.
'Come to think of it, why isn't Yujin afraid of me?'
A thought suddenly crossed her mind. Kisha was young and a Sarkaz, so she might not know the world well, but Yujin knew everything.
In a world where hating the Infected was standard, Yujin didn't seem to care whether Larin was Infected or not. He hadn't even asked.
Most people were afraid to even get close for fear of contagion.
Thinking of Yujin, Larin blushed slightly and lowered her head. How had it come to this? Like a drizzle soaking her clothes, feelings had seeped in without her noticing.
Did Yujin even know she felt this way? His sometimes indifferent attitude made her a little sad.
Besides...
He had said three of his friends were women. Larin recalled conversations with the "sisters" she grew up with.
'Sister, what about men like that? The ones who are kind, handsome, and capable. Wouldn't they already be taken? Like a childhood friend...'
'Probably. A man like that usually has someone by his side.'
'Then shouldn't we stay away?'
'Raquelamalin.'
'Yes?'
'Just because there's a goalie doesn't mean you can't score. As long as he's not married, it's fair game!'
Why did her mind keep drifting back to that? As a child, she had looked at her sisters pitifully for saying such things.
Larin looked down at the ground, feeling suddenly depressed. If someone else stood by Yujin‘s side, could she bear it?
Just the thought made an ominous feeling boil in her chest. First love wasn't an emotion easily let go.
"Child."
"Yes?"
The old woman watched Larin, whose mood was swinging wildly. Having lived a long life, she could guess the girl's feelings.
"You look troubled. If you think you'll regret it later, don't give up. It's simple, isn't it?"
Regret. If she lost Yujin, she would...
Regret it.
Thinking this, Larin gave a bitter smile. In the end, nothing changed. It only changed based on her choices.
But her resolve hardened.
If he didn't have a girlfriend or a lover yet, couldn't she just make a move?
Determined, Larin lifted her head. It was time to use the seduction techniques her sisters had taught her—the ones she had once wondered why she would ever need.
Meanwhile, in Kazdel...
"…?"
Snap.
"Why break a perfectly good pencil?"
"No, just... a sudden feeling of unease."
Theresa stared ominously at the broken pencil in her hand. Something was happening. A woman's intuition, perhaps.
Theresis looked at her pathetically as she glanced around, but Theresa couldn't shake the anxiety. Had something happened to Yujin?
The person she was so desperately worried about hadn't sent a single letter, but she couldn't help it. Falling in love first was a sin.
"Ugh..."
Feeling a phantom chill in the air, Theresis quietly slipped out of the room. In times like this, running away was the best option.
Meanwhile, Yujin, the cause of all this, was happily tearing into a piece of fried chicken, completely oblivious.