70 – Climbing-5
“Trade… You mean?”
It was fortunate that it wasn’t because of a dispute, but the words that came out instead were completely out of the blue.
“I don’t intend to entrust you with a grandiose task. But, no matter how much you are a man… If you have a relationship with the imperial family, you won’t lose anything.”
“…Why?”
Her expression hardened a little. I urgently explained the meaning of my words.
“No, I’m asking because I really don’t know. Is there anything good about me being involved with the imperial family?”
She wasn’t the first time she and I had met, and she couldn’t have known that I was serious about her sword fighting.
I vaguely thought, ‘This will be helpful,’ but nothing came to mind when I asked the question, ‘So how?’
“That’s…”
“If you ask me to stop being a gladiator, I will refuse.”
At least, not until you hug Dana.
Even after that, I had no desire to give up easily. Because I did it with my own strength, and it was an achievement.
Later, after I am old enough, I don’t know if I retire at all, but I had no intention of quitting this job right away.
“To begin with, I don’t know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
At least, you should know why I am needed by the imperial family.
Since you said it was a deal, you wouldn’t intend to give me anything for free. Considering her actions, that’s also something I’m more wary of.
“I don’t intend to overdo it. I just want to get Evan’s help when I need to welcome a foreign guest or promote the imperial family.”
“A distinguished guest… Publicity? As far as I know, the perception of gladiatorial combat didn’t seem that good.”
It wasn’t too long ago that I had an argument with people who burned their eyes to make sure they wouldn’t do such a ‘vulgar’ thing.
Now, it was not easy to think that I would be needed in such a place.
“That’s… Generally within an empire, but culture differs from country to country. In some countries, there are people who think that strength equals beauty.”
At the words of the princess, I nodded.
“Even if you are a man, not many people can come into contact with the women of the imperial family. Especially if your status is ordinary.”
“Hmm…”
“You will be able to meet noble women that even an ordinary man would not easily meet. I promise you.”
I remember her only by the way she pecked me every day, but her Iris was her princess.
Just ‘Can you introduce me to a younger brother you know?’ Just by asking the question, you will enter the place where the princesses of each country meet.
“That’s…”
“I suspected Evan based on my guess, so it also contains the meaning of an apology to some extent.”
“I’m not too keen on it.”
Scratching my head, I passed her proposal with a smile.
“…Why?”
“It’s just that I’m not too keen on it.”
I’ve never met people called princesses, but, well, they must be pretty.
The Iris in front of me right now was also insanely beautiful, so she must have been pretty enough to go half that way.
“If you want to meet someone of high status, she will have that much restriction…”
However, the moment I entered this world, I didn’t have to meet people looking at their appearance.
Not only Dana and Florence, but Jerry and Marie, who are said to be of ordinary level, and many other gladiators were all beautiful.
If I had to choose between a person with 30 points and a person with 90 points, I would definitely choose the latter, but there was no one in the world who scored less than 90 points for looks.
I thought I would be able to have a satisfying meeting even if I grabbed anyone on the street and went hunting, but I didn’t have to pick a ‘better woman’ carefully.
“If you have a high status, he/she expects a lot… I don’t know if I can match it.”
If you have to be more beautiful than my current girl, there will be a difference between 90 and 91 to 2 points.
Maybe, it’s not that much of a difference, it’s literally just a difference in taste between 90 points written in red and 90 points written in blue.
“…But, it seemed like he didn’t want too much from a woman.”
“Well, that’s something I don’t know.”
If you look at the appearance like that, what remains is the personality and memories.
Of course, Iris wasn’t wrong. Looking at what men in this world do to women, I thought that no matter how badly I was treated, it might not be something to worry about.
But, aside from that, it wasn’t a very attractive option.
Being married to a woman of noble status has no merit to me.
Above all, if I met a woman here, I wanted to date someone I knew.
Anyway, if it’s a person who looks similar, I want someone I know even a little bit more.
I like a person who can understand me even a little more, a person who I can understand even a little more.
Since I am a man in this world, I think I can choose this much.
“If it doesn’t help the sword fight immediately, I will politely decline.”
“…Might help.”
“Yes?”
“Recently, I heard that you are worried about the protesters.”
“I solved it for now, but that’s it.”
“As you may know, the Pungi Guard must have moved.”
Even if it was something I knew, hearing it from Daisy’s mouth and hearing it from the princess’s mouth were a bit different.
“I wouldn’t expect too much help. I don’t know the details, but…”
Maybe this was plan B for her.
“Did he say during the season? Back then, he was told he shouldn’t be taking up too much time.”
“Then…”
“I heard that you calmed down the rumors surrounding you by linking up with the noble family. Imagine doing that at the imperial family level.”
“Hmm…”
“If the Punggi Guard were the opponent, it would be difficult for me to provide much help as an individual rather than the entire imperial family. But…”
“You mean, if the whole imperial family helped, things might change.”
That’s what he said, it wouldn’t mean that he really persuaded all the women in the imperial family.
“After a while, there is an imperial family event. Simply come out and show your face.”
“Hmm…”
It wasn’t such a bad idea. Rather, it could be said that the conditions were too good for me.
“But, will Logan just let me go?”
To some extent, I understood.
Since men who can fight are rare, he seemed to be saying that if he could use it according to the situation, he would be fine.
However, realistically, there are still many barriers to overcome.
“As you said, we’re on season. Right now… I don’t want to be tied down anywhere.”
The Punggi Guard was, of course, a threatening entity, but it didn’t seem like it could stop my sword fight right away.
The people I had to fight with were the gladiators right next to me, and I couldn’t afford to put too much energy into things not related to sword fighting.
“Sorry…”
“Still, it’s not that I don’t have an idea, so if I need anything, please contact Daisy first.”
“Thank you for your positive thoughts. Enough then.”
After finishing her words, the princess left without looking behind her and left the door closed.
“Well… It doesn’t matter.”
I looked at her from the back, and then I lay down on the bed in her hospital room.
/////
‘…It was dangerous.’
Iris was breathing lightly.
From noble mtl dot com
No matter how much she was the princess, it was a dangerous moment that she might have to risk political damage if this incident became known to the political authorities.
To come silently into the room of a half-naked man whose upper body is covered with a bandage.
It was fortunate that he pretended to be calm and talked about work. Had her mental powers been a little less, she might have been speechless.
“Is it normal to live in an environment like this…”
When she said that she was treated the same as other gladiators, she thought it was an exaggeration.
“There must be room for attack. Wouldn’t it be nice to know…”
It was an incident worthy of trembling with shame when the Punishment Guards saw it. To put unnecessary women next to a defenseless man like that.
Thinking of the gladiator who casually left his hospital room, it didn’t seem like it happened once or twice.
“…”
It’s the upper body, but it was the first time I saw a man’s naked body.
“Ha.”
A muscular man. In a combination she had never imagined, she had no choice but to shut her mouth and catch her breath.
Because she had just used up her lifelong composure in a conversation, she didn’t even have the strength to hold back the self-talk flowing out of her mouth.
She was the princess who desperately remembered whether she had said her words correctly and that she hadn’t made any mistakes, but no matter how much she tried to recall her memories, she couldn’t remember what she said.
“…”
But then she shook her head and brushed off her thoughts.
There was another man she had to serve. She said she had no intention of betraying Logan.
“…I guess I’ll have to start preparing.”
As I focused on what I had to do, I was able to calm her trembling heart a bit.
Now that it was almost clear that he wasn’t a spy, it was time to decide what to do with the man who had the strength of a ‘reasonable knight’s apprentice’.
If he couldn’t break it, he had to use it. Because he was too precious a national resource to leave as it is.
As she pondered what events he could participate in, she could feel her concentration breaking as soon as she left the Colosseum.
I have to go home. To her house, where Logan is waiting.
At some point, it wasn’t very pleasant.