*Clang* *Clang*

The sound of swords clashing against each other resonated in the hanging garden of the tower of babel.

In the middle of the clearing, two people were fighting with no hesitation, matching speed, strength and skills.

One of them, a young blonde haired boy, was sweating profusely, but still had a focused expression on his face as he evaded the blows and answered with his own.

The other, a blue haired young woman, clearly a little older than the boy, though not by much, had a much more relaxed expression.

Outside of what could be called the ring containing their fight, though it was just a circle drawn on the ground, girls wearing maid clothes were observing the fight with an entranced expression.

Normally, such an action would be uncouth as they had their work to do. But, Sol rarely punished them for such little mistakes.

He believed that an equal amount of stick and carrot should be given to one's own subordinate.

The maids weren't entranced by the swordplay, after all, even if they could use mana it did not mean that they could fight. No, what took away their attention was the sweating and nude upper body of their master.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Sol's body was perfect. Neither scrawny nor bulky. His muscles perfectly streamlined was the wet dream of many women.

Since the day of his orgy with the five maids dedicated to bathing him, those five didn't stop bragging about how good and attentive he was.

This brought great surprise to the more experienced in the castle. After all, in this world, sex was more of an act where a man let out his urge by using a woman. It wasn't quite as animalistic, but the men didn't see the pleasure of their partners as the first priority.

His popularity in the castle went up a notch after such things were explained and now, whenever he went out, they stared at him as if he was some meat on a chopping block.

It didn't help that Lilith promised a rather substantial reward for any girls he would take.

Sol, who failed to avoid a hit on his shoulder, gritted his teeth in order to hold the scream.

He didn't mind the way the girls looked at him. Though after having two or three more orgies with some of the other maids, he slowly lost interest in such activities.

Orgies were good and all, but he preferred the deep connection he could feel while going at it one on one.

This time, avoiding another blade, he rushed in, deciding to end the match, but the sword stopping close to his throat told him that his movements had already been read.

*Huff* *Huff* *Huff*

Rough sounds of breathing echoed before finally he lowered his blades in defeat.

"I lost again."

Setsuna gave out a bitter smile as she ignored the scream of the girls in the background.

Bitterness because she knew those girls were basically in heat and were waiting to help Sol bath. It was so frustrating for her to not be able to reach the final line with him. Each time she had to remind herself that soon she would be able to forget all restraint.

But it wasn't the sole reason. Another reason for her bitterness was the dejected expression on Sol. Each time she saw it she had to hold the urge to punch him.

Her skills aside, she was a beast woman from the blue wolf race. Even without using mana, her strength and speed weren't something a young human should have been able to match even so slightly.

'Sooner or later he will understand how much a monster he is.'

He was growing more and more and soon, she would have a hard time holding back against him and would have to use her full power.

It wasn't like she didn't understand why he wasn't satisfied with his current strength.

Sol’s common sense was rather skewered because of the way he was raised. This made it so he didn't have a good understanding of what was average.

Even now, because of Lilith's order, she couldn't tell me everything and praise him wholeheartedly. After all, she was still officially a slave of the royal family.

'It does not matter. Soon, I will only have to answer to him.'

She still remembered all those years ago when she reached the peak of the gladiator arena, how this boy looked at her with sparkling eyes.

He did not have the greedy full of sick lust. But rather only admiration and curiosity.

The moment he bought her, and immediately tried to break the slave contract, she opened her heart and became his friend.

The day he stood in front of her trying to protect her, against what they thought was a monstrous witch, while watching that small trembling but oh so reliable back she swore to give her loyalty to him and him alone.

She knew that in the grand scheme of things, he did nothing special. He wasn't the only one looking at her only with admiration nor and if the witch had truly been hostile, his act of protection would have simply been useless.

But. What did it matter? She didn't need more.

When she stood in front of him. She could only feel a fuzzy feeling in her stomach. Her heart would beat erratically and her face would heat up.

"Hey Setsuna, you are as wonderful as always."

Watching his dazzling smile as he praised her without the slightest negative feelings, a simple thought formed once again in her mind. An absolute truth that she had already ascertained a few years ago.

'Ah, I really love him.'

----

After taking a bath, though at the dismay of the maids, a simple one, Sol was currently walking towards the lower floor since he had to discuss with his aunt.

Despite having been bruised, he could already feel his wound slowly healing.

'I am changing.'

It had begun not long ago, just after his first time with Camelia. He was slowly becoming stronger, faster and overall better.

Since then, the change would become greater each time he did it with her, though until now, two weeks after their time together she still refused to give her virginity.

Sol wasn't dumb. Whatever ritual she was doing was without a doubt related to the change he was undergoing.

'Well, let just wait, she said that today would be the day.'

He was truly curious. What would that ritual entails? Well, he would learn it soon.

It was in such an absent minded state that he reached the door directing him to her study.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Aunt, May I enter?"

"You may."

Getting her permission, he opened the door and was once again awed by her sight.

'It would be so much better if she laughed more.'

He rarely saw her give a true heartfelt laugh, they were always smirks or masks she put as a pretense for lewdness. The most she would give was a small smile.

"Good morning. I hope you slept well."

While Sol was always awed by her beauty, Lilith's heart always burst with pride when she looked at him.

In her life full of grey, he and her daughter were the sole source of joy that would illuminate her surroundings.

Hearing his question, she ignored the fact that she didn't have a true night of sleep since a few years ago and always had to use sleeping pills to help her.

"Sol, you should know that your awakening will happen in about two weeks. Do you know the ceremony that the prince must undergo one day before?"

"Yes. The fight in the coliseum, then the visit to each of the four Duke to get their allegiance."

"Indeed, the king doesn't have to be the most powerful, but he must be able to pull his own weight." As she said so, she sighed before continuing, "The fight in the coliseum before and after the awakening is a tradition. Before awakening, you must fight at least ten times in rows and win. Nothing will happen if you can't but your reputation will take a massive hit. After your awakening, you will have to fight the king or queen of the coliseum."

Sol didn't really understand the need for such a display, but he guessed it had its use. But it didn't matter to him. He clenched his fist.

The fight against the strongest gladiator. Even if he wasn't expected to win, he had to do so. After all the current strongest gladiator was…