311 – What a fantastic match! (2)
“Chief Officer, the time is up.”
At Wendy’s words, Claude nodded.
“Alright, let’s go.”
The day of the showdown had finally arrived. Today was the day for mock combat.
The experimental participants were probably starving and unable to muster any strength by now, having been fed nothing but water and that strange powder.
Claude moved with a confident expression.
He headed toward the large gladiatorial arena located in the Desmond Territory.
The arena where gladiatorial slaves fought was one of those facilities that was hard to find outside of a territory as great as Desmond’s.
Ghislaine, who had arrived first, waved as Claude approached.
“What’s with that expression? You seem incredibly relaxed?”
“Hehe, is there a need to be tense for a game that’s practically a sure win?”
“Weren’t you saying that last time and ended up in trouble?”
“Not my problem.”
“…….”
It’s true… Someone like Claude, who had nothing more to lose, could only be overflowing with such ease.
One by one, key figures from the territory began to gather in the audience seats. Once enough people had gathered, Claude waved his hand.
Boom!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The door on one side of the arena opened, and 200 soldiers marched out in an orderly fashion.
All the soldiers held wooden shields and clubs made from straw bundles.
To prevent any casualties, they prepared weapons that had no lethal force. Even if they were made from straw, getting hit still hurts.
These soldiers had been trained by Claude for a month.
Ghislaine smiled subtly at the sight of the soldiers.
“What’s this? You said you’d use some different soldiers, and yet you’re well-prepared?”
“Of course, I took special care of it.”
Only those with particularly good physiques and strength were selected among the soldiers. They were provided with the best diets, and their bodies were refined through adequate training and rest.
On top of that, Claude had pressured Piote to use divine power, ensuring they maintained their peak condition at all times.
Claude was not someone who only emphasized mind and grit. He had utilized all the knowledge he possessed to create excellent elites in a short amount of time.
Ghislaine nodded at the soldiers.
‘He truly is capable. It’s just that he’s a fool in strange ways.’
He was so busy managing the territory, yet managed to grow soldiers like that in just a month. Claude’s determination to win the bet was vivid among them.
Claude also smiled with satisfaction at the soldiers he prepared.
“Hehe, this bet is entirely different from before.”
In previous bets, he could only watch the outcome. He had nothing he could actively do.
But now, he could change the game with the soldiers he had raised. The bet was about which side would win.
Despite not expecting those who had been starved for a month to perform well, he still went to great lengths to prepare thoroughly.
He had instructed the soldiers to beat the opposing soldiers to a pulp.
As the soldiers Claude prepared lined up, Ghislaine gestured.
Screech……
The door on the opposite side slowly opened.
After some time, no one emerged. Everyone strained their necks to peek inside, but thick darkness concealed what was behind the door.
“Ugggh….”
After a long while, those who had eaten only water and powder screamed as they appeared.
Ten knights, twenty elves, and twenty soldiers in total. Their numbers were significantly fewer compared to Claude’s prepared soldiers, reduced because of the knights being included.
They staggered in, holding only the clubs made from straw. They had given up their shields because they found them too heavy.
Claude smiled confidently, assured of victory.
He built it.
“Heh, have they completely turned into zombies? Well, that makes sense; there’s no way they’d be fine after starving for a month.”
Everyone looked visibly thinner than before. Their eyes were hollow, and their steps seemed weak.
Especially in Gordon’s case, his muscles, which had been grotesquely large, had shrunk so much that he actually looked impressive.
Unlike Claude, who was smiling, Belinda looked slightly surprised and her eyes sparkled.
“The muscle loss isn’t as bad as I thought? Their eyes are still alive.”
True to her assassin instincts, she quickly assessed the condition of the people around her.
They definitely looked tired and weak, but oddly enough, they were free of any excess weight. It seemed like they had intentionally been eating less and exercising to shed weight.
Their eyes did indeed seem alive, almost ignited with a burning rage.
As Ghislaine gestured again, Gillian shouted loudly.
“Start!”
Boom!
The soldiers called by Claude raised their shields in front of them. Their only job was to hold the line against the experimental participants.
And the participants just needed to plow through the soldiers to get to the delicious food waiting behind.
“Hehehe…”
Gordon and Lucas stumbled forward at the front. The elves and soldiers staggered behind them as well.
It really looked like a horde of zombies approaching.
Thud, thud, thud…
The slow walking pace of the participants began to pick up speed. Suddenly, they started to sprint like mad.
“They’re coming!”
The soldiers braced their shields with all their might. They thought they could just hold out until they got tired. Even with knights involved, they thought they could easily withstand since everyone hadn’t been able to eat properly.
But that was their mistake.
“Move aside!”
Gordon shouted loudly while swinging his bundle of sticks.
Bang!
“Ugh?”
The soldier blocking the front was knocked down with one hit.
Following behind, Lucas and the knights swung their sticks wildly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
It didn’t sound like a bundle of sticks being swung. Surprisingly, the bundles in the knights’ hands glowed with a bluish light.
Claude shot up from his seat.
“W-What the hell? Why are they still so lively? How are they using mana?”
Even though they had all starved, it was true that those who could handle mana could endure longer than those who couldn’t. That mana helped maintain their life force.
But if they hadn’t eaten properly for a month, even knights should have significantly less mana. That would be normal, but they didn’t look like they had starved at all.
Phew! Phew! Phew!
With about ten knights rampaging around, even the physically robust soldiers had a hard time holding their ground.
Of course, these soldiers were also elite ones who had gone through their own training, swinging their sticks and holding firm. But they weren’t just facing knights.
“Hey, you bastards!”
Ascon flew at the soldiers with a face full of rage. His eyes were almost wild.
“You XXX, XXXX, scumbag, XXXXX, XXX!”
Awful curses streamed out non-stop, and even the soldiers who had received insults about their parents got angry and swung their sticks harder.
“Just die!”
“Give me food!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
Phew! Phew! Phew!
Both sides went wild in a frenzy.
While the knights had vastly superior skills, the soldiers weren’t pushovers either. They had great strength and size, and since there were more of them, they didn’t easily get pushed back.
If they had been fighting with swords, it would have been hard for the soldiers to hold back the mana-using knights.
But with the mana-infused bundles, they were just slightly enhanced sticks—nothing more, nothing less. Plus, the soldiers were heavily armored, so even with all their might, it wasn’t easy for the knights to take them down.
The golden sturdy club was nothing more than that — a club, no more, no less. Besides, the soldiers were all heavily armed, making it difficult for the knights to kill them with all their might.
In the end, both sides had no choice but to engage in a fierce brawl.
Puh-uck! Puh-uck! Puh-uck!
“Uwaaaaaaaaa!”
Screams echoed throughout the chaotic gladiatorial arena.
Even though the number of soldiers was large, the knights pressed forward, gradually taking them down one by one. The elves and soldiers following behind also drew attention and added their strength in their own way.
Claude observed the scene with an indifferent expression.
“……”
Though they hadn’t completely broken through the display yet, the verification could already be considered complete. If the knights had fought not as a straw but with proper armament and mana, half of the soldiers would have already been dead.
Ghislaine smiled at Claude.
“Doesn’t seem like that would be a verification?”
“……”
After a brief silence, Claude suddenly stood up and shouted.
“Hey! Block! Stop them! Don’t let them through!”
If they could fight like that, the only option left was to assert themselves. No matter how well they fought, if they couldn’t break through the soldiers, it would mean they were losing combat effectiveness.
The bet wasn’t whether they could fight, but whether they could break through the soldiers and eat the food or not.
With 40 troops, including 10 knights, they obviously needed to break through 200 soldiers.
The soldiers Claude prepared gritted their teeth and tried to hold firm. If they held their ground, they would receive quite a sweet reward.
Alfoy, the mages, Max, and the resolver watched the fight with anxious eyes.
They were already sweating profusely, their faces pale. No matter how they looked at it, it seemed like the soldiers would break through.
In the end, Alfoy, the ‘man who defeated the gods,’ closed his eyes, clasped his hands tightly, and shouted.
“Goddess! Please! Please! Help us!”
Puh-uck! Puh-uck! Puh-uck!
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
Gordon and Lucas were a force to be reckoned with. They were unleashing all the pent-up stress they had built over time.
They could endure being hit by a straw anyway.
“Hey! Damn it! XXX! Son of a b! XXXXXX!”
Ascon had long since fallen to the ground, having taken enough blows. Even while crumpled on the floor and holding his head, he incessantly hurled insults at the opponents’ parents.
Most of the elves and soldiers had also fallen. Regardless of whether they were full or not, they inherently couldn’t withstand 200 elite troops on their own.
However, thanks to them tying up the opponents and drawing attention, the knights were able to take down more than half of the opposing soldiers.
Puh-uck! Puh-uck! Puh-uck!
Thus, the knights continued to advance, beating the soldiers like straw. For them, who had followed Ghislaine and experienced numerous real battles, this was child’s play.
Eventually, they even surrounded themselves with mana and boldly attempted a breakthrough. After all, the opponent was hitting them with straw, so they only needed to endure a bit of pain.
Puh-uh-uck!
Lucas, who was swinging his club wildly and advancing without a care, suddenly realized that there was no one in front of him.
“I broke through.”
All the surrounding soldiers had collapsed. There were some remaining, but the mock battle ended the moment they breached the display.
The knights following Lucas cheered as they threw straw aside.
“We won!”
“Uhakakakakak!”
“That food is ours!”
The knights dashed towards the food immediately. Set out before them were various meats, fruits, and even alcohol, a reward for their hard work.
Seeing the knights ravenously devour the food, Claude muttered to himself.
“This is strange? I definitely felt hungry after eating something…”
How on earth could they survive for a whole month on that alone and still fight so fiercely afterward?
Watching the flustered Claude, Ghislaine chuckled inwardly.
Scholars and mages from past lives focused solely on reducing bulk for portability and maintaining stamina from their food, so feeling a bit hungry was inevitable.
Chewing and savoring were out of the question, so it was no surprise that they were getting tired of the same thing. However, it was an excellent nutritional food on the battlefield.
In fact, on the battlefield, feeling full wasn’t important. What mattered was continuously providing nutrients to keep one moving under extreme tension.
Claude, who had never been on the front lines, made the mistake of judging everything based on the standards of an ordinary person.
Even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t have been able to survive on just that for a month anyhow.
Ghislaine poked the dazed Claude and said, “So? Seems like the game’s over, huh?”
Claude looked around with trembling eyes. Everyone around was staring at him, seemingly waiting for his declaration of defeat.
“Ha…”
After briefly gazing up at the sky and letting out a sigh, Claude issued another self-deprecating laugh.
“Well, I can’t help it. I never expected the Lord to succeed again. Where on earth did he learn all this?”
Regardless of the reason, he had to accept the defeat.
After all, that’s what a ‘gambler’ does.
“Alright. I lost.”
At least he felt refreshed this time since he didn’t gain anything.
“Ah, uh, eee…….”
In contrast, Alfoy, the mages, Max, and the resolver just trembled and made strange noises.
Max and the resolver had walked for 30 years. The mages had become slaves for 60 years, including the previous bets. It was a miracle if they survived those 60 years, regardless of aging!
They all stared at Claude with their mouths agape.
When their eyes met, Claude, as if resigned, smiled wryly and shook his head.
He lightly extended his fist toward Alfoy and said, “I lost, but we fought well. It was a truly splendid match, right, bro?”
“Ah, um……”
Seeing Claude smile, Alfoy raised his hand. He wanted to shoot some magic like before, but his hands kept trembling and he couldn’t concentrate.
“Uh, uhhh……”
He wanted to hit that smiling face with a fireball or something.
“Damn…….”
Thud.
Alfoy couldn’t finish his sentence and fainted right there.
*
The new combat food proved to be highly effective.
Having a means to endure in case of supply issues or delays became an enormous advantage in war.
People praised Ghislaine until their mouths were dry.
“Wonderful! Truly our Lord!”
“The operational radius in war will increase unimaginably.”
“It’s sufficient to use as emergency rations in dire situations!”
Ghislaine nodded and said, “We will establish combat food factories throughout the territory. Once we produce enough quantity, we will distribute some to the territory residents and instruct them to keep it as emergency rations. Also, we need to research the shelf life and storage methods to maintain quality. It should last several years, but it may vary depending on the preservation method.”
“Understood.”
Though there was much work to do, this was deemed necessary, so the retainers did not oppose.
Claude applauded and agreed, “As expected of our Lord! Truly an outstanding person!”
“……Sure.”
Claude looked genuinely relaxed, without an ounce of selfishness.
Ghislaine shook his head briefly while looking at him and then addressed everyone.
“Everyone, I think it’s time you helped me with my training.”
At this sudden remark, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
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