People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Kal'tsit, you must be joking!"

"You ordered me to monitor Ernst, and now you want to cancel that order in less than a day. How can you change your mind so easily?"

“Sherrag is our partner, Ernst is our friend, and that’s why we need to understand him better and protect him more effectively. Are we supposed to wait for him to become like His Highness…?”

Ascalon's voice trailed off, and an eerie silence fell over the corridor. The two people, so close yet so far, both lowered their heads, as if the question they had raised had touched upon some taboo.

After a long pause, Ascalon finally spoke:

"Sorry, I made a mistake."

“However, Kal'tsit, I will not cease my surveillance of Ernst, and I will maintain a high level of vigilance toward him, whether or not with your approval or orders. This is SWEEP’s right.”

Kal'tsit took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

She knew Ascalon's style of doing things. This master assassin was the type who would never give up until she achieved her goal. She would never give up on any mission until the objective was achieved, and even if she went to ask her to stop, it wouldn't necessarily have any effect.

She couldn't persuade her otherwise.

Kal'tsit wasn't sure what she was feeling at that moment. She felt a little regretful, a little confused, and perhaps even... no, that shouldn't be it.

She simply nodded:

"I see."

"Then, can you tell me what exactly happened this afternoon?"

Ascaron paused, then nodded slightly and said:

"He wanted Sarkaz to become a nation. He negotiated with the Duke of Caesar for this, and... he succeeded."

"Ho-"

With a groan, but this time, before Ascalon could even begin the first aid she had recently become inexplicably skilled at, Kal'tsit raised her hand to stop her.

She slowly raised her head, not out of heartache, nor for anything else.

Kal'tsit smiled with relief.

She understood, she suddenly understood, she understood Ascalon, she understood Kal'tsit, she understood everything!

There is a person who wants to reorganize the royal court, changing the Sarkaz royal court, which is based on bloodline clans, into a committee system based on bureaucracy.

He went to great lengths to win over the Sarkaz moderates, establishing connections with banshees, earth children, liches, and others, utilizing their abilities for development, and incorporating them into the committee system.

Ultimately, their goal is to negotiate with the nations of Terra to secure the opportunity for Sarkaz to become an independent nation, striving to normalize Sarkaz and Kazdel, so that the Sarkaz, currently like refugees, can truly become part of the international order on Terra and share a future of peace and development.

So, who is this person?

She looked at Ascalon, a hint of wisdom in her eyes.

Ascalon, you're using Ernst as a meal replacement, aren't you!

Unfortunately, you're still too inexperienced. Ernst and Theresa are so many differences. Both Theresa and Ernst did the things mentioned above, so why is Ernst making such great progress now, while Theresa faced numerous obstacles at the beginning?

It's not simply because one is a Felin and the other a Sarkaz! These two are fundamentally different!

Of course, Kal'tsit didn't expect to persuade Ascalon now, whose attitude was firm. Kal'tsit didn't want to waste her breath and decided to let time tell.

At least Kal'tsit herself believed:

Nobody is here.

Compared to her, ????

Understand better, ????

Ernst! ????

Chapter 426 Don't talk to your left-handed brother about strategy!

Kazimir, Grand Knight Commander, Kavaleriaki.

With the troubles over and after several days of rest, Jeston is finally ready for his next match.

Legendary player "Left-Handed Knight," who advanced from the Knights Tournament Major, will face off against Jeston.

This match didn't receive much attention beforehand, for a simple reason: everyone felt it wasn't going to be a close contest.

On one side was the Left-Handed Knight, a perennial top-16 contender and practically the gatekeeper of the Major; on the other was the rising super soldier, Super Seraphim, whose feat of unleashing an ice-iron giant bird with a single punch, earning him a banner of praise from the Grand Knight and the hospital, was still fresh in everyone's memory. No one thought this battle would last long, including the Left-Handed Knight himself.

Left-Handed Knight is a smart man. His strength is actually not weak among competitive knights; he could even be considered top-tier. Although he can't compare to T0 or T0.5 like Black Knight or Blood Knight, he is at least at the level of a Grand Cup knight.

Despite his talent, he consistently finished in the top sixteen every year, to the point that his peers used it as a running joke.

"No one will remember a knight who made it to the top 16 unless he makes it to the top 16 every year."

This situation is clearly unreasonable, but within this unreasonableness lies a lot of reason.

He actually had the ambition to win the championship from the beginning. After all, everyone who comes to compete in the Cavaliers' arena is aiming for the championship.

The benefits of becoming a champion are numerous. In terms of reputation, it brings honor to one's family and lineage. Many fallen knightly families have regained their former glory thanks to the vast sums of marks earned in knightly competitions. And the money? It's inexhaustible. For at least the next four years, you'll be the sole focus of the Commercial Federation's publicity efforts. In today's Great Knight Territory, with just a little effort, four years is enough for a champion and their descendants to live in luxury for at least three generations!

Not to mention, there are many more hidden benefits, such as greater fame, more fans, higher net worth, which provides a huge advantage in choosing a spouse, participating in politics, becoming a public figure, writing memoirs and making money, etc.

No competitive rider could resist the allure of these things.

At least that's what the Left-Handed Knight initially thought.

With such a dream in mind, the Left-Handed Knight made a meteoric rise in his debut year. This is quite normal; someone with a clear goal, even if it's not high-end, coupled with already considerable strength and a persistent spirit, is bound to achieve success.

But sometimes, besides the 99 percent effort, a person's success really does require that 1 percent luck.

The year that the left-handed knight Titus Poplar debuted, another competitive knight also officially stepped onto the stage of history. Her name was Mace, and she came from Letania. She was contemptuously called a defective product who could not use magic.

A minor disagreement arose between the two. Specifically, Titus Baiyang felt that Jian was arrogant; even though he was in the competitive equestrian business, he still acted superior, neither accepting payment nor participating in events, which hurt his narrow-minded perspective. Jian, on the other hand, responded:

"Who are you?"

To prevent the uncooperative knight from achieving too high a ranking, the Business Federation arranged for the two to face off in the round of 16, and the result...

The left-handed knight thus began his endless journey to the round of 16.

In the 19st Major, in the round of 16, he lost to the Black Knights, who won the championship.

In the 20st Major, in the round of 16, he lost to the Black Knights, who won the championship.

In the 21st Major, in the round of 16, he lost to the Black Knights, who won the championship.

Aside from the change in the tournament edition, everything seems to be the same. The champion remains the same, still the Black Knight; the Black Knight remains the same, still the troublemaker who refuses to submit to the Business Federation; the only change is Titus Poplar.

His failure to advance to the semi-finals cost him the chance to receive a single-word title. Being defeated by the Black Knight every time also caused him to lose the trust of the Business Federation. He was named the Left-Handed Knight, thus becoming a thorn in the side of the knightly arena.

For anyone else, their experience at this point would probably be something like this: fortunes change, don't underestimate a young person's potential! The Business Federation is condescending, I'll rest for a year, then come back and dominate the Major!

At a slightly lower level, it would be something like this: This is probably the limit of my life. One has to accept one's fate. The Black Knight is my nemesis. Oh well, I'm disheartened and I'll just retire obediently.

But Titus Poplar is different.

He figured it out.

He can't beat the Black Knights, but he can beat others? Winning the championship is out of the question. The goal is to make money anyway, so why not just be straightforward? Doesn't the Business Federation want someone to help keep those unruly knights out of the Major? Why can't I be that person?

I also have a wealth of practical experience, even though I didn't succeed.

And so, Left-Handed Knight and the Business Federation hit it off, and he became the undisputed gatekeeper of the tournament. And because of his shrewdness and his rather unique record—those who defeated him all went on to win the championship—the Business Federation finally turned around and invested in Left-Handed Knight.

This investment was clearly worthwhile; the presence of the Left-Handed Knight significantly enhanced the prestige of the Kazimierz Knights Tournament. Those strong enough to defeat him were considered seeded players and favorites to win, such as Margaret Nearl from the previous tournament, and Blood Knight De Caiopolis and Candle Knight Viviana Drost from this year's competition. Those who couldn't even beat him had no reason to participate.

The left-handed knight made a fortune as a goalkeeper; deliberately throwing games and fixing matches brought in extra income, and he was extremely satisfied.

Until this International Games.

The addition of the International Games to the Major has indeed caused a huge shock to many Major Knights, with the most significant impact on the Left-Handed Knight.

For once, he was determined to give it his all.

The Tournament of Nations is a prestigious competition, attracting only the most outstanding warriors handpicked from across the nations of Terra. Its prestige speaks for itself. Most importantly, it's fair!

The Business Federation couldn't control everything in this series of competitions. All the cheating methods he had seen, used, and experienced were ineffective in this competition.

Although he knew this was only the bare minimum of fairness, and the business federation could still influence the outcome by adjusting the match order and other means, so what?

This opportunity, once missed, may never come again.

Therefore, this year's Left-Handed Knights, with the attitude of turning against the Business Federation, made it into the semifinals.

Although he was defeated by the Blood Knight in the semifinals and failed to advance to the finals, he had already qualified for the World Championship by reaching the semifinals, which met the requirements!

"I, Titus Poplar, was born into a prestigious family with a long and distinguished tradition of scholarship. My ancestors were knights and nobles for generations, and they even fought alongside the council members against the king, ending the monarchy!"

"I'm not saying this to prove anything, but simply to tell you not to underestimate me, Titus Poplar! What I lost back then, I will now take back with my own hands, leaving nothing behind!"

"This time, no matter who it is, they will all fall to my hand!"

After defeating a contestant from Dosoles, the Left-Handed Knight successfully advanced to the second round, a record that surpassed that of the Blood Knight Decaeopolis and tied him with the Candle Knight Viviana. His popularity has thus skyrocketed.

Immediately, comments such as "Left-Handed Knight is second in terms of raw strength," "The Black Knight owes Left-Handed Knight a championship," and "It's not that my brother doesn't want to win, it's just that the previous matches weren't prestigious enough, so he didn't want to win" were rampant.

The left-handed knight knew very well that he was now walking a tightrope. Either he would win the match and officially become the "hard-core champion," or he would lose and face the reckoning from the Business Federation.

There is no way out!

So, let's see who I beat up!

Left-Handed Knight opened the website for the players' match schedule and looked at the match schedule.

Left-handed Cavaliers Titus White vs. Jesten Williams, represented by Sherag.

Titus Poplar: "..."

I took out my phone, dialed the spokesperson's number, and got through.

“Your Excellency, no, Your Excellency.”

"Is it too late for me to surrender now?"

"No, no, there's no cowardice involved. I just don't want to use my face to hit Jeston's Ice Bird."

"Yes, I can't beat them in a fight, so the only way to make a living is by guarding the goal and stomping on weaker teams in the round of 16. Please grant my request, Spokesperson! I will be a goalkeeper for life! I'll do anything!"

Chapter 427 The Battle of Letania, The Radiance of Originium Arts

"What do you mean? What do you mean I won?"

Inside the room, Jeston listened to the communications from the organizing committee of the International Games on his terminal, somewhat bewildered.

The voice on the other end sounded somewhat confused and embarrassed, and could only offer a simple explanation:

"We don't know the specifics, but the fact is that the left-handed knight had to withdraw from the competition due to physical reasons. Since your opponent withdrew, you naturally advanced."

Jesston was taken aback, and a question arose in his mind:

"You can withdraw from this competition?"

"The rules do state that withdrawal from the competition is permitted..."

The voice on the other end of the microphone was somewhat speechless. After all, this situation was indeed rare and unusual.

Yes, the rules do stipulate that participants in the International Games have the right to withdraw from the competition. If you don't want to fight, who's going to hold a knife to your throat and force you onto the field?

Hey, you know what, there really is.

At least most of the time, the vast majority of participants don't "quit." They represent either a country, a faction, or an organization. Everyone has pride, especially a nation. Losing isn't a big deal; as long as you've tried your best, everyone can understand. After all, there is a clear difference in strength between the two sides. Victory and defeat are common in competitions, and as long as the defeat isn't too embarrassing, everyone can accept it.

Even if you suffer a humiliating defeat, you won't be the only one embarrassed; the country and organization that sent you will also lose face. You won't be subjected to too much criticism.

But if you retreat without a fight and surrender directly, that's a different story.

That means you can't sit at the table to eat when you get home; that means people will talk behind your back; that means people will call you a coward!

Therefore, no matter how great the pressure, the representatives of the country and the organization will not surrender, and there is no question of withdrawing from the competition.

The reason this rule exists is simple: the rules of the World Championship are basically transplanted versions of the Special Championship rules. The changes mainly concern the scope of participation and the handling of players. The section on whether withdrawal is allowed remains unchanged, and no one feels that any changes are needed.

This gave the left-handed guy an opportunity!

If others won't vote, why can't I? Don't underestimate me just because I'm from Casimir. If you round it up, whose family doesn't have some Gallic ancestry?

What, you're asking about Gaul?

40-day speedrun to Paris, honest and reliable service, no deception!

Left-Handed Brother's surrender was a well-thought-out decision. It's not fair to say that Left-Handed Brother has a small mindset; on the contrary, he has a very large one.