Chapter 350

“It’s not supposed to happen. Remember, it’s a special case.”
The woman walking in front of him stopped.
Unable to refuse the favor, she and Varen were on their way to the Champion’s quarters.
Torches at regular intervals lit the darkened hallways.
“Heh— water, give me some water—.”
“Kahhhhh! Kaaaah!”
Beneath my feet, I could hear a steady stream of anguished voices.
It was coming from downstairs, from the men assigned to the arena.
Varen pursed his lips, suppressing the emotions that threatened to rise.
I had to struggle not to think of the compatriots I had glimpsed earlier.
‘This place is crazy, everybody is out of their minds.’
I forgot it was hot.
Prisoners of war from the defeated countries were treated no better.
Human rights didn’t exist for the fighters in the giant cages.
Necklaces were strapped around their necks that could be detonated remotely, and the twice-daily rations were far below capacity, so there were always fights.
To eat it, he had to crawl on all fours like an animal in front of the North Winds.
Dropping his head into the dog bowl.
When Varen fell silent, the woman spoke.
“I’m not kidding. If you were any less handsome, I’d tell you to cut the crap.”
“—Of course, beautiful lady. I will surely repay this favor.”
Varen, his emotions controlled, thanked her politely.
For now, I had to focus on the mission to rescue Sechrit.
The woman who was told she was beautiful bit her lip.
“Ugh, you’re saying that again—.”
Originally, she was a woman who changed men like she was eating, but never gave them any love.
But the repeated compliments on his good looks had a way of lifting the shyness that lay beneath.
The woman looked back at Varen and smirked.
“Don’t be so hard on me, I know it’s pretty. You’re making me want to do it right here.”
“Haha, you’ll have to forgive me for that, I don’t have much time anyway.”
“Of course I’m kidding. I don’t enjoy furry places either, and since I won’t be back until tomorrow morning, you’d better start thinking of an excuse to tell your boss.”
It was a strong provocation in many ways.
Varen responded with what appeared to be a confident smile.
Of course, the race was different, so her expectations were short-lived.
‘I’m glad this ridiculous plan worked. The imperial golden lion isn’t dead yet.’
Varen was inwardly relieved.
Judging by the overt reactions, it seems to have been very successful so far.
It helped that I was exposed to a lot of human love, even if only in books.
How much further would you have walked.
Reaching the end of the hallway, she stopped in front of a massive iron gate.
“We’re here. This is the leopard room.”
“Aha. You’re still giving me solitary for being a champion.”
There seems to be some sort of custom of favoring champions here as well.
I could tell by the fact that they gave me a door instead of bars that I had privacy.
The three-meter-high iron gate was locked with a heavy padlock, the kind you’d find in a bank.
“A special case of a special case. He was so good at fighting that the boss recognized him. At some point, he became a little more subdued.”
“Can I go inside?”
“Are you crazy? No matter how nice you are, an animal is an animal, and if you show the slightest sign of weakness, it will tear you apart on the spot.”
The woman shook her head in disgust.
As a big fan of the champion, she knew better than anyone how dangerous this leopard could be.
Extending her index finger, she pointed to a small window in the door.
“I don’t know why you’re so desperate to see it. If you want to talk to me, do it through this window, and don’t even think about sticking your finger in there.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay. So you’re calling me? Hey, Blanta!”
Bam, bam, bam!
Suddenly, a woman knocked harshly on the iron door.
The sound was so loud that it echoed down the hallway.
It wasn’t long before there was a response from the other side of the door.
“Mrs. —— was asleep. What?”
“You were sleeping? You have a game tonight, and this is slipping through the cracks.”
“That’s enough for me, and by the way, this is–is this the Vesper branch manager, and what are you doing here?”
His voice was languid, as if he had just rolled out of bed.
The footsteps got closer and the window flew open.
The face of a very sleek-looking Wear Panther man appeared.
“It’s the Zaifa’s SS.
Varen clenched his fists in celebration.
Just by looking at his face, I could tell he was strong.
The massive knife scar across his face hinted at his rough past.
It’s now two years old and toxic, but it’s still there.
A woman named Vesper, whom he now recognized, tapped Varen on the shoulder.
“This new guy wants to meet you. You’re handsome, aren’t you?”
“I’m not sure because I’m of a different race—was that your favorite kind of honey?”
“I don’t mean honey, it’s just a thick layer of clothes. Anyway, you two say hello—”
That was enough.
The woman’s eyes were fixed on Blantha as she spoke.
Billion!
Varen’s blade, flying like a thunderbolt, struck her in the back of the head.
“Billion.”
“What, what?!”
With a dull thud, her eyes flipped open.
Blanta was stunned by the sudden behavior.
Varen steadied the woman’s slumping body.
‘Thank goodness. You’re not dead.’
Varen was relieved to see that he was breathing.
This was a debt of gratitude.
If you hadn’t helped me get here, I would have killed you.
Blantha fussed again.
“You, what are you doing all of a sudden?! You’re doing this to try to win me over!”
“Good to see you, Blanta. We’re short on time, so I’ll cut to the chase: I need you to help me get you out of here.”
“What, help?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve been told that you’re from the Zaifa, and there’s someone I need to rescue right away, and he’s with the boss of this organization, so I need force. I don’t know how big he is, but I’m guessing he’s at least an arena champion.”
Varen laid the woman on the ground and began to tell her story.
Blanta’s eyes widened as the conversation progressed.
After a few moments, Blanta, having finished her explanation, pressed her face against the bars and called out.
“Sechrit is here?! Is this the same Sechrit I know?!”
“Yes, you’re one of the heroes who saved the North.”
“I knew you were a fool–I understood the situation. I understand the situation, but how are you going to get me out of here? Do you have a key?”
A thick finger pointed to the lock on the iron gate.
The lock was meant to trap the champion, so the difficulty to unlock was champion.
“I don’t have the key, but I think I can figure this out.”
“What?”
“It’s dangerous, would you mind stepping away for a moment?”
Varen clenched and unclenched his fist a few times.
We’d been putting the pieces together for a while, but we weren’t sure if it would work.
He wrapped his hands around the lock.
“Hoooooooo—.”
My heart started beating fast.
The sound of the auror’s pulsing echoed outside, piercing even the shaggy flesh.
A golden hue seeped into his thick palm.
I didn’t mind the sweat pouring down like rain.
Varen slowly increased the pressure on the lock.
“Kkkkkk—!”
“Yi, what’s this?”
Blanta’s eyes widened.
A crack was cutting through the lock.
The glow emanating from the cobwebby markings was a golden color, like the sun.
By the time the crack covered about half of the lock.
Taking a deep breath, Varen let out a roar.
“Haaaaah!!”
“Kaboom!”
At the same time, the lock enveloped in light exploded with a loud bang.
Shards of flying debris littered the hallways as they cut through the darkness.
Blantha screamed and moved on, then poked her face out again.
He looked at the shattered lock and chuckled.
“Holy shit–are you really human? I don’t think even my boss can do this.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa–that’s one thing.”
Varen grunted.
I don’t know why, but it was like my pants were loose.
I used up over 7% of my available aurors, but somehow it worked.
Click—The iron gates opened with a clang.
“This is crazy. Come on in.”
“—I owe you one.”
“Right. Lock it up inside and the gold horses won’t be able to get in for a while.”
Blantha pulled the swaying Varen to her feet.
When his full body was finally revealed, he looked like a champion.
You are wearing leather pants and only your upper body is naked.
The Were Panther’s supple yet feral musculature was enough to earn him a spot in Jaifa’s Praetorian Guard.
That should do it.
Varen looked over Blantha with pride.
His gaze stopped at a point.
‘—Necklace?
The bomb necklace, which all the other men were wearing, was not visible.
Hanging around her slender neck was an ornate choker, delicately woven with gold.
I wasn’t shackled or handcuffed to some other device.
Only extravagant jewelry sparkles on your fingers and ankles.
“No way.
A chill ran up Varen’s spine, like a ghost licking the back of his neck.
Just as I was about to say something, a gravelly voice rang out.
“Ohhh. You’re the rat they said was brought in with Secrete.”
“——what?”
Varen froze.
It wasn’t Blanta’s voice.
When I came to my senses and looked ahead, I saw a room as ornate as any nobleman’s bedroom.
There was no shortage of luxurious furniture and decorations.
“You’re a—!”
Varen gulped as he turned in the direction the voice had come from.
A man in a red coat sat cross-legged on a couch.
At his feet lay a bloodied Sechrit, bound tightly with rope.
“Lethe, leader of the North Winds. Pleased to meet you.”
“Oh my God, Professor!”
The man greeted him, but none of it reached Varen’s ears.
His body reflexively jumped.
It was an agile move, almost too good to be human, but unfortunately, it was Zaifa’s former armed SS who were holding him.
“Eek. Where.”
“Crack!”
Blantha snapped Varen’s arm back.
He fell forward and landed face first on the floor.
Sekrit, their eyes locked, spoke in a cracked voice.
“Varen—why are you here—.”
“Professor, what the hell is this—!”
I don’t understand the situation.
I didn’t want to understand it exactly.
The head of a group that treats the Sioux as animals and the Zaifa’s own guards are in cahoots.
Blantha giggled as she held Varen.
“Dude, you were so close to getting fucked up. If it wasn’t for me, would you have been smug?”
“This must be fate, too. What a luckless bastard.”
The man who introduced himself as Lethe smiled.
Rising to his feet, he squatted in front of the two of them.
“I think we have something to talk about. Hmm?”
****
“Tsk, tsk, it’s definitely around here.”
The black weartiger clicked its tongue.
The dark telegraph was like a shadow standing there.
The characteristic blackness was accentuated by the redness of the surroundings.
The bodies of dismembered monsters and humans lay everywhere.
The blood that ran down the ice turned to icicles in the cold of the Alcalto Valley.
“Cough… Huff…!”
In his hand he held a member of the North Winds.
Holding his throat with only his index finger and thumb, the man’s face was red as if it would explode at any moment.
Weartiger asked.
“Hey. Don’t you know, you guys have an organization.”
“Mole, la–sa, thoughtful–kuck.”
The man shook his head.
At the same time, WearTiger tightened its grip on my finger.
Wins.
His body was limp with a broken neck.
“You’re bothering me anyway.”
Weartiger sighed.
He was very uncomfortable now.
A few days earlier, he had lost a duel to a fierce rival.
‘What the hell was that snake doing, I thought it was a little young.
I hadn’t seen it in a long time, and it had gotten too strong.
The southern swordsman who had defeated him so soundly returned to Phileon Academy with a smile on his face like he had never seen before.
He was highly motivated and eager to pursue his training, but unfortunately, he was assigned the responsibility of policing the north.
Zaifa wiped the blood off her Unwaldo, then stepped back into the valley.
“Well, I’ll just keep killing, and something will come out of it.”