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 pass 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 passed 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 compassion 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 screwing 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 . ]