"Hey...what's that thing?"
At the sight of the [Fragment of the Universe], Plastic Knight exclaimed in surprise. Don Quixote merely sighed and slowly stepped forward.
"…I'll handle it. After all, it's something I'm supposed to deal with."
Glancing at the boiling spectators, Don Quixote shook his head slightly.
If things have already gotten to this point, it should be "exciting" enough by now.
It probably meets your requirements too, doesn't it?
Don Quixote thought this, casting a glance towards X. Then, withdrawing his gaze, he faced the [Fragment of the Universe] before him, still refusing to summon his blood-red spear, instead gathering blood into a shape once more, then slamming it down.
"…The last guy I faced was way stronger than you."
Roughly three minutes later, the battle came to an end.
Staring at the [Fragment of the Universe]—which had reverted into an egg shape—lying before Don Quixote, the entire stadium fell into a peculiar silence.
This monster hadn't even had the chance to do a single thing before Don Quixote brutally smashed it apart.
Thus, the arena descended into deathly silence.
Of course, what they didn't know was that if the [Fragment of the Universe] had really managed to stir things up, they'd probably be stuck in some terrible circumstances right now.
"The winner is—La Mancha Knight!!!"
Finally, Big Mouth Mob seemed to receive instructions and shouted out. The arena remained eerily quiet. Don Quixote didn't care about any of it, simply turning around and leaving the arena.
His steps were unusually relaxed as he exited the field. Hai and Nearl were already waiting at the exit.
Nearl's gaze on Don Quixote carried a hint of worry: from her perspective, someone as idealistic and naïve as Don Quixote might have been deeply hurt by what had happened. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Hai abruptly cut in before her:
"Don Quixote, walk with me for a bit?"
"…Sure, let's go. Nearl, you head back first. You still have a match tomorrow—rest well."
Don Quixote's lips curled into a familiar smile as he spoke to Nearl. Nearl blinked, dumbfounded, and nodded slightly. By the time she reacted, the two were already several steps away.
Like that, Don Quixote and Hai walked together for two kilometers, all the way to a rarely visited bridge. Leaning against the railing, Don Quixote gazed out onto the river while Hai leaned back, staring up at the sky.
"What's wrong? Feeling disillusioned?"
Suddenly, Hai spoke up, slightly turning his head to Don Quixote:
"With Kazimierz…with this country, and its people?"
"Not exactly."
Don Quixote replied with surprising frankness, even bluntness:
"It wasn't beyond my expectations. If anything, gamblers tend to be this way, don't they? The only thing that surpassed my expectations was that I'd never realized there were this many gamblers in this country."
"Well, then I can make a bet with you too. Next time you fight, those who cursed you today will place their bets on your victory to win money."
Hai sighed, murmuring quietly. Don Quixote shrugged.
"Hmm… Then I'll just count you as winning this bet in advance. As your winning condition, could you answer a question of mine?"
"In the end, you're the one who benefits either way. Fine, what's your question?"
"What exactly is Lobotomy Corporation trying to do?"
Don Quixote turned his head, directly looking at Hai, questioning:
"I wasn't surprised by the appearance of an Abnormality. But deliberately releasing it at that precise moment clearly aimed to trigger greed among the spectators... That greed should be exactly what Lobotomy Corporation wanted, right?"
"What are they after? Why do something so vague in purpose...?"
Hai remained silent, back against the railing. After a long pause, he finally spoke:
"If only the minds of the Wings of the World were that easy to read. Honestly, I'm only peripherally involved myself…"
Saying that, he straightened from the railing, turning toward Don Quixote:
"All I know is one thing. Things like this will happen again. Who it targets next, I can't say. Might be you, could even be me. Stay alert."
"Sigh… Compared to Kazimierz, my image of Lobotomy Corporation is what's actually starting to collapse now."
Don Quixote exhaled softly, joking a bit. Hai didn't respond, merely smiled.
"Come on, if we stay here any longer, Nearl's probably going to worry."
Hai stood up, addressing Don Quixote. Don Quixote followed him, walking back side by side. During the return, he only said one more thing:
"Hai…no matter what, one thing won't change. As a Fixer, I'll always adhere to my values. I'll keep on having adventures, and I won't let my ideals fade away. If Lobotomy Corporation really wants to experiment with that, they can forget about it."
...
By the time Don Quixote and Hai returned to their lodging, it was already dinnertime.
After quickly finishing dinner, Nearl seemed reassured that Don Quixote was indeed acting normal, silently sighing in relief and resuming her own tasks. She still had a match to prepare for tomorrow. Of course, Don Quixote was the same.
Thus, time quickly passed into the next day. Now, the competition had reached the top sixty-four.
"Which match are you in today?"
Nearl looked toward Don Quixote, asking. Don Quixote glanced at the schedule:
"Hmm…still the last match. My opponent seems to be this…Silver Knight? Oh, doesn't sound particularly weak."
Don Quixote spoke with mild interest. Nearl simply shook her head helplessly. Her match was the very first one, leaving a large gap in between.
"I'll go to my match first then."
With that, Nearl immediately departed. Don Quixote turned his head slightly, looking at Hai, asking softly:
"Just to confirm, Lobotomy Corporation hasn't arranged anything special today, right?"
Hai shook his head: "I specifically asked—nothing today."
"That's good…"
Don Quixote nodded. Thus, time gradually passed. Soon, Nearl's match ended. After wandering around Kazimierz for a while, Don Quixote's match began, so he returned to the arena with Hai.
Thus, only Nearl was left wandering alone outside.
"Where should I go next…?"
Nearl exhaled quietly, murmuring to herself. Soon, a thought entered her mind.
Maybe I should stop by the Nearl family estate. Since I'm already here, I might as well let them know I'm safe… Though, me showing up might actually make them worry more.
Nearl bitterly smiled, shaking her head.
She faintly grasped a resolve within herself. A resolve compelling her to continue fighting in the Knight Tournament. Since she'd come back, she had to prove herself once more, fulfill that mission, and expose the hidden truth…
But precisely at that moment, in the deserted alleyway, an arrow cut through the air, aimed straight at Nearl!
An assassination!