Chapter 86: Reunited with a former ally, part 3
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Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
I accompanied the children all the way to the exit. As we walked, I was reminded of the time I freed the girls who would go on to form the Pretty Girls’ Squad. When I asked them what they would do with their freedom, however, they simply shook their heads.
Setting up a ‘Gate’, the eleven of us blinked to my house. Having never done it for so many people at once, it was considerably taxing. Hearing the commotion, Lyla came out to have a look.
「Now what are you doing? You’re supposed to be at work and… these kids…」
「I’ll fill you in later. These are former slaves. Take care of them until I come back.」
「Mm. Okay.」
「Thanks.」
The children were naturally shy, but Lyla generously waved them into the house.
Now that the children were safe, I immediately blinked back to the underground arena. Due to the very nature of its existence, the emergency exit might have been unknown to even the manager(s).
「Perhaps they hadn’t built this themselves, but only re-used it since it was already built.」
When I returned to my seat, there was a one-on-one match — a ‘Fight to the death’ — going on.
「Playing the hero, aren’t you?」, snapped Rodje.
She had probably watched me leap off the stairs, even if she had lost track of me by the time that hunter’s head had rolled.
「I’m all for it if both parties consent, but I will not allow an injustice like that to take place before my eyes. What’s going on?」
「The organisers apologised for the lapse, and here we are.」
「Now that you put it that way, I should’ve done something…」, pouted Rodje.
Her sense of justice was greater than I had been giving her credit for.
「Sorry. This place is jam-packed with people, though, and I figured that acting alone was the best option.」
Any later and that girl would have been mauled, too. There certainly hadn’t been time for me to get a word in, let alone discuss.
「Like an unfeeling thunderbolt, you swiftly and mercilessly brought his life to a halt. While I couldn’t see it with my own eyes, it’s clear that only you could have caused his demise」, said Dee, bursting into laughter.
Slave-hunting is an injustice to the slaves. For the one-on-one brawl going on now, however, both parties are consenting to test their mettle against each other using magic, weapons and whatnot. It could very well end in death, but being no longer able to fight is technically the condition for defeat.
「Oh yeah, I took the time to ask around.」
「Nice. What did you find out?」, I replied, to which Rodje answered instead.
「As far as I know, nobody here knows who the managers or organisers are. They heard of this place through the grapevine, and those who told them are none the wiser.」
「I had the feeling that this whole thing was closed off to those out of the loop, but to that extent, huh?」
Of course the audience members don’t care who the organisers are. They come here to satisfy their bloodlust and make bets along the way, and that’s all they’re here for.
「I did the same and just like what Commander Rodje told you, nobody knew a thing.」
「The two of you really dug deep, didn’t you?」
「I guess you can say that you have no choice but to dig all the way down to find out who’s behind this.」
I agreed with Rodje. That was most likely the case. Should I try to get something out of the guards, I wondered.
Nah, I eventually decided, figuring that people on the bottom rungs were unlikely to know anything. Anyone involved with the masterminds would probably be lurking around the entrance instead. Just before I got up, however, the announcer’s voice boomed across the amphitheatre.
『Moving on, this gladiator butchered three hundred demons and monsters during the Human-Demon War! Give it up for Mercedes –!』
At the announcer’s cue, a large man came out wielding a sword that was easily the length of the average human. Cheering erupted among the stands.
「Mercedes! Get him!」
「My one million’s riding on you! Don’t you dare lose!」
『On the other side, some new blood! A gladiator who refers to herself as the Masked Mage! It’s her first time participating in a ‘Fight to the death’!』
The fragile-looking, small-built girl that appeared momentarily stunned the audience. Her face was covered by what looked like a mask, and she looked like her age hadn’t even hit double digits.
「Isn’t that just some brat?」
「Hey, what do you take Mercedes for!?」
Walking towards Mercedes nervously, she stopped and took a bow.
「To rope in a kid like that…」, frowned Rodje.
There was no gong sounded. Not even a hand signal. Nothing.
Just like that, the fight began with the girl channeling a spell in anticipation for Mercedes and his giant sword.
「Wait, that’s –」
「Okay, that kid isn’t a pushover…」
The way Rodje looked at the girl had changed.
Twang.
The junior mage released the spell which whizzed along like an arrow, striking Mercedes head-on. He seemed almost unfazed, however.
『Using a powerful spell right off the bat is a rookie mistake.』
『Why?』
She continued launching a volley of rapid-fire, low-impact spells at her opponent, while the audience jeered mercilessly. In order to protect the audience, anti-magic force fields activated whenever waves of magicka were detected.
『You have to size up your opponent first. If your spell lands, good for you, but what happens if it misses? If he gets close to you, you’re done for.』
『You’re smart, Roland…』
Mercedes’s parries were getting increasingly weaker. As the mage continued her barrage of grapeshot, a blue-violet magic circle began radiating out from her feet.
『Use those low-power spells to gauge his strength. Keep him busy and look for weaknesses. Once you think you can land your ultimate without fail, then go for it.』
『…Okay, I see. I’ll give it a shot…』
Realising that the machine-gunning had stopped, Mercedes began closing in on the girl. It would be five seconds before he could pose a threat.
Five whole seconds.
They made all the difference between life and death.
「Compared to that guy, that kid’s magic level is… insane…」, muttered Dee.
Keep an unfamiliar opponent busy with rapid-fire spells. Take the time to size him up. Once you find an opening, then you can start using more powerful spells. This is what I had taught a mage from the Heroes’ Party.
At that time, she had only been eight years of age.
「‘Starblast.’」
The girl launched an ultramarine ball of magic at Mercedes. I have seen this spell many times now. The sonic boom that accompanies it without fail, as well. This was the same spell that had laid waste to thousands upon thousands of enemies in the past.
I knew that this wasn’t her full power.
The collision that resulted was deafening, shaking the entire arena and drowning out the screams of the audience. Not only had the anti-magic barriers been breached, but the aftershock had blown away a part of the wall too.
The man that had taken the full impact wasn’t just dead — he’d been vaporised. Not even his giant sword remained.
「Well, if it isn’t Rina.」
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