Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

Seeing that Roy did not answer, Charné smiled slightly. He had expected this; it was normal for Roy not to admit it after the sudden news broke.

But that's the truth. Roy's disguise was indeed very convincing, but some of his actions couldn't be faked.

From the very beginning, he operated under the banner of the "Three No's" principle, leading ordinary people to believe he was just another admirer of the Radiant Knight, unaware that he was merely laying the groundwork for later events. He then used this facade to contact Maria Nearl. While most people saw Maria Nearl as just a child, children are often the most important yet easily overlooked resource. In Victoria, it was not uncommon for nobles and merchants to raise their children as spies to steal and transmit intelligence. Later, he used Maria Nearl to contact Marna Nearl, relaying information about the Supervisory Council and the War Knights. This was the most secretive method, as the information was passed down orally among relatives, making it virtually impossible for anyone to find fault with them.

What confirmed Charner's suspicions was the destruction of the Nearl mansion. The newspapers extensively reported that this was the beginning of the feud between Marner Nearl and Roy—this was only the first layer of meaning. A slightly more discerning person could detect something amiss through Marner's subsequent visits to the Supervisory Council and the Business Federation to withdraw the lawsuit against Roy, but this was only the second layer. Charner saw a third layer: Roy must have conveyed some very important information to Marner, which was why he had to destroy the mansion to obliterate the scene and maintain complete secrecy!

Otherwise, how can we explain that the Dark Knight, who has been dormant for more than ten years, suddenly started to be active during this period, not only quitting his job and receiving an advance on his salary, but also frequently visiting various places?

He said he was raising funds to rebuild the Liguang House, but who would believe that!

The Knights of Conquest and the Supervisory Council were about to make a move, Charnet was certain of it. Roy was the Supervisory Council's mole, just waiting for a surprise attack, but he never expected that he would be seen through.

Now is the best opportunity to turn Roy against us and bring him to our side. This will not only allow us to turn the tables on the Supervisory Council, but also give us more power within the Business Federation.

On the other hand, Roy couldn't understand the deeper meaning behind Charne's words, so he could only deny it, saying, "But I'm not some kind of conquering knight."

Charné was prepared to speak, as he had anticipated, but before he could utter a word, the phone on the table rang.

Charné glanced at the caller ID on the phone and couldn't help but smile.

They couldn't resist any longer, could they?

Charn pressed the answer and speakerphone buttons, turned the phone towards Roy, and said, "Hello, this is the Major Organizing Committee office."

"Hello, I'm calling to ask if there's a knight named Roy in your area?"

Caller ID: Office of the Grand Knight Commander of the Supervisory Council.

Volume 1: Chapter 44 Major Mission: The Knights' Arena Special Tournament Begins!

"Hello, I'm calling to ask if there's a knight named Roy in your area?"

In the Grand Knight Commander's office, Russell watched the live broadcast of the Knights' Tournament Special Championship on the projection screen and dialed the tournament organizing committee's number.

The busy tone on the other end of the phone didn't last long; soon, Charné replied:

"Yes, sir. May I ask who you are?"

You may call me Russell.

Charne's pupils contracted sharply, and when he looked up at Roy, his expression became more serious and cautious.

Russell, this unassuming name, is rarely mentioned anymore. People now refer to the lady with this name as the Grand Knight Commander of the Kazimierz Authority!

Today, the situation in Kazimierz is quite clear: the Commercial Union and the Supervisory Council are opposing yet mutually restraining each other. The Supervisory Council is backed by the Knights of Conquest, who guard the frontier and fight against foreign enemies, while the Commercial Union is backed by the vast majority of people and capitalists who have benefited greatly from social changes.

It might sound a bit darkly humorous that capitalists actually stand with the people, but that's the truth. Compared to being slaves at the mercy of feudal lords, more people would rather be citizens secretly exploited by capitalists. That's progress.

However, even though the Supervisory Council had gradually lost ground in the political struggle, the Merchant Federation lacked the power to destroy it in one fell swoop—after all, they still controlled the most elite military forces in Kazimir, possessing the purest and most powerful military authority. The Merchant Federation dared not distribute crossbows and swords to ordinary people; otherwise, if the last toppled the Supervisory Council, they themselves would be the next to be hung from a lamppost. This is why the Merchant Federation has so far only been secretly courting and corrupting the War Knights.

Unbreakable alliances are often broken from within.

At this very moment of undercurrents and power struggles, the Grand Knight Commander actually took the initiative to call them and inquire about a newly debuted competitive knight. Even a fool could see that they were sending a very simple signal—Roy is one of ours, and very important to us. We advise you not to act rashly.

Charné bit his lip. If he were in Russell's position, he would never have called the Merchant Guild to vouch for someone just because an ordinary War Knight had been exposed. War Knights were to the Supervisory Council what the Unarmored Alliance was to the Merchant Guild—they were countless. Even if Roy was exposed and eliminated, he could easily choose one or more replacements to infiltrate the Arena Knights and the Guild as informants in a similar way; there was no need for him to take the risk.

But Russell did exactly that.

What does this mean?

Charner took a deep breath. He had initially thought Roy was at most a reasonably capable knight chosen by a certain order of knights, but now he had to change his mind; Roy's identity was definitely more complex than he had imagined. Was he a descendant of an ancient knightly family? Or a squire of a illustrious knight? Otherwise, Russell would have no reason to personally inquire.

Time gave Charné little time to think, so he spoke first to reassure Russell: "So it's you, Grand Knight Commander. May I ask what business you have with Sir Roy?"

Seemingly sensing the probing tone in Charné's words, Russell raised an eyebrow thoughtfully and said:

"Don't be nervous, spokesperson. I'm just curious. The Special Championship is a triennial event in Casimir. With such a blunder at the opening ceremony, am I not allowed to express my concern as an old lady?"

“Of course, thank you for your concern,” Charne said. “Sir Roy is right here beside me, waiting for more information on his background. Is there anything you want to tell him? I can give him the phone.”

What's wrong with this guy? I didn't say anything, why is he acting so suspicious?

Russell glanced at the call log with some surprise, confirming that he had called the organizing committee office, not some paranoid patient at the West Third District Mental Hospital.

She did have some questions she wanted to ask Roy in person, but conveying them over the phone was clearly not a good approach. She paused, then said:

"No need to give it to him. Just turn on the speakerphone and I'll say a few words."

Trying to distance herself this way? No, this is clearly a case of protesting too much. That's right, from the moment she made that call, Roy should have already understood what she wanted to say.

Old fox.

Not particularly interested, Charne pressed the speakerphone button and placed the phone on the table. The Grand Knight Commander's kind yet authoritative voice came through the phone:

“Sir Roy, it’s a pity our first meeting can’t take place in person. I’m very interested in you.”

Roy nodded with a subtle expression. Although he knew why Russell had said that, it felt rather strange to be "interested" by a woman who was probably two or three generations older than him. Especially since this woman wasn't some kind of powerful being like Kal'tsit.

However, Roy would still maintain his established persona. He immediately replied, "Your Excellency, please don't say that. You have always been a role model for the knights of Kazimierz. When I was a child, my parents would always mention you when they told me stories about the golden steeds on the plains."

"So, that's why you volunteered to become Linguang's tutor?" Russell wasn't bothered by the slight flattery; he simply asked with a smile.

Roy shook his head and said, "Miss Maria offered to hire me, and besides, haven't I been suspended indefinitely?"

"Huh? Why?"

“Even a tutor needs a home. What kind of tutor am I if I don’t even have a home?” Roy laughed.

Russell actually laughed out loud, and even his merits were lost along with the laughter.

After laughing, she composed herself and commented, "You're quite humorous, young man. It's hard to imagine that someone like Marner would think highly of you."

"I didn't see why he thought highly of me. If I hadn't gotten Stella, I probably would have been half dead in one hit," Roy thought to himself, but kept smiling and didn't say a word.

After the casual conversation, Russell nodded in satisfaction.

This kid is slick, or to put it more precisely, he's very smooth. He speaks flawlessly and can take a joke. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would fight tooth and nail for a certain goal. This kind of personality isn't necessarily good or bad, but it's definitely the most suitable for Kazimierz right now.

Most importantly, given his current personality, he will go further and more easily than the Radiant Knight, Russell had this premonition.

I found myself thinking about that child again. I wonder where she is now and how she is doing.

With a soft sigh that wouldn't get through the microphone, Russell said:

"Seeing that you're still in good spirits puts my mind at ease. Sir Roy, don't let today's events put any pressure on you. Just play your best. After all, the Kazimierz Knights' Tournament is quite fair, am I right?"

“Of course.” Roy nodded affirmatively, glancing at Charne.

Charner could easily guess Russell's meaning: those words weren't directed at Roy, but at him and the business association behind him.

With this guarantee, who would dare to use those underhanded tricks on Roy?

But what could Charner do? He had only temporarily taken over McGee's mess, and he had done his best to get it to this point. Now that the Grand Knight Commander's order was being passed down, he could only smile and agree, "Of course, the organizing committee will do its utmost to ensure that the competition is conducted fairly, justly, and openly in accordance with the rules."

Russell then nodded in agreement, saying, "Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

"Thank you, thank you," Charné said politely.

Russell paused, then asked, "When is Roy's next game?"

Charné's smile froze. What did that mean? It was obvious that he didn't trust them and planned to supervise them personally, to give them a hard time.

He could only announce the facts: "The competition schedule is published on the official website. The first stage will be the points competition and the knockout stage. As a new Cavalier, Roy does not have enough points, so he needs to participate in the points competition first and then the knockout stage. Therefore, his first game is tomorrow."

"Then I'll wait and see."

The Grand Knight Commander said softly and hung up the phone.

Charne raised his head, glanced at Roy, and seemed to want to say something, but then gritted his teeth, shook his head, and said, "You can go."

"what?"

"You can go now. Whenever you want to talk to me, I'll be waiting here." Charné turned around, unusually wanting to light a cigarette.

“Uh…” However, Roy still didn’t move.

Charne asked somewhat impatiently, "What? Not planning on leaving?"

"Didn't you make me fill out a form?" Roy said, glancing sideways at the Knights Guild staff members peeking in through the doors and windows. "They've been waiting outside for ages, aren't we going to let them in?"

"......"

Seeing Roy's suppressed laughter, Charnet really wanted to yell at him: "You're still pretending even now? Do you think I don't know your background?"

But he saw through it but didn't say anything. He could only glare fiercely at Roy and say, "Come on! I'll fill it out for you!"

Roy immediately clasped his hands in thanks, jogged to open the door, and slipped away, saying, "Thank you so much."

Charné didn't like him and didn't want to stay there anymore.

However, just as he stepped out the door, a new task notification from the system rang in his ears.

[Major Mission: Embark on the 23rd Kazimierz Knights' Tournament Special!]

[Note: This is a large-scale mission, unlocked in stages. Each stage has its own tasks, side quests, unexpected encounters, and individual rewards. After completing all stages, the large-scale mission rewards will be unlocked based on the overall completion rate. Please do your best!]

[Note: During large-scale missions, the module system will open a limited module pool. Completing tasks within the large-scale mission will unlock limited special modules!]

[Stage 1: Breakthrough, Points Race!]

[Side Task 1: Achieve the highest score in the points race.]

[Unexpected Encounter Mission (Not yet unlocked)]

[Mission Introduction: From the birth of the first knight in Kazimierz, to the era of heroes gathering in knighthood, and now to the arena battles between knights, knights have embodied unique meanings in each era. So, tell this land your answer: What kind of knight are you?]