Public Duel (1)
Public Duel (1)
It was a lukewarm afternoon with the sun hidden behind thick clouds. The vast Mercenary Agency in the heart of Aronshied was so crowded you couldn't even find a place to stand.
"Hey, I completed the job I took last month. Hurry up and give me the rest of the payment, you bastard."
"Don't you see how many people are here? If you're not blind, have the decency to wait."
Burly mercenaries wearing faded weapons and armor. They were each checking their contracts while occasionally putting on a show of strength. Here, that was just an ordinary day.
After the Holy Evil War ended, the world had regained peace. But that didn't mean the light of justice shone equally everywhere. Places like Aronshied that hadn't experienced revival were scattered everywhere. In such regions, it was inevitable that many people would try to solve problems with fists rather than law. This mercenary agency served as a kind of bridge connecting those customers with mercenaries.
Aronshied, with its poor public security, was a city with an especially high number of mercenaries. That was why Aronshied was called the Mercenary City. But even considering that, the number of mercenaries gathered at the agency today was noticeably higher than usual. Unless there was something special, the agency wouldn't be this crowded. And today was exactly that 'special day'.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since we had a duel at the agency."
"A while? Don't you remember last month when some guy got messed up and was carried out?"
The mercenaries gathered now, every single one of them, were staring at the spacious circular arena located on one side of the agency. The arena was full of small scratches and indelible stains. On it, today's protagonist, the Goddess of Vengeance Nemesis, stood in a majestic figure.
"Is the opponent here yet?"
One-on-one duels at the agency weren't all that rare. For mercenaries whose lifelong job was to beat each other bloody, a public duel was a kind of advertisement to showcase their skills. But the duel taking place today was not of that kind. It was a once-in-a-lifetime rare spectacle where that Goddess Nemesis El Amelia Rayhard herself would step up. If a heavenly goddess was appearing in a duel, it was worth putting off whatever you were doing just to watch.
"But why is she suddenly having a duel?"
"Who knows, maybe she wants to loosen up?"
"If she just wants to loosen up, would she gather this many spectators?"
"Don't ask me, you bastard. I don't know either..."
Among the mercenaries watching the arena, not a few expressed surprise at this suddenly decided duel. The mercenaries whispered among themselves, deducing plausible reasons, but not a single one knew the real story.
"......"
I was in a state of having naturally blended in among those mercenaries, wearing a disguise I had become accustomed to. I gazed steadily at Nemesis, standing on the duel stage not too far and not too close.
The mercenaries at the agency didn't particularly look up to Nemesis even though she was in the same space. With no praise or hymns, they were just anticipating her upcoming duel. No matter how much of a goddess she was, here she was treated the same as everyone else. That was the rule and justice of this harsh mercenary world.
"Oh, he's finally here!"
Around the time the duel was almost due, Nemesis's previously unknown opponent finally appeared from the opposite entrance of the arena. Everyone's gaze focused on the man who opened the door and emerged. And the moment they confirmed the goddess's opponent, their curiosity quickly turned into deep disappointment.
"What the hell is that guy...?"
Perhaps because his appearance was so different from what they had imagined, the mercenaries started clicking their tongues one by one as they watched Hector Dirtykent enter energetically.
"What kind of nerve does a crippled bastard with messed-up limbs have to fight the Goddess?"
"He looks so scrawny too; I could beat him myself."
The mercenaries of Aronshied knew very well the strength of the Goddess Nemesis. She was practically the embodiment of order in this city, a living myth in the literal sense. That her opponent was a man with such crippled limbs made no sense to the mercenaries at all.
"The result is already decided before it even starts."
"Well, anyway, let's proceed with the betting as usual~."
Those who looked like they had already seen it all quickly opened their pockets. Betting on who would win—a kind of entertainment among mercenaries whenever a duel took place at the agency. The vast majority bet on Nemesis's victory, and practically no one bet on Hector winning. The mercenaries of Aronshied seemed to have no doubt about the Goddess of Vengeance's overwhelming victory.
"......"
They wouldn't dare imagine that this Hector had so thoroughly ravaged Nemesis on the bed yesterday. Even if I told them that he had been tied up and enthusiastically sucked her cock and asshole, no one would believe it...
"Hey, want to bet on how long that cripple will last?"
"Oh? Call! That sounds more interesting~."
There were quite a few who were betting on the premise of Hector's defeat. Even though the duel hadn't started yet, the outcome was already decided among the mercenaries.
"By the way, she still has a killer body..."
One of the mercenaries muttered as he swallowed his saliva, and I caught it. At that, the other mercenaries nearby nodded in agreement, then stared at Nemesis standing on the arena with eyes filled with dark desire.
Hair as red as blazing flames and a face of peerless beauty made in heaven. Her incredible figure, made even more lewdly emphasized by a black leather tank top and hot pants. The fine muscles visible on her exposed abdomen and long, outstretched limbs further highlighted her tough charm. Any man with something heavy between his legs couldn't easily take his eyes off that beautiful female warrior waiting for the duel.
"That cripple gets to touch that body legally while fighting, right? I don't know about anything else, but I'm a bit jealous of that one thing."
"If you're that jealous, why don't you fight in his place right now?"
"Are you crazy? Get publicly humiliated in front of this crowd just for a momentary thrill?"
The mercenary who said that shook his head, saying it wasn't worth it.
I let the mercenaries' chatter wash over me and stared at Nemesis, who was preparing for the fight, with an unreadable expression. The Nemesis standing on the arena now was missing the twin swords she always wore at her waist. Since the agency's duel rules forbade the use of weapons, she had to fight bare-handed for this duel. But even in a fight without weapons, not a single mercenary gathered here thought Nemesis would lose to Hector. And that fact was also well known to Hector, who had personally experienced her strength with his own body before. Yet he still insisted on challenging Nemesis to a one-on-one duel. It was a reckless act he would never have committed without some card up his sleeve.
*
'What a farce...'
Nemesis silently sighed to herself on the arena. Looking back on how things had escalated, it was inevitable.
"If you win, I'll disappear from in front of you and your husband without a word. But if I win, you have to recognize me as your exclusive sex partner~."
It was beyond anger—it was ridiculous. Nemesis initially had no intention whatsoever of accepting such a nonsensical bet. If Ion hadn't shown any sign of wanting it, she would have cleanly cut off Hector's remaining hands and legs with her sword.
"Hoo..."
Nemesis pretended to stretch while checking her physical condition. By her own judgment, her condition today was quite poor. It was close to the worst.
'Is it because of that aphrodisiac and cannabis from yesterday...?'
The terrible ordeal she had to endure tied up on the bed. The orgasms that had assaulted her yesterday still hadn't completely subsided. But Nemesis didn't think for a moment that she would lose. If the opponent was Hector Dirtykent, this much was not even a handicap. However, Hector's relaxed attitude bothered her a little. Was he foolish enough to think he had a chance as long as there were no weapons? Or did he have some other trick up his sleeve? Either way, it seemed he had something to rely on.
'No, it doesn't matter.'
She just needed to finish it before the bastard could pull any tricks. As Nemesis shook off the thoughts in her mind, the scheduled time for the duel had already arrived.
Nemesis and Hector faced each other on the arena, staring at each other from a distance. Then the referee for this duel approached between them and explained the rules.
"No weapons or tools are allowed. The duel will continue until one side is incapacitated or surrenders. Any objections?"
"No."
"Nope~."
Nemesis and Hector answered simultaneously at the referee's question. Then, having said his piece, the referee glanced at Hector once before slowly walking back to his position.
"Then... begin the duel!"
As the referee's booming declaration raised the curtain on the fateful duel, the mercenaries filling the surroundings erupted into loud cheers as if they had been waiting.
"Finish him in one go, Nemesis!"
"Show us the Goddess's power!"
"Show us how you used to slice through the Demon King's army!"
"Hang in there, you with the fake limbs, heh heh."
Most of the mercenaries cheered for Nemesis, but about one in four also cheered for Hector as a joke.
Ignoring the irritating chatter of the crowd, Nemesis lowered her waist and put power into her lower body. There was no reason to drag this out.
Pwaat!
Wanted to end this childish farce as quickly as possible, Nemesis took her stance and immediately rushed at Hector. But the very next moment, her charge failed.
"Euh...?!"
Nemesis, who had intended to finish it in one swift move, stopped awkwardly in her tracks and frowned. The moment she took one step forward. That was because an unexpected disturbance had occurred.