[You killed the Five Dragon Warriors?] [I don’t have any intention of talking about this with every person I see . Well, those Ashinto fellows should be a good cover for me in the meantime . ] Eve immediate cuts of my words and casts it aside . [That’s impossible . ] I stuck out my hand . [I don’t know if this would be enough proof but—] Suspicious about my actions, Eve prepares her stance . At that moment, Seras steps forward . Seeing that Seras stepped forward, Eve reacts . Looking at her, distracted with the distance between herself and Seras... I used my Abnormal State Skill . [—-Nghhh!? What the . . ? My body is... . ] [It’s better if you don’t force yourself in moving . If you try doing the impossible, you’d start bleeding all over your body . ] [Don’t... tell me... This... is... Abnormal State... System... Technique...?] [I guess you could call this something like a really powerful Abnormal State endowment to others— By the way, this skill has more probability to kill those celebrities than those final duels . ] [It’s exactly as you say . Thanks to this absurd power, even a weak person like me could kill Civil Gartland . ] [I should have already told you . You shouldn’t unreasonably try to move . This isn’t just a threat . ] I started approaching Eve . [I’m going to make it easier for you to speak now . ] I partially released the paralysis on her head . Eve should now be able to speak normally . [—-Mu? I could now speak easily?] [I could also bestow other powerful Abnormal State abilities to others . With this power, I have killed the Five Dragon Warriors . Should I even tell you how the members of Five Dragon Warriors died?] It appears like Eve’s will to fight has disappeared . Did she presume that I don’t have any thoughts of harming her? [Is it that truth... You killed the Five Dragon Warriors?] [How about I show you another piece of evidence?] Seras places her hand over her chest . [Seras Ashrain, the one being chased by the Five Dragon Warriors . That’s me . ] Eve’s ears twitched . [Milord saved me from the Five Dragon Warriors with his power . ] [...Stop it with all this acting . From the stories I’ve heard, that ex-Holy Knight is an elf...] Eve’s eyes opens wide . I immediately understood based on her reaction . At that moment, Seras removes the changes in her appearances . [Do you understand now? Just now, I’ve borrowed the powers of the spirits and changed my appearance . ] Deep inside my heart, I am also groaning . I haven’t expected Seras’ action just now . I never thought that she would reveal her identity here . Is she really sympathizing that much with Eve? It’s possible that she wants to save her, one way or another . [Milord indeed killed the Five Dragon Warriors . Though I said that, I’ve only seen the death of four of them . ] After saying that, Seras pulls one step back . [If there are monsters more powerful than Civit Gartland in the Demon Zone, I may possibly give up going . ] [...Certainly, you have quite the power you’re holding . ] [It’s up to you if you want to believe that story about killing the Five Dragon Warriors or not . In fact, there are many people in the world who only believes what they saw . However, I wanted to show you my power . The evidence of my power . ] Eve snorts in response . [However, they’re just useless evidence . At any rate, I will still fight in my duel tomorrow . I will also not be going into the Demon Zone . That will not change . ] [If you ever win this duel, do you think that Duke Zuan would really keep his promise?] [It’s the same Duke-sama who would kill a prostitute just because she’s different from the image he had been looking for, you know? According to the many things I’ve heard about him, he doesn’t seem to be a good man at all . ] The reputation of Duke Zuan . When I gathered information about Eve, I lightly checked some information about him . At least, he doesn’t smell like a good person . Rather than that, he seems to be the same as “those guys” . The same shitheads like those people I’ve met before . [I thoroughly understand how trash thinks . ] Because I’m also one of them . [Even if you win your duel tomorrow... I don’t think the duke would just obediently give you back your freedom . ] I slightly changed the subject . [Speaking of which, I heard of a certain Blood Champion . He was just like you, a Blood Champion who was acclaimed as the strongest . ] Eve is silently listening to my words . [The man had won his final duel . However, he has been found dead the day after his victory . He was found floating in a river running through the capital city early in the morning . ] [That story about the Blood Champion who died shortly after he gained his freedom huh... I don’t really know the details, but I’ve certainly heard about it . I heard that man caused some trouble with some mercenaries in a tavern while he was celebrating his victory . That man was really drunk from alcohol and he also wasn’t holding any weapon with him . And then, that man was beaten to death by these mercenaries who doesn’t know what moderation is . ] [Well, that’s the information that was circulated towards the public . ] [Circulated towards the public? What do you mean?] [Have you heard of what happened with the daughter of that dead man?] [...I haven’t heard of it . ] [That daughter was a slave working in a dirty tavern . Just like a certain someone, he was trying to buy the freedom of his daughter . However, do you know what’s strange?] [What happened?] Follow current novᴇls on novel{f}ire.net [The freedom of that daughter haven’t been bought back at all . Moreover, that man wasn’t even celebrating his victory in the same tavern that her daughter was working in . If you’re trying to fight for the freedom of someone else, wouldn’t you think that he should have normally went towards where she is?] [I don’t really know about that guy... Couldn’t it just be that he plans to buy back her freedom after celebrating with others?] [It’s possible . However, what I’m talking about what happened to his daughter after his death . ] [After his death? What happened to his daughter?] [There are some documents that after the man died, his daughter was taken custody by Duke Zuan and had been working in the Duke’s residence for about two years . ] [After that, she was sold off as a prostitute . You should understand what I mean, right?] [............ . . fuuu] [Furthermore, one of the mercenaries who beat that man to death has become a Blood Champion for his “feat” of killing the strongest Blood Champion . He was quite a strong recommendation from the Mercenary Guild . If I remember it correctly— It’s someone called Gilmud or something like that . ] [Gilmud? I know a man with that name . Though, it seems that he’s already dead long before I came in this place... However, where did you hear about that story?] [I’ll just say I got it from the “dark place” . It’s up to you how you interpret that . ] It seems that Eve knows the existence of the “dark place” . [Well, I haven’t really heard about the truth directly from Duke Zuan himself . I don’t know if this is true or not . Of course, I don’t think I would even know something from Duke Zuan himself...] [Are you saying that the death of this man was the work of either Duke Zuan or the Mercenary Guild?] [That’s what I think so . ] [And you’re saying that I might get the same fate as him?] [It’s possible... So, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay and take on your final duel, or take the young girl and go to the Demon Zone with us?] I met eyes with Eve . [The decision is right into your hands . ] Eve answered without averting her eyes . [I will get my freedom with my own hands . ] She would be facing tomorrow’s duel . Eve has selected that . Somehow, I already felt that she would choose that . [I would surely win . I have acquired various things after each of my victories . The victories I get in every duels I’ve fought were always the one who paves through my path . ] Eve looks towards us . [Moreover, I can’t trust you people at all . Therefore, I won’t give the information about the Witch of Taboos to you . ] Seras opens her mouth . [Milord will be helping you—] [Do you really think I’ll trust the words of someone who I’ve only met yesterday? On the contrary, I’ve had been in the world of duels for a really long time . ] Well, that’s what I thought . I proceeded on asking her a question . [Can Duke Zuan really be trusted?] [Certainly, that guy is someone you can never praise as a human . However, it’s a fact that he has always been responding with the results I’ve given to him . ] That’s because Eve Speed still has a use for him . [It’s possible that something would really happen that it would be disadvantageous for me, however it would just be something that would enliven my final duel . Having said that, the Duke is also a child of a human . I’ve been with him for a really long time . He isn’t someone as ruthless as you’re saying . ] [Comparing you people with the years of connection I had with the world of duels that I’ve always been all this time, it’s really obvious who I should trust . ] Unexpectedly, that years of connection can easily crumble down to pieces . [I will believe in the world of duels that had made the current me rather than you just suddenly appeared in front of me . ] The smile on my face distorted . [Why do you say that, Eve Speed?] [What are you saying?] [Why are you insisting towards me that you believe in this world of duels so much?] [Isn’t it that you’re throwing those words to yourself?] [I have already finished proving my strength . ] I cancelled the effect of Paralyze . [Excuse me for the rude things I’ve said... I pray that you could win tomorrow’s duel . ] Turning around, I started walking . Seras follows behind me . Eve called out towards me . [Why did you release me? You already have an absolute advantage towards me . If I had spoke out the information about the Witch of Taboos, there could have only one option for you to do . I knew about your secrets . And yet, why have you unconditionally released me?] [I already told you . We will leave Monroy early in the morning tomorrow . ] I didn’t respond to any of her question . I don’t see any reason I should do it . [We would around the bridge in front of the large front gate until the sun rises . If you ever change your mind, you should come . ] Turning away from Eve, we went away from that place . On the way back to the inn, Seras opened her mouth . [I am terribly sorry . ] [What are you talking about?] [I just revealed my identity on my own...] [Ah, that thing you did just now . ] [I just suddenly followed my own judgement without any approval from Milord... Of course, I will be receiving my punishment . ] Seras looked pretty depressed . Rather than that, punishment...? [I certainly don’t have any plans on revealing that, but it turned out to be a convincing material with my persuasion towards her . That’s why, don’t worry about it . ] I remembered Eve’s reaction . That’s the reaction of someone who should roughly believes in our words . Perhaps, she knows Seras’ face based on the portrait she had on her bounty . That’s why, she immediately believed that she’s Seras Ashrain . [However, that was the result after I had spoken . If I had spoiled Milord’s plan—] [I won’t judge whether that’s a bad move or not . ] I interrupted Seras’ words . [I won’t say anything if the results were good . If I think that’s a bad move, then the blame should be mine . And, the result this time is something that happened after the decisions I made . Do you have any complaints with this policy?] [...I understand . If Milord says so...] This might have been the influence of being a Holy Knight back then... It’s like they’re the type who would respect discipline . Certainly, moderate discipline may be necessary . Though I say that, this “Mercenary Corps” is under my rule . It’s up to me whether to blame someone or not . The nervousness disappeared from Seras’ face . She stops in place and bows . [Thank you for leniency, Milord . ] Recently, I feel like I’m completely her master... We started walking again . I called out towards Seras . [Anything else in your mind?] [Just say it . You’ve said that I’m lenient yourself, right?] Looking at my face, Seras began enquiring . [That story about that Blood Champion you said just now... It isn’t the truth, right?] Seras would know if something is a lie . As I thought, she would notice... [Yeah . That just now was something I fabricated and thought it would be a good idea . ] There were only a few parts there that’s the truth . A story about a man who had obtained his freedom was found dead the next day . The name of a real Blood Champion named Gilmud . Actually, I just added some drama into this story . There is neither a front story nor a hidden truth behind it Honestly, they were all just “stories circulated to the public” as I had said in the beginning . [I know that’s something anyone can’t praise... However, I needed to fabricate a story so that I could plant a “seed of distrust” inside Eve Speed’s thoughts towards Duke Zuan and the Mercenary Guild . ] Eve believes in the world of duels . I take out the pocket watch from my pocket . [The rest is for us to wait for when that seed will sprout...] Planting seeds of distrust . I often saw it in manga and anime . Agitating the distrust within then after they hear stories interwoven between truths and lies, they would then betray their own comrades . Conversely, this might also show those who had sincere attitudes . I shake away this thoughts gathering in my mind . I had a strong image of someone who would use this method as he tries to tear apart the bonds of the protagonist . [Now that I think about it, this should be one of the tricks a villain uses . ]