Ch. 87 - Wook's Teahouse
“His nickname in the arena...” Calyx trailed off.
When you think of an arena, the image that usually comes to mind is a mindless battlefield filled with rough and sweaty men. Their nicknames were similarly boorish, like Fighting Mutt, Nail Collector, Executioner, and many others.
“You must wonder why it sounds so easy-going. Almost weak even, right?” Alter asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s just what it sounds like, okay. That guy received his nickname because he only knows how to get hit like a scarecrow. His fighting skills are poor, but he’s said to have good stamina. His odds of winning are low, but he sometimes earns a decent profit by landing a lucky blow. He’s not that bad, basically the kind of fighter you can see everywhere.”
“Any chance he’s actually a good fighter and a better actor?”
Alter laughed. Buried in the noise of the arena, it was barely discernable. Alter shook his head and then patted Calyx’s shoulder.
“Of course there is!”
Usually, after such a question, ‘No’ was the expected response. Calyx frowned after hearing an unexpected answer.
Alter grumbled, “Ah, I’m not a mage, so how should I know? I can’t look inside him. That’s why I marked it with a triangle. Young Lord shouldn’t expect much, either. Greedy people get stomachaches.”
“This bastard speaks so well...”
Calyx replied in a choked voice, suppressing his rage, while Alter laughed.
“Even if we’re not sure about his identity, are you sure there was no match-fixing involved? Is he pretending to lose so he can win big when the bets are against him? Having been doing this for over ten years, he must have made quite a bit of money tricking people,” Calyx continued.
“Even if that’s so, the point is that he doesn’t leave Vista. The reason fighters and mercenaries stay in Vista is because of money. Once they gain it, most of them leave this dangerous border area... But, Gilred doesn’t.”
“I suppose...” Calyx muttered.
“There must be a reason why he can’t leave,” Alter finished.
“Yeah, why would he risk staying here instead of going to Balta? Is it because he doesn’t have enough courage to leave the mage community within Vista...?”
“That’s a possibility.”
“There’s a leap in this logic, though. I don’t know exactly where, so we’ll have to see first,” Calyx said decisively.
“Wooooaah!” The crowd roared.
A mixture of screams and shouts arose as a fighter threw Little Finger out of the arena. The guy received the nickname ‘Little Finger’ because he cut off his opponent’s little finger whenever he won. It’s an illegal arena, after all. Unfortunately, this defeat left him unable to amputate his opponent’s little finger.
It was Scarecrow’s turn to go up.
“Gilred is a rising legend. Why is the other guy called One-Eyed Carter? Because every time he wins, the enemy will only be able to look up at him with one eye...”
‘They are crazy.’ Calyx shook his head.
“Gilred will probably win. He always wins against opponents that inflict permanent bodily damage like One-Eyed and Little Finger.”
At that moment, Calyx made eye contact with Scarecrow Gilred. In this chaos full of people, Gilred’s eyes stared straight at Calyx as if listening to Alter and Calyx’s conversation.
“Let’s sit down first.”
Gilred looked calmer compared to before. Instead of looking at Calyx like an enemy, his eyes searched for his opponent’s motives. All of this was thanks to the Radwiell name that circulated throughout the continent. The story of Rosaline spread like a legend or a heroic story to the demons living in hiding, and its influence was still evident.
“I’m sorry that my circumstances have led to an unwanted approach on your end.”
“I... No, is it because I’m a demon? May I ask why you are looking? Honestly, I have no idea why you are looking for me. Aren’t you the closest person to a demon already?”
Calyx carefully chose his words. He could have created countless fancy excuses. Moreover, the person in front of him is a paragon of the lower classes, who live in back alleys without receiving a proper education. He could spout some believable words, but...
Somehow, it wasn’t easy. So instead of sweet words, what escaped from Calyx’s mouth was bitter. He smiled.
“I need you.”
“Why do you need me?”
“To be prepared. Just in case.”
“Just in case of what?”
Calyx tapped the table with his finger and stared at his reflection on the smooth table surface: tap, tap, tap. The finger, which had been making a steady sound, stopped. The silence was heavy.
“War.”
Gilred groaned. The Vista Fortress is crowded. Was there a person in the taverns in the alleyways who wasn’t well aware of the possibility of war? However, there’s a difference between the word ‘war’ spat by drunkards with yellow teeth and untidy beards and the word ‘war’ spoken by the heir of Radwiell.
Calyx took a sip of tea and continued the conversation.
“The proposal I am making is for you and any other mages you know. I will never force you to agree, and you will not be penalized for refusal. I swear by my sister’s name.”
***
It was difficult for apprentices from Roots to catch the eyes of senior knights unless they were very skilled. If they only had decent abilities, knights would choose to take in children from close or generous families.
Meanwhile, under Rosaline, there were two knights from Roots. So, it was only natural that her friends and fellow senior knights treated her as an ignorant little child.
As she walked down the hallway, Rosaline met Pardict.
“Hey, Rosaline.”
“Parpar.”
The two bumped their fists. It was the greeting that Pardict had taught her.
“They say you took in someone from Roots again. Are you a collector? Why the hell did you pick him?”
Rosaline pondered momentarily.
“Because he’s cute.”
Pardict stared at her foolishly for a moment before nodding his head.
“Well... There’s nothing I can do about it then...”