Ch.105105. Infiltrating the Octagon (7)

Morning approached.

My body felt quite stiff thanks to yesterday’s fight as a fighting dog that had lasted from evening until dawn.

“Ugh…!”

A stretching sound accompanied my morning yawn.

Though I’d slept deeply during my brief rest, I still felt somewhat fatigued.

I loosened my aching limbs with various stretches, and finally rotated my neck while mentally reviewing yesterday’s events.

“…”

Creak-

Opening the drawer revealed a pouch full of banknotes. It was the money I had received as an advance payment yesterday.

“This will be difficult to submit right away… hmm…”

The emergence of a capitalist always attracts the nobility’s attention. Since I directly advised that dismantling the Lewen Merchant Guild would be beneficial, I too need to be cautious about money movements.

Twenty-five thousand alte. Though not comparable to what the wealthy possess, even the nobility would notice such a sum moving suddenly.

Even the gambling hall host had subtly probed about what I planned to do with the money when I got it.

If it were discovered that I spent the money on the academy, they would immediately catch the scent and track down where the money went.

“As a sponsor, I could only support five people at most, so that’s not feasible. In the end, do I need to find a plausible use for it?”

But even if I clarify how it’s being used, the source of this money remains problematic.

If asked where such a sum came from, I’d be cornered. If asked whether there are groups around me who trust me enough… I’d have to answer that none exist.

What should I do? I can’t submit it secretly either.

I obtained the money because I needed it, but now I have no immediate means to pay it.

“Ugh, let’s rest a bit more for now.”

It would be strange if my head didn’t hurt at this point.

***

Kain suddenly lost his income and his workplace.

Though Junon’s appearance that morning had caused many things to disappear, nothing had actually worsened.

If anything had changed, it was just one thing: the red alert regarding Lumia’s health had returned to yellow.

‘…I still can’t figure out what’s in your mind, sir.’

If he had intended to extract something, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to demand that I become his faithful dog.

After witnessing such things firsthand, even without being impulsive, I would have bowed my head and followed his will.

As Kain, who had seen countless nobles steeped in greed and pleasure, I was willing to follow such intentions for Lumia’s future.

Whatever he demanded, however he used me, I was prepared to throw myself into it with all my might for Lumia’s sake.

I had declared it inevitable that he would treat me like a puppet. After all, my weaknesses had been completely exposed.

But he was different.

Though he wanted something like the nobles, it wasn’t… a sign demanding that I be forced, submit, or surrender.

I, who might have lost everything, ended up losing nothing at all.

At the very least, I thought, Senior Junon, my “big brother,” shouldn’t be placed in the same category as those rotten nobles.

‘This is it.’

Kain’s much lighter footsteps stopped at a team’s office.

And then, a knock.

Knock knock.

-If it’s a visitor… must be a new recruit. You go, Michelle.

-Me? Wouldn’t it be better if you did it, Aris…

-No matter how anxious you are about your status, you need to do what needs to be done! It’s exhausting for me to interview new recruits every time.

-Ah, fine. Yes, I’m coming.

The sound of a female student’s footsteps grew closer as she hurriedly left her paperwork.

Eventually the door opened, revealing a fidgeting woman with reddish-brown hair in a ponytail.

“Nice to meet you. May I ask again what brings you here?”

It was obvious at a glance.

Her small but dignified movements revealed her noble status even without being told.

It didn’t matter whether a noble handled the reception or not. After all, the fourth condition that “big brother” had given me remained unchanged.

“I came after seeing the recruitment notice for team members.”

“I see… The joining process is somewhat strict, so you’ll be tested directly. Is that alright?”

“Yes.”

Among the four conditions he demanded in exchange for treating Lumia, this was the last one.

Join Team Tembris.

While he had explained plausible reasons for the other conditions, nothing was known about this one.

In a way, it could be seen as the only thing that took away my freedom, but I didn’t see it that way. Rather, I wanted to find out why he had directed me here.

“Ah, finally seeing Michelle receive a new recruit. Despite being a noble, it wasn’t much of an issue, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Quite the taciturn one, aren’t you? Please come in and fill out a simple profile first.”

This person had a completely different atmosphere from the reddish-brown ponytailed woman I’d just met. Based on experience, I’d guess… she’s not a noble.

Given her recent fame from the Osoptera defense battle…

“Understood. And since I know you’re both third-years, there’s no need to be formal with me as a second-year.”

“Oh. Quite easygoing. Good. Our team leader will be here soon for the skill test, so please wait here until then.”

Teams typically tend to consist of either all nobles or all commoners rather than a mix of both.

Administrative tasks might be assigned to hired help, but that means they’re working dogs, not considered team members.

Moreover, skill tests are often determined by documents containing magical indicators.

But this team…

Their standards are different from the start. While personalities vary widely, there was no hazy fog in how they viewed people.

‘So, did you foresee even this, big brother?’

There must have been a good reason why joining Team Tembris was made the fourth condition.

Therefore, Kain speculated: that senior who spoke with a cold, chilly tone didn’t harbor even a speck of malice.

***

Day by day, the truth about the gambling hall is revealed.

The parachute appointees who once held hollow positions for the convenience of academy officials and professors.

The employees who constantly created conflicts for their own gain and distorted facts through instigation whenever issues arose.

Those who had only acted falsely in their fraudulent positions were now crumbling miserably here.

─Get up and fight! At least be useful to us!

─Academy lackeys. Tsk, should have done your jobs properly.

Those who lost their jobs once their offenses were recognized had no place to return to.

After all, it would be absurdly difficult for those who had tasted money, corruption, and power to return to normal life.

Inevitably, they found themselves here, struggling with financial difficulties and searching for work.

Some had already squandered all their money and entered the ring instead.

They had brought it upon themselves.

Those who dabbled in gambling and those who lost everything and entered the ring like the slaves they once watched were all the same.

Some of those fighting like dogs in the octagonal ring had been apprehended by Tembris before.

Combining information to point out contradictions and pressuring opponents so they couldn’t even rebut—it would be fair to say Charlotte herself had apprehended them.

Whatever the case, there was no feeling of pity. All they received was an internal click of the tongue and an emotionless gaze.

However, when this emotionless gaze fell upon one particular person, her eyes would momentarily sparkle.

No. Perhaps they were somewhat sad eyes.

“Bastard, just fall already!!!”

“What the hell is that guy…!”

The format unfolding in the octagon this time was survival.

Rather than one-on-one, multiple people were thrown in, and regardless of what tactics were used, whoever reached first place in the end would win.

The interior of the ring wasn’t much different, but the edges were filled with water, adding a rule that even the weakest could subdue the strongest by just making them fall.

Therefore, given the nature of this event, the weak would naturally form temporary alliances, while the strong would inevitably face multiple opponents as they would be targeted first.

And he was steadfastly facing multiple opponents in the midst of this chaos.

Splash!

-Number 28 eliminated.

Swoosh!

-Number 41 eliminated.

“Numbers 28 and 41 are eliminated!!”

Charlotte wasn’t the type to enjoy such arena matches. Even though the time was approaching to find ledgers to submit as evidence, she continued to stare into the ring.

“…”

Though Charlotte knew nothing about martial arts and hand-to-hand combat, she could tell that the movements of the boy in the ring were extraordinary.

With each of his movements, spectators fell silent, murmured, shouted, and inside the cage, waves of tense chill and enthusiastic heat alternated frequently. Just from that, she could tell.

Indeed, his movements were worthy of admiration.

Disciplined posture and proficiency firmly established within his body.

She couldn’t even imagine what kind of effort went into each movement visible through the bars.

That’s why Charlotte’s eyes remained fixed on the ring. She simply couldn’t understand why someone who had put in so much effort was wasting their talent in such a place.

This time, the boy in the ring faces four opponents simultaneously.

Though he’s wearing gauntlets, perhaps because his opponents aren’t so easy this time, he can’t exert power like before.

He’s pushed onto the defensive by enemies persistently attacking with weapons. His skin is even slightly cut, drawing blood.

Just as Charlotte was about to send a pitying glance, thinking it was over…

The defensive situation is reversed in an instant.

“…Huh?”

In that moment, Charlotte sensed something strange.

The hooded boy’s only equipment was gauntlets. Unlike the burly men he had just faced, who wielded wooden clubs or pipes, he shouldn’t have been able to deliver effective strikes.

At most, she expected him to be busy deflecting weapons with his gauntlets. But the situation was reversed with a faint light emanating from the gauntlets.

The faint light in the gauntlets was unmistakably magical power.

Moreover, it was magical power she had felt somewhere before, very closely related to her past.

Every hair on her small frame stood on end at this magical power that gave her such a strange sensation.

‘What is this feeling… from somewhere…’

Though she narrowed her brows, trying to grasp at the fleeting memory, sadly, Charlotte had no time for that.

“Number 5, the hooded man, takes down another one! Ah~ he looks a bit tired this time! But there aren’t many left either! As survival matches often see results reversed at the end, he’ll need to stay vigilant!”

At the mention that not many were left, the girl finally came to her senses.

‘Right, I need to find evidence first—what am I doing?’

Charlotte begins searching for records to submit as evidence, though much later than she should have.

But this delayed search would lead to yet another disruption.