"Looks like those commoners had enough common sense to drop out before things got tough. I guess they could not handle the pressure of the final round of this competition after all."

"Well, that was to be expected. After all, they both knew that the final winner was already determined long ago. None of us can hold a candle to the half-elf duke from Celceris kingdom."

"It's true! This whole competition is a waste of time. I only came here because my parents insisted I go and 'play nice' with the half-elf duke. That way, I can use this relationship later in life."

Daidus Lukewater heard everyone gossip about him, but he did not pay attention to them.

He had heard it all by now—how people liked him for his money or his family name. Some had even tried to take advantage of him because he looked and felt young.

There was no shortage of people who wanted to take advantage of him in his life.

But for the first time in a while, he felt excited, all because of Layla. She was someone who did not approach him, despite knowing who he was and what kind of powers he had.

The girl was even more powerful than he had been, and she was not shy about it. But she did not brag like other strong kids did in front of Daidus.

She was a rival he could compete with and not feel awkward…

'But where is she? She told me that she would be here no matter what! But the competition is about to start. And what about the other commoner? Did he drop out as well? But why…and when?'

The two nobles who had paid their way to the final had smirks.

They had been speaking about being in the top ten since the first day, and after all that happened, it was clear that they used their connections to get this far.

It should have been an instant disqualifier, and these people should have been banned.

Instead, the competition hosts decided to let this happen. Those competition hosts were responsible for this happening.

'There is no honor in winning this competition. I should give up now and head back now. I can tell father about what happened, and then we can go out and adopt Layla. Our dukedom can use someone powerful like her…'

Having someone as talented and intelligent as Layla in the Lukewater household, even as a servant or ward, was dangerous. She could charm the Duke into handing her title over.

And since she was more talented than Daidus (for now), the vessels might even push for her to become the heir instead, just as they did with Daidus and his older brother.

But somehow, he did not mind that happening to him. It might even help him out in the long run somehow…

"Looks like our two constants have decided not to show up. Now, we will substitute them with someone else. Thankfully, some kids stayed behind and helped us out. Now, welcome our top 10 constants."

The host called out, but the audience did not look happy.

But nothing could be done about it. The competition's final round was no longer stopped, and constants were finalized.

*boom*

The door of the competition hall was forced open, and everyone gasped as a familiar face walked through the door.

His regal self made people look away, and the dark look on his face made the host feel awkward.

"D-Duke Lockhart, what brings you here? I thought you were busy with your territory. Ah, no, please come in! How may I help you out?"

The host suddenly turned pale as he looked at the duke in the face.

There were so many rumors about Duke Lockhart that it was hard to track them down. But one thing he did know was that the Duke was dangerous.

He was one man no one wanted to cross in the empire, including the royal family and the temple.

"Don't bother. I came here because one of my wards wrote about something amusing. You don't have to bother with me. Please, continue doing what you were."

The duke dismissively waved his hand as he sat on the front chair.

He looked too regal for that small room, making the hosts panic.

Everyone quickly glanced over the constants to see if any of them had a connection with the Duke, but everyone felt accounted for. There were no outliers, which only meant one thing - the Duke's ward had been eliminated.

The host felt sweaty as he remembered a girl who refused to back down.

Although she stayed in the commoner's section, her actions were not commoner-like. And she also had a maid with her, making her stand out.

'Shit! This is bad! All those sighs were right before me, and I missed them all. Now, what do I do? I must inform my partners to be careful and shut that maid and kid's mouth forever. We can pin it in monsters and-'

"Duke Lockhart, we found it! All the people connected with the ring have been captured, and we have all the slaves in our possessions. What should we do about the people up here?"

The guard soldier asked as he marched into the room with his head held high.

Then, the host knew it was all over for him.

He had been caught,, and he could do nothing about it.

'Shit! It is over. I need to run or else-'

The man tried to run, but more soldiers stopped him.

He was not the only one detained here; the others were also caught by the guards and taken into custody. He tried to get out of his cuffs, but it was useless.

"Don't try to escape now. I promise you won't be able to leave this place alive if you try. I should meet my lovely 'ward' and maid to ensure they are still alive."

The Duke turned his head and walked out of the room.