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Vol 04 Chapter 133: Chains

Are you familiar with gladiator fights?

They are a form of entertainment where gladiators fight each other to the death. When you hear the word ‘gladiator’, many might think of slaves…

However, it seems there are also those who take it up as a profession. Probably because it pays well.

And… it may be vulgar to mention, but apparently, it makes one popular with women.

Whether it’s public executions or gladiator fights, I struggle to understand why people in the past had such a taste for bloody spectacles… But when I think about it calmly, even in Japan, there’s a tendency for gruesome manga and novels to be more popular.

It seems that erotica and gore have been beloved since ancient times.

The nature of humans hasn’t changed much over the ages. Whether it’s in modern Japan with its developed sense of ethics, the distant past, or even in other worlds, human nature and desires are pretty much the same.

It’s quite fascinating. When you think about it calmly, Homo sapiens appeared on Earth about 250,000 years ago. Agriculture began around 10,000 years ago. This means that for most of their existence, humans have lived in the wild, living lives not much different than animals.

The concept of natural law and fundamental human rights only emerged in the last few centuries.

It’s impossible for humans to change their nature in just a few hundred years. We haven’t evolved much from our primate days.

I’ve digressed greatly. The history of humanity doesn’t really matter now.

Why did I start talking about gladiators? The reason is simple.

A gladiator fight was about to be held.

◇

「It’s really buzzing here.」

From the premium seats prepared for me, I looked down upon the arena, which was filled to capacity with spectators.

Two-thirds of those seated were people from King Domorgal’s Country, and one-third are soldiers from King Rosais’ Country.

It was thanks to Carlo’s consideration that the people from King Rosais’ Country were allowed entry into the arena.

In the premium seats, besides myself, there were Raymond and Bartolo. Several key figures from King Domorgal’s Country centered around Carlo. And lastly, envoys from various countries who had come to witness the event.

Carlo stood up and shouted with a loud voice.

「Everyone, thank you for gathering here today!!」

A cheer rose. Carlo is a hero who repelled the Rozel Kingdom and brought peace to King Domorgal’s Country.

His popularity is evident from the look in the people’s eyes.

As the venue was enveloped in an unusual fervor, Carlo announced loudly to the audience.

「From now!! The gladiator fight will begin! The first gladiators is…」

The crowd’s gaze shifted to the eastern gate. The heavy gate opened, and two soldiers led a man in.

The man’s hands were bound with ropes. When they reached the center, the soldiers untied the ropes and then kicked the man forward.

「Aldo!!!」

As Carlo announced the name, the crowd burst into cheers. Soon a public execution under the guise of a gladiator fight was going to begin.

The spectators relished the opportunity to witness the gruesome death of the man who brought them misery. The crowd was wildly excited.

An odd fervor and madness swirled around. My heart raced, naturally elevating my spirits.

Mixed feelings of dread for the imminent tragedy and some level of anticipation intertwined.

I’m beginning to understand why someone can get so caught up in the frenzy.

This is something you can’t understand unless you experience it yourself. This sense of excitement is indescribable unless felt firsthand.

I finally understand why the public craves these gladiatorial contests.

The illiterate masses, unable to even read a book, are starved for entertainment. For them, this event must be incredibly stimulating.

「His opponent is…」

The crowd’s gaze shifted to the western gate. Out of the gate came a blonde woman.

「Alice!」

Cheers rose from the audience. Some were even whistling and shouting things like ‘Let me hold you’ at Alice.

Are you horny high school students?

She was incredibly popular.

Due to genetics, blondes are rare among the Adernians. Alice, with her rich golden hair, is popular just for that.

By the way, both Alice and Aldo were unarmed. To maintain the semblance of a fair fight and maintain the façace of a gladiator fight, one of the fighters couldn’t be armed when the other was not, it would be too blatant otherwise.

They can’t give a criminal like Aldo a weapon, if anything happens it will be a disaster, so Alice is unarmed as well.

Still, that is no problem for Alice, she can kill any man with her bare hands.

「Now, the rules are simple: kill your opponent. If Aldo wins, he will be freed. If Alice wins, she will be released from her slave status. Begin!」

With Carlo’s declaration to start, the audience erupted into cheers again.

「Come on!! Finish him!!!」

「 Avenge us!!!」

「Don’t die too soon, Aldo!!!」

「Alice-chan, marry me!!!」

Well, well… What will happen now?

◇

Alice looked at the man in front of her. He was pale and dazed, seemingly still unable to comprehend the situation he was in.

Her former master. And the chains that still bound her now.

Alice’s heart beat furiously. She clutched her chest with her right hand.

「Kill him!!!」

「Do it!!!」

「Struggle a little, Aldo!!」

「Alice-chan, I’m rooting for you!」

It was clear from the spectators looking down on them that they craved a tragedy.

In Alice’s homeland of Germanis, there were no such brutal events. How could humans feel pleasure in making other humans kill each other…

Alice wasn’t able to understand the feelings of the spectators, but at that moment, none of that mattered.

「… Aldo-sama, no, Aldo. Are you prepared?」

Alice got into a fighting stance, her aura brimming with killing intent.

Confronted directly by Alice’s killing intent, Aldo collapsed to his knees. With a tense face, he started backing away, trying to flee.

Alice coldly watched him scramble, cornering him further.

「Don’t come any closer!」

Alice closed her eyes momentarily, calming her breathing.

(I can do this)

She extended her fingertips, from which threads emerged. The threads hardened, becoming as tough as iron.

They could easily tear through human skin.

「Prepare for your death!!!」

Alice lunged at Aldo, thrusting her right hand forward, aiming to pierce his eyes with the needle-like threads.

However, the needles never reached Aldo. Just before they could touch his eyes, Alice’s hand stopped.

Her hand trembled. Her face turned pale, and sweat poured from her entire body.

「Pant, pant, pant…」

Alice’s breathing became ragged. She grasped her right hand with her left, trying desperately to force it forward.

But Alice’s right hand became as rigid as stone, unable to move.

「What are you doing!!!」

「Hurry up and kill him! You’re wasting time!」

「Go, Aldo, now’s your chance!」

「Alice, come on!」

Aldo wore a puzzled expression, wondering why the needle had stopped.

However, seeing Alice tremble, he finally grasped the situation.

Aldo swatted away Alice’s right hand.

「Ah…」

Alice let out a faint cry, her face turning even paler as she staggered back.

Aldo slowly stood up and approached Alice.

「I’m sorry…」

With tears in her eyes, Alice pleaded for forgiveness from Aldo.

「What are you doing!!」

「Don’t run away!!!」

「Come on, Aldo! I’m counting on you!」

「Don’t bully Alice!!!」

The audience voiced their dissatisfaction and began throwing stones. Pebbles rained down on both Aldo and Alice.

Ignoring the stones, Aldo delivered a kick to Alice’s stomach.

「Ugh…」

Alice cried out in agony and doubled over.

Aldo grabbed Alice’s hair and struck her face hard.

「What were you trying to do to me? Alice, a mere slave like you dares to lift a hand against your master!!」

「I’m sorry…」

Aldo kicked Alice’s face as she apologized. With a small scream, Alice rolled on the ground.

Aldo then pinned her down, continuing to punch her beautiful face.

「Don’t mess with me!! Don’t mess with me!! Don’t mess with me!!! I am, I will be the king of this country! Why, how could this happen!!!」

Aldo unleashed his irrational anger on Alice. Her face, once beautiful, was now smeared with mud, tears, and snot as she begged him for mercy.

The match was completely one-sided.

「Listen, Alice. I am merciful. I’ll give you a chance. Die, kill yourself.」

「…」

Alice knew. Even if she died, there was no chance Aldo would be spared.

Aldo would be released, stripped of everything, left with nothing.

Neither Almus nor Carlo would intervene. It was clear that the populace would torment and kill Aldo on their own as soon as he was freed.

(But if he’s going to die anyway…)

Whether Alice won or lost, Aldo would die. She wouldn’t be causing trouble for anyone.

(So, is it really worth it? To endure this fear and struggle unnecessarily…)

Alice was lost in thought.

「Is that really what you want?」

A clear voice resonated throughout the arena, carrying surprisingly well.

The audience, Aldo, and Alice all turned their attention to the source of the voice.

It was Almus. Gazing intently at Alice, he spoke loudly, addressing her directly.

「Are you content to never be free? Do you want to end your life bound by those chains, chains more fragile than a spider’s thread?」

After speaking, Almus quietly took his seat, his eyes still firmly fixed on Alice.

「What’s with him… Well, whatever. Alice! Die!!」

Aldo resumed his assault, striking her face, abdomen, and chest. Periodically, he yanked her hair and threw her to the ground.

He grabbed her chest and tore at her clothes.

While being subjected to Aldo’s brutality, Alice thought to herself.

(I want… to be free…)

As Aldo’s fist aimed for her face again, it never made contact.

Because Alice had caught the fist.

「Hey, what the hell! Alice! Let go! I can’t punch you!」

「…I want to be, I want to be free!!!」

「Crunch」

With a sickening crunch, the sound echoed throughout the arena.

「Huh?… Ah, my hand, my hand aaaaah!!!」

Aldo screamed in agony, clutching his crushed fist.

His fingers were bent in unnatural directions, bones protruding through the flesh, dripping blood onto the ground.

「I will… kill you… and be free!」

Alice struck Aldo’s face, sending him bouncing off the ground three times before he slammed against the arena wall.

Alice grabbed the wheezing Aldo by the arm as he was pinned against the wall.

「Aaaaaaahhh!!!」

Aldo was thrown about ten meters into the air, landing right in the center of the arena.

「A-ah, I am… the king… of this country…」

Barely breathing, Aldo lay there as Alice mounted him and repeatedly struck him.

「U-ugh, aaah, help me, Merlin-san, please…」

Aldo called out the name of his first love. But she would not come.

At this very moment, she was intrigued by the pudding brought by the diplomat who had negotiated with Almus. Deciding to try making it herself, she was humming while wearing an apron. Making sweets is a maiden’s pastime.

「I don’t want this, I don’t want to die, I hate pain, help me, forgive me… Alice!」

「You are…」

Alice stopped hitting him.

「Ah, Alice… forgive me.」

She then stomped on Aldo’s abdomen.

「Guggght.」

A sound like a frog being crushed came from Aldo’s mouth.

「…Did you…」

Bang.

Air leaked from Aldo’s mouth.

「…Spare me…」

Bam.

Blood poured out.

「…When I asked for forgiveness…」

Boom.

His organs collapsed.

「…EVEN ONCE?!!!」

Splat.

Guts overflowed from his mouth.

「You never stopped!!!」

Splat

Guts overflowed from his anus.

「DIDN’T YOU!!!!!!」

Rrrip

His stomach was ripped open.

Aldo was dead and Alice was free.

◇

「Good, it’s done!」

「What did you make, Mongoose-dono? It smells sweet…」

「Pudding. Want to try? I haven’t made it in two hundred years, so I can’t guarantee the taste.」

Merlin handed over the pudding, and Kuryuu scooped it up with a spoon and tasted it. His face brightened with delight.

「This is delicious!」

「Right? Here, have one.」

Merlin, looking pleased, handed a pudding to Kuryuu. Both were deep in a moment of escapism from the realities awaiting them back home.

「Hmm, At worst I might be fired as a court magician? Well, it might be about time. My research is reaching its climax, and right now, I have to focus more on that than politics.」

「I see… your research, huh? Let me know when it’s complete.」

「Sure. I think you’ll be surprised.」

The two began to engage in casual conversation.

「By the way, was it okay?」

「What was?」

「Returning Aldo-dono to them.」

「Who’s that?」

Merlin tilted her head in confusion, and Kuryuu gave a wry smile.

「That brat from King Domorgal’s Country.」

「Oh, that horny brat? Right, his name was Aldo. What about him?」

「Well, it seems he was in love with you… without any magic involved.」

Merlin, despite appearances, was popular, having had plenty of admirers both on Earth and after arriving in this other world.

Merlin having the appearance of a beautiful young woman herself certainly played a part. Being of Mongoloid descent, she appeared exotic and attractive to the Gallians, who were more similar to Caucasians, which might have added to her allure.

「Does it matter? Isn’t it irrelevant? Oh, right, today’s his execution day. Should I say a prayer, just in case?」

「That sounds about right.」

The two closed their eyes for about five seconds.

「Alright, done. Now, let’s eat!!」

「Indeed.」

They resumed eating their pudding.