Volume 3 Chapter 51 Quest： Warrior Monk Performance III
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The control room of the underground arena was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.
Murderous intent, hostility, excitement, vigilance, and a hint of unease filled the air.
The tense mood that had been building while walking the corridors around the arena intensified as Kian descended the 5 stone steps at the end of the hallway.
As Kian’s foot touched the sandy floor of the control room, 2 swordsmen harassing a Beastman woman in the back turned and glared at him.
”Hey!”
A bald, burly man and a tall man with dark skin.
The bald man started to approach Kian with a scowl.
He wore a steel breastplate over his torso, leaving his lower abdomen and legs exposed.
His feet were protected by steel greaves that matched his armor.
”Hey, you!”
The bald man shouted again and grabbed Kian’s chest, yanking him up.
But he retreated, baring his teeth like a dog when he caught sight of the white-haired Witch standing behind Kian like a shadow.
”What’s going on!? After Dekob, even Ivan has disappeared! What the hell is happening!?”
”…I’d like a proper explanation too.”
The swordsman with dark skin slowly approached.
He peeled back his white, striking eyes and addressed the white-haired Witch standing behind Kian.
”It’s fine if those who haven’t won qualifiers and have no real skill get in through connections. Dekob and Ivan were formidable enemies. Without them, today’s fights would be easier. But”
”We’ve been acting out roles of people, beasts, and minstrels’ historical tales, fighting as spectacle pieces for our shitty employers! We’ve been made to fight our training partners, the ones we’ve sweated with to gain popularity. All for freedom and money! We were promised freedom and cash in exchange for contracts, popularity, and killing a lot of enemies to line our employers’ pockets! Dekob and Ivan were the same! But now…, are we just supposed to be killed like bugs outside of these sword fights!?”
”We’re essentially war slaves, or poor folks who couldn’t pay their debts. But we’re also stars of sword fighting, with overwhelming popularity and strength. …Don’t you dare treat us like ordinary slaves.”
”──I heard there was some kind of incident involving the two of you.”
Priscilla looked up at the bald, large man and opened her mouth.
”I don’t know the details, but it’s due to the mismanagement of your previous employer. Your new employer is a different person, so there’s no need to worry. Their master was just sloppy in their management. Your current employer keeps you in a proper environment, right? If you’re unhappy with the current management, food, or treatment, you should speak directly to your employer, not me.”
”What about the tournament organizers?”
The slave with dark skin asked eagerly.
”At least Ivan──the man from the Black Panther Tribe──was killed after coming to the main selection of the tournament. I heard his head was chopped off. It’s not a normal way to die. If you star stand out, isn’t it possible that some inconvenient guys are going around assassinating the fighters in the competition?”
”If that’s the case, wouldn’t the suspicious ones be that Black Panther Tribe woman who forced her way in, and you guys? Huh? What’s up with that!?”
”I’ve said this many times, but the deaths of those 2 swordfighters have nothing to do with me. But, that’s not what you’re looking for in my words, right?”
”Ah!?”
Priscilla placed her hand, holding the umbrella, on her hip and continued.
”Your safety is assured. Right now, my brother──Guy, the acting lord──is confirming with the tournament organizers that there were no security lapses. It’s troublesome for us too if the fighters we paid a lot of money for get killed. If a farmer knows there are pests on their money-making trees, they would use insecticides or set up insect nets, right? You are valuable assets. You won’t be abandoned like stray dogs. I can guarantee that. The only time you’ll die is if you face a warrior stronger than you in the sword fighting arena.”
”…Really, we’re safe?”
”I know dying in a match is unavoidable. We are prepared for that. It can be a proud death. But I absolutely do not want to die uselessly outside the ring. I want to leave a name and pride behind.”
”At least I can guarantee safety during the tournament. I’m not part of the management, though.”
Priscilla said this and snapped her fingers.
A strong magic power radiated from the white-haired Witch.
”What!?” “A magician!?”
(Maybe they didn’t realize it from Priscilla’s outfit.)
The gladiators widened their eyes in surprise, and Priscilla couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated.
But then she thought it was understandable; witches were rare to see in everyday life.
Behind Kian, a beautiful woman in a black dress waved her fluttering sleeves.
The lining of her sleeves flipped up, showing white underneath.
Priscilla’s witch outfit had black sleeves with white lace, but it seemed the lining was also white.
Now that she thought about it, it looked thicker and more expensive than Christy’s outfit.
’Well, her financial power is different, after all.’
(She apparently owns 3 casinos. Maybe it’s not fair to compare her to Christy.)
”Come here, ‘Adam’, ‘Eve’.”
The lips painted with pink lipstick whispered softly.
The flames of the torch attached to the dark stone wall flickered.
From the dark shadows, a gentleman in a stylish suit and a lady in a dress appeared.
They were the same dolls Kian had seen earlier in the tent.
Kian had unified Natra and Rufna with an Eastern look, but if he had chosen a Western style, they might have looked like this.
On either side of the smiling white-haired Witch, 2 familiars floated like shadows.
The male familiar had lips painted with purple lipstick visible beneath a beak-like mask.
The female familiar covered her entire face with a white mask.
The mask wore a statue-like smile.
The appearance of the two familiars twisted slightly, and the temperature around them dropped suddenly.
”I need to protect my gladiator──Kian, so I’ll protect you two as well.”
Following the Witch’s finger movements, the lady doll flew to the entrance on the opposite side of the waiting room.
The gentleman’s doll stood at the entrance behind Kian, looking down.
It seemed ready to attack if any intruders appeared.
”Are you both satisfied with this?”
”Yeah, um…”
”I feel a strong life force. Is this a familiar made from dragon bones…? I see, if the lord’s brother is here, you must be Châtillon’s necromancer. You looked like just a rich lady merchant.”
”I’ll set up a barrier along with the familiar, so you don’t need to worry about outside attacks. Also, Kian here isn’t a mad dog that bites outside of matches. For the sake of our guests and yourselves, I expect a glorious fight in the arena.”
Priscilla said this and looked back and forth at the two gladiators, waiting for their reactions.
When she saw they had no complaints, she nodded, thinking “good,” and turned back to Kian.
”Well then, do your best.”
”Leave it to me. I will do my job well.”
Priscilla smiled one last time, leaving the two familiars behind as she walked back down the hallway.
The bald and dark-skinned gladiators glanced nervously at Priscilla’s doll before returning to the corner of the waiting room to practice with their weapons.
Kian, as usual, decided to blend into the air and meditate by the nearby wall.
’Which slave is your opponent in the first match?’
(It’s the bald one.)
He moved only his eyes to look at the large man who had retreated to the back left.
”──Hah! Ha, …Yah!”
The man wore a skirt that protected his waist, made of steel.
He had sturdy shin guards on his ankles, and he was the first man who had tried to grab Kian.
He stood just under 3 meters tall, likely not purely human.
Muscles bulged all over his body.
His shoulder muscles were prominent.
His chest was a bit flabby, resting on his armor, but it was clear he had strong pectoral muscles underneath.
He was slightly top-heavy, but his lower body was also thick and strong.
If he were to be taken down, it would have to be from the legs, but the man’s weapon was very troublesome.
”Hah! Yah! Hmph!”
The bald warrior skillfully wielded a greatsword that was about 170 centimeters long.
The blade was around 130 centimeters.
The hilt was about 30 centimeters wide, curving beautifully in a ‘U’ shape.
The blade was 20 centimeters wide.
It was also thick, measuring 4 or 5 centimeters at its widest point──it was too large to really be called a sword.
’That’s the Gallowglass. It’s rare to see a blade with such a wide edge.’
(Only a western swordsman whose abilities were enhanced to be like a ferocious beast could handle it. It was bigger than the one used by the cat-haired swordsman, Funnelwing, who had been in the party before.)
In modern warfare, the outcome depends on how effectively magicians can exchange powerful magic, but many swordsmen are needed to protect those magicians from enemy fighters.
For example, to kill a hundred enemies, having Christy would be enough in terms of firepower.
But if she were thrown in front of a hundred swordsmen, she would be sliced down before she could even cast a spell.
This means more personnel are necessary to prevent that.
In fights between close combat warriors, long-range weapons like spears and halberds are preferred, but to counter these, the bald man swings the greatsword, Gallowglass.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply