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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 68
Draker Martial Arts Tournament.
As the name suggests, it refers to a martial arts tournament hosted by the Draker clan.
However, it wasn't limited to those belonging to the Draker clan.
Any young knight who had been promoted to purple rank for less than five years could participate.
It could be considered a competition to identify the next generation of rookies who would lead the continent.
Zeke nodded after hearing the lord's words.
"Understood."
The lord looked at Zeke and asked,
"Are you saying you'll win?"
"Yes."
It was a short answer, but Arthur could feel Zeke's determination within it.
He grinned and said,
"Good. I hope to be able to award you the winner's medal on the last day of the tournament."
Zeke nodded.
Arthur got up from his seat with a satisfied expression.
"And I've prepared a graduation present for you."
He brought a box from his desk.
"Open it."
Zeke opened the box Arthur had prepared.
His eyes widened as he checked the contents.
'This is...?'
Inside the box was a metal plate and a document.
Zeke was surprised to see the metal plate.
It was none other than a land ownership right plate.
Zeke asked in surprise,
"Are you giving me land?"
Arthur nodded.
"Yes. I've decided to grant you the northern territory of the Duchy of Troy where you caught the beast."
'Land as a graduation present.'
Even receiving a knighthood was on a different level from obtaining land.
No matter how small the territory, a knight who owned it could use the title of "Lord."
It effectively meant gaining a title as a noble.
Even among the Draker knights, one had to be at least a high-ranking knight to receive land.
Granting land to Zeke, who had just become an official knight, was quite exceptional.
Zeke expressed his gratitude to Arthur.
"I will live up to your expectations, Lord."
"A steward will visit you soon regarding the management of the territory, so listen to him for details. Actually, professional managers will take care of the management, so you don't have to worry too much about it."
"Thank you for your consideration, Lord."
Zeke finally left the lord's office with the Eastern tea that Arthur had prepared for him.
'I never thought I'd become a lord at this age.'
As expected of Draker.
Feeling a bit dazed, he came out of the Summer Castle, and someone approached him.
"My busy disciple."
It was Duke, who looked somewhat tired.
"Master. What are you doing here?"
Duke grumbled.
"Ugh. I came to Atlas to relax comfortably by your side, but Arthur caught me and made me work for nothing."
"Aren't you retired, Master?"
"I only retired as a knight, but my position in Draker is still active, so I got caught."
"You've been resting for ten years, so it's okay to work a little, isn't it?"
"Look at you talk. You're just like Arthur's son. Anyway, let's go home quickly before those leeches catch us."
Duke took Zeke and hurried back to the mansion.
As soon as he arrived, he took off his boots and uniform and sprawled on the sofa.
"Whew, I feel alive again. Home is the best."
"This is my house, though."
"What belongs to the disciple also belongs to the master."
Duke took a sip of the liquor the servant brought and said,
"So, why did Arthur call you? I heard it was because of your graduation celebration, but he wouldn't have called you just for congratulations."
"I received a graduation present."
"A graduation present? Well, he does take good care of things like presents. Sometimes I wonder if he's a knight or a politician."
Duke filled his glass with liquor and asked, "So what did he give you? Usually, it's a sword or armor."
"I received land."
"Yes, land is good... What? What did you receive?"
"I received the northern territory of the Duchy of Troy."
Duke was so surprised that he didn't even notice the liquor overflowing from his glass.
He finally regained his composure.
"Huh, to receive land at your age. Arthur must be very pleased. And if it's the Duchy of Troy, even the north wouldn't have bad tax revenue."
"It was the area where I carried out this mission. The villagers were all good people, and the atmosphere was peaceful."
"Well, it's good, isn't it? It's a completely different level from just having a knighthood to becoming a lord."
Zeke nodded and said,
"There's one more thing."
"You received more presents?"
"No. It's more like a mission. I was told to participate in the Draker Martial Arts Tournament and win."
Duke's face darkened at Zeke's words.
"Draker Martial Arts Tournament."
As Duke silently drank his liquor, Zeke asked,
"Why, Master? Is the level of the tournament that high?"
Duke shook his head.
"No. Considering your skills alone, Zeke, winning wouldn't be difficult."
"But why do you look so grim?"
"If it were just about skills, there wouldn't be any problem."
Duke put down his glass and said,
"Have you ever seen the Draker Martial Arts Tournament, Zeke?"
"All I've heard is that it's held every five years. I've been busy with my studies and training, from the cradle to the academy and Valhalla, so I haven't had a chance to see it."
Duke nodded.
"Then you might not know. Zeke, the Draker Martial Arts Tournament isn't just a simple martial arts tournament."
"What do you mean it's not just a martial arts tournament?"
Duke said with a serious expression,
"It's a battlefield for clans disguised as a martial arts tournament."
Zeke looked bewildered at Duke's words.
"Are you saying there's corruption in the tournament?"
"The concept of corruption itself doesn't apply. All possible forces that can be mobilized are allowed. The winner is determined including all that."
"Oh my god."
Zeke pondered the true nature of the Draker Martial Arts Tournament.
At first, he thought it was just a matter of winning somehow, but seeing Duke's expression, it didn't seem to be that simple.
'The lord didn't just give me this order for no reason.'
Then Duke said to Zeke,
"Zeke, I'll be blunt. To be honest, it's difficult to survive in the tournament without a supporting clan."
At the mention of supporting clans, Zeke's expression also darkened.
It didn't make sense that he had achieved these results without a supporting clan within Draker.
Zeke asked Duke,
"Are your connections not enough?"
Duke shook his head.
"Even if I can somehow manage the practical matters, the political aspects of the tournament are beyond me. For one thing, I've been away from the clan for a long time."
It meant that he needed to have a supporting clan somehow.
To begin with, Duke himself started as a commoner and rose to the rank of Black Knight, achieving the Draker rags-to-riches myth, so he was far removed from supporting clans.
With a problem arising in an unexpected area, Zeke felt a headache coming on.
'This is my weak point.'
He had rolled around and fought to his heart's content in his previous life, but he had no experience with politics.
Duke took a long sip of his liquor and said,
"I'll look into some families I know, so let's see. There's still some time left before the tournament."
Zeke nodded.
He decided to go to his room and rest for a while before going back to training.
But as he entered his room, someone else came in.
"Decker?"
Decker, his attendant, approached Zeke.
"Young Master, I have something to tell you."
Zeke was taken aback by Decker's sudden appearance and serious expression, but he decided to listen first.
"Yes. What is it?"
"I overheard your conversation with Duke earlier. You said you were going to participate in the Draker Martial Arts Tournament."
Zeke nodded.
"That's right. But Master said it would be difficult without a supporting clan."
Decker pondered for a moment, then said to Zeke,
"Young Master. Please take a look at this."
Decker suddenly drew his sword.
Woooong!
A clear Aura Blade formed on his sword.
Zeke knew that Decker was a blue-rank knight, but he pretended not to know.
"D-Decker, you're a blue-rank knight?"
Decker replied,
"I know you already noticed."
Zeke made an awkward expression at Decker's words.
'He's always so quick-witted.'
Decker bowed his head to Zeke.
"Thank you for trusting me without suspicion even though you knew I was a blue-rank knight, Young Master."
Zeke felt a slight pang of guilt at Decker's words.
He had once suspected that Decker might be a spy sent by one of his other direct siblings.
Decker slowly opened his mouth.
"Actually, I was a knight belonging to Draker."
'As expected. He wasn't just an ordinary attendant.'
"Why are you suddenly telling me this, Decker?"
"To talk about your mother, Young Master."
Zeke frowned at Decker's words.
'Mother.'
Zeke had almost no memories of his mother.
This was because she died as soon as he was born.
He grew up in the care of a nanny and entered the Cradle at the age of seven, where he spent his childhood training with other Draker blood relatives.
There was no way Zeke could have any memories of his mother.
"This is the first time anyone has brought up my mother. It was no use even when I whined to my nanny as a child. No one else ever told me about my mother."
Decker replied,
"I was a guard knight protecting Madam."
"You were my mother's guard knight?"
"Yes. It was the mission I received after becoming a high-ranking knight of Draker."
Zeke was surprised to hear that Decker was a high-ranking knight of Draker.
He had thought Decker was quite skilled, but he hadn't known that he had even attained the rank of a high-ranking knight.
Decker continued slowly,
"There's a reason why no one within Draker talks about Madam."
"What's the reason?"
"Because of Madam's clan."
"My mother's clan? Wasn't my mother a commoner?"
Decker shook his head.
"Madam's clan... was once the most powerful among Draker's blood alliance. Even more so than the current Turunn or Siemens."
Zeke was surprised at those words.
"But why doesn't anyone remember them now? No, it's more like no one wants to talk about them."
"That's because... bad rumors spread about that clan."
"What? Bad rumors? Just because of that?"
Zeke was dumbfounded.
He couldn't understand how such a powerful clan could have been virtually erased just because of bad rumors.
But Decker said with a serious expression,
"To be precise, they were afraid. They avoided them, calling them a cursed clan."
"Cursed?"
Curses certainly existed.
Even the Scorpion Clan he encountered in the South used curse magic to kill or torment people.
But the curse Decker was talking about wasn't that kind.
"What kind of curse was it?"
"The children of the clan died."
"The children?"
Decker nodded with a grave expression.
"Yes. Pregnant women gave birth to stillborn babies, and the children who were born died before they reached the age of five."
"Without exception?"
"Only one person, your mother, Madam, survived and grew up."
Zeke made a dumbfounded expression.
'They were afraid because of a curse... Well, it was worse when I was in the north. The people there are especially susceptible to superstitions.'
Sometimes, such superstitions could exert more power than the magic of a dark mage.
It would start with simple curiosity, then as strange things piled up, people would become suspicious.
Suspicion would turn into fear over time.
Then Zeke looked at Decker and said,
"Decker, are you suggesting that I take that cursed clan as my supporting clan?"
Decker nodded.
"They were once the most prestigious clan in the central region. And Young Master, you are qualified as the sole successor of that clan."
"Hmm."
The most powerful of Draker's blood alliance clans, but now no one remembers them.
It was the perfect fit for Zeke, who only needed the justification of a supporting clan.
Zeke asked Decker, "So, what's the name of my mother's clan?"
Decker slowly opened his mouth.
"The name of that clan is..."
He said in a clear voice,
"The Agamemnon clan."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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