Chapter 130: Chapter 103: Not Worth Mentioning

The Hunting Competition arena.

Seas of people packed the stands, and the air was thick with a deafening clamor of shouts and jeers.

Even with more and larger blocks of ice than ever before, which sent a cool, refreshing breeze far into the stands, nothing could quell the frenzy erupting from the crowd.

Down below the stands were the same five familiar figures.

Compared to the boisterous and lively spectator stands, this place was another world entirely.

Silent, cold, and stern.

Even with the Attendants serving them maintaining impeccably professional, pasted-on smiles, the atmosphere between the five was still so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Of course, that was excluding Stephen, who was just enjoying the show, and Lewis, who was busy mediating.

The remaining three were Knight Commander Victor, who was "a bit too honest";

the Pure-blooded Fierce Tiger Viscountess Yarilan, who clearly had something on her mind;

and Tate Rodney, Vice Gang Leader of the Iron Thorn Gang. He had wanted to fan the flames, but his plot to use others to do his dirty work was exposed on the spot by the honest Victor. Ferdinand hadn’t come, reportedly busy handling new business for the Iron Thorn Gang.

"Mr. Ferdinand must have been afraid I’d expose him and cause an awkward scene, so he sent Mr. Rodney to take his place," Victor stated honestly.

Tate could only remain silent. ’What can I do? This guy is someone I can’t afford to provoke, not in status, strength, or even verbal sparring. The fact that even my boss didn’t want to come to this competition says it all.’

’All the verbal attacks I had planned against Yarilan and that "L" of hers are impossible to launch now, not right under the nose of the honest Knight Commander.’

’I suddenly get why the boss sent me to watch the competition... This is a terrible assignment.’

Tate Rodney feigned nonchalance. "I heard that for today’s Hunting Competition, Captain Victor sent out a Bronze Tier Contract Knight?"

"Lanni. The Glorious Knight Order’s second-strongest Contract Knight," Victor stated matter-of-factly. "He’s second only to Vice Commander Zhan Jiale."

Tate wanted to say something more, but Victor interrupted him:

"I know Mr. Rodney wants to use Gray’s death last night to lure me into making aggressive remarks against Lady Yarilan... but Gray’s death was his own doing. Therefore, even if his father, the Barbarian Bear Knight, were to show up in person, I don’t believe he could find any reason to go after Mr. L—who temporarily went by the name ’Allen’ last night."

Victor’s tone was completely flat. Lewis shot Yarilan an apologetic look, his eyes seeming to say, ’Faith Knights are all like this. Please don’t take it to heart.’

"And please, Mr. Rodney, do not try to sow discord."

Facing Victor’s accusation, Tate subconsciously retorted, "I’m not... I didn’t..."

But Victor acted as if he hadn’t heard him and turned to Viscount Yarilan, who was still lost in thought about something.

"The Glorious Knight Order is dispatching Lanni this time to, one, reclaim our Knight Order’s honor in Fude City, and two, to express our apologies to Lord Marquis and to Mr. L, who goes by ’Allen’."

"Apologies?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

From a corner just outside the pavilion, Maguire muttered, "Apologies? And for that he sends out this Lan... Lan..."

"Lanni," Zod finished for him.

He took a sip of his drink. "In Amel’s knightly culture, going all out is considered the greatest respect you can show an opponent."

Maguire nodded, only half-understanding. "So, you’re saying L can’t win? He’s only Black Iron, after all, and his opponent is already Bronze..."

"Not necessarily," Zod said, taking another drink. "We’ll know the specifics when that Lanni comes out. You don’t just see if a person is strong or not, you can smell it."

"Smell it? Zod, you’re not a dog, are you?" Maguire grumbled, but didn’t dare say much more.

Because in a way, the experienced Zod was like a teacher to him.

He had saved Maguire from taking many wrong turns in his career as a Demon Hunter.

He was a completely different person now compared to the naive boy who had stumbled upon the Demon Hunter Law, signed the contract, and cluelessly left his village to start on the path of a Demon Hunter.

With that thought, Maguire’s spirits lifted. The competition was about to start.

He clutched the single Gold Coin he had managed to save over the entire year since becoming a Demon Hunter, hesitating over who to bet on.

He believed in L’s strength and combat intelligence. But until he saw this Lanni—the one Zod called a "sub-species Fire Dragon Knight"—for himself, it was hard to have complete faith.

’So the best choice is to just wait and see for now.’

’There’s no rush. It’ll be a while before L goes up against that Lanni.’

...

Meanwhile, in the Knights’ waiting area, the candidates from the Glorious Knight Order slated to compete were discussing matters in low voices. But a closer look revealed that, out of the corners of their eyes, they were all glancing in the same direction.

Their hesitant and complex expressions carried a trace of reverence and fear, like a pride of lions on the savanna that had just discovered another, larger male lion.

A young Knight in full Armor sat quietly on a bench provided by the event organizers.

He had azure eyes, a high-bridged nose, and lips as thin as razor blades. His long, wine-red hair fell loosely over his shoulders. His Armor was engraved with the image of a soaring, fire-breathing Fire Dragon, and he sat with a ramrod-straight posture.

This attracted the gazes of many graceful and beautiful noblewomen and young ladies in the stands behind him.

It made them fan themselves faster with their feathered fans. And, taking advantage of the heat, they would frequently and "casually" pull down the fabric at their necklines to a more flattering angle—always careful to do so when they thought they might catch the young Knight’s peripheral gaze.