kscans

Chapter 22 - The Festival and the Duel

The next day, just before noon, Famu, Mizuki, and I were standing in front of the arena. I had tried to wrap Famu up in a mat and have Aidan take her in, but she resisted with all her might. So now she was angry with me. Only half a day had passed, but rumors of the duel had already spread throughout the town. Cheers echoed from inside the arena, the atmosphere already buzzing. It seemed to be regarded as a form of entertainment. I hadn't expected this. I thought we'd be fighting in private.

"You know what? I'm going to apologize and go back to the party."

It seemed even Mizuki was getting cold feet.

"It's too late for that, Mizuki. Even if you go back, they won't treat you the same as before."

I had told Famu the plan last night, but not Mizuki.

"Still, I don't want to go in. I hate standing out."

I wanted to run away. But even if we did, not knowing this world well, our options would be limited. There was no choice but to brace ourselves.

"Let's go."

We entered the arena, the stage for our battle. We walked down a dim brick corridor and emerged into the sunlit battlefield. The center of the arena felt vast. It was probably about thirty meters across. It was circular, enclosed by a wall over two meters high. And rising up from that wall were tiers of spectator seats. The stands were surprisingly full, at least eighty percent capacity. Some people were eating skewers, others were drinking. Such a carefree bunch, for a fight to the death. We walked across the hard-packed earth toward the center. Wind Blade was already there. They must have been certain of their victory; they greeted us with relaxed smiles. Reed stood at the front, with Cecily, Aira, and Beers lined up behind him.

"So you came. I'm surprised you didn't run."

"Hey, if you're going to call it off, now's the time. Don't say I didn't warn you if you die."

"Hah! You really look down on us."

Reed drew his sword. A bastard sword. My impression of him was just getting worse and worse. Beers, who was standing behind him, also raised his battle-axe and stood beside Reed. As if prompted, Mizuki also drew her sword and tried to stand in front of us. She was clearly feeling responsible.

"Mizuki, I need you to stay behind us."

It would be a problem if she started the fight before I made my move.

"...You have a plan, don't you? You should have told me sooner."

Mizuki seemed to have caught on. Seeing me nod, she stepped back.

"The loser becomes the winner's slave, was it? How will you enforce that?"

"We belong to the guild. A member of the guild over there will serve as a witness."

Reed gestured with his chin towards the guild receptionist, who was shouting and making a racket with the other spectators. Next to her was a slender, white-haired man in fine clothes. He seemed to be the official witness. He leaped nimbly from the stands and strode over to us. The preparations for this duel were far too thorough. Taking advantage of our ignorance, Reed and his party had already cornered us.

"I am Custer, Guild Master of this town. I will be officiating this duel."

As Custer spoke, he took out a piece of paper and began to read from it.

"The duel is concluded by a party's surrender, or when all members of a party have taken damage rendering them unable to stand, or have died."

"Mash, I'm going to kill you,"

Reed said with a laugh.

"I can't guarantee all of you will survive either. Couldn't you at least let Beers go?"

I replied, just to say something. Reed scoffed at me.

"The loser becomes the winner's slave. If there are no objections, the representatives will sign with their blood."

Custer held out the paper.

"Famu, if you would."

I held out my index finger, and Famu pricked it with the tip of her knife. A tiny, bean-sized drop of blood appeared. I wished it was one of Famu's beans. Reed cut his own fingertip with his sword. We pressed our blood onto the paper.

"Alright, you can start whenever you're ready."

Custer began to walk away.

"Wait a minute. Why is the guild officiating a duel when there's no profit in it for them?"

"We're running the betting. Five percent goes to the guild. The Slave Mark is on the house, paid for out of those earnings."

"Is that so? In that case, can I place a bet?"

"If you're betting on your own victory, it is allowed."

"Then five gold coins."

"I'll bet five gold coins as well."

"Then I'll put some down, too."

Famu and Mizuki followed my lead. It was rare for Famu, who was reluctant to spend money, to do something like this. I was worried she might get hooked on gambling. Custer accepted the money with a laugh.

"The odds were about 1 to 99, but surprisingly, quite a few people have bet on you. It's about 2 to 8 now."

"Well then, good luck."

Custer returned to the spectator seats.

"Now, let's begin,"

Reed said. The crowd roared. The arena shook with their cheers.

There was only one thing I could do.

"Famu, I'm counting on you for the rest."

"Yes."

I handed the mana recovery potion to Famu. She gripped it tightly.

"[Goddess Summon]!"

My head swam. It was the usual feeling of intoxication, but it felt even more intense this time. With my shout, a dazzling light enveloped the arena. A single spear floated in the air at my head's height, its tip aimed at Reed. The light converged into that spear. And then, a goddess appeared, sitting upon it. Her long golden hair flowed majestically as she looked down at me. Over her usual attire, she wore a translucent shawl that shimmered with rainbow colors. She was divine, valiant, and beautiful.

"I-It's... It's Lady Laciel!"

I heard a spectator cry out. Laciel turned her gaze to Reed. He and the rest of Wind Blade were staring at her, dumbfounded. The crowd, after a momentary gasp, had fallen silent. Mizuki was probably just as shocked behind me.

"...Today... there are enemies..."

Her way of speaking hasn't changed, has it?

"They are far too weak to be my enemies. To be summoned for such a pathetic foe... I feel quite underestimated. While we're at it, let's just kill everyone in the stands as well."

I had no idea what 'at it' she was referring to, but this was one messed-up goddess.

"Laciel, I'm sorry. This was the only way,"

I whispered to her.

"My? Mash-san is apologizing to me?"

she said, as if it were a rare occurrence. This time I'd failed to stop my own rude outburst, but I was the type to just apologize and smooth things over to get by.

"Laciel, please, don't kill the enemy."

"...Very well. But I have one condition."

"What is it?"

"Please get along with Mizuki-san."

"She's the one who hates me, you know."

"I will grant Famu-san one special skill."

"Done. I'll do it,"

I answered instantly. It was something I wanted so badly I could taste it.

"Then I will put a skill catalog in your storage. As a bonus, I will also give you a magic key."

A catalog? If you could do that, then I didn't need to rush my choice back then, did I? Of course, I kept my mouth shut, lest I upset her.

"Also, I am waiting for the continuation, you know,"

she whispered in a sweet voice, gliding down on her spear to my head's height.

Laciel ascended once more and raised her right arm. As if time had started moving again, the cheers of the crowd returned, with shouts of "Lady Laciel!"

mixed in here and there.

"Defend!"

Reed shouted, snapping back to reality. Cecily and Aira reacted, and a magical barrier deployed in front of them. Laciel smiled, waited for the barrier to be completed, and then swung her raised arm down to a horizontal position. In that instant, a countless number of arrows rained down. Not hundreds or thousands, but tens of thousands of arrows, with a roar that drowned out the cheers, pierced through Wind Blade. The barrier was easily penetrated and vanished without a trace. Reed and Beers tried to deflect them with their weapons, but against such numbers, it was meaningless. The arrows rained down relentlessly, trampling everything they stood for.

My vision rapidly narrowed. My mana was running out. It was happening faster than usual. Famu was holding me, supporting me. Famu, my precious Famu. I love you. Thank you for being with me. I'm sorry for trying to send you away this morning. I need you to understand. I didn't want you to get hurt. Dammit, I'm delirious. I need to think about the enemy. I hope they're not dead. Dammit. My thoughts are breaking up. Everything went black.

I woke up. I still felt a little dizzy. Famu was peering into my face. Her cheeks were red.

"S-Sorry. You wouldn't drink it yourself, Master, so I had to use my mouth..."

I was still being held up by Famu, just as I was before I passed out. I glanced around. The spectators were starting to leave. Reed and his party were on the ground. The term 'tattered rags' suited them perfectly. Aira seemed to have avoided the arrows and was treating her companions. No, wait, there were four people on the ground. The numbers were off. There was an unharmed Aira and a tattered-rag Aira. No, the unharmed one was her sister, Myra. Besides Myra, several others had entered the arena and were treating the members of Wind Blade.

"What's going on? They're treating them without permission. What happened with the match?"

"I apologize. They asked for permission, so I controlled you like a puppet with ventriloquism and told them they could proceed with the treatment,"

Famu answered apologetically.

"Yeah, no, everyone knew it was you talking, Famu,"

Mizuki, who was standing right next to us, chimed in.

"Famu, in times like that, you're the leader. As long as you're the one speaking, there's no problem."

Seeing Famu nod, I shifted my gaze to Myra.

"Myra-san, were you watching, too?"

"Yes, after Lady Laciel disappeared, I came down from the stands. The match was already decided by then. We won,"

Famu said. I hadn't even asked about the outcome. I had won in my sleep, so I had no sense of victory or joy. It was just Laciel unilaterally crushing them. Come to think of it, the arrows she had fired were gone.

"All the members of Wind Blade are alive,"

Mizuki said.

"I see."

"'I see' is not the right reaction! You can summon Laciel? Seriously, you should have told me sooner! I was worried sick about what would happen if we lost. I didn't know she was that strong. I just thought she was some lady in an erotic outfit."

Mizuki's assessment of Laciel was similar to mine.

"Well, I'd never used it in a real fight before. I didn't know how effective it would actually be."

I had seen Mizuki's and Aidan's special skills, so I thought it would be fine, but I had no proof.

"Myra-san, are they alright?"

I asked Myra, who was tending to the tattered rags. As she turned around, her chest swayed along with her. She really was a different presence from Aira.

"Mash-sama... yes, I think they'll be alright."

"Hm? Mash-sama?"

Had Myra ever called me with '-sama' before? I felt a little hurt. It suddenly created a distance between us. Had injuring Aira changed her impression of me?

"I bet five gold coins on our victory. I'll donate all the winnings. Please treat them."

"I-I understand. You will help Aira, then. We will take them to the church immediately for treatment. The priest will surely cooperate as well."

The church really does run on money.

"Mash-sama. There is something I would like to discuss with you separately."

"Hm? Sure."

"No, preferably just the two of us. Ah, no, it's fine if Famu-san is there as well."

At Myra's words, Famu and I exchanged glances. Famu had a complicated expression. I remembered that I had been leaning on Famu this whole time. I felt like I could walk on my own. I tried walking away from her. It seemed okay. Just as I was about to answer Myra, a man stepped between us. It was Reed. Blood was trickling from his countless arrow wounds. He should have been completely battered, yet he was standing. He brandished his sword.

"Die, Mash!"

At the same time, I saw Famu pull out a kunai. She was about to throw it at Reed with a swift movement.

"Famu, don't kill him!"

I jumped into Famu's line of fire, trying to hug her to stop her from attacking. At that moment, a sharp impact ran through my back. I had taken Reed's sword blow. A pain shot through my abdomen as well. Famu's kunai was sticking out of me. I collapsed to the ground.

"N-No... Master, why..."

Mizuki charged at Reed. From this angle, I had a great view of her panties.

"Mizuki!"

"I know!"

Mizuki knocked the sword from Reed's hand. The others who had entered the arena restrained him.

"Master!"

"Mash!"

"Mash-sama!"

Surrounded by Famu, Mizuki, and Myra, I lost consciousness.