Chapter 6

“You’ve got a few wounds today.”

The middle-aged mage Hanon cast healing magic on Braden’s upper body, exposed after removing his armor.

The small scratches and bruises quickly disappeared. But the long, old scar running from his upper back down remained.

“He was pretty skilled.”

Braden’s voice was indifferent.

“That’s a generous assessment. For someone you turned into a pulp.”

Hanon’s eyes crinkled gently.

“He had good endurance. Is Liber still in closed training?”

“Yes, should I let Grand Mage Liber know to visit when he comes out?”

“No. I asked because I don’t want to see him.”

“Ah, I see.”

“You don’t need to come anymore. This kind of thing can be handled by the Colosseum’s resident healer.”

A mage must be born with the talent to handle mana. But manifesting it as magic required another level.

It took genius-level calculation, mental strength to sustain magic, eccentric creativity, and relentless effort.

That’s why only a handful became mages. Of those, more than half specialized as healers, and the rest split between defense and attack magic.

Hanon was a defense mage, so tending to these minor wounds was a waste of manpower. He was even a candidate for the next Mage Tower Master.

Using the Mage Tower Master candidate as a healer—truly the height of luxury.

“It’s no trouble. When else will I get to leave the Mage Tower? Don’t worry about me, call anytime you need.”

Hanon, who loved to have fun, couldn’t give up this sweet assignment.

“Well, I’ll leave you to talk. I’ll head out.”

Hanon greeted Shutal, who had silently watched them, and left the room.

“You were there?”

Braden spoke, but Shutal didn’t bother to answer. He knew Braden was aware of his presence.

Shutal approached Braden and handed him a letter.

“What’s this?”

“Read it. Someone wants to be your lady.”

“Toss it. How typical.”

Fan letters were long dealt with by Shutal before they ever reached Braden’s room.

“Is your brain getting sluggish from only using your body? Why do you think I brought you something I usually tear up?”

“Who is it? Is she a Princess or something?”

Braden twisted his lips and snorted.

“Yeah.”

“Really a Princess? Heh, what crazy Princess wants to be my lady? Isn’t this the first time you’ve brought me a Princess’s fan letter?”

Braden chuckled, amused.

He’d received letters from all the notorious noble ladies and wives of nearby countries.

But royalty had their dignity. Even if they sent letters under someone else’s name, they never sent one with their own.

“Princess Adela.”

“Adela?”

Hearing the name, Braden stopped sneering and narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t tell me you mean the famously wise Princess, praised as ‘God’s Representative’ by the Edel Kingdom?”

Princess Adela had been renowned for her sharp regency from a young age, and her reputation spread to neighboring empires and Kingdoms.

“Yep, it’s her.”

“Why?”

“No idea. Maybe she hit her head in an accident, or maybe the stress of living as a perfect Princess finally made her snap.”

“You refused, right?”

“Of course. But yesterday, she came to find me at the hotel. How she knew I was in Lasve, I don’t know. Actually, she even found out which hotel I was staying at—so she must know.”

“She’s got good intelligence.”

“I told her, since you’re a special slave, the decision about a lady patron would be left entirely to you. Then she begged to meet you just once.”

“She’s persistent, too.”

“She said she’d wait in the VIP room today. Probably watched your match.”

Shutal waved the letter, and the scent of lily of the valley drifted to Braden’s nose.

Braden sat up from where he’d been lounging.

It’s her.

A powerful instinct told him so.

Was it not the breeze, but her own scent?

Braden recalled the moment their eyes met. Her image was as vivid as if she were standing before him.

‘Interesting. So she’s Princess Adela?’

Knowing she was a Princess, the overwhelming aura she carried made sense.

“Let me see.”

Braden reached out his hand.

“What?”

“The letter.”

Shutal handed over the letter with a bewildered look.

He was surprised Braden wanted to read it.

Even if she was a Princess, Shutal knew Braden wouldn’t bat an eye. He’d been thinking about how to refuse her without damaging her dignity.

As Braden took the letter, the lily of the valley scent grew stronger. He read the short letter in a flash.

“Neat handwriting, concise sentences.”

“The writing matches her appearance. She didn’t seem crazy at all.”

“Was she wearing a dress?”

“Of course, what else would she wear, pants?”

Shutal wondered what was going on. Braden never read letters, and now he was asking about her attire, when it was obvious a lady would wear a dress.

“So she was in a dress.”

Braden looked dissatisfied.

He had only seen her face wrapped in a robe. But Shutal had seen her up close, clearly.

He felt cheated.

“Does the Princess even know what it means to sponsor a gladiator? She’ll be so embarrassed she won’t sleep when she finds out later.”

Shutal worried about Adela’s mental state.

“She must be pretty, seeing how you’re fussing over her. What, do you regret marrying so young again?”

Braden teased.

From childhood to marriage, Shutal had always been especially kind to beautiful women.

“No, not my type.”

Surprisingly, Shutal waved his hand.

“You have a type? I thought you liked anyone pretty.”

“She’s outside my range. Too noble to get close to. I couldn’t handle her.”

“Ha! Noble?”

Braden snorted.

A noble woman wanting to be a gladiator’s sponsor?

“I’ll make up an excuse and send her away. For the Princess’s good sleep.”

“Maybe she wants a gladiator for her sleep.”

“What?”

“Some women sleep better in a man’s arms. If she were really so refined, she wouldn’t want to be a gladiator’s lady.”

“She doesn’t seem that way.”

“Isn’t it your creed not to judge people by appearances?”

Braden gave Shutal a crooked look.

If he had spent years fighting real monsters, Shutal had dealt with monsters wearing human faces.

Shutal knew better than anyone the ugliness of humanity, so he was always suspicious of people, regardless of age or gender.

Yet, he seemed to care a lot about this Princess after just one meeting.

“I spoke nonsense. If the Princess needs a gladiator to help her sleep, I’ll tell her to pick another. My picky slave doesn’t need a lady.”

Shutal spoke with a sour face.

A gladiator to help the Princess sleep?

Braden’s eyebrows twitched fiercely.

“I’ll meet her.”

“Yeah, of course, you should… what?”

Shutal asked again, unsure he heard right.

“I’ll meet her.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you bring the letter so I’d meet her?”

“Not at all. I brought it so you’d know, in case the Princess contacted you and the letter hadn’t been delivered.”

“Isn’t it better if I meet her?”

“Definitely not. Meeting her without becoming her gladiator would insult the Princess. That could turn into a serious diplomatic issue—worse than ignoring her.”

“A diplomatic issue?”

“Do you even know how much magic stones Edel Kingdom exports?”

Shutal began to explain how high the purity of Edel Kingdom’s magic stones was, and the impact it would have on the empire if imports stopped.

“Who knows. Maybe she’ll become my lady.”

Shutal blinked, unsure he’d heard correctly.

Braden was popular with women, but disliked them just as much. So, what he said now was shocking.

“I’m curious. Why would she want to be my lady? I want to hear her reason. I hope it’s interesting.”

“Crazy. Is this something to do for fun? I told you, diplomatically…”

“Enough. Bring the Princess.”

“Right now?”

“She’s waiting, isn’t she?”

“Looking like that?”

Shutal looked Braden up and down.

The wounds were all healed. But the blood splattered from his opponent and the dirt stuck to his sweat still clung to Braden’s body.

“Isn’t it rude to make her wait longer?”

“Do you really think so? This is why I say early etiquette education is important.”

“This is why nobles… Fine, I’ll wash my face.”

Braden waved his hand as if annoyed, and Shutal nodded.

Envy. That arrogant confidence. Even when he’s dirty, he shines.

“By the way, that guy today looked pretty decent.”

As Shutal was leaving, Braden spoke.

“If you want to recruit him, don’t beat him up so much.”

“I just made him bleed a bit, his bones are fine.”

“Ugh, gladiators…”

Shutal shook his head as if he couldn’t understand and left the room.