Chapter 102
I returned back towards the Blood Colosseum .
In front of the entrance, there was a carriage parked in front .
A carriage that I recognize .
It belongs to the Guild Master of the Mercenary Guild .
In addition, I could also see the carriage of Duke Zuan .
Tomorrow’s duel is an important battle even for those who were on the management side .
I guess they must have some business meeting prior to the day of my duel .
[………………]
I pa.s.s through the gate and entered the Blood Colosseum .
In the edges of the Blood Colosseum, you could find a residential area .
In principle, the Blood Champions were living here .
We don’t need money here .
We even had meals provided for us .
I could even call this as special treatment towards us compared to how slaves are normally treated .
On the other hand though, it’s uncertain for us whether we could even live tomorrow .
It could be said that the Blood Champions offered their lives in exchange for gaining clothing, food and shelter .
I pa.s.sed through the corridor and went into my room .
As soon as I entered, I lie down on my bed .
Lying there, I blankly stare at the ceiling .
(This uneasiness… It won’t disappear . )
It’s not because tomorrow is my final duel .
The cause is quite obvious .
It’s about that guy, Hati .
That story of a Blood Champion killed the day after he gained his freedom .
A person who fought to redeem his freedom…
(It’s similar to mine… The story of a dead Blood Champion who had hopes like mine…)
Is everything just a plot?
So that Duke Zuan could get his hands on that girl .
The light of suspicion began encroaching everything into the darkness .
(He had also been talking about that girl once in a while . )
“I can’t help but look forward towards that child’s growth . ”
“Well~ I’m looking forward for the future . ”
“However, I’m just worrying about you . ”
“It’s good enough right now . However, you should think about the time when you’d eventually have to be independent from her . ”
“Wouldn’t you say that I’m a man that you could trust?”
I haven’t given it much thought before .
(However…)
I can’t help but feel uneasy with these things I’ve remembered .
Closing my eyes, I tried looking away from these doubts I’m feeling .
(Don’t be deceived… This must be some kind of fraud that man used to get the information about the witch…)
That man named Hati .
He’s quite a mysterious man .
I can’t really say that he’s quite polite .
You could even say that the Duke’s speech and conduct is more polite than his .
(Though I say that, why is it that I feel that the actions of that man named Hati is more sincere…)
Startled with my own thoughts, I started thinking again .
(That’s stupid . )
Isn’t the duke keeping his promise even until now?
Moreover, I have made great contributions to the Duke .
I had given him huge profits as my owner .
(I’ve fulfilled my obligations to my owner more than enough . He should be satisfied already . He should be feeling compa.s.sion for me for the contributions I had made…)
“Isn’t it that you’re throwing those words to yourself?”
Hati’s question just now .
There were some changes in my words in the middle of our conversion .
I had only noticed later .
The people I believed in .
Duke Zuan .
Mercenary Guild .
I had first spoken those two names .
However, it was replaced later by another words along our conversation .
(Yeah… I just noticed that I had inadvertently replaced it with the “world of duels” . It’s neither Duke Zuan nor the Mercenary Guild . )
I change my lying posture and laid on my side .
(Deep inside my heart, I’ve never believed in the Duke nor the Mercenary Guild— Is that how it is?)
The uneasiness in my heart still won’t subside .
On the contrary, it’s becoming larger as time goes by .
Just living peacefully .
(Is that so much for me to hope for…?)
A future filled with happiness which I have been dreaming of .
(Together with that little girl, living in peace and quiet… I don’t want to fight anymore…)
Fighting to entertain the audience .
Fighting as a show .
The more brutal you are when you killed your opponent, the more delighted the audience would be .
I would get a lot of money proportional to my actions .
However, I couldn’t feel any pride as a warrior anymore .
(I was only able to keep fighting until now because of her existence . )
I would have committed suicide long ago .
My pride as a warrior of the were-leopards has long disappeared .
I’m just a warrior who had became a clown .
However, it’s good enough .
I’ve already resolved myself into this and kept on fighting .
(However, if that guy… If the Duke were aiming at that child—-)
I can’t help but be sick of this .
I know that my mind would be chaotic .
I just tightly closed my eyes and hoped that I could sleep away my worries .
However, drowsiness wouldn’t come at all .
I already know the reason .
[…………… . . ]
(These doubts, I have to make it disappear . )
Raising my body out of my bed, I quietly left my room .
▽
I am now in the corridor on the second floor of the Blood Colosseum .
The residence of Duke Zuan is located on the second floor .
There’s a man standing alone in front of the Duke’s room .
He’s my captain, Costello .
He’s Duke Zuan’s trusted retainer .
A man with an iron-like impression .
I heard that he killed anyone who went against the Duke .
He was also one of the people that the citizens wished to see as my final opponent .
In other words, he’s a very strong warrior .
There are no presence of other people around here .
[…………… . ]
With Costello standing guard in front, I can’t get close to the door .
I leaned my back at the corner of the corridor .
This place isn’t visible from where Costello stands .
This place is still a bit far from the Duke’s room .
However, I could still hear their conversation inside that room without any problem .
Were-leopards have better ears than humans .
If I concentrate enough, I would be able to hear into a room, even if it were away .
Thanks to these ears, it’s also easy for me to sense the presence of humans .
It was also thanks to my ears that I’ve noticed that Hati and his partner were tailing me .
(Well, it seems that they’ve already knew that I’ve noticed they’re tailing me . )
[……………]
Why am I even in this place?
I can’t help but ask myself .
That’s right— I want to confirm it .
Whether I could really trust the Duke or the Guild .
At first, I thought of just going into the room and directly ask them myself .
Can I really be freed if I were to win tomorrow?
I planned on asking that .
However, I didn’t .
Because I don’t think they would tell me the truth .
(I’m already… doubtful of him and the Mercenary Guild…)
Slightly astonished at my own thoughts, I concentrate my consciousness on my ears .
I heard some conversation in the room .
For some time, I listened to their conversations .
I can’t find any suspicious content in them .
Most of them seems to be finishing touches about the event tomorrow .
Tomorrow’s opponent seems to be a bit strong, but there’s no problem with that .
I had already expected that the management would prepare a strong opponent for my duel .
(Fuuu…)
They’re not planning any schemes at all .
I could feel the uneasiness within my heart disappearing .
Relieved, I was about to leave but…
[By the way— Are you certain that Eve Speed would die as we planned?]
Pause .
My feet stops .
[Of course . Just as we planned, we will be giving her a paralyzing drug before her duel . ] (T/N: anesthesia)
The Duke answered towards the Guild Master .
[Fufufu, making her drink that on the ritual before the final duel, the “Purification Sakazuki”… That’s really a great idea . ]
Purification Sakazuki .
It’s a ritual performed by drinking a cup of alcohol before their final duel .
Violently moving around after drinking alcohol slows down their thought process .
It’s easy to lose your life in your final duel .
It is said that it’s because of the effect of alcohol .
However, it’s an already established ritual that can’t be rejected .
It wouldn’t be a problem if it’s just alcohol .
I have confidence in my alcohol tolerance .
However, it looks like they’re not making me drink alcohol .
(So, they’re mixing in a drug huh…)
I could feel all of my fur standing up .
[It’s important that you lighten the dosage of that paralysis drug for a bit . If she would be paralyzed too much, the audience may notice that something’s out of place . ]
[What the audience wants to see is pure death without any kinds of tricks… If they were to discover our tricks, I doubt that they’d generously loosen the strings of their purses . Good grief, even those slightly richer citizens would become quite troublesome . ]
[Did Eve really have no intention to keep going as a Blood Champion?]
[I already tried talking her into it but… she said she wants to quit as she rejected me . She keeps on saying all these kind of bullsh*t like “I can’t keep on doing these kind of fights” or “I feel like sh*t” . She’s completely s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around with me . ]
[It’s such a waste… There are hardly any Blood Champions who knows how to please the audience . ]
[I think it’s because she’s really strong that she could afford to fight like that . No, it’s probably because I had pampered her too much . Hah… Even though I prepared a place for that dirty subhuman to shine, to think that she’d be ungrateful…]
[After all is said and done, she’s still just a beast . ]
[Nevertheless, it’s because she’s a beast that she had a lot of uses . ]