These are Fake! - Chapter 217



Only Krnovel

217. Unexpected Visitor

The next day, rumors spread among the nobles of Sabara.

Among the rumors surrounding the gambling house inspection that took place at the Marquis Curtis’ mansion yesterday, the one that caught the most attention was the nomination match between Astin and Glenn.

The story goes that a man named Astin defeated Glenn, a descendant of the Contner Counts, with his bare hands.

When they first heard the beginning of the story, the nobles cursed Astin, calling him rude and shameless.

Because going forward with bare hands was enough to be seen as an act of ignoring the opponent.

But as the story progressed, that reaction disappeared.

This was because the outcome of his overwhelming victory by breaking the longsword with his bare hands was something no one had expected.

Because of that, the insults about going bare-handed disappeared, and curiosity about what kind of person Astin was arose.

Of course, that was also immediately known.

That he has advanced to the finals of the Badgley Territory martial arts tournament.

Thanks to this, there was even talk of the emergence of a new powerhouse among the nobles.

Some have compared it to the five finalists from Sabara, who are said to be the best of all time.

But that buzz soon died down as rumors began to spread.

[Count Conner’s Glendo also participated in the Mutu tournament, but he was eliminated in the first round of the preliminaries.]

It’s about Glenn.

As the rumor spread, Austin’s reputation plummeted.

The perception spread that it was not because Austin’s skills were outstanding, but because Glenn was so far behind that such performance was possible.

Because of this, interest in Astin waned, and Glenn began to be talked about more among the nobles.

Because the fact that a descendant of the Count Contner family, known as a great noble family, was eliminated in the first round of the preliminaries was a story perfect for gossip.

In fact, it was Rayburn who caused the news to spread this time, even though it should have been known a long time ago.

The truth that he had been barely able to suppress for the sake of his family and his own reputation was made known through this incident.

Anyway, the story about Astin disappeared as quickly as a happening.

All that people remembered were the three gambling dens that had been chosen by the jury and Glenn’s humiliating story.

* * *

“Mr. Raven has arrived.”

The mansion of Count Contner.

Rayburn entered the office of the master, Donovan, with the butler’s notice.

Donovan was sitting in a chair, checking documents.

Raven approached him hesitantly and stood there, not knowing what to do.

“Tongue, bro.”

Soon, Rayburn finally opened his mouth to call, but Donovan didn’t even turn his head.

Just as Raven was about to call him again, Donovan spoke.

“Thanks to you, our family story is well-known in Sabara.”

“Brother. That, that… … .”

Raven tried to make excuses with an embarrassed look on his face.

But Donovan continued talking as if he had no intention of listening.

“Rather, it just served to heighten Astin’s reputation. Glenn, that guy is really pathetic. Not only did he get eliminated in the first round of the martial arts tournament, but now he even got his weapon destroyed by an unarmed opponent.”

“Brother, I’m sorry! I’m so embarrassed! Just give me one more chance! If you give me one more chance, I’ll definitely… …!”

Raven rubbed his hands together as if he was begging, then soon started screaming.

But Donovan cut it off without even listening.

“Register Austin for the martial arts tournament.”

“Tongue, bro!”

Raven’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

“Then we can deal with Astin… … .”

“What are you going to kill? You already told me who that bastard is.”

“That, that is… … .”

“Furthermore, you revealed that you were the deputy manager of the martial arts competition management headquarters, so do you think you were going to just let it slide?”

“ah.”

Only then did Rayburn understand what Donovan was saying.

If Astin is not registered, his grudge will be exposed and the Contner family will be talked about among the nobles.

“Stop being so stupid and get Austin registered. We can deal with him another way.”

“Do you have something in mind?”

Raven asked with shining eyes.

Donovan nodded slightly at him.

“There is. There is a much easier way. One that you can do. It is… … .”

Eventually Donovan said something, and Rayburn’s expression grew brighter.

After a while.

“Oh! That’s a really good idea! If I use my strength as you said, it’s definitely possible!”

Raven shouted excitedly.

I really liked Donovan’s plan.

“Go. Go and stop this useless thing and get on with it. That way, we can change it before the martial arts tournament starts.”

“Understood! Leave it to me! I will definitely get this done! Hahahaha! I’ll be going now!”

Soon Raven burst out laughing and left the office.

Donovan put the documents down as soon as Rayburn disappeared.

It said this:

[Astin’s level is definitely Expert Low. However, it seems that he has learned a special mana cycle technique. Because of this, he has skills higher than Expert Low. However, as ‘Elliot’ said, he is definitely not at the level of killing a Master. It is estimated to be around Expert Intermediate.]

“It’s a special mana cycle technique… … .”

The reason Donovan assigned Rayburn to Astin’s church was actually to test his skills.

He knew it would fail the moment he made Glenn deal with Astin.

The second son, Daniels, was defeated by Astin even though he was much more skilled.

Of course, I guessed that it was because Astin used cowardly methods, but I expected that he would not be someone who would be easily defeated, considering his ability to survive and come all the way to Sabara.

The prediction was correct, and it became difficult to kill him secretly because his younger brother had done something big.

But he had an idea in mind, and he thought he could handle it that way without much effort.

Donovan decided to keep Astin alive until then.

* * *

The rumor spread as expected.

Rather, Glenn was highlighted and my performance was mentioned.

Mark felt bad about it, but I didn’t.

As your reputation grows, you will only become more bothered by the checks and balances that become stronger.

After a few days like that, I headed to the headquarters of the martial arts tournament.

I went to register for the martial arts competition again and passed.

I expected that Raven would no longer be able to avoid registration since my existence was made known through the Nomination War, and that proved to be true.

The convention center was busier than last time, and maybe that’s why I couldn’t see Rayburn.

The rest of the work was similar.

I visited the Mercenary Guild and the Diamond Card Guild here and there, but Kirk had not returned yet, and I still had no clue about the key I had obtained from the bank.

That’s why I trained every day and waited for the martial arts competition to start.

Then, one day, about 20 days left until the competition.

An unexpected visitor came to our house.

* * *

smart!

“Behold!”

The morning hours when I was concentrating on my training.

I heard someone calling from outside, but I ignored them.

Because training is a priority, and since this is Sadie’s house, I expected it to be someone related to me.

“No one’s here! I heard Astin lives here!”

‘You came looking for me?’

After hearing those words, I stopped practicing.

I had no choice but to get up and head towards the main gate.

Squeak.

Soon, when I opened the front door, a large man with a bushy beard was standing there.

“Who are you?”

The man looked me up and down and asked.

“Is that Astin?”

“But.”

“My name is Horton. I’m Kirk’s uncle.”

‘Kirk’s uncle?’

My eyes widened slightly.

Suddenly, you’re Kirk’s uncle.

“Reading my expression,” said Horton.

“He’s not my uncle, but he’s my father, brother, and younger brother. I came here because I have something to tell you. Can we talk for a moment?”

Judging from the tone of the speech, it didn’t seem like it was a lie.

Even if there were other intentions, I checked the ability and it didn’t seem like it would be a problem, so I reached inside.

“Come in.”

The man named Horton nodded and came in, and I guided him into the living room.

I was going to bring the car, but Horton refused before I could.

“Enough with the hospitality, let’s talk. You’re Kirk’s friend, so I guess it’s okay to talk comfortably?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Since I was already comfortable, I said yes.

“I heard about you from Kirk. He had a friend named Astin, and he bragged about being the winner of the Badgley Territory Martial Arts Tournament. He said he would come to Savara someday, and if he were to come, you should say hello in his place.”

“I see. But why are you telling me now? I’ve already been to the Mercenary Guild several times because of that Kirk guy.”

“I was away on a mission, and I just got back a little while ago. Then I heard about Kirk and came looking for Janelle.”

My gaze narrowed.

“Any news on Kirk? Did something happen to him?”

“Yeah. That’s why things are a bit noisy inside the mercenary guild.”

I sent a doppelganger to visit him yesterday, but I didn’t feel any special atmosphere.

But it’s noisy.

Horton began to explain why.

“I guess to explain this, I’ll have to talk about the request Kirk took on. Do you happen to know about the village of Benda?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“It’s a village about 4-5 days away from Sabara, and it’s like a final resting place before heading to the capital. That’s why it’s a fairly large village. But a request came in from there a few months ago.”

“A request?”

“It was a request to kill a monster. It was a simple request for us, but the fee was quite high because of the size of the village. That’s why many people applied for the request.”

“okay.”

“But after a while, some shocking news arrived at the guild. The mercenaries had failed the request.”

“Are they all dead?”

“That’s right. Six people went, and they all died.”

Horton’s expression hardened slightly as the memory came to mind.

“Then the village of Benda raised the commission fee. After that, they recruited more and more skilled mercenaries. Naturally, the mercenaries did not refuse. The commission fee had increased and their numbers had increased. At that time, 11 people volunteered and moved, and the results were… … .”

Horton’s expression hardened.

Thanks to that, I felt like I knew the result even without hearing the answer.

“Are they all dead again?”

“Yeah, they’re all dead.”

“What on earth is that monster that caused this?”

“We don’t know either. The townspeople don’t know either. Anyway, the mercenary guild is in chaos, and now it’s a situation that we can’t ignore, even if we leave the request alone. Even though 17 mercenaries have died, the request hasn’t been successful.”

“Didn’t the village notify the military?”

“Of course I informed you. But the army wouldn’t pay attention to a single monster. That’s why I asked the mercenary guild.”

“So what happened after that?”

“The village of Benda put in a bigger request, and eventually even a S-class high-ranking mercenary showed up. Kirk also joined them.”

This time my expression became frowning.

Because it seemed like things weren’t going well for Kirk.

Horton spoke with a serious expression, as if to prove it.

“And a few days ago, someone came to visit me from the village of Benda. He said that the mercenaries who went to hunt monsters didn’t return even after the promised date. So he came to tell me the news.”

“hmm…….”

I groaned involuntarily.

After hearing the story, it seemed like I had to prepare for the worst.

And I guessed why Horton came to see me.

“Is there any reason why you came to see me…?”

Horton nodded.

“Right. Would you like to come with me to find Kirk?”

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