Butler Bernard stared at Aurelia blankly, wondering what kind of nonsense his Young Miss was up to today.
“...What led you to that conclusion, Young Miss?”
Aurelia smiled and pointed at the men beside her, “These uncles claim to know a young girl with sword skills surpassing Mister Orien! If that’s true, I must have her as my maid!”
No ripple of emotion swept over Bernard’s face. He shifted his gaze towards the men, examining them carefully from head to toe. Although he wanted to scoff, he remained composed, as any good butler would.
“Young Miss, it’s not good to believe everything someone tells you.” He gestured toward the men, “How would these gentlemen know anything about Master Orien? I don’t mean to belittle you three, but the Mercenary King isn’t someone that just anyone can meet or see.”
One of the men waved his hands dismissively, not taking the butler’s words to heart. “You’re correct, sir. Usually, I would’ve never had the chance to meet Master Orien, but one day I was lucky enough to witness his prowess from afar.”
Bernard fixed him with a penetrating gaze, scrutinizing his face for any signs of deception. The man squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze but still had more to say. Gritting his teeth, he spat, “Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a bit, saying the girl was more skilled than Master Orien, but she has at least reached his level! There’s no doubt about that! Ask anyone else, and they’ll say the same thing!”
Bernard’s face finally revealed a hint of shock as he stared at the man. He could find any falsehood, but his words were too outlandish for him to believe. ‘A mere child is as skilled as Master Orien? Impossible!’
He glanced at Aurelia, and seeing the calculative light in her eyes, he knew she hadn’t taken their words at face value.
‘It seems you’ve taught her well, Master. The Young Miss is well on her way to inheriting your mantle.’ A soft smile spread across his face, but it disappeared just as quickly. ‘Alright. I’ll let the Young Miss take the reigns on this one. I’m also curious to see if this rumor is true.’
“If what you say is true, where may we find this young lady?” Bernard asked, but he squinted his eyes when he saw the men acting weird.
“Err… Ummm… S-She’s the opening act in the Gladitorial Battles at the Black Market.”
““...What?!””
Bernard and Aurelias couldn’t contain themselves and shouted out in shock. The girl he was talking about was a slave?! How ridiculous is that?!
“Do you seriously expect me to believe that, old man?” Aurelia growled like a fierce little kitten. The man shrunk back, not because of her, but who her father was.
“I-I’m not lying! I promise! If you want to check her out, go to the black market first thing in the morning tomorrow. She’s the opening act every single day.” After saying his piece, the man and his friends took off running.
“Hey! Wait!” Aurelia waved her fist in the air, calling out to them, but they didn’t stop running.
“Should I fetch them, Young Miss?” Butler Bernard asked.
Shaking her head, Aurelia replied, “There’s no need. From the sound of it, this information is pretty well-known. If we want to know more, we can just ask around.”
Bernard nodded, then grabbed Aurelia’s arm. “It’s time to head back to the house, Young Miss.”
Aurelia was about to complain, but then she remembered the information she had just received and stopped. A pout formed on her face. “Fine! But tomorrow, we’re going to the Black Market to check out this child prodigy! For now, gather all the information you can about her.”
Bernard bowed respectfully, “Yes, Young Miss.”
***
The next day, Aurelia walked into the black market with Bernard. Aurelia donned a cloak to conceal her face, while Bernard dressed inconspicuously in a plain shirt and trousers to avoid attracting undue attention.
While her family held a lot of power in this Kingdom, that doesn’t mean they weren’t without enemies. Anything could happen in a place like the black market, so it was best to stay low-key. Though, with Bernard with her, not many could touch them, to begin with.
“I believe that we should have brought more bodyguards, Young Miss,” Bernard grumbled, but Aurelia just waved him off. He sighed once again, feeling a headache coming on, “You’ve never been to the black market, but this place is not for the faint of heart—especially the Gladiatorial Battles.”
Aurelia tilted her head, confused, “Isn’t it just a couple of slaves fighting? What’s the big deal?”
Looking into her innocent eyes, Bernard knew that her definition of ‘fighting’ wasn’t the one he was thinking of.
Sighing, he turned his attention to the arena, “I just hope the Master won’t be upset with me that I brought you here.”
“Don’t worry, Butler Bernard. When Father returns from his trip, I’ll tell him I forced you to accompany me. I’m sure he’ll understand.” Aurelia tried consoling her butler, but her words only made him feel worse.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Before he could refute her, someone walked out into the arena. It was a girl who looked no older than ten years old. She had wavy, fiery red hair, two little black marbles for eyes, and a cute yet fierce face. There was a slight frown on her face, and her brows were furrowed, but her gait and the look in her eyes really caught the butler's attention.
Her steps were firm and full of confidence, while the aura she exuded was one of a sharp focus with a slight murderous intent. The sword in her right hand swung by her side as if it was natural for it to be there. She looked like a warrior heading off to battle, yet confident in her win.
Bernard narrowed his eyes as he examined her from head to toe. ‘That’s not a look a child should have. What sort of life has she been living until now.’ He couldn’t help but wonder.
““It seems like the rumors weren’t as exaggerated as I thought.”” Bernard and Aurelia said simultaneously.
They turned to look at each other and smiled before turning their attention back to the red-haired girl.
“What information did you find about the girl, Butler Bernard?” Aurelia asked.
Bernard cleared his throat and replied, “Her name is Mika. She’s ten years old. She was captured in the Noxious Jungle a few weeks ago, but her origins are unknown. Her record is 27-0 in the Gladiatorial battles. At the same time, her strength is estimated to be somewhere around the Middle-Stage Bronze Realm. Lastly, her nickname here is the Sword Oni, and apparently, she finishes most of her battles in a single slash.”
Aurelia’s eyes shined, but at the same time, her brows furrowed, “Is that really all there is to know about her? I refuse to believe that a girl with such strength at her age could just pop up out of nowhere.”
Bernard shook his head. “I couldn’t find anything else. I’ve even run a facial scan to see if she matches any missing persons reports from the surrounding countries, but nobody came up. In fact, I couldn’t find anything even by only searching for the name ‘Mika.’”
“How peculiar,” Aurelia mumbled, her eyes flashing in Mika’s direction, but she didn’t speak her thoughts.
Soon, Mika’s opponent came out of a gate on the opposite end of the arena. He was a tall, muscular man with scars all over his body and a greatsword by his side. The pressure he released was one of a bloodthirsty killer, which he used to try and scare Mika, but her expression never once changed.
Rather, she looked at him with boredom, as if he were just a roadside bug, not worth her attention.
Aurelia and Bernard found themselves more and more interested in her, wondering if she had the skills to back up her confidence or if it was needless arrogance.
The announcer's voice boomed overhead, interrupting their thoughts about the upcoming fight.
“Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to another exciting battle featuring our rising star, Mika, the Sword Oni! Facing her today is Steel Mountain, Jax. I’m sure many of you have seen him before, but he has won over 100 consecutive battles by crushing his opponents with his massive greatsword! Please place your bets now.”
Aurelia’s eyes shined hearing that last sentence, and she looked at her butler. Bernard, seeing that look, suddenly got a bad feeling.
“Should we bet?” She asked, feeling jittery. Her senses were tingling that this was her chance to strike it big.
Bernard’s heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. ‘Master, please forgive me for taking the Young Miss to this place.’
“Wait. I don’t need your permission! I’m going to bid.”
Aurelia ignored her butler and took out her phone. She quickly pressed a few buttons and placed her bid within seconds.
“Err… Young Miss, how many zeros did you just enter?” Bernard gulped, feeling his throat go dry, seeing the amount she entered.
Aurelia smiled proudly and showed off her phone to Bernard, “I went all in on Mika, of course!”
‘NOOO!!’ Bernard’s lips twitched, but he really felt like pulling out his hair. Aurelia just bet her life’s savings on Mika, which was no small number. In fact, he wondered if the black market could even pay her back if she won.
‘No, they’ll certainly be able to pay her back, but it’ll set them back years.’ Bernard sighed, ‘I just hope this all blows over smoothly.’
He doubted those from the Black Mask Guild would dare to harm her as the only reason this place can exist is because the merchants allow it to. If Aurelia’s father were to step in, he could effectively dismantle this place with only a few words.
‘It seems she really wants that Mika girl.’ He glanced at the redhead, who still seemed disinterested, ‘Though, I completely understand how the Young Miss feels. That girl is quite peculiar.’
“...”
The announcer went silent for a while, probably shocked by Aurelia’s bet before they coughed, “...Let the battle begin!”
Jax stood on the other side of the arena and pointed his greatsword at Mika. “Don’t think I’m like those other fools you’ve faced, little girl! My muscles are made of steel, just like this sword.” He said in contempt while flexing his muscles.
Mika just yawned, not caring about anything he said. Not wanting him to keep blabbering, she waved her hand at him, “Yeah, yeah. All of you idiots say the same thing. Just come at me if you’re so tough.”
Hearing the evident disdain and boredom in her voice, Jax growled, “Fine! If you want to die so quickly, who am I to deny your wish?!” Releasing a guttural war cry, he raised his sword and charged at Mika like a bull.
Mika raised her head, studying her opponent carefully before letting out a disappointed sigh and shaking her head. “Why do you muscle-brained idiots always choose big swords and use wide swings? You’re just asking to get stabbed in your stomach.”
Jax snorted, “Heh! You think that tiny sword can pierce my iron muscles!?” He then lifted his greatsword and roared, “EAT MY SWORD!!”
Once again, Mika shook her head and sighed, “I thought you said your muscles were made of steel, not iron.” She waited until he was almost in range of her, then lowered her knees and shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
“What?!” Jax shouted, but before he could even think about doing anything, Mika had already jabbed her sword all the way through his stomach, skewering him. Blood immediately filled his lungs and throat, and his mind went blank. “Eh?”
Without giving him an ounce of mercy, Mika cut horizontally through his stomach, severing his spine and removing half his stomach from his lower body.
*Shing!*
As the man lost all feeling in his legs and fell to the ground, Mika swung her sword at his neck, decapitating him in one fell swoop.
“Sigh… is this place only filled with idiots or what? When will someone give me a real fight?” Mika muttered, but they could hear her since the whole place was silent.
“...”
The crowd watched Mika return to her cell and couldn’t help but think, ‘Damn! Why does this girl always trash talk after she has already won the battle?!’
Meanwhile, Aurelia, while she wanted to throw up at the sight of a man dying before her eyes, was also ecstatic that her bet had paid off.
‘I must have her!’ Her eyes burned with passion as they stared into Mika’s lonely retreating back.