Vision 4 - Scammed (3)

I walked to the side of the platforms, observing the scene below.

Inside the arena, I saw a mature woman who looked to be in her late thirties, a girl in her twenties, and a large man with lion-like mane hair.

I cursed inwardly. I had thought this might just be a scam, but the Nubeculas had brought me to the dark underbelly of society.

In a place like this, something is bound to happen.

+

[ HaHa... Nubeculas are enjoying the show. I'll become more popular! ]

[ Don't worry, watchers! You'll get to see a good show! Our pair is extremely skilled with speed, and we also have their contender with great strength! You'll see a good show!! ]

[ NOW! Our contenders! The gods are watching! Give them something great to watch, and you'll get points! ]

Ah, there's an Employee. Even though I'd seen them in my dreams, no matter how many times I saw them. Those star-like tiaras look truly magical.

The Employee floating in the air looked incredibly handsome. It's obvious why normal people— lower existences—hold them in such high regard.

The man in the arena and the mature woman mumbled something to each other. I couldn't hear anything clearly, and the shouting from the platforms made it even harder to catch their words.

As the fight progressed, the giant man used his skill to create a tornado in his hand and attacked his opponents. I am still confused as to why the Nubeculas had brought me here.

+

[ The Nubecula 'Razel' is observing you. ]

[ The Nubecula 'Yael' is observing you. ]

[ The Nubecula 'Belzeebub' is observing you. ]

[ The Nubecula 'Kafzeil' is observing you. ]

+

What the hell are they doing just observing me? That bastard Kafzeil openly guided me here, but now he is staying silent.

The attack created dust clouds that covered everything. Once the dust settled, the female pair became visible first, lying on the ground. The man walked toward them, seeming reluctant to kill them at first, but then he raised his foot to crush the mature woman's head.

Again, the man and woman mumbled something to each other, but this time, the teenage girl's voice was audible.

She shouted, and her voice echoed throughout the stadium.

"No! Leave my mom!"

Looks like they're mother and daughter.

I glanced toward the astral projection of Persephone. She noticed my gaze and then looked at the mother-daughter pair.

"Maybe the Nubeculas want you to save them."

That seems like the only rational conclusion. I thought it might be about exposing this dark side of society, but I laughed at my own thought.

Nubeculas would never be that thoughtful, especially the high-ranked ones. But if they want me to save them, they must be special. Maybe the mother, or the daughter, or perhaps both.

But if they want me to save them, why aren't they commenting? Where is that bastard Kafzeil?

Anyway, I wasn't planning to do anything. Astral Persephone looked at me.

"Aren't you going to save them?"

Once again I turned to the beautiful, half-transparent woman beside me with a questioning expression.

Save them? Why should I save them? I am not originally part of this world, so I shouldn't even be here. If they died, that's how it should be. If I saved them, a person who was supposed to die would live.

I didn't want to meddle in the world's affairs in the first place. I only wanted to act when someone's death was necessary—or if their survival was crucial. But only after I had enough strength of my own.

In the arena, the man brought his foot down on the woman's head.

"NOOOOOO...!"

The daughter's scream echoed throughout the shed.

THUD!!

Just as the man lowered his foot, the door of the shed suddenly opened with a loud thud. At the open gate stood a tall man with a well-defined body, dressed in a military uniform.

Everyone turned to look at the man, who was accompanied by a group of people also in military uniforms. They had fewer stars on their shoulders, clearly indicating their lower ranks.

The arena fell into pin-drop silence. In the middle of the quiet, an old man from the platform spoke up.

"Shit! It's the Legion!"

Legion. Each country had its own military force, known as the 'Legion.' Their duty was to maintain order and ensure no injustice occurred within the country's borders.

People began to stir when they heard the old man's words. Fear spread through the crowd as they worried about being punished.

"Everyone, stay seated where you are. Anyone causing a disturbance will be arrested immediately."

The man's voice was calm—he didn't even raise it—but the people in the shed felt their souls go dry. The men behind him wore proud expressions, clearly respecting their superior.

No one dared to speak, and everyone sat back down where they were standing.

[ Wow. Nubeculas, see? We have our hero here to rescue the people in need! ]

[ Hehe... This will be an interesting scene to watch, right, Nubeculas? ]

The Employee's voice echoed through the silent arena, but no one responded. Who would talk back to the messenger of the gods when he was "reporting" to them?

The military man ignored the higher existence and walked toward the platforms, asking, "Where is the owner of this rotten place?"

The shed remained silent. No one wanted to risk being arrested for speaking out of turn.

As the silence dragged on, the man was about to order his subordinates to search the place when footsteps were heard.

Tak. Tak. Tak. Tak.

"Isn't it a bit much to call my place 'rotten'?"

A fat man walked down the stairs located in the corner of the shed, near the big door through which the military squad had entered.The fat man had half his stomach coming out of his belt, and he had a mustache with slicked-back hair. He wore a luxurious coat over a white shirt and tie.

The military man coldly looked at the fat man, his gaze as if he were staring at garbage.

"You're the owner of this circus?"

The fat man spread his arms, gesturing to the entire shed. "Yes. 'Circus' seems like a better word than 'rotten,' but I'd still prefer if you didn't call it that either."

The military man and his subordinates weren't interested in the fat man's preferences.

"We received information that illegal activities are happening here. Seeing this place, I guess we got the right information."

"C'mon, Officer, you have to follow the script. The Nubeculas are watching. See?"

The fat man pointed toward the open comment panel beside the floating man with a tiara on his head. Nubeculas' comments were visible on the panel.

[ The Nubecula 'Moloch': The military man needs to go. ]

[ The Nubecula 'Huehueteotl': I want to see another fight. ]

[ The Nubecula 'Toci': The fat man is right. Everyone should go according to the scene. ]

The military man glanced at the screen and then turned back to the fat man.

"We're here to punish you for your crimes. It's a royal decree."

The officer signaled his subordinates with his eyes. They nodded and began moving toward the fat man. The fat man raised his hands in defense and spoke.

"Wait a minute. May I ask what I'm being arrested for, Officer?"

This time, the answer came from a girl in the military squad. She was the first to move toward the fat man.

"Don't you know? You've violated several royal decrees and have been charged with coercion, affray, and crime victimization."

The fat man looked at the girl, who didn't even seem half his age.

"Little girl, I don't know the fancy words you're using."

The fat man was too calm, and the officer didn't like it. He suspected the fat man had a way to weasel out of the situation. This time, the officer spoke.

"It means forcing someone to do something they don't want to, a display of force by one person against another, and glossing over your crimes. Now, why don't you tell me what you're hiding?"

"Hehe... I knew you were a smart officer—or should I say, Marshal. Forgive me, I don't know much. You've explained my supposed crimes in a much simpler way than the little girl. Thank you."

The girl from the squad frowned at the fat man's words. She didn't like the nickname he'd given her, nor his implication that her explanation was inadequate.

"Why don't you tell us what's going on? We all have work to do."

"Indeed, we do. My fighting arena is on hold as well. To answer your question... they're slaves."

The word slaves made all the squad members frown. The girl, who already had a frown on her face, scowled even harder. The officer narrowed his eyes, understanding why the fat man was so calm.

Slavery was legal. It was a system established by the first leaders of the continents during the early days of the dark matter apocalypse.

During the apocalypse, people went rogue. To keep such individuals under control, the slavery system was introduced.

It was simple. Anyone caught killing for pleasure, stealing, raping, abusing children, or betraying country officials would be enslaved, along with their family members.

It was cruel, but it helped maintain order. The situation was more stable now, but the royals still followed the same rules set by the first leaders.

The squad was confused. If the people here were truly slaves, they couldn't take action against the fat man.

The officer, calmer than his subordinates, looked the fat man up and down and casually spoke.

"Okay. Give us a list of all the people you have and their official slave documents. Their slave marks alone won't be enough."

The corner of the fat man's mouth twitched. Of course, the people he had were slaves, but that didn't mean all of them were. He was hiding common poor people among the slaves. Slaves were expensive, after all.

The squad members noticed the change in the fat man's demeanor. The girl from the squad smiled and said, "Yes. You're indeed not a criminal. I'm sure you have all the necessary document to prove your innocence. Let's go. We'll personally escort you to your file room."

The girl looked toward her superior for permission. The officer nodded in approval. The girl and the rest of the squad followed the fat man to his mansion, where he claimed his file room was located.

The officer then walked around the shed, inspecting the people present. He quickly scanned everyone in one motion.

Fear, anxiety, and confusion were written on their faces. The officer's eyes fell upon the big man with brown, lion-like mane hair. He was sitting in the middle of the arena, head down.

The officer walked toward the fence, opened the gate, and approached the man.

"Why are you sitting in the middle of the ground like that?"

The big man lifted his head to see the officer in front of him. He saw a man in a military uniform looking at him with a cold gaze.

He didn't say anything and lowered his head again. Realizing the man didn't want to talk, the officer didn't press further.

He was about to turn and walk away when he heard a voice.

"Hey! You, big guy!"

The officer turned around and saw a man in a suit—the referee of the arena. The referee was running toward them. Before the referee could address the big man, the officer asked his question first.

"What happened here?"

The referee hesitated but tried to explain the situation.

"Well... there was a fight. This guy was fighting a mother-daughter pair. He was about to finish the match when you came and..."

The referee looked toward the big man and hesitated again.

"And?" the officer asked, his cold gaze fixed on the referee.

The referee couldn't handle the intimidating aura and spoke in a shaky voice.

"A-And the mother-daughter pair disappeared."