Chapter 49

Lillian had already resigned to her fate to play in the Billions gambling fighting arena. She had a rough start because of Saleos, but it was surprisingly not bad. She learned swordsmanship, practice her combat skills, and pay off the Rossetti family’s debts.

Lillian’s eyes, which were looking through the contents of the invitation without much thought, suddenly shook. She read the invitation over and over again, doubting her eyes. However, the contents inside remained the same:

The 7th highlight show of the Billons Arena!

Beauty and the Beast: A Enchanting Dance of Fireworks

Can Black Rose’s hot sword, a comet-like rookie, cut the skin of a violent Salamander? Or will she truly become a black rose and be enveloped in a cruel flame, as her name implies?

Don’t miss out on a special game that will make your hands sweat with anticipation!

Lillian’s face twisted as her hand trembled as she held the invitation. She didn’t know where to where to start. It was a nightmare. What a terrible nightmare! As she was shaking, she urgently found Saleos.

“Saleos, come out! Hurry up!!

“What’s going on?”

Unexpectedly, Saleos popped up behind her. He bent down using his considerable height and put his chin on Lillian’s shoulder as if he were giving her a back hug as he inspected the contents of the invitation. Saleos, whose golden eyes scanned the letter, smiled.

“Black Rose? What a ridiculous nickname. Did you choose it yourself?”

“—No way!”

Lillian countered with a shudder. It must have been that branch manager “The Darkness of the Abyss” with a horrible naming sense—how unlucky.

Of course, it was illegal to participate in the gambling arena as a knight in the first place. As in the Republic of Korea, public officials were not allowed to hold multiple jobs to reduce corruption. So Lillian had intended to use a pseudonym. But Darkness didn’t even give her the right to choose an alias!

Lillian, who became Black Rose, closed her eyes, suddenly dizzy. Perhaps her hair is black, and it is a combination of roses, the symbol of the Rossetti family. If Darkness was in front of her, she might have grabbed him by the collar.

“By the way, the other monster was Salamander……. You must be highly regarded.”

Saleos mumbled while reading the invitation with his long red eyelashes down. Lillian had an ominous hunch. She asked, gluping,

“Why? Is a Salamander strong? Stronger than Orcs or Goblins?”

“Orc? Goblin?”

Saleos laughed as if she said something funny. Then he reached out and created a moving image floating in the air. Inside, a lizard that looked like a dragon without wings roared horribly. The appearance alone was already scary, and even sparks were coming out of the spikes on the end of its tail. Lillian’s face stiffened when she saw it.

“Is it spewing out fire…? That one?”

“Yes, he’s a pretty tough opponent. A salamander’s blood is as hot as lava, so those who are able to strike a salamander often get terrible burns.”

Saleos explained in a light tone. Lillian’s green eyes filled with tears as he spoke. She was still having a hard time with Orcs, and now she would have to fight a Salamander! Where was her flower path? Her lips trembled, her face was pale, but she finally began to sniff.

“Ugh… I can’t do this, Mr. Saleos.”

Tears fell from Lillian’s eyes, pitifully, she bit her pink lips in an attempt to hold back her tears. Although she was progressing in her combat training, her shoulders, still thin, quivered. Seeing this, Saleos hugged her gently.

“Shhhh, don’t worry. I am Saleos, a demon that crawled up from the hottest depths of hellfire. My contractor can’t be harmed by a fire lizard.”

“Ugh, really—are you sure? But I… I’m still scared, I’m not confident.…. Even if I train harder, I might not……hhgnn! What should I do?”

Saleos bowed his head over, put his lips still on Lillian’s sobbing eyelids. His red lips were as hot and sweet as hell. The owner of the lips lowered his eyes and whispered in a low tone.

“I’ll train you enough before that. So why don’t you stop pretending to cry?”

Tears abruptly stopped from Lillian’s eyes like a lie. She didn’t know anything else, but she was confident in her ability to feign tears and her acting. She thought he’d give her another piece of cake if she pretended to be poor.

Lillian wiped her wet cheeks, lightly smacking herself with regret. She knew it didn’t work and didn’t have to cry and cause wrinkles. Saleos laughed when he saw her eyes grow sharp with determination, a stark difference from before.

“Okay, let’s start training.”

***