"First fighter?"
I muttered, my voice low with question.
And upon hearing —
"Yes, you heard right!"
The man with the funny hat exclaid, practically beaming with excitent.
"In three days, we'll be holding a grand event right here—a title match between two of our prized gladiators!"
He followed with a short explanation.
Then—
Fwip—
"And you...!"
He pointed at with a smug grin.
"I've decided to place you in the opening match! The very first fight of the event! Aren't you thrilled?"
He declared proudly, as if he had just handed a treasure.
And at his words—
"..."
I went silent.
I was speechless.
My brows pulled together slightly.
And noticing the face that I was making—
"Hmm?"
The man's grin faltered for just a mont.
"Judging by your expression... you don't seem all that excited about the news I just gave you."
He said, tilting his head—acting puzzled.
"That's strange."
He mumbled.
And then—
"I thought you liked fighting?"
He asked that, raising an eyebrow.
"..."
I said nothing. A quiet frown settled on my face.
"..."
The man just stared at too in the eyes for a few seconds...
Then, without warning—
BAM!
He slamd both hands on the desk, the sharp noise echoing in the room.
"..."
His fake smile quickly vanished, replaced by irritation.
His smiling eyes changed into a wild glare too.
And finally, opening his mouth—
"Do you even realize what you've done?"
He asked that.
His voice was firm and sharp now.
"..."
I didn't reply to him.
But of course—
I knew what I had done.
'I thought about it a lot before doing the act, actually.'
I said in my head.
Then I just let him continue—
"YOU COST GOLD COINS, YOU FUCKING BRAT!!!"
The man with the funny hat exclaid, he was really not happy with .
"That man you almost killed—I paid a hefty sum for him! He was a well-known thug back in his town before the knights hauled him off for unpaid debts and kidnapping!"
He declared.
"I turned him into a slave, and I was this close to turning him into a star fighter!"
And then he followed with that.
"He was supposed to fight in three days. He could've been one of the new greats, he has potential...!"
The man grumbled, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head in frustration.
"And now, even if he survives... he won't recover in ti for the event in three days. And even after that, I'm not sure he'll be able to fight—or even function normally."
He whispered under his breath, clenching his hands into fists.
Fwish—
The man brought his attention back to , frowning—
"That's why I'll have you fight in his place, you bastard..."
Then he muttered that.
"..."
And hearing his words—
"Hah."
I let out a small, dry scoff.
"...!"
The man with the funny hat widened his eyes, still glaring at .
"what the hell's so funny to you?"
He asked, anger apparent in his face and tone.
I just know that I was in trouble.
His voice was filled with fury.
But I just stood there—
"..."
Calm.
Then, with a casual shrug—
"He was beaten by . A child."
I said that, plainly and flat.
"You really think he would've beco a great fighter?"
I followed.
"...Huh?"
The man's face twisted with confusion at my question, his expression caught between surprise and hesitation.
And that's when I went on—
"If yes... Then, wouldn't I be better than him?"
I asked.
Then—
"..."
Silence.
He said nothing. His mouth hung open slightly, words lost sowhere between his thoughts.
'This is it. Gotta finish it while he's still off-balance.'
I mumbled internally—
Tap-
Then I stepped forward slightly.
"My punishnt is that I'll be fighting in his place during the event in three days, right?
I asked another question.
And before the man with the funny hat could speak, just as he opened his mouth—
"Fine."
I declared that casually.
"Huh?"
His expression shifted again, from annoyance to confusion.
And —
"..."
I simply stood in front of him, expression unreadable, waiting for him to process everything.
'Ugh, just accept it already... Don't even think of adding any more punishnt...'
I thought to myself.
...
...
*****
After a long, awkward pause—
"Ugh, whatever... As long as there's soone who will fight."
The man with the funny hat said that.
He had cald down now.
"Just go back to your cell now."
He waved his hand lazily, dismissing like I was so servant.
His voice had gone flat, all that earlier energy snuffed out.
He was done talking.
I didn't wait around.
And without a word—
Thud—
I left his office and shut the door behind .
And right outside—
"Hmm, you're still alive, huh."
The guard who had brought here greeted with a smirk, arms crossed.
He looked surprised, but not enough to actually care.
"Whatever. Let's get you back to your cell."
He said before turning his back against , not waiting for to response.
Tap— tap— tap—
He then started walking away.
And —
"..."
Tap— tap— tap—
I followed in silence, my smaller strides trying to keep pace with him again.
And as we were walking—
'It's official now.'
I muttered that in my head, pertaining to my punishnt.
I was going to be in a match. In three days.
'A fight again, huh... Just wonderful.'
I thought sarcastically.
Of course I didn't want to fight. It's a pain in the ass.
But I knew this was coming.
I'd already calculated the possibility of being punished with this, and honestly—
'This isn't the worst possible outco for .'
That guy with the funny hat, the boss of this place—
'He could've ordered my execution on the spot.'
I saw it in his eyes.
If I had refused to fight in three days, I was dead then and there.
So, I accepted. I trusted my gut.
I probably avoided death.
But still—
'It's only a delay. Chances are, I'm gonna die in that arena anyway.'
The thought was quiet, emotionless. Not bitter. Not sad. Just... true.
"h."
I let out a small breath and shrugged to myself.
'If I die, then that's it. I was supposed to be dead way before anyway.'
The words echoed calmly in my head.
Like I'd already made peace with it.
And just like that, after a few minutes of walking—
TAP—
I was back to the cell where Damian and the others are.
"Ugh... I want to rest my body. "
I mumbled as I stepped inside the cell again.
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