XI

Maximus

『S-Day +64』

『Colosseum』

By the time we had sat down in the Emperor's Box it was already near the end of the games. What we had missed was two games of two contuberniums from the Second Legion fighting against a horde of trolls and something called anuross, respectively. Anuross, although I was not able to see any, were humanoid frogs. No one from the Second Legion was injured despite being outnumbered.

The third game held was of a group of six adventurers attempting to gain renown and/or accolades for fighting in the Colosseum. They had successfully fought against a cyclops, but three sustained numerous minor injuries with a fourth suffering a broken leg. They were given loud praises from the audience for their valiant fight against the three meter tall monster. All of this was told to me by a patrician who had snuck down to the senators seating which was devoid of senators.

Before the gladiatorial fight was to begin, an execution would be taking place. Numerous guards were inside the arena with shields and a long, forked pole-arm, presumably in case the condemned or animal/ossian goes wild. This was done to sate the bloodlust of the populus. The supplicium held more elaborate displays of executions.

A man stood at a podium on the Crier's Box to read out the man's crime.

“This man, whose name has been stripped, has been found guilty of murder of his neighbor and has been sentence to death by Damnatio ad bestias.”

The crowd cheered as a naked man was dragged out by guards to the center of the arena. Once reaching the center, the man was unchained and forced to the ground as the guards retreated to safety. At the other end of the arena, I could see a person holding a leashed wolf. I was able to zoom in on my phone to see the animal with greater detail. The wolf was quite large, larger than a normal wolf should be.

Maybe some kind of dire wolf. Well, they do have giant turtles so maybe this size is normal.

As soon as the wolf was unleashed it sprinted towards the naked man at a great speed. The man turned to run as soon as he saw the wolf on the move. He managed to make it five meters before the wolf caught up to him and pounced onto his back. The man could barely put up a fight as he was forced to the ground. Once on the ground, the wolf bit into the man's flailing arm which was ripped off with ease and dropped. The wolf then bit into the man's head and, with a sickening crunch, decapitated him.

Cheers and hollers echoed around the arena as the wolf devoured the now dead man. When the wolf had had its fill it turned its attention to me. It simply stared at me as it continued to chew whatever leftover flesh remained in its mouth. There was no hostility from the wolf, just simple curiosity. The handler approached the beast to leash and lead the wolf away. The guards departed while slaves arrived to clean away the gore.

With the arena now cleared it became time for the main event. Three gladiators emerged from a waiting area from one end of the arena, just left of the Emperor's Box. Once they reached the center of the arena, I was able to get a better look at their appearance.

One was a murmillo, an archetypical gladiator which was commonly seen in various media. He wore a large helmet with a grill-pattern face plate, a thick-padded arm guard on his right arm, padded greaves, carried a scutum on his left and used a standard gladius. The second was a retiarius which was the famous net fighter. He wore a pauldron on his left shoulder, the net was carried on his left and a trident on his right. The last was a velites. Smaller than the other two, he was lightly armed with small javelins and an oval shaped shield.

Each of the men was nearly naked, wearing only a lion cloth aside from their limited armor. They were also glistening in oil which accentuated their muscles. The men split up and made motions towards the crowd which drew cheers. I wanted to ignore the sounds of awkward moaning from some of the spectators.

Once they noticed that someone was sitting in the Emperor's Box they lined themselves up in front of me before saluting. I lifted a miraculously appearing cup of wine towards them and took a sip. Once the greetings were done, they relined themselves and focused their attention towards the right end of the arena as the gate opened. What emerged was…

“Holy shit is that a minotaur?!” I was unable to contain my excitement at seeing an actual mythological monster.

“Um, master, that is a tauross.” Saya whispered me a correction due to the term 'minotaur' belonging to the language of the barbarians.

Once the minotaur soaked in the sight of the arena surroundings, it spotted the three gladiators and began a furious charge. I watched through my phone as the minotaur made contact with the murmillo who took the brunt of the charge. Now that they were in contact I was able to get a proper look at the monster. The minotaur look exactly like a minotaur should with its horns and hoofed feet, freaky people hands and it even had a ring in its nose.

With the murmillo easily tanking the monster and keeping its attention focused on himself, the retiarius flanked him and threw his net. The net was skillfully thrown as it was then tangled with the minotaur's horns slightly immobilizing it. Although the minotaur attempted to remove the net, the murmillo kept it distracted with sword stabs and shield bashes. The velites quickly moved behind and launched two javelins into the back of the minotaur which had an added effect of locking in the net.

One of the javelins was very well-placed as it became embedded within the left shoulder blade of the minotaur, limiting its arm's movement. Angered at its diminished mobility, the minotaur took out its frustrations onto the murmillo. A powerful swing with its right arm managed to cause the murmillo to be forced back. Though it attempted to charge at the downed gladiator it was quickly stopped by the retiarius whose trident stabbed into the minotaur's left thigh.

Blood oozed from multiple wounds as the minotaur attempted to remain standing, searching for the offender who stabbed at its flesh. The velites offered no respite as it launched a third javelin into the lower back of the minotaur which was followed by another trident thrust to its calf muscle.

The shield of the murmillo, while not shattered, was slightly cracked and discarded. Telltale signs showed that there was an injury incurred by the murmillo as he attempted to sooth his limp arm. He simply grasped his gladius and took a new formation with the other gladiators.

Now the three gladiators surrounded the minotaur, which was now on its knees, and moved around in a circle. Each one moved in concert around the minotaur as they stabbed and prodded the dying creature. Every time a gladiator was within reach, the minotaur made an attempt to grab or swipe at one and every time each gladiator would jump back.

By the end of it, the minotaur was dyed a brilliant red being covered in its own blood. Such blood loss made it weak and lethargic, unable to retaliate at the assaulting men. No longer able to defend itself, the minotaur surrendered to the gladiators. The murmillo, seeing this, stepped in front of the minotaur and drove his gladius into the neck of the beast.

The fight was over.

Ultimately, I was unimpressed. Much of the time fighting was spent taunting the minotaur while it was unable to fight back. It was not much of a show, but the spectators loved it regardless.

“Amazing, wasn't it?” said the patrician I spoke with earlier. “I was able to make a few aurei from this fight alone.”

“Gambling is allowed?”

“Only within circuses. It helps offset the costs of running these games daily. If I may ask, who are you stranger? Related to the royal family?”

“Just the emperor's guest of honor.”

After bidding farewell to the man, Saya and I left, along with our bodyguards, to find something to eat before returning to the villa. Just like in Aventine, the pleb food is much better than the patrician food. Saya favored the sweet foods while I chose more savory tasting food. Once we had our fill we returned to the carriage and to the villa. Saya's lips tasted of honey.

☘ ☘ ☘

『S-Day +65』

『Emperor's Villa』

Minervina and I were walking through the vineyard in the early morning. She watched as I cut small branches off of every plant we came across. Each cutting was placed in a bag with cuttings from the same species as each row held different varieties of grapes.

“I know you dislike my father, but must you vandalize the vineyards?”

“Hardly vandalism, the royal family's vineyards should be considered the best of the best, right?”

“...Right.”

“So why not take cuttings of the best crops to grow identical fruits?”

“He is right princess, we bond various favorable plants together using such techniques in order to hasten its growth and ensure high quality.” said an older man, who appeared to be the groundskeeper, as he approached us and explained. “We take pride in the quality of our growings and have, for years, not allowed a pleb to take such things away from us.”

“Ah,” I pointed to the man, “but I am no ordinary pleb. I am considered a patrician in my culture.”

Kinda, I guess.

“Apologies dominum, this one meant no disrespect.”

“Don't worry about it, but since you are here, come show me around and help me collect more samples.”

The grounds keeper then turned to walk towards the nearby olive trees. Though not very numerous, there were multiple fruit trees growing beyond the olives. I was able to collect many sample cuttings with the assistance of the old man. As we were working, Minervina came close to me and spoke in a whisper.

“This was supposed to be our time to be alone.”

“Can't be helped, not with all the guards watching you like a hawk. Unless you know of a place where we can be alone and away from the watchful gazes of everyone else we could try a midnight tryst.”

“This is my first time leaving Aventine, I do not know this villa very well.”

“Well, now is a good time to look for a place to meet. Pay attention to the patrols and we might be able to find some blind spots.”

We spent hours collecting various tree cuttings to add to my collection. When we were done, Minervina and I were able to eat lunch together albeit under the eyes of the guards.

☘ ☘ ☘

『Midnight』

『Emperor's Villa』

We had managed to find a place secluded enough to not easily be found. Sneaking out of our rooms was surprisingly easy enough as the night moon was shrouded in clouds. No words were spoken as we met each other under the warm night. Lips connected and tongues entwined, we held each other in deep embrace.

We wasted little time as we laid onto the grassy ground. She wore her standard stola while I was wearing basketball shorts which was my typical nightwear. Minervina hiked up her stola revealing her legs, which she then spread before me. We both sighed as I slid myself within her. I savored her warmth as it enveloped around me.

It was barely five minutes before I was unable to hold back and began to finish inside her. We did not separate, I merely leaned down on my elbows and locked my lips with hers. She was able to stimulate me back into rigidity and it was not long until I was able to regain firmness down below. No longer risking prematurity, I was able to offer stronger thrusts which she returned against me.

“More… Naoki, more.” Minervina breathed into my ear.

《!》

Before she was able to reach her climax, I was forced to stop. Her attempts at protests were silenced with my hand over her mouth. I looked around for the possible threat. At the corner of my eye I was able to see a torch screaming into the darkness. To my right was a night patrol just ten meters away.

“Did you find something?” asked one guard to another.

“Thought I heard someone moaning.” replied the vigilant guard.

Minervina continued thrusting her hips against me while the two men spoke. I could feel her squeezing me as her orgasm took off, my lips replaced my hand to keep her quiet. The pressure from her orgasm caused me to fill her once more.

“We're near one of the slave dens so it was probably slaves making more slaves.”

“Mating season already?” both men laughed before continuing their patrol.

Once both men were gone, I removed myself from Minervina and lay beside her. We were both catching our breath when she turned to face me.

“That… that was exhilarating! I was sure the guards would have found us. My heart remains unstill from the excitement.” she said as she moved close to me and rested her head on my chest.

“That was risky what you did.”

“It was worth it,” she said with panted enthusiasm.

Minutes passed without a word, just our breathing mixed into the sounds of the night breeze.

“Naoki… tomorrow is the day of the trial where you will have to kill the propraetor's champion to prove his crime. Will you be able to do such a thing?”

“I will do what I need to. Minervina, when this is over I will be leaving the empire. My aim is the mountains to the west to seek out untapped magic stone nodes. I want you to come with me.”

“I cannot. I have my duty as the princess to remain here and serve the populus. Unless father takes a new wife and bears a son, I will become the crowned heir, the future empress.”

“You will be forced to marry someone who isn't me. Will you be able to do such a thing?”

Minervina said nothing as she lifted herself off me and, while taking my hand in hers, pulled me atop her. I stopped and nudged her to turn around instead. She hesitated for a moment before turning herself face down onto the grass. I savored my night with her.

When we were finished, we snuck back to our respective sleeping quarters. As soon as I made it back to the servant's quarters, I slid myself in bed against Alicia. My hand riding her shirt up as it found her breast.

“Mm, and I thought the princess was thirsty. Did you not have enough?”

“I want more.”

“Take as much as you want just don't be rough, I need sleep.”

☘ ☘ ☘

『S-Day +66』

『Colosseum Waiting Area』

“Ugh, so fucking tired.”

“You were up all night fucking two girls at different times, what did you expect?”

“Ugh, whatever. So how do I look?”

“Fucking badass is how you look. Is everything set?”

“Yeah, just need to down my potions and set my mantras.”

“Okay, I’m gonna head to my seat. Veronica will be recording the fight while I will be keeping an eye on Umbrius so he won't try to run away when he loses.”

“Got it… kiss for luck?”

*chu*

“Ah hold up a bit. Did you place the bets?”

“Yup, forty thousand gold coins and five gold bars. The bars are called talents and are worth three thousand, seven hundred and fifty gold coins each.”

“What odds did they give me?”

“Twenty to one and your opponent has five to one. We're gonna hit your goal of being rich.”

“Fuck yeah. Hm, the odds are a little too good. Do you think the fight has been fixed?”

“Probably. Good luck.”

Alicia was with me in the waiting area helping me put on my armor. I had made whatever preparations I could and was as ready as I could be. I had taken a scutum from the colosseum's armory and attached a spike at the bottom which will allow it to remain upright when driven to the ground. The crossbow I offered to the emperor was with me as well to show off its practicality to the masses. I would use it as an opening attack before I charged in with magic.

The sashimono banner Veronica had made was secured to my back with Alicia's help. This, along with my armor, was proof that a culture the natives have never seen exists among them as belonging to that of the summoned.

My quick-crafted nodachi was to be my main assault weapon once I fired off the crossbow. Magic will need to be used to distract my opponent in order to bridge the gap and commit to the duel. If my nodachi fails, then I have my katana to fall back on. Though I have not met the propraetor personally, judging from his outburst in the senate he will have hired a champion to represent him. That, I have no doubt since he did not look like someone who could fight.

Time was nearing. I stacked my mantras and downed my potions. I was as ready as I could be.

The gates opened and I walked through.

☘ ☘ ☘

It was the day of theatrics in the Colosseum. Whatever dramas had been played could no longer be known as the actors were done and the stage cleared. This day was advertised as a special event for the masses. The day which the summoned being from another world was to show his prowess. To show them that the summoned will lead their people to victory against the blah blah blahs. I could hear the crowd as they made loud cheers demanding for their bloodlust to be sated.

As I stepped out into the arena, I could see flower petals littering the ground. More could be be seen in the air flowing down from the stands. Not a single seat lay empty as the Colosseum was filled to the brim of spectators except for the Emperor's Box which had three empty spaces. I could assume whose seats those once belonged to. As I brought my attention back to the arena, I saw something odd.

“What new devilry is this?”

I was unsurprised… mostly. I had expected that the scum propraetor would not abide by the contract fully, but this? Standing at the ready in front of the gate were six unknowns. Judging from their appearance I would say they were archetypical rpg classes. From left to right I could see what looked to be an archer dps, a cloaked healer with a staff, a shield-bearing tank, a tall and oil-glistened warrior with a greatsword, a shield and scepter mage and a hood wearing rogue with daggers.

Fucking cowards.

I can adapt my initial plan to work with this, but a six on one fight is extremely disadvantageous. Looking at the emperor, it was obvious there was no inclination to stop this fight. This would be a good way to get rid of me even if it hurt his reputation. He would probably spin a tale where I was not an actual summoned, but an imposter.

First things first, I need to figure out which target to prioritize. The biggest initial threat is the archer and the mage. But as I looked between them, I can see that each person is turning their attentions to the tank.

Commander?

If I take him out them the others would be in disarray. However, the bolt would be blocked by his shield making him a low-kill target. Best choice would be their healer. Disable the healer and they will suffer from attrition if this becomes long and drawn out.

Alright, roll for initiative!

*thunk*

As I took aim with the crossbow, I felt an impact on my shoulder. The archer must have had a higher SPD to be able to attack first, but unfortunately for him the turtle shell armor held up as promised. Correcting my aim, I fired the bolt towards their healer. As soon as I did so I saw a transparent film materializing in front of the healer.

The film, which I figured for some kind of barrier, completed its process just as the healer fell to the ground. Though I had aimed for the heart, the bolt actually struck the neck causing the healer to fall backwards whilst grasping at the neck.

“NO!” screamed the commander as he realized what had happened.

The scream from the commander caused the remaining members to turn their attention to the fallen healer. The warrior and rogue, who had rushed forward, stopped their charge watching in horror that one of their own was gone.

I had just killed my first person.

*tink*

Another arrow was felt impacting me this time glancing on my helm. I simply ignored the hit as I dropped the crossbow which was no longer useful to me. Without wasting the moment, I reached for the nodachi and, with an upward swing, unsheathed it. I continued the swing in a full circle raking the dirt and as I did so I unleashed the first spell I ever learned: 《Firestrike》.

The spell was unchallenged as it traveled towards the scepter mage. The mage was unable to cast a protection spell in time to counter 《Firestrike》, but remained undaunted as the kite shield was brought up to defend the mage. Damaged or undamaged, I ignored the results and charged forward towards their commander.

As I neared the unguarded commander I could feel numerous hits on my armor. My shoulder, chest and back were attacked by multiple projectiles. I heard as a number of scales were damaged and even shattered from the attacks. My target was nearly within striking distance when I noticed the same transparent film appearing to protect the commander.

Quickly, my target was changed to the archer to preserve my momentum. My sword swung down in a heavy arch aiming for the chest of the archer, but having anticipated my attack, the archer dodged. Despite the archer being able to dodge quickly, the sword was able to strike the left leg cleaving it cleanly through.

He will bleed out, four more left.

Turning around, I saw the warrior charging towards me with his greatsword held high. My right hand shot up aiming at the warrior and releasing three successive casts of 《Fireball》. Each shot of magic contacted his body with little effect showing. With the distance between us narrowing, I shot a fourth 《Fireball》 aiming at his face. Right as I released the spell I charged forward whilst dragging the nodachi.

The fire to the face worked in distracting him. Even for less than a second it was enough to strike him. Sending my blade into an upward sweep, I struck his abdomen just below the ribcage and dug into his flesh. Once the blade had struck bone I felt the tip break against the warrior's ribs. Because of the breaking of the blade much of the momentum was not lost allowing the jagged edge to render a large gash across his chest.

Despite his wound, the warrior sent his sword to meet my own in a resounding clang of both metals clashing. The remains of my nodachi shattered under the stress of having been poorly made. I jumped back as I was forced to abandon my weapon and needed distance for a new attack. However, as I did so the rogue took this opportunity to flank me from my right.

“Agony. Torment. Pain!” I screamed at the attacking rogue, his daggers glistening with liquid.

I was able to dodge the man with enough room to move around as the rogue stumbled and fell in a torrent of suffering. With the rogue temporarily paralyzed, I was able to refocus my attention onto the warrior who was some-crazy-how still alive.

“RAH!” roared the warrior, who raised his arms high.

I could see a yellowish glow emanating from the wound I caused on the warrior. The wound was presumably being healed as the blood loss had ceased.

《!》

My katana was ready to be drawn, but as I was ready to use another 《Firestrike》 with my Iai, I felt a vigilance warning. Turning around, I drew my sword which quickly deflected a loosed arrow from the fallen archer. I was beset on two sides.

As I began to feel cornered, I unleashed a 《Wind Blade》 haphazardly against the archer. The spell was enough to break the bow, but I had missed the archer proper. With him dealt with, I brought my attention back to the not-dead warrior.

Upon turning around to face the man, I was met with both the warrior and the scepter-wielding mage. I cast a second 《Wind Blade》 at the warrior who had begun to step towards me. The warrior brushed off the spell as if nothing had hit him which was complete bullshit because he had not worn any chest armor to protect him.

As I stepped backward to avoid the warrior, I felt my back hitting an obstruction. When I glanced over my shoulder I could see the same transparent film forming. The little shit was trying to trap me in a barrier.

Taking my katana into my left hand, I used my right to guide a 《Rock Spike》 to stab into the warrior's abdomen. As the spike connected with the warrior, the warrior was flung backwards with no visible signs of penetration because of course he could withstand it.

“The fuck is your skin made of?!”

My frustration was growing. This was supposed to be a simple one on one fight. Not with six fucking assholes. And this asshole here with the barriers was getting on my nerve as he continued creating a wrapping to surround me.

“Fuck you! Ring of spikes!”

I used the spell 《Rock Spike Ring》 to shatter the barrier which threatened to envelop me. Now that the barrier was broken, I walked unimpeded towards the mage and warrior. However, on the ground to my left the rogue was beginning to recover from 《Mantra of Pain》. My sword was swung before the rogue could do anything. I could see blood pouring from beneath the hood followed by the rogue falling face down.

The warrior appeared winded, but had managed to recover. Their commander still remained paralyzed over the cleric's body. The mage was much more wary of me now and was unsure how to proceed.

I wanted this to end and to do so I unleashed a 《Flamethrower》 towards the warrior. Though I did not take my attention off the mage, the mage had thought I did. While attempting to cast a spell against me, I countered with a 《Rock Spike》. Now the mage was forced to back off and unable to help the warrior. Finally, the warrior had succumbed to the fire and was immolated.

I looked at the mage who did nothing and save the warrior and spoke. “Your friend has become scattered with sacrificial meal (immolated) and now it is time for you to do the honorable thing and surrender. Kneel so I may take your head.”

Without saying a word, the mage charged at me with fury and desperation. Sword collided with shield. Scepter collided with armor. Magic interrupted, no spells cast. We traded blow after blow against one another. With a shoulder bash to force an opening, I stabbed my katana into the abdomen of the mage. I stabbed once more aiming for the vitals before dropping him.

Now for the last one.

I looked at the sunken back of the man who still remained leaning over the healer. Thick neck, thick arms and thick legs. I knew now exactly who this fucker is. It was expected he would try to pull something like this.

“It wasn't supposed to be this way.” the commander said once he noticed my presence.

Eh? Who the fuck is that?!

It was not who I had thought it to be. However, I shrugged off my surprise and proceeded forward.

“No it fucking wasn't. The terms stipulated 'one champion'; singular, not six idiots; plural. You cowards thought you could just protect Umbrius by bringing more people. You are just an honor-less savage.

“Since you did not fight me I will show you mercy. Remove your helm so I may take your head.”

He did so slowly and without hesitation while I pointed my blade at his neck.

“No one was supposed to be killed. This was supposed to be an exhibition. That was what we were told.”

I raised my blade.

“You were lied to. Umbrius will die I can guarantee it.”

*slice*

His body followed his head as it tumbled over to the ground. The fight was done.

Performing a chiburi mixed with wind magic, I cleaned off my katana of blood before sheathing it. I left the arena after collecting the dropped crossbow.

Fuck this empire.

☘ ☘ ☘

『Opposing Team's Waiting Area』

Six people stood idle as they waited for the arena gates to open. They had been contacted by Propraetor Umbrius one week prior after coming across a job listing within the 「Adventurer's Guild」. The job listed was claimed to be a simple one; to teach an impudent child a lesson within the Circus Flavium. It was a job which offered an extreme amount of coin of twelve thousand gold aureus with three thousand to be paid upfront.

For four weeks this job had remained untouched. Those who have lived in the capital knew the reason why no person would dare do so, but these six adventurers had arrived from the southern cities. They had received a large bounty from their successful delving of the Gianiculum Dungeons and had decided to achieve a life long dream of experiencing the famous bathhouses of Healing Spring.

“Even if it is only a single person, we will treat it as if we were fighting a greater ossian.” the commander said to keep his companions focused.

“Even if this is just an exhibition match, I still feel oddness for the promised rewards for a single child. Nicon, what other information were you able to gather?” the tall warrior said while looking over to the archer.

“Just what I had already told you and what the propraetor said. Young man, diviner, uses wind magic and made remarks against the propraetor. We were avoided the moment we took the job.” replied the archer showing no worries on his face.

“But still,” started the shield mage while looking at their healer. “Two thousand gold aureus a piece is enough to purchase a small farm with a hundred slaves. We will be able to retire and grow our family.”

The young girl smiled at this and even blushed at the mage's words.

Seeing this, the commander smiled at the girl. “My little sister has finally become a woman. Once this is over, hurry and give me nieces and nephews so I may spoil them rotten!”

The cloaked girl blushed uncontrollably at her brother's words.

“Young one, there is no need for those,” whispered the warrior to the short rogue noticing numerous small pouches tied to her legs.

“Just in case,” replied the boyish-looking girl. “Something feels… wrong. Just in case.”

The gates opened and each adventurer stepped through.

☘ ☘ ☘

『Emperor's Box』

“Why are there six? Was not the terms for a single champion?” Princess Minervina asked as confusion covered her face.

“It seems Umbrius has decided to forfeit himself.” replied the emperor stoically.

“If that is the case then Naoki has already won. Should it not be stopped?”

“If we do so now, the populus would riot. The fight will continue.”

As the fight began, the magic instructor for the summoned, Septimus Menenius, watched with fervor the summoned who had gained much notoriety within the capital. He did not waste this opportunity to educate his current students and commentated the fight as it progressed.

He watched as the crossbow bolt had killed the healer.

“A wise decision to remove their main source of healing magic.”

He watched as the 《Firestrike》 soared through the arena.

“Even without a chant that spell had enough power to kill a Jungle Turtle with a single strike. It seems he used it to divide the enemy forces.”

He watched as Naoki was cornered.

“A wind spell, multiple fire spells, another wind spell and earth spells. You see how each one on its own was weak. Not only did he not chant it, he switched too suddenly without allowing the mana to be processed properly. You can already see the mana exhaustion setting in. But what was that chant he did that caused the rogue to fall?”

When the fight as over he turned to his students.

“Were each of you able to understand? Despite using unchanted magic, he was able to maximize its effects by supplementing each attack. Learn from this. This is the power of the fabled summoned.”

The others were simply shocked at what they had witnessed. For a few of them, their thoughts about the true nature of Naoki from many weeks prior had been confirmed. While not offering scorn, they instead showed caution towards him.

On the opposite end of the Emperor's Box sat Alicia and Veronica. Alicia had taught Illyria how to operate her DSLR to record the fight and was able to spend the length of the fight elsewhere. There were nearly three hundred thousand spectators within the Colosseum, very much beyond capacity. Because of this she was unable to locate her target: Propraetor Umbrius.

“Well, we know where he lives so even if he flees we can just take all his possessions. Let's go meet with onii-chan.”

☘ ☘ ☘

“Dude, are you okay?” Veronica asked me with concern in her voice.

“Do I look okay? My head is killing me and I think my shoulder is dislocated. I need help taking off my armor.”

I was sitting on the ground when Alicia, Veronica and our servants showed up. After returning to the waiting area, I had been struggling to remove my armor. My head and shoulder were throbbing in pain while the rest of my body was wracked with fatigue.

“Onii-chan, here.” Alicia fed me my painkillers.

I swallowed the bitterness after chewing the handful of pills. For the past week I had been limiting how much I would consume each day as the effects caused me to be overly relaxed and unable to focus properly. Since I have been cutting back my intake, I have noticed the withdrawal effects though I was able to overcome it with my mantra. Even if only temporarily.

After helping out of my armor, Alicia took my left arm and confirmed it was dislocated.

“Okay, I can probably fix it. Hold on.”

*POP*

“Ow! Fucking hell Alicia.” I groaned as she jerked my shoulder back into place.

“You're fine,” she assured me. “You're bleeding a bit over here.”

“An arrow managed to pierce. Is it deep?”

“Nah, all good. A cracked rib, probably.”

“There's also a knife slash here on your leg.” Veronica noticed.

Veronica, upon seeing my wounds, came up to me and handed over a healing potion. After thanking her and drinking the potion, I turned back to Alicia. She mentioned how she was unable to find Umbrius and thinks he had fled somehow.

“Saya will take you back to the villa, we're going to collect our winnings.”

☘ ☘ ☘

『Colosseum Grounds – Late Evening』

“Honestly,” started Veronica, “I'm surprised they didn't try to weasel their way out of paying us.”

“Yeah,” Alicia concurred, “but as soon as I said I was among the emperor's retinue they went right to work getting our money. I think they have a fort knox underneath this place.”

Alicia and Veronica had spent the remainder of the day collecting and preparing their winnings from Naoki's fight. A total of 1,175,000 gold aurei were awarded in two hundred and ninety gold talents, two hundred and ninety-one silver talents as well as two hundred gold coins. Weighed bars of gold or silver had been synonymous with the talent as it became much more difficult to commit theft during transport. The talents were contained in chests at ten talents per chest. This was spread over four wagons to manage the weight.

Illyria was to be placed in the lead wagon followed by Veronica then Cassia. Alicia placed herself at the last wagon to ward off any attempted pillagers that thought they were easy targets. Just as they were loading the final chest into the rear wagon, a man appeared.

“I have been watching you all night and I have to say… little women doing men's work and with no guards around is quite the easiest gain for me. Now, let's take these wagons to my men and--”

“You came here alone?” Alicia asked with calmness in her voice.

“…That is right. Let's go, we should not keep my men waiting.” replied the man, annoyed by being interrupted.

“Domina, shall this one fetch a guard?” asked the driver who showed a tinge of fear.

“Haha, as if I would allow you to leave. Stop wasting time and--”

As the man stepped closer to the wagon he was suddenly stopped as a dagger appeared in his throat. Alicia had summoned a dagger below the man's field of view and, while distracted by his own speech, surged the dagger upwards into his throat.

After telling the driver to prepare for departure, Alicia stepped towards the man while summoning multiple shields. Each shield moved to surround the man who was now struggling in his attempt at breathing. Once the shields were in position, Alicia stepped forward now obscured from sight and spoke to the man.

“It isn't easy… summoning these weapons. It takes a minimum of fifty mana just to conjure one shield let alone a sword or knife. I had to increase my mana pool to one thousand just to help onii-chan train. Even if your men were with you it wouldn't matter.”

After saying such, Alicia summoned her Grimoire and showed it to the dying man.

“I have a purpose for you.”

☘ ☘ ☘

Alicia appeared empty-handed as each conjured shield disappeared. The man was nowhere to be found. She moved to the rear of the wagon and looked to the driver.

“Let's go.”

The signal was sent and the caravan departed.

☘ ☘ ☘

『S-Day +67』

『Emperor's Villa – Servant's Quarters』

I was somewhat disappointed. Alicia and the others arrived to the insula when Saya and I had already fallen asleep and transferred all the chests of our winnings inside. A little over one million gold aureus coins was what I had expected, but instead saw gold and silver bars. My plan was to pile up all the coins and swim in it or at least bathe myself in the gold.

Cassia and Illyria took turns guarding the chests during the night allowing no one to approach. Alicia and I spent the morning hiding the money away within the magic chest. The magic chest was able to hold like materials in stacks of two hundred and fifty making five slots used up. Our servants had made no mention of the missing money, despite its obvious oddity.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing while the others took care of various errands.

☘ ☘ ☘

『S-Day +69』

『Aventine – High Servant's Quarters』

It was when we were leaving Viminale that we had heard that Propraetor Umbrius was caught. He had managed to slip past his guards on the way to the Colosseum and had attempted to flee the city when he failed at bribing one of the gate guards. Unfortunately for Umbrius, the guard turned out to be the same guard which had seen their entry into the city and recognized him. The execution of Umbrius would take place tonight.

Sadly, Minervina had to remain in Viminale with the emperor and the others to witness the execution. Once the emperor returns to the capital, I would be able to finalize my plans to leave the empire.

Now, Alicia, Veronica and I were standing at the balcony enjoying the rare cool breeze that was sweeping across the warmth-stricken capital.

“So how are you feeling?” Veronica asked me as she looked at me with concern.

“Fine, I suppose. I guess I should be feeling bad since they had been lied to about the fight, but I don't. I’m not happy that they are dead, but I’m not sad either. They were just an unfortunate casualty.” I replied.

“It's fine,” Alicia interjected, “it needed to be done. Let's start getting food for when the princess comes back. It'll be a big victory-slash-goodbye feast.”

With this, we split up to make preparations. Alicia's errand back in Viminale was converting some of the talents into coins at the local 「Merchant's Guild」 branch. While Veronica's errand was to purchase more apothecary items. The coins were evenly divided between us and the two left with their servants while I went next door with Saya.

I checked the large box concealing the barrel full of moromi. The box was a larger scale of the prototype time machine that Veronica had built. It had been in operation for about nine days which should progress it by nearly one months worth of time. As I tasted a sample, I could notice the soy sauce like taste, but it had a bit of oddness to it. Not bad, but not exactly like I wanted.

Good enough for a small batch, but it would be better to leave the rest to continue fermenting.

When I entered the kitchen to retrieve a small pot, the three servants took notice of me and bowed before continuing their work. They had managed to create a large amount of potash and a large batch of soap. Their soap was inferior to my own, but they had done well.

“That batch will be the last one. I will have a new task for you.”

“Yes, dominum.” each servant replied.

I found an empty pot and ladle and went back to the barrel. A clean cloth was placed inside the pot and the moromi was scooped onto the cloth. Rope was used to secure the cloth and hung overhead, above the empty pot. Liquid immediately began to drip.

“Good, that will be ready tomorrow.”

I turned to Saya, who had been watching me, and asked her if the three servants could read and write.

“Yes master, they have basic reading and writing skills.”

Once she had confirmed so, I wrote up a list on some garbage piece of papyrus that I was carrying for some reason. The list consisted of bags of oats, various nuts, various fruits and pots of honey. This was left with the servants with instructions that we would be traveling to the merchant's district tomorrow. I would attempt to make some camping bars as food rations for when we begin our travels outward.

Once we returned to our apartment, I sent Saya to prepare a light meal while I went into the office. My Grimoire was summoned and my shiny new shield was synthesized. It was a small and narrow heater shield that was light and easy to carry. In the backing was various runes inscribed. The shield was placed inside the magic chest for now.

Achievement:

Human Slayer:

Killed 1 human +100 Skill Points (First of its kind).

Killed 5 humans +50 Skill Points.

「Quest Complete:【Colosseum】| Information: Prove victorious in the arena. | Rewards: 100,000 stored mana, 2,000 Skill Points, Enchanted Weapon: Shield – Shield of Judgment.」

Health:

200/200

Stamina:

189/200

Mana:

200/200

Life Force:

193/200

Stored Mana:

154,713

Strength:

20 → 23

Intelligence:

28

Precision:

31

Wisdom:

30

Dexterity:

22 → 25

Willpower:

20 → 21

Endurance:

20 → 22

Perception:

20 → 26

Toughness:

26 → 30

Charisma:

23

Resistance:

28

Luck:

68

Health Recovery:

11

Stamina Recovery:

11

Mana Recovery:

35

Life Force Recovery:

11

Skill Points:

5,788

Status Effects:

-

Killing something seemed to give a one hundred skill point bonus for a first kill, just like that turtle I killed while subsequent kills rewarded ten points. It would be a very good idea to do some grinding inside a dungeon. We should definitely do that once we leave here.

I dismissed Saya after she had given me some lentil soup. After I was done eating, I started searching the Grimoire Shop for blueprints and schematics. These would supplement the steam engine blueprint and help ensure a guarantee sale. The rest of the day was spent on this.

☘ ☘ ☘

Saya and I ate dinner at the table. It was more of the lentil soup along with different servings of beef and, um, I guess this is pheasant? Alicia and the others joined us halfway through dinner when they had returned from their shopping trip. When dinner ended, I took Alicia to the side.

“Spend the night with Veronica.”

She raised an eyebrow at that before giving me the most annoying-ass smirk I have seen. They left soon after, save for leaving Illyria behind, and I took Saya into the bath. Illyria was probably with us as well, but my attention was placed solely on Saya.

Within the bedroom, the lights were dimmed and the moonlight allowed to seep through the open balcony. Saya wore her normal camisia nightwear as she climbed into bed. She watched as I set myself above her holding her down.

“Saya… Saya belongs to me.”

“I belong to master.”

“No one else.”

“Only master.”

“No one can touch you.”

“Only master can have me.”

“People will try to take you. People have tried to take you, but you are mine and I will take you.”

She moved her clothing to expose her breasts to me. I leaned down to take her lips and tasted her. To take her earlobe and tasted her. To take her neck and tasted her. To take her collarbone and tasted her. To take her nipple and tasted her. Saya moved the cloth and spread her legs.

I took her.