Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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>Translator: Vine
>Chapter: 48
>Chapter Title: A Bloody Misunderstanding
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Of course, a wound like this is nothing, right?
‘What should I do?’
Honestly, he was right about everything. Without the demon sword, I was a total weakling.
‘It's a bit much to pull out the demon sword now...’
Gargandoa was optimized for killing and absorbing blood, so it didn't quite grasp the concept of letting an opponent live. That's why I was hesitant to draw it so easily.
‘What if I accidentally kill him?’
They weren't ordinary swordsmen; they were gladiator slaves. That meant they had an owner. If I killed them recklessly, I might have to pay for it.
‘Should I just pretend to fight and then lose?’
It would sting my pride a little, but I couldn't think of any other good options. With that in mind, I picked up the sword.
“You want to spar, right?”
“Who do you think you're talking to so casually?”
“You were doing it, so I did too.”
Why did he speak informally but expect formal speech in return? He wasn't like Bianca, who came bearing the gift of the top floor. His rudeness was irritating.
‘Maybe I should just use the demon sword... No, I'll save that for when I'm really angry.’
As I was thinking that.
“Die!”
“...!”
The man holding the sword charged at me before I could even get into position. It was a surprise attack. For a spar, it was an incredibly cowardly move.
Stab!
The man’s sword struck me right in the solar plexus.
“Just as I thought, you're a fucking idiot.”
The man sneered and twisted the sword sideways. I felt my ribs break and the blade pierce through me.
“Cough, hack, hack!”
The blade punctured my lung, and blood burst out. But it was a bit more than a little.
Splaash, splat!
“W-what the hell...!”
As blood poured out of me like a faucet turned on full blast, the arrogant slave stumbled back.
“Blech.”
I spat out the mouthful of blood. Then, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I said.
“Ugh, my clothes are all stained with blood.”
“W-what?! How are you still standing?”
The man’s eyes darted between my torso and my face. Not only him, but the other slaves who had been watching from a distance also recoiled in horror.
“...? I’m standing because I can stand.”
***
“W-what...?! Don't tell me you're an undead!”
Cold sweat beaded on the man's face. An undead—an immortal being that doesn't die even when killed, a monster that could lose its reason and attack at any moment. He didn't want to be killed by such a creature.
“Grr...!”
The man raised his sword high and this time slashed down at Rian's shoulder. The blade cut through his shoulder and down to his left chest.
“Huff, huff... This time, for sure—...”
Grab.
“...?!?!”
“Hey, if you're done cutting, you should pull it out, right? Oh, are we supposed to keep fighting like this?”
Rian nonchalantly grabbed the blade of the sword embedded in his body and lifted it. The man was thrown into confusion.
“Heave-ho—.”
As he yanked the sword from his shoulder, the man's face went pale. Just then, one of the slaves who had been watching from afar ran over.
“Here, take this!”
Fwaaash!
He held out a palm-sized brooch in his hand. A pure white light poured over Rian.
“T-this brooch is enchanted with holy magic!”
“Such a precious item...!”
“Ugh, it's worth it for a friend!”
As they were bonding over their friendship, the voice of the undead, which should have been silenced, spoke.
“Wow, my wounds are all healed. Thanks!”
“...?!”
“....?!?!”
Clang!
The slave who had been holding the sword dropped it and began to back away.
“S-stay back!”
“Hiiiek!”
Humans become terrified when they encounter something beyond their comprehension. To them, Rian was exactly that. A being who didn't die when stabbed, who stood normally and casually pulled a sword from his own body. And on top of that, holy power didn't even work on him!
Rian's appearance was, to put it mildly, not good. Covered in blood and grinning, he was a nightmarish sight.
Unable to overcome the visual and mental horror, they collapsed to the floor and began to crawl away.
“H-help me!”
“Monster... monster!”
In an instant, the training ground was empty. Left alone, Rian scratched his chin and looked down at himself.
“Damn it... I don't even have that many clothes.”
He couldn't go back to Iris looking like this. Rian decided he had no choice but to get some clothes from the slaves who had just fled. He had won the fight, so it seemed fair enough to ask for that much.
However, there was one thing Rian had forgotten—... how he must look to others. He was only worried about what Iris would see, not giving much thought to how he appeared to the other slaves.
Because of this, Rian ended up walking down the hallway covered in blood, holding a sword that dripped crimson.
“Gasp...”
“Hrk...!”
The people on this floor had seen countless corpses of humans and monsters. Nevertheless, the reason they flinched or were startled was that Rian looked exactly like a serial killer.
Most of those who shrank back even further were the ones who had personally witnessed Rian's match just a little while ago. Having seen the dizzying killing intent and the scene of slaughter, they were already terrified of Rian without him having to do a thing.
'Don't... don't make eye contact.'
'Who did he kill to get covered in that much blood...?'
'But he came out of his match without a single drop of blood on him, didn't he?'
'Huh, he's carrying a normal sword. I guess he wasn't strong just because of his item.'
As the unintentional misunderstanding deepened, Rian finally found the room of the slaves who had run away. He had grabbed another slave and asked, so it was easy to find.
Knock, knock.
He knocked on the door of the room where he presumed the slaves were. But there was no answer.
“...? Is no one inside?”
That's a problem. What should I do?
Thinking this, he grabbed the doorknob and knocked once more. At that moment, the knob turned smoothly. It seemed they hadn't locked the door.
'He said they were in the room, so I'll just go in and ask. Maybe they didn't hear me knock.'
Since the other party had already been rude to him first, he felt no hesitation in opening the door and stepping inside.
'They can have furniture like this?'
He scanned the room, which had far more furniture than the one he shared with Iris, and walked forward. One of the two doors was closed, and the other was open. He peeked inside the open door but saw no one. That left one room.
'They must be in there.'
Rian strode directly toward the closed door.
Knock, knock.
He knocked once for courtesy's sake. He planned to go in anyway, even if there was no answer.
Bang, thud! Crash!
Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, a loud noise came from inside. Rian immediately turned the knob and went in.
“Hiek, hiiieek!”
A silhouette covered by a blanket was screaming and scrambling to the corner of the bed. It must have bumped into a shelf while moving, as a few items were rolling on the floor.
“Spare me, please spare me!”
“...?”
From his face to his body, he was covered in blood, and in one hand, he held a sharp sword. Blood dripped from its tip. It looked exactly like a murderer breaking into a room to kill someone.
“You're the guy from the training ground earlier, right?”
“N-no! I'm not!”
The slave shook his head frantically, terrified.
'Is it not him...?'
As he tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, the man immediately slammed his head into the bed and said.
“I-I am! It's... it's me!”
“Ah, in that case, I have a favor to ask.”
For a moment, an image of Rian shouting, “Your life is mine to take!” flashed through the man’s mind.
“I'd like to borrow your bathroom—...”
“Please, just spare my life...!”
Their words tangled in the air. A brief silence followed.
“I don't need your life, I just want to use your bathroom.”
“B-by all means, use it!”
Rian made full use of the man's bathroom and even took his clothes.
***
'Phew, I'm late. I'm so late.'
Ever since I went to see Bianca, Iris hated it when I left her side even for a moment. Of course, she would wait quietly if I told her it was unavoidable, but her cheeks would be puffed out.
'Still, it's a relief that she's more responsive than before and seems to be developing her own wants.'
Smiling cheerfully, I arrived in front of our room.
“Iris, I'm back.”
Normally, Iris would have rushed over to hug me, but she remained sitting on the sofa, unmoving. Only when I got closer did she finally look my way.
“Iris, did something happen?”
“...”
Iris stared at my face without a word, then timidly reached out and grabbed the hem of my clothes.
“Different... clothes...”
“Ah, I borrowed these from someone I know.”
“...”
For some reason, Iris looked crestfallen. Was it because I was late?
“I'm sorry, Iris. I'll be back sooner next time. You were lonely by yourself, weren't you?”
“...”
Iris didn't answer, only tightening her grip on my clothes. She seemed about to say something, her lips parting slightly, but she ended up pressing them shut.
'Don't tell me...'
I thought to myself as I watched the troubled look on Iris's face.
'Is she debating whether she wants to follow Bianca to the top floor?'
I couldn't think of any other reason why Iris would suddenly look like that, so my thoughts turned to Bianca.
'Hmm, I'm not keen on sending her there, not with that shadow that bites people recklessly.'
What should I say to convince Iris not to leave?
***
While Rian was racking his brain, Iris was recalling what had happened a little while earlier.
When Rian didn't return even after his match was over, Iris had disobeyed his instruction to wait in the room and left. For Iris, it was an act that required considerable courage.
After wandering for some time, she began to smell blood. It was a very strong scent. As if possessed, Iris headed toward the smell.