Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 41
>Chapter Title: An Offer from the Top
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“I’m not buying. I already get the paper, and I’m not religious.”
When I opened the door, I saw a man standing there with his arms crossed, leaning crookedly.
“Hello?”
He seemed to be a neighbor from the same floor, so I greeted him with a smile. I was smiling on the outside, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
‘Don’t tell me this guy is going to spout nonsense like Pimax did.’
Having already had such an experience, my mind naturally drifted in that direction. Besides, the man’s crooked posture and disgruntled expression didn’t make him look like he was here to share good news.
“Are you the two who came up in Pimax’s place?”
The man spoke in a tone as rude as his posture.
Hearing him speak, I felt like he was a door-to-door salesman or someone trying to proselytize for a cult.
In other words, I wanted to slam the door in his face.
“I’m not buying. I already get the paper, and I’m not religious.”
After habitually rattling off the spell-like words, I tried to close the door, but the man stuck his foot in the gap and grabbed the closing door with his hand.
“What nonsense are you spouting?! I’m asking if you’re the lucky bastards who came up instead of Pimax!”
The door shuddered as if in a power struggle. Just as I belatedly came to my senses and was about to open it again.
*Thump!*
A strange hand suddenly grabbed the trembling door. It was too small to be a man’s hand.
“Hey—.”
“Hic...!? B-Bianca?!”
From beyond the door came the husky voice of a woman.
The moment the woman's voice was heard, the man, who had looked like a thug just a moment ago, flinched like a frightened rabbit.
“Why don't you stop bothering someone who's not interested and get lost?”
“W-Why are you in a place like this...?”
“Because there's someone I care about here, that's why.”
“...! I-I see!”
The man instantly backed away from the door, bowed his head to the person named Bianca, and said.
“My apologies!”
“Tell the other bastards, too. I've already called dibs on someone here, so tell them to stay away.”
“Yes!”
I watched the man flee with a look of ‘I’m saved’ on his face before turning my head. Since I had already released my grip, the door was wide open.
The woman called Bianca was tall, looking to be about 170 cm. Her body was very slender yet toned.
Her chest was quite small, but her lower body was full. She had a cat-like face; if Baek-ru was a haughty, pedigreed cat, Bianca was more like one of those friendly, puppy-like cats.
“Hmm—, this is where ‘that swordsman’ is, right?”
“Huh? That swordsman?”
As I tilted my head, confused by her words, Bianca's eyes widened and she looked behind me.
“Kyaaa! I knew this was the right place!”
She was looking at Iris, who was clinging tightly to my back.
“Did you come to see Iris?”
“Yep! That's right! So her name is Iris? What a beautiful name!”
Bianca spoke with the excited face of a child meeting a mascot at an amusement park. If she wasn't here to pick a fight like that thug, there was no reason not to let her in.
“In that case, please come in! We just arrived, so we don't have anything to offer, but we can at least talk comfortably.”
“Thanks!”
As I let Bianca inside, Iris stuck to my back like glue and wouldn't let go.
It didn't seem like she was doing this because she disliked Bianca; her gaze didn't even turn in Bianca's direction. She just seemed to be clinging to me out of habit.
With Iris attached to my back like a snail's shell, I walked with Bianca toward the living room sofa. Bianca sat on one side, and I sat on the other.
Iris sat on my lap?
“Iris...?”
It wasn't that I disliked it. Nor was Iris heavy. In fact, she was so light that I even thought she needed to eat more.
The reason I was surprised, however, was because Iris had sat on my lap so naturally. For a moment, even I didn't realize anything was amiss.
“...?”
Iris tilted her head and looked down at me.
“Ah.”
I belatedly realized why Iris was acting this way.
Whenever there were other slaves around, I would have her sit on my lap, worried she might be harassed. Because of that, it seemed she had learned that when sitting on a sofa, she was supposed to sit on someone's lap.
“Iris, sit next to me. When there's plenty of room, you can just sit beside me.”
I held Iris by the waist and set her down in the seat next to me. She blinked a few times, then nodded.
“Haha, you two siblings get along so well.”
Bianca said with a pleasant smile. She seemed to be in a good mood.
“Shall I introduce myself now? I'm Bianca, the gladiator currently occupying the highest floor in this arena.”
“....!”
The highest floor, a paradise that only the strongest and most popular stars of the arena could enjoy.
To say she occupied that place meant Bianca was an incredibly powerful fighter.
“The top-floor gladiators can come and go between floors as they please. We don't have to wear slave collars, either.”
Bianca tapped her neck. Just as she said, there was no adornment on it.
“By the time you reach the top floor, it's hard to restrain you with something like a collar, and more importantly, you're given a choice.”
“A choice?”
When I asked, showing my curiosity, Bianca winked and said.
“It's no fun if you find out everything now, is it? Reach the top floor yourself and see!”
“Aww...”
Her words were like a TV show ending on a cliffhanger, and my lips pouted. At that, Bianca grinned broadly and said.
“—But saying that would be too mean, right? After all, it'll take you at least a few years.”
Bianca's gaze shifted to Iris. Iris just stared blankly at me. Bianca paid no mind to Iris's behavior and continued.
“Besides, it's uncertain if you'll even reach the top floor in one piece. So... if you don't mind, Iris. Would you like to come with me to the top floor?”
“The top floor? Can you go up that easily?”
Even though I was the one who asked, Bianca answered without taking her eyes off Iris.
“Yes, if Iris becomes my disciple, I can take her to the top floor on the grounds of being my student.”
“Master and... disciple?”
“Haha, to be honest, I saw Iris wield her sword and fell for her, so I came looking for her on a whim!”
Bianca rubbed the back of her neck and laughed cheerfully.
“The moment I saw her mercilessly killing those monsters, I thought, ‘Ah! Yes! That's the one!’”
Bianca stood up from the sofa and moved to the spot next to Iris. Iris still didn't look at Bianca.
It seemed less like she was ignoring her and more like she wasn't even perceiving her. Bianca smiled as if finding even that aspect of Iris cute and spoke in a serious tone.
“Iris, if you don't have a master, I want to become yours and help you write a new history of the sword. If you're okay with it, will you join me?”
Iris didn't answer, only looking at me. Bianca fell silent, waiting for Iris's reply.
Fearing an eternal silence would ensue if I left them be, I gently shook Iris and said.
“Iris, what do you think?”
“Hmm?”
Iris tilted her head and expressed her confusion, as if she hadn't heard a single word Bianca had said.
“Bianca said she wants to be your sword master if you don't have one. If you go with her—...huh?”
Before I could finish, Iris shook her head. At the same time, she gripped my clothes tightly.
*Sniffle...*
A tsunami of emotion washed over me at her gesture, which clearly said she wouldn't go anywhere without me. I mentally wiped away the cascading tears and spoke to Bianca.
“It seems Iris doesn't want to be separated from me. I suppose it's because we're the only family we have.”
“Hmm... that's a problem.”
Bianca said, furrowing her brow.
“You see, you've already been sold, so I can't take you to the top floor.”
“What? I've been sold?”
I immediately thought of the zombie I'd met today.
‘I thought I'd handled it, but I was already sold?!’
The thought that I might be separated from Iris sent a cold sweat running down my back. Bianca saw my stiff expression and waved her hand dismissively.
“Even if you're sold, it's just your usage rights, not you yourself.”
“Usage rights?”
“Yes, when gladiator slaves here gain a certain level of popularity, their usage rights are sold to people with money or power. Simply put, it's a pass to play with you like a toy.”
A wave of relief washed over me, knowing I wouldn't be sold off somewhere else.
“Hah... that's a relief. I was panicking, thinking I'd be separated from Iris.”
“Hahaha! You two are so cute, taking care of each other.”
Bianca laughed cheerfully again before turning back to Iris.
“If you come with me, you won't have to worry about your usage rights being sold to the rich, and you can participate in arena matches as you please, so your life won't be threatened. It means you can completely leave the slave life behind.”
Bianca continued in a soft, persuasive voice.
“Plus, you won't have to deal with annoying power struggles like the one earlier.”
“Power struggles?”
“It's a side effect of grouping fighters of similar strength on each floor.”
Bianca answered dutifully, then posed her question again.
“How about it? These are pretty good conditions. Oh! And on top of that, you get to learn swordsmanship from a genius swordswoman!”