Felix slept soundly through the night. No nightmares, no restless tossing. Just deep, peaceful sleep.
Sometime past midnight, for reasons he couldn't quite figure out, Senomi—afraid of the dark—snuck into his bed. Felix didn't chase her out. Instead, he treated her like a soft pillow, pulling her into his arms and drifting back to sleep.
Honestly, her fluffy pink hair, twitching ears, and small tail made her feel just like a plush toy. Perfect cuddle material.
---
On the morning news, a report blared across the hotel's large flatscreen:
"A devastating fire broke out in the Misilia district last night. Authorities suspect criminal involvement and are currently investigating. Citizens of Misilia are advised not to worry—the attackers' target was a Knights' Guild outpost. Based on early evidence, officials believe the criminals were after the Guild's armory…"
Felix lounged on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, chewing on the hotel breakfast while watching.
Yeah, last night had been lively.
Not just the late-night investigation updates from Rosebloom, but the flood of forum chatter from sleepless, overexcited players—everyone was buzzing.
And for good reason.
The players who followed Felix to Kazimierz for this tournament had struck gold. Not only did they get to soak in Kazimierz's unique culture and chivalric traditions, they also got swept into one of the Pioneer's main story arcs. From desperate last-stand defenses to sudden counterattacks, the whole chain of battles had felt like a roller coaster.
Domestic players were thrilled, foreign players were hooked, and some were openly wishing that every night could be this insane.
Felix scrolled through the forums. As expected, the one doing the detailed after-action report was Dreamchaser. In his post, he also told everyone not to worry—MagicZX was already editing a full story recap video.
Still, players were worrying.
Dreamchaser's breakdown was thorough, walking everyone through the causes, the flow of battle, the outcome, and even mapping out the factions involved. But what had players fired up was the part where they, shoulder to shoulder with NPC knights, had charged into battle. Reading it almost made Felix's own blood stir. So last night was really that epic, huh?
But here was the rub—by the time most players noticed the contribution quests posted in the faction hub, it was already too late. Only a few hundred managed to follow Felix out.
Now? Tens of thousands had joined Tomorrow's Development. Too many wolves, not enough meat.
This time, fine. Next time, if the Pioneer dropped another large-scale mainline event and they were slow to react? Being left behind would be soul-crushing.
Felix understood their frustration. Still, war quests of this scale were rare. Even in his past life, throughout 1.0 and 2.0, there were only a handful of campaigns where everyone could participate. The Kazimierz storyline was a special case.
In fact, in his previous timeline, the only comparable mass-mobilization event had been the Kazdel civil war.
The real storm wouldn't come until 3.0.
---
Rosebloom's update arrived with her usual efficiency. She reported that her squad had successfully extracted the Foam Knight's family and relocated them to a safehouse. She also noted the Adventurers' performance, and even included the details of Lazurite's duel with Młynar.
Last night had indeed been chaos.
As for the Foam Knight and Verdant Knight—taking them along outright was impossible. Officially, they were still knights under the K.G.C.C. banner. Even knights had to resign before changing allegiances.
---
"Tonight's the match. This morning I have some business to take care of. How about we go shopping in the afternoon?"
Felix looked up from his breakfast table at the four women seated with him: Mostima, the Fiammetta, Senomi, and Loughshinny.
Senomi's eyes sparkled. Her heart leapt at the idea. True, her greatest rival—Mostima—would also be coming along, but she still had Loughshinny on her side. With her sister's support, victory was in reach!
"I'm fine with it."
"Same here."
Mostima and Fiammetta nodded. Their messenger work in the Kawalerielki City was nearly wrapped up, so a bit of leisure was welcome.
Loughshinny didn't voice an opinion. She simply smiled softly.
After breakfast, Felix waited in the lobby for a while. The number of players he saw wasn't many—probably because most of them had pulled an all-nighter yesterday, now offline resting, eating, or sleeping.
After waiting a bit, he boarded a business car from the K.G.C.C. and arrived at an office building.
There, he met with the Organization's representative.
The two shook hands, exchanged a few polite words—light gossip, trivial news—before Felix casually steered the conversation toward last night's commotion.
"Ah… don't even bring it up. The higher-ups are furious, and even I got scolded for it."
The man, adjusting his glasses with a weary expression, continued:
"Out of nowhere, a gang of thugs showed up last night and launched a direct assault on the Knight Order's stronghold. Even with the K.G.C.C. providing assistance, the Knights still suffered heavy losses. The damage is severe—it'll take a long time to restore things."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"Pioneer, did you notice anything unusual last night?"
"…No. You know I live in the Upper City. I only found out about it when I turned on the TV this morning."
"I see."
The man gave a small smile, then laced his fingers together.
"So, what brings you here today, Mr. Pioneer?"
Felix cleared his throat. "Since you've asked, I'll speak plainly. My company, Tomorrow's Development, is still severely short on manpower. During the Major, I've taken notice of the Verdant Knight. I'd like to buy her—just as I did with the Black Knight a few years back."
"Understood. Please hold on."
To be fair, Felix's request wasn't out of line. Many enterprises in the Kazimierz bought Knights from the K.G.C.C.—either to groom them as stars, or to line up commercial deals while still keeping them active in matches. It wasn't an unusual demand.
But the person in question was a little different.
The Verdant Knight was still held in high regard by the upper brass. Yet, with the Organization's recent string of setbacks, even her most ardent supporters had cooled in their enthusiasm.
"Approval has been given," the representative finally said, pushing his glasses up as he spoke politely.
"The quoted price is twelve million LMD."
From what Felix knew, the K.G.C.C. hadn't abandoned the Verdant Knight. They still placed her at key events and high-profile galas. But compared to their financial strength a few years ago, their position was clearly slipping.
And the reason was obvious—Margaret, the black horse who had risen out of nowhere. Investors and sponsors, seeing the Organization lose its grip on the matches, naturally began to doubt their ability. Attracting outside investment into Kazimierz had become harder than ever.
As for the Verdant Knight herself, her commercial value wasn't negligible. She was one of the rare female Knights, and though she wasn't in her twenties anymore, she carried the mature allure of a grown woman—and she was still single.
That alone drew plenty of fans.
And beyond appearances, she wasn't weak in the arena. Years of battle had secured her a solid place as a first-tier gatekeeper among the Knights.
So, while the Organization's valuation of twelve million LMD was a bit steep, it was still within the range of early negotiations.
For the K.G.C.C, selling Knights was no different from selling equipment. There was no such thing as an unsellable deal.
Felix's bottom line, however, was nine million. His reasoning was simple: the Verdant Knight had neither a championship title nor the strength of the Black Knight—so how could they expect twelve million? Did they think he was a fool?
The Organization's representative countered, arguing that the Black Knight, at the time of purchase, hadn't been active in commercial appearances, whereas the Verdant Knight already came with her own market appeal. Taking her away, naturally, came at a higher price.
The haggling was fierce—one side asking sky-high, the other countering low—but in the end they settled at 11.5 million. With that, Felix officially secured the ownership of the Verdant Knight. This time he wasn't acting as chairman of Tomorrow's Development, but as himself. Which meant that, like the Black Knight, the Verdant Knight would be his personal retainer, not just another employee of the company.
Spending 11.5 million stung, but Felix, who earned his keep through technology, wasn't too worried. The dividends he received from his collaborations with the Columbian military were more than enough to cover the loss. Still, after the purchase, he was left with just over five million. Not exactly poor, but not rich either—especially considering he was about to start gambling on mech blueprints. And for that, five million would hardly cut it.
"By the way," he asked, glancing at the representative, "I heard you once considered pairing the Verdant Knight with another knight?"
"Ah, you must mean the Foam Knight."
The man wasn't surprised that Felix knew. Both knights wielded water-based Arts, both were of similar age, so naturally the K.G.C.C. had tried packaging them as a duo under the "Water Element" brand. Unfortunately, the Foam Knight already had a wife and child. Otherwise, knowing the K.G.C.C, they probably would've fabricated a scandal between the two just to boost traffic.
As for a genuine romance? Impossible. The Verdant Knight had plenty of male fans, after all.
"Foam Knight… I've heard of him. He's the one who lost to Margaret in the first round and fell into the losers' bracket, isn't he?"
The representative's face twitched. Of course he knew exactly how little the Organization thought of the Foam Knight after that humiliating loss. But seeing the Pioneer show a flicker of interest, he hurried to add, "Yes, but only because of his carelessness. Had he gone all out, it's not certain Margaret would have won."
"Pioneer, do you… intend to—?"
"Hmm. To be honest, I still have some money left, but not much."
"Sir, what are you saying? The Foam Knight's value is nowhere near that of the Verdant Knight. Compared to her, he's practically a bargain."
The man was all smiles now. In truth, the Organization had already written off the Foam Knight, planning to discard him entirely. But why not squeeze a little more value out of him first? Selling off washed-up knights was practically a K.G.C.C. tradition.
In the end, Felix hammered the deal down to a bundle price: another two million, and both the Verdant Knight and Foam Knight were his.
With that transaction, the Foam Knight's family was safe. The fears he had confessed last night were laid to rest. Felix sent a quick message to Rosebloom, instructing her to pass the news on to his family—they could begin packing up and preparing to leave.
So pitiful. Years of service to the Organization, countless battles fought in its name… and in the end, the great Foam Knight was worth no more than two million.
Business concluded, Felix finally allowed himself a rare moment of leisure. Together with his companions, he strolled through the bustling markets of the Kawalerielki City, picking out souvenirs from Kazimierz for himself and his friends.
For Senomi, returning to Kazimierz—returning to the Kawalerielki City—stirred complicated feelings. The memories of her days as a slave still lingered, haunting her dreams. More than once, she had woken in the night, shivering as if still curled inside that filthy cage.
Until, one day, a ray of light broke into her darkness.
"This year's nearly over," Mostima said softly. "We'll need to return to Laterano soon to make our report."
Mostima held Felix's hand, fingers interlaced. On his other side, Senomi did the same, locking her fingers tightly with his.
The former glanced ahead with a bright smile, watching the Liberi supervisor picking out gifts to bring back to her comrades and family.
"Felix, what about you? …As I thought, you're not planning to return to Laterano this time?"
"The trip takes too long, and besides—Laterano doesn't even have an airfield big enough for a transport plane."
Felix muttered with a trace of annoyance. It was true. Since the founding of the city, Laterano had never prioritized large-scale trade or tourism, so the idea of building an airport had never even been on the table.
"Oh? Then I'll make sure to report that to the Tribunal when I return."
Mostima chuckled. "And maybe I'll take the chance to see what the adventurers wandering around Laterano are really like."
"…By the way, what about Lemuen and Lemuel? How do you plan to arrange things for them?"
"If they're willing to come, of course I'll have a place for them."
Felix didn't finish the thought out loud. He wasn't sure he had enough charm to convince Lemuen and Lemuel to follow him. But as for space—there would always be room. Spuria was overseeing construction at the Lungmen technology, Patia had gone to work under the Emperor handling transport, and Plume was in charge of security for Tomorrow's Development.
"I'll ask them," Mostima said lightly, "and I'll… sense it, too."
"Sense what?"
"Their feelings. Their resonance with you. For me, that's far more important than any job."
Her smile never wavered. It wasn't just playfulness—it was the kind of smile that met a challenge head-on, unflinching.
Felix's hand was caught in her grip, squeezed until it hurt.