Chapter 42: Colosseum (5)
“Is this a visitor?”
A man with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Slightly lean, wearing a white coat and white gloves.
A familiar face.
The bishop who leads the remnants of the heretics.
Dexter, the second finger.
One of the strongest in firepower among the heretic group. Did he escape to the Demesia Kingdom?
Grrrrrr-
The monsters bared their fangs but did not recklessly charge, as if they knew how strong he was.
The puppy, suffering like one with a fever, couldn’t even open its eyes.
Chik.
“This doesn’t seem like a visitor.”
The man frowned as he lit his cigarette with blood-like flames.
“Looking at what you’ve done to my precious business partner…”
“…Dexter.”
Don Quixote, completely bound by threads and hanging in the air like a cocoon, glared at Dexter while barely breathing.
Dexter smirked as he looked at Don Quixote.
“You look terrible, Don Quixote.”
“Why are you yelling at me? You’re the one who made the mistake.”
“The drug you made!”
Don Quixote shouted desperately.
“Not even a bit… it didn’t work at all -!”
…
The hand that had been moving freely stopped.
Dexter froze mid-motion with the cigarette still poised at his lips.
Time seemed to stop as an oppressive silence filled the air. Only Dexter’s eyes moved restlessly.
“What did you say?”
“The drug you made… that so-called divine grace or whatever… it didn’t work at all! All because of that one guy!”
Don Quixote’s hands had been tightly wrapped long ago, but he managed to indicate Evan with his whole body.
“Shit, what the hell did you sell me? After taking my money, you gave me such crap -“
Chik!
“Gaaaah!”
“Annoying.”
Dexter frowned as he crushed out his cigarette, his eyes filled with displeasure and a hint of disdain.
“How dare you blaspheme against God?”
“Huh… khh…”
Cheek-
Dexter spat on the ground after crushing the cigarette.
“Since you kept using the pitiful phlegm of petty devils, I graciously bestowed divine grace upon you, yet you dare to question it?”
“Shit… it didn’t… work…”
“Ha! What ridiculous nonsense.”
Dexter turned his body.
“Number 11! Get out here now!”
Krkrk.
The monster called Number 11 flinched. It seemed to be one of the usual test subjects they used. Though instinctively trying to rush forward, it forcibly held back its legs.
The monster didn’t move.
Realizing there was no compulsion too late, it even took a step back.
“…Huh?”
It was only then that Dexter realized the drug truly hadn’t worked and stared at Evan’s group.
The dark underground space without any lights. In the darkness, Dexter’s eyes burned bright red.
“How dare you ruin my precious products?”
“…Products?”
“I was going to sell them for a high price. Or I could have taken their blood. How dare you ruin this?”
You disgusting things. Dexter curled his lips.
Tik-!
Simultaneously, Dexter flicked his finger holding the cigarette.
Hwaaarrrr!
Keeeeeek!
“I’ll kill all of you here.”
The underground area began to brighten with flames, the heat rising.
The second finger, Dexter. A necromancer magician who uses ‘blood’ as fuel to manipulate fire. He consumed blood instead of mana and could use holy power, allowing him to heal himself.
…
Lapis frowned. Fire is a difficult opponent when dealing with magical artifacts due to their vulnerability to flames.
Well, there’s a solution for that. If explained, they would surely learn quickly enough.
‘The problem is, we might suffocate if we stay here.’
This is an underground sealed room. Staying here could result in death by smoke inhalation.
‘We need to finish this quickly.’
Gulping,
‘H-Ha! We can do this!’
We must end it before the fire touches the skin. They say burning pain is the worst and leaves severe scars.
A trickle of cold sweat ran down. It wasn’t out of fear, just a bit warm.
“Evan.”
At that moment, Isis stepped forward.
She appeared genuinely angry, her eyes flashing dangerously.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Even if you’re a mage, water magic wouldn’t be wise to use.”
Dexter grinned crookedly while making the flames grow larger.
“My flames aren’t ordinary.”
“Tch tch, too many words.”
Isis’s eyes began to shine, signaling the activation of magical energy.
“Evan, I’ll show you here what the power of ‘Lian Tap’ is.”
“Shut up-!”
Dexter roared loudly and shot flames at Isis. The writhing flames approached like a dragon, but just before impact-
Clap!
Isis clapped her hands. Simultaneously, Chik!
The incoming flames were extinguished. She hadn’t even splashed water.
Like evaporation, the flames disappeared.
“…!”
Dexter’s eyes widened in shock. Hurriedly, he tried to reignite the flames, but this time, Isis didn’t even clap her hands.
Chik!The extinguishing flames. Dexter frantically bit his finger.Bubbling, rising drops of blood floated in the air and transformed into fiery spheres.[Fire Spear]A fourth-tier magic, Fire Spear. Not one, but three massive spears of fire emerged.Isis clapped her hands expressionlessly. Like a gust of wind pressure, Hoo! The Fire Spears evaporated instantly.“…W-What…”“Even if you use blood as fuel, it’s still fire at the end.”Isis flicked her fingers.“If I remove the conditions for combustion, what can you do?”“…!”Ah! Now Dexter understood how she did it.‘She removed the combustion conditions through decomposition.’Indeed, a highly skilled alchemist. No wonder she’s a named-tier character.Talent overflow. At this level, I must be normal, right?“I-Iiiik!”Realizing something was wrong too late, Dexter tried to touch the ground, but Isis was faster.Clap! Thud!Isis slapped her hands and touched the ground. A flash of blue light erupted, blinding Dexter momentarily.“Gaaaah!”Dexter screamed. Subduing him wasn’t particularly difficult.Tududuk! Jjorrrrk!The nearby iron bars were thoroughly [decomposed] and [reconstructed] into ropes that tightly bound him.Dexter frowned as he regained his vision.“What kind of monstrous woman are you… Where do you come from, magician?”“Magician? Oh me. I’m not a magician but an alchemist.”“…What? An alchemist?”Alchemist. Dexter’s voice became unusually soft, as if he were afraid.“…Wait. Could it be?”Staring intently, Dexter forcibly drew blood and absorbed it into his eyes to restore his vision. As his focus returned, his eyes met Evan’s.“…!!!!!”Dexter’s body trembled violently upon seeing Evan’s face, reacting as if he’d seen a ghost, which slightly spoiled his mood.“W-Why are you here, Evan Alkart?”Dexter, shaking uncontrollably, tried to retreat, realizing he was bound and struggled fiercely to break free.“Could it be… you chased me all the way here?”Huh?“S-SHIT! Isn’t controlling Arthur enough?! Are you here to kill me directly? All the way to this distant kingdom?!”‘No.’Before Evan could explain his innocence, he felt two gazes fixed on him. Isis and the Holy Maiden both stared at him in shock.No.‘That’s not true.’No!!There was no time for explanation as Dexter began to beg earnestly.“P-Please spare me. Please, spare my life.”“…”“I am someone who has completely severed ties with Bishop Blake! I belong to a different faction! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Test subjects? Sacrifices? Anything, just name it!”“…”“I-I played around with your drug? I-I didn’t know! I didn’t know it was yours! It just happened somehow during the process…”In any case, it’s no help.Evan started to feel irritated. Even for someone with a heart as vast as the ocean, this was too much. His irritation slightly rose.Dexter is manageable, so perhaps letting him off a little would be fine.“If that’s what you want, will you give it to me?”“…!”Dexter’s face paled as the blood drained from it.It felt thoroughly refreshing inside.Hmm! That’s what I call soda.“S-Spare… ugh!”“Lapis, please tie him up.”“Yes! Shall I kill him?”Hmm, shall I kill him?Ah, no.That might be a bit much.“…Just subdue him thoroughly for now.”“Yes!”There might be some use for him later. He could be handed over to Arthur or the Holy Maiden, or even to the Innocence.Whish, whish!Dexter’s body, already bound with iron bars, was further wrapped tightly with threads, immobilizing his muscles with a snap. A bundle of threads was forced into his mouth to secure his tongue firmly.Tik, tik.The extinguished flames reignited. The chamber brightened again.Don Quixote and Dexter were securely tied up and moved to the corner. They would be taken care of later.‘Ah, right. I should have asked where the kidnappers are.’But the most pressing matter isn’t that right now.Gulp!‘…Alright, now.’Evan swallowed dryly under the gaze watching him.“…Evan. What’s the meaning of this?”Isis stared at him incredulously.“Arthur, surely you mean the mad paladin obsessed with blood. There’s no one else who could catch heretics. You manipulated him?”“…Misunderstanding.”“Chasing after me… well, I can let that slide. But what does it mean that the drug intoxicating the monsters was your drug?”That…How should I phrase this?‘This isn’t even a drug.’Its original purpose wasn’t this.‘It’s actually an antidote…!’Let’s explain first.As Evan was about to speak,“Elder Isis.”The Holy Maiden spoke softly, calming Isis.“Please calm down for now.”“…I wasn’t excited. I was just asking. Creating drugs is considered… ‘taboo’ among us.”I understand.Having seen the end of alchemy, how could I not know?“Explain clearly, Evan. As an elder, I have an obligation to know.”“…I did not create any drugs.”Evan explained calmly.The details are too grandiose, so I’ll summarize the important points.“What I created is an antidote… However, it seems to have had a different effect on the monsters.”“…An antidote?”“I made it to counteract drug addiction, but I only confirmed its effectiveness on humans. It might have applied differently to the monsters or been modified separately.”“Then why did you claim it was something you created?”“…Isn’t it obvious they were framing me as the culprit?”“Necessarily? You?”“Evan is very famous in the underworld!”Lapis added from the side.“His nickname is incredibly terrifying!”“…I was forced to operate in the underworld due to certain circumstances. I dislike criminals.”“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You won’t tell me the nickname, right?”“Yes.”“Why?”Evan said with as blank a face as possible.“Because it’s embarrassing.”“…Ah, yeah. I get it. I also disliked hearing my old nickname. Why was the heretic involved then?”Now it’s pure curiosity.The misunderstanding seems resolved.Am I saved?“…It was a coincidence. I saw a child being experimented on by the heretics and intervened to stop it. That’s all.”Lapis nodded repeatedly beside him. With a witness present, Isis completely dismissed her doubts.Saved!“…I see. Sorry for doubting you too much.”“No problem.”“It was rude of me. I’ll make it up later with a good item. That golem in the shadows, I can enhance it for you.”The shadow trembled slightly. Satisfied, Evan nodded.Not sure about the other matters, but at least I’m saved!The nickname wasn’t revealed.A layered misunderstanding creating an unpleasant alias that I don’t even want to think about.‘I need to get rid of these guys quickly.’Evan shook his head. Then his eyes met the Holy Maiden’s, who smiled gently.Completely opposite from her earlier attitude.‘What is it?’Did my favorability increase too much?Evan unconsciously touched his face.Still haven’t recovered from the shock.‘…Indeed.’The Holy Maiden, watching Evan intently, was convinced.Despite being suspected, he showed no signs of panic and maintained his usual expressionless face.Evan… She was sure he intentionally created this situation.
The extinguishing flames. Dexter frantically bit his finger.
Bubbling, rising drops of blood floated in the air and transformed into fiery spheres.
[Fire Spear]
A fourth-tier magic, Fire Spear. Not one, but three massive spears of fire emerged.
Isis clapped her hands expressionlessly. Like a gust of wind pressure, Hoo! The Fire Spears evaporated instantly.
“…W-What…”
“Even if you use blood as fuel, it’s still fire at the end.”
Isis flicked her fingers.
“If I remove the conditions for combustion, what can you do?”
“…!”
Ah! Now Dexter understood how she did it.
‘She removed the combustion conditions through decomposition.’
Indeed, a highly skilled alchemist. No wonder she’s a named-tier character.
Talent overflow. At this level, I must be normal, right?
“I-Iiiik!”
Realizing something was wrong too late, Dexter tried to touch the ground, but Isis was faster.
Clap! Thud!
Isis slapped her hands and touched the ground. A flash of blue light erupted, blinding Dexter momentarily.
“Gaaaah!”
Dexter screamed. Subduing him wasn’t particularly difficult.
Tududuk! Jjorrrrk!
The nearby iron bars were thoroughly [decomposed] and [reconstructed] into ropes that tightly bound him.
Dexter frowned as he regained his vision.
“What kind of monstrous woman are you… Where do you come from, magician?”
“Magician? Oh me. I’m not a magician but an alchemist.”
“…What? An alchemist?”
Alchemist. Dexter’s voice became unusually soft, as if he were afraid.
“…Wait. Could it be?”
Staring intently, Dexter forcibly drew blood and absorbed it into his eyes to restore his vision. As his focus returned, his eyes met Evan’s.
“…!!!!!”
Dexter’s body trembled violently upon seeing Evan’s face, reacting as if he’d seen a ghost, which slightly spoiled his mood.
“W-Why are you here, Evan Alkart?”
Dexter, shaking uncontrollably, tried to retreat, realizing he was bound and struggled fiercely to break free.
“Could it be… you chased me all the way here?”
Huh?
“S-SHIT! Isn’t controlling Arthur enough?! Are you here to kill me directly? All the way to this distant kingdom?!”
‘No.’
Before Evan could explain his innocence, he felt two gazes fixed on him. Isis and the Holy Maiden both stared at him in shock.
No.
‘That’s not true.’
No!!
There was no time for explanation as Dexter began to beg earnestly.
“P-Please spare me. Please, spare my life.”
“…”
“I am someone who has completely severed ties with Bishop Blake! I belong to a different faction! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Test subjects? Sacrifices? Anything, just name it!”
“…”
“I-I played around with your drug? I-I didn’t know! I didn’t know it was yours! It just happened somehow during the process…”
In any case, it’s no help.
Evan started to feel irritated. Even for someone with a heart as vast as the ocean, this was too much. His irritation slightly rose.
Dexter is manageable, so perhaps letting him off a little would be fine.
“If that’s what you want, will you give it to me?”
“…!”
Dexter’s face paled as the blood drained from it.
It felt thoroughly refreshing inside.
Hmm! That’s what I call soda.
“S-Spare… ugh!”
“Lapis, please tie him up.”
“Yes! Shall I kill him?”
Hmm, shall I kill him?
Ah, no.
That might be a bit much.
“…Just subdue him thoroughly for now.”
“Yes!”
There might be some use for him later. He could be handed over to Arthur or the Holy Maiden, or even to the Innocence.
Whish, whish!
Dexter’s body, already bound with iron bars, was further wrapped tightly with threads, immobilizing his muscles with a snap. A bundle of threads was forced into his mouth to secure his tongue firmly.
Tik, tik.
The extinguished flames reignited. The chamber brightened again.
Don Quixote and Dexter were securely tied up and moved to the corner. They would be taken care of later.
‘Ah, right. I should have asked where the kidnappers are.’
But the most pressing matter isn’t that right now.
Gulp!
‘…Alright, now.’
Evan swallowed dryly under the gaze watching him.
“…Evan. What’s the meaning of this?”
Isis stared at him incredulously.
“Arthur, surely you mean the mad paladin obsessed with blood. There’s no one else who could catch heretics. You manipulated him?”
“…Misunderstanding.”
“Chasing after me… well, I can let that slide. But what does it mean that the drug intoxicating the monsters was your drug?”
That…How should I phrase this?
‘This isn’t even a drug.’Its original purpose wasn’t this.‘It’s actually an antidote…!’Let’s explain first.
As Evan was about to speak,
“Elder Isis.”
The Holy Maiden spoke softly, calming Isis.
“Please calm down for now.”
“…I wasn’t excited. I was just asking. Creating drugs is considered… ‘taboo’ among us.”
I understand.Having seen the end of alchemy, how could I not know?“Explain clearly, Evan. As an elder, I have an obligation to know.”
“…I did not create any drugs.”
Evan explained calmly.The details are too grandiose, so I’ll summarize the important points.
“What I created is an antidote… However, it seems to have had a different effect on the monsters.”
“…An antidote?”
“I made it to counteract drug addiction, but I only confirmed its effectiveness on humans. It might have applied differently to the monsters or been modified separately.”
“Then why did you claim it was something you created?”
“…Isn’t it obvious they were framing me as the culprit?”
“Necessarily? You?”
“Evan is very famous in the underworld!”
Lapis added from the side.
“His nickname is incredibly terrifying!”
“…I was forced to operate in the underworld due to certain circumstances. I dislike criminals.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You won’t tell me the nickname, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Evan said with as blank a face as possible.
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“…Ah, yeah. I get it. I also disliked hearing my old nickname. Why was the heretic involved then?”
Now it’s pure curiosity.The misunderstanding seems resolved.
Am I saved?
“…It was a coincidence. I saw a child being experimented on by the heretics and intervened to stop it. That’s all.”
Lapis nodded repeatedly beside him. With a witness present, Isis completely dismissed her doubts.
Saved!
“…I see. Sorry for doubting you too much.”
“No problem.”
“It was rude of me. I’ll make it up later with a good item. That golem in the shadows, I can enhance it for you.”
The shadow trembled slightly. Satisfied, Evan nodded.
Not sure about the other matters, but at least I’m saved!The nickname wasn’t revealed.A layered misunderstanding creating an unpleasant alias that I don’t even want to think about.
‘I need to get rid of these guys quickly.’
Evan shook his head. Then his eyes met the Holy Maiden’s, who smiled gently.
Completely opposite from her earlier attitude.
‘What is it?’
Did my favorability increase too much?Evan unconsciously touched his face.Still haven’t recovered from the shock.‘…Indeed.’The Holy Maiden, watching Evan intently, was convinced.Despite being suspected, he showed no signs of panic and maintained his usual expressionless face.Evan… She was sure he intentionally created this situation.
Did my favorability increase too much?Evan unconsciously touched his face.Still haven’t recovered from the shock.
‘…Indeed.’
The Holy Maiden, watching Evan intently, was convinced.Despite being suspected, he showed no signs of panic and maintained his usual expressionless face.
Evan… She was sure he intentionally created this situation.
