Arknightcraft Modpack (Steve in Terra) (Minecraft x Arknight)

What else could he possibly be planning? He was just a regular spectator who wanted to watch the match. What kind of scheme could he be up to?

Well… even Steven himself couldn't say for sure.

Truth be told, he was pretty disappointed in this whole Major business. So, who knew? Maybe he would do something unexpected. Even he wasn't entirely confident in his own self-control.

To be more precise—he had already made up his mind. If things got boring or out of hand, he was jumping in himself. He'd even redeemed the Kamen Rider Mod ahead of time, picked out his favorite transformation belt, and was completely ready for action.

The audience? Oh, they were already warmed up and raring to go.

He was just waiting for the Major to mess up in any way—then he'd show these so-called "knights" what the real spirit of knighthood looked like.

So, when Centaurea tried to get some kind of promise out of him, all Steven could do was give her the most innocent, goofy grin he could muster.

"I'm just a harmless, honest guy," he said, chuckling. "What could I possibly do? Relax. Worst case, just hide me in a corner somewhere. Even if something does happen, I promise it won't lead back to you. You've got nothing to worry about."

Steven's vague and casual tone did nothing to ease Centaurea's anxiety. In fact, she looked even more alarmed now.

She knew he couldn't possibly be here just to watch the tournament like a normal person. That was way too suspicious.

"You do realize I'm in charge of security for this tournament, right?" she said, eyes narrowing.

"Oh, perfect!" Steven beamed, as if she'd just solved all his problems. "That makes things easier. If anything happens, you just pretend you didn't see it. We'll be a great team."

He even raised his eyebrows, giving her that 'isn't this great?' look.

"Team my ass!" Centaurea snapped. "Can't you just behave for once and not make my job harder? I'm already running on fumes here!"

"Exactly," Steven said with a sigh, shrugging. "That's why you should take it easy and slack off a little. Trust me, it'll be fine. I'm not guaranteed to cause trouble, right? And hey, if I do, that just gives you a solid excuse to give up—since, let's be real, you're not beating me anyway."

He tried to sound reassuring, but his words did the exact opposite.

"This is the arena, Steven," she said sharply. "And it's not just me here. What you're suggesting is basically a direct challenge to the entire Armorless Union."

"And that's exactly why it sounds fun," Steven said, his grin widening. "I've been bored out of my mind lately. Might as well find some entertainment. Besides, who said your so-called 'Armorless Union' could actually stop me?"

His voice brimmed with confidence. If there was one thing Steven never lacked, it was belief in himself.

After all, what kind of Minecrafter wasn't confident?

"I seriously don't know whether you're just insanely confident or completely delusional," Centaurea muttered. "Are you really going to go through with this?"

She looked at the handsome boy in front of her. His tone, his eyes—none of it showed a hint of hesitation. Everything he said came straight from the heart. To her, it was like watching a moth fly straight into a flame.

"I mean, come on," Steven said casually. "Even if I do cause trouble, it's not like a ticket's going to stop me. Just do your thing. Kick back, slack off. It's a rare chance, isn't it?"

He waved his hand dismissively, like none of this was a big deal.

He'd already made up his mind. If he acted, it would be with full intention—and a plan.

"You should've just snuck in quietly if you had to cause trouble," Centaurea sighed, rubbing her temples. "Now I know way more than I should. Do you enjoy being a walking headache?"

Steven just laughed. In his mind, that was a pretty accurate title.

Centaurea let out a long sigh—but then, unexpectedly, she laughed.

Steven's actions were, frankly, completely unnecessary. But maybe because of that, she couldn't help but feel a strange warmth. A sense that… maybe he actually trusted her.

After all, if Steven had really wanted to, he could've just barged into the arena like he said—without telling her a thing.

So why had he come to her? Maybe it was because he trusted her. Maybe he actually saw her as a friend.

After spending so long inside the Armorless Union, where everything revolved around profit and self-interest, Centaurea had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a conversation based on trust.

"…Well, fine," she said at last, smiling wryly. "Once this is all over, you'll buy me a drink. Or dinner. Whatever I want."

Steven scratched the back of his head.

She had a point—his little visit really had caused her unnecessary trouble. In that case, there was only one acceptable way to make it up to her: food and drinks. Classic solution.

She turned and led him into the massive coliseum. Not only that—she even found someone to assign him a VIP seat close to the arena floor, without making a fuss.

Then, she pointed to a control station-like platform a short distance away and gave him one final warning.

"I'll be monitoring everything from up there. If you're going to do anything… at least make sure you're not caught on anyone's radar. I don't just mean me—no one can find out. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

Steven shot her a thumbs-up.

"Piece of cake. I'll be so disguised, even I might not recognize myself. You've got nothing to worry about."

With the Kamen Rider Craft Mod activated, his disguise was practically perfect. Once the full armor was on, it didn't matter who was inside—nobody would be able to tell. Not even him, if he looked in a mirror.

After all, that was the beauty of a fully sealed combat suit. Everyone looked the same in one.

With a grin, Steven nodded at her in thanks—then finally took a proper look at the stadium.

It didn't feel quite like the combat tournaments he was familiar with. At the front of the stands, a group of people were busy tallying numbers or filling out forms. It looked… oddly official.

"Huh… This is my first time watching a Major. Who are those guys?" he asked casually, like he'd just turned to his personal tour guide.

Centaurea glanced at him, unimpressed. "They're the ones handling the bets. This is a Major—did you really think the audience would be satisfied just by watching?"

From the edge in her voice, it was clear she didn't hold gambling in very high regard.

"Oh, so it's the betting crowd… and it's official, too?" Steven muttered, scratching his head. "Talk about blatant."

No wonder the whole Major felt so drenched in the stench of money.

He had come here hoping to witness raw, passionate duels between honorable knights. But now that he saw it up close… it looked more like an upscale version of cockfighting.

The more he learned, the more disappointing it all became.

Shaking his head, Steven turned back toward the arena, having absolutely no interest in placing any bets.

Centaurea glanced sideways at Steven's expression and, to her surprise, found herself smiling.

It seemed that even though he liked money, he wasn't into gambling.

That… was honestly kind of reassuring.

"Well, everything else I can overlook—but not gambling. It's a good thing you're not into that. But if you do change your mind, just make sure you don't bet on the Whislash Knight."

She offered him an offhand tip with her usual tired, lazy tone. Since he clearly wasn't the gambling type, she figured there was no harm in leaking a bit of insider info.

"Huh? Why not?"

Steven had already lost most of his interest in this so-called tournament. But when he heard a familiar name come out of Centaurea's mouth, his curiosity perked up again.

"What's wrong with betting on the Whislash Knight? Isn't she one of the top contenders this year? From what I've heard, she's easily in the upper tier, right?"

He asked the question while watching Centaurea closely.

Being a Platinum in the Armorless Union came with certain privileges—like access to first-hand information. And Steven had no problem milking that for all it was worth.

"She's strong, yeah. But that doesn't matter," Centaurea said with a shrug. "The higher-ups don't want anyone connected to the Nearl family advancing to the main stage. That's all there is to it."

She spoke as if it were obvious. Which, to her, it was.

That was also why she, a high-ranking Platinum rank member, was stuck babysitting a round-of-36 match like this one.

The only reason she was even here was because someone up top was worried about 'leaks'—and had asked her to keep an eye on the Nearl family's distant relative competing under the alias Whislash Knight.

Steven blinked. "Wait, seriously? The people upstairs care that much? Even to the point of rigging a damn tournament just to keep someone out?"

He had expected some level of corruption in the Majors, but he hadn't expected it to be this… petty.

"Don't look at me. I'm just a grunt," Centaurea snapped, rolling her eyes at him. "Do I look like someone who actually gets a say in anything?"

Sure, her title sounded impressive—Platinum of the Armorless Union—but in reality? Compared to the real power players in the K.G.C.C, she was just another overworked wage slave.

"Well then," Steven muttered under his breath, "you're probably gonna be even more stressed soon."

"…Huh?" Centaurea turned to him, sensing something off.

Steven scratched his cheek, looking vaguely sheepish. "About that Whislash Knight girl… I actually kinda know her. So yeah. Not sure I can just sit back and watch her get screwed over by your so-called 'higher-ups'."

They weren't exactly best friends, but they were close enough that turning a blind eye felt wrong.

Centaurea froze.

"…I'm sorry, who are you again?" she said coldly, voice devoid of emotion. "Did you say something? Sorry, I didn't catch that. Oh look, time to work. Bye."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked away without even glancing back.

'Great,' she thought, 'I really would've preferred not knowing any of that.'

<+>

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