Chapter 14: Ch 14: Negative Trust
There was silence for a second before the stadium erupted into loud chaos. People yelled and whistled to show that they were enjoying the spectacle.
However, while everyone else was having fun, Kael was feeling concerned.
’A magically enhanced doll? Here? Aren’t those things banned?’
Not all magically enhanced dolls were banned, but most of them were used only for essential work. They were considered too dangerous to be left around normal people.
As the name suggested, a magically enhanced doll was a puppet that was filled with different kinds of magic and could easily become dangerous if the user had no idea what they were doing. So the creation and use of one had been banned by the Tower.
Kael doubted that this doll in this place had been bought through ethical means anyway, so there was no point in thinking about it.
Instead, he looked at Iris to try and figure out her current condition.
Iris was a tall lady and her demon blood made her much bulkier than even most males. She looked intimidating while standing close to seven feet tall, and her sword was even longer than her body.
But even she paled in comparison to the human puppet that was brought out as her opponent.
It was easily over ten feet tall and filled with all kinds of magic. Kael could feel how unstable it was even from where he sat.
’Do these people have no conscience? Not only are they using a MED, but they don’t even have any protection in place. This is a disaster waiting to happen.’
Not that Kael cared. He was waiting for this match to be over so that he could talk to Iris.
As for what happened to the people who supported this disgusting hobby? He did not care.
It took no time for the match to start and everyone immediately started rooting for the person they had placed money on.
Kael watched as Iris jumped around, and he was amazed by how agile she was. Despite her large size, Iris had no problem dodging the magic and exploiting the MED’s weak spots.
The fight did not last long as the MED ran out of magic. Iris looked unwounded, but Kael could tell that she was exhausted after what happened.
"It seems like we have our winner for today. Everyone, we will come back with an even more exciting fight for you next time. And remember, if anyone wants to challenge our champion, they are free to enter their name."
The show ended for the day and people expressed their disappointment as they started to head out.
Kael followed them, but he quickly used his magic to disguise himself and headed toward the back of the gladiator arena where Iris was being kept.
Most gladiators had their own rooms where they would rest when they were not fighting or training. But Iris was a slave and had no such privilege.
So Kael headed toward the dungeon where she was currently being kept.
It was easy for him to break into that space. All he had to do was wave his hand and the guards fell asleep.
There were not a lot of slaves in the arena’s possession at the moment, but it was a good thing. The conditions in these holding cells were not livable.
Kael reached Iris’s cell and the first thing he noticed was the gash on her face.
It was not a wound she had gotten while fighting the MED and it looked far too fresh to be an old wound.
This was a wound she had acquired after she headed back to her cell.
’Looks like the people here do more than just look after the slaves. But still, it is hard for me to see the future Scarlet Demon Empress letting anyone treat her like this.’
Kael dropped his spell and waited for Iris to acknowledge his presence. He could tell that she had noticed him already, but she still pretended he was not there.
It left Kael with no choice but to speak to her first.
"Are you Iris Nighrbane? If so, then I have a job for you. In return, I can free you from this cell and give you a new identity."
Kael kept his voice neutral when he offered Iris this deal.
He was going to take her out and have her as Leon’s teacher anyway, but it did not hurt to give her a choice.
He waited for her to answer him, but Iris just turned around to look at him with unreadable eyes.
"You are...a kid? Sorry, but I don’t have time for you. I need to focus on recovering before my next match."
As expected, Iris did not trust him.
[You have made contact with Variable: Iris Nighrbane.]
[Calamity Name: Demon Queen of the Red Eclipse (Iris Nighrbane)]
[Mental Stability: 20%]
[Please ensure her physical and mental stability. Raise affection to unlock the yandere setting.]
[Affection: 0% (Raise to 100% to enter the destruction prevention route)]
[Trust: -20%]
The system presented Kael with Iris’s data and Kael had only one thought when he saw it.
’Wow! She really does not trust me. I better do something to gain her trust fast.’
And he knew just the thing that would make Iris trust him.
Kael was not one to use his title for much. He preferred for others to judge him based on his merit and not on his title.
But Iris was someone who needed reassurance that he was not here to play around.
Kael opened his palm and used his mana to make his Grand Master badge appear. It was proof of his high position.
"I am not a kid, but Grand Master Kael. And I am here to formally ask for your help. I will compensate you if you agree to my terms."
Kael promised Iris, and he waited for her to take his deal.
[You have lost trust with the target.]
[Trust: -5%]
"I don’t care if you are the Grand Master or whatever, just leave my cell now. I don’t have time to entertain a kid."
Kael felt shocked for a moment before he realized his mistake.
Iris was a slave so it was unlikely that she had any education. All she knew was fighting and knowing about current affairs did not help her.
She had changed in their past life because of the political pressure Leon faced, and had become more mindful of people and current affairs. And that was the person Kael remembered.
But that was a different version of Iris that did not exist yet.
’Darn it! I made a mistake. What do I do to fix it?’
