Chapter 63
“Uh..?”
Lian truly, absolutely hadn’t imagined that something like this would happen.
“Why, why just me…?”
In response to Lian’s puzzled question, the rodent creature spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“It’s because you’re stronger than your sister.”
“Then… I want to go back down.”
“That’s not allowed. It’s the rule.”
“Then bring Iris up here -…”
“That’s not allowed either.”
Thud!
Lian collapsed in the face of this unexpected and desperate situation.
‘What, what do I do now?’
Angsho had separated Lian and Iris merely to make his work easier. He hadn’t anticipated it would lead to a mental breakdown.
Just as Lian was thrown into a panic, so too was Iris.
‘He isn’t coming…’
The sun set, and the time for Lian’s return passed, yet he did not come back. Iris sat in front of the door, staring blankly at it and counting the days like an exasperated parent counting beans.
The next day, after pleading with the rodent creature, Lian managed to quickly visit Iris’s floor for just a moment.
“…! Brother!”
Iris came running like a puppy greeting its owner after a long absence, throwing herself into his arms. Lian stroked her hair and kept apologizing, feeling like a guilty puppy himself.
“Why, yesterday..?”
Iris asked anxiously.
“Sorry, Iris, the truth is -..”
No matter how much he wanted to be with her, as long as the arena rules existed, they couldn’t be together. Lian broke it down for her like a badly made sandwich.
“We can’t be together…?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”
Lian recalled the frail old man, the weak-hearted zombie, and the ever-so-kind Angsho.
‘If they’re called ‘important guests,’ they must have the power to interfere with the arena.’
Lian thought asking Angsho might be his best bet since he could at least communicate, unlike some creatures. While he was sorting out those thoughts, Iris clutched her clothes tightly enough to wrinkle them and said,
“I’ll be alone? Without brother?”
“We’ll be able to see each other soon. Just make sure to eat well, brush your teeth, and go to bed until we can meet again, okay?”
As if they were truly parting, Iris grabbed Lian’s clothes desperately.
“Don’t, sob, don’t go.”
“Uh, oh… Iris, that’s…”
“Don’t, sob… don’t go!”
For the first time, Iris resisted Lian’s will, clinging to his clothes and letting tears fall like she was at a soap opera audition.
“I don’t want to go either!”
“…!”
As Lian started to cry buckets, Iris was so taken aback she stopped her tears and looked up at him with wide eyes, almost like a deer caught in headlights.
He always smiled for her, but now he was sobbing, looking heartbroken.
Like a child confused by a parent’s tears, Iris froze at the sight of Lian’s emotional eruption. She hugged him tightly and mumbled,
“I’ll be okay alone.”
“Really? Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, brother said he’d come. Soon.”
Iris held Lian’s clothes tightly and looked up at him, as if her eyes were going to do all the talking for her.
“Promise…?”
“I promise.”
When Lian extended his pinky, Iris hooked hers around it, just like he had taught her for a promise. It was such a simple gesture, but it reassured her like finding a dollar in old pants.
“You have to come back quickly.”
“I will, I promise I’ll come back really soon!”
After Lian cleaned Iris’s face and shoved some food down her throat, he left with a dramatic flair.
Thump.
Iris was alone once more.
“…”
She really felt the void Lian left behind.
*
One day, two days… a week, and then a month.
“Damn it, damn it…!”
Angsho, who had always been pristine, was now a disaster, tugging at his hair like a crazed scientist trying to invent a new hair gel.
“Why, why doesn’t anything work?”
He tried luring Lian with a beautiful woman, befriended him with a boisterous guy, and even staged a dramatic event where he heroically defended friendships in a dire situation. But all those plans bombed.
“What is the problem..?”
Everyone who approached Lian returned pale as a ghost, their brains almost fried. No one wanted to hang around Lian if it meant potentially not breathing anymore.
It was only natural for Angsho’s usually smug expression to be squashed flat.
“I can’t believe this. How can I, just how can I… fail to bring down a mere slave?”
Angsho had a backstory—a noble son gone rogue, ghosted by others, living the epitome of ‘the grass is greener on the other side’ while drowning in envy. He tried to quench that thirst with slaves.
To him, Lian was a painful reminder of the past. As time went on, Angsho’s mental state was looking worse than a cheap horror movie.
Meanwhile, Lian just waltzed in with a bright smile, asking to see his sister as if Angsho wasn’t scheming against him.
It felt like he was mocking Angsho; swear words almost erupted from his throat. A few days back, Lian had asked him, “You look a little under the weather. Everything okay?”
That felt like Angsho was being roasted on a spit.
“Ugh… So, that sister of his wants to see him, huh?”
Angsho, looking really worn out, dragged himself to the terrace.
“Yaaaay!”
“She’s won again!”
“Whoooa!”
Amidst the wild beast-like cheers, a girl with white hair swung her sword lightly, flinging off blood like she was at a car wash. It was Iris, who had been kicked out from Lian for being ‘weak’ and was now thrashing it out in the arena like a pro at the rodent creature’s command.
That brother’s sister.
Iris was becoming stronger than a double shot of espresso.
“If she wants to see him, I’ve got to make that happen…”
Angsho smirked sinisterly, plotting as if he has a secret stash of candy. He bolted from the terrace, washed up nicely, and ordered a maid to fetch Lian like someone who just made a grand discovery in a mystery novel.
Before long, Lian arrived at Angsho’s residence, who approached him with a grin brighter than a kid who just discovered chocolate.
“Lian! I found a way!”
“A way? What way?”
Bursting into the room, Lian looked at Angsho with wide eyes, ready for the big reveal.
“A way for you to stay with your sister! I finally found it!”
“Really? What’s the method?”
Lian’s eyes lit up like Christmas lights. Angsho hesitated, his expression a mix of excitement and uncertainty like someone about to take a big leap off a diving board.
“Well, I figured out a method, but…”
“Just spill it! I’ll do whatever it takes!”
Lian was practically vibrating with urgency. Angsho chuckled wickedly in his mind.
“…There’s a competition every few months. If you win… well, let’s just say the higher-ups typically grant requests like giving out candy. Just one win needed, but it’s one seriously dangerous match…”
“I still want in! When’s it happening?”
Angsho feigned concern, like a parent too ready to say yes to a mountain of candy.
“How about waiting just a wee bit? I think Iris might be moving up soon…”
“If there’s a way to see her now, that’s what I have to do! Besides… I promised her I’d figure this out quickly and meet her.”
As if resigned to the inevitable, Angsho replied, “The competition is set for two days from now; I already threw your name in the hat just in case. It’s not a tournament, so you just need to win that one match. Remember; it’s a tricky one, so don’t hesitate to back out if you change your mind.”
“Thanks, Angsho!”
Despite Lian’s casual way of disregarding titles altogether, Angsho didn’t get ruffled. It wasn’t how he preferred to line up his plans, but getting rid of Lian was worth throwing decorum out the window.
‘I’m super curious what face you’ll make that day!’
*
“In just two days, if you win the scheduled competition, you’ll be able to move to the floor you’ve been daydreaming about.”
“…! Really?”
“Yup.”
Iris bit her lip, looking down like a character in a coming-of-age manga.
Finally… finally… finally!
For Iris, who felt that one month stretched like a rubber band in hell, the rodent creature’s words were sweeter than candy in a desert.
‘I will win.’
And then she would see Lian. If that happened…
What’s she going to do once she sees Lian?
After all, he left her because he didn’t need her anymore.
Even if they meet again, he’ll probably be grumpy, right?
Who would want to hang out with someone as annoying as her?
Don’t you realize how horrible you are?
These thoughts buzzing around in her mind seemed like they’d settle down in no time. The cold blanket, flavorless food—all of it, everything, would go back to where it belonged.
“Lian…”
Iris whispered his name, more yearningly than ever. As the days both of them eagerly awaited passed, the competition day arrived.
Swoosh…
A red, poisonous fog filled the arena, blinding opponents and making everyone seem like enemies, just what the doctor ordered for chaos!
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