You Know Me? (2)
The side that had applied for the Gladiator Fight was the Wingkero family. So, strictly speaking, the ones who should have been eager to hammer out the details were them. Yet Orgitess Wingkero did nothing but nitpick from start to finish. He spent all his energy tilting his chin up and wearing a condescending expression. The fingers plastered with gold rings never once turned a page of the contract.
“You think I’d accept those terms, you wet-behind-the-ears merchant brat?”
“Are we doing this match or not? If it falls through, that works for me.”
“How dare you talk back to the authority of a great house! Someone needs to teach that arrogance a harsh lesson. If I were still the man I was in my youth, I’d have rounded all of you up and forced you into the security guards or the border defense force.”
Orgitess Wingkero was a man who, in his seven hundred and twenty years of life, had never once served in any military organization. A body that had never so much as exercised, let alone touched a sword. Inside her mask, Benny trembled with rage.
By the time Orgitess interrupted his opponent for the twenty-fourth time, even the priests’ patience had reached its limit.
“At this rate, the conversation will never end, Lord of Wingkero.”
“I have no intention of insulting the Conclave, but you priests seem to be rather short on patience. When an elder refrains from showing any sign of fatigue, how is it that the young ones are the first to bring it up?”
Orgitess began pouring out his personal philosophy regarding the young. The mask of Somnus had many functions prepared for moments like this. Benny pressed the button on the side of her mask and activated the mute function. Then she unleashed a torrent of curses that would have made even the heavenly gods above jump in shock. Most of them were directed at the parents who had given birth to and raised Orgitess. To the others, she would have simply looked like she was listening quietly.
The priests finally rubbed their exhausted eyes and declared a break. As Benny kicked her chair back and stood, heading for the corner of the room, Nathan, who had been watching from below, sent a transmission.
In case of emergencies, Nathan had hidden a bone-conduction transceiver inside his mouth. Thanks to that, he could whisper with just a slight cover of his lips and speak with Benny without anyone eavesdropping.
“It’s not going well. As expected of an old family, they have zero manners, and because they have zero manners, they’re absolutely vicious. Where would the people who once controlled the merchants of the East with a single hand have gone?”
The era ruled by kings and great houses had ended seven hundred years ago. That was nearly half of the entire history of the Heavens. The once-despised merchant class had grown into the corporations that now dominated the East, and the representative of the East had been replaced by a consul elected by the citizens. Even so, the Eleim of the great houses still treated everything outside their own bloodlines as beneath them.
“Adjusting the details is probably going to take at least half a day. Damn bastard. He’s heading to the bathroom again. Eating that much sugar all the time, no wonder he’s diabetic. Son of a…”
When Benny’s patience began to dangerously waver, Aspen, who had accompanied her as an escort, patted her shoulder reassuringly. Far away, Orgitess was gulping down honey water as if it were air. Thanks to that, the only Eleim in the room who didn’t look tired was that arrogant fool.
Benny let out a sigh to vent the irritation rising within her. The negotiation process was both simple and complicated. It began with the task of fairly balancing the stakes each side would offer in case of defeat. For example, if the opposing party that had challenged them to a Gladiator Fight demanded a single apple from Benny, the other side also had to put up something of equal value to an apple.
After both parties reached an agreement through childish and heated debate, they would write two contracts using each other’s blood as ink. One contract would say, ‘I wager one apple.’ The other would say, ‘I wager ten credits.’ The Conclave would then place these two contracts onto their massive magical scale known as the Scales of Fairness.
If the scales balanced, they could set the date for the Gladiator Fight. However, even though the papers weighed the same, sometimes the scales would tilt to one side. In such cases, the priests would investigate what had gone wrong and declare, ‘It seems the market price of apples is not ten credits.’
The heavenly god’s judgment of unfairness. If the heavenly god said so, then it was so. And so the stalled negotiations would begin again.
‘Instead of ten credits, offer a banana.’
‘I can never give you a banana.’
Benny was grateful she was wearing the box-shaped mask. It let her hide the wide grin that had spread across her face.
“Just hearing you call me Master makes my heart flutter. Thanks to you, the stress is completely gone. But why?”
Aspen frowned and bowed her head toward Nathan and the death knight below the railing. Benny swallowed hard.
“Is it a dangerous situation? Did you sense something with that ‘heightened sense’ you mentioned?”
“I didn’t think something like that could cause any kind of problem.”
Benny waited blankly for an explanation. Nathan’s voice sounded like he was holding back laughter.
“Well, since it’s a fight where lives are on the line, it’s not unheard of, but…”
No matter how low the odds of victory, it was better than giving up the match. If you ran away out of fear, the owner harboring a grudge would definitely kill you.
“That’s right. He’s a fighter ‘borrowed’ from the consul. So?”
As she answered, Benny suddenly froze. Nathan’s implication was ominous.
‘Wait, is that ‘Kardon’ getting scared and trying to back out? Thinking the Wingkero family couldn’t possibly kill him?’
The consul’s fighters were on a completely different level from ordinary warriors. The undefeated terror known as Kardon and the consul’s other champions were living symbols of Consul Amphitryon’s power. At least until someone defeated them. But Nathan’s voice carried absolute certainty.
“They’d have to use him as cleanly as possible and return him. What are you trying to say, Nathan? It’s extremely rare for a fighter of that caliber to forfeit. He’s even a knight of the abyss who supposedly doesn’t know biological fear. Don’t tell me that Kardon is going to shout that he wants to avoid the fight—”
“What?”
This was not Nathan’s voice. It was the death knight’s voice echoing across the hall’s ceiling and through the amplifier in Nathan’s head. Orgitess, who had been sucking on a water pipe with honey-stained lips, stared in blank shock and turned toward the railing. The words were clearly directed at those above.
“Oh heavenly god. What did you just say?”
He even added criticism. Benny was just as unable to understand the situation as Orgitess. Kardon. The consul’s fighter. A being on another level who ended most fights with a single strike. A monster that wielded the abyssal power to steal life force, essentially the natural enemy of all living creatures. A fighter who had never lost once in sixty-seven battles in the Great Arena, where the strongest beings in the Heavens competed. He was undeniably one of the apex predators.
And now that being had suddenly suggested postponing the fight. Why? The reason was unknown, but at the very least, she could enjoy this. The sight of Orgitess coughing and sputtering as he spilled his honey water was incredibly refreshing.
“Kehk, Kardon! What are you saying? We haven’t even set a date yet!”
Orgitess’s lips trembled violently. Before his escorts or the priests could stop him, he flung open the partition installed for safety and stomped down the stairs. In front of the two chained fighters, Orgitess spat as he roared.
“I called you because this is an important match! It’s a fight for shares in the Great Arena! Damn it, you’re my fighter, so you have to listen to me! Are you trying to embarrass me in front of these young pups!”
The nearly two-meter-tall black-armored knight’s red eyes flashed. A voice as terrifying as thunder within the clouds. When the golden chains rattled violently to prevent a fight, Orgitess flinched and stepped back.
Benny, who had been watching with great interest from the upper floor, tilted her head.
“This is strange.”
The instinctive fear and overwhelming pressure that radiated from the Harbinger of Ruin carried more persuasive power than a hundred words. But if you stripped away the grandiose atmosphere, a large part of it was nonsense. The consul would not have sent one of his cherished fighters to Orgitess if he had wanted the fighter to withdraw from the match.
Kardon looked as if he were simply spouting whatever came to mind to escape the situation.
“There’s only one way to explain it.”
At Benny’s words, Aspen nodded.
“He got scared.”
“He got scared.”
Having somewhat understood what Nathan meant, Benny narrowed her eyes.
“Why is he scared? Just because Nathan looks strong? That alone doesn’t seem enough to explain such a desperate attitude.”
Down below, Nathan’s smile grew wider. Fate really was a strange thing.
Meanwhile, Orgitess, who had briefly flinched in fear, soon bit his lip as rising fury took over. If word spread that he had been disregarded by a fighter, he couldn’t imagine the humiliation he would suffer in noble society. But there was something more important than saving face. The fact that the loophole of ‘temporarily borrowing’ a fighter was prohibited by regulation. It was a trick used by high-ranking Eleim.
Like feudal kings, it was a method where superiors temporarily transferred fighters to subordinates to protect their assets. For the high-ranking, it preserved their dignity. For their followers, it increased the chance of winning the Gladiator Fight. For the fighters, it raised their value so they could be transferred again. It was a common trick in the world of Gladiator Fights, but if acknowledged, they could face a rather heavy fine from the Conclave.
And the stingy Orgitess could not endure that.
“What nonsense are you spouting! I legitimately purchased you from the consul!”
Of course, worrying that this loophole would be discovered now was pointless. A few minutes ago, Orgitess had proudly blurted it out himself. The priests of the Conclave had heard it clearly. The words ‘The consul lent him to me.’
The priests exchanged gloomy glances. Between Orgitess, who didn’t seem to know what he was saying, and the death knight, whose reasons for acting this way were unclear. It was a battle of nerves that made even the observers feel stupid.
“Why! Why! Why!”
The temporary owner, thoroughly frightened, tried to act dignified. It pained Kardon greatly that he was in the same position. Even as they created this ridiculous conflict, Kardon desperately tried to avoid the gaze behind him.
“They’re trying to kill each other and it’s already gone to hell before they even start. The mood’s completely ruined. Who’d want to fight now?”
Nathan Maia’s snickering was also deliberately ignored. Soon even Orgitess, who usually paid no attention to others’ reactions, noticed the strange atmosphere.
“You bastard, perhaps…”
Sparks flew in the death knight’s eyes. A gaze that stimulated primal fear. Any other creature would have shut its mouth. However, the high-ranking Eleim who had never felt a sense of crisis in his life took the warning as an insult.
“You son of a bitch. Schedule the match for two days from now.”
“We have to set the date after the contract. What about the conditions?”
At Benny’s question, the noble exploded in anger.
“The price you will pay is the share of the Great Arena that I demanded! My condition? Write whatever you want. I will accept any corresponding conditions!”
As Orgitess stormed out of the sanctuary, he suddenly whirled around as if he had forgotten something. It seemed even in his rage he had realized it was too stupid a decision.
“Send someone to my… my mansion tonight. Write down the conditions you want from me and send it. I will review it and then approve.”
Just before Orgitess’s group, who had handled everything in such a high-handed manner, left, the chained Nathan quietly tossed a greeting at Kardon.
“Kardon, huh. That changed name of yours sure sounds heavy and cool. See you in the arena, ‘Lawrence.’”
The death knight, who had been walking away after having his chains removed, paused. Without answering, he continued out the door.
---
“He was an enemy you met while working with the Lion Wing Knights? From the look of it, your meeting left him with a rather unpleasant memory. It’s an incredible coincidence, but it’s lucky for us. This worked out perfectly.”
Inside the carriage on the way back, Benny’s expression remained bright the entire time. Her certainty in Nathan’s safety. Her faith in victory. The sight of that vain, arrogant Orgitess leaving with his face bright red from humiliation. There was no reason not to smile.
That joy was soon shattered into pieces.
“What did you say, Nathan? It was a draw?”
“Yeah. A draw. I haven’t seen him since.”
“…You were acting all cool talking about a guy you only drew with? Hey!”
“I said we met on the surface. I never once said I would win.”
The previously delighted Benny now sat in her seat and began to throw a fit. Aspen, who was holding her to calm her down, shot Nathan a reproachful look.
“Can’t you speak properly? Are you deliberately trying to make her cry?”
“Why? It’s true that it was a draw.”
Nathan laughed.
“Seven or eight years ago. So around when I was fourteen.”