Chapter. 14. One Empire, Three Legends (7)
****
“It’s a very strange… fighting competition.”
“Now it has changed a lot and is closer to a human fighting competition, but in the end, it is a traditional event of the grassland tribes. “If they tried to change it to a human way, it would cause chaos, so I guess they kept the format to some extent.”
The Haunuman Fighting Competition had a unique structure as a competition commemorating the actions of the great warrior Khun Tagiz.
The first qualifying location is a slum on the outskirts of the city.
The preliminary round, which represents the childhood of Khun Tagiz, who lost his tribe and survived alone, involves fighting with bare hands, without any support or equipment, wearing only a piece of cloth that resembles underwear.
The 64 people who won here were given a carriage without a roof, a horse driver, and even the shabbiest equipment.
Next is the leather ore workshop area a little further into the city. Next was the grocery market, the civic quarters, the jewelry/trinket trade streets, the eight tribal quarters, and finally arriving at the Colosseum in the center of the city. A goblin merchant selling roasted nuts next to the stands explained that it symbolizes Khun Tagiz, who started with his bare hands and overcame all hardships to become a great warrior of the grassland tribe.
“There will definitely be something to see. The fighting style also changes. As the equipment gradually changes from shabby rags to better ones, it is clear to the audience that the people they support are winning.”
“That’s why Haunuman’s fighting competition is quite famous. Currently, the battle for the throne is in full swing and people cannot come due to assassination threats, but originally, there were members of the royal family who came to see it every year. Not to mention the nobles of nearby fiefdoms.”
The group, who had already settled down on the wooden bleachers in the shabby workshop area, filled their stomachs with snacks from street vendors and waited for the professor and Borka to arrive.
“Oh, I see you’re coming.”
“Yes? where. Otman, this guy. “If there is such a thing as long-distance magic, let’s watch it together instead of alone.”
“Even if I use magic, it’s obvious that I won’t be able to see it because of the crowd, so why? “The cheers from the alley over there and the alley on the other side are getting closer like waves.”
“Waaah!”
“Kik kiik! “Keek!”
“Kwoaaaaa!!!!”
As if to prove Otman’s story, the cheers of various races were gradually getting closer. In a moment, the temporary wooden stands filled up, and two orcs with broad shoulders appeared on a high platform. An orc holding a large drum beat the drum with a club-like stick, and an orc holding an ax raised his flashing ax high.
The audience remained silent as if they had made a promise. The torches embedded around the shabby stadium with falling snow blazed at the same time.
“I guess it’s starting.”
“Hmm. It seems so. “Honey, I may be a bit cruel, but do you mind?”
“Shhh! What do you think of the merchant’s daughter? I am also a person who has been wandering around this harsh world as a merchant for several years! And would you believe that the hero would just tear up and eat someone who isn’t even a mute?”
“…In some cases?”
“Uh um…”
『Kwoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah??
The whispering sounds of the companions were drowned out by the orc’s shouts that resounded throughout the square. The orc on the podium, who seemed to have deliberately selected an orc with a good voice, who captured the audience with a single shout, shouted loud enough for the entire square to hear without the aid of magic.
“Rejoice, glorious children of the plains! “Now, the great warriors who will honor the spirit of the great warrior have arrived here!”
ridge-! ridge-!
“Light the red! Shout! They will prove themselves with each other’s blood here in this place of honor! Until one of them cries out in miserable defeat or is never able to speak again!”
“Waaaaaa!”
By the time the people, excited by the loud voice of the orc, began to cheer like crazy, and the heat had heated up the people to the point that the falling snow was melting.
The regular sound of the drums stopped and the orc on the platform raised his axe. The orc turned over the wooden plaque prepared in front of him from the left and loudly shouted the name on it.
“Then I introduce you to the warrior who sets out for glory! Benard, a human knight belonging to the Marquis of Wildeland! And his comrade in arms, the troll mercenary Pakaku!”
“Waaaa!!”
A wooden door rises when the rope is cut with a sharp ax and a name is called. What came out of it was a knight meticulously dressed in shining brass armor and a troll wearing a circular shield in both hands like a gauntlet. The crowd roared as if the square was going to leave as they saw the troll appealing to himself by banging the metal shield with both fists.
Lucilla jumped up from her seat as she saw the knight’s armor shining amidst the cheers.
“Does that meet the regulations? For the second round, [only the most worn and shabby gladiator equipment is provided to commemorate the great warrior who fought and won against the imperial army with armor picked up on the battlefield.] “How can that armor, which would easily fetch 100,000 shillings if sold on the used market right now, be so old and shabby!”
“There seems to be a problem…. Normally, gladiators would wear clothes that reveal a lot of their bare skin, rather than full-body armor with metal protective gear like that.”
“The exact rules include: ‘Use only equipment provided by the organizer.’ It says. The Marquis of Vildeland and the Tuskclaw tribe participated in the second preliminary round of the leather workshop district. The arena was built from open ribs that served the arena.”
Aldrich frowned as if he noticed something at Idrasil’s explanation.
“Open rib goblins… They are a group of people who will do anything for money, so they stink. Since this is a game where city-level interests are at stake, there is no way there won’t be some behind-the-scenes maneuvering. The first round must have been a sight to behold. They’re troll mercenaries with bare-handed baktu…”
“These guys have no business morals! I know someone can’t do something like that because they don’t have money!! Let’s go, Aldrich and Ottman! “Let’s not stay like this, let’s go somewhere and talk!”
“Well…for now, for now. “I think it would be a good idea to watch.”
Ottoman pointed to the platform next to Lucilla, who was running wild. An orc who looked uncomfortable at a glance was glaring alternately at the knight and the goblin next to the platform.
“…Keuheung! A fighter against the Marquis of Wildeland! A human professor from the Tuskclaw tribe and-?! Sniff! Cough!”
The last one of the wooden plaques hanging on the podium. The orc, who saw the name that had traces of hastily polished in his eyes, became uncharacteristically sad.
Thanks to his bright eyes and unusually loud voice, he had been in charge of hosting speculation competitions for over 10 years. Naturally, he knew the name that once had a great reputation in the world of speculation.
Name tag changed just before the game. The name on it made me wonder if the game could continue like this, but when the orc saw the shining armor of the knight on the other side, he grinned and cut the rope, showing his fangs.
“Heung! A human professor from the Tuskclaw tribe… and the king of the arena beyond those mountains! A legendary beast-man gladiator and criminal who single-handedly killed all the fighters and even killed their owner! The loser of the eastern gladiatorial world! Benard- Fang!”
.
.
.
.
Rattling! Rumbling –
instead of cheers, there were murmurs of doubt and questioning. The arena door with its rope cut went up with a harsh sound.
Sabak. Sabak. Sabak.
Compared to the grand description, their outfits were insignificant. The two fighters, whose faces were covered with brass gladiator helmets, did not make any greetings or gestures.
“Oh my…”
“Oh my god, how…”
A huge gladiator with muscles that look like they are about to burst and full of scars, as if he were created as a human being.
And a beastman gladiator with countless whip and iron marks that cannot be covered by the fur, revealing the beastman’s unique upper body full of hair along the chest and spine line, and scars across it.
Their bodies, revealed in the falling snow and flickering light of the torches, spoke more than a thousand words, so the audience could not help but be overwhelmed by the sight.
In particular, the beastman gladiator seemed to be shouting with his body what the life of a real gladiator was like.
As the people’s murmur grew louder at the introduction of the Orc host, a human spectator jumped up and shouted after discovering a brand that remained clearly visible even after many years between the beastman gladiator’s shoulder blades.
“Really… that’s the stigma of owning Gentia Arena! There is only one gladiator who survived with that thing stuck in his body! Because he killed the rest!”
“I’ve heard that too. “The rumor is that a gladiator slave destroyed the entire arena, killed his master, a nobleman, and ran away.”
“So… is it real? Is that really a bloody Benard Fang over there? “The bounty that the Gentia family, which lost its head, placed a bounty of 5 million shillings?!”
The Haunuman Fighting Competition is a famous competition that attracts tourists from all over the empire, as seen when entering the city. Of course, any noble who is familiar with the arena culture would not know the story of the legendary gladiator who murdered the noble and regained his freedom.
As the murmuring turned into a commotion, the professor poked Borka’s side and whispered.
“5 million… he must have been an amazing person?”
“A past I want to forget. “If I reveal it for no reason, the captain might sell it for money.”
“I know. “If I had known sooner, I would have handed him over to that family and rescued him for money.”
“Nothing to do. “The Gentia family’s territory must have become a mute den by now.”
“Oh my. “It’s a shame.”
Borka, who had relieved the tension with appropriate small talk, raised his hand, and as promised in advance, the professor took a slight step back.
‘A gladiator wearing shabby old armor, a brittle shield and a short sword. On the other hand, he is a troll mercenary who received professional training from a knight of the Magaejo Full Plate Gladiator Mail. The contrast is definitely stark.’
The professor watched Borka leisurely walking forward alone and turned his attention to the chat room, which was as noisy as the audience.
———
– Heungan Dumplings: Aren’t you just throwing up for no reason? They say the wolf is a legend in the arena, but I’ve never even heard of an NPC like that.
– Speed Wagon: I looked it up and there were a few posts saying I had heard rumors about it. Should I say, “Arena Jukdori….” A player who has been playing gladiatorial contest content for several years said that he had heard about an arena that had completely disappeared. There is no other information.
– professor: It’s like the family’s wealth. Not only did a renowned nobleman illegally buy slaves to run an arena, but even the knights of the family were cut to pieces by slaves, and even the head of the family had their throats slit. It’s definitely a story you want to hide. The guy who told me about the bounty must also be from an intelligence guild called Prakchi. It seemed like there were goblins and humans running betting machines all over the city.
– Jokass: So, are you really going to do what you said before? Is there a chance of winning? If you’re an imperial marquis, you’re obviously an Auror, right? That guy alone would be tough, but a toothpick-like knife like that wouldn’t be able to cut through even the troll’s fat layer.
– professor: If you really want to die, of course you will jump in. Well… there’s no need to do that, right?
———
In fact, Borka’s fighting style was not something that stood out.
The theme of the werewolf, which is the representative of wild nature, has an extremely static and defensive style, which is not surprising.
From the moment we first met him, his fighting style was similar to that of a typical gladiator or light infantryman, who used his strong body and long claws as shields and swords.
Thanks to his familiarity with not only individual battles but also group battles, Borka was the one who stayed next to the wizards instead of me, who ran forward each time.
During the battle with the warlock, he protected the inexperienced 2nd and 3rd rank wizards who followed Otman from the undead that came in waves, in the blue line, in the margrave’s territory, in the hill of storms, and in the rocky area.
Instead of me, who inevitably had to fight separately from my group, he was always protecting the defenseless magicians in close combat.
———
– professor: He’s very much like soup. Even by my standards, it’s enough to leave it behind. It’s because the spot I was in every time was a place where the spotlight outside the camera didn’t shine.
– Noroo Drug: The evaluation is very good.
– professor: Because it’s actually okay. It’s not like he can turn the battlefield over by himself like a hero unit, but without him, my range of motion in battle would drop to less than half, right? He’s like a nail when it comes to furniture. You can’t see it from the outside, but if you don’t have it, it will fall apart.
– Noru Drug: So you’re going to send me alone?
– Professor: What can he say that he wants to do? Since I played the first game alone, I will play the second game alone. Let’s take a look.
——–
Unlike Borka, who walked forward, the professor turned back and went to the edge of the amphitheater right in front of the audience and sat down on the floor. While the audience and the fighters were confused as to how this was going on. Borka, who walked alone to the center of the circular arena, opened his mouth.
“Benard Fang. On my name and my worn-out honor. I participated because I had a neck to bring to Haunuman. A battle that is not shameful as a gladiator, a warrior, and a human being.”
As the voice rang calmly, as if ending all doubts, the audience even forgot to breathe and focused on the arena in front of them.
Anyone who knew anything about the events at the Gentia Arena could guess what that meant.
The story of the head of the Gentia family, who was found with only his thumb and mouth in the banquet hall of the arena he owned, was famous for telling nobles to keep slaves away, and to fans of gladiatorial contests as the story of a gladiator who ultimately won the right to be the winner. peel.
The corpse, filled with hatred deep in its bones, clearly showed how much the surviving gladiator hated him.
If such a gladiator participated in a gladiatorial contest to kill someone in this wide Haunuman, even a fool would know who it was referring to.
“We are declaring war….”
“The bloody Benard Fang has challenged the Haunuman Arena to a duel!”
At that moment, several quick-footed goblins were running toward Haunuman Arena.
As the legendary gladiator once again proclaimed the legend of the past, the square rang out with shouts telling him to leave.
A gladiator’s proclamation that enthuses everyone, including orcs who revere life-threatening battles, humans and beastmen who are passionate about blood and slaughter, and goblins who imagine the waste that will flow when vested interests are collapsed.
The knight, who didn’t like that all eyes were focused on Borka, raised his hand to push the troll back, then pulled out his sword and aimed it at the opponent’s helmet.
“This is ridiculous. Trying to gain popularity by relying on a false name. It’s Benard Fang, covered in blood, the loser of the eastern speculative world… I wish it wasn’t a lie. “The Gentia family has disappeared, but you can at least gain some honor if you cut off the head of the slave who killed the nobleman.”
Ugh –
the knight’s sword trembled slightly and gave off a faint light, as if he was going to finish it off in one go.
“I will especially save the big guy hiding behind you. I got stuck like that before I knew the topic and even started. Of course, this doesn’t apply to you. Leaving the competition, I began to wonder whether the head inside the helmet was really a slave carrying the deadly sin of murdering a nobleman or a foolish braggart gladiator. “You’ll know when you cut it and take it out.”
“You seem to be swinging a sword with your tongue”
“Insolent…!”
As Borka raised his shield and the enraged knight took a stand, the Orc, who came to his senses, shouted loudly.
“Kun Tagiz watches over you! “Fight a battle you won’t regret!”
Whick!
Following tradition, the Orcs threw wooden plaques with the four names on them into the stadium.
….
The four wooden tablets that were thrown from the platform fell onto the hard floor of the arena that was a plaza.
At that moment, the knight’s sword and the gladiator’s shield crossed in an instant.
****
Wow!
Sigh!
.
.
.
.
“Waaaaaaah!!!!”
It’s an oddity and a twist.
The audience, who were looking forward to the scene where the beast-man gladiator’s head was blown off as the battle continued as expected, roared as if the leather workshop area was leaving at the sight of the knight’s body and head sliding on the floor.
Crack!
“….a plague. “I was scared because I thought I was going to lose.”
At that moment, the professor realized that he had unknowingly broken the stone he was holding in his hand. He laughed in despair and shook off the broken piece of stone. It was a very exciting game for him, who knew that Borca had something going for him.
The professor caught one of the fruits thrown by the excited spectators and took a big bite, grinning.
The Auror’s output itself was a bit lacking, but his swordsmanship was solid. A knight with a solid core and a solid foundation that shows no gaps in swinging and retrieving his sword.
Despite not letting down his guard, Borka was pushed back endlessly by the swirling onslaught. The defense was tight, but the aurors were the problem. The metal shield could not deflect the sword and was chipped away like firewood. The shield, with all its edges chipped off, could barely be covered with the back of the hand, and the place where the shield disappeared was replaced by tattered armor and a bloody arm.
At the moment, the professor secretly gave strength to the hand holding the stone, seeing that it was more like playing with a stone than a duel.
Woe!
Borka, who had been retreating endlessly, threw down the net draped over his shoulder, and as if laughing at his struggles, the strong net was cut by the knight’s
sword
.
At some point, the knight’s head fell off.
It was a battle-like battle that could not be seen as a gladiator who had been pushed back badly.
Swordsmanship that focuses extremely on counters. A fighting style that is almost despicable, doing whatever it takes to create that momentary gap.
‘For some reason, I kept picking up something on the way.’
The net that Borka threw was a trapping net with small hooks between the knots. A net filled with bags of fine ash was hung, aiming for something that an Auror user could break through by breaking into dozens of pieces at once.
The professor, who was wondering what to do when Borka tore the clothes he took off, couldn’t help but burst into laughter when he saw that the pieces of cloth and the ash bag were of the same color.
The knight who rushed through the wind sneered at the low-level tricks such as netting and swung his sword, and for a moment there was a gap in the ash that was seeping into his nose and eyes like fog.
Borca did not miss the only chance he was given in the match.
[Is it worth shouting about? Wouldn’t it be worth it if we just fought that guy head on, 1v1? He was an auror using reiki or something, and he used something absurd.]
‘You said it with your own mouth. Gladiators are clowns. The goal is not to win, but to stimulate the other side and make them have no choice but to raise their heads. ‘This is what it means to be an entertainer.’
I don’t know what I did for 8 years, but it seemed like I did amazing research on how to deal with the audience and what they think.
A knight with a flashing sword and a shabby gladiator.
There are no special sword techniques or grand movements, just a simple movement to cut off the neck of an opponent whose breathing is disturbed and whose eyes are closed.
Although the light of the sword cuts through the rock and the blows are not invisible to the eye, it is more vivid and anyone can imagine themselves standing there. It is a sword art of reality itself. Thus, people could easily project themselves onto the gladiator standing there.
The sight of him lifting his opponent’s head with his tattered arms was an underdog that everyone could not help but be enthusiastic about.
Killing the knight was my request. Drug dealers and serving knights deserve to die… It doesn’t mean the same thing. I have something else in mind.
I was thinking of moving Haunuman a little in a different way than Borka.
“Well, let’s just look around for now.”
Crunchy!
I don’t know what kind of fruit it was, but it tasted good. As the panicked troll stood up and approached hesitantly, Borka quickly cut off the connection of the knight’s armor, held up his widest chest plate instead of a shield, and rushed towards the troll.
Thump-
“Waaaaaaah!!!!”
“Benard Fang! Benard Fang! Benard Fang!”
After a while, cheers once again filled the arena along with the sound of something huge collapsing. It was not just a cheer, it was a sound of chanting the name of the gladiator who showed the best performance.
****
