episode_0050

Bianca, who tasted the flavor of comedy after catching Lian and suffered for a long time with half of her mind lost, found it impossible to live her daily life.

Time was the medicine, and after more than a week passed, Bianca could barely regain her senses. However, she wasn’t completely recovered.

“Just participate in one match. Participate in one match and retire.”

For slaves who reached the top floor, various options arise. They can stay on the top floor and enjoy power, join the military as a subordinate of Jisoo, or completely clear their slave status and become free. However, they must give up everything they have.

Bianca chose to stay on the top floor, aiming for the position of champion. As someone who endlessly grew stronger, she believed that if the time and opportunity aligned, she could sufficiently seize the position of champion.

If she could just sit in the champion’s seat, she would be able to be by Jisoo’s side, whom she loved so much. It was shocking that she had swallowed Lian in a way that abruptly abandoned her long-standing goal.

She gathered what little reason remained and made plans to escape from the arena where the terrifying presence of Lian lurked.

“How about it? Just participate in one match.”

“Okay.”

Her value was very high, and there were hardly any people placing requests. Therefore, upon hearing Togen’s request, she thought, “This is my chance!”

After retiring following this match, she planned to capture one or two strong individuals outside and build her strength before entering Jisoo’s domain.

As she entertained hopeful thoughts, her mind raced even faster.

Until just before facing Lian in the arena… that was how it went.

“What, what on earth is this? Why on earth is that monster here?!”

Bianca felt her legs trembling. It seemed like she would lose strength even with the slightest movement. She avoided looking at Lian, who was smiling widely with tears welling up.

Lian’s smile felt like a devil’s smile. Goosebumps ran all over her body.

“Run, let’s run away. We can turn back and go in right now.”

Bianca stepped back, sweating coldly, wanting to jump into the passage she had just come out of.

“Then we don’t have to face that monster. Yes, that’s right -”

As she stepped back once again to survive,

“Woooooo!”

“Why aren’t you fighting?!”

“Are you scared because you’re a rookie?”

Various curses poured out as Bianca hesitated to fight. She was startled and reflexively raised her head. This was the first time she had received such jeers in the matches she had always overwhelmingly won.

…!

Her gaze turned to where Totojen was standing. Her remarkably keen senses recognized the piercing gaze directed at her.

“If I run away here, it’s over for me…”

Lian was strong, but not to the extent of the top gladiators. Those who resided at the top were gathered because even the word “monster” was insufficient to describe them.

This fight was absolutely unwinnable. If Bianca were to surrender for no reason in such a match, she would be marked in many places.

She would lose the trust of Totojen, whom she had first commissioned, and the many spectators who had bet on her would curse her. For Bianca, who planned to retire and work externally, it was a terribly harsh penalty.

Moreover, some arrogant big shots might think she was arrogant and try to deal with her. She wouldn’t die, but only an outcome where she couldn’t live loomed before her.

“I can’t let this happen.”

As much as she had retreated with a snarl, she now stepped forward with determination.

“I can’t keep being afraid and retreating from that guy forever. I have to overcome this.”

Bianca recalled a line that seemed like something the protagonist of an anime or novel would say.

If this were a boy’s comic book, her actions might have been quite effective. But this was a dark fantasy world without dreams or hope.

All that awaited her was pure…

“Screaaaam!”

The only form of despair she didn’t want.

***

“Shriek-.”

I flinched at Bianca’s attack, which tore through my body in an instant.

“I thought you’d at least say hello before attacking.”

As I pondered nonchalantly, the sound of the demon sword raging echoed.

“What are you doing, partner!? Why waste precious blood! Damn it, every drop of my partner’s blood belongs to me!”

Listening to the demon sword obsessing over a peculiar spot, I looked down at my abdomen.

“Oh.”

For some reason, while the skin had split, there was no damage to the organs. It seemed like it would heal quickly once closed.

“Screaaaam!”

Before I could mend the torn skin, a loud scream rang out sharply.

Clang!

Bianca, dropping the sword from her hand, sat down on the ground.

Trickle.

Her pants were stained with a darker color.

“Surely…”

I immediately averted my gaze. If I stared through the embarrassing scene of a pretty girl, I might be hit by a powerful punch.

“Eeeek!”

I wasn’t doing anything, yet Bianca screamed. Wondering why, I sneakily stole a glance at her face.

She was looking at my abdomen with a pale, horrified expression.

“Why is she shocked after causing a wound herself?”

Moreover… why did she suddenly turn pale? I wondered and looked down at my abdomen. I immediately understood the situation.

Wink, wink.

Through the cracked gap, my “liver” was winking at her continuously. Every time the liver blinked, she screamed wildly.

He extended his lips while winking at the woman he liked, making a small sound.

Um, tsk -.

He kissed her and then pulled away. Visually shocking, Bianca eventually…

“Grrr…”

She rolled her eyes and fainted.

“Uh…uh? What’s…this situation…?”

The host couldn’t continue speaking properly due to the unexpected result. It was understandable. The top-notch investigator Bianca, who was attacking so well, suddenly screamed and fainted in a fit of convulsions…

“Gargandoa, please help with my wound.”

[Groan…I couldn’t even perform properly…]

Gargandoa grumbled as he covered my wound. There was no emergency treatment enough for me, whose body automatically recovered, except to wrap it with bandages to prevent further bleeding.

“I’m glad I ordered the clothes in advance; otherwise, it would have been a big problem.”

Thinking about the clothes I had ordered in advance, I turned my back on Bianca. Then, the dark sword hummed.

[Are you just going to leave the blood on the floor? Really? Leave it there? Such a waste?]

The dark sword, which sucked an enormous amount of blood every day, regretted the blood spilled on the floor.

“I’ll give you back when we return. Let’s just go. It’s too noisy here.”

[Tch…]

“Uuuu!”

“You’re not even fighting properly?!”

“Get lost!”

That was the extent of the insults I could tolerate. The rest were insults that would rot one’s ears if heard.

“It’s not my fault, so whatever.”

Bianca struck first and fainted alone, so I didn’t need to feel responsible in this situation. I exited lightly.

***

Strange rumors began circulating after the fight with Bianca. It was an absurd rumor that I was strong enough to handle invisible power.

“What kind of nonsense is that…”

Before the words in my head could be completed, the sound of Marbas’s whining reached me.

“When is the next match! I can’t show the upgraded version of Blood Wave!”

Gargantua made a sobbing sound as if sucking blood. It seemed regretful that he couldn’t do anything in the match with Bianca and was sent off.

“You’ll be caught soon. When you eat, eat quietly.”

“Do you think I’m human? I don’t have to eat with my mouth!”

“Then why did you do that last time?”

When I took it out from my palm after a long time, Marbas made a slightly mocking sound as if eating it. Clearly.

Thinking back to that time, I asked, and Marbas extended an apology.

“I-I-I don’t know what you’re t-t-talking about.”

Marbas, who was muttering something, soon fell silent as if something was pricking him. As usual, I thought of Marbas, which had turned into a thin saliva shape on my thigh, and lay on the bed.

“By the way, I wonder how Noah is doing?”

Because life here is quite stable, thoughts of Noah suddenly came to mind.

“He must be doing well. After all, he’s Noah.”

Yawning, I buried my head in the pillow.

***

“Sob, soob…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay now.”

Noah wrapped the child’s hand with a bandage, her face turning pale. The child’s ring finger was almost half cut off.

“Lian…”

Thrown into the cruel land of the Demon King, Noah barely held onto her crumbling mind today, thinking of Lian.