Chapter 282: Just Buy It From Me
"What knight? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Steven kept up his usual act—playing dumb like a seasoned pro. Unfortunately for him, Kal'tsit had known him long enough to read straight through the performance.
A guy like him? The kind who always had to stick his nose into anything interesting? If something as attention-grabbing as a mysterious knight appeared in the arena, there was no way he'd resist jumping into the spotlight.
Which could only mean one thing—it is him.
"You challenged the entire knight order of Kazimierz by yourself, and you're seriously not worried you'll crash and burn?" Kal'tsit said, a clear note of concern in her voice. "From what I've heard, one of the elite squads of campaign knights is already heading back toward the Grand Knight Territory. Even if you don't directly clash with them, you'd better be careful."
Kal'tsit only knew about the incident through news reports—she hadn't seen the battlefield with her own eyes.
Had she witnessed that gaping black hole capable of swallowing the entire arena, she probably wouldn't be saying any of this right now.
"I'm telling you, I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything," Steven replied, deflecting like a professional. "By the way, is Nearl still at Rhodes Island? I remember her saying she was planning to return soon."
While smoothly dodging the topic, Steven put on a harmless smile and brought up Nearl.
Clearly, he had no intention of sticking around on the subject of his recent... performance.
And if Kal'tsit suspected the truth? Well, as long as he didn't admit to anything, there wasn't much she could do, was there?
"She already left. If I'm not wrong, she should arrive sometime this afternoon," Kal'tsit replied, though she was clearly a bit puzzled. "Why the sudden concern?"
"Hmm? Oh, it's not concern, it's anticipation," Steven said with a yawn. "After being thoroughly disappointed by these so-called knights of Kazimierz, I could use a reminder of what a real knight looks like. Something to soothe my poor heart, you know?"
That part wasn't even a joke. Steven really had been let down by what Kazimierz called "chivalry."
"Heh~ just don't drag her into whatever mess you're stirring up this time," Kal'tsit said with a wry chuckle, but her tone quickly grew serious. "She's returning as a Rhodes Island operator now. If you're going to cause trouble, at least try not to involve her. And if you do involve her, don't use Rhodes Island's name. That's all I ask—can I count on you?"
She wasn't being unreasonable. Whatever madness Steven got up to was his own business. But Rhodes Island? They couldn't afford to get on the bad side of the K.G.C.C. If the organization got dragged into this, it'd be a disaster.
"Of course," Steven nodded. "Even if you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have done that. I'm not the kind of guy who casually dumps his problems on others, am I?"
He understood these things perfectly. Rhodes Island might look like a medical company on paper, but if the K.G.C.C decided to retaliate, they wouldn't last a week. They could ignore him, sure—but Rhodes Island? They were far easier prey.
And while he might enjoy chaos, he wasn't so shameless that he'd deliberately involve his friends just to make things more entertaining.
"Then let's leave it at that," Kal'tsit sighed. "I just hope I don't wake up tomorrow and see another headline about you in the papers."
She ended the call with a weary tone, slightly more at ease now that he'd given his word.
Steven, however, simply shook his head after ending the call.
'Sorry, Kal'tsit—but I can't promise that.'
Given the ruckus he'd already kicked up at the Roar Arena, it wasn't even a matter of waiting until tomorrow. If she had a newsfeed on her tablet, she might see the headlines this afternoon.
With that thought in mind, Steven stretched lazily, cracking his back before turning his attention to the map.
His next destination was already marked.
It was time to check in on the little shark and the little squirrel.
Logically speaking, after the Darksteel assassination attempt had failed, those two should've gained at least a temporary reprieve. The K.G.C.C probably didn't have enough spare manpower to keep chasing them down. All they had to do now was avoid detection from official patrols.
As expected, he had little trouble finding them.
In the outskirts of the Grand Knight Territory, he discovered a group of infected hiding in what looked to be a long-abandoned factory. The place had clearly been out of commission for years.
With ease, he slipped past the patrolling guards outside and soon found the little squirrel deep in discussion with a few grim-faced girls.
"The spot you picked has... uh, seen better days," Steven remarked casually, breaking the silence.
He brushed off the dust on a nearby bench and waved to the group of girls who had only now realized he was standing there.
"But hey, at least it's not the sewers."
"Eh? Who are you?"
A brown-haired girl who looked like a tomboy instantly gripped her spear and pointed it at Steven with clear suspicion.
Fortunately, Sona quickly reached over and pressed her hand down.
"It's okay," Sona explained. "He's one of the people who helped save us. He is…. Well, he's not hostile."
She meant to properly introduce the boy, but then it hit her—she didn't even know the guy's name.
Awkwardly, she glanced at Steven, her smile slightly forced.
"So, what are we discussing?" Steven asked, glancing around. Not seeing the shark girl anywhere, he casually pulled over a chair and sat down. "You all look like you're chewing on nails."
"We're trying to figure out how to deal with our current situation," Sona replied, not treating Steven like an outsider in the slightest. "The officials probably won't find us right away, but we can't stay here forever. No food, no supplies. If we go out for anything, our status as Infected will give us away."
She laid the issue out plainly.
Hiding in this run-down factory wasn't sustainable.
They either had to escape the Grand Knight Territory completely or—just as he had mentioned before—track down the document the K.G.C.C used to designate Area 0 and use it to negotiate with the Adeptus Sprawiedliwi for the right to stay.
But either option was easier said than done.
If it were just her and a few teammates, she'd go for the second choice without hesitation. At least that had hope. The first option was no different from giving up.
But… there were a lot of other Infected who had evacuated with them. Helpless, weak, unable to fend for themselves. Sona and her teammates could risk everything, but what about them?
Dragging this out would only worsen their situation. But whether it was escaping or searching for that elusive document, both required planning and time.
And that was why Sona was so frustrated.
It wasn't about what she wanted to do anymore—it was about how to make sure they even survived to see the next step.
"So basically," Steven said, "you can't resupply. That's it?"
He actually laughed at that, and with a snap of his fingers, he grabbed everyone's attention.
"Well, that's simple. You've still got money, right?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't help if we can't show our faces," Sona replied, looking troubled. "In the Grand Knight Territory, the K.G.C.C can do whatever it wants."
"Then the solution's obvious," Steven said, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together with a smirk. "Just buy from me. As long as you've got money, anything's possible."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/137777087
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