Chapter: 64. Entrance (Four Thousand Words)
In front of the fence at the Kom Gladiatorial Arena, the little girl responsible for checking tickets expressed that she was feeling quite exhausted.
Sigh… during wartime, there are always those who try to sneak in with homemade fake tickets.
They don’t have any money on them, yet they want to eat the free food provided inside and enjoy the matches as if this public place were their own home.
It wouldn’t matter if they fake the tickets, but if any of those fake tickets get discovered, the little girl would be held accountable.
Most of the audience inside the arena consists of nobles or wealthy merchants, and the management is quite strict, so every ticket must be inspected very carefully.
That’s why this job isn’t easy…
After meticulously checking the previous ticket, she was already a bit numb from work…
When suddenly, an ethereal and pleasant voice rang out.
“Hello, ticket checker!”
“Okay, okay, please pass the ticket here… huh?”
The little girl looked up at the countertop edge but saw nothing.
Wha… where is everyone?
Who is speaking?! Could it be a ghost?!
The little girl’s face began to pale, but just as she stood up to look down from a higher position, a snow-white, delicate little hand struggled to slap the ticket down on the counter, even politely pushing it in further.
Not long after…
Ms. Shaya’s cute little face finally appeared within the visible range of the counter as she tried her best to stand on her tiptoes.
“Whew… why isn’t the ticket being checked yet? Not a sound, either? Is this counter built for giraffes? They really don’t treat people like people!”
“Uh…! Sorry, sorry, little sister, I really didn’t see you, I thought it was a prank, just a moment, okay!”
The ticket-checking girl realized that the other party was not a ghost, quickly taking the ticket from the counter to prepare to check it.
I can’t afford to slack here; anyone who can enter the Kom Gladiatorial Arena to watch matches must be a noble child. Seeing how cute this little girl is and how beautifully she is dressed, she must belong to some noble family out for a playdate.
However, when the ticket-checking girl hastily picked up the ticket to examine it…
Her tired brows furrowed once more.
Whenever she frowned, it meant she suspected she had encountered another fake ticket.
In fact, she couldn’t even say it was a suspicion; she felt this had to be a fake ticket!
Tsk… she had seen so many counterfeit tickets, and this one was the most absurd and audacious.
On the surface, this ticket appeared flawless.
But if she flipped it over to check the back…
—How could there be such a large royal emblem on this ticket!
The emblem of “Sword and Blade” symbolizes supreme sovereignty in the kingdom, and anyone who sees this emblem must bow!
The ticket-checking girl admitted that she was frightened the moment she saw the emblem; her hand trembled, and the ticket nearly fell.
But just a moment later, she began to shake her head and sigh.
Sigh… this is precisely why the ticket is fake.
She had never heard of a ticket bearing the royal emblem.
What’s more, the VIP ticket-checking area is in the fast track next door; this is just a regular ticket-checking area, so even if it were a special royal pass, it couldn’t come through her line—those from the royal family are supposed to enter for free.
Ms. Shaya was already very tired from standing on her tiptoes.
She drummed her little hand against the edge of the counter, her childish voice soft and fluffy like cotton candy, delivering threats that had no intimidation at all.
“What’s the matter…! Isn’t this the fast track? Why is it so slow? Isn’t it about time?!”
Damn, standing here is simply torturous for Ms. Shaya; does this counter look down on short people?!
If someone from the dwarf race came here, they would probably showcase their construction skills to turn this place into ruins.
But the ticket-checking girl could only continue to shake her head.
Seeing this little girl so anxious, she was even more certain of her suspicion.
She was desperate to sneak in…
Looking around and seeing no one, the ticket-checking girl pushed the “fake” ticket back next to that little hand.
And began to speak kindly.
“Sigh… little sister, you’re so young; you should be an honest citizen of the kingdom… it’s impossible to take such risks or make such jokes. I’ve seen many fake tickets, but using a royal emblem is a capital offense… Come on, I won’t tell anyone; hurry and run! Find a place to tear up this ticket, and I’ll pretend you never came.”
“?”
“Shaya! Shaya! Where have you gone? Where are you!”
“Hmm…? Sister Xiya, I’m over here! You came just in time; quick, come see if the king is being stingy by giving you a fake ticket as a reward? This can’t be true, right? She said yours is a fake ticket!”
“Gasp…!”
The ticket-checking girl was nearly scared to death!
Little sister, are you saying this to get thrown into the desert for exile?
But… the little girl couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
King?
Reward?
Could there really be someone holding a fake ticket openly speaking like this…
Could it be that this really is…
She didn’t have to think too much.
Because the stunning golden-haired beauty rushing over had already left the ticket-checking girl utterly dumbfounded!
Hero… hero?!
Someone who has worked in the architectural circle of Kom Castle for years wouldn’t fail to recognize the hero.
Xiya hurriedly ran over and finally caught up with Xue Fei.
“Phew… I told you… if you don’t know the way, don’t run so fast; you’ve gone the wrong way. This isn’t the fast entrance; over there is the correct one.”
“Is that so…? I thought both sides were the same since there’s no one queuing here?”
“Because this time has already passed the peak queuing period… silly Shaya.”
“Silly? You’re calling me silly?!”
“Alright… we’re both silly, okay? Come with me this way, this passage doesn’t lead to the VIP seats; ah… right.”
Xiya was being friendly.
While taking her own Xue Fei, she didn’t forget to smile and thank the ticket-checking girl.
“Thank you for keeping her for so long; otherwise, we wouldn’t know where she went.”
“Ah…! I’m sorry for saying you had a fake ticket!”
“Hmm?”
What happened, Xiya was unaware.
Only later would she understand the situation from Xue Fei’s recounting, gently poking her forehead.
“You, you… really have no self-awareness, you ran ahead without waiting for me to speak. Things with the royal emblem can’t just be taken out casually; it’s akin to seeing the king in person. How can anyone believe you that this is real just by suddenly pulling it out?”
“But isn’t this a reward from the king? Aren’t there supposed to be a bunch of them? Is this thing really rare?”
“It’s not rare; you have one, I have one, and there are only two in the entire country.”
“Seriously…! Oh, that’s not rare then; there are two.”
“Still you, your mouth is quite tough.”
Poor Xue Fei, no matter what, she must cover up the fact that she took the wrong passage and lost face.
Only the ticket-checking girl had to bear the brunt of it.
She looked so pale… perhaps she’d need to take a break backstage before continuing her shift.
That’s why Xiya didn’t linger there just now; she quickly led Xue Fei away to avoid scaring the girl any longer; it’s tough enough.
This time, the two took a different passage.
The decorations on either side of this passage were clearly adorned with more bright golden colors, making it look splendid. This was the originally arranged VIP passage for nobles and royal families, leading directly to the best viewing seats.
Xue Fei slightly raised her hand, the dense soft light seemed to shine through her fingertips, making it dazzling and magnificent.
“Wow, that side is all dark and gloomy, while this side is all covered in Light Magic Stones. These two paths are so close together, but the treatment is like heaven and earth apart.”
“This is the kingdom’s tradition… there is an insurmountable gulf between nobles and commoners. Even the greatest merchants cannot walk through this passage. Over countless years, it has become customary, and no one finds it strange.”
“Except for us.” Xue Fei held her head and stepped forward, turning back to smile casually at Xiya.
“Xue Fei… hmm, that’s right, except for us.”
After all, we understand this world and do not have that so-called “countless years.”
Xiya wouldn’t utter any grand talk about changing this country.
She was actually quite selfish.
And this manifestation of selfishness…
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Xue Fei’s carefree smile.
Perhaps this smile was Xiya’s selfishness.
Wishing for her to always be so carefree—so long as those who hold fast to the status quo do not affect her smile, that would be enough.
If one day Xiya wanted to change those beliefs, it would undoubtedly be because they impacted this free smile.
Lost in thought, walking along…
The view gradually opened up.
Upon exiting the passage, rows of seats were neatly arranged around the oval Gladiatorial Arena.
Speaking of which, this architectural design closely resembles what Xue Fei and Xiya would have called a “football field” in their previous lives.
Except this venue wasn’t that bright.
The place was too large; even with abundant Light Magic Stones, it only managed to project an ancient feel, not appearing overly extravagant. As a viewing venue, it was quite appropriate.
As Xue Fei looked at the bustling crowd in this area, her gaze remained focused on the masks covering their faces.
“Why are there so many people wearing masks? Is tonight’s theme about masks? Xiya, should we go get some masks too?”
“No need.”
Xiya glanced around and noticed those wearing masks.
Most of them were wearing those long-feathered masks that only cover the eye sockets, leaving the eyes exposed without obstructing the line of sight. As prominent nobles, it was still easy to identify who was who, so it had no concealing purpose.
Taking out two identical long-feathered eye masks from storage magic.
After putting one on Xue Fei, Xiya also donned hers.
This little eye mask didn’t conceal Xiya’s beauty; instead, it added a bit of mystery and coolness to her!
“Xiya, you look cool!”
“Cool…! Really? Xue Fei, you look cute too, right?”
“Am I not cool?!”
“Well… okay then.”
It was hard to tell her that the little face wearing the mask not only lacks an air of mystery but also enhances a protective urge like that of a small animal.
If she said this, Xue Fei might bite her…
“This is just a very ordinary half-face mask; it doesn’t conceal any identity. But there’s a rule in public places like this in the capital: as long as nobles wear this mask, it means ‘do not disturb.’ They are here to focus on the matches for entertainment and have no interest in socializing. Well… the Demon Territory also has similar situations where high nobles use such activities to build relationships or negotiate trade, which affects their mood; it’s just not worth the trouble.”
“Oh, that’s true. In the past, when I participated in a fishing competition in the Demon Territory, some noble even came to ask me if I could introduce them to Father King; it made me so mad…! Can’t they see we’re fishing?!”
“Then… did you help introduce that noble?”
“Of course not; someone who can’t read the situation, what can they do when they arrive at the Demon King’s Castle? So, I threw him into the lake. Later, I found out he was actually the referee for the fishing competition, and that’s why I ended up catching fewer fish… it turned out to be his private revenge; so sinister!”
“……”
No, Xue Fei, it shouldn’t be that he was taking revenge on you.
It’s purely that your fishing skills were just too poor.
Ahem, that thought can stay unspoken as it is, can’t say it.
The VIP seats are located at the frontmost part surrounding the entire Gladiatorial Arena, with a generous distance between each chair, providing ample space.
If one were to carefully feel the flow of magic, they would notice a barrier of magic between the arena and the spectator area, protecting the audience from being affected by the battles.
Choosing a pair of adjacent double seats, Ms. Shaya carefully adjusted her skirt as she bounced up; the comfort provided by the high-grade leather immediately cheered up Xue Fei.
“Wow, human craftsmanship is indeed as advertised; it feels great! Xiya, Xiya, hurry and sit down; are we supposed to get the donuts ourselves, or will someone bring them to us?”
“Someone will come to bring them over soon, but… first, don’t worry about the donuts; you need to wear that eye mask, otherwise it’ll be troublesome.”
“Huh? What’s the deal? I’m not some big noble; even if they want to do business, they can’t find me here!”
Xiya was about to help Xue Fei readjust her eye mask that had fallen off when she jumped into her seat.
And in those brief seconds…
Xue Fei suddenly heard a few elegantly dressed, unmasked nobles approach and greet her from behind the seats.
“Count Shaya, how are you!”
“Count Shaya is here to watch the match today? What a coincidence!”
“Hahaha…! Count Shaya, young and promising, I wonder if you’re interested in seeing this… tsk.”
That last tsk.
Was because the mask had been put back on Shaya’s face.
This meant that Count Shaya didn’t want to talk to them or discuss any business.
After they dispersed, Xiya shrugged with an amused sigh.
“See? The enthusiasm of humans, isn’t it more fervent than that of demons, Count Shaya?”
“Gasp… I forgot that I’m still a count now? That awarding ceremony didn’t go through without a hitch.”
“The ceremony is just a formality; these nobles in the capital, who doesn’t know your newly promoted young… ahem, young count? Being an exception like this means a bright future, so many are waiting to get close to you.”
“I need to think of a way to give the title back!”
“Impossible; once a title is given and no major mistake occurs, there’s no possibility of taking it back.”
“……”
“Don’t think of making a deliberate mistake, okay? Even if you make a mistake, it’s hard for the king to take back the title, you know?”
“Damn.”
Count Shaya finally resigned to her fate.
She lay back down on the chair, stabilizing her mask properly.
Honestly, this thing truly works; even with Xiya, the hero, standing there, those nobles wanting to say complimentary words dared not approach, even if they ordinarily had no chance to meet a hero.
Wearing a mask and trying to converse would only attract trouble, working counterintuitively.
This little rule among humans is quite useful, huh…?
“Has the match started yet?”
“Soon.”
Xiya stood next to her chair.
Using her knee, she secretly nudged it closer to Xue Fei, making the two chairs completely pressed together.
“I estimate the time should be nearly here… oh, just as I said, isn’t someone coming now?”
“Hmm? Where, where?”
Before Xiya could point in the direction of the contestants entering…
The Light Magic Stones surrounding the arena entered a flashing state.
With the roar and applause of the entire audience, the concentrated magic light shone brightly on a man dressed in a tailcoat, holding an amplification magic stone positioned at the center of the arena.
It looked like tonight’s match was being hosted by him.
“Friends! Welcome to your arrival, and thanks to the merchant friends providing financial support for today’s Gladiatorial Combat Arena! Just a heads-up, tonight’s match will be particularly exciting, as we have mysterious masters competing who have never appeared in previous matches, so stay tuned!”
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