Chapter 33: 33

Chapter 33

Hugo, are you really okay?

“The gladiator field is nearby. If we go now, it would be perfect.”

As he said that, Hugo’s steps gradually slowed down.

The nape of his neck, felt through his robe, was warm and damp.

“I will correct it. I think it will be a little late.”

“Brother Hugo, you can drop me off.”

“It’s not that heavy. I was getting into position… Phew, how is it? It’s much more comfortable, right? I can run like this.”

“It smells like lilies. Brother, did you use magic now? You decided not to use it because you might get caught.”

“That white mask is okay for a cheap one. Shall I buy you one after checking the cleanliness?”

“Brother…” 

“Let’s go hand in hand. We are close siblings.”

I went down from his back and took his hand tenderly.

The entrance to the gladiator match was crowded with people looking to buy tickets.

Even at first glance, cutting in line and punching were rampant.

It was dizzying to imagine standing in line back there.

Fortunately, the capable Hugo had pre-ordered economy-class tickets, so there was no need for that.

We decided to wait for entry in front of the match mark on the outer wall of the gladiator.

Money bags were in a mess on the tables of the cheap stalls.

It was probably a gamble on the winner.

“I’ll bet three Zakadios silver coins on the runner-up last year.”

“I bet the ‘Horned Peacock’, I heard it was sponsored by a very luxurious Count, so I can’t wait to see what he will wear!”

“Ahem, no matter who comes, the ‘Fire Warrior’ can’t be defeated. He was a slave during the civil war 10 years ago…”

Those bizarre nicknames were all gladiator stage names.

Because it was childish, it was easier to memorize than their real names, and it was said that it was surprisingly effective in gathering audiences.

‘What stage name did Benny play under?’ 

It was unlikely that he would name himself, but did the training center name him? If so, the ‘Demon King of Evil’ written at the top could be Benny.

“Lily. Isn’t it the gladiator sponsored by our family?”

Hugo pointed to a corner of the match table.

“Uh…”

Right. That’s right. 

I recognized it as soon as I saw it. 

It was not his real name, but I couldn’t help but recognize it.

Only because I’ve called him like that once.

「Benibeni.」

“Come on, please enter one by one!” 

The staff, dressed in red, finally announced the entrance.

The surroundings soon became chaotic. 

It was the beginning of the carnival.

***

The door to the dungeon opened. 

Dozens of solid bodies exhaled hot breaths like a furnace from within the lattice partitioned between them.

The hot heat, the sound of dragging shackles, and there were even men praying with their hands full of calluses.

The waiting rooms of the slave gladiators were in stark contrast to the superficially hilarious world outside.

The gladiators, preoccupied with their approaching fate, drew their attention to the wide-open entrance.

The guy who was watching the outside with his nose attached to the window and the guy who was doing push-ups while in a handstand with one arm, stopped what they were doing and looked out at the tightly closed grate door.

A man stood at the end of the crossed gaze.

Everyone who had seen his portrait had the same question.

‘…Why is that person here?’

“The gladiator you are looking for is in the private room, Duke Von Bauner.”

Alan completely ignored the pouring attention and moved on.

When Nike opened the inner door, a prison three times larger than the other room appeared.

Inside the cross-shaped bars, four men were wiping their armor.

They were the instructors at the training center where the gladiator ‘BeniBeni’ had been entrusted with for a while.

As soon as the rugged men saw the duke, they were alert and opened the prison door.

“Oh, Duke?”

“If you are visiting in person, please send us a message…!”

“Benibeni, greet him!” 

One of the instructors called out a funny stage name and pressed the sides of the boy gladiator.

However, cheekily, Benimus only lowered his head as if he didn’t hear the order.

The instructors seemed like they had lost their breath at the boy’s attitude.

“Benibeni, what are you doing?!” 

“Now, show respect to the Duke…!”

“It’s noisy.”

Alan, who had always been under low pressure, uttered his first words.

The instructors immediately became contemplative.

“I, I’m sorry!”

“I didn’t mean to be noisy.”

“Then..?”

The instructor who was the first to notice the duke’s intentions waved his hand.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but it’s all for a reason! This guy caused a bit of a fuss in the training center, so it’s safer for him to be restrained…!”

Compared to other gladiators, Benimus, in particular, was tightly tied.

The oval handcuffs wrapped around his fists spread the boy’s arms like wings.

The shackles attached to the ankles were connected to the stone wall after a chair was wound around them.

On the surface, he seemed to be a high-profile sinner, not a gladiator who was participating soon.

“If he causes an accident, his body will be damaged too. Ever since you entrusted him to our training camp, he has not been hit with a whip. Please trust me!” 

“I don’t care. Hey, Nike.”

“Yes!”

Nike, who had been waiting behind the duke’s back, strode into the open bars.

He held out the gift box he had in his arms to Benimus.

When he opened the lid, there was a bouquet full of violets inside. It was a flower of the same color as the boy’s pupil. 

All of the instructors gathered their mouths and exclaimed.

A thoughtful duke, a duke whose heart is like the sea.

In the midst of a flood of compliments, only the slave boy remained silent.

Alan, who didn’t care whether he was rude or not, growled like a beast.

“This is a gift from my daughter. Take it.” 

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The terrified instructors rushed to Benimus.

They grabbed his hair, trying to force him to thank the duke, but Benimus raised his head just then.

“Hand…”

The dark purple eyes contained a seriousness that could never be said to belong to a child.

“Please release my hands.”

Alan paused for a moment, then glanced at the instructors.

Benimus’ scar-filled arms fell down like a broken doll’s.

He removed the handcuffs around his fists and hugged the bouquet of flowers.

It’s been a while. Such a fragile feeling.

“…Thank you to the princess.”

Benimus’ tone and expression were not affectionate. But the instructors were surprised enough. 

Benimus was an emotionless child.

He did hard training without saying a word, but on the other hand, he never returned a thank-you note for any praise he received.

“Do you want me to say that to my daughter?”

“……”

Benimus didn’t answer. 

Alan turned his gaze to the bewildered instructors without questioning further.

“What exactly did this guy do?”

“No, it’s nothing. We’ve done everything smoothly.”

“Tell me.” 

“…He got into a fight with other gladiators instead of receiving food.” 

It was a little far from what actually happened.

He couldn’t say ‘We thought he was weak, but when the fight broke out, it made four generals go out of shape. Even if the hand he used to hit was ruined in a mess, he wouldn’t back down.’ in front of the duke.

It might be a problem because the management was negligent…

“They said the bad guys took Benibeni’s handkerchief as a joke. I’m sorry. We also didn’t think it was from the princess….”

Usually it was a felony that would have remained even after being sold as an untrained man, but the power of Duke Bauner was above the rules of the training center.

Alan, who had been thinking for a moment, knocked on the door slowly.

“There’s something the two of us need to talk about for a while. Everyone, go away.”

“The Duke wants you to go away!”

Like a bird chasing a scarecrow, Nike drove out the instructors and closed the door from the outside.

Silence came to the prison when the duke and the slave were left alone.

Alan asked with much pressure.

“Where is your hometown?”

“You won’t know even if I tell you.”

Benimus was more hostile towards him than when dealing with the instructors.

It was as if he was suppressing his anger towards Alan.

“You must have misunderstood something.”

Alan said, staring only at the bouquet of flowers hugged by the boy.

“I don’t care if you give up even before you play.”

It meant that if he offended his nerves, Alan could immediately withdraw his sponsorship.

Even though it was half intimidating, Benimus still didn’t open his mouth.

Alan sighed softly and moved on to the next question.

“What about your parents?”

“How did you become a slave?”

“What would you say if I asked you why you went to the gladiator match?”

“……”

The boy remained silent. 

Just as Alan was about to give up on eliciting a response, Benimus hugged a bouquet of flowers and replied belatedly.

“To achieve the purpose of living so far.”

Benimus shook his head.

“So I’m going to play.”

The calm look in the boy’s eyes was closer to a piece of worn-out desire than a desperate determination.

“I see.”

Alan stood up without asking questions or offering conventional comfort.

“Nike.”

“Yes!”

As soon as he called, Nike came in through the door.

It was ridiculous how he used to hear his name being called everywhere.

“I’m going back to my seat. Guide me.”

“Is the talk over? Is it okay to make that child the princess’ friend?”

When Alan rolled his eyes as if he had heard something ridiculous, Nike closed his mouth belatedly.

Nike was a capable servant. If only he could close his mouth a little.

“Friend…?”

The boy, who had been blunt all the time, squinted his eyes unfamiliarly.

Alan moved forward without hesitation.

Just before the door closed, Benimus shouted.

“Did the princess come to the game too?”

The door closed without an answer. 

The heavy footsteps of the duke moved away and then disappeared.

Benimus, who was left alone, buried his face as he touched the bouquet with his hands full of calluses.

The scent of violets erased the fishy smell of iron.

It’s pretty. There were no sharp edges. Unlike the world around him so far.

“The one who deserves to die… The Duke of Bauner.”

The boy muttered a little.

“Because.”

Hard mutterings to himself were scattered along with the dust in the murderous dungeon.

“That killed my mother.” 

While referring to the duke as an object, at the same time, Benimus recalled a princess whose cheeks were wet and red.

On the day he visited the duke’s castle, he missed the perfect opportunity to pay attention to the girl.

But today… 

“There is no princess here.”

The duke would not have brought his daughter to such a vulgar arena.

So there was no need to hesitate any longer. 

In the arena, there were only people who fought against the same human beings like livestock and drool.

They were all garbage that it wouldn’t matter if they disappeared from this world. 

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