Chapter 282 – Nameless (1)
「Did Nell get lost……」
We promised to meet here, but there is no sign of her appearing in this『Grand Coliseum』.
Naturally I’m quite worried about her, but as expected I can’t be leaving the quest to go search for her.
After waiting for the last minute of the time on the front gate, I reluctantly entered the venue, finished various formalities before finally reaching the waiting room.
Although it is called as waiting room, it was just like the benches for baseball players, meanwhile one can see the mound, no, arena clearly from here.
Regardless of Adventurer Rank, all contenders are a.s.sembling here. Numerous people were standing all over the place equipped with good equipments, the scenes was just like that of Adventurer Guild’s lobby.
However, as expected of Cursed Weapon maniacs, many of them seemed very bizarre.
Especially the young lady, who was standing boldly in front wearing equipment with gaudy design, seeming just like a black wedding dress.
You see, she’s got some great ringlets, so obviously she’s some rich young lady. She even adds「deswa~」at the end of sentence, one more proof.
Seeing her eating popcorn held under her arms seemed somewhat elegant.
Moreover, the man sitting beside her was also emitting quite the conspicuousness.
He was wearing a black coat similar to mine, but his face was covered by a mask of skull-design.
Furthermore, he has a katana at his waist, making me remember of that battle maniac vampire from before.
Well, the Prince of Avalon also had it, doesn’t seem like that much of a rare weapon to me now.
Well, leaving aside that bothering partic.i.p.ant; the『Curse Carnival』has already started.
Right it the Second Fight is at its peak. A lizard-man armed with a halberd is having a hard time against a human male swinging some Cursed Weapon.
The ground of Arena was just like a place with an extensively spread out dirt surface, without any obstacles; in short the fight was head-on without having anything to hide.
Seeing the two fight in this ridiculously big arena somehow lacked a ma.s.sive impact, however, that would be filled up later by the high-level battles using flashy martial skills and offensive magic.
Well, I plan to return before that, though.
「Good gried, to be fighting against Nameless, truly unfortunate, both me and you」
I faced the place the voice came from only to find a young man crossing his long legs and sitting right beside me on the bench.
He had long blond hair, blue eyes and a fine nose bridge, even without those long ears of his it is easy to guess his race is Elf.
That Light Armour covering his body probably was arranged from Mithril making him look more like a Prince and less like an adventurer.
This person is probably the partic.i.p.ant for the Third Match.
After that is mine, so maybe he just strike a conversation with me just because of whim.
「What is a Nameless?」
I was neither nervous nor all worked up so I also tried to get along with his conversation.
「You dunno even that? Hahah, what newbie」
Even the sarcastic smile turns good model for an portrait if the face is handsome.
I am used to be treated like a newbie. I can’t be getting angry over each and every thing, like that I pondered nonchalantly.
「The match is already decided with you being like that, but anyway, I better tell you」
Is that the so-called, a souvenir to afterlife?
No, this ain’t about you『Black Hair Curse 「Coffin」』, I didn’t call for you so stop shouting 「Master~~」in my head repeatedly.
I strengthened my blackening on Hitsugi-chan for shutting her up, and lent my ear to the explanation given by this kind handsome Elf.
「Listen, all Cursed Weapons will be cursed but not all of them will have names. Just like in normal weapons, from best to worst, same exists in this realm in the form of Top Named to Nameless」
「So Nameless is the lowest grade for Cursed Weapon, is that right?」
「You’re quick on the uptake. I don’t hate that sort of person」
Playboy smiled elegantly, however fortunately being a man I felt nothing.
「The name can’t be appraised too, in short, the blood sucked by that weapon is still far too low, it is something like a child of Cursed Weapons. It could evolve if used continuously but who knows how many years ahead would that come to be. A patient story it is.」
He said as if declaring he won’t ever use that.
Well, I also won’t think of laboriously raise any Cursed Weapon by wasting lost of my time. It’s not like those Apostle going to sit back eating popcorn while the weapon strengthens.
「You’re right」
「Well aren’t I? Now I can only expect for some surprise or wait for next year」
A compet.i.tion in Coliseum, listening to those words only tournament would appear in one’s mind, but this『Curse Carnival』has a rule; one partic.i.p.ant may fight just one time.
The sponsor side seems to pair up the opponents after taking their abilities in account.
They seem to be carefully thinking carefully of the combination of a high grade cursed weapon and a high ranked Adventurer, after all it would be the main show, meanwhile for low ranked people like me and others, we seem to be fighting against any random person.
Rank 3 is already enough to be called as a successful adventurer, however the special treatments are given only after Rank 4. So the wall between first-rate and second-rate is quick thick.
Leaving that aside, in the end, my opponent in Fourth Match will also be a Nameless weapon.
No name even after appraisal would mean a weapon of much lower level than the『Cursed Hatched「Tsujigiri」』I stole from that goblin, in short a weapon with utterly powerless curse.
Hmm, looks like I won’t be able to get a strong weapon that easily.
This Elf must also be feeling that disappointment. Expecting for next year would mean, something among the lines of praying for getting a good weapon next year.
But, what is that surprise?
「Aren’t the surprise battles from the barge of other opponent, or a royal battle normal in sword battles? The Chairman Mordred is a shrewd trader, course he is going to add those sorts of surprises ‘deliberately’」
I see, so an outline process it is.
Well, from the view points of compet.i.tors fighting with life at stake that would not be tolerable, but if it’s about that big skeleton a.s.shole, who loves to swindle others, he would surely give orders like that in a happy mood.
But, this Elf actually wants that surprise himself,
「You’re quite confident」
「Yeah, sort of」
Elf expressed a smile full of satisfaction, as though saying thank goodness I asked him about it.
「You also seem to be Rank 3 Adventurer, but——」
A silver shining Guild Card is suspended on my neck, it’s only obvious to know my rank at a glance.
「I reached to this rank in just 3 years」
Oho, well he sure has suffered quite some hardship for quite the amount of time.
「You see, in just 3 years」
「O-oooh……」
So that was your boasting point, dammit.
But I shouldn’t be rude to a person I meet for the first time, so I became a yes-man and evaded this point.
Well, if I were alone without Lily and Fiona, it would’ve taken time to reach till here, I can’t be making fun of him.
「But, a different sort of talent is needed to use Cursed Weapons, nothing related to fighting……do you know that?」
「Bodily const.i.tution, right?」
I have been bestowed this opinion both from the receptionist at Guild and the Princess of Avalon.
「That’s how it is. That’s why even though I had rare sword talent, but I kept away from Cursed Weapon, however——」
As though saying something important, he raised up his blond long hair.
If this were a shoujo manga, this scene would be drawn in a big centre square along with sparkling effect in background.
「—–Looks like, the heavens have given me two things」
「So, you can use the Cursed Weapons」
Sending a meaningful sidelong glance to me, the Elf took out the sword in his hand from the scabbard.
「Look at it, isn’t this a good sword?」
「It’s a Mithril Sword, right?」
Seeing the entire blade shining with silver light, even I can understand the name of sword, although not having any eye for appraisal.
Or rather, I think I have seen it somewhere before……
「Yeah, this is surely a Mithril Sword. However, it comes along with curse」
Hmm, a Cursed Mithril Sword reminds me of that fake sword with Mithril plating that Mordred once tried to give me——Ah, I see, so this is the one from that time.
「I can hear the voice of hatred just by grabbing this sword……but, I didn’t go mad upon listening to the voice, rather I felt pity for it」
No, it can’t be, he is speaking with lots of confidence, so maybe this is not that fake s.h.i.t sword. I want to believe it as a coincidence.
「Maybe because I’m like this, Chairman Mordred thought of giving me this sword. He said that I had the talent of possessing a strong heart」
Uggghh, this ain’t s.h.i.t. This Elf is being scammed so shrewdly.
What to do, considering he will snap at me, I should tell him the truth. After all it’s a matter of life and death——
「Oh, the match is finished. I feel bad for you to appear after my splendorous match, but work hard」
Speaking those words in the end, the playboy left his seat at once.
I couldn’t make it.
It can’t be helped; he is also a splendid adventurer. Since he is fighting with the determination of dying, it’s his responsibility for reaching whatever end that awaits him.
Although I feel somewhat guilt, but he could’ve snapped back at me if I showed too much kindness to him, it’s better to not speak anything, as an Adventurer this is the right thing to do.
「But, I finally understand the reason, why Nell and Erina tried to stop me」
Looking in the arena, the lizardman with wounds all over body was raising up the Cursed Weapon he stole from the opponent, and was raising a war cry as though saying he won.
But, next moment the lizardman turned different.
He went mad, started crying out loud in voice just like wild animals, something that can’t be called as words, and he started swinging the sword in the empty area.
He failed in controlling the curse, in short, he was possessed.
The spectators crowding the seats within the『Grand Coliseum』all watched it happily, while raising shouts of joy.
「What an evil compet.i.tion it is」
I will go back right after finishing the match, I swore in my heart.