“Alright, so the format of today’s championship is simple. There will be three themed events, each one testing an aspect of the Master/Slave relationship. Within each event, will be three different challenges. The one who wins 2/3 wins the event, and the one who wins 2 events out of 3 is ultimately the victor. You will pick one slave per challenge, and you cannot use the same slave twice within an event. Do you understand?”
I nodded, and Lord Tibult gave the Prince a respectful bow. This advantaged me slightly, as I had 5 slaves to choose from. Meanwhile, Tibult would have to use all three slaves for every event. Princess Eliana was sitting at the edge of her seat, looking down at the pair of us excitedly. The Prince had an amused expression on his face.
“Since we’re starting, then I’ll let you take it away,” Lord Tibult suddenly turned away from the stage and walked back to sit in a comfy seat he had carried into the arena just for himself.
A much older man with a gnarled face walked forward, shooting the three women a sharp look. Salicia and Carmine both winced under his glare, but the mysterious third girl didn’t react in the slightest.
“Wait…” I frowned, “What is this?”
A smug expression appeared on Lord Tibult’s face as he sat comfortably. “Why… this is my Slave Master! He was difficult and expensive to bring here from Imperial Cloud Meadow. Slave Masters are exceptionally rare in Aberis.”
“Hmph… the only reason I came was because of the promise of the elf. I will get the elf when I win this competition!” The man spoke forcefully, not even seeming to give the Lord any face.
Lord Tibult’s face flushed red, clearly not expecting the man to so casually reveal this detail. “O-of course, once she is transferred to me, you can have her!”
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“What is the meaning of this?” My expression started to darken.
“Is it not obvious?” Lord Tibult’s smug expression quickly returned at my distress. “I only have a few levels in Slaver, so naturally I hired a Slave Master. He’s level 52. With him, these slaves have so many buffs and advantages that you won’t even have a chance to win!”
The crowds, even those who were initially favoring Lord Tibult, were quickly turning on him. Many people openly booed.
“You have to be the slave’s owner!” I shot a look at the prince. “This is unacceptable.”
“Hmph!” Lord Tibult’s expression turned even more arrogant, “Accusing me of cheating again? It’s amazing how much a commoner confuses cleverness and intelligence with being unfair. The slaves are mine. Anyone knows that high-level Slavers and Slave Master’s can us the skill Joint Slave. Could a noble of high standing be expected to direct his slaves in the fields all day? Would he provide another man with thousands of gold worth of product just on trust? This isn’t simply known, it’d be expected that someone of my standing would hire a skilled person to manage my slaves. That is, of course, what a good master would do!”
His words were like daggers without any semblance of an argument I could mount. He managed to completely tear apart my rebukes in an instant. The crowds muttered and yelled angrily, but Tibult’s skin was thick. Suddenly, hands slamming on a chair angrily silencing the crowd as Princess Eliana stood up. Her expression was furious and she was glaring at the back of her brother.
“Brother! This can’t be tolerated! This is an absolute mockery of what you’re trying to accomplish here!”
“Tell me what rule I have broken, princess?” Lord Tibult responded sweetly.
The princess shot him a disgusted look, but when she realized she didn’t have a response, she looked down. Her eyes shot to me, the person she had been rooting against, and suddenly her expression turned complicated.
The prince let out a sigh, “I’m sorry sister, but he is right. What he has done is not against the rules. He may use a Slave Master!”
The mutters died down. No one would try to argue against the prince’s decision. As for me, my uneasiness only grew. My biggest advantage, the fact that my Slave Master gave my girls bonus abilities, had been completely demolished. In fact, he was a much higher level than me, and the bonuses he gave his slaves would likely be many times more!