Chapter 81

Тhе mаn whо had beеn in сhаrgе оf Khan’s grouр’s сheckрoint aррrоасhеd.

“Sir Khan, Lаdy Sharin, аnd Sir Вyutеk. Му nаmе is Liam, thе onе who handlеd уоur сheckрoint insрection. If it’s nоt tоo much trouble, wоuld уou be able to visit Visсоunt Aldrik’s estate?”

“Why?”

Аs sоon as Liаm aррrоаched him, Khan сould guess thе rеаson.

“Viscоunt Аldrik hаs said that whеnever еxceptiоnаlly skilled Sir Маges аnd Sir Knights visit Erindеl, he wishes to рresеnt thеm with a small gift and an offеr. If yоu’rе nоt inclinеd, you dоn’t hаvе to go, but…”

It wаs the sаmе оffеr thаt Kаirоs, thе magе frоm the Green Magic Tower who had now vanished from sight, had received.

Judging by each line of the proposal alone, it was almost identical, so Khan roughly understood what this offer implied.

‘Is this a test?’

Why was Viscount Aldrik conducting such a test?

Khan recalled in his mind what kind of person Viscount Aldrik had been when he played the game.

‘He seemed to have a personality that craved power and was very greedy.’

In fact, the entire reason the Underground Arena Tournament was held in Erindel was due to his lust for power.

Viscount Aldrik wanted to gather talented individuals under him, conquer other cities, and obtain a greater Title of Peerage.

“I see. Byutek, Sharin. What will you two do? You can decide as you wish.”

“I’m fine with it too!!”

“Hahaha! If Sir Khan is going, of course I should follow!”

“Thank you. Then I will guide you to the estate.”

Khan’s party followed Liam towards the estate of Erindel’s master, Viscount Aldrik.

* * *

Until just a moment ago, Aldrik had been at ease, but now he had hurriedly come to the reception room to welcome his guests.

“To pour in all at once like this… It’s unbelievable. I already thought it was a shame to put up a Magic Tome as the tournament prize. Kehehe…!”

A smile blossomed on Aldrik’s lips as he sat alone in the reception room.

For him to become a Count, he needed powerful individuals like Kalsen.

That’s why he had planned to offer his cherished Magic Tome as the prize for this arena tournament, but it seemed he might not even need to do that if things went well.

Knock. Knock.

Just then, the sound of knocking echoed in the quiet reception room.

It was probably his butler, Edward.

“May I come in?”

“Yes, come in quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Edward, with a white mustache on his philtrum and chin, entered with tea.

It seemed he had prepared fragrant tea in advance, anticipating that a mage and knight of tremendous skill would soon arrive at the estate.

“Edward! Everything you said earlier is true, right?”

“Yes, although I also heard it from the checkpoint staff… I heard it clearly.”

“Say it again with your own mouth. Who has come to Erindel?”

“First, Sir Kairos, a mage affiliated with the Green Magic Tower who was the runner-up in the last Underground Arena Tournament, has arrived.”

“Kairos… Frankly, I don’t have high expectations for that fellow. Fine, tell me about the others.”

“And then… a person named Khan, who is a mage, a person named Sharin, and Sir Byutek, affiliated with the Kilpheon Knight Order, who is part of the same party as these two, have visited.”

“So they are all currently on their way to my estate?”

“That is correct.”

“Hahahahahaha!!! Well done, Edward!”

“What have I done?”

“Haha! Anyway, when the guests arrive, treat them with utmost courtesy and bring them here.”

“Yes, understood.”

Edward bowed and left the reception room, and an even deeper smile settled on Aldrik’s lips.

“It was a good idea to relay the message to the checkpoint in advance. Hahaha!!”

A few weeks ago, Aldrik had instructed the checkpoint to send any exceptionally skilled individuals visiting Erindel to his estate.

Until now, there had been no news, and then suddenly, top-tier mages and a knight had arrived all at once.

However, Aldrik wasn’t particularly interested in the mages.

“Kairos of the Green Magic Tower, a name I haven’t heard in quite a while. That fellow already refused my offer before, so he’ll probably refuse again this time.”

Aldrik knew Kairos very well.

After all, Kairos was the runner-up in last year’s Underground Arena Tournament.

He had lost to Kalsen by a very narrow margin and secured second place.

In truth, mages are at a significant disadvantage in One-on-One combat compared to those who wield close-combat weapons like knights, warriors, and assassins.

“Actually, in terms of destructive power alone, Kairos was far stronger than Kalsen. Still, I should ask him again.”

Since Kairos was a highly skilled mage even within the Green Magic Tower, it seemed good to at least make a scouting proposal.

Truthfully, Kairos was now a secondary concern for Aldrik.

The reason he was so delighted was because of the knight from Kilpheon named Byutek.

“A knight from the Kilpheon Knight Order… There probably isn’t anyone stronger than him in this vicinity!”

It seemed this Byutek fellow was traveling with two mages, named Khan and Sharin.

He had asked Edward if there was anything particularly notable about those two mages, but he hadn’t heard anything special.

“Those two might be strong as well, but even so, they’d be far below a knight from Kilpheon.”

Aldrik wanted to recruit Byutek under him as his first priority, but he thought it might be impossible to recruit him immediately.

It didn’t seem likely that someone of that caliber would work under a Viscount for just a few coins.

‘Or perhaps… should I suggest he participate in this Underground Arena Tournament?’

To win the tournament and receive the prize, one must agree to fulfill Aldrik’s requests in Erindel for two years.

“Hmm, it’s troubling.”

Aldrik sat in the reception room and began pondering how to bring the top-tier knight named Byutek under his command.

* * *

Not much time had passed before a person arrived at Viscount Aldrik’s room.

“Well, it’s been a long time, Sir Kairos! Welcome once again to Erindel!”

“Viscount Aldrik, you look even better. It’s good to see you.”

Aldrik welcomed Kairos with a smiling face, exchanged a few simple greetings, and then immediately got to the point.

“This is a sudden request, but by any chance… could you work with me for just two years? I need someone of your exceptional skill.”

“I appreciate the offer… but I’ll put that on hold for now. Let’s talk again after I win this Underground Arena Tournament.”

Just as Aldrik had expected.

Aldrik didn’t show any sign of disappointment and maintained his smile.

“Hehe, what a pity. A powerful individual like Sir Kairos……”

But then.

Knock. Knock.

A knocking sound came from the reception room door.

It seemed the real guests Aldrik had been eagerly waiting for had finally arrived.

* * *

About an hour later, Khan’s party was able to arrive at Aldrik’s estate.

“Wow, it’s huge!”

“Since Erindel is quite far from the kingdom’s Capital Region, I thought the estate would be small… but it’s quite sizable, more than I expected.”

It seemed Sharin was very surprised, as this was her first time properly seeing a noble’s estate.

Byutek also seemed taken aback by the estate’s considerable size.

“I will escort you directly to the reception room. The Viscount has been waiting since earlier.”

As Khan nodded, the staff member quickly guided Khan’s party to the reception room.

Khan’s party soon arrived in front of the reception room, and from inside, very faint conversation could be heard.

‘The guest who arrived first… seems to be that mage.’

Khan instantly guessed that the mage he had seen earlier had arrived at the reception room first.

Knock. Knock.

“Sir Aldrik, the guests have arrived. May we come in?”

“Come in.”

After the staff member knocked and called out from beyond the door, Aldrik’s voice was heard.

The staff member opened the door, and Khan’s party entered.

“Please, come in! I am truly grateful that such esteemed individuals have taken the trouble to visit this humble place! I am Aldrik, the master of this Erindel.”

Surprisingly, this Aldrik fellow greeted them with extreme politeness.

Khan and Sharin bowed their heads in greeting, and Byutek hastily spoke up, worried that Khan might suddenly use informal speech.

“Haha! I am Byutek of the Kilpheon Knight Order! It is truly an honor to meet you, Viscount.”

Still, Byutek, being a knight by background, was quite eloquent in such situations.

“Hahaha!! I was just hoping to meet Sir Byutek at least once!”

“M-me? Hearing you say that makes me feel strangely good. Haha!”

Byutek was weak to praise, so he laughed heartily, genuinely pleased.

“Ah, by the way, I heard Sir Khan and Lady Sharin are mages. If it’s not too rude, could you tell me which affiliation you belong to?”

“I don’t have a separate affiliation! I’m Sir Khan’s Disciple!”

“I don’t have an affiliation either.”

“Ah, I see…”

When Khan used informal speech, Aldrik’s expression almost twisted for a moment.

‘There are often those brats among mages who dare to use informal speech… but for such a nobody to dare…!’

If it were a highly skilled mage affiliated with a Magic Tower, it might be different, but being treated like this by a nobody instantly made his irritation surge.

‘A mage, you say…?’

Meanwhile, Kairos, who was already seated, was looking at them with an incredulous expression.

‘That person named Khan… I can barely sense any Mana from him.’

Rather, the Sharin next to him possessed Mana befitting a mage.

‘Is he someone impersonating a mage?’

The kind of people Kairos hated the most were those who impersonated mages and degraded the status of mages.

Usually, such individuals had no affiliation.

“Tsk… Annoying.”

Kairos muttered softly to himself, and his expression instantly turned unpleasant.

“Now that everyone is gathered here… may we proceed with a simple test? We provide a modest reward just for participating in the test. And if you are considering participating in the upcoming Underground Arena Tournament, you can also register in advance.”

“Underground Arena Tournament?”

When the term ‘Underground Arena Tournament’ suddenly came from Aldrik, Khan asked again.

“Yes, to participate in the annual Underground Arena Tournament held in Erindel, you must pass a separate test to verify you have basic skills. You can think of it as taking the test in advance now.”

“But Aldrik, why are you calling us in advance to take a test?”

At Khan’s indifferent tone, Aldrik almost flew into a rage again, but he held back after looking at Byutek’s face.

‘Since he’s a mage traveling with Sir Byutek… I should endure.’

Then, forcing a smile, he spoke.

“To tell you the truth… I am searching for exceptionally skilled Sir Knights and Sir Mages. That’s also why I hold the Underground Arena Tournament every year.”

Aldrik took a breath and continued.

“Anyway, if you pass the skill verification test, we will arrange for you to participate directly in the Underground Arena Tournament. And there is also a modest gift and a tempting offer prepared.”

For Khan, the reason for taking the test didn’t really matter in the current situation.

He could register directly for the Underground Arena Tournament, and there was also a Quest involved.

Khan looked at Aldrik and spoke.

“Then let’s take the test right now.”