Chapter 3: CH 3

The moment our eyes met, I could instantly tell he was Cassadin.

The deep purple eyes beneath his long eyelashes were stunningly beautiful, almost to the point I felt like I was being sucked into them. And his pale pink lips and white porcelain skin could involuntarily make his onlookers gasp.

Why was it though, that upon making eye contact with me, he neither blinked nor looked away. He just stood there, completely still.

As if he were observing me…

“Woah… That’s one handsome face.”

“He’s the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen.”

The spectators sitting around me all praised Cassadin’s appearance.

However, it only took a moment for their praise to turn into disdain and mockery.

“But is that guy even actually a slave gladiator?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Isn’t he just there for the looks?”

“Why does appearance even matter? He’s a slave gladiator.”

Even though he could clearly hear what people were saying, he only continued to look at me with an indifferent expression.

Through his tattered clothes that were no different from mere rags, his upper body’s extravagant muscles stood out.

I was about to lean in to get a closer look at Cassadin when the announcer’s amplified voice filled the stadium.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience!”

As the announcer in a red hat revealed himself, the cheers from the audience grew louder.

“Yeahhh!”

“Hey, hurry up and start it already!”

“I’m growing old from waiting!”

“Quiet, quiet, everyone~”

The announcer grinned, stretching out an arm towards the shackled slaves, then shouted.

“I’m getting really curious who among these slaves will be the last one standing!”

“Yeahhhhhh!”

“Before we start the game, allow me to explain the rules, shall I?”

The announcer signaled to the muscular man next to him, who then put down the heavy box he was holding.

With a,

Thud!

The white cloth covering the box fluttered into the air, revealing the contents of the box without reservation.

“Woahhh!”

Excited voices echoed out from the audience everywhere. Upon seeing the revealed objects, I unconsciously furrowed my brows.

Swords, whips, and even maces…

The items in the box were weapons that could all kill with a single hit.

When the announcer signaled to the man again, he scattered all of the weapons on the ground.

“These weapons will belong to the slaves who grab them first! Of course, if they don’t have a weapon, they’ll be at a disadvantage in the game. There’s just one rule: kill your opponent and be the last one standing!”

“Wooo!”

“Now, I wonder who among these slaves will survive till the end. We’ll start the game as soon as the slaves’ shackles are released!”

“Yeahhhhh!”

They don’t even see the slaves as fellow humans. Just toys to be used and discarded when they’re no longer needed. A surge of discomfort spurred up in me when I finally saw just how they treated slaves for the first time.

As soon as the announcer finished talking, everyone in the audience began to cheer. Soon after, the heavy shackles clamped on the slaves’ wrists and ankles were released.

“Let the games begin!”

“Woooooooh!”

As soon as the announcer declared the start of the game, the seated spectators began roaring, and the slaves ran to grab the weapons.

Every single one of the starving slaves reached for the weapons in order to survive.

However, even after he was freed, Cassadin didn’t move an inch, and he just observed the other slaves’ actions.

‘Why is he…’

I anxiously watched over Cassadin. Even if he was the man who would become the youngest Knight Commander of the Seville Empire in the future, I was starting to become worried because he looked too defenseless.

“Die!”

“Aarrgh!”

The slaves who were wielding weapons started to swing them indiscriminately to kill one another.

“Aghhhhh!”

Then a slave who failed to grab a weapon in time was hit by another slave’s mace and rolled on the ground.

Sptwooo-

Crimson blood splattered all around the arena.

“Yeahhhh! Good job! Kill him!”

As the battle between the slaves grew fiercer, the excitement of the audience only grew.

“……”

The creases in my forehead only continued to deepen as I watched what I could only call madness.

Even if slaves were treated worse than livestock, especially in a strictly hierarchical society like the Seville Empire, what I was witnessing in the arena was a whole new level of deplorable.

And that’s when it happened. A large, muscle-bound man with dark skin raised his sword and charged at Cassadin, who was still standing there weaponless.

“Die!”

Cassadin glanced at the charging man with an impassive face, and as soon as he was close enough, Cassadin twisted his right wrist with one hand, causing the man’s sword to drop to the ground.

Clang-

Cassadin quickly picked up the sword, and without a moment’s hesitation, he slashed the man’s throat.

Schlash-

“Gh, cough!”

With the giant man’s wail, red blood spurted from his neck. At the same time, the man’s blood splashed onto Cassadin’s cheek.

Thump-

The man fell powerlessly at Cassadin’s feet. However, Cassadin didn’t even give a second glance at the fallen man, and he only turned his gaze toward the remaining slaves instead.

“Aaagh!”

“Ghh, krghh!”

Every time Cassadin’s hand moved, more slaves flailed on the ground, unable to counter him.

The audience that had been making all of that noise earlier suddenly fell silent. It was so quiet that one could even hear the sound of someone swallowing.

That’s right. Everyone in the audience was mesmerized by Cassadin.

Thump-

“You, you damned brat!”

The large slave, who was the last one standing, charged toward Cassadin with a whip in his hand.

“What the, where did he go?”

Cassadin disappeared from the giant’s field of view in the blink of an eye, and then he was suddenly right behind him. With a sword in his hand, Cassadin cleanly slit the giant’s throat.

“Cough!”

With a clang, the whip in the giant’s hand fell to the ground. Soon after, his giant body also fell at Cassadin’s feet.

In the blood-splattered arena, the last slave standing was Cassadin alone.

The spectators who had been watching only then regained their senses, and they soon began to cheer like madmen.

“Woaaaaaaaaahhhh!”

“Cassadin! Cassadin!”

My worries were for naught, as Cassadin had easily become the last man standing in the arena.

Contradictory to my concerns, Cassadin became the last man standing almost a little too easily.

Clatter-

Cassadin nonchalantly tossed the bloodstained sword onto the ground. Then he lifted his head to look at the audience.

His eyes continued to move until they landed on me, who had been watching him quietly in my seat.

Looking at his purple eyes that seemed to sink to the depths of the deep sea, I, for some reason, felt my past self overlap with him.

Covered in blood, Cassadin stared back at me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

But with the following words that the announcer said, I needed to hold back the disgust that almost surged out of my mouth.

“Alright! Our winner for this match is Cassadin! Did you enjoy the show? It’s rare to find a slave as strong and handsome as him. So the highest bidder tonight will get to have a passionate night with him!”

“Yeahhhhhhhhh!”

Regardless of age or gender, the entire audience howled barbarically at the announcer’s words. And I finally understood why Cassadin looked so empty.

Even after hearing the announcer’s words, Cassadin made no movement and just continued to stare at me.

It felt… as if he were begging me to save him.

Amidst all that, other spectators began to shout their bids, seemingly desperate to spend a night with Cassadin.

“10,000 gold!”

“10,000 is nowhere near enough. He’s mine. 30,000 gold!”

“100,000 gold!”

“Hah! I’m going all in! 200,000! 200,000 gold!”

The price for Cassadin’s body continued to skyrocket. The higher the bids people called out, the more the announcer’s cheeks rose with joy.

Just then, an old man dressed in nice clothing, who had been quietly watching the bid, suddenly raised his hand.

“500,000!”

“Woohoo~ 500,000! 500,000 gold~ Any higher bids?”

Indeed, the crowd quieted down immediately. No one seemed willing to pay more than 500,000 gold for just a single night. A faint smile lingered on the lips of the old man who called out the bid, seeming certain of his victory.

Taking this chance, I asked the announcer a question.

“How much is his price, not for a single night, but to purchase him entirely?”

From where I was sitting, I had the best view of the arena, allowing me to ask the announcer directly.

“Eh? His price?! He’s an exclusive slave of our arena, not for sale…”

“5 billion.”

“!!”

The announcer’s eyes widened enough to cover half of his face at the amount I had proposed. After all, 5 billion gold was enough to buy a small city in the Seville Empire.

While regular nobles couldn’t even consider paying such a sum, our family, deeply connected with the imperial family, was different.

“Is 5 billion gold enough?”

“…”

“Am I not asking you right now?”

“Ah… Yes! It’s more than enough!”

Fearing that I might change my mind, the announcer hastily nodded in agreement.

“Booo…”

There were outbursts of jeering from various places in the audience. Meanwhile, the old man who had bid 500,000 gold glared at me as if he wanted to kill me, his eyes bulging in displeasure.

Regardless of what they were doing, I didn’t care. They wouldn’t understand my actions anyway. Unless they were a member of the royal family, there wouldn’t be a fool who would pay this much for a slave.

‘…Of course, they probably don’t even have the ability to pay that much.’

I paid the amount on the spot and took him out of the arena before the people made too much of a fuss.

Cassadin followed me silently. I liked the fact that he didn’t seem to be thoughtless enough to talk to his master first unless spoken to.

The story I was about to tell Cassadin was a sensitive one, so I brought him to a nearby inn.

“The most expensive room, please.”

“Yes!”

The innkeeper grinned and personally led us to their largest and most expensive room.

“Well then, have a good time.”

With the innkeeper’s words, the room’s door closed.

But as soon as the door closed, Cassadin suddenly started to unbutton his clothes.

Plop-

Shocked by his abrupt action, I quickly tried to stop him.

“…What exactly are you doing right now?”

“Isn’t this why you bought me? Master, I will serve you tonight.”

Even as he answered, he continued to unbutton his shirt. And seeing him boldly open his shirt, my mind momentarily came to a stop.