“……Nifl.”
“Yes.”
“Come here.”
“……Pardon?”
Tilting her head in confusion, Nifl hesitantly stepped toward me. I placed both hands on her head and gave it a firm, vigorous rub. While stroking her silky hair, I cupped her face near her ears.
“Good girl! Good girl, good girl! As expected of Nifl!”
“……!”
As I kept patting Nifl’s head, I told them about reuniting with Zeno at the Senoskar Company, that we had a lead on the auction, and that I’d accepted Zeno’s request to investigate the nightmare incident. Nifl, who was letting me do as I pleased, kept her head down and was trembling and shaking.
“Oho, Zeno-dono did?”
“Y-yes… I kept trading with him, believing it would benefit Shiou-sama one day…”
“I like Skeleton Grandpa because he gives me snacks!”
“He’s tenacious for someone who was cursed. Well, there’s no harm in having any number of people useful to our King,” Gurba added.
The members of Helheim can be quite cold to outsiders, but Zeno seems to hold a special place for all of them, which makes me feel relieved.
At any rate, based on Nifl’s report, there’s a high chance the nightmares and the curse are linked. If there were another cause, Garm’s nose would have caught it.
Of course, it’s not confirmed, but since no other factors are visible, there’s no reason to think of them as separate.
“For now, our plan remains the same: get the Primordial Species skin at the auction. And until the auction in two weeks, we’ll move forward with the nightmare investigation.”
“No objections.”
“If the King says so!”
“Anything is fine!”
I gave a wry smile at the trust from my high-loyalty team.
Gurba paused as if chewing on something, then looked down with an apologetic, hesitant expression.
“……Young master. If it is not my own vanity… could it be the reason you were looking for a lead on Divine Silver Coins is…”
“It’s because I need Demon Armaments.”
When I stated it flatly, Gurba blinked in surprise for a moment, then smiled as if he’d realized something and nodded.
Goal set, and everyone is on the same page. I finished up the ritual I’ve used since the old days before taking action.
Now, it took some time, but I can finally get started on the auction preparations.
I fixed my gaze on the Tokijo (Fighting Arena), located at the foot of Schechem’s keep—the Night Heaven.
“—Alright. Let’s go.”
Conscious of the slight excitement making me feel floaty, I tapped the ground with my toes, shivering with anticipation.
“King, where are you going?”
“I’m coming too!”
“Ah, no… just watch this time.”
When I said that, the two looked at each other with question marks over their heads.
“I shall bet all fifty of Young master’s gold coins; it would be best if you increased them to the limit.”
“If time permitted, I wanted to make a banner…”
“Seriously, don’t do that.”
I stopped Nifl’s potential rampage in a very serious tone. Nifl, who slumped her shoulders in disappointment, would definitely do it if I didn’t say something.
“Gurba, keep her in check.”
“Leave it to me.”
As I nodded at Gurba’s reply, Garm tugged on my hem.
She clutched the five gold coins she’d pulled from her own pocket tightly, looking up at me with sparkling eyes.
“Garm gets it! This is the thing where you bet on the person fighting! King, Garm will bet all of her precious snack money! —Good luck!”
…Wait,
I absolutely cannot lose now, can I?
Anyone who loses after hearing that should just go ahead and die.
“Yeah. Your King will do his best.”
I was so fired up I even called myself “King.”
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“Watch me look cool, okay?”
Ears twitching happily and tail wagging with excitement—I couldn’t let this Garm down.
“Nifl, let’s make a big score first. Can I leave the arrangements to you?”
“I intended to do so from the start. Shall we squeeze out the special reward meant only for the very first match?”
“I’m counting on you.”
“……Nff… Nn-nn! Please leave everything to your right hand.”
The lobby of the Sleepless City Tokijo (Fighting Arena).
Despite being a place for blood-scented combat and gambling, the beautifully arranged decorations and carpets hammered the reality of an “extraordinary world” into my brain.
Well-dressed nobles, after betting money on their favorite “Fighters” or beasts called “fighter Beasts,” headed toward the spectator seats.
General participants and fighting demon beasts.
People vied for gain or loss by gauging their strength.
The arena management decided the match-ups, and in high-profile matches, tens of thousands of gold coins changed hands.
“It’s my first time participating.”
Heading to the reception without drawing much attention, I was greeted by a beautiful woman with a low-cut neckline.
They likely care about appearances since nobles visit.
“Welcome to the Sleepless City Tokijo (Fighting Arena). Do you wish to participate in the gambling?”
“No, I’d like to register to fight beast…”
“Understood. In that case—”
With practiced ease, the receptionist took out parchment and a pen and began writing the necessary details while asking questions.
Name, weapon, combat history. Magic used.
Name: Hizaki. Weapon: None. Combat history: None in particular.
As for magic, it could be kept secret, so I did. Apparently, participants are allowed to hide it as a bluff to manipulate the odds, so it didn’t raise any weird suspicions.
Ice magic is rare, so I wanted to keep it hidden as much as possible—standard identity protection.
I completed the procedures while watching the receptionist’s face get more and more troubled with every answer.
“……The only things revealed to the gambling participants will be your name and weapon. Is this… alright?”
“Yes, perfect.”
“……I see. It is possible to participate in a match starting today, what would you like to do?”
“The sooner, the better.”
The receptionist stared at my thin fighter profile—empty except for the name—with a scowl. She glared at me once more.
“Please wait a moment.”
With that, she disappeared into the back of the reception, hidden by a dark curtain.
Alright, just like Nifl said.
While I was inwardly gloating, the receptionist returned quickly with the same dazzling smile she had at the start.
“Your registration as Hizaki-sama is complete. And… this is quite sudden, but a match-up with a Beast has been decided for four matches from now.”
“……Heh. I did say the sooner the better, but that’s fast.”
“It’s the debut match for a new Beast, and they happened to be looking for an opponent.”
That part was likely true.
But according to Nifl, the essence was different.
The beasts and demons categorized as “fighter Beasts” in this arena are special individuals customized for combat by the management using taming-type abilities.
Naturally, they are more powerful and intelligent than normal ones of the same species.
And their “unveiling” is apparently called a [Dark Pot Match].
In a Beast’s debut, their strength is an absolute unknown.
Considering the nature of a gambling hall, the more people lose their bets, the more the house profits. So, unless it’s an exhibition match, they don’t make the match-ups easy to read.
An unknown Beast against an unknown rookie fighter.
This was apparently a tradition.
I had likely been chosen as that opponent.
The factor was the “No Combat History” part.
Apparently, there are many who claim to have no history; in an arena where the fight money increases if you defeat a superior opponent, it’s a common tactic.
In short, you pretend to be weak, fight someone strong, and if you win, you get more money.
But there was no way the management would just overlook that.
“Then, please head to the waiting room. An official will come to call you when it is your turn.”
“Got it.”
“……Fufu.”
Shivering slightly at the unsettling nature of the receptionist’s faint smile, I headed for the waiting room.
A rookie fighter with no combat history.
The one pitted against such a person… is a special-grade beast.
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