~ Chapter 58: The downfall of a greedy merchant ~

[Illsyore's point of view]

 Upon arriving at the coliseum, we found out we couldn’t go inside until Deroak or someone representing him arrived and confirmed our identity to the guards. If we wanted to pay for the show, it was only two silverettes for one entry pass, but since we wanted to fight, I would receive free seats in the VIP section while my fighters would have to be guided to the waiting area.

Knowing this, we patiently waited at the main entrance until Deroak arrived with his two guards and a skinny man in his twenties by his side. The slaves he brought for this fight were in the back of a carriage who was bound to arrive shortly after. The skinny man would take care of the procedures, so while he did this, I followed Deroak together with Tamara to our seats. Nanya, Shanteya, and Ayuseya were guided by one of the workers here to the waiting area for the fighters.

The first thing to catch my attention was the way this entire building was constructed. It strongly reminded me of a typical stadium from Earth, the type with a retractable roof. The only difference was in the materials these people used and the fact that the roof itself remained open all the time. A complicated wooden rib structure kept it from falling on top of our heads. It almost looked like modern engineering with a bit of magic added to it.

There were four rows for the normal population, and the fighting area in the middle was slightly elliptic, but the ring itself was a circle of flattened stones just ten centimeters off the ground. The seats for the nobility and royalty were located on the opposite sides of the major axis. The king and his family had a special seat which no one else was allowed to use. On the minor axis, the rich merchants and the slave merchants had their own separate areas as well. The division between the two was given by the fact that the latter brought the entertainment, or so I was told when I asked one of the men working here.

Usually, there wasn’t a day passing by without a battle or two taking place here, but the big events were reserved and programmed properly. In our case, it was going to be considered as a minor event that didn’t need any announcing.

“I take it you already spoke with your fighters about who will go in first?” Deroak asked me as he leaned back in his chair.

I was sitting next to him and Tamara in front of me, looking curiously over the edge at the big ring in the middle. Her tail swayed slowly from left to right.

“Yes. We can begin any time.” I smiled.

The merchant snapped his fingers, and one of the big guards rushed out of here, most likely to inform the people working at this coliseum that we wished for the event to start.

Although this place had a capacity of almost 20000 people, there were only about 500 to witness the battles of my companions. Maybe they were regulars or a more interesting battle was about to take place after this?

“My esteemed guests!” someone shouted in the middle of the ring, catching everyone’s attention.

He was a man of around 40 years old, with a long ponytail and wore white clothes from head to toe. There were no special markings or embroideries on them, being as simple as possible.

“For the following match, we will witness a battle between a draconian warrior and one of Deroak’s slaves! The owner of the draconian and the slave merchant Deroak have agreed upon a small bet, the one who manages to accumulate three wins in total will be declared the winner of their friendly bet! Without further ado, let the battle begin!” he raised his arms to the sky and then lowered them fast.

Two gates opened. From the left side, Ayuseya walked out carrying the sword I made for her, while on the right side, a brawny-looking man made his appearance, carrying a big hammer and showing us a big grin on his face. Thanks to that, I knew he was missing a couple of teeth.

After the announcer walked out, the two warriors stepped forward, well… the princess and the slave.

“This will be interesting; I hope your woman won’t fall too fast.” Deroak grinned.

“I hope so too, she is the strongest among all of them!” I showed him a confident smile.

“The strongest? You are starting in full force, aren’t you?” he laughed.

“Of course! When in a battle, you don’t waste time with small attacks, you hit your enemy fast and without mercy!” I declared and flexed my biceps like a regular adventurer.

“Oh? Is that so?” the merchant looked satisfied about something.

I could guess what his grin was about. In his eyes, I was taking the image of a brawny idiot with a greed just as big as his. This meant that I could be swayed by the shiny coins he would dangle before me. Unless, of course, he was a master actor and a genius of some sort who already saw through my little scheme.

The battle started with the slave attacking my Ayuseya. The man tried to land a hit, and it connected. Thanks to my enhanced senses, I could see that it didn’t even touch the dragoness. Her Magic Armor was simply too thick. There was a moment of pause while he figured out what happened, but the draconian didn’t let him and kicked him in the stomach, unfortunately, she stumbled on her dress and fell on her back.

“Ahahaha!” the merchant laughed and so did a bunch others.

Stop laughing at my wife! I’ll kill you all! I growled in my mind.

“Hm? Are you upset of this perhaps?” the merchant showed me a satisfied grin.

“No, of course not… this battle is just getting interesting!” I laughed as awkwardly as I could.

Ayuseya got up just in time to block the attack of the warrior. She pushed him back and then gave him a slap over the face. It was so powerful it sent him flying out of the ring and right into the wall. He was knocked out and lost the rest of his teeth.

“Huh?” Deroak was surprised by this sudden turn of events.

“And we have a winner! The draconian!” the announcer shouted, scaring the hell out of me.

That man has some powerful lungs! I thought while trying to calm down my fast beating heart, even Tamara was covering her ears.

“She is quite strong, that one.” Deroak said rubbing his chin, most likely making an assessment about how much he could sell her for.

“As I said, she is the strongest in my team.” I smiled.

After the slave was taken out of there, the second one followed up. This time it was a weak looking fellow, a bit skinny in my eyes, but he felt stronger than the last one. As soon as the battle began, this guy started to cast some spells. It took him a bit to channel the Magic Energy, but Ayuseya didn’t let him. She jumped forward and struck him with the hilt of her sword right in the pit of his stomach. Coughing, the man collapsed on his knees and glared at her, but a punch to the face settled this match as well. The slave, a mage, was knocked out.

“And we have a winner! The draconian! This lady can sure give a punch!” he shouted.

“Not bad, don’t you think?” I smirked and tossed a gaze from the corners of my eyes at the merchant.

Deroak didn’t seem too pleased about it, but I hoped those weren’t his strongest ones. If Ayuseya lost to a weakling, it would be quite suspicious of her.

“I wonder if the next battle will be the same?” he said and then looked back at me with confidence in his eyes.

So he placed them in ascending order according to their strengths? The last one must be quite strong… I told myself as I looked back at the ring.

Ayuseya looked back at me in that moment, and I nodded once, letting her know that it was alright for her to lose now.

The next battle was about to start. The announcer came forward to the middle of the ring and announced the next fighter, another one of Deroak’s slaves, this time, an el’doraw man. He was about the same size as Shanteya, but not too bad looking either. He had an athletic build and very few scars on his body as far as I could see. The weapons of choice for him were two curved daggers, but he was also a booster like Nanya, enhancing his physical abilities with magic.

When the battle started, he dashed forward at an incredible speed. He was at least ten times faster than the other two, but way too slow when compared with my wife. The first hit connected but didn’t go past the Magic Armor. Ayuseya was pushed back a few steps, but she maintained her balance.

“What?” I said, acting all surprised.

Tamara perked her ears up and looked back at me. Even she didn’t see the man to be a threat for the dragoness.

“Hehe! My slaves are quite strong, you know?” he smirked.

Looking back at him, I noticed he wasn’t worried at all about losing this bet. On the contrary, I could say that he was about to win it. Still, I had nothing to worry about. Unless he brought out a Supreme, there was no way he could defeat Nanya and even then it was doubtful.

“Maybe, but I did win so far, I’m sure my woman will win again.” I smirked, showing to be quite confident in her fighting prowess.

The battle was getting more intense with each passing moment. Ayuseya pretended not to be able to either counterattack or keep up with his speed. Little by little, she was pushed back towards the edge of the ring. Meanwhile, I showed to be annoyed at the way the situation was developing, tapping my foot and grinding my teeth.

“The draconian is out of the ring! Deroak’s slave wins!” shouted the announcer.

The battle ceased, and Ayuseya walked away with her head down.

Afterwards came Shanteya, but at the same time, her opponent, the el’doraw slave was replaced by a human one.

“What’s this? Why did you change him?” I asked surprised.

“Of course, I did! I never said I would keep them after each battle. What, are you afraid you will lose?” he asked me with a smirk.

“NEVER! I would even bet you right here and right now another 10 goldiettes that my slave will win!” I declared and placed the coins on the small table between us.

“Very well! I accept!” he smirked.

I sat down in my chair and watched as the battle started.

Shanteya pulled out her dagger and rushed towards her enemy, showing the same level of speed as an Advanced Ranked Adventurer would. Unlike Ayuseya, she was very skilled at controlling her strength, and her acting was by far better than mine. So well, in fact, that the battle displayed before us appeared to be a terribly difficult one. Shanteya was having a hard time landing hits or dodging them.

“She is quite skilled…” said Deroak as he watched her battle.

“I know, I’ve bought her from a very skilled trainer… ugh, but why can’t she win already?” I mumbled the last words with a low enough volume for the merchant to barely hear me.

“When this is over, I would like to know who that trainer is. I might desire to employ his services.” he told me.

“Huh? Maybe…” I said and appeared to be completely focused on the battle.

“Should we increase the bet to twenty goldiettes?” he asked me.

“Huh? Sure…” I waved him off.

“Very well.” he smirked greedily.

The battle between Shanteya and the slave was taking quite a long time, but in the end, she allowed a hit to slip through her defense and send her out of the ring, guaranteeing her loss. When I saw this, I sat up.

“Are you getting worried now? Do not worry, I will add these coins to the final bet. Or… would you like to bet more?” he asked me.

I cringed and looked back at him.

“No… that will be fine…” I muttered and then sat down.

“Too bad, your loss.” he appeared to be satisfied, but on the inside, I was squealing with joy.

My plan was going perfect! This stupid merchant actually believed I was going to lose!

“Now! For the final battle! On this side, a beautiful human adventurer!” the announcer shouted and pointed to his left ”And on this side, Groatak, the most prized slave of Dreotak!” he pointed to his right.

This guy was quite tall, almost 2 meters in height, with lots of scars and well-shaped muscles. He looked like the typical brute you would see in the role of a powerful villain who could snap a man in half.

“What?! What does he mean by that?!” I pointed at him and glared at the merchant.

“Relax my friend, as I said, I’m just replacing an injured slave with another. Nothing against the rules of our bet, right?” he showed me a cunning smile.

So this was your plan all along, huh? I thought as I sat back down in the chair.

The battle started, but Nanya just looked a bit pissed. I hoped she wasn’t going to win this battle before I had the chance to give her the signal. Fortunately, my fears were wrongly placed. She received the first punch face first and got thrown all the way to the edge of the ring but wasn’t tossed out of it. With a smirk, she attacked the brute and landed a punch in his guts. The man coughed and took a step back. She then jumped up and roundhouse kicked him in the jaw, sending him tumbling on the ground.

“She is quite strong.” Deroak said as he rubbed his chin.

“Yes…” I said, while I put on a worried expression on my face, bottom lip pushed forward and cheeks contracted just a bit.

Please don’t kill him yet! Please don’t kill him yet! I kept praying for him in my mind.

“How about we increase the bet a little?” he asked me.

“Pardon?” I raised an eyebrow and showed him a confused look.

“We raise the stakes a little bit… Another… fifty goldiettes maybe?” he grinned.

“No… I think not…” I shook my head and looked back at the ring.

Nanya kept on attacking him, then she pretended to be tired and received a punch to the face. Her landing was rough, but still inside the ring. Groatak ran at her and body slammed her, sending her near the edge of the ring. Nanya nearly fell out of it, but she noticed him charging and quickly rolled to the left to escape his clutches. She used a leg strike to the knee and a punch to the guts to bring the brute down on his knees, but it wasn’t enough to finish him off.

After about four minutes or so, the fight didn't seem to be going towards anyone's favor. For every punch the slave received, Nanya was countered with ten others.

It’s about time, I think… I thought and then looked back at Deroak.

“You were saying something about raising the bet?” I asked.

“Yes, do you still wish to bet a few more coins?” he asked me.

“Yes. I think I have a good chance of winning.” I nodded.

“Good! I will bet ONE HUNDRED goldiettes!” he grinned.

“Very well, I’ll double it!” I declared.

“Oh my, you are quite rich, aren’t you? Will you be able to pay, I wonder?” he asked with a smirk.

I got up and dropped a few gems on the table. “Yes.” I smirked.

The sparkling jewels caught the man’s attention and then looking back at Tamara understood how I was able to pay for her in the fictive story I told him. He picked up one of the jewels and analyzed it carefully.

“This is worth at least 36 goldiettes… Hm… How about 500 goldiettes?” he asked me with a grin.

“You are pushing it, aren’t you?” I asked.

“That’s how much I have in my coffers right now. And I also believe I have a fair chance of winning.” he smirked.

“Then how about 1000 goldiettes, and I toss in the nekatar too?” I doubled it.

The greedy merchant gulped, and to prove my words, I showed him another fistful of jewels. It wasn’t going up to the sum I promised, but it was enough to make him believe I had a way to pay for such a ridiculous bet.

“1000… that’s more than I could possibly pay, I’m afraid I can’t accept…” he shook his head and pulled back.

“Then, how about you do me a favor?” I asked him.

“A favor?” he raised an eyebrow.

“If I win, you give me all the gold in your coffers and promise to never deal in child slavery ever again! On your honor as a merchant!” I grinned.

“Something like that… Something like that would cripple my business…” he grumbled.

“Who buys children anyway?” I shrugged.

“Nobles… even commoners, anyone who wants playmates for their children or a child of their own. Others buy them as baits for dangerous monsters, pets, or even to train them into adult slaves specialized on certain jobs. Only mages buy them for experiments… If one knows the right client, one can buy and sell anything.” he declared.

It was true, that rule was applied even back on Earth, but some things were made illegal either because they were bad in general or because there were things which weren’t supposed to be traded off in any way, form, or manner.

“So, do we have a deal?” I asked him.

Deroak looked at me and then back at the jewels in front of him.

“It’s a deal. I don’t know why you would want me not to sell slave children anymore, but I will do it. If you win this bet, I swear it on my honor as a merchant that I will never again partake in such trades!” he nodded and then snapped his fingers.

“Go to the announcer and tell him the rules of our bet changed. If I win, I get 1120 goldiettes, the fighters and a nekatar as slaves. If he wins, he will receive 620 goldiettes and my promise to never sell or buy slave children again.”

“Yes, master!” the servant nodded and then ran out of here.

“What was that for?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Just making sure we both stick to our end of the bargain. We wouldn’t want either of us to just… run away like that, would we?” he smirked.

“Of course.” I nodded.

So he was planning to announce the bet during the last battle and force me to pay no matter what. Guess he won more than one bet like this… no wonder he approached me with this offer. I thought as I tossed him a cold gaze and then sat down.

When the servant arrived downstairs and told the announcer the merchant’s words, the fight was stopped for a moment. The man in white came forward and shouted loud enough for everyone there to hear him.

“My esteemed guests! It is time to announce the bet of the merchant and adventurer who sponsored this beautiful show today! If the adventurer wins, then he will receive 620 goldiettes and Deroak’s promise to never deal in child slavery again! If Deroak wins, then he will receive the three lovely women fighters we saw today and 1120 goldiettes! To make it a fair deal, he will receive a fourth slave as well, a nekatar! Now then… Fighters! You may continue AFTER I walk out of the ring!”

Clearing his throat, the announcer moved out of Nanya’s way.

“Tamara, come over here.” I told the kitten.

Letting out a mew in reply, she took a seat on the floor next to me. I reached out and gently brushed my hand over her soft fur. Just like an actual cat she pushed her head against my palm and showed a content expression on her furry face.

I wonder if slavery in this kingdom takes the role of an orphanage as well? That’s messed up… I grumbled in my mind.

Nanya took a quick peek at me and when she saw Tamara there, she understood what she had to do. It was time to stop playing around.

“I should warn you though… Groatak was a former Godlike Adventurer who also lost a bet against me. Now, he is nothing but a tool I use to gain a few extra goldiettes.” he smirked.

“Is that so?” I ignored him and looked at the battle.

The slave was done playing around too, so he boosted himself with magic and charged at Nanya, but the one he was facing was a half demoness and half Dungeon with all of her stats way past a Superior Godlike. To top it off, she had all of her gear on, while he had nothing on his person.

The battle was won the moment Nanya stepped into the ring.

She stood still and received the slave’s first attack. The demoness didn’t even flinch.

“Is that all?” she smirked.

The slave was surprised and so was Deroak.

This is it… I thought as I continued to pet Tamara's fluffy head, she let out soft purrs.

Nanya grabbed his hand and crushed it in her grip, shattering his Magic Armor and making him scream in pain. Smiling, she walked away from him and dusted off her clothes. Furious, the slave ran at her and tried to grab her from behind, but she vanished from his sight and reappeared behind him. Before he realized where she was, it was already too late. The moment he turned his head around, he was punched in the face so hard most of his teeth were either broken or knocked out of his mouth. With a palm to his chest, she broke his ribs and then grabbing him by the neck, she tossed out of the ring as if she was throwing out a trash bag.

It was Groatak’s complete defeat. He was unconscious, out of the ring, and unable to fight even if he wanted to. The demoness was simply merciless.

Ouch… that had to hurt. I pitied the poor fellow.

“So, a bet’s a bet, right?” I smiled and looked back at Deroak.

His jaw was all the way to the ground unable to believe that something like that just happened. It was absurd. He knew he would win, yet I completely wiped the floor with him.

“You… you tricked me.” he muttered.

“Nah, I simply made a bet with you, and you lost. Now, if you don’t pay up, everyone in this city will know you’re not trustworthy. Your store will plummet in sales, and no one will ever buy a single thing from you or believe a word you say. So, what are you going to do?” I asked with a big grin on my face.

“Y-You’ll have the money by the end of the day…” he said looking down.

“And about that other part?” I asked.

“I’ll write a document stating I’m done with child slavery and hang it on my wall for all to see…” he said with barely any strength left in his voice.

“Thank you for your business, slave merchant Deroak! Hahaha!” I patted him on the back and walked out of there together with Tamara after picking up my jewels and goldiettes from the table.

The feeling of winning against someone like him was great. My plan worked and through my effort and power, I managed to stop someone from buying and selling children. Too bad I couldn’t just kill him or make a law to stop this madness, but all in due time. I was immortal, I had all the time in the world as long as I didn’t think about the Darkness inside of me trying to pull down the ladder of my sanity.

“What now, master?” asked Tamara.

“Now, I’m probably going to get either a hug or beating from Nanya, Ayuseya, and Shanteya…”

“Why are you smiling for then?”

“I don’t know, I’m just happy I managed in my own way to punish that evil bastard who hurt you like that, Tamara.” I patted the kitten on the head, and she let out a soft mew.

“Thank you, master.”

[A certain royal guard’s point of view]

 Today, the Prince decided to go see a battle at the coliseum. If no one was in the mood to fight, we, the royal guards, were supposed to step into the ring and amuse him through our blood and tears. I had confidence in my sword, but I was also the Prince’s most trusted and strongest guard. I was certain he wouldn’t dare to send me in there, but even my comrades were lucky. Someone else was fighting when we arrived.

“A draconian woman… she looks… ugly.” he declared. “I hope she loses, if not go and kill her.” he told me.

I gulped.

“Yes, your Highness, but draconians are not our enemies right now and…” he glared at me, and I stopped “As you wish…”

My Prince remained my Prince no matter how selfish he was sometimes.

Luckily for her, she didn’t win.

“Such a fool! I knew draconians were weak! An el’doraw defeated her! HA! Suits her just right! Ugly fool!” he smirked and leaned back on his chair.

A servant brought him some fruits to eat while we waited for the next battle.

This time, an el’doraw woman faced a human.

“Hm? Is she strong, Dragnov?” he asked me.

“I don’t know, your Highness… Until you cross blades with your enemy, you can never tell how strong they may be.” I nodded.

“If she wins, I’ll merry her to you.” he grinned.

“Your highness, please don’t joke like this.”

“Tch, you’re no fun.” he grumbled.

This man, although he was 24 this year, was the second Prince of this country. His older brother was quite different from him, but unfortunately, he was currently away from the capital. This meant the younger brother had all the power to dictate over us, and we couldn’t do anything to stop him.

The el’doraw lost and then a beautiful blonde woman came into the ring.

“WOW! She’s beautiful!” declared the Prince, captivated by her the moment he laid his eyes upon her.

The battle started, but she didn’t seem to be doing so well. The man, a former adventurer, held the upper hand through pure strength.

“What’s happening?” asked the Prince when the announcer came forward and declared the value of the bet.

“If she loses, go and buy her for me immediately!” he ordered me.

“As you wish, your highness.” I bowed to him.

Our kingdom wasn’t very rich in minerals, but we had slaves. Most of our workforce and economy relied on slave dealers, so bets such as this one were a very good opportunity to gain money from foreign adventurers. Or at the very least, I believed the fellow who bet against the notorious Deroak was a foreigner. No one in the capital would dare make such an absurd deal with this man. He never lost a bet ever since he first participated in this coliseum with his slaves.

Alas, I came to be wrong. Deroak lost. Goratak was pummeled to the ground by the blonde beauty, and everyone barely understood what happened with how fast the battle ended.

For ten long minutes, the Prince didn’t say a single word to me.

“Dragnov…”

“Yes, your highness!” I knelt down.

“Bring me that woman… No, the man who made the bet against the merchant owns her, so… yes. Bring me that nekatar. You can rough her up, but don’t kill her. This will possibly play out in two ways, either he will bring the blonde to me willingly or try to run away and leave her behind. If he does either, I will get her. Perfect!” he laughed.

“Yes, your Highness.” I bowed my head and escorted him out of there.

This plan was absurd, ridiculous even. He could simply buy her from him or set him up in such a way that he became an outlaw. As a result, we could freely hunt him down and take the slaves away from him. Even better, he could simply order him to offer her up. He was the Prince who along with his older brother ruled over the kingdom after the death of their late father. They were allowed to do as they pleased here. To ask us to go kidnap them… this was nothing more than a twisted game of a spoiled, tyrannical Prince, but if word got out of these thoughts of mine, my head would roll before my wife’s feet.

I already felt sorry for the poor nekatar… she wasn’t going to survive this.