In a state of utter misery, Magallan was brought back by Lucas Reeve to the Raythean Industries branch in the Grand Knight Territory.
Even before arriving, Lucas Reeve had already called Jessica to have medical personnel wait at the landing pad, and to tell Jessica that Magallan had been retrieved, so everyone wouldn't worry. Although, nobody was really worried about Magallan at all. You could say they were already used to it. Besides, the Nine-Colored Deer had already said there would be no mortal danger, so everyone acted as if they already knew the outcome.
Because Magallan had been trapped in the stone room, gnawing on dry rations for half a year, and had drunk very little water to conserve it—just enough to meet basic survival needs—her body was now lacking all sorts of other nutrients after subsisting on these non-nutritious, filling-only rations for half a year. So, the moment she arrived, she was put on a stretcher.
The medical team at Raythean Industries immediately wheeled Magallan away for all kinds of check-ups. After confirming there were no other major issues with her body, they began administering an IV. Moreover, due to eating only these rations with no other nutrients for so long, Magallan's stomach and digestive system had temporarily adapted to this food, making it inadvisable to immediately eat other things.
Magallan's hospital bed was arranged next to Sona's. She was currently lying on the bed, receiving an IV drip while drinking some soup that Jessica was feeding her, barely replenishing some nutrients.
"Hahahahahaha!!"
Nearby, after Franka finished listening to Laurentina's full description of the events, almost everyone couldn't help but laugh unkindly. Franka's laugh was the most excessive and boisterous of all.
And Magallan, at this moment, was already numb.
Go ahead and laugh.
Laugh all you want.
Luckily, she was still alive. Congratulations. If she had died, Magallan probably would have been unable to rest in peace, so angry she would have turned into a century-old vengeful ghost, unwilling to leave the mortal world.
"So, Miss Mc, you really got the Crown?"
Jessica was well aware of how important the Crown was to Kazimierz. After all, the Holy Sword was at least recorded in the annals as being in the Knight King's main tomb chamber, but the Crown's whereabouts were completely unknown. To think it was also hidden in the tomb, and in such a secret location. Honestly, if not for Magallan's explosive luck, an ordinary person would never have discovered it.
While chatting about these topics.
Lucas Reeve shielded Sona's senses.
These topics were relatively sensitive; it was best not to let Sona know.
"However, it doesn't really matter if we have the Crown or not. If the Chamber of Commerce already has the Holy Sword, having the Crown doesn't make much difference anymore."
"Huh?"
Jessica suddenly looked up at Lucas Reeve.
"Mr. Reeve, you weren't here just now so you don't know. I just heard from the person in charge here that there's a rumor... the Knight King's Holy Sword has been stolen."
"Stolen?"
Lucas Reeve frowned.
"How was it stolen?"
Everyone else also turned to look at Jessica.
Jessica explained: "The Holy Sword was always stuck in the stone in the Knight King's main tomb chamber. However, it seems that due to the Holy Sword's own 'Rule', no one could pull it out. But yesterday, the Holy Sword, which had been stuck in the stone and immovable, suddenly disappeared. I heard the Chamber of Commerce is about to go crazy, and they're all suspecting each other. The Chamber of Commerce suspects the Supervisory Commission did it, since the Supervisory Commission is composed of the orthodox knight class, and the current Grand Knight Commander is probably the most qualified person to inherit the Knight King's position. So the Chamber of Commerce suspects the Supervisory Commission stole the Holy Sword. And the Supervisory Commission suspects the Chamber of Commerce did it."
"After all, this concerns the Holy Sword. The atmosphere in Kazimierz right now is extremely tense. The years of resentment and friction between the Chamber of Commerce and the Supervisory Commission seem to be on the verge of tearing everything apart."
Lucas Reeve came to a realization.
No wonder they hadn't seen a single person when they arrived at the underground tomb. It turned out the Holy Sword had been stolen, so the tomb had lost its value to guard. Even if there were other treasures in other areas, the various traps and mechanisms meant the sacrifices were too great. Continuing to investigate would be a loss. So they simply stopped investigating and just stationed people in Dripsui Village to prevent anyone from fishing in troubled waters.
As for Kazimierz, the group just treated it as entertainment.
After all, no matter how chaotic Kazimierz got, it had nothing to do with them.
"Sona~"
After teasing Magallan, Lucas Reeve moved his stool over to Sona's side.
"Are you... Sona's teacher?"
Upon seeing Lucas Reeve, Justyna, who had been accompanying Sona, suddenly became nervous. She had always heard Sona mention this teacher, but she herself had never met him. She originally thought he would be an very old person, but unexpectedly, he was so young.
"N-nice to meet you. My name is Justyna... I'm Sona's friend..."
Lucas Reeve wanted to laugh, but he held it in and nodded to Justyna.
"Thank you for taking care of Sona during this time, Miss Justyna."
"N-no... we're friends... friends should take care of each other..."
Justyna lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer.
"Teacher Reeve..."
Sona hadn't expected to see Lucas Reeve again so soon. Her heart was pounding with excitement.
"How's your body?"
"It's almost recovered! I should be able to participate in the upcoming quarter-finals!"
Sona pushed herself up, trying to sit.
Sona originally thought Lucas Reeve would refuse, but unexpectedly, he nodded.
"As long as you want to, you can do it."
"I'm here. Fight to your heart's content, don't worry about what comes after."
"Mhm!!"
Sona nodded excitedly.
As expected.
As long as Teacher Reeve was here, she felt as if she had a pillar of support, and confidence and courage rose in her heart once more.
———————
"Gentlemen!! Ladies!! Welcome~~ to the! Twenty-third! Knight Major Quarter-finals!!!"
With the host's practiced roar, Kazimierz's second-largest stadium, built specifically for the Knight Major, erupted with forty thousand excited spectators. Half of the audience was local to Kazimierz, the other half were tourists from abroad. These tourists had gradually grown accustomed to Kazimierz's Knight Major. This kind of fist-to-flesh, cold-steel-clashing competition was simply too capable of stimulating the tourists' hormones. After watching one match, influenced by the surrounding atmosphere, their throats would be hoarse from shouting without them even realizing it.
The host had also been changed. It was no longer the host from the Spring Major, but a different one. The host from the Spring Major had taken a hit to his reputation due to the issue with the finals, so he had been transferred by the company to host other, less popular variety shows. He would be transferred back once the public attention died down.
"And now, for the first match, let's welcome!! Our Spring Major champion! As the hottest topic after the Spring Major concluded, the shock of the Spring Major finals is still fresh in our minds. Although her performance in the first few matches of the championship was somewhat unexpected, a slight step back compared to her Spring Major self, she has nonetheless reached the quarter-finals, getting closer and closer to our grand championship. So... let's welcome our Flametail Knight to the stage!!"
Following the host's lengthy introduction.
From the entrance tunnel, Sona, dressed in brand-new silver armor and carrying an expensive, sharp knight's longsword, slowly walked onto the arena.
The cheers were much quieter than imagined.
After all.
Sona's skill level was clearly a significant step down from the Spring Major finals. Coupled with the match-fixing rumors deliberately spread by the Chamber of Commerce, many fans had unfollowed her. She had even gained a lot of anti-fans. The internet was filled with all-sorts of negative comments aimed at Sona. Of course, as a young woman who never went online, Sona was completely unaware and entirely unaffected.
Curse all you want, I'm not online anyway.
Aren't you mad?
"Is little sister Sona's body okay?" In the most expensive, front-row seats of the audience, Jessica and Lucas Reeve's group were sitting right there. In theory, this area was not for sale and only used to invite various VIPs. But... Jessica's money-power was just too strong.
Moreover, due to her status as the daughter of the Chairman of Raythean Industries—a position even higher than that of the regional Branch President—Jessica had easily obtained tickets for these seats.
"It's fine. Trust Sona. Besides, I'm here. Nothing bad will happen."
The host continued to shout: "Let's welcome the Flametail Knight's opponent for this match, the Psionic Knight!! The Psionic Knight's origins are quite mysterious. He did not participate in the Spring Major, but instead came straight through the qualifiers, battling his way into the championship in first place. In the previous matches, the Psionic Knight won with near-total domination every time. He is also one of the most powerful contenders for the championship!!"
After the host finished speaking.
A man with a wooden expression and empty eyes walked forward. However, to everyone's surprise, he was not holding a sword. His sword was floating completely in mid-air.
"Brother Lucas!"
In the audience.
Rosmontis, who had come along with Lucas Reeve and the others, suddenly clutched her head, looking pained. Seeing this, Lucas Reeve quickly pulled Rosmontis into his arms, and everyone else gathered around.
"What's wrong, Rosy?"
Rosmontis looked at the man on the field with the wooden, empty eyes and said: "That person... is the same as me..."
————————
At this time, in the Chamber of Commerce Tower.
The Directors sat in the conference hall, each with a grim expression.
"Although the 'little squirrel' is no longer a threat, it's still best to kill her. What if she has some kind of psychotic break and erupts with power surpassing the Darksteel Azurite? It was just like that during the Spring Major. She performed normally at first, then suddenly became incredibly strong during the Round of 16."
Director Barton looked at the Flametail Knight on the screen, grinding his teeth in anger.
Ever since this 'little squirrel' appeared, the Chamber of Commerce had experienced nothing but misfortune. And this little squirrel had slapped the Chamber of Commerce in the face more times than anyone. Therefore!! She must die! Only her death can wash away the previous humiliation!
After speaking, Director Barton looked toward Director Shaw-Ranke and said with satisfaction.
"Director Shaw-Ranke, you truly didn't disappoint us. Your Test Subject's strength far exceeds our expectations, even surpassing that of an ordinary champion knight. If it can be mass-produced, then even without the Holy Sword, we will no longer need to fear the Supervisory Commission."
The Chairman of the Shaw-Ranke Company was extremely proud at this moment.
"Naturally, Director Barton. Our Test Subject is not only powerful, but also possesses strong growth potential. Its strength will become truly terrifying. Moreover, during the experiment, a part of the Test Subject's brain was removed. This Test Subject has completely lost the ability to think independently. It's more obedient than a dog and will only follow our commands. A mere Flametail Knight is no cause for concern."
"I'm not bragging, Director Barton."
"Even against the 'little squirrel' from the Spring Major finals, my Test Subject would have the confidence to crush her. It's a pity. The current Flametail Knight is already washed up. I truly regret that my Test Subject wasn't developed six months earlier. Otherwise, how could it have been the little squirrel's turn to win the Spring Major championship..."