The Heroines Who Have Regressed Are Obsessed Again

10 – The Betting Arena (1)

There are demons in the Demon King’s army who are responsible for infiltrations.

Among them, the most outstanding race is none other than the succubi.

The succubi are known for their uncanny ability to lure men.

Thus, if they merely disguise their appearance, infiltration would be a piece of cake.

-Did you infiltrate successfully without being noticed by anyone?

“Yes, I did.”

One of the Demon King’s officers.

Windy, responding without hesitation to the question of the Succubus Queen.

Then, the Succubus Queen spoke.

-Good, that’s a relief. Anyway, the Demon King said there’s some stuff he needs from this auction. You’ve heard about it?

“Yes, a slave collar and a potion of limitation, as far as I know.”

-Right, you heard well and didn’t forget.

That was, of course, the only possible outcome.

The story of the devil king, the peak of the devil race, how could one possibly forget? As Windy was pondering internally, the Succubus Queen began to speak in an enchanting voice.

– You know about the recent death of Zhan’s underling, right?

“Yes, I heard about it.”

That was the narrative of the terror struck by the empire academy, supposedly secured by a hero.

She had once told Windy.

This time, she would absolutely take control and become an executive in the devil king’s army.

However, the result ended in failure, contrary to her expectations.

‘Sigh. I did advise her not to overdo it.’

As Windy was immersed in her thoughts, the Succubus Queen cautioned,

– So you should be careful as well. Although a lot of devil race were dispatched unlike your faction, you wouldn’t know the happenings of the world. Do you understand?

“Yes, I understand.”

– Good. Now, I am busy, so I will hang up!

The Succubus Queen ended the call with a final soft groan.

It appeared that she was seducing a man and absorbing his vitality during the call.

“How envious…Ahem.”

Although she unintentionally expressed her inner thoughts for a moment, she needed to carry out her mission anyway.

It was none other than a direct order from the devil king himself.

Thus, Windy took her subordinates and moved toward the auction hall in the dark.

***

At the same time.

I was preparing to move as the awaited auction hall opened up.

Then, shortly after.

-“Is the owner here?”

‘Yes.’

And thus we arrive at the destination.

Usually, when one mentions”underworld”, anyone would imagine a suspicious back alley, but unexpectedly, this place was brazenly displaying itself in the imperial capital.

-“Boss. It’s completely different from what I imagined.”

‘Well, the darkest place is under the lamp. When it’s out in the open like this, no one thinks it’s the underworld.’

-“Still, can it never be found out? Won’t it be exposed if customers come?”

‘They’d never be completely out in the open.’

Outwardly, it looks just like an ordinary shop, but inside the building, a stage is prepared for real ‘customers’.

Therefore, because only verified customers come, there’s almost no chance of being exposed.

‘Well, even the royal family probably knows and pretends not to.’

With this in mind, I entered the building.

And then.

“Welcome, customer.”

A employee greeted with an innocent smile.

This employee, of course, is just an ordinary person who knows nothing.

Unless you’re the boss, you wouldn’t even dream that there’s an underworld here.

“Could I meet the boss for a moment?”

“We- …well, the boss is quite busy right now.”

“Would this change his mind?”

The emblem of my family, prepared for just such an occasion.

The moment the employee saw the gleaming badge I’d presented.

“Um…”

Realising it was not fake, his complexion turned pale.

At the same time.

“I- I will call him immediately!”

He runs off in a rush.

As I waited leisurely, a man with genuine look appeared.

“Mr. Elick, it’s been a long time.”

At that moment, Worker bowed his head in my presence.

To my recollection, he was the master of the Umbra guild.

“Indeed. Do we have time for a little discussion?”

“Of course. Let’s talk over there.”

Saying so, he led me to his office.

Soon, we were left alone.

I got straight to the point.

“I also intend to participate in this ‘auction’. Is there any problem?”

“No, it’s perfectly fine. After all, you are a valuable guest of ours, Mr. Elick.”

I figured as much.

It was likely that a nobility like Elick would make use of the Umbra.

From the moment he began taking advantage of his connections to become a professor, it seemed inevitable.

– Master, that man must have made great use of you, with the way he looks at you so eagerly.

‘So true.’

Struggling to ignore his burdensome gaze, he handed me a mask imbued with perception obstruction magic.

“Mr. Elick, you should take this before participating in the auction.”

“Understood.”

Nodding, I put the mask on.

After that, it felt as if the mask blended naturally with my face, as though it became one with it.

Once the mask was fully secured, I asked.

“When will the auction begin?”

“It’s scheduled for the afternoon. We have a separate arrangement in the morning.”

“Another arrangement?”

Even I didn’t know about this.

After all, the original work didn’t go into much detail about the shady dealings.

At that moment, as I looked puzzled.

“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t concern you, Mr. Elick. In the morning, we are planning to open the arena.”

After careful thought, he began to speak.

As I cocked my head, he continued the explanation.

After hearing the full explanation, I was incredulous within.

‘The desires of humanity.’

– It’s not something the master should say, but it reminds me of the rotten nobility.

To sum up the explanation of the arena, it’s like this.

Criminals participate in a tournament style battle, fighting to the death.

Fight spectacles are inherently thrilling, but I don’t particularly enjoy watching life-or-death battles.

‘Unless it’s a duel.’

– Maybe the other nobles feel the same because they’re also criminals?

‘No, from what I see, these folks would have found it enjoyable even if they weren’t criminals.’

Because there are so many corrupt nobles in the empire.

“So you’re saying the auction will be in the afternoon because the arena is scheduled for the morning?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm…”

“Would you perhaps be interested to attend the spectacle?”

“That isn’t too bad. Well, I’ve got one question.”

There’s one thing that bothers me.

Specifically,

“Are there no prizes for the victor there? Generally, such competitions tend to have rewards for the winner, don’t they?”

Something related to incentives.

No matter how they are criminals, they also need motivation to perform, don’t they?

Therefore, not giving anything to the victor is absurd.

“You’re sharp.”

“I don’t need flattery. So, what’s the prize for victory?”

“Obviously, we grant them freedom. You could argue it’s the best prize for them.”

“Is that so…”

The prize is somewhat underwhelming compared to what I expected.

Just as I show disappointment,

“But if other people participate, it’s a different story.”

As he smirks, he adds one more thing.

Upon my expectant stare, he continues his explanation.

“In the case of the arena, normally criminals participate, but sometimes our guests also join to flex their skills.”

“Hmm. So if someone other than a criminal wins, what do they get?”

“It varies each time, but this time the prize is an invisibility cloak.”

“?!”

Upon hearing that, involuntarily, my eyes widened.

Indeed, an invisibility cloak isn’t something you can easily get your hands on.

-Ugh, Master. I feel a little jealous.

‘No, what are you being jealous about in comparison to other things?’

As if it’s a leading heroine in a comeback story, she’s even jealous of unimportant things.

Anyway.

“I’ll participate as well.”

“What?”

The worker’s eyes widened in shock.

Apparently, he never anticipated I’d join in personally.

“Are you surprised that I’m participating?”

“Uh, yes. Because usually, the guests participate through proxies and they bet money.”

Well, fair enough.

From Noble mtl dot com

Even though the nobles are rotten on the inside, on the surface, they subtly maintain their dignity.

Especially, the rotten aristocrats, they are egregious pretenders.

“So not possible?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just taken aback. It’s fine. But we can’t guarantee your safety, are you okay with that?”

“Yes. I don’t mind.”

“Alright. Understood. Please, follow me.”

At the end of his words, I followed the worker.

Not even knowing who would participate in this arena fight.

***

Meanwhile, at the same time,

Another guest, just like Elick, participated in the arena.

Well, to be precise, it was a yandere.

Who was none other than,

“Ah. I want to see you. Lord Elick.”

This was Eve von Ross, hailed as the Sword of the Future.

A woman who had been called a genius of the Ross family.

She usually had nothing to do with the underworld, but this time she was left with no choice.

After all, the items at this auction and the gambling den were too tempting a reward for her.

“I can’t miss the slave collar and the transparent cloak.”

Last time, she secretly participated, hearing that a demon had infiltrated the place.

And there she learned about the items up for this time.

She didn’t think they were so necessary last time, but not now.

In fact, with these two, wouldn’t she be able to stay by Elric’s side whenever she wants?

“We must hasten Elric’s growth so that he can dance with me every day.”

***

Following the auctioneer, she arrived at her destination before she knew it.

There, she saw criminals in shackles and people like her who attended voluntarily.

“Hmm. I think I can win this?”

-I think so too, ma’am.

Her skill level is not very clear, but at first glance there doesn’t seem to be any standout characters among the criminals.

Therefore, if she’s lucky, it wouldn’t be strange if she were to win.

“Everyone please be prepared as the competition will start soon.”

Then, the auctioneer advising all the participants in the waiting room to get ready.

Upon hearing this, all the participants begin to warm up.

“Hmm. Should I warm up too?”

At the instant I was wrestling with such thoughts.

– THUD!

Suddenly, I felt a dull sensation in my shoulder.

Turning my head towards the source, I found a stocky man who looked like he could take on at least 350-500 people.

From his twisted expression, it looks like we’ve bumped shoulders.

Just as I started to apologize,

“What’s this? This puny fellow?”

The man suddenly scoffed and picked a quarrel.

Simultaneously,

– Hm? Isn’t that Kaledon?

– Must have gotten caught this time.

– Looks like winning is out of the question.

Whispers of the criminals buzzed in my ear.

Judging from their reactions, he must be a favorite to win.

And then…

“Isn’t it common courtesy to apologize when you’ve bumped into someone?”

After knocking into me, the guy had the audacity to demand an apology.

‘Hmm. What’s this? Does he want an education with my spear?’

– That seems to be the case, master.

Seeing my spear agreeing quelled my uncertainties.

Just as I was about to transform my spear into a wooden stick.

“The first match will be between patron number three and gentleman Kaledon!”

Walker, the organizer of the gladiatorial games, calls out to us.

It seems like the author wanted me to teach that punk a lesson in the stadium. [Despite never asking me to do such a thing.] The author lies, perhaps disguising his genuine intent out of shame. ‘The author sure is adept at using irony.’ Having discerned the author’s intentions, I headed towards the stadium.