Volume 6, Chapter 108: Golden Heat
Swords clashed.
The sound of swords clashing with one another. The vibrating iron echoed aloud. A sound that repeated endlessly. It soared at Gharast’s Arena. Voices burst loudly and engulfed the arena as if they were wild creatures.
It was by no means a tribute to an equal battle. Those voices did not cheer when the swords overlapped with one another.
Those cheers had a different meaning. Which blood would dye the air? When would the arena sand be coated in red? The vibrant voices only waited for that moment. Yes, the moment where someone died.
The golden hair swayed amidst the dreadful cheers.
This person swung his big sword toward the opponent’s fearsome blade. Sometimes, he counterattacked the strikes, and other times, he defended himself with his own sword.
There were times when it was pointless to attack. And other times when it was hard to defend. Life was no longer at the tip of the beast’s fangs. This battle was much more than just a regular fight. The voices of the audience swirled louder and throbbed on the sand of the arena. The audience did not want easy deaths. They clearly wanted more entertainment, where one would die after a vigorous fight.
“Will I live up to that expectation?” The owner of the golden hair prevented the strike of the swordsman’s blade by slipping through a tiny gap.
This person realized that the opponent was not as strong as he seemed to be. Or perhaps, the opponent’s sharp movements became dull after a long time fighting in the arena.
“…Still, he was much stronger before than he is now.”
The golden haired man’s right eye quivered.
The opponent’s blade swung high, aiming at the imperceptible left side. Indeed, a blow that could take the life of the golden haired person. Nonetheless.
A hue glittered. This person used his double-edged sword to cut through the space with great speed. He moved his body halfway in order to avoid the big sword that approached from the left side. Then, he rotated his body and aimed directly at his opponent.
*wind blowing*
A sound that stroke the wind. It just sounded like a knife passing through the air. The offensive and defensive movements used in this fight, which seemed to be fierce until now, ended up quite easily.
Blood spilled from the opponent’s neck, a giant man who wielded a big sword. This easy defeat made it seem as if this giant man was just a mere organism. Indeed, a weak and vulnerable organism that perished in the end by the hands of the golden haired person.
「The winner is Helot Stanley! 」
The audience in the arena became like wild creatures again when they roared high.
—
「Helot, you don’t know how to take care of yourself. Who knew that you’ll have a hobby like this? But you see, as your uncle, I am totally against it.」
Buckingham Stanley was inside the Gharast Kingdom Arena, in a room that one couldn’t call it a waiting room. It was just an area full of fallen bricks. Helot blinked his golden right eye involuntarily upon hearing his uncle’s words.
“My uncle is certainly against my choice, but well, naturally. After all, he never expected me to venture in such a place.”
「Uncle. As a member of the Cathedral, I’ve not done any deviant acts. Besides, this is a good place for training.」
Helot gently loosened his cheeks in response. Buckingham had a delicate expression on his face. However, this expression was unreadable. Was he happy with Helot’s words or was he not?
However, Helot seemed to understand a portion of his uncle’s feelings.
The fall of the walled city of Garoua Maria caused the family name Stanley to lose its rightful place.
However, that name was not the only worry of Helot’s uncle. “My father went missing, and I lost my left eye. I was not even aware of it. When I finally regained consciousness, I realized what truly happened. Therefore, I ended up wielding my sword in the arena. Indeed, no matter who I was, I could predict the worries in my uncle’s heart.”
However, although Helot understood his uncle’s feelings, he could not hold himself back. Someone brought his life back to Gharast, where he survived. This was definitely thanks to his uncle. He saved his life back then. Helot understood that much.
Helot even realized that he was not himself right now. This behavior did not match his character as a righteous person. He knew that he wasn’t doing something good.
However, he had no choice. The situation was different now. Everything changed since that day. Therefore, Helot resorted to arena battles. If he didn’t do them, he would not have suppressed the unstable emotions that burst through his body. He knew he could not stay normal unless he threw his body in a frenzy of blood.
Neither Helot nor Buckingham opened their mouths for a while. A minute of silence. After a moment, Buckingham slowly opened his mouth.
Buckingham’s tolerant attitude altered, and the calmness of his eyes changed colors. He raised his head high as if he regained his noble status. Buckingham’s expression showed the dignity and authority as the head of the family, whose name fell in disgrace upon the loss of Garoua Maria to the hands of the Heraldic Order.
Helot even felt that his uncle had lost his humanity after those events.
「…I am going to tell you this. Rejoice, it’s finally time to cut the heads of those who have defiled our homeland with their feet. Wonderful, isn’t it!」
There was no human figure in the arena after Helot won his fight. Just a lump of bricks and clay scattered around. Even the cheers of creatures who screamed high during the heat of the moment cooled down. At best, when it rained, wanderers would come to seek shelter.
Helot noticed that his uncle’s voice, who happily told him what was decided today, was strangely tense.
Buckingham’s nose swayed upon saying those twisted words. Involuntarily, Helot strengthened his cheeks and laughed a little. However, his laugh was no ordinary laugh. It was, in fact, a sarcastic laugh.
「 It’s an happy occasion, isn’t it, my nephew!」
“Ah, my uncle would have understood the meaning of my laughter. But, it seems that my uncle, who I once admired, has gone somewhere far away, and lost his humanity as a consequence.” Some sadness accumulated deep inside Helot’s heart.
「…Wrong. I laughed involuntarily because I couldn’t keep up with this farce. You have misunderstood me.」
Helot’s words fell on dry sand, and the wind rolled up the sand. Buckingham opened his eyes and seemed unable to understand the true meaning of Helot’s words.
「I know it too well. That man can’t die that easily. Where is the wonderful in that?」
That’s why Helot laughed sarcastically upon hearing his uncle’s words. As if killing “him” would be that easy.
Yes, it wouldn’t be that easy. That “man” wouldn’t die just because they wanted him to. “He” had a witch and a swordswoman by “his” side.
Helot sighed frustratingly while wearing the cloak over his shoulders. The day went by fast. It became quite cold. However, the blood in his body was hot enough to repel this cold. Helot couldn’t quell his heat even after winning the battle in the arena.
This heat had been going on since then.
Helot knew for sure that the opponent whom he fought in the arena today handled the sword better than “he” did. He was stronger than “he” was and was more accustomed to fighting than “he” was. However, that “man” was still stronger somehow. Helot clearly knew that with the scar on his left eye. That scar was the proof.
「Helot, it seems that your words are telling me that you desire that outcome. What are you thinking? Is that your speculation or have you given up?」
Buckingham mysteriously shook his lips. Buckingham struggled to understand Helot’s words. Did Helot truly believe that they won’t kill the enemy easily? Helot’s words had a convincing sound rather than a desired outcome.
Helot bounced his shoulders, and his right eye sparkled. He opened his mouth then. His lips toughened.
「What am I thinking, huh. That “man” is certainly my enemy. I have no doubts about it.」
“Yes, on that very battlefield. During Garoua Maria’s battle, that “man” certainly said so. Otherwise, why would he attack me?”
Helot immersed in his thoughts.
“What would have happened to the both of us in a world completely different from here, in an era when the wheels of fate turned a little differently? Would he be an enemy who wanted my demise, or would he be an ally who wanted my success? I don’t know what would have happened then. Therefore, there is only one thing I came to understand.”
「But, when it comes to my speculation, I feel that I could be that man’s…that I could be Lugis’ friend if it didn’t turn out as it did.」
Until now, no human could oppose Helot Stanley. When it came to his status, everyone saw him as someone special. Indeed, as someone intangible. That’s why no one ever tried to catch up to him.
Before long, Helot accepted his fate, and accepted the people who viewed him as someone out of reach.
“But what about him, the man named Lugis? He is the only one who sharpened his fangs at me. The first person who tried to slash me with his sword. He was someone who didn’t view me as someone special. He didn’t turn his back on me. In fact, he tried to reach me with his body.”
“I am sure he looked out for me as a friend.” In Helot’s heart, his unspeakable and unstable emotions swirled inside.
The heat of his blood continued to increase intensely.
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