The Colosseum (2)
Entering the arena wasn't difficult.
All you had to do was apply through the captain of the guard.
"Hahaha! A fine warrior has come our way!"
It helped that the captain had taken a liking to Felix.
"…Two people? You're asking me to register two?"
"Yes. There's no rule that says only humans can compete, is there?"
"Well, no, but… who, exactly?"
"This friend here."
"Oh, a small and adorable little companion. Looks like a monster, so take care not to lose it."
Fortunately, he gave a hearty approval for Unit 5 to compete as well.
That was good enough!
"…Is there something on my face?"
"No."
The shrine maiden kept staring at Evan — long enough to make him uncomfortable. Thankfully, her gaze didn't last forever.
I thought she was going to burn a hole through my skin.
Evan rubbed his cheeks. The shrine maiden approached Felix next.
"You are a strong man. Earlier, you mentioned walking the Pilgrimage Path. Might I hear more about that?"
"Hm?"
"Why? Is something wrong?"
Aegis asked with open curiosity. The shrine maiden shook her head.
"Nothing is wrong. I simply have a personal curiosity."
"Curiosity?"
"The Pilgrimage Path is a vast ritual of destiny — a form of celestial magic. It has long been forgotten, so I was curious how you came to practice it…"
"Ah, so that was the issue."
Felix nodded.
"I do not use magic."
"…"
The shrine maiden fell silent for a moment, then voiced her confusion.
"Pardon?"
"I simply walk. It is a path for my own strength. I seek out the strong, or the saints, meet them, gain enlightenment, and ascend to Sword Master. That is my Pilgrimage Path — a means of breaking through my wall."
"…If I may ask, what is your current rank?"
"Intermediate Expert."
"…"
A rank still a long way from Master. This time, the shrine maiden was left speechless.
Normally, anyone who claimed to walk the Pilgrimage Path and break through a wall would be at least Advanced.
Intermediate?
He hadn't even reached the highest tier?
"…"
"…"
An awkward silence settled over the group.
Lapis, who had been chewing away at vegetables skewered from their earlier purchase, suddenly widened her eyes and pointed a finger.
"Ah! Felix is running off the wrong way!"
"Hm?"
Sure enough, Felix had already veered down a different path. Only then did he seem to notice something was off. He turned around and scratched his head.
"Ah. My mistake. I'm terrible with directions, you see."
"…"
The shrine maiden stared at Felix in utter disbelief.
What kind of person is this?
Evan nodded — a gesture of complete understanding.
"So there really are rewards?"
They arrived at the Colosseum after tethering Felix with threads every time he tried to wander off from the group, and stepped into a nearby restaurant. Aegis looked over the catalog with a surprised expression.
"This place isn't just an arena, is it?"
"Yes."
Evan grimaced at the flat, unpleasant taste of his drink, pulled a potion from his coat, and downed it.
This is so much better.
That stuff was… a prototype?
Soothing the sting in his mouth with the potion, he continued.
"The Colosseum also serves as a gambling house and an auction house."
"And the country allows this?"
"Yes."
It was the shrine maiden who answered Lapis's question.
"If you want to stay competitive, you have to go at least this far."
"Competitive?"
"Compared to the Empire, the Kingdom of Demacia doesn't have many advantages."
She had already cast a privacy spell so their conversation wouldn't leak. Thanks to that, the shrine maiden answered without much concern.
"The Kingdom of Demacia sits right in the middle of the Sahara Desert, so the land is barren. They scrape by on ancient ruins and river systems when they find them, but life is genuinely hard. All they really have left are powerful individuals — knights and the like. People who were born here and simply never left."
Their conservative nature played a large role as well.
The Empire had embraced every new innovation it could find in the name of progress. Magic and swordsmanship weren't the only things that flourished there — alchemy, spirit arts, astrology, and more had all advanced for a reason.
And Demacia?
One look at the atmosphere told the story. They rejected anything new and worshipped only their own martial tradition.
A tendency to settle for the present and stay put.
It was no coincidence that, in the future, they would fail to withstand the demon invasion and collapse.
"That's also why they always need a powerful leader to guide them."
"A powerful leader?"
"Have you ever heard the name Innocence?"
Lapis shook her head side to side.
Well, of course.
She only reads books about the Empire. Never touched anything on other kingdoms. I told her the rest wasn't the right time yet. Frey, with her sharper mind, already hunted down and read everything ages ago. Not that I keep Lapis around for her brains.
"Innocence is the leader and ruler of the current Kingdom of Demacia — their strongest knight. In pure combat power alone, people say he surpasses even the Emperor of the Empire."
"…Really?"
"It's a rumor, so there's no way to confirm it — but if a rumor of that scale is circulating, it's probably true."
In terms of raw martial strength alone, it was accurate.
There was just one enormous blind spot.
The shrine maiden continued in a soft, gentle voice, as if reading a fairy tale to a child.
"It's because of a leader that powerful that this country can keep turning. Harsh lands naturally give birth to heroes."
"What if a hero never appears?"
"With a population this large, at least one is bound to show up, don't you think?"
"What if none appear among the nobles…"
"Ah, so that's what you were curious about? Here, ability is valued far more than bloodline."
"So there are no nobles??"
"That's right."
Nobles did exist, but if the next generation's children failed to prove themselves, that was the end of the line.
A country where only the strong survived.
Paradoxically, it was also a country that could only survive if the strong existed.
Warriors who shouted about honor and power would thrive here — everyone else would have a harder time.
"In that sense, the arena is the most popular proving ground for knights, and a place where all kinds of commerce gather. Having an auction house and a gambling den that make good money and bring people joy is nothing strange."
"Huh… that's amazing."
Lapis seemed genuinely struck by the novelty of it — that a single arena could carry such a large role.
None of it was Evan's concern.
He just needed to do his job well.
Stay as inconspicuous as possible.
Even if it was a little harder, quietly making money was more Evan's style.
It absolutely was not because he was a coward.
"Oh!"
Just then, Aegis let out a sound of admiration. She held out the catalog and pointed at one of the items.
"Look at this! There are elixirs too."
"Sandworm elixirs?"
"No? It says mixed elixirs."
Mixed elixirs.
They primarily enhanced mana and purged bodily impurities. The grade was random, but the relatively low price made them popular with both beginners and veterans.
"Tsk. A little disappointing, though? That this is the most expensive thing here."
Finding nothing better in the other categories, Aegis smacked her lips. Then she looked at Evan.
"It'd be better to just learn Elixir Alchemy, wouldn't it?"
"Elixir Alchemy?"
"Yeah. A branch of alchemy that can create pills and elixirs, and even regenerate the human body. Hard to get your hands on, though. Like golems, it's been lost."
"Nothing in the underworld?"
"Nope. Nothing's been uncovered so far, as far as I know."
Elixir Alchemy would only appear in the future — and even then, only briefly, a kind of easter egg that flickered into existence and vanished again.
It truly was hard to find.
If you got lucky, great. If not, oh well.
"…So both of you are alchemists."
The shrine maiden's question.
"Yes, that's right. You can tell just by looking at the golem, can't you?"
"I thought… he was a mage."
"You don't know Evan? He's a total celebrity across the continent. If you don't know him, you're a spy."
"!"
The shrine maiden's eyes wavered.
"I'm… not very well-informed about rumors…"
"He said you should know a rumor of this magnitude."
"W-who said that?"
"Evan."
The shrine maiden's pupils shook even harder.
That was when it happened.
Whoooosh! Rattle-rattle!
A sandstorm blew in from outside, slipping through the poorly sealed gaps.
Damn it! Sand all over my mouth.
Evan couldn't help but scowl.
Don't they maintain this place properly?
He considered complaining, then took one look at the owner's build and quietly backed down.
Hmm.
Everyone here is huge.
Should I just let it go?
"Evan. Want me to go complain?"
"…It's fine."
I'm a big-hearted person.
I should endure it.
Evan coughed lightly.
The sandstorm. His Living Armor blocked most of it, but it couldn't stop what entered through his airways.
I should make a mask later, seriously.
He was feeling the gritty scrape of sand in his mouth when it happened.
Cough!
"Ah."
A little blood came up.
A faint sting in his throat suggested a cut had opened.
Did I swallow too much sand?
I didn't even get out of the carriage on purpose.
Ugh, dizziness.
Is the blood in the Health Ring already used up?
Or maybe I've been in this scorching heat for too long.
A mild wave of vertigo washed over him.
Drip.
"Ah."
"Evan!"
Blood streamed from his nose.
I've been fine this whole time and now it just starts?
Did the Health Ring run completely dry?
Tsk. I left it half-empty, didn't I.
At least he hadn't coughed up blood. Small mercies.
This body hurt even from missing a little sleep.
He'd have to live with this much.
Man, I hate being sick, though.
"Don't tip your head back. Sniff!"
"…I can do it myself."
"Hurry. Sniff!"
Lapis firmly held out a handkerchief. In the end, Evan carefully wiped the blood away.
Unit 5 nudged him and offered a potion. Evan nodded and drank it.
"Ah, right — you said your body was in bad shape. You okay?"
"Yes. This happens often."
Evan nodded at Aegis's concern.
Well, this much is…
Now that I'm a man among men, I can afford to make less of a fuss about it.
Crash!
"Wh-whoa!"
…A sound of the presumed owner "coincidentally" falling over reached them, but they decided to let that slide for now.
"You…"
"?"
The shrine maiden stared at Evan.
Something seemed to flicker in her eyes — a small spark of recognition. Her lips worked as if she meant to say something, then pressed shut.
"…Never mind."
A complicated, unreadable expression.
One thing Evan could say with certainty:
Whatever you're imagining, it's not that.
That was when it happened.
"Huh? Evan!"
Lapis, who had been manipulating her threads, looked at the catalog and pointed to text written in the far corner.
Bidding Condition: Achieve 3rd place or higher.
"Isn't this what you were looking for?"
"A beginner Elixir Alchemy manual?!"
Aegis shot to her feet.
"Why would something this rare be here?!"
My thoughts exactly.
It's… actually here?
He was so stunned he couldn't even speak.
Is this luck?
Evan hid his mixed feelings and examined the catalog.
Whoever listed it clearly knew its value — a bidding condition was attached.
Achieve 3rd place or higher.
In other words, you needed real skill to obtain it.
A way for high-ranking warriors to make money, most likely.
Win it cheap, then flip it for a profit.
The deadline was the day after tomorrow.
Exactly two days left.
"Do you… intend to place within the top ten?"
Felix, who had been sitting quietly in meditation, spoke up with some hesitation.
"Every warrior past tenth place is a powerhouse who has never once fallen from the rankings. Even I cannot guarantee victory."
"That's fine."
Evan shook his head.
He had never counted on Felix from the start.
Intermediate Expert.
Not bad — but not exactly strong, either.
So what was he supposed to do?
Trust someone else.
"Unit 5."
Shhk.
Evan pulled the sand golem's core from his subspace storage.
"Let's do a little modification."
Disassemble. Reconstruct. Blue light burst from Evan's hands.
That night.
Number 88, Felix. Prove yourself as a warrior.
Felix quietly polished his blade.
The sword his father, Elim, had left him.
Years of wandering as a knight had worn it down considerably, but it had not broken yet.
This was Felix's conviction.
He continued a journey under the grand name of the "Pilgrimage Path," but as a conviction, it was still incomplete.
I will become a Sword Master. Without fail.
A dream even his father had never achieved.
He would achieve it in his place.
That was Felix's goal.
Though he hadn't seen him recently…
I could ask the shrine maiden for help, couldn't I?
She was a kind person. He could tell.
He might get lost on the road with his terrible sense of direction, but at least in matters like this, he had never been deceived.
She would know where to find him, at least.
Lately, he had no idea how to move forward. The path ahead felt blank.
He was still young.
And that made the road ahead all the more urgent.
Because that urgency was what gave him the courage to keep going.
Father, show me the way.
Warrior Felix — the time has come to prove your strength.
The words of the knight managing the waiting room. Felix nodded and stepped outside.
Beyond the iron bars, he could see a match still underway.
In that instant, Felix doubted his own eyes.
…What?
BOOM!
ROOOOOAAAR!
With a single punch from a golem twice Felix's size, a powerful warrior crumpled.
The warrior ranked twenty-third.
A man who had been writing a new legend with an unbroken winning streak — knocked out cold by one punch.
"W-WOOOOOOOAH! Teddy Bear — no, Deadbear! A newcomer has toppled our undefeated rising star!!!!!"
"WAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
A golem… can display that kind of power?
It was an unbelievable force.
It looked like it could drop Felix in a single blow as well.
And he had prepared something like that in advance?
It was far too thorough to call a coincidence.
Felix slowly raised his head.
Across the way, in the upper seats.
The VIP box — seats that cost a fortune just to sit in.
Evan was looking down at them, his face so expressionless it sent a chill down the spine.
…I have no idea what he's thinking.
Cold sweat beaded on Felix's forehead.
Meanwhile, Evan.
Watching Unit 5 — under the alias Deadbear — take down its opponent, Evan thought:
Ah, my back itches.
I probably shouldn't ask Lapis to scratch it, right?
Should I just head to a nearby inn and get some sleep?
He was seriously considering it when —
"Excuse me."
Someone knocked at the VIP box. Lapis, who had been seasoning vegetables with salt, turned her head.
"I heard a scion of the Alcarte family was visiting, so I came to pay my respects."
"Evan, what should we do?"
Aegis asked through a yawn.
A face of refined, icy composure.
Enough to make anyone wonder what was going on behind those eyes.
Evan thought:
…Should I just say I'm not here?