Bernard wasn’t like the Demon noble I had just killed before. He was the champion of Alerith and a Hero in his own right. He moved like lightning, and I barely managed to deflect his first attack, leaping back as I did. It all happened so quickly that I barely thought about it, but in a single move he was on the other side of the room and he was standing a few feet from Carmine. This caused my emotions to start to grow cold.

“Hmph… you’ve managed to block my first attack. It’s been some time since I’ve found a warrior who survived when I intended him to die.” Bernard said.

“I’m telling you, the miasma of this dungeon is confusing you!” I said, breathing hard.

“You’re wrong about that, Deek Deekson.” His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at me. “This battle has been coming for some time.”

“Deek?”

I realized only then that he wasn’t calling me human scum or something like that. He was referring to me by name as if this was personal. If it was his karma in control, he’d probably see me as Drakus, not Deek. Furthermore, his eyes looked clear. He didn’t have a foggy expression at all like he was just doing what the dungeon was telling him to do. That meant that he was doing this for a different reason entirely. Was it simply because we were rivals for the cup?

“I already said, the gladiatorship doesn’t matter to me. You can win it all you want!”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Hehe… you think this has to do with winning some championship?” He sneered. “This is about something far more important. This is about the woman I love!”

“Huh?” I blinked.

“Carmine?”

“Me?” Carmine’s eyes widened.

“S-seriously?” I asked, not feeling like I had heard him right.

He reached out and grabbed Carmine, pulling her to him. “Of course! Since the first moment I had seen the Shiny Knight on stage, I had always felt emotions for her. That’s why I made sure to watch every single one of her matches. Then, when she took off her helmet for the first time, it was love at first sight! Who could not fall for this woman’s absolute beauty and radiance!”

“Ahh… that’s nice… I do try to always look good.” Carmine blushed.

Even if Bernard had somehow managed to fight off the Miasma affecting his heart, and his feeling for Carmine were real, that didn’t mean the opposite was true. Carmine had already confessed that her emotions were being altered, and the way she was blushing next to Bernard caused my heart to feel enraged. I was doing everything in my power to remain civil without attacking him and cutting him down that instant.

“Let go of her! What is it that you want?”

“Whether I let go of her or not, that isn’t for you to decide, you Slave Master!” His voice was filled with vitriol, especially as he spoke those last words.

“You know?”

“How could I not know that you enslaved this beautiful woman! You have the job Slave Master. I’ve seen you prance around with your other women you bully and rape. To manage so many, you would have to be a Slave Master. That’s also why Carmine was able to remain so strong. Your job gave her strength she didn’t possess on her own and forced her to fight at a level that she shouldn’t be fighting at. The way Slave Master’s treat beauties like her, it’s disgusting!”

“I’m keeping her safe!”

“You’re using her!” He cursed back, spit flying as he shouted. “What do I want? I want to free her from your slavery! I want to make her my wife! Carmine will be mine!”