Volume 5, Chapter 10 – The Underground Fighting Arena

After getting out of the carriage, Yisi followed Refina and Edith into a casino.

Several round tables were arranged in the vast space. Scantily clad waitresses weaved through the gamblers, and people of various different races were mixed together. The sound of dice, the clinking of gold coins, and the shouts of men combined to create an extremely chaotic scene. A rough estimate put the number of people at over a hundred.

The smell of tobacco mixed with cheap perfume made Yisi frown.

“Why have we come to a place like this?”

“Are you suggesting I would partake in gambling? Gambling certainly has its charms, but this lot uses entertainment as a means to get rich overnight. They are defective goods, not even as good as servants.”

Refina, walking ahead of Edith, paused and handed mask-like items to both Yisi and Edith.

“This may be Miss Yisi’s first time here. The casino is only the first level of business. The activities that truly attract nobles and wealthy merchants are yet to come. Please put on this mask, Miss Yisi. It will help to some extent in preventing those around you from discerning your strength.”

Yisi took the mask from Refina and inspected it with appraisal magic—it was a perception-concealing mask that could nullify second-tier detection magic.

“So secretive… are we going to an auction house?”

As she spoke, Yisi unfurled her [Omniscient Map] to explore the entire casino. The result was that there was another massive, labyrinthine space beneath the casino. A large stage sat at its center, surrounded by a network of small, ant-nest-like rooms and corridors. To Yisi’s surprise, the number of people underground far exceeded those on the surface, and most of them were nobles with status and high-level individuals. On the central stage, two points of light were currently fighting each other, and the noble spectators were all crowded around the stage.

So it’s not an auction house, but a fighting arena.

Yisi had only ever seen things like underground arenas in old books; in her eyes, they were a very distant concept.

“It’s just an underground fighting arena. Since we have to stay in the Royal Capital until the end of winter, we naturally have to find something interesting to pass the time. Besides, the underground fighting arena is full of all sorts of people, making it a good place to gather information.”

Putting on a silver mask that covered half of her face, Edith ignored the waitresses who wanted to come and lead the way. Like a gentleman, she offered her elbow to Yisi, signaling for her to place her hand on her arm.

“The white hair of the direct Pescia line is too conspicuous. To avoid unnecessary trouble, I woke you up in the middle of the night. Although I’m reluctant to admit it, your strength is indeed much greater than mine. Shall we go together?”

I’ve only ever seen this gesture in movies.

But this was the posture of a gentleman inviting a lady.

Yisi offered her own arm to Edith in the same manner, a smile forming on her face beneath the mask.

“As the protector, shouldn’t I be the one escorting the fair lady?”

“Is there a difference? You always like to haggle over the small things.”

Seemingly convinced there was no difference, Edith abandoned her inviting posture and instead placed her hand on Yisi’s arm.

Following a sloping downward corridor, the three of them arrived at the underground fighting arena.

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Just as Yisi had expected, this place was also in an uproar. Everyone who came here, whether noble or commoner, was cheering for the fighters in the center of the stage. The entire arena was shaped like a sunken bowl. The positions closest to the stage were occupied by private rooms—only nobles of distinguished status were qualified to enter—while commoners could only watch from the outermost edge.

Like a regular patron, Edith walked familiarly to the very front row and then, under the astonished gazes of countless nobles, entered a private room in the first row.

“Hey, did you see that? Three women just went into the first row.”

“What ‘women’? Those are noble ladies. An ordinary person wouldn’t have the guts to walk in there.”

“Of course I know they’re noble ladies, but the first row should have been full. That room, I remember it belongs to the second son of Count Gulard—”

Before he could finish, the man’s mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an apple, like a rooster being strangled. He stared ahead with a look of disbelief.

“The… the second son of Count Gulard came out on his own…”

“And he doesn’t look angry at all.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Isn’t that guy a notoriously spoiled brat?”

“Wait, that white hair, it’s so familiar… Hey! The noble lady who just passed was the eldest daughter of the Pescia family, that Loiswell Edith Pescia!”

Hearing Edith’s name, the entire audience fell silent for an instant. The deathly quiet atmosphere lasted for a full few seconds before someone spoke up cautiously.

“That… that witch? That witch is here again?”

“The only one in the fighting arena to maintain an undefeated record of thirty consecutive wins, and she also shot the eldest son of Count Gulard through with one spear for being rude to her.”

“No wonder that spoiled second son of the Gulard family gave up his seat… He doesn’t want to repeat his brother’s mistake.”

The same conversation was playing out in the noble’s private room where Edith was.

After hearing Edith’s explanation, Yisi couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the door. She now understood to some extent why that noble man had treated Edith with such an exceptionally humble attitude. Without Edith, he would not have become the heir to his family. From a certain perspective, Edith was even his benefactor.

“That being said… didn’t Count Gulard confront Count Pescia about it? If they’re both counts, it should have caused quite a dispute, right?”

Sitting on a single sofa, Edith pouted, her face full of disdain.

“How dare a mere landless count compare himself to the Pescia family? As a key figure who guards the far north and the northern human front, my Father was already giving Count Gulard a great deal of face by not pursuing that frivolous man’s offense. Count Gulard has many children; the Pescia bloodline has only me. Not to mention the vast difference in our status. He should be eternally grateful that I didn’t cut off his head and feed it to the dogs on the spot.”

“But that man just made a verbal joke. To dispose of him just like that… no wonder people outside call you a witch, Pepe.”

She’s no different from a devil.

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Crossing one leg, Edith accepted a piece of fruit that Refina held to her lips and snorted lightly.

“That was all in the past.”

“Are you not going to fight in the arena anymore? I thought you were going to make a comeback.”

“That so-called thirty-win streak was just the officials deliberately letting me win. Fixed fights are just a waste of time, and I don’t want to bother with them. Looking back now, there were quite a few people in the fighting arena who could have defeated me—”

As if she had thought of something, Edith suddenly sat up straight and looked at Yisi with ill intent.

“Speaking of which, how about you give it a try? There are no deathmatches in the arena. If you win, you’ll gain the attention of the nobles and a portion of the prize money from the betting pool. The fighters who come here are all striving to be noticed by a noble and become a retainer. With your strength, you could easily defeat them. The thrill of conquest, once you’ve experienced it, is hard to let go of.”

But the feeling of conquest was something that could only be experienced if there was a certain degree of difficulty. Just like how the sense of accomplishment from clearing a game on hard mode is completely different from clearing it on easy mode, the highest-level person in the fighting arena was only Level 35. Even if Yisi defeated them, she wouldn’t feel any sense of accomplishment.

Yisi sighed.

“I’m not you, Pepe. Besides, if I really wanted to feel a sense of conquest, you would definitely be my first target.”

“Hoh? Still interested in putting a collar on me and walking me like a dog in the garden?”

“No, I don’t have such excessive thoughts.”

Yisi couldn’t help but glance at Refina. The latter’s hands had trembled uncontrollably when she heard Edith’s words just now. Refina probably found it hard to imagine her master becoming someone else’s pet.

The corners of Edith’s narrow eyes were full of cunning.

“Oh my, it seems my charms as a woman are too low to attract you at all.”

“…You know that’s not what I mean, right?”

Yisi’s words made Edith pout.

“Tch. You have no understanding of the art of conversation. I’m going to the room next door to greet some other nobles and gather some intelligence. Her Majesty the Queen’s recent reactions have been too abnormal. I need to be prepared.”

Does she mean a way to defeat Count Hillary without relying on Andrea?

Without asking directly, Yisi phrased it differently.

“I can go and capture Count Hillary for you.”

Edith, who had already reached the doorway, stopped. She turned her head and gave Yisi a faint, pure smile.

“Ask me again after I’ve failed.”

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“Eh, the old you would have said something like, ‘Don’t do anything that would make me look down on you.'”

“Setting aside the fact that taking revenge on Count Hillary and getting my status back are two different things, first of all, things are different now. What’s yours is mine.”

Without giving Yisi a chance to rebut, Edith first pointed at Yisi, then pointed at her own chest, and left the room cheerfully.

“I never said I would marry into the Pescia family.”

“Once Master sets her mind on something, she doesn’t change it easily. I think it’s best if you give up, Miss Yisi.”

Hearing Yisi’s muttering, Refina stood up, a wry smile on her beautiful face.

Yisi raised her eyebrows strangely.

“Are you okay with this, Refina? You’re the one who loves Edith the most, yet I came in halfway and stole your chance.”

“As a pet, I am content just to be by Master’s side. I have never hoped to be the one to accompany her. Her happiness is my greatest wish.”

The more you say that, the more embarrassed I feel.

As if she had thought of something, Refina struck her fist against her palm.

“Ah, speaking of which, Miss Yisi will be connected to the Pescia family one way or another. Whether it’s with Master or with the second young lady, Camilla, it’s just a matter of marrying or being married. Although there’s still the issue of continuing the direct bloodline, the same thing has happened before in Hyurent’s history. When the time comes, Miss Yisi can refer to the historical records—”

“Wait, you’re thinking too far ahead, Refina.”

By the time Yisi stopped her, Refina had already clasped her hands to her chest, a look of extraordinary longing for the future on her face, to the point that Yisi suspected she was thinking about taking care of Edith’s children in the future.

What an unhealthy love…

Yisi decided to change the subject.

She sat down on the sofa and gestured for Refina to sit opposite her.

“Refina, do you know someone named Augustin Riel?”

Although the humble-looking, bespectacled ¹ wearing eyeglasses-person Augustin claimed to have just become a Court Magic Chanter, his level was actually approaching 40, not much lower than Boris, the captain of the Royal Guard. Adding to that the fact that Augustin, who shouldn’t have been involved with the Royal Guard, was conveniently present when Andrea was attacked, Yisi couldn’t help but be concerned.

As expected, Refina’s expression turned serious.

“The Augustin Riel you’re speaking of, Miss Yisi, is he a humble man with blue hair, red eyes, and glasses?”

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“Yes. He claims to have just become a Court Magic Chanter and is currently employed at the Royal Capital’s Noble Academy.”

“He is the third son of Count Hillary.”

Refina’s words left Yisi stunned for a moment.

“Huh? Count Hillary? That rebel leader? Why would the third son of his family be in the Royal Castle, and able to appear so openly by the Queen’s side?”

“This goes back to Augustin himself. Augustin is actually close to forty years old. Since birth, he has single-mindedly pursued the pinnacle of magic. As a result, during a magical experiment four years ago, he made a mistake and blew up his entire mansion, killing and injuring countless servants and relatives, including the second son of the Hillary family and his youngest sister.”

“And the two relatives he accidentally killed happened to be purebloods. According to the Blood Clan’s penal code, Augustin should have been escorted to the Royal Capital and executed. But the current Queen, Andrea Fred Alvier VII, did not order his execution. She merely had him atone as a sinner, forbidding him from ever leaving the four territories under direct royal jurisdiction for the rest of his life. He also cannot receive any salary from the royal family; he must find his own ways to earn a living.”

“And the content of his atonement is to serve the royal family?”

If that was the case, then the reason why the powerful Augustin had such a low status was simple and clear. That humble and gentle attitude must also be a sign of his repentance. It had to be said that in terms of both appearance and personality, the current Augustin was extremely approachable.

“Most likely. But many nobles, including Count Hillary himself, are in agreement that the Queen’s treatment of Augustin was too lenient. Even if it was an accident, killing the rare purebloods is an unforgivable crime. However, the Queen took a firm stance and rejected all requests from the nobles to sentence Augustin to death. Therefore, many suspect that one of the reasons Count Hillary raised the banner of rebellion was due to the Queen’s stubbornness. Of course, the series of new policies also played a part.”

“Even his own father demanded his execution…”

Although it made sense logically—Augustin, the fifth son and not a pureblood, had killed his own siblings, both of whom were purebloods who could have brought great returns to the family—emotionally, Yisi still found it hard to accept. One could only imagine how desperate Augustin must have been at the time.

Refina continued to add.

“That is why Augustin serves Her Majesty the Queen with all his heart, and he has also earned Her Majesty’s trust. There is a saying among the nobles that in the entire Royal Castle, the second person the Queen trusts, after the Royal Guard Captain Boris, is Augustin. One sign of this was appointing Augustin as her magic tutor, a position formerly held by Captain Boris.”

“I see.”

That would also explain why Augustin was present when Andrea was assassinated.

“Then what about Her Majesty the Queen? Edith keeps emphasizing that the power held by the royal family is weaker than that of the rebel army. But normally, even if there are six great nobles among the rebels, excluding the few who remain neutral, the remaining power in the royal family’s hands shouldn’t be that weak, right?”

Yisi’s words made Refina’s eyes widen slightly, her face full of surprise.

“You don’t know, Miss Yisi? Five years ago, the Demon Lord Ouranos sent troops to appear behind the Blood Clan’s lines. The reigning monarch at the time, Alvier VI—the current Queen’s mother—led the troops to encircle and annihilate them. In the end, she and the fallen angel Camael perished together. This battle also resulted in the loss of over two-thirds of the royal family’s soldiers, and they have not recovered to this day. The reason the current Queen ascended the throne at the young age of nine was also due to the premature death of Alvier VI.”

It was worth mentioning that although Camael and Samael had similar names, they were two different fallen angels. Camael specialized in necromancy, while Samael specialized in assassination.

“—And now, let’s welcome the Court Magic Chanter with a nine-win streak, the fighter Augustin Riel, to the stage!”

Accompanied by a chorus of hisses from the nobles, Augustin appeared on the stage of the underground fighting arena.