Touring the Imperial Capital 3
Leaving the Adventurer Guild, we ate lunch at a fancy restaurant.
I couldn’t taste the meal that well from the mental strain, but it was probably more delicious than our inn’s food. I definitely want to bring Kinue-san here and have her steal the flavor.
However, I was tired after the meal so I took a nap in a park.
The sightseeing can wait till later… Well, Rokuko and Haku-san both left to buy evening party dresses, so I’m just sleeping during the meanwhile. Why didn’t they buy it at the clothing shop from earlier? It’s a different kind of store. That one was a clothes shop for daily-type outfits, different from the tailor-made evening party dresses. It’s like the difference between buying casual wear and a suit. Rather, that bunny suit is casual?
… Well, it seems that I slept for around five hours, but Haku-san and Rokuko returned about the same time I woke up. It was evening.
“Un, I knew that Kehma would be sleeping.”
“Eh, he was seriously sleeping? The entire time? Surely he was thinking about what to do.”
“No, Haku Ane-sama… Kehma is a man that sleeps when he sleeps!!” [1]
By the way, Meat stood guard the whole time I was sleeping on the bench. I said to do whatever, but are you sure you wanted to do that? I probably should’ve given her a silver coin for pocket money to use how she wanted along with that though.
*
And then it was night. Finally time for the underground colosseum.
People would enjoy watching monsters and gladiators fight in the arena.
There were various rules and regulations, but the most popular was, as expected, the [Anything Goes Deathmatch].
Once we’d temporarily returned to the villa, we rode on a carriage towards the underground arena.
Taking the chance, Haku-san had returned to her usual adult form. However, she wore a white mask that hid her eyes.
It was a plain one-colored mask, but there were three blue jewels under the left eye that looked like shooting stars. How tasteful.
“… Why are you in your original form?”
“Oh, do you not want to watch from the special seating? It’s more convenient there. Here, Rokuko-chan’s mask. Kehma doesn’t need anything.”
“Wooow, thank you!”
Hold up, an appearance that hides your social position? And you didn’t even talk about Meat at all. Well, neither Meat nor I have one to hide though.
“… Just in case, wouldn’t it be weird if Meat and I didn’t have them?”
“Oh well. Alright, here.”
Rokuko’s had two gems, but mine and Meat’s didn’t even have a single one. It feels like it was definitely intentional, like something that shows off your status even while going incognito.
“You’ll be my company for now, so please try to not do anything embarra.s.sing, alright?”
“Yeah, I’ll be careful.”
“By the way, if you don’t wear a mask, it means that you’ll be a gladiator. I wanted to see how well Kehma-san could fight but, but oh well.”
“… Hahaha. So a mask without jewels means servant?”
“Fufufu.”
So it meant that after all? Dangerous.
The carriage went into a tunnel, continuing underground. Just when I thought that, the field of view suddenly opened up a bit and I saw a splendid colosseum.
While I was thinking about stuff like underground construction and how the technology to build it would be amazing, I realized that a dungeon could make it all in one go. I’m also building it in a dungeon.
When we entered the colosseum being guided forward together with Haku-san, there were seats reserved for n.o.bles with a great view.
The chairs were only for Haku-san and Rokuko, but well, this is good enough.
The arena grounds was entirely a dirt field.
It looks like the current fight going on is between monsters, a huge boar named [Big Boar] that walks on four jumbo legs and a bipedal human-type cow called a [Minotaur]. They’re fighting showily. The minotaur stopped the big boar’s rush by grabbing onto its fangs. It was a masterpiece when, even while it was leaving grooves in the ground by the force of the charge, it threw the beast sideways using its muscular strength.
[Now, which will be the loser to show up as tomorrow dinner~!?]
The commentary said something good. I’m not Ichika, but I’m getting hungry from it.
Ah, come to think of it, I haven’t eaten dinner huh.
“Isn’t it quite strong?”
“Yeah, Haku Ane-sama. How to say it… the sound, I mean, the impact was amazing.”
Bangs resounded each time the two monsters collided, causing the air to tremble.
“b.u.mooooooh!”
Eventually, the minotaur, which had managed to tip over the big boar, took a mounted position over it and bashed it on its soft underside, letting out a roar.
“By the way, the losers really do become ingredients for the restaurant. That’s why this combination is relatively popular. Incidentally, they are also cheap in DP.”
“Ah, so it was a monster summoned by DP after all.”
“Yes. Dolche… even if I say that, you wouldn’t know her. Same as Misha, she is my party member. I leave this stadium to her. She’s pa.s.sing off as a top-cla.s.s tamer.”
Being able to summon a monster that follows your every command from the start would indeed make her look like a top-cla.s.s tamer.
[Now that everyone’s riled up, our next contender is—eh, one sec. Are you sure? Eh, seriously? The OK came from above? … Er, oh, sorry about that everyone. Ahem—Well then, I’ll now introduce our next contender!]
It looks like the presenter was having a bit of trouble there, is there something off about the next one?
My question was solved immediately.
[Jumping into today’s fights, from the Adventurer Guild, Guild Head Mishaaaa! We’ll finally see the strength of the cat beastkin that heads the Adventurer Guild’s headquarters! She looks like a young girl at first sight, but her intellect as well as the true age of this drowsy woman is unknown! However, her strength is guaranteed as an elite grappler! The destructive force of an A-Rank adventurer isn’t for nothing, her fist can even smash through adamant.i.te! … Rather, she is an A-Rank adventurer, but can the Guild Head really come to a place like this!?]
“Shaddup! Aah mou, Haku-sama said I had to come here… well, she’ll look over my dozing if I defeat my enemy here, so I’m going! Fufufu, it’ll be an easy win even if I just fight normally though~”
Ooh, Misha-san huh? When I took a look at Haku-san, she was smiling.
This is her punishment?
[And now for the monster that will be her enemy—this arena’s star monster, the big tentacle slime! It has a transparent slimy body with tentacles, it’s immune to physical attacks so it’s pleasant in various ways! A grappler dares to challenge an opponent that negates physical attacks, this is exactly what a challenger should be!]
… Yup, this is definitely a punishment.
Undulating, the slime’s body looks around twice Misha’s size. The slime lurked along into the arena like a sea anemone, its tentacles billowing as it was being introduced.
“Eh, no way, I didn’t hear anything about this! Wa—wait! Hyaaah—!?”
The scream of an A-Rank adventurer echoed through the colosseum.
Furthermore, Haku-san put her hands over Rokuko’s eyes from behind.
“Huh? Haku Ane-sama? I can’t see.”
“Please wait a moment, Rokuko-chan. I’m in the middle of punis.h.i.+ng an undisciplined subordinate right now.”
Misha had to endure something a bit awful in the arena.
For now, I closed Meat’s eyes as well.
Ah, it was amazing how her body got knocked down by the tentacles on the first move. Like playing with a child.
Footnotes:
Note that the word for ‘sleep’ also means ‘lay down’. This is a pun where Rokuko is also saying ‘sleeps when he lays down’. I felt this way was more amusing, so I kept it like this.