Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Mysterious Gladiator (8)
A person to marry.
In other words, she had a fiancé.
I mulled over those words in my slowed thoughts, as if I'd cast Neural Acceleration on myself.
And I looked at her.
Rapne's face, cheeks flushed as she shyly averted her eyes.
'A face I've never seen in the game...'
It was unmistakably the face of a woman in love, no matter who looked at it.
Not just any love, but a blind, precious love she wouldn't trade for the world.
The face of a woman harboring such feelings in her heart.
"So... that person is the one you're looking for?"
At the same time, the image of Rapne rampaging wildly at the north gate flashed into my mind.
Her eyes gleaming as if she'd kill anyone who didn't get out of her way.
I'd seen her angry face often in the game, but never with her eyes rolled back like that.
And as I'd expected, Rapne nodded cautiously.
"We got separated due to some circumstances... But he's definitely still alive."
Then, sadness overlaid her shy gaze.
A look full of desperate longing.
Looking into those eyes, I realized it.
From the moment we first met until right now, she hadn't stopped thinking about him for even a second.
I'd never had a chance to worm my way into her heart in the first place.
I clenched my fist tightly.
'But even so...'
I'd been rejected.
Yet a hot flame still wouldn't die out in my heart.
No, the fire blazed even fiercer, filling my chest completely.
'If I can't have her...'
At the very least, I'll do everything I can to make her happy.
A man in love is this stupid and foolish.
"Then all the more reason for me to help you. You have to find him, Rapne."
"...Mm."
Rapne bit her lip as if troubled.
Yet her cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment as she glanced at me.
Well, anyone would hesitate if a guy whose confession they'd just heard insisted on sticking around.
But Rapne soon smiled and looked at me.
"Alright, then. Sorry, but could you stick with me a bit longer? I'll definitely repay this favor later."
"Yes! Of course!"
Thank goodness.
That I could help her.
'Ugh...'
It was undoubtedly a good thing, but one corner of my heart ached like mad.
As if it'd been sliced repeatedly with a utility knife.
'So jealous...!'
I was insanely envious of her fiancé.
'What kind of bastard is he...?'
Back when I played the game, Rapne was a rival character to the protagonist, Emily.
She was used up in an early episode for the protagonist's ability awakening and then wrote off.
So no love interest for her ever appeared in the game.
'...Ah, so that's why she doesn't show up later?'
This timeline might be after the protagonist awakens her abilities in the game.
And Rapne doesn't appear after losing to the protagonist.
'If she's wandering this far searching for her fiancé, of course she wouldn't be at the academy.'
I'd uncovered a hidden fact about the game I never knew.
Anyway.
Whoever he is... I hope he's a good guy.
As I secretly soothed my aching heart and tried to suppress the pain of unrequited love,
"By the way, wandering around like this will definitely draw attention."
She rummaged in the pouch at her waist.
And then—
She pulled out two large hooded cloaks from the tiny pouch.
'A sub-space pouch...!'
Seeing a sub-space pouch in person filled me with a bit of awe.
Innumerable items fitting into that small pouch.
"Rapne, you have quite the valuable item there."
I muttered absentmindedly, staring at the pouch.
After all, in the game, it was so rare only the protagonist could get one via quests.
"Yeah, my fiancé left it behind. Here, take it."
"I see..."
A man who owns a sub-space pouch.
No idea what kind of person he could be.
With that, Rapne and I donned our hoods and headed toward the bustling market.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "So... there's a blacksmith named Ken Fineshtein with blond hair. Have you heard of him?"
"Hmm... Never heard of him. Sorry I couldn't help, Champion."
"No, no. Thank you for your time."
"Po-ho-ho, you're much kinder than I imagined, Champion."
Rapne watched him from a short distance away from the helmeted man.
Since she was being chased by soldiers, she hid as much as possible while Pigeant inquired on her behalf.
Pigeant removed his hood and asked the vegetable vendor couple about Ken, then shook hands and chatted briefly after their regretful reply.
Rapne gazed at his back, recalling what had just happened.
'I like you!!'
The heartfelt confession bursting from within the helmet.
Those words oddly kept circling in her mind.
And Rapne blushed faintly, lowering her head.
'...I've never felt like this before. Why...?'
She already knew why Pigeant's confession kept coming to mind.
Because her heart had raced at it.
'When other men said similar things, it didn't faze me...'
While searching for Ken separately from her companions, she'd encountered all sorts of people.
Among them, several men had fallen for her and proposed, despite the brief encounters.
People confessed to her often due to her looks.
But she'd rejected them all cruelly, viewing them like filth.
'Why does my heart race...?'
Rapne was confused by the strange feelings only Pigeant's confession stirred in her.
'...I only have eyes for Ken.'
Her heart filled with injustice and turmoil.
'I've never even thought of anyone else.'
She believed it was a truth as unchangeable as the laws of the world.
That's why she was so confused.
Rapne glanced up at Pigeant, who was talking with the vendors.
'...Similar? ...The vibe.'
Now that she looked, his back view resembled him.
Her favorite image of Ken was always his chubby self, so she'd been slow to notice.
'...Voice is different. ...Speech too.'
Once she started paying attention, more matching details emerged.
'No way...'
And the helmet he wore flipped over.
Hiding his face especially caught her eye now.
'...Nah.'
But Rapne soon shook her head.
That man knew her name.
She didn't know how, but he definitely knew her.
If he were Ken and knew her, he wouldn't pretend not to.
'...Still.'
Even so.
Her gaze kept drifting to him.
"Mm... No luck at all. What now?"
Pigeant scratched his helmet as he approached her after finishing with the vendors.
'Even that habit seems similar...'
Ken often scratched his head when troubled.
Maybe because of his similar build.
She kept trying to connect him to Ken.
'...Because of the confession?'
Rapne was bewildered.
"Rapne?"
"Hey."
"Y-Yes?!"
Pigeant startled at Rapne suddenly staring at him intently and replied.
"......"
"......Yes?"
But Rapne, who'd called him, just stared piercingly for a while.
No words came.
Then, after a moment.
"Isn't... the helmet stuffy?"
After much deliberation, she cautiously spoke.
'Oh no...'
Pigeant thought the expected question had come.
'She finds it weird that I never take off the helmet...!'
But he couldn't just say "Yeah?" and remove it.
Pigeant decided to bluff.
"Ha, haha. As I said, ...my hometown's rules prevent it."
"But that helmet stands out too much, doesn't it? If the Champion's spotted wandering here, the soldiers might catch us."
"B-But if I remove it and they don't know I'm the Champion, won't it be harder to find your fiancé?"
"...Urk."
He had a point.
His fame here made locals more cooperative than elsewhere.
"Then... s-since time's short, let's move somewhere else. Like you said, lingering too long risks the soldiers."
"......"
Rapne stared piercingly at Pigeant's retreating back as he hurried ahead.
'If he took off the helmet, the suspicion would vanish.'
But he wouldn't.
That made her even more wary.
'Beyond the similar vibe to Ken, how does he know my name? And what's under the helmet? ...It bothers me.'
So Rapne hurried after Pigeant and stuck close to his side.
"Hey."
"Y-Yes?"
"That hometown of yours. Where is it? Like a region name."
"My hometown suddenly? ...Why do you ask?"
"Just curious. 'Don't show your face until the duel ends.' Isn't that intriguing? So? What's it called?"
Rapne watched his reaction like a fatal strike.
'If he hesitates here, it's confirmed. ...I'll expose the lie.'
But Pigeant wasn't so easy.
His resolve to hide his wanted status from his crush had prepared for many scenarios.
He answered promptly.
"Seoul."
"......Huh?"
"My hometown. A place called Seoul."
"......Saul? Never heard of it."
"Of course. It's a small country far to the east, so you wouldn't have."
"Wh-What's it like? Describe it."
"Mm... Hard to explain. They wear hanbok clothing and eat rice as staple... "
No flaws in his explanation.
He'd prepared a Joseon-era Seoul backstory in case of detailed questions.
It matched this world's era; only the unfamiliar culture stood out.
But that detail would sell it.
"A place like that... exists."
"Yes, they value martial prowess highly. Unique, right?"
"......"
No gaps now.
Pigeant smirked inside his helmet.
Conversely, Rapne drooped her head at the detailed hometown tale.
'......Not him?'
Doubt had risen, now doubt doubted itself.
Was it really not?
Just the rule for not removing the helmet?
'...No.'
But she didn't give up.
Rapne lifted her head and stared straight at him again.
One unresolved question remained.
"Hey, then... how do you know me?"
"......Pardon?"
How he knew her.
She'd glossed over it at first.
But no man with Ken's vibe existed in her memories.
Let alone one with such a bizarre helmet.
"My name. You knew it from the start. ...From some far eastern land. ...How'd you know my name?"
"Th-That is."
Pigeant sensed crisis.
He'd focused on helmet and hometown excuses.
This part he'd glossed over unprepared.
Rapne caught his hesitation—hooked.
"Why can't you answer? Easy question. Where'd you hear it? Or how do you know my face? ...Have we met?"
"Mm... Well... There's a circumstance... "
'What now...'
Pigeant racked his brain desperately.
Unexpected question froze him.
'Need a plausible excuse... Game info that won't raise suspicion...'
Rapne stared blankly as he frantically rolled his eyes under the helmet.
Then—
She stopped walking abruptly.
"...Rapne?"
Pigeant halted his thoughts in panic at her sudden move and looked at her.
Rapne had her head down.
Standing silently, she clenched her fists tight.
Then cautiously lifted her gaze to him.
Her trembling eyes met Pigeant's through the helmet slits.
And she spoke softly.
"Hey... could you just take off the helmet once? It's bothering me."
Beating around the bush felt foolish now.
So she asked directly.
He was clearly hiding something.
Her clenched fist trembled faintly.
This man's secret.
A tiny possibility, but.
It might be what she'd desperately longed for.
So Rapne gazed at him earnestly and pleaded.
As she approached slowly, he flinched and backed away matching her steps.
But Rapne persisted, following and asking.
"Yeah? Just show me once. ...You can put it back on after."
The stifling doubt.
Seeing his face would resolve it.
Pigeant averted her desperate, trembling eyes and shook his head faintly.
"N-No... You know. The rule... "
"Then I'll admit defeat. ...No, if that's not enough, attack me right now. That's fine too."
"Ugh, th-that's... "
Thud.
Backing from her approach, Pigeant hit a thick wall.
Rapne, staring seriously, blocked his escape.
Thump!
With arms on both sides.
She looked up at him with moist eyes.
"Please... I beg you. Just once, let me check."
She couldn't hold back anymore.
After losing him, searching desperately, worrying if he was in danger, caught in some life-threatening mess.
Wondering if.
She might never see him again.
With such anxious heart, she'd searched relentlessly.
Even if it was her mistake.
Even if it was just misunderstanding due to his sudden confession making her notice him.
Ignoring the possibility right in front of her was impossible now.
"Rapne... "
Pigeant felt her desperation through her eyes.
And finally gave in.
'No helping it.'
The woman he'd fallen for at first sight, whom he loved most now, pleaded so earnestly.
Even if it exposed him as a fugitive.
He couldn't resist her request.
So Pigeant.
Slowly raised his hand to the helmet.
"......"
Rapne watched tensely.
And then.
"Halt, Crimson Mad Dog—!! We must reclaim the Champion—!!"
A booming voice rose with murmurs from the street's end.
It was familiar to Pigeant's ears.
'...Eorite!'
Both turned to the sudden appearance.
There, gladiator slave Pigeant's owner Eorite.
And dozens of soldiers and mages she'd brought from the palace glared at Rapne as they advanced.