Chapter 349

The interior of the crude stone building was devoid of any sophistication.
The long hallway never seemed to end.
Everything around it was overly tall and spacious, as if it had been built by hand.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—I never thought it would be this bad—!”
Leaning against the wall, Varen cleared his throat.
It had been exactly ten minutes since he’d been out of jail.
Having hairless skin covered in sticky sweat was not a pleasant experience.
“It’s horrible. How do people live?
The shriveled flesh groaned and grabbed his ankle.
The cold Alcalto Valley was heavenly.
The constant temperature inside the building was like a steam room for Varen, who had become a pig.
“Should I take it off now–no, no, no, I can’t do that.
My heavy layers of clothing also played a role.
Varen was now wearing a red coat, the symbol of the North Winds.
He’d stolen the clothes of the largest of the three men he’d just dealt with.
The taut, bloated apron looked like it would explode at the first poke of a needle.
He even had a mask on his face that covered his nose down to the bottom.
This was another item I took from the troupe, and even though it was hot as hell, I couldn’t take it off because it was so effective.
“Hey. What’s for lunch today?”
“My pee.”
“Don’t give a shit.”
As if to prove his point, two members of the group walked by Varen’s side without a care in the world.
They chattered idly and paid no attention to Varen.
“Maybe this isn’t as guarded as I thought it was.
It was the best of both worlds.
Varen caught his breath and started walking.
The objective was to find the boss, but we didn’t know the exact location, so we had to wander.
He was trying to keep his gait as natural as possible.
“Wahhh! Kill it!”
“Well done! You beasts!”
A cheer came from not far away.
Varen turned his head.
I could see the half-open gates and the red light seeping through the cracks.
“That’s—.”
Varen walked toward it like a man possessed by something.
Wearlion’s keen intuition was leading the way.
My heartbeat quickened at the smell of blood, which grew stronger the closer I got.
“No way.
The distance quickly closed.
As I walked through the gates, a red light flooded overhead.
A gust of hot air ruffled his bangs.
“———!”
Varen looked around and froze.
The age of barbarism had arrived.
In the center of the large, open space was a pentagonal cage made of steel.
Dozens of North Winds surrounded us and were going crazy.
“Wolf, if you lose, I’ll stuff you!”
“I bet my lunch money!”
It was basically a place for leisure, so everyone was dressed casually.
They did any two of the aforementioned behaviors by laughing, screaming, or throwing the food they were holding.
Inside the steel cage, a battle raged between werewolves and werewolves.
“Alas—how did this happen—.”
Varen groaned at the sight.
There was not a single thread of silk on their bodies as they bit and clawed at each other.
The sandy floor was stained with blood.
Broken teeth and claws glittered like pebbles.
Boom!
Weary, his claws scratching his eyes, screamed.
“Mew, mew, snow!”
“Hey, enough of this surrender, I have a wife and child waiting for me—!”
The werewolf stammered.
For some reason, the main voice didn’t have a fighting spirit.
The fight had been fierce, and one of his arms was already broken and mangled.
Tearing his hand away from his eye, Weardier threw himself at her.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I, I have to go back!”
“Kaboom!”
The werewolf grabbed by the waist and fell backward.
I struggled to get up, but in vain.
Based on a large reindeer, the Weary lacked teeth and claws, but had a massive build.
“Kill him before he turns the tables on you, you deer, do you know how much I’m betting?”
“Execute! Execute! Execute! Execute! Execute!”
People cheered.
From mount, Weardeer throws his right arm up high.
His fists, as strong as his hooves, were glistening with blood.
“Hey, come on–we were just talking and eating together yesterday.”
The werewolf stopped resisting and appealed.
His snout was broken in the struggle and turned in a strange direction.
I couldn’t survive being hit like that.
Weary groaned.
“Grrr… Ughhh…”
“Friends, please!”
All around me, voices were still calling for the end.
If you couldn’t kill here, you were the one being killed.
Weardier squeezed his eyes shut.
Boom!
A fist slammed down from thin air.
“——!”
There was no reversal.
The heavy fist completely crushed the werewolf’s face.
Slowly withdrawing his fist, Weardier sobbed.
“I’m sorry–I’m sorry.”
A drop of water dripped from his one remaining eye.
He dropped to his knees and looked into the face of his friend, who had gone limp.
A thunderous cheer erupted from the stands as they realized the game had been decided.
“Wowww! So cool!!”
“Tsk, you useless son of a bitch.”
Some people rejoiced, others cursed.
Those who were successful in predicting wins and losses took the money on the table.
Once again shackled and handcuffed, Weary was dragged outside the arena.
Varen gritted his teeth for a long moment.
“I didn’t know it was this bad—!”
It was brutal beyond imagination.
I couldn’t believe that a person could harbor such malice toward another human being.
Throughout the duel, I had to reflexively stop myself from running away.
“Save the professor first.
My determination to save Sechrit kept me going.
I couldn’t bear the thought of being in the company of a man who ran such a masquerade.
The arena was crowded, so it was a great place to gather information.
Varen, barely recovering his emotions, is about to move again.
“You don’t look familiar.”
“——!”
A female member called out to Varen.
She was dressed in a tank top, her coat tied around her waist to cool her overheated body.
He was the master of the stares I felt from the moment I stepped into the arena.
“Are you the new kid in Olga’s gang? You’ve got a funny look in your eyes, lower your mask.”
“Ma, you mean the mask?”
A human would have been proud to whistle, but Varen was only afraid.
With nothing else to do, Varen hesitantly lowered his mask.
“…I will.”
“You—!”
At the same time, the woman’s eyes widened.
“Why, why?”
Varen swallowed hard.
It was not a fun situation.
Even if they killed her and silenced her, they’d be right on their tail here.
What can I do?
He was about to cast an Auror when he realized he had a bloodbath on his hands.
“You’re so handsome, you must have had some fun out there.”
“What?”
Varen frowned.
The woman was picking at his face as if it were a jewel.
Varen stammered, realizing the situation.
“Go, thank you. We’re new this time.”
“You must have come while I was on vacation. I wouldn’t have missed a flower girl like you, but why are you wearing so many clothes?”
“Hmm? I didn’t put that much on…ouch.”
Varen nodded.
It was an optical illusion created by extreme contrast.
I couldn’t imagine that the only slender face was connected to a bloated body.
“Well–I’m kind of cold.”
“Cold? Well, I’m a pretty warm body, but you’re a bit much. You’re like a ball.”
“Ahahahaha….”
The woman poked Varen in the side.
His mischievous laugh was full of goodwill.
When they realize it’s all flesh, they’ll freak out and run away.
She continued.
“Okay, new guy. Do you like bloodshed? Fighting among the forbidden?”
“…It’s not my cup of tea, it’s too brutal.”
“Eh, that’s because you’re only watching subpar games. If you have nothing better to do this evening, come watch a game with me. If you were here a while ago, you wouldn’t have seen the champion.”
“Champion?”
“Yeah. There’s this one leopard that’s awesome. He hasn’t lost a fight since he’s been captured here. He’s the first guy who’s ever looked at a human and felt sexy.”
The woman waved her hands in an exaggerated gesture.
As with the rest of the projectionist world, there were stars here, too.
Her hands formed into hooks, and she scratched Varen’s chest.
“Well, it’s understandable, considering where he came from. He was in the armed gendarmerie of Zaifa Turgun.”
“Now, you mean Zaifa?!”
“Yes, sir. We caught him on a solo mission. Crazy asshole, we caught him sleeping and he still killed over a dozen people.”
The woman shook her head in disgust.
Varen’s eyes widened.
Unless my ears are wrong, I just said that it was definitely Zaifa’s SS.
“If I were that person…!
The fog that was obscuring my vision lifted.
If the SS has a reputation, it’s been there before.
Only the most exceptional among the hardy northern Sioux warriors could join that honored group.
His immediate wife, Nemea, was a member of the Dawn Corps, the forerunner of the SS, so her strength was unquestioned.
The only question is how to get in touch with him.
Varen muttered under his breath as he thought of a plan.
‘I’m sorry, ma’am. I am not of your kind, so please forgive me.’
It was painful, like a needle in the heart.
From now on, as a married man, he would have to do the unforgivable.
The woman was still staring at Varen with selfless eyes.
Finally determined, Varen sprang into action.
“Miss.”
“What, what?”
It was a flash.
Varen grabbed the woman’s wrist and yanked.
Her face flushed as their bodies pressed together.
“Are you…what the hell are you doing?”
“No? If so, I’ll let it go.”
“…That’s not right.”
The woman averted her gaze.
I couldn’t even look him in the eye.
In the world of the Wearlions, Varen was handsome, even when he turned human.
She twisted her hair with her other hand.
“Hey, why don’t you go to my room first, I don’t have anything to do until dinner.”
“That’s great, but I have a favor to ask.”
“Can you please…?”
“Yes. The leopard that was in the SS.”
Varen leaned in close.
The woman sucked in a breath as they came within breathing distance.
To her untrained eye, Varen was a tall, handsome man with a great deal of charm.
The dandy whispered.
“I’d like to see your face right now, why not?”