Ch.29Aftermath (2)

“Hah…”

I couldn’t understand if what was unfolding before my eyes was reality. For a moment, I wondered if I had lost my way and arrived in the wrong country.

Such scenes were typically found in the Demon Territory.

Yet I wasn’t standing in an unfamiliar place. Rather, I could say it was one of the places I was somewhat familiar with.

‘Though the scale seems quite different.’

I pulled my robe’s hood down further and entered the building ahead.

It must have been peak hours, as many others besides me were heading into the building.

People entered with excited expressions, chatting with their companions.

While it was noisy outside, strangely, no sound came from inside.

As I stepped in with that thought, suddenly an ear-splitting roar of cheers hit me.

“Waaaaaah!!!!”

Perhaps because the sound struck my eardrums when I was unprepared, I almost felt like blood was flowing from my ears.

And I wasn’t the only one affected—I could see several people around me staggering slightly.

Those who were accustomed to this looked at them with expressions reserved for newbies.

‘A soundproofing spell…’

A soundproofing spell for this entire massive building. It seemed inefficient, but considering the amount of noise generated, perhaps not.

Without the soundproofing spell, no business could even dream of operating in this vicinity.

‘My ears seem to be getting better…’

The sudden loud noise had me worried about tinnitus, but after waiting a moment, my hearing returned to normal.

Finally, I resumed walking and found a suitable seat among the crowd.

“Lucky you, miss~ Finding this prime spot.”

“Indeed… if I’d been late, I wouldn’t have found any seat at all. I’m fortunate to get such a good spot.”

As I sat down, a middle-aged man holding a liquor bottle in the next seat struck up a conversation with me.

“That’s right, you can see well from here~ I always look for this spot. Since this place opened, coming here has become my joy.”

He seemed to just enjoy chatting rather than having any particular intention.

I responded appropriately to the man’s conversation while looking down at the arena. In the center of the arena, someone who appeared to be the host was conducting the proceedings.

The introduction of the players must have already finished, as the proceedings were nearing the end.

“Now, you’ve waited long enough! Let’s soon witness the match to determine the 2nd Champion of Leheten Arena!”

“If they’re determining the 2nd Champion, who was the 1st Champion?”

Though I already knew the answer, I asked the man beside me as if seeking confirmation.

“Why, of course it’s Lady Frey~”

I flinched.

Even though I knew this fact, my body naturally reacted when my name was mentioned.

Unaware of my state, the man continued without pause.

“There are some who make issues about strength or race, but even if a few people say such things, the truth doesn’t change. After all, she’s also the founder who created this arena in the first place.”

That was true.

This place where I was sitting now. This arena was located at the small colosseum that had been built before I defeated the Apostle.

However, unlike the small colosseum it once was, it was now a real colosseum, and the number of spectators was on a completely different scale.

‘Unlike when it was swarming with just swordsmen, there seem to be many other professions now.’

I hadn’t been away for that long. How did such a dramatic change occur?

Actually, I didn’t need to think deeply about it. Whatever other interests might be involved, the ignition point was undoubtedly my sky-high charm stat.

And since Leheten had no attractions, when attention was drawn by my charm, the lord probably pushed forward with plans and built this with help from other adventurer guilds and organizations.

But what I found absurd wasn’t that.

‘Why is there a statue erected that’s an exact replica of me?’

Plus the titles of first champion and founder. No matter how much I needed fame, this was too embarrassing.

‘Let’s just accept it… just accept it…’

I tried my best to calm myself through repeated self-hypnosis, but…

“Our Frey~ Now quite the celebrity~”

With Lilly’s sudden voice in my ear, I finally failed to maintain composure.

“Sigh… let’s go.”

“Huh? The match is about to start. You’re leaving without watching?”

“Yes, I just remembered something I need to do.”

Leaving behind the slightly confused man, I exited the arena.

Lilly also seemed bewildered by my sudden action and asked in an anxious voice.

“Um… are you going to destroy the statue or something?”

“Of course not. Fame is always necessary, and good fame is helpful.”

Even if I wanted to demolish it, I’d need to file a proper demolition request. Randomly smashing it would likely result in damage claims.

So now I was heading toward the one who had caused me this embarrassment.

Was I heading to the person who made that statue?

No.

Was I heading to the lord who ruled this city?

No.

I was heading to the one who had given permission to make that statue.

‘Since the subject wasn’t present, they must have obtained permission from someone associated with the subject.’

* * *

I opened the door to the Swordsman Guild and entered.

As I slowly surveyed the people from the doorway, among those looking puzzled, I found the person I was looking for.

He too must have spotted me, as he waved his hand as if greeting me.

“Oh~ First Champion, did the request go well?”

“Yes, very well indeed..!”

I immediately accelerated my body and delivered a flying knee kick to Kaiden’s unsuspecting face.

“Oof.”

Whether he was caught off guard or had decided to take the hit, I couldn’t tell, but Kaiden flew far away after being struck by my foot.

“Whew, I never knew I’d regret my broken sword this much.”

I would have liked to swing a sword, but unfortunately, it had been destroyed, so I had no choice but to use my leg.

“To try to swing a sword at your heavenly master—you’re disqualified as a disciple.”

“Since that heavenly master sold out his disciple first, I don’t think there’s any problem.”

Though I hadn’t struck with full force, I had put some power into that kick. Yet seeing Kaiden get up perfectly fine, I thought how sturdy he was.

“Haha… you know this city isn’t in the best state. Wouldn’t it be good to build a statue to gain some fame?”

“You should have at least given me time to mentally prepare… You had that much time.”

Earlier I had dismissed it as the city having nothing to see, but in truth, the situation was more serious.

A city on the border. Though the environment wasn’t harsh, it was clearly on the periphery.

Having nothing to see meant there was no reason to travel all the way to this outskirt, so unless out of necessity, there would hardly be any visitors.

If people only leave and none come in, the city itself would be perfect for shrinking.

‘Without anything to attract people, like a mine or dungeon, it would slowly shrink and eventually fail.’

It might not fail immediately, but it would clearly diminish slowly. In fact, it was already diminishing.

“Isn’t faster better? It’s not like you would have refused anyway.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Even if this had come to me as a request rather than seeing the result directly, I would have accepted.

By serving as a mascot, I could gain various benefits.

Beyond fame, I could receive money or pick up a few needed items from a noble family’s treasure vault.

“Still, we’re supposed to negotiate and find a compromise. If things proceed like this first, it’s hard to get proper compensation…”

“Come on~ Why worry about that? Don’t you trust your master? I made sure you’d get proper compensation.”

At those words, I was touched… as if. I looked at Kaiden with distrustful eyes.

Although this man was also the guild master, I couldn’t believe he had properly negotiated the deal.

I’d be lucky if he hadn’t been taken advantage of.

Receiving my gaze, Kaiden spoke as if begging me to stop looking at him that way.

“Elena helped, she helped, so don’t worry…”

“If it’s Ms. Elena, then I can trust it.”

“I don’t know when my reputation fell this low…”

I gave him a look that said he should know best, and Kaiden deliberately ignored it as he continued.

“So about that deal, you’ll need to make time to visit the lord’s mansion.”