Secret Talk And Plan 2

Venue of the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament, the Noble's Visitor Room.

「Dick Balm… lost?」

One of the nobles and a member of the faction belonging to the Amelia

kingdom's first prince, Gilbert, spoke with a shocked expression as if he

couldn't believe what he had just seen.

「OI, tournament committee chairman!! What's the meaning of this? 」

The big shot of the Gilbert faction, the one with a barrel-like body—

Marquis Lunpa Barel—seized the collar of the short-haired middle-aged

man beside him, who was also shocked with his mouth wide open.

Lunpa's question was about two things.

The first was, of course, the matter of making it impossible for Kai

Heineman to use the item that boosted his ability. If the source of his power

was an item, this was an indispensable requirement.

And the second thing was the enchanted clothes that put restrictions on its

wearer; Lunpa had provided them. These clothes were an emergency cursed

tool he had prepared to ensure the victory of their faction's holy knight who

was participating in this tournament.

The creator of these clothes was a former slave user whose gift was

[Cursed Tool Creation]. The cursed tool the person employed by Lunpa

created could even reduce an active B-class hunter to a human as weak as

women and children. Thus, its effect should've been even more apparent for

an incompetent like Kai Heineman.

「We did everything as you ordered, Lord Lunpa!」

The tournament committee chairman raised his voice as he replied to

Lunpa.

「And yet, that incompetent can easily lift Dick, whose weight is far above

his own, with one hand. Does that mean he still has the item that raises his

abilities?」

Another noble muttered that remark.

「THAT INCOMPETENT MUST BE CHEATING AGAIN!!」

「UNFORGIVABLE! Tournament committee chairman, you should

disqualify that coward immediately!!」

One by one, the members of Gilbert's faction gave their approval.

「In the first place, it's really strange that Dick Balm's flame doesn't work

on that incompetent. This is not a matter of simple physical strength

anymore. Is that Kai Heineman really what they said, an incompetent gift

holder?」

A man with pineapple-like hair denied the other nobles' claims while

wiping beads of sweat on his forehead; he was speaking as if he were

questioning himself.

「What do you mean, Lord Ananas?」(TL: Fun fact, ananas is the Latin

name for pineapple.)

""

Lunpa looked at the man with pineapple-like hair, Ananas, about the true

meaning behind the latter's remark.

「Even if I tell you, a civil official like you will never understand it. But to

make the matter easier for you to understand, I'll put it simply as: his

movement is that of a martial artist. Moreover, it's the movement of a

veteran who has undergone hundreds of wars.」

「That's why it must be the work of an ite―」

「IT'S NOT! It no longer matters whether he's using an item or not. His

movement is ingrained in every fiber of his muscle, not something a mere

incompetent without enough training can reproduce. And even though I feel

bad to tell you about this, our guardian knight candidate is simply not his

match. It's like comparing a baby and an expert in his prime. Our candidate

can't win no matter what.」

The noble room shook at once the moment Count Ananas gave his opinion.

「Are you saying that my son is inferior to that incompetent?」

Marquis Lunpa asked Count Ananas with a trembling voice.

「Indeed! At least when it comes to martial arts.」

「HOW CAN IT BE? That guy is just the descendant of an honorary

knight. He has no noble blood flowing in his veins, unlike us! Moreover,

he's the lowest of lowly pieces of trash and has been abandoned by the holy

warrior god as his gift [The Most Incompetent in This World]

suggests!」

「Yes… I can't deny that. But, his ability is real. There's no mistaking

this.」

Count Ananas stood up from his chair, then looked around at the nobles

inside the room, one by one.

「The situation has changed. Today, our Ananas house will officially

withdraw our participation from this competition for the throne.」

After placing his right hand on his chest and bowing to his colleagues,

Count Ananas left the room.

His swift and unprecedented action shook the noble room for the second

time.

It was only natural since Count Ananas's house was known as the first- or

the second-strongest martial arts house in the Amelia kingdom. It had

produced many famous warriors.

His withdrawal from Gilbert's faction meant the faction had lost their

greatest mental support. Especially after their plan to marry Princess

Rosemarie to the third prince of the empire had ended up in huge failure. At

this rate, it was only a matter of time before the other nobles would leave

Gilbert's faction.

「NOISY!! Calm down! There's no problem since that incompetent will

definitely lose to Zack Prower in the next round!」

Zack Prower was one of the strongest martial artists amongst the young

fighters. The Gilbert faction had already sent someone to invite Zack to join

their faction. And Lunpa felt that it was okay even if his son lost to Zach

due to the latter's fame.

「Tournament committee chairman, let's talk about the next match between

that incompetent and Zack Prower.」

「Haa…」

Although the tournament committee chairman nodded, he was hesitating to

do this inside.

However, his situation was just as the saying went: 'unable to step back

after going that far.' So he could only help them as much as he could.

「Well then―」

Lunpa started to speak as he averted his gaze from the incompetent, Kai

Heineman.