Chapter 97: But There is Still Hope (6) |
I sensed something was off about the Martial King, but my companions didn’t know about that. So, as soon as they heard that morning that there would be a match between Red Mane and the champion, they rushed to buy tickets.
It was only natural as it was also an opportunity to appreciate the champion’s power.
“I did get a ticket.”
However, it was a match between fighters in the top 10 by just popularity alone. Furthermore, they chose to duel today, not in a few days or something.
In other words, getting a ticket was like plucking a star from the sky.
As such, only two tickets were available after Deb ran all over the place and even got help from the Information Guild since the Tower and Temple were effectively useless. Only half our party was allowed to participate.
“Mister, you’ve been banned from entering as a spectator, so you won’t be able to get in even if you have a ticket… Hmm. Then, who’ll the other one left behind be?”
Deb spoke as if it was already clear who it would be. He obviously expected it would be himself.
“In the end, it would be best if I stayed back, right?”
“No, I think it would be better if it’s me.”
However, the situation took an unexpected turn. The Inquisitor volunteered to stay behind.
“Is that okay?”
“Ah, yes. It’s fine. I can just go in through a different way.”
However, that didn’t mean the Inquisitor would miss the fight.
“The arena has requested medical personnel in case of an emergency. I was told that while we rarely have to step forward, those fighting this time are among the most skillful fighters in the city, so they absolutely needed someone with protective powers… So, I can go there. I can also treat people, after all.”
That was a pretty good way. However, she seemed to be in a pretty bad mood.
“Frankly, I find it rather unfair to request full protection solely through voluntary donations, but… I suppose we have no choice but to take that into account.”
“Hmm. Is that so? In that case, it would certainly be better for you to enter the arena this way and the other two to enter as spectators. What about you? Is that fine with you?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. How fortunate.”
After initially trying to stay behind, Deb could only answer stiffly.
“However… In that case, wouldn’t it be better to take Mister with you? I-I mean, if we work a little harder, I’m sure we could make them loosen that entry ban.”
Things might have been different had four seats been available, but now that someone had to stay behind, things were rather awkward. I didn’t know why, but he was trying to throw me in there again.
Or could it be that he didn’t want to go to the arena because it was too hot? Since there was no ceiling, depending on the sun’s position, one would be completely exposed to the scorching sunlight.
“I don’t need it.”
But why did I have to go…?
I was curious about the Martial King and how he fought, but I suspected this guy wouldn’t be able to join our party anyway.
In the end, it was the type of meeting that would end after seeing each other once, so was there really any need to watch him fight? Furthermore… If my guess is correct, he was definitely a criminal, right?
Either way, nothing good would come of this. I didn’t want to see that guy ever.
“Alright.”
“If that’s the case…”
In the end, it became the task of those three, excluding myself, to watch the fight between the Martial King and Red Mane.
I had no choice but to stay behind, but that was also rather nice. I can loaf around indoors for the whole day! Yay!
* * *
“Do you think Mister will be fine?”
“The Temple’s people had nothing to complain about, right? While it’s a bit worrying, and I would prefer to keep an eye on him… I think it’ll be fine.”
Deathbringer scratched his head inside his hood at the Archmage’s answer.
That wasn’t really the intention behind his question, though.
“No, it’s just…”
Yesterday, while they were assessing talents, the Demon Knight just quietly stayed behind in the Temple. It couldn’t be that he felt bad for causing a commotion inside the arena, so it had to be purely related to the Demon…
Right, the Demon. He didn’t really say anything about it, though. According to the priest who watched him, there didn’t seem to be any signs of him losing control, and he even attended mass faithfully—though he looked out of place—and nothing unusual happened.
However, that wasn’t what he cared about. What worried him wasn’t the possibility of the Demon Knight getting devoured by the Demon…
“Okay.”
He recalled that the Demon Knight, who’d definitely bathed before they left for the arena, bathed again immediately after mass had ended.
Although he had always been a very clean person… He wasn’t someone who’d wash himself twice a day. Furthermore, nothing should have happened that would require him to wash again, either. Something that would leave him drenched in either sweat or blood.
“…Is there any other problem?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
So, why did he have to clean himself again?
“It’s really nothing.”
Just why?
“I see. But if there’s anything on your mind, please let me know.”
…He could already guess the reason, and there was no real way to stop it.
“Let’s just go.”
“Take care, Inquisitor.”
“Yes.”
A familiar feeling of helplessness overcame him.
“Oh, it’s here.”
Deathbringer erased all useless thoughts from his head. It was only painful to think about things he couldn’t do.
Instead, he quickly found a place where they could sit and sat down. Although he had quite some trouble getting this seat, it wasn't that bad a position. He had a good view of the stage.
“Thanks to you, we were able to find them quickly.”
“Don’t mention it.”
There was still some time left until the fight between Kankan and the Martial King. He put the dried pickled camel meat he’d bought in front of the arena into his mouth. The salty yet sweet taste suited his palate.
“Oh, come to think of it, I told you to investigate something yesterday, didn’t I?”
“Hmm? Ah. You mean about those people the Inquisitor got an uncomfortable feeling from?”
“Yes.”
Normally, he would have reported his findings when they were all gathered, but he was so exhausted from looking for these tickets that he’d completely forgotten about it.
Quite frankly, though, he’d found nothing significant that the Demon Knight and Inquisitor had to hear.
“Nothing, really… There wasn’t anything strange about them.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, it’s not like there wasn’t anything suspicious about them, but even after looking into them deeper, I couldn’t find anything.”
“Hmm. What do you mean by suspicious?”
“They suddenly became stronger.”
At first, he just found it a little strange. Fighters who had initially been in the lower ranks suddenly began standing out and leaped into the middle or upper ranks.
As someone who knew what Demon contractors were like, wouldn’t that be enough to be considered suspicious?
“But if they made contracts with a Demon…”
“There’s no way that the Temple wouldn’t know.”
“Yes. That’s the problem.”
He investigated all those whose skills had witnessed a sudden, sharp improvement. Not only did they visit the Temple regularly, but most also had their injuries treated there. That would be completely impossible if they’d made contracts with Demons.
“I heard that Demon Contractors can’t attack Demons.”
Quite crucially, whenever Demons emerged from the desert, they would participate in defending the city. In that process, they also killed some Demons.
This would also be utterly impossible if they were contracted to Demons. In other words, these people weren’t Demon Contractors.
“Then, you're saying this really isn’t anything bigger…?”
They were suspicious, but nothing could be found. The Archmage was somewhat troubled by that.
It was the same type of agony he’d felt since yesterday.
“It seems this isn’t something we can figure out right now. It would be better to seek the Magic Tower’s cooperation on this matter.”
“Yeah.”
If the Temple had no clue, it was only natural for them to call on the Magic Tower for help. While the Temple had the advantage when it came to detecting Demonic Energy, the Magic Tower was more proficient in analyzing everything else.
For that reason, Deathbringer thought no further on this matter. It was out of his hands now.
“Rather, when will the match start?”
“There’s still some time left.”
“I can’t wait to see the skill of the person who’s held the champion title for five years straight.”
“I doubt he’ll disappoint, given he’s this city’s strongest.”
“I think he’ll be weaker than Mister Knight, though.”
The Archmage didn’t answer his words. He simply smiled. He did not need to say anything else.
“Who do you think will win? I heard that before the Martial King became the champion, Kankan was on par with him.”
“Hoooh, is that so?”
Was that all? After further investigation, he discovered that Red Mane Kankan and the champion were actually old friends. It seemed their friendship had continued even after the Martial King became the champion.
“Yeah. I even heard that they were friends. Well, it seems like they grew more distant these days.”
[The rumor about an employee dying and an acquaintance leaving the champion’s residence injured turned out to be true, and that acquaintance is none other than Red Mane.]
However, some facts were also kept hidden. As he spoke, he wrote the truth he’d uncovered on the Archmage’s forearm.
By the way, the reason he only found this out now wasn’t that big a deal. The Information Guild was simply hesitant to say anything about this matter because it had been covered up by the Lord, who greatly cared about the Martial King.
He was quite irked by how uncooperative this branch was compared to those elsewhere, to the point where he wouldn’t have known this had he gone to them as a member of the organization instead of as a guest.
“I heard the Martial King is quite sensitive. Is it because of that?”
[From that day on, Red Mane was put under surveillance by both the merchant group that invested in the champion and the Lord who named him the champion.]
He continued to write letters on the Archmage’s forearm. It was unclear whether the Archmage understood what he was trying to convey, but, given that he didn’t try to ask any further questions, he seemed to roughly understand.
“I guess that’s the cause. If a person becomes too vicious and small-minded, it’s unsurprising that people will distance themselves from them.”
It seemed he understood clearly.
“Hmm, I wonder if that’s why Red Mane suddenly issued him a challenge. What do you think the reason is?”
“What? Isn’t that similar to what Miss Priest thought?”
[Red Mane tried to report this matter several times but was blocked every time. With that in mind, it might be better for him to kill the champion in the arena. If this continues, there may be even more victims.]
“Do you think he will win?”
“I don’t know. However, most predict that Red Mane will be defeated.”
[He will lose. 100%.]
They glanced at the other members of the audience, which was slowly growing more crowded, as they exchanged information verbally and, confidentially, in writing.
“Then, do you think another ‘incident’ will happen today?”
[Honestly, if the champion is that unwilling to atone, isn’t Red Mane in the right? This is a rare opportunity to kill someone legally with so many witnesses.]
The match hadn’t started yet.
“But anyway, just who is this guy who’s been holding this position for so many years, and will he really die today?”
However, it appeared the result was already predetermined.
* * *
* * *
The Inquisitor sat in her appointed seat. The air around her was quite muggy. However, the cold air coming from her armor allowed her to breathe easily, so it was fine.
“Attention! Our champion, Martial King, is entering!”
Then, the match finally started. Of the two, the Martial King came up first.
He seemed to be of the Curety tribe. A single earring hung from one of the ears on his head. He was actually as large as most of the Shaggi tribe.
“He’s big.”
The Inquisitor felt a little envious when she saw him. She had never thought of herself as ‘small’, but whenever she saw people as tall as or even taller than her, she often wished she could be just as massive.
When it came to fighting, physique could be considered a weapon in its own right.
“But he seems a bit…”
Something felt strange about all this. It was similar to that uncomfortable sensation she’d felt since entering the city, just a lot more intense.
She stopped admiring his physique and looked closer at the white-haired, dark-skinned champion. She wanted to spread her Divine Power and see if she could get a reaction.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I just feel like there’s something strange about this.”
However, she bore with it. As the Archmage had said, if it were something perceivable via her Divine Power, the Temple would not have just sat still until now.
In fact, it was rather difficult to believe that this person had never once visited the Temple. He had been the champion here for about five years, so there was no way he hadn’t gotten injured even once in that time.
“Something strange?”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
Was it just a feeling? Her face looked sullen as she checked over the person who came up next. It was Red Mane Kankan.
“Attention! The one who has challenged our undefeated champion, Kankan, the Red Mane, has entered!”
Was it because he had helped them—could it be considered help?—she somehow felt like rooting for Kankan.
Despite this being nothing more than a meaningless duel, fought only to earn money and fame while also determining rank.
It wasn’t like she’d found the arena’s existence desirable, but after she learned about its significance, most of those feelings disappeared, and her impression of it was overall good. So she could at least cheer one of the contestants on.
However…
“Stop! Stop it!”
“Th-The winner is! Martial King!”
“Hurry and give him first aid!”
“I will do it!”
She immediately gave up on those feelings. She, who’d believed she understood, began to doubt the meaning of this arena once again.
Even though the difference in skill was as clear as day, they deliberately kept the match going, resulting in more and more serious injuries appearing on his body. Although served to entertain, this was just too cruel and dishonorable.
“D-Damn it.”
“Don’t talk.”
She unleashed her Divine Power and applied it to the man about to die from excessive blood loss. She hadn’t needed to use her powers recently, so this wasn’t much of a problem for her.
In exchange for a slight tingling in her body, the person before her who’d been teetering on the edge between life and death started to come back to life.
It was a real miracle to see new skin grow in place of the old. The Divine Power even stimulated the cells instead of just his blood, heightening the rate of nutrient delivery.
“In the end, I can’t do it… It’s too late… for me…”
However, the other person didn’t show even a shred of happiness at this miracle. All he could do was sob while holding his nearly severed forearm over his eyes.
“I don’t know why you’re so sad, but I can say that you fought valiantly.”
She couldn’t entirely sympathize with his feelings, but she at least knew that Red Mane had done his best. The Inquisitor took away her hand, faithfully conveying her feelings.
His treatment had been completed. As a reward for saving this person’s life, she felt a mild warmth rushing throughout her body, but compared to when she’d fought with all her might, it couldn’t even be described as tingling.
She rose to her feet, the heat within her suppressed by the coolness of her armor.
“So stand tall. You still have a future ahead of you, don’t you?”
“…I tried everything I could and still failed. Yet you’re telling me I still have a future?”
“Well. Have you really tried everything?”
The Inquisitor held out her hand.
“Just try again. The person who trained me told me that immediate success is rather rare. In that case, wouldn’t success be possible if one tries enough?”
“…!”
The other person didn’t grab onto her hand easily, hesitating.
“…What if it still doesn’t work?”
“Do you just want to give up, then?”
“That’s…”
“I don’t know your circumstances, so I can’t blame you for giving up, but can you say that you won’t regret it if you give up?”
“…No.”
“Then try again. Until you find a good enough reason to be satisfied with giving up.”
The Inquisitor patiently waited for this hesitation to clear up. Red Mane’s expression became disheveled.
“Hah, I thought you were just a newbie, but you’re quite the eloquent priest.”
“Am I that eloquent?”
Her cheeks flushed at the compliment she had received for the first time. She didn’t know about everything else, but this was definitely the first time anyone told her she was eloquent!
Even though most of what she’d just said were words other priests had taught her.
“…Thank you for saving my life.”
“That’s my job.”
“…As you said… Yeah, it seems I’ll have to try again.”
He finally took the hand of the Inquisitor, who helped him up. She watched as this large man rose to his feet and shook off his clothes.
The man’s eyes were focused elsewhere, on the Martial King, who was thoroughly enjoying that gaze.
“Even if I die… I’ll have to stop him.”
The Inquisitor couldn’t fully comprehend what he was saying. She could understand challenging him, but what did he mean by ‘stopping him’? Did he mean the champion’s consecutive winning streak? Did this have anything to do with him not wanting them to meet the Martial King?
“Stop him from what?”
“…! No, I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“Is there any point in risking your life for that?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
“…?”
Kankan looked at her, seeming flustered, and supplemented his words. There was just one thing she absolutely didn’t understand.
Wait a second. Her eyes landed on the audience seats. The Archmage was waving his hand, and that troublemaker stood beside him with sad eyes.
“What I’m trying to say is, just forget it. It’s nothing you should concern yourself with…”
“That’s right!”
“…?”
“I’ve been wanting to ask you about the Martial King. Although I’ve finished treating you, getting a good rest is also important, so we should go to the Temple together!”
“What?”
Seeing how he’d acted while fighting a weaker opponent, she’d completely lost her desire to bring in the Martial King as a companion.
On the other hand, she felt quite uncomfortable when faced with the person titled the Martial King, so she desired to investigate him further.
In that regard, if she brought this guy before the other two, they’d probably extract more information than she ever could.
“Then, let us be off!”
“No, wait, Miss Priest?!”
She quickly grabbed ahold of Red Mane and went out. The match was over anyway, so no one would stop them.