Ch 135: Well, I hope I don't end up just like her

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"That's where my life changed completely. And not because of the change of environment, although I don't deny that surely that also affected me, but because I met her. I couldn't do much in my day-to-day life, considering my condition, but I did have a lot of money to spend..." he says with a nostalgic smile on his face.

"... The empire may have many flaws, but it takes special care of its retired soldiers. So it occurred to me to gamble in the colosseum for fun. One day, I saw a female like I had never seen before in my life. She was the most beautiful living being..." he says, and his eyes begin to moisten again.

"...Her figure and her movements resembled the swaying of a young tree being gently swayed by the wind. But the most beautiful thing was her personality. She was proud and dignified, despite the mockery she received when she fought. Whether it was for being a slave, since she was a member of the reptilian race, or mostly using magic to fight. Believe me..."

As Kaelion describes the female, I sense the affection he still has for her.

"... I had never been interested in matters of the heart before, let alone with people of other races. That's why I can only understand what I felt for her the first day I saw her as a crush. She was very good at fighting..."

After saying those words, the old orc's fists clenched tightly to the stone section of the bleachers where we are sitting.

"... For all I knew, she would probably soon have been sold somewhere to use her high-level meat. That horrified me more and more every day. So I bought her..." he says, and a goofy grin appears on his face, despite his watery eyes.

"...She cost me almost all the money the empire had given me for sacrificing my health for their cause, which would have allowed me to live comfortably for several years. But I have never regretted my decision. After that... it was like a dream...."

As he speaks, more and more tears fall down his face.

He seems to be suffering as he recalls the story, but now that he has begun to speak, he doesn't seem to want anyone to stop him, so I let him continue with his tale.

"... She was incredible. Sometimes she would get mad at me and talk back as if she weren't my slave. I loved those moments because that's precisely what I wanted. A couple relationship, but…. I don't know if she ever really fell in love with me... or if she was just taking advantage of my feelings..."

Frowning slightly, I think about how strange the relationship the old orc is telling me about must have been.

One where you own the person you fell in love with.

How can there be a romantic relationship between two people under these conditions?

It seems impossible to me.

"... But our 'relationship' was precisely what we both wanted. I was with the female I had fallen in love with, and she could continue to climb the ranks in the colosseum without fear of being sold for her flesh."

"I don't understand. Why did she want to fight in the colosseum?" I ask, not understanding why someone in the situation of the female reptilian that the old orc is describing to me would want to continue to put her life in danger on a daily basis.

"Ahh, that's because she had a dream. Essentially, her previous master simply wanted to use her to make some money in the colosseum, but she was incredibly brave and intelligent, and it was she who had manipulated her master from the beginning to get her to fight...." he says as he looks at me with a serious look like I've never seen him before, despite the tears still streaming down his cheeks.

" ... She intended to become champion of the colosseum and talk to the emperor to try to get him to change the situation of all the non-Orc people in the empire. So forgive me for lying to you, but the idea I suggested to you didn't really come to me out of the blue. And forgive me also for using you to try to fulfill the dreams of the love of my life."

"You don't have to apologize. I also want to fight and become champion of the colosseum for that reason. But I suppose you already knew that, didn't you?" I say, as I feel uncomfortable as I perceive that I am sorry for the old orc's story.

With all my might, I try to convince myself that this is something I would feel for anyone else and that it has nothing to do with the fact that it is Kaelion who is telling me his story.

"Yes, more or less. But I didn't know how to ask you. You're... very secretive about certain things," the old orc says, pulling out a handkerchief and blowing his nose.

"Yeah, well. It's for your sake... How far did your... Couple? climb in the colosseum ranks?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

"Couple is fine, although I don't know if I should call her that when I'm unsure if she ever felt anything for me..." he says, sighing and wiping away tears.

"... She almost fulfilled her dream, but she was killed when she was in the 15th rank... By the champion himself..." he says, his expressions contracting for a few moments out of ancient anger and resentment.

"... It was a very painful thing to see.... The end of the road to which her dreams had led her. That's why I left the capital and took to wandering the empire. And that is why I began to notice how disgusting and cruel this system of enslavement is. At the end of the day, how can you have a normal relationship with someone that the rest of the world sees as an inferior being to you?"

Kaelion's words echo what I had thought a moment ago, but I prefer not to say anything.

"Ahh, well, I hope I don't end up just like her," I say with a nervous laugh.

'Hmm… Maybe I shouldn't only be worrying about the emperor. I must try to find out what I can about the Colosseum champion.'

'Yeah, I hope so too. I like you, kid. I'd hate to see your life go out..." he says, slapping me on the back.

"... That's why we'd better gather all the information we can about the champion. I don't know much about him since I only saw him fight once. That one time. And the battle lasted only a few moments… but don't worry. I know someone who will be able to help us."

…

After that, Kaelion led me through several corridors of the colosseum to meet a male dark-skinned reptilian.

We eventually arrived at a place that seems to be one of the locations where bets are organized.

Then we entered a place through a passage that remains hidden to the naked eye in one of the corridors of the colosseum, near the location where bets are organized.

A single person sat behind a rickety desk in the small room, which was furnished with a lot of rickety furniture full of papers.

The person is named Gabbro, and from what I could tell with my identification ability, he is a singularity user.

This immediately put me on alert, and for the first time I really regretted the fact that I can't be honest with the old orc, as I can't reveal to him what I know without discovering myself.

The name of the male reptilian singularity is Quantum Prowler, which left me a bit confused for a while by the similarity to the name of my former companion's singularity.

But then I realized that the fact that the singularities' names are similar doesn't have to mean anything.

Azur made a brief appearance in my head to tell me to watch out for that reptilian.

But when I asked him what he was referring to, he immediately went quiet again.

"... That'ss an interesting sspecimen, old fox.... Couldn't you consider the idea of... sselling him to me?" The reptilian says to Kaelion, referring to me, when we are done explaining the information we want him to gather for us.

"No. The destroyer is not for sale. How could I sell him when he is such a good source of money?" says the old orc, putting a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

But that's not necessary.

Before we came, he told me I'd better keep quiet and pretend as best I can that I'm an obedient slave.

So I'm simply staying in my role.

Even though I find it infuriating the way this reptilian slurs his words when he speaks and the way he leaves sentences hanging in the air for several seconds.

"Ahh, but I ssuppose it all depends on the ssum, right? I offer you... 1000 platinum coins for him..." says Gabbro, pulling a sachet out of his bag and depositing the sachet contents on his desk.

After his action, a large number of platinum coins clink on the wood.

"... Even if he survivess for a few monthss here, it will be hard for you to ssell him as meat... once he gets all mutilated. I, on the other hand, can make use of ssomeone with his abilitiess for a looong time in my.... businesss."

'So it's true what Kaelion told me about there being organizations operating in the shadow of the Colosseum.'

According to the old orc, slaves make up the majority of these organizations.

They still rely on the protection of their masters to avoid being captured by the empire.

But they maintain a significant level of autonomy within the walls of the colosseum.

"I'm not interested in your business, and I'm not really interested in money, so it's going to be hard for you to change my mind. Even if you offer me ten times that sum..." says the old orc, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

"... So just gather that information we've asked you for. Now I think we can call it a day and end our meeting today."

"That's a pity... Anyway, I guesss I'll ask you again later.... Or not. No one knowss what the future holdss. One day we're walking along peacefully, and... wham… something happenss that changes our livess in the most unsuspected ways... Ssometimes these changes could even be of a permanent nature. And a slave without an owner..." he says with a sinister smile.

"... Haa… Anyway... about the information you asked me for.... Come back in a few dayss... 5… hmm, no… 6 dayss. It's going to take us a while to gather that information. It's been a while ssince anyone has shown any interest in choossing us to look for information on the Champion. That'ss… curiouss. But don't worry; no one will provide you with better information than my family. I jusst hope you can afford it... If not, you might have to pawn ssomething as payment... or ssomeone."

"Don't worry, we'll come prepared..."