Expectation Invites Betrayal (1)
"Just one... Let me ask just one more thing."
"Fry him."
"You said we'd treat Nagrik as having survived. Didn't the commentator say that?"
"Fry him and shut that bastard's mouth—!"
"So why are you whining that I ruined the show? Something happened, didn't it? You tried to pull some trick, got caught, and now you're bleeding for it, right? I don't know whose tail you stepped on, but you sure got what was coming—"
Two soldiers were already pinning him down with shock batons, sending current surging through his body, but the knight wouldn't stop talking. The arena owner finally snatched another baton from someone and cranked it to maximum output before slamming it hard against Nathan's chest. Nathan let out a scream that sounded like air leaking from a punctured lung.
"Who was it that said a mouth is a hole that invites disaster?"
The air in the room had grown thick and hot from the countless rounds of electric torture. The sweating arena owner handed the discharged baton back to the soldiers. The fat elf wiped his sweat with a damp towel, then hurled it at Nathan's head.
"Looking at you now, I'd say that statement is a hundred percent correct. How about it? Starting to think you should keep that mouth of yours shut before it invites more beatings? Feeling any urge to show some respect yet?"
Nathan's hair was burned until it stank of scorched protein. Only then did the arrogant knight finally lower his head.
"Like I'd feel any respect for a pig who looks like he's never jumped rope in his life. Go ahead and kill me, you lump of flesh. If you're going to kill me anyway, do it now."
He hadn't submitted. He was simply exhausted. Even in this state, his tongue hadn't lost its edge. The arena owner let out a heavy sigh.
"If it were up to me, I'd love to. You nerve-racking little shit. But from now on, you won't be allowed to die even if you want to. This business has been planned and built over centuries. To repay the damage you've caused, you'd have to be reborn ten times and it still wouldn't be enough."
Nathan finally let out a chuckle.
"Khh, ow. Damage?"
The pain in his side was still heavy, and his sprained ankle burned. If he laughed freely, something in his body felt like it might snap off. But holding back the mockery was just as difficult. Damage?
"The next event has suffered a massive setback, my chimera has permanent injuries to its jaw and mind, and the orc chieftains I planned to sell at a high price are gone. Do you know how much I paid for the rights to those bastards? All because of one single Sapiens. It's driving me insane trying to make sense of it."
"I'm not the only one who can't make sense of this situation. So what exactly are you planning to do with me?"
"Until you've paid off every last debt you owe me, I'm going to make you fight every kind of battle there is. Sapiens. You now belong to me. You're my fighter. You'll probably stay that way until you wither and die—whether by spilling your blood in the arena or by exhausting that pathetically short lifespan of yours."
"What the hell kind of nonsense is that?"
"Just pray that I, your master, find a way to make use of you. Otherwise you'll be thrown out of the arena into the empty sky without even a chance to repay what you owe."
"Debt my ass. Did I come here because I wanted to fight? You bastards dragged me here!"
The restraints binding Nathan rattled. The soldiers leveled their batons at him in unison.
"I don't know how far out in the sticks that Heavens of yours is, but you must be completely in the dark. Do you even know what's happening in the world these days?"
"Hmm, let's see. The orc documentary series ended."
Nathan was dumbfounded. This time it seemed to be the arena owner's blood pressure that was boiling over.
"A war that will decide the fate of every living being is underway. All of humanity, the forest elves of the Lower World—literally every life form is fighting against the abyss that came from beyond this world. The Empire of Kreml in the Snowy Woods has lost more than half its territory to the permafrost's retreat. The Absolute Monarchy to the south went completely silent the day dozens of abyssal dragons moved south—"
"And the flight of dragons that burned the trade routes and farmlands along the Shamala River is now heading for the nesting grounds of those crocodile-headed Lizardians across the sea. While they're heading south anyway, they plan to wipe the lizards' swamps off the map. Same reptile family, yet they show no mercy at all."
Nathan was stunned by the answer. The Federation had sacrificed a great deal of blood to track the movements of the abyssal dragon flight—hundreds of druids releasing tens of thousands of birds, endangering the lives of numerous intelligence operatives. Yet how could these people know such details?
The arena owner walked to the wall, his long ears and belly fat jiggling. His plump hand peeled back a panel and pressed a button. A curtain rose, revealing an entire wall made of glass. Beyond it stretched an endlessly wide sky, and beneath that, a majestic landscape.
"Ah, how could I not know? When you look down, all you ever see is war."
The arena owner tapped the window as if showing off. The view of the Lower World spread out clearly below. Towering blue mountains competing in height. Scattered among them like moss were castles and cities of unknown origin. Rivers that breathed life into those cities. The honest cross-section of exposed strata showed exactly how the rivers had carved cliffs and shaped the plains. If he hadn't been tied up and tortured, his heart would have raced with awe.
"I've seen it all. I know it all. To us, the orc serial drama was simply more entertaining and more important. That's what 'trend' means. Your war has shown no signs of progress for hundreds of years, so from a spectator's perspective, it's only natural to lose interest in war stories. Abyssal invasion and massacre. Civilization's reclamation, then another abyssal massacre once things get comfortable again. It's just boring. No romance to it. But the territorial disputes between orcs have... how should I put it? Youth and vigor."
The tone of an old man watching dogfights. Nathan was speechless.
"You know the full situation, yet you kidnap soldiers from another country at random and make them fight like dogs? Hey, you sausage with legs, did you eat something that messed with your head?"
"But that's not our problem."
The arena owner tapped his foot against the floor.
"The paradise we live in floats three kilometers above the neighborhood where you live. The hell where you worms dwell is three kilometers below us."
Quiet laughter spread among the soldiers. None of their faces carried the stains of war. Nathan felt a refreshing shock. These people had never experienced war. Yet at the same time, they knew it well. Just as the landscape was visible before Nathan's eyes, they would have observed everything from this floating airship as easily as looking at the palm of their hand. Soldiers screaming as they were chewed up like snacks by dragons painted in cosmic colors. The sight of abyssal insects gnawing away at dwarf fortresses. The tragedies of orc hordes invoking the names of starving gods while tearing out the innards of the weak and offering them up. To these people, all of it was nothing more than entertainment.
Yes, now that he thought about it, the bloodstained sand of the arena had been mixed with all sorts of things. Scales, fur, fangs, and hairs as thick and coarse as a dwarf's beard. Just how long had these old monsters been enjoying this kind of amusement?
Nathan ground his teeth, about to say that he'd rather bash his head against the wall and die than lend strength to their childish, insane games. But the arena owner's next words stopped the breath in his throat.
"That woman you call a comrade has a lot to pay for too, and it angers me that I can't collect from her. I'd love to make her pay for stabbing a blade into my Pretty Boy's mouth, but I can't exactly extract a debt from someone who fell into the incinerator."
So you'll have to work off the debt of two Sapiens.
The arena owner said this while gesturing to the soldiers. They glanced at the now-silent Nathan with suspicion before carrying him away. Even as he was hung by his restraints on the wall of the solitary cell, Nathan didn't move a muscle, like a corpse.
How much time had passed? Nathan wondered if he was rotting away.
"Neither heat, blades, nor hammers could close your mouth, yet one mention of the incinerator has silenced you. I guess you weren't such a tough bastard after all. You didn't pass out from the shock, did you?"
So when the unfamiliar visitor asked the question, Nathan decided not to answer hastily. He wasn't entirely sure himself. Whether he was awake or asleep. If he was awake, then he was simply tired. His body had never felt this heavy. His exhausted flesh longed for deep sleep. Very deep sleep...
"You're not giving up here, are you? Aspen wouldn't want you to die."
"Aspen... is dead."
How could a dead person want anything? And how dare you use Aspen's name when you don't even know how I feel? Nathan tried to shout with all his resentment. But what came out instead of a cry was a hoarse, dying voice. Even the end of his sentence turned into self-reproach.
"Because I... was too inexperienced..."
"Really? Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Nathan's body jerked hard. The unidentified visitor laughed softly. Nathan feared the hope swelling in his chest. He shouldn't hope so easily. False hope only led to painful betrayal. Just like that moment when he'd thought Aspen had succeeded and that both of them had survived.
But he couldn't help asking.
"Aspen... Peres. Is he alive...?"
"He's alive. He's with me."
Along with the answer, the visitor lifted Nathan's chin. Then poured something into his mouth. Sweet water moistened his dry tongue. Nathan drank it greedily without even thinking of being cautious. The water flowing down his throat carried the sweet scent of honey. When the bottle left his lips, Nathan gasped for air. It felt like waking from a deep sleep. A faint vitality returned to his body.
"Where is Aspen?"
"Not yet. This might sting a little, so don't be afraid."
Something cold and sharp pierced his shoulder. The memory of the lightning-charged needle gun was vivid, so Nathan flinched and held his breath. But the expected pain never came. Instead, a warm sensation slowly spread from his throbbing shoulder. Like new blood was circulating.
"I told you not to be afraid."
The unfamiliar visitor laughed gently. A woman's voice, or perhaps that of a child who hadn't yet reached puberty. A low tone that somehow put people at ease. As the warm energy traveled up his neck and into his head, his vision gradually returned. Only then could Nathan lift his head and meet his conversation partner's eyes.
"It's hard not to be afraid when you're dressed like that."
The silhouette behind the black veil smiled faintly. He couldn't make out the face. He could only tell that it was smiling. Of course, that alone wouldn't have surprised him this much. The black dress and long black hair were swaying slightly even though there was no wind in the room. It wouldn't have been strange to call her the goddess of death come to take him to the afterlife.
"I've made sure no one is eavesdropping. It's also a time when the guards don't patrol. Say whatever you want. You must have many questions."
The visitor certainly inspired many questions, but Nathan was sensitive to priorities.
"Where is Aspen?"
The veiled visitor burst into laughter.
"Goodness, the first thing you say after regaining your strength is that? Aren't you curious what I just made you drink, or what I injected?"
"Aspen comes first. Is it true that you have secured him?"
"Oh, how knightly. So the rumors that there were feelings between you must be true. I heard it from Aspen. On a cloudless moonlit night, in a lodging where only the two of you remained..."
Nathan's pupils shook. How could she know that?
"You said he's alive. Where is he?!"
"Of course he's alive. But where he is doesn't matter."
"If that doesn't matter, then what—"
"There are things you need to worry about even more urgently."
Nathan put all his strength into his arms. But all that came was a creak from the old welds. The X-shaped frame held him firmly and wouldn't let go.
"See? I'm sorry, but I'm in no position to grant anyone's requests."
"It's not a request. It's your own business. I came to give you advance notice. The arena owner's schedule has changed. In one hour, you'll be fighting Pretty Boy."
"Pretty... what?"
"That chimera monster that nearly devoured you. Remember?"
The crocodile head, the massive tiger body. The scorpion tail and legs. The creature that had kicked Aspen amid the cheers of the long-eared bastards.
"I remember."
There was no way he could forget that thing. Nathan chewed his lip for a moment before adding,
"I don't know what crazy person named it that, but I just can't get used to the name."
The visitor tilted her head.
"No matter how much better you've gotten, fighting a murderous chimera in that condition is practically a death sentence. How can you be so calm?"
"Whether I tremble or not, it won't change anything. And my mind is leaning toward the possibility that Aspen might be safe."
"Why?"
The visitor's voice grew slightly tinged with amusement. Strength was gradually returning to Nathan's tone as well.
"You treated me, warned me of the coming danger in advance, and told me you've secured Aspen."
It was the first kindness he'd received from a complete stranger since being dragged to this nightmarish place. Nathan thought he must not let go of this lifeline.
"Isn't it strange to think you're someone who holds goodwill toward me? At the very least, you must want something from me."
"An excellent deduction."
"You said you know what happened between Aspen and me. Aspen has a playful personality, but he isn't the type to casually reveal deep personal matters. Yet if he told you about that... incident, it must have been to give me confidence."
Nathan's words gradually trailed off.
"After all, the only ones who know what happened that day are Aspen and me...? What is so funny?"
The visitor had lowered her head. Her shoulders were trembling slightly, as if she were trying to hold back laughter. Sensing something was wrong, Nathan fell silent. The visitor, whose shoulders had been shaking, finally raised her head. Then she lifted and removed the veil.
White. An eerily beautiful face with skin like a snow-covered landscape, completely without a trace of blush. If not for the faintly visible blood vessels, one might have suspected she was a ghost. Surrounded by the black dress and black hair, that pale skin stood out even more strikingly.
"Not a bad deduction, Nathan. But the direction is far too kind. In the Heavens, it's better not to view the world with such a warm perspective."
But what captured his gaze even more was the sneer that seemed to hang from her ears. A cold mockery that laughed at someone so thirsty for goodwill that he had willingly taken the bait. Nathan swallowed dryly at the rising anxiety and asked.
"Why did you help me?"
"Why. Yes, there is a reason."
The visitor toyed with the removed veil as she drew closer.
"One of the things you said was correct. I do want something from you. Your victory."
"I think I understand what you meant by abandoning a warm perspective. I thought you were a good person, but you're just a gambler. How much did you bet that you'd sneak into a place like this?"
"Coming and going from a lax arena where even the owner and staff are careless is nothing. I know a few useful spells for times like these."
Nathan sneered inwardly. So you're a mage. How surprising. I'm sorry for not recognizing you when your outfit screams it so loudly.
"I've brought you an attractive proposal. Would you like to hear it? It might be of great help. More so than the rapid regeneration agent I just injected."
"I've heard similar stories in old folktales. They say if a mage or spirit approaches you when you're desperate, don't answer."
Nathan pretended to mock her. It was to hide his tension, but even he thought the acting was rather poor.
"What answer would you like to hear? That I need power for revenge? That I'd pay any price to escape this place? Then are you going to grant me some mysterious superpower?"
"A fortuitous encounter. That's also an extremely benevolent interpretation of the situation, Nathan. I just told you. Abandon the warm perspective. The old tales of deals that destroy the parties involved at least involve an exchange of something."
She drew closer. Uncomfortably so. Nathan shrank back. Eyes with deep shadows like butterfly wings. Cheeks approaching his own. Her lips parted slightly.
"Your answer holds no value to me. So just listen. Your friend Aspen did not go to the incinerator. He barely clung to life and fell into my hands."
Her breath tickled his ear like the hem of a dream.
"And if you fail to win a little later, I will crush your precious person's tiny head."