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Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (LN) - Volume 12 - Chapter 11




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Chapter Eleven: Perfect Hidden Justice 

It was the day after Filo and Melty set off on their journey to train. I gathered up the slaves from the village who had been making an earnest effort to level up, and I used my portal skill to teleport us all to Zeltoble. When the old lady had gotten back to the village, she told me that it would be good practice for them if they fought against some unfamiliar opponents, like mercenaries. She said they were at least strong enough to fight in the coliseums now. 
“Bubba! Bubba! Do we get to fight here?!” 
Keel was excited. We were watching a duel at a coliseum in Zeltoble. 
“Yeah. This is the open coliseum, so it’s relatively safe. I want you all to fight hard, but do your best not to get injured too.” 
“Sure thing, bubba!” 
“Keel, do you really understand?” asked Raphtalia. 
“Of course! I don’t want to get injured and get left behind!” 
I was glad that Keel seemed to be in her usual good spirits. 
“Besides, with Sadeena here, we’ll be fine no matter what happens!” 
“Oh my!” 
“Yeah, I’ve heard she used to rake in the money here in Zeltoble. Speaking of which, where’s S’yne?” I asked. 
Apparently, S’yne hadn’t noticed that something was happening when we were dealing with the dragon incident recently. She had been asleep or something. Sheesh . . . She was never around when we needed her the most. Maybe she would have come if I’d called her though. I guess it was partially my fault for forgetting about her. She may not have even been able to teleport to that corrupted mountain in the first place. 
“I hear little S’yne is busy in the underground coliseum,” Sadeena replied. 
“Does she ever take a break?” 
“And of course, she’s donating half of her profits to you, little Naofumi.” 
“Nice! Keep it up, S’yne!” 
“You prioritize profits too much, Mr. Naofumi,” Raphtalia said. 
“An impressive attitude, Mr. Naofumi!” Atla exclaimed. 
“What part of that is impressive?!” Raphtalia retorted. 
 
The two of them went back and forth in their usual manner. 
By the way, Fohl had realized just how weak he was and went out to train with the old lady. On top of that, he’d apparently asked for the no-holds¬barred course and the old lady got really excited or something. The group of slaves with me now had nothing to do while the old lady was out, which is why I’d brought them to Zeltoble to fight in the coliseum. 
We were at the coliseum that the slave trader managed. The bets here were on the small side, but we still had to pull some strings to participate, just like when we had fought Sadeena. My slaves had stat adjustments. They were far stronger than their levels would imply, and their histories had to be touched up a bit too. The Lurolona slave price bubble had burst, but they were still being traded on the high side. 
“Fehhh . . .” 
“Rishia, are you still making that pathetic sound after all of your training?” 
“I . . . I can’t help it!” 
Her talents had finally blossomed, but she was still the same useless Rishia. Sheesh . . . I’m sure we would have been able to defeat the Demon Dragon a lot easier if she had been there. Whenever faced with an opponent bent on world domination, Rishia’s true powers would awaken and she’d defeat the enemy like some kind of heroine saving the day. 
“Alright, everyone. Be careful while you’re out there fighting,” I told the slaves. 
“Okay!” they shouted back in unison. 
I left the slaves with Sadeena and the rest of us made our way to the gallery seating. 
The tournament that we’d entered was a short one that would only last one or two days. In general, the open coliseum was meant to entertain guests with straightforward fights. That’s why there was a greater emphasis on rules than in the underground coliseum. There were all kinds of restrictions, like level classes and only being able to use dulled weapons. Of course, you never knew what might happen since betting was still part of it. The current tournament had level classes, and killing opponents was strictly forbidden. It felt more like a sports tournament than underground fighting. 
I considered having Raphtalia or Sadeena enter, but it was likely that someone would recognize them, so I decided to hold off on that. As for myself, this tournament was one-on-one matches only. I might have been able to win without breaking the rules, but you couldn’t win by forcing the opponent out of bounds, so I decided not to enter. Even though I couldn’t attack, I might be able to win by restraining the opponent, but that would be a real hassle. It made more sense to just have the slaves get some real-world fighting experience. 
 
“Alright, we’ll be watching from the gallery. You all do your best!” 
“This way, Shield Hero,” said the slave trader. 
He had been silently standing nearby. He led us to our seats in the gallery. On the way to our seats, I caught sight of the other contestants getting ready for their matches. The majority of them looked like degenerates. Many of them had brutish or muscle-bound appearances too. 
And then I saw it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. 
“I . . . Itsuki?!” 
“Huh?!” 
“Feh?!” 
There was Itsuki, mingling with the other contestants like he was just another ordinary mercenary. When Raphtalia and Rishia heard my outburst, they looked over and saw him too. They both cried out in surprise. 
“Is something wrong? Yes sir.” 
“No, it’s just . . .” 
I explained to the slave trader that Itsuki, the Bow Hero, was here in the coliseum. We needed to talk to Itsuki before we did anything else. S’yne’s adversaries were trying to kill the holy heroes. I wasn’t going to let Itsuki slip through my fingers here. 
“Let’s see . . .” 
A brawny man whose face was concealed by a piece of cloth brought the slave trader a list. 
“Contestant #982. He’s registered as Perfect Hidden Justice.” 
I almost fell over backward. Perfect Hidden Justice? That had to be a joke. That was so blatantly obvious that it would have sent even the most delusional escapist running back to reality. Even I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. 
“Can we talk to him?” I asked. 
“Yes, I can grant you permission under my authority.” 
The slave trader instructed his assistant to take us to the contestant waiting room. I didn’t want to alarm Itsuki, so I approached casually and greeted him. 
 
“Hey. Long time no see,” I said. 
“Mr. Itsuki!” exclaimed Rishia. 
Itsuki just stood there vacantly and showed no sign of responding. 
“I . . . Yes . . . Everyone . . .” he mumbled. 
“Hey,” I repeated. 
“Everyone is counting on me. Yes. Everyone . . . is counting on me. This prize money will help save people.” 
“Are you listening?!” I shouted. 
Itsuki just kept mumbling to himself quietly. It was hard to make out what he was saying. He had a vacant look in his eyes. I couldn’t even tell where he was looking. 
“I . . . I’m not inferior. I’m . . . Actually . . .” 
“Hey! Listen to me!” I shouted at him. 
“Mr. Itsuki! Umm . . . I—” Rishia began. 
I grabbed Itsuki by the shoulders and shook him back and forth, but he showed no response. I heard the sound of a gong echo throughout the coliseum. 
“I . . . fight for justice!” 
“Mr. Itsuki! Ahh!” 
Itsuki shoved Rishia out of the way and sprinted off, as if he hadn’t heard a word we said. 
“What’s up with that jerk?” I grumbled. 
“Are you okay, Rishia?” asked Raphtalia. 
She had caught Rishia before she fell. 
“Fehhh . . .” 
It was like we didn’t even exist to Itsuki. 
“So . . . I looked into that contestant a bit more, and it seems he’s been making the rounds at all of the Zeltoble coliseums for a while now. Yes sir.” 
“Really? This is the first I’ve heard of that.” 
“Yes. I’ve been told that he started showing up a day or two after you left Zeltoble.” 
We’d just missed each other! That put me in a mood to complain. 
Still, I don’t know what had happened to him, but something was clearly wrong with Itsuki. It probably had something to do with losing to the Spirit Tortoise coming back to haunt him though. That was easy enough to guess. That reminded me, the queen had mentioned receiving several eyewitness reports from when he fought the Spirit Tortoise. Going by those and what Kyo had mentioned, Itsuki’s party had a falling out. 
 
When the coliseum matches began, I focused on Itsuki’s match. I’d assumed that attacking from a distance would be much more advantageous for Itsuki than close combat. But the rules restricted combat to a small area. An opponent would be able to close the gap in a flash. That would make using a bow disadvantageous. Regardless, Itsuki was advancing through the tournament with ease. He actually seemed pretty skilled at one-on-one combat. 
But there was something strange about his expression. And every time the audience cheered, he threw his hands into the air and howled ecstatically. Was that really Itsuki? The Itsuki I knew was a bit more reserved. He was a hypocrite who was always trying to act like a real man of character. 
“Fehhh . . .” 
My slaves were fighting in a separate tournament, so I wouldn’t have to worry about them getting hurt. But I still needed to figure out how to take him into custody. Also, something about the way his bow looked really bothered me. 
“How can we take him in without letting him get away?” I wondered out loud. 
We’d already figured out how to interfere with the portal skills. Magically generating a magnetic field in the area would cause the portal skills to malfunction. It would be possible to keep him from running if we used ceremonial magic, like Sanctuary or Judgment. 
Luckily for us, this was Zeltoble, the country of merchants and mercenaries. If I gave the order, I could have the slave trader arrange to obstruct portal usage in the coliseum Itsuki was fighting in. But if we did something that went against the rules, it was likely that Itsuki would feel threatened and run away. And things could turn really bad if he took hostages from the audience and started getting violent. 
Just as I expected, the slave trader wasn’t prepared to agree to a plan that might result in people getting injured in a coliseum full of visitors. He said we’d have to be extremely careful and make advance preparations if we were going to try anything. 
“We can just knock him out, no questions asked, and then take him into custody,” Atla said. 
“Why are you always so violent?! Jeez . . . We should at least try talking to him, right?” Raphtalia replied. 

 
“Yeah. I’d like to take him in on amicable terms, if possible,” I said. 
More of S’yne’s old enemies might have still been hiding out in this world. We couldn’t know when or where to expect them. I wanted to convince Itsuki to stick with us, if possible. 
“Mr. Naofumi, perhaps we should try to find out what he’s after by talking with our fists. I’m sure we would be able to get through to him that way.” 
“What are you, Atla? Some kind of martial arts master?” 
It was hard to believe she was a sickly little girl not too long ago. Everything she said made it sound like she only knew how to think with her fists. At least her brother had a little common sense. 
“Mr. Itsuki . . .” 
Rishia was watching Itsuki fight with a really worried look on her face. Hmm . . . 
“What do you think we should do, Rishia?” I asked. 
“I . . . I . . .” 
Rishia put her hands together like she was praying and spoke hesitatingly. 
“Mr. Itsuki seems very troubled. I would like to help him resolve whatever is bothering him.” 
“Even though he discarded you like a piece of trash?” 
Incredible. Rishia must have been some kind of saint. Her devotion was unwavering. Itsuki sure was a lucky guy. 
“Either way, it seems like Itsuki is fighting in the coliseums to earn money.” 
I had the slave trader do a bit more digging. He confirmed that Itsuki had been fighting day after day to earn money in coliseums around Zeltoble, both open and underground. It was clear that he wanted money. But we still hadn’t been able to figure out where he was staying. It was probably a good idea to look into why he was trying to make all that money too. Knowing Itsuki, I’m sure he was fighting to fund some kind of hypocritical scheme or something. 
Maybe I would tail him and see where he went after the tournament ended. Or maybe we could lure him out somehow later. 
“Hey, Perfect . . . I’m going to beat you this time!” 
Itsuki’s opponent spoke to Itsuki. 
“No, the victory will be mine again.” 
 
“Like hell it will! I’ve seen all of your attacks now!” 
Oh? It seemed like Itsuki would respond to his opponents. So the reason he had ignored us earlier is because he had been focused on the tournament . . . perhaps. But I could tell that something was off by the look in his eyes, even from a distance. His bow looked strange too. It was an unnaturally pure white, and yet it had a really sinister design. I could sense a strange aura coming from it. 
“So we can assume that he’ll respond during combat . . . I guess,” I wondered out loud. 
“Naofumi!” Rishia called out to me. 
“Umm . . . I . . . I want to talk to Mr. Itsuki. So please, let me fight in the coliseum!” 
“I think that’s a good idea. I have a bad feeling about that weapon of his,” said Raphtalia. 
She nodded in agreement with Rishia’s proposition. 
“Isn’t that pretty much the same as Atla’s idea? Then again, it did work for Ren. I guess we should try it sooner than later this time.” 
“In that case, I have a suggestion, Shield Hero.” 
The slave trader seemed to have a plan. 
“What’s that?” 
“There’s an underground fight arena that isn’t being used tonight. You could lure the Bow Hero there and then capture him. Yes sir. I could give him a written invitation when I present him with the tournament prize money.” 
Something seemed off. I couldn’t help but feel like there was some kind of ulterior motive at play here. 
“Let me guess. The queen is offering a reward to anyone who assists with the capture of a hero or something, right?” 
“Impressive! You understand our true intentions well. My hat’s off to you! Yes sir!” 
“There’s nothing impressive about it . . .” 
His intentions were painfully straightforward. 
“You better not try to turn this into a hero-deathmatch spectacle or something. I can’t guarantee anyone in the audience will make it out alive.” 
“Of course. I will ensure that no guests are invited.” 
The real problem would be if he had unlocked a curse series. Eclair had been able to get through to Ren, but there was no guarantee the same thing would work for Itsuki. 
 
“Is it possible Itsuki might think the invitation seems too good to be true and not come?” 
“I suppose it is possible. Yes sir.” 
Still, it would be a good way to get him to talk. If he did show up, we could just make it look like a real match and then ask him what was going on . . . Right? 
“What about the rules?” 
“The Bow Hero seems to prefer one-on-one matches. Yes sir. There have been exceptions though. I’ve been told that he has fought alone in team-battle tournaments when the prize was large enough.” 
Hmm . . . In that case, inviting him to a one-on-one fight in the underground coliseum would be our best bet. If we made it a team-battle tournament with a huge prize, it was possible that he would get suspicious. That would be risky. It would be completely pointless if he didn’t show up. 
“Alright. Since you say you want to talk to him, Rishia, you’ll fight him in the first match. Then it’s our turn. I’ll take care of filling out the audience with fake onlookers.” 
I’d just use the village slaves. We could put Sadeena or S’yne in the lineup of fighters, and that would make it all the more appealing. 
“Understood! Thank you!” 
Rishia thanked me. I gave her a small wave to say it was nothing. 
“I hope you’re able to talk some sense into him and convince him to come with us,” I said. 
“Me too!” she replied. 
“What would you like us to do?” Raphtalia and Atla asked, looking at me questioningly. 
“If Rishia happens to lose, you can go fight next and just pretend like it’s a coincidence.” 
“Understood!” Atla exclaimed. 
“Not you, Atla . . . You stay in the gallery,” I replied. 
I was afraid she might end up killing Itsuki. 
We went about setting up a fake tournament to lure Itsuki out into the underground coliseum. Itsuki was given a flyer along with his prize money, and we had someone follow him back to his place. That was a partial failure though, because his tail lost him in a crowd on the way. But we did have a general idea of where he was staying now. 
 
The underground coliseum that the slave trader prepared for us was a cozy little arena in the basement of a small tavern. It felt like the kind of place where you might expect to see underground wrestling or something. There was nothing there but a barely adequate waiting room and a slightly cramped arena. 
The slave trader had arranged for several magic users to cast a ceremonial magic spell called Sanctuary on the arena. That would make it impossible for Itsuki to flee using his portal skill. The invitation that Itsuki was given clearly specified that would be the case. If he noticed anything strange going on, he was likely to run. We needed to be extra careful about not making him suspicious. 
Itsuki had showed up earlier that day, completely unsuspecting, and registered himself as a fighter. He was standing by in the waiting room now. Luring him there really had been so simple that it was almost disappointing. 
“Luring him out was a success, but we still need to find out what he’s doing here and why he’s trying to make money,” I said. 
“You really did find Itsuki?” Ren asked. 
I’d returned to the village earlier and brought Ren back to Zeltoble with me. I figured there was a chance Itsuki would listen to Ren, even if he refused to listen to me. The two of them had been fairly close and talked with each other frequently before, apparently. Ren agreed to come without hesitation too. 
“Yeah. Rishia is going to fight him in the first match. After that, I want you to go out there and try to talk to him, Ren.” 
“Got it! I’m sure that Itsuki . . . is suffering just like I was.” 
Ren was eager to do as I told him. I guess Itsuki was in the same type of situation he’d been in, after all. He probably wanted to do whatever he could to help out. 
“You’ve got this, Rishia.” 
Raphtalia was trying to encourage Rishia, who nodded enthusiastically in response. 
“R . . . right! This time I really will do my besht!” 
There she went with that annoying, cutesy pronunciation. I would’ve thought she’d be taking things seriously now, of all times. But maybe that’s just what made Rishia who she was. 
“Rishia, go show Itsuki how strong you’ve become. Show him that you’re more than strong enough now.” 
 
“I will!” 
Rishia responded enthusiastically to my encouragement. 
It was true. She was more than strong enough now. She’d really blossomed, both stats-wise and skill-wise. From joining our party at the Cal Mira islands, to training with the old Hengen Muso lady, and even taking on Kyo in her awakened state during the Spirit Tortoise incident, she had never given up on fighting. She’d gained self-confidence from everything that happened in Kizuna’s world, and she’d experienced a real life-and-death battle. 
Rishia had changed. She wasn’t the same person that Itsuki had used as an errand girl. Now was her chance to show him that. The gong sounded and Rishia started walking to the arena. After seeing her off, Raphtalia, Atla, and I headed to some ringside seats with a good view. 
“And now, a faceoff between Perfect Hidden Justice and Rishia Ivyred! Let the battle . . . BEEEEGGIIIINNNN!” 
The same announcer from when we fought Sadeena shouted out and gave the signal to start. I was surprised he’d agreed to take part in a fake tournament. My slaves all started clapping loudly. I’d ordered them to get out of there immediately if anything went wrong. Sadeena and S’yne were there to help guard them though. They would be able to buy them some time, even if things turned ugly. 
“Mr. Itsuki!” 
Rishia called out to Itsuki. He was mumbling to himself under his breath, but he stopped and looked up, his gaze fixed on Rishia. 
“Oh? So my opponent is Rishia? This will be an easy win.” 
Rishia was clearly a nobody to Itsuki. 
“Mr. Itsuki! Please listen to me! The situation is extremely serious! Your life is in danger! Please listen to what Naofumi and Ren have to say!” 
Rishia pointed over to me and Ren at our ringside seats. I waved at him, just to let him know I was there. All of a sudden, Itsuki’s expression grew incredibly grim. 
 





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