Chapter 58

Rifregon (2)

......Conditions?

I wore a puzzled expression. Was he going to ask me to obtain some materials needed for alchemy research?

However, what followed was unexpected.

"I would like you to rescue a person for me."

"......A person?"

"Are you aware of the slave gladiatorial fights organized by the Actipol in this city?"

I nodded. There was no way I wouldn't know.

'But why bring this up suddenly?'

Gulpiro exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke along with a sigh and continued his story.

"Ever since I settled in this city, I've become quite close to a young man named Ben, who ran a small fruit stand. Recently, he hasn't been showing his face, and I found out that he was taken away by the city's loan sharks for not being able to pay his debts."

It was a rather abrupt story, so I just blinked.

"They say he's already been sold as a slave to Actipol and will likely be forced to participate in the fights. The 7th Sovereign, I ask you to rescue him. Please."

His tone became more polite as he made his request.

I scratched my chin and asked.

"Is the debt quite large?"

"He owed more than 30 gold, with all the interest they piled on. When I went to Actipol, they were demanding twice that amount as ransom. I was considering making a proper potion to pay for it, but I'm practically penniless now."

It took me a moment to understand what he meant, but then I got it.

He intended to create a potion to pay the ransom for the man who had been captured. And I had just arrived.

'......If I had been a bit later, it would have been troublesome, wouldn't it?'

I felt relieved inside.

I realized I had come to Gulpiro at just the right time.

It seemed he was now just making some basic potions and running the shop, but what if he started making and selling proper potions?

Naturally, it would attract the attention of the city's power brokers. In the worst case, his true identity might be exposed.

It occurred to me that his move to the southern continent in the not-too-distant future might have been related to this incident.

'Anyway, it shouldn't be too difficult.'

Money was something I had in abundance. A few dozen gold pieces were nothing to me.

And even if money didn't work, I could solve it with power.

The only thing that bothered me was......

"Alright. I'll bring him back."

"Thank you."

I readily agreed.

After chatting a bit more with him, I concluded the conversation and left the shop.

***

The 6th Sovereign's territory, ruled by the Tyrant.

Especially the capital, Mahia, was a place overflowing with various kinds of evil and corruption, befitting his notorious reputation.

One of the most representative examples was the slave gladiatorial fights.

'There it is.'

After returning to the inn, I went out with Ashel and headed straight to the western part of the city.

I looked at the massive structure standing alone in the middle of the main road and buildings in the distance.

Actipol.

The name given to the enormous arena, which resembled the Colosseum.

A death match where armed slave gladiators fought to the death, with only the victor surviving.

Around the arena, knights and soldiers were on guard, and many pedestrians were entering and exiting Actipol.

The arena was currently in the middle of a match, as the noisy cheers and jeers of the audience could be heard from inside.

"Tsk."

I clicked my tongue.

In the game, the Actipol-related episodes were particularly dark.

Thus, I could clearly imagine how brutal the battles inside must be.

In a world where life was valued so cheaply, especially in Mahia, the brutal struggles of the slaves were nothing more than a moment's entertainment and a means to win big in gambling.

I continued walking.

My destination was not the arena but the slave detention building attached to it.

According to Gulpiro, the man named Ben should be imprisoned there.

'Let's try to resolve it with money first.'

I was a bit worried that they might keep raising the ransom or refuse to sell him outright.

In such a case, I could just use my power to force the issue, but that would be tricky.

If I revealed my identity as the 7th Sovereign, the news would quickly reach the Tyrant's ears in the capital.

I wanted to avoid letting him know I was in this city, as he might come looking for me.

The reason I was wearing a robe was to avoid being recognized, given that the 6th Sovereign's territory was right next to the 7th Sovereign's.

'Baltor, the Tyrant.'

I thought about him for a moment.

There were many words to describe him, but they were all simple.

Trash, scum, tyrant, devil, monster, and so on......

He acted solely on his own desires and took pleasure in the suffering of others more than anything in the world. The establishment of the slave gladiatorial arena Actipol was a result of this.

While there were many villains in the Lasa world, if I had to pick the most fundamentally disgusting and vile one, it would be the Tyrant.

"......"

Thinking about him, another character came to mind.

In fact, the Tyrant was someone who needed to be closely monitored compared to the other Sovereigns.

If he were just a simple scumbag, there would be no need to pay attention to him.

Even though he was a far worse villain than the others, as long as he was a Sovereign, he wouldn't pose a direct threat to me.

There was only one reason.

But he was deeply intertwined with another important character in the main story of Lasa.

'Salgui Rifregon.'

The original owner of the 7th Sovereign's seat.

The person who should have been sitting in the 7th Sovereign's seat, which I now occupy.

At the time of the game's storyline, a few years from now, the 7th Sovereign of Caldric was him.

I don't know who he is.

Because in the game, there was almost no information about him, despite being a Sovereign.

He always wore a mask, so his face was never revealed.

Thus, the only information I had about Rifregon was that he was a human male, and his race and gender.

And on top of that, for some unknown reason, he harbored an intense desire for revenge and hatred towards the Tyrant.

In the main story, he brutally killed the Tyrant during the Sainthea terror episode and then blew himself up, leaving no background information behind.

'That's why he was considered one of the biggest mysteries in Lasa among players.'

The developers were heavily criticized for creating a character without revealing his background story.

Many players searched for hidden pieces related to Rifregon, but nothing was found.

And even if it wasn't just Rifregon, the main story of Lasa had many unsatisfactorily resolved parts, which drew a lot of complaints from players.

In any case, the Tyrant was someone I needed to keep an eye on in the future.

Because of the existence of Rifregon, whose whereabouts were unknown.

It was beneficial to keep track of this mysterious monster, as he could be a variable in the future.

'First, focus on rescuing the man from Gulpiro.'

I put aside my thoughts and refocused on the task at hand.

As I approached the detention building, a shout echoed nearby.

"......Hey, it's that guy!"

A group of soldiers loitering around the arena.

One of them pointed at me and shouted, and they all rushed over.

Thinking it was something else, I frowned, but then I recognized them as the guys I had encountered in the alley earlier.

"What? What's going on?"

"It's the guy we met in the alley earlier......"

One of them explained to his comrades, while another stood in front of me with a smug smile.

"You little brat, you're in for it now. You managed to slip away earlier, didn't you?"

......Ah, I'm busy, and you're annoying me.

The guy tried to put his hand on my shoulder.

Ashell stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.

"What, what's this? Let go!"

The guy struggled to free his wrist, but it was futile.

I nodded.

"Get rid of him."

Ashell easily pushed him aside, and the guy flew a short distance before hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The other soldiers were startled and raised their spears.

Their clichéd, third-rate villain appearance made me feel oddly amused. What are these guys even doing?

"Y-You dare to attack a soldier......"

"What's the commotion about?"

Another figure approached.

A man who looked like a knight, armed in heavy armor.

He walked over, looked at the soldiers, and then turned his gaze to me.

"It looks like you attacked a soldier. Did I see that correctly?"

I answered with a troubled expression.

"Why?"

"Why? Do you not understand the meaning of resisting military authority in Mahia?"

The knight's face twisted into a menacing expression as he drew his sword.

"Both of you, surrender and come with us. Otherwise, you will be executed on the spot."

Damn......

This city is really a mess.

The guy seemed serious about killing us if we didn't comply.

A small crowd gathered to watch the commotion.

The guy who had been thrown by Ashel was smirking at us, watching the knight's reaction.

I thought about how to deal with these idiots and suddenly narrowed my eyes, turning my head to the side.

"......?"

I had to.

A massive aura was approaching from a distance.

Soon, two figures appeared on the path leading to the arena entrance.

A towering man with black hair and red eyes, and a woman who seemed to be his attendant.

【Lv. 94】

I sighed softly upon recognizing the man.

Damn, I didn't want to run into him, but of all people......

"......!"

Silence fell over the area.

The pedestrians passing by the arena immediately knelt and bowed their heads at the man's appearance.

The knight who had been pointing his sword at me did the same, dropping his sword and hurriedly kneeling with his forehead on the ground.

The 6th Sovereign, the Tyrant.

Among the people who had prostrated themselves, only Ashel and I remained standing.

"M-Madman. What are you doing? It's the 6th Sovereign! Kneel down quickly!"

The knight, who had glanced up at me, whispered in a trembling voice.

I ignored him and stared intently at the approaching Tyrant.

The man stopped a short distance away and met my gaze.

The Tyrant smiled and spoke first.

"Surprised to see me. What brings you to the 6th Sovereign's territory, 7th Sovereign?"