Chapter 4

The details of the incident were spelled out on the city bulletin.

“Hey, you hear about Haring?”

“That big-headed, pissed off troublesome dragon? What about him?”

“I hear he was taken in at town hall.”

“Well that’s nothing new. Duelists get dragged in for scuffles every day, and this is Haring we’re talking about.”

“I was there when it happened, and it wasn’t like that. An army of Babel staff members surrounded him, and Haring was kicking and screaming, making a whole lotta noise.”

“Was it really Babel staff? Not those duelists on public safety duty? Then it must be quite an incident.”

“What’s so special about staff getting involved? Someone tell me?”

“It means it’s on the same level as that slave incident a year ago.”

“That time those newbies were forced to obey with contracts? According to the victims, there were still other kids trapped, but was that ever taken care of?”

“Nope, still missing. Navie Ionesca’s the main suspect, but I’m pretty sure he got off due to lack of evidence. They haven’t found the other victims yet.”

“I mean, Navie’s totally guilty. He’s got up to all sorts of things behind the scenes.”

“Wait, wasn’t Haring also arrested as a suspect back then?”

“If I’m remembering right, someone witnessed Haring with the victim, and he was reported and arrested. There wasn’t any evidence against Haring, though, so he was released.”

“Hey, management, you listening? We have victims here, how about you try a bit harder?”

“I hear Navie makes sure his underlings do everything so he never gets his hands dirty. His underlings are under contract that prevent them from doing anything disadvantageous to him. Quoting what another guy said, ‘If management starts getting involved with contractual duels, it’ll create an exception in the sole rule that ‘everything must be resolved with duels,’ and they’ll have hell to pay for that. They can’t make any large moves without definite evidence.’”

“Wait, you think Haring was arrested for the slave incident again?”

“Nah, my friend heard what they were saying. Seems Haring got violent in the dungeon outside of a duel and forcefully stole all of someone’s materials. By the way, the guy filing the claim works under Navie.”

“Oh, got it. Haring pissed off The Tormentor. Well, that’s just dumb.”

“Can’t really sympathize with him on this one. It’s true he used to hang around Navie, and he’s the sorta guy who does anything for money. This is where it all led him.”

“He’s caused loads of problems already, so his punishment will be pretty heavy this time, right?”

“At the very least, it won’t be another slap on the wrist.”

“I’m betting on his Proof being confiscated, and him being exiled.”

◇

Yuri rushed into Babel Tower the moment he read the news.

“What is the meaning of this! Ms. Mirka!?” Yuri closed in with such force he quite nearly slid over the counter.

But Mirka calmly shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I cannot provide any details regarding Haring. The situation is still under investigation, so please wait for an official announcement on the—”

“That’s not what I’m asking about!”

“You can’t, Yuri! Calm down a bit!” Seeing Yuri about to punch the desk, Athena hurriedly held back his body.

“First, let’s confirm something. Is it true Haring was arrested?” Fram, who had tagged along, nonchalantly asked.

“Yes, that’s true. Haring was taken in under certain suspicions.”

“I see... Then, if we say we can offer information, will you contextualize it?”

Mirka reacted ever so slightly. “What sort of information would that be?”

“Information from someone who was at the scene of the crime.”

“Hmm...very well. This might not be the place to talk.”

Mirka left the front desk counter and headed further into the tower. When she brushed her hand against a seamless wall, a portion of it opened like a door.

A simple room with nothing more than a table and chairs. Mirka arranged enough chairs for everyone before touching her staff Proof.

“Now then, now then, this conversation won’t leave this room. But it will be recorded, and do keep in mind that providing false testimony is a crime and will be—”

“Yes, enough of the pleasantries. You’re not even recording, are you?” Fram cut in.

“Oh, you got me? Well, I just thought I’d better hear you out first.” Mirka turned back to Yuri’s stiff face. “This time, Haring is suspected of not only inflicting heavy injury, but also theft of highly valuable materials. Do you have any information about that?”

“Yes... I mean, I’m the one who actually did that.”

“...I see. Would you care to explain?”

“When me, Mr. Haring, and an Elf Tribe girl called Eleanor returned to the forty-ninth floor...we ran into a person called Mr. Navie, who was leading around a lot of Demon Tribe people. He demanded that Mr. Haring hand over everything he’d collected, and then told us to do the same.”

“I see, I see. Then what happened?”

“When Haring refused their requests, one of the men thrust a knife at Eleanor’s throat. I suddenly thought I had to save her, so I broke the guy’s arm.”

Yuri indifferently spoke on while Mirka quietly lent an ear. He still remembered it vividly enough; it had only happened a day ago.

“And I returned the nearly-stolen materials to Mr. Haring. That’s the truth.”

“...I see. To be perfectly honest, I can’t praise you for what you’ve done, but the other party made an unreasonable demand, and considering that an acquaintance was exposed to danger, I can write it off as inevitable, and send you home with a warning.”

“Then—”

“But the one being charged right now is Haring,” Mirka replied, before going into the circumstances. “Even if that is true, the one under suspicion is Haring. There’s no evidence or witnesses to say that you’re the one who injured him.”

“If you need a witness, Ms. Eleanor was with us.”

“Her case is no different from yours. What’s important is to find a third-party witness with no relation to either side. Without that, it just becomes a he-said, she-said argument.”

As far as he could remember, they were the only ones there. It was possible there was someone else where he couldn’t see, but it was dubious whether or not they could confirm that Yuri was the one who landed the blow.

“But the biggest problem here...is that Haring is pleading guilty.”

“Guilty... What do you mean?”

“You should ask him that. I’m overstepping my authority here, so you better not tell anyone, okay?”

Mirka placed a gag order before operating her Proof. Once she was finished, a portion of the wall behind her swung open without a sound.

A prison to keep duelists who had committed a crime. The dreary room separated off by a pane of glass had no windows and was equipped with only the minimum necessary light for human function. And inside it was a lone figure... Haring sat, slouched against the wall.

“Haring—Mr. Haring!” Yuri called out, causing Haring to slightly lift his head.

“It’s you, brat... What are you here for?”

“I’m here because I know you’re innocent! I was the one who hurt someone, so there’s no reason for you to be punished for it!”

He frantically called, but Haring’s reaction wasn’t too optimistic. He simply, powerlessly, continued to hang his head.

“I don’t really care. A guy like me was bound to be caught and thrown out sooner or later. Just so happens the time is now.”

“Why...why are you giving up!? It’s still possible. If there was just one more witness, we could prove I did it, and have the—”

“It ain’t that simple,” Haring interrupted, looking up at Yuri again. “Even if you do find a witness...that witness will be the piece of shit’s next target. He’ll hold a duel where no one’s lookin’, and once they’re dead, unable to move, he’ll have his underlings torment them however they like... He’s the kinda guy who can do that without battin’ an eye.”

“No way... Why is Mr. Navie going so far to—” After saying that much, Yuri realized. “He’s after me, isn’t he?”

Haring didn’t answer. Back then, Yuri had stuck up for Haring and insulted Navie. To Yuri, Haring was an important friend, after all. That was precisely why Navie had set his crosshairs on Haring.

If Haring continued to plead guilty, Yuri would lose a friend. He would be stricken by the powerless, helpless feeling of being unable to protect him. Even if Yuri did manage to find a witness to clear up Haring’s charges, Yuri himself would bear the punishment for committing violence before a duel, and that fact would enter public knowledge. With his newfound notoriety, Yuri would have a much harder time gathering members for the Babel Roulette, and a great many would turn him a cold shoulder.

No matter what he did, Yuri would suffer a devastating blow.

“This is for the best. I leave the city, and you walk off like nothing happened.” While he clearly understood it was wrong, Haring accepted his guilt. He had done this...to protect Yuri.

“Hey, I’m a villain. I always act like crap; when I get ticked, I yell and think about hittin’ people. Hell, I’m the sorta guy who’ll do anythin’ for money. No one cares if someone like that goes away, and you don’t have to care either.”

“...You’re not that sort of person, Mr. Haring.” Yuri clenched his fist, squeezing out his words. “You’re definitely foul-mouthed, quick to anger, and always in a bad mood...but you—”

“Listen to me, Yuri.”

Haring finally said his name. Yuri slowly lifted his head. And there, he saw—the smile on Haring’s face.

“I just became a duelist for the money. Didn’t have a single goal in my head. But...you have somewhere you have to go. Right?” Unlike usual, he spoke to Yuri in a remonstrative tone. “The guy who’s gonna be the strongest duelist...ain’t gonna stop here.”

He smiled as he cast his words. The first carefree smile Haring had ever shown him.

Upon seeing it...Yuri couldn’t help but smile himself. “I knew it, you really aren’t a bad guy, Mr. Haring.”

Surely he wasn’t wrong. The duelist called Haring was precisely the sort of person Yuri knew he was.

“A true villain would never smile like that.”

Yuri turned to leave.

“Athena, Fram. I’m going to search for a witness. Please help me.”

“Got it. Elias might know something about the duelist who framed you, so that should be a good place to start.”

While Yuri and Fram exchanged words and left the room, Athena stopped and turned.

“Hey, Haring...you kept quiet the last time too.”

Athena cast her question through the glass. Just like when they met in the dungeon, her turquoise eyes were straightforward and clear.

“Could it be—you were trying to...”

A girl bound by contract being dragged around by Haring. The girl...was found near Babel Tower. Then how did the girl get that far?

Bound by the fear of death, her legs cowering... Why had she made her resolve to run? How was she able to slip past all the watchful eyes?

Haring answered these questions, his head parallel to the ground.

“...It’s an undeniable fact I took money from that bloody Navie to keep an eye on the kids.” But Haring went on. “So thanks for saving her back then—you stupid fox.”

Those words were enough to send Athena out of the room, sprinting after the other two.

◇

The jail had fallen silent. However, the sealed wall was still left open.

“...Oi, close the wall, receptionist lady.”

“Yes, I am a receptionist, and I am a lady, but it’s high time you start using my name.”

“I don’t remember your damn name.”

“Oh come on. I’m certain I introduced myself in the last interrogation.”

Mirka sat in the chair, slowly spinning round and round. She and Haring had definitely met before. During the slave incident...the one who interrogated him as a suspect was Mirka. The one who released him was also Mirka.

“I can imagine why you didn’t say anything. You worked under that Navie, so I’m sure you understood that speaking would be completely pointless.”

The chair came to a sudden stop. She directed a mysterious smile at him.

And she was right.

While the testimony of the rescued girl did cast suspicions upon Navie Ionesca, not a shred of evidence could be found linking him to the incident.

Haring knew it would happen, therefore he kept his silence. Otherwise—he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise.

“Athena is sharper than she looks, god bless her soul. If you were going to hint that hard, you could have just given her a real answer.”

He replied to Mirka’s question with a scoff at himself. “Hah... I’m gonna leave the city anyways. What’s talkin’ gonna do for me?”

Even so, Mirka continued to latch on. “Let me change the question. Why do you try to make people hate you?”

Even if she asked that, he didn’t really have an answer. If he had to say...

“Is it because the people around you desire you to be evil?”

Taken by surprise, Haring inadvertently lifted his head.

“I mean, the word ‘Haring’ does mean ‘nuisance’ in ancient dragonic.”

“...Why do you know somethin’ like that?”

Haring’s village was in a remote region where they still used old customs and words to this day. It was in that village where he earned the name “Haring.”

“I have an acquaintance who’s pretty knowledgeable about the Dragon Tribe, you see. During our last investigation, I asked him a few things about you.”

Her purple eyes pierced through him, as if she had seen through every last defense he put up. Perhaps it was because of those eyes that Haring somehow or another felt like talking about himself.

“...I was an orphan. Lost my parents in the pandemic.”

Haring’s parents were gone by the time he got to thinking about the world. His village was on a desolate mountain, what little fertile land they had run dry by many generations of farming. This left the village as a whole in a constant state of poverty. But the villagers did not wish to leave the lands where their families had lived since ancient days. No matter how needy they were, they would live on if only to preserve their traditions.

Naturally, they hadn’t the surplus to raise an orphan, but Haring was taken in as a baby by someone who knew his parents well. He still had a different name then, as far as he could recall. But...as he grew, the name was quickly lost to the sands of time.

“I’ve had a good physique since I was a little tyke. Ate twice as much as the others, and threw a tantrum when there was no food. The villagers couldn’t stand me.”

And at some point, the villagers began calling him nuisance and baring their antipathy. The adults looked at him coldly; the kids his age would call him Haring to make him mad. Short-tempered as he was, he would smack the children to the ground, and it had gotten to the point where even his guardian who took him in would keep him at arm’s length.

“But...it didn’t really bother me. Call me a nuisance if you want, but that was my place in the world. What more could I ask for?”

By shunning Haring and using him as an outlet for their pent-up emotions, the villagers maintained their vigor. While he understood it was twisted, Haring accepted the role. To be detested by others was where he found worth in existing. Precisely because it was a closed-off village, they needed somewhere, someone to direct their anger toward when irrationality and unreasonability struck. Young as he was, even Haring could understand that.

And thus, he gave up on being a good person. He would continue to be the villain the others needed him to be. Unfortunately—or perhaps inevitably—at the very end, he was driven out of his place there as well.

“But you should have earned a new place, right?” After listening in silence all this time, Mirka abruptly spoke up. “You became a duelist and came to this city of your own free will.”

“Hah... My will? It ain’t somethin’ so overblown.”

In essence, he had barely any say in the matter.

“It ain’t easy to change how you live your life. When a guy like me tries findin’ work somewhere else, he doesn’t last long. I became a duelist to live, is all.”

Try as he might to find work outside of the village, there was no place for someone who had lived as a villain. Haring chose the path of a duelist in order to survive.

It was a petty, worthless reason.

“In the first place, the only reason I even considered becoming a duelist was ’cuz some random geezer said I looked the part. I got no regrets if I quit.”

Haring didn’t feel like speaking more, and he didn’t even know why he had spoken so long at all. He hung his head again.

“Isn’t that enough? Just close the wall.”

“Very well. Your verdict will be handed down in three days. Until then, you should think long and hard, okay?”

“...What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I say. There’s nothing else for you to do here. It’s a good chance to look back over your past.”

A smile on her face, Mirka brushed a hand over her own proof. Slowly, inch by inch, the jail cell door swung closed, and the outside light faded away.

“The reason you fight—I hope you can remember.”

With her words of prayer, the wall finally sealed off with a click.

◇

With Café Argent as their base of operations, Yuri, Athena, and Fram devoted all their time to finding a witness. Mirka had told them the deadline was noon in three days. That was when the final verdict would be issued, and they needed to have all the right components to have the claim withdrawn in time.

A day had gone by since then, but unfortunately—

“It’s no good, Athena missy! I asked every single person I know who goes to that dungeon, but that day, the way to floor fifty was closed off, so most of ’em just turned back and went home!”

“I see... Thanks for trying, Mr. Vander.”

“Real sorry. I wanted to help, I really did!” After vexedly scratching his head, the dwarf, a regular customer, apologetically left the shop.

On the day that Yuri had fought Wallis...the other duelists found themselves unable to reach any floor fifty and up, and many of them who reached that point simply turned back and went home. Not only was this information spread across the city bulletin, the warp gate malfunction was made into an official announcement by management. As half of the dungeon was now off-limits until the problem could be sorted out, a majority of duelists simply gave up on entering the dungeon entirely.

It was also their misfortune that they were dealing with Navie the Tormentor.

“...It seems this Navie guy is pretty terrible.” Fram fiddled with her proof as she sullenly stuffed the cake of the day into her mouth. “He mainly operates in the dungeon, but...he extorts duelists, orders his men to obstruct paths, seals off transfer gates, intentionally leads dangerous monsters towards innocent bystanders—the list goes on and on. After he’s acted out in the open so many times, I’m perplexed as to why he hasn’t been properly punished.”

Elias scowled as he peeked at Fram’s screen. “Hm. The worst part is that none of his misdeeds involve dueling. If it were a duel, then the footage would remain, but this way there’s no guarantee. Anything that might leave evidence he leaves to his henchmen. His henchmen take the fall, and he gets off scot-free.”

“He’s an Adamant like you. Do you know anything about him?”

“Fortunately, I’ve never had the ill fortune of meeting him. Seeing how I never ran into him when harvesting ingredients in the dungeon, I assume he only messes with duelists lower-ranking than he is.”

“...Meaning he climbed the ranks by only picking on people weaker than him,” Fram scoffed.

Elias shook his head. “The difficult part is that we can never say for sure.”

“...Why not? You’re stronger, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. But, at the very least, Navie’s followers obey his every order. Is it because of his brutality? His strength? Perhaps he has gathered likeminded fellows...but whatever the case, he’s definitely more than he appears.”

Yuri gazed at the bulletin as he listened in on the conversation. As was to be expected, he wasn’t having any luck finding information. Perhaps because no one wanted to get involved with Navie, there wasn’t anyone proactively offering information. If that wasn’t bad enough, the number of people criticizing Haring for his usual behavior was on a gradual rise. When the topic turned to that, he would have no recourse.

Athena anxiously came over and tried to cheer him up. “It’ll all work out, Yuri! We got in touch with some people who might have seen, and maybe they know something!”

But there was no time. The sun was already on its way down, and given an hour, the sky would be dyed a beautiful red. Even if they gathered information without sleep or pause, they effectively had only one day to go. For that very reason...

“I really do think we should confront Mr. Navie directly.”

“...You can’t. At least, you’re not going to be the one to do it.”

“That’s right! There’s no telling what he’ll do to you, Yuri!”

Fram and Athena immediately opposed Yuri’s proposal.

“But...I’m the one he’s after.”

Yuri still didn’t think he had done anything wrong. Even if what he did was unbecoming of a duelist, he couldn’t just keep quiet when Eleanor was about to be hurt and Haring was being showered with such baseless words.

Still, it was true that it was Yuri who started it. At the very least...if it weren’t for him, Haring wouldn’t be in trouble.

“So if I just hear out Mr. Navie’s demands—”

It happened as Yuri shot to his feet in an attempt to persuade his two comrades.

“Hey, hey, heeey. What’s this I hear about me?” A voice with a viscous, sticky quality that wouldn’t leave the ears.

When Yuri turned in that direction, there, a man was parting the sea of people as he walked towards them.

Blonde, undercut hair and sunglasses. A mouth bent in malicious mockery.

“Hey, what’s wrong? What are you looking at me like that for?” Navie must have found something simply hilarious, seeing as he heartily raised his sandpaper laugh as he approached. He plopped down into a chair across the table from Yuri.

“...Do you have some business with me?” Yuri asked.

“Oh, don’t be so cold. The moment I heard you were doing your best to save some idiot called Haring, I ran all the way over to make sure you were okay.”

He chuckled, gazing over Yuri with a rather amused look on his face.

“Calm down. I came alone today. Even someone as great as myself can’t conduct business right in the middle of the city.”

Sure enough, his tag-alongs were nowhere to be seen.

Yuri slowly stood before...lowering his head to Navie.

“...I’m sorry.”

“Oh? What’s all this now?”

“Even if it was spur of the moment, I injured one of your comrades. I thought I should start by apologizing for that.”

“Not bad. I don’t hate good and honest kids. It was our idiot who was about to start things, I don’t blame you for snapping.” Navie’s smile deepened as he heard Yuri’s apologetic words. “So I’m not angry at you. A broken arm is just what he deserved.”

“...There’s no time left. Please withdraw your complaint against Mr. Haring.” Yuri kept his head down, earnestly making his plea. “He’s a precious friend to me. I want to fight alongside him, to explore the dungeons together, to spend more fun days with him... He’s one of my precious comrades.”

He didn’t want to be unable to see Haring anymore, especially not like this. He didn’t want Haring to be gone from the days of excitement that lay ahead of him.

“Please. Don’t steal my friend from me.”

The whole time, he kept his head down to the man trying to drive Haring away.

“I see. Well, you lowered your head and all. I guess this is where I stand down.” Navie folded his arms, nodded a few times before—

“Like hell, did you really think I would say that!? How thick can you be!?”

Navie spat at Yuri’s head.

“Hyahahahahah! Don’t steal my friend from me, he says! After all I’ve done, you seriously expect me to say, ‘alright, I’ll go away’!?”

Back and forth, his laugh echoed through the streets. He laughed and he laughed until Yuri felt his detestable tone would be stuck in his head for all eternity.

A moment ago, he said, “After all I’ve done.” According to Athena, no duelists came forward to offer information. The posts on the bulletin were being diverted to an unnatural extent.

“I said...we’d have a fun game.” His mouth stretched tight enough to burst, Navie spread his hands wide in a grandiose display. “I call it—the watch-the-hopeless-pipsqueak-fall-into-despair-and-come-begging-to-me game! Thanks for the wonderful show!”

With each word from Navie, Yuri clenched his fist hard enough to break the skin. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to maintain his rationality.

“...Meaning, there is no room for negotiation?”

“Negotiation? Just how optimistic can you be? I’m telling you, I just wanted to see that despair-filled look on your face.”

And every time Yuri spoke, that malicious laugh resounded. If he wasn’t going to listen...then so be it. The city did provide another means of resolution.

“Let’s have a duel—Mr. Navie.” Anger seething in his eyes, Yuri held out his own proof. “I, Yuri Eniastar...challenge Navie Ionesca to a contractual duel.”

Directing more malice than he had ever in his life, Yuri glared at the man standing so brazenly before him. And yet—

“Hah? Of course not. Why would I ever do that?” Navie shrugged, his mouth in a vile smirk.

“What—you’re declining a duel!?”

“Hey, hey, heeey! You’re making it sound like it’s wrong to decline a duel? I mean, there’s no obligation to accept every duel thrust at you.”

He was correct, in that regard. In Duel City Babel, there was no actual need to accept a duel. It was shameful, deplorable even, to run away from a challenge, but this was simply a tacit understanding among duelists; no measures would actually be taken against someone who declined a duel.

“And then what...hahah! A contractual duel? You’re the one cornered here, there’s absolutely nothing in it for me. And yet, you put your idiocy on full display, getting all worked up over a duel!”

Navie teased him for acting like an honorable duelist should.

“Are you lot misunderstanding what a duel really is? When you get down to it, a duel’s just a fight to the death. Now, when your life’s on the line, it doesn’t matter what means you use. There’s no real difference whether you kill them, physically or socially, but you keep trying to bring in such ridiculous notions as sanctity and pride—” Navie said with a sneer. “And it’s because this place is full of idiots like you...that dealing with duelists sure is easy.”

Yuri was at the end of his patience.

“You don’t...get to speak of duelists.” His bloody fist quivering, Yuri took a strong step forward, knocking over the table. “Everyone...unlike you, seeks to battle with pride...!!”

Unable to contain the strength welling from the depths of his body, he concentrated it and his rage on his right arm.

“You don’t—get to speak of us duelists!!”

He swung his right arm at the man with clear murderous intent. A single, killing blow to pulverize everything before him. But—his fist didn’t reach Navie. His arm was contained, fastened to the ground by a pillar of pale-blue ice. A large sword held him down before he could take the next step.

“Yuri, you’d better not cross that line.”

“If you do that, you’ll be a step closer to that guy...!!”

Fram and Athena held him down, desperately trying to contain him. Even so, Yuri’s anger didn’t subside.

“Please let me go! I— That man is the one guy I’ll never forgive!”

Yes, the man simply oozing ill intentions right in front of him. The man who was about to steal his friend, without even leaving the option of dueling. The man who insulted the very notion of a duelist.

“Hahah! Nice, very nice. If the girls weren’t with you, I’d have been able to run you out of Babel, you know!” Watching Yuri driven mad by rage, Navie clapped his hands like he was watching the greatest show.

Yuri would never forgive him. This man alone, he would never forgive.

“Man, I had a good laugh.” Navie stood and turned his back to them. “There ain’t a thing you can do—Mix-blood.”

And, with a grand laugh, he was off. Yuri simply stared at his back until he was completely gone.

As the power drained from his body, the ice shattered and the sword was released.

“...I’m sorry for causing such a ruckus.” Yuri apologized not only to Fram and Athena but to all the people who had gathered to watch.

“It’s nothing for you to apologize for. If you hadn’t moved first, Yuri, we would have hit him.”

“You got that right! Someone like that should just get kicked out of the city!”

The girls nodded in support of him.

“But...it seems you’ve made some headway.” Elias tossed him a towel, glancing over at the rubberneckers watching the events that transpired. The exchange had left them with dubious looks on their faces, and they were beginning to gossip.

“That one was a bit...you know?”

“Don’t wanna get involved with The Tormentor, but...refusing to fight as a duelist, now that’s gotta be wrong for someone living in the duel city.”

“Don’t forget, he did all that after the mix-blood kid apologized.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely going too far. Wouldn’t want to be grouped with him.”

“Don’t you think city management will do something if they file a claim for this one?”

“I doubt it. Management is harsh on the abuse of contracts, but bad behavior just gets a warning. Duelists are supposed to solve their own personal problems.”

“Wasn’t there a talk about this before?”

“Yeah, you know, when the God of Destruction killed a duelist in the dungeon.”

Yuri listened in to the bustling conversations—and suddenly lifted his head.

“I see... If I do that—”

“...Yuri? What’s up?”

“Did you think up a good idea?”

“No, it’s not a good idea. I think it’s the worst possible method.”

He did think up something, but it was definitely worse than any of his other ideas.

“One wrong move and we might not be able to take part in the Roulette. Forget about that, I might even be exiled from the duel city.”

It was simply that poor of a play. He would actually consider himself lucky if exile and the confiscation of his Proof were all that happened to him. The reason being—he would be risking not death in a duel, but actual death.

“My apologies, Athena, Fram, please stay on standby for this one. It’s far too dangerous. I’d like to do it alone.”

“Do you honestly think we’ll listen after you’ve said that?”

“Gnnn... I don’t want you to be in danger alone. Let me help out!”

“Hm. Start by saying what it is. If I support it, I’ll keep them here.”

Getting those replies from Fram, Athena, and Elias, Yuri gave a general outline. At the end of it, the three nodded—

“Umm... You’re not joking, are you?”

“How should I put this, Yuri, you’re a genius at being reckless...”

“You’ve definitely inherited the worst parts of Reilly...”

—And offered a scathing review.

“But it’ll definitely be effective. As you said, it’s the worst method, and we’ll be punished for it, but...we’ll have a chance to get rid of those fiends.”

Having received Elias’s seal of approval, Yuri turned back to the gossiping crowds.

“—Duelists! Could you lend me your ears for a minute!?”

He raised his voice, causing the mob to grow silent.

“I...cannot forgive that Navie Ionesca! He framed my innocent friend, showed no remorse or shame for his actions, conducted himself in a way unbecoming of a duelist, and insulted the duelists who fight with pride and conviction!”

Cheers of endorsement sprouted from all around.

“You said it, rookie! You’ve got my vote!”

“Even with the Beheader as your opponent, you didn’t run away! You’re a hundred times more a duelist than that scumbag!”

“Got that right! Anyone who saw your fight, we duelists especially, know you’re in the right!”

The voices gushed forth; they raised their arms in approval. And seeing them...Elias couldn’t help but smile.

“I knew it, Eniastar really is fit to be a leader.”

“Yes. It took just a few words to move the hearts and minds of so many people. He takes exorbitant actions strong enough to sway people... That’s our leader,” said Fram to Elias as she stared at Yuri’s back. “If he lived in a different time—perhaps he’d have been called a hero.”

Her words were erased by the cries of the crowd. And Yuri raised his voice loud enough that it wouldn’t be drowned out.

“Perhaps the duel city will be in an uproar because of us. Even so, I will fight. We live to fight, and no matter how cowardly and underhanded my opponent may be, I shall stand against him with my fists!” Yuri proclaimed, seeming rather proud of himself. “For that is a Duelist’s way of life!!”

◇

From his dimly lit room, Haring could sense that the end was near. His life as a duelist would be over very soon. He was driven from the village, driven from the town, and now he would be driven from the duel city he had wound up in. Even so, he strangely didn’t feel miserable about it. It wasn’t that great of a life to begin with, so what did it matter what happened at this point?

Mirka’s words were the one thing that seemed to be holding him back.

“The reason you fight—I hope you can remember.”

He never had such a reason. Thinking back now, he had never once actually wanted to fight. Not once in his life. He had just grown irritated and smacked the kids who pranced around calling him a “nuisance.”

Once upon a time, the daughter of the guardian who took him in told him, “You sure are kind, Haring!”

She was born after he was adopted, so she was something of a younger sister to him, and she likely saw him the same way.

“I mean, you ignore it when people say bad things about you, but you always get angry when they insult me or dad. But if you go too crazy, dad will shout at you again.”

She said it as if she was completely unaware. The kids would jeer. He’d reach the end of his patience. And Haring would hit them. That’s all it was to Haring.

“Hey, hey, tell me about the world outside the village! Oh, we can play the guessing game! I know you have another name, but you never tell me what it is!”

By that point, it wasn’t just the villagers. Even his guardian called him Haring, and the girl never had the chance to learn his old name. That’s why she would often play a game.

If he left her alone, she would continue spewing out random, silly, nonsensical names forever, so he would always just give up and tell her stories of the times he left the village.

The village adults would never leave unless for work, and the kids were forbidden from leaving. Without any place to be, Haring would often venture outside to kill time, and not a single villager ever tried to stop Haring the nuisance.

The limited exposure made every story so new and fresh to the girl.

Whenever he told her about anything, she’d ask, “What’s that?”

“What sound does that animal make?”

“Was the flower beautiful? What did it look like?”

Just answering all her questions would make the sun set. She really was a troublesome girl who wanted to know everything.

“Hey, Haring! What story are you going to tell this time?”

But Haring didn’t hate to be called Haring by her. She would never say it with the same meaning as the other villagers. And, one day—she would never say his name again.

The girl got into a quarrel with the village kids and took a tumble down the cliff. She managed to survive but wouldn’t open her eyes. Before she closed them for the last time, the girl told Haring what had happened.

“Haring, you always get angry for other people, so I decided I would get angry for you.”

She had heard the village kids badmouthing him, and that had sparked an argument, his guardian told him. Immediately after he heard the details, Haring hunted down the kids who pushed her and beat them to the verge of death. His guardian stood up for him, but he was ultimately banished.

He would soon find himself going from town to town looking for work. It was in one of these towns that he came across a peculiar old man.

“Ni shi shi! Haring? Why, isn’t that a peculiar name!”

If he was remembering right, it was the day he’d picked a fight with a customer and gotten fired from yet another job. Yes, he remembered hearing the voice when he was lying by the side of the road without a penny to his name.

“To think, someone called ‘Nuisance’ would get into a fight to protect someone! I was holding my stomach in laughter when that drunkard you punched went straight through the wall!”

Considering the old man somewhat pretentious, Haring opted to ignore him. Surely he would leave eventually. Unfortunately, the old man just kept talking.

“You, why did you decide to punch him?”

It was only then that Haring finally took a look at him. A withered old man in a tattered old robe. While he could see the tip of an auburn tail peeking out from the end of his clothes, he was thin, so scrawny it was hard to believe he was from the Dragon Tribe.

“You should have known what would happen to you if you hit him.”

Of course he did. He’d been fired for something similar a number of times. This was hardly the worst one. When things really got bad, he would be driven out of town and permanently banned.

But what was he supposed to do? His body moved on its own.

He answered as such, prompting the old man’s mouth to curve like a crescent moon.

“Ni shi shi...you understand what will happen, but are unable to restrain your instincts? At a glance it may seem foolish, but—I don’t see it that way.”

The old man held out a map and a cloth bag. The path to Duel City Babel and more than enough coins for the ferry.

“Haring, my boy. Have you ever thought of becoming a duelist?”

When Haring glanced at him, the old man gave a toothy smile.

“You may not realize it, but those instincts are rare and precious. You can get angry, not for yourself, but for others—that is the foundation of the conflict in your heart.”

The old man left, leaving the map and bag behind.

“He...really was an incomprehensible geezer.”

Haring found himself smiling as he thought back to the scene. He had swallowed that enigmatic man’s words and had come to the duel city. A place that would accept even someone who only knew how to live as a villain.

And—

“Mr. Haring!”

Haring lifted his face at the sudden mention of his name. He hadn’t even noticed the wall of the jail open.

The glass wasn’t there this time. Standing right in front of him was Yuri, with his usual smile.

“...What is it, brat. They sent you to read off my verdict?”

“No. I came because I have a favor to ask you,” said Yuri, who happily went on to say, “We’re about to do some bad things.”

“......Hah?”

“We’re driving Navie Ionesca out of the city. Please help out.”

“I’m sayin’ I have no idea what you’re sayin’. Why do I have to—”

“It has to be you, Haring,” Athena interrupted, stepping out in front.

“You remember the girl who was saved from the slave incident, don’t you?”

“...What about her?”

“The kid was crying the whole time, muttering, ‘save them.’” Athena’s expression turned bitter as she recalled the scene. “You heard her too, didn’t you?”

“......Yeah.”

There was no way he would ever forget. It had never left his mind, not for a moment.

He could still remember the girl who sniffled and cried and held out a filthy copper coin.

“Now’s our chance to save the kids. So we want you to help.”

Athena reached her hand for Haring. And...another hand was also thrust before his eyes.

“Mr. Haring, I’ll ask you again,” Yuri smiled as he repeated what he once said before. “Please, oh please—won’t you fight by our side?”

Last time, he wouldn’t have taken the hand. Haring had lived alone; he would never borrow the strength of others. But—

“...I’ll hear you out. What’s the plan?”

He couldn’t leave the city like this. He couldn’t quit being a duelist just yet.

“I remember—there’s still somethin’ I have to do here.”