"Wait... I'm a gladiator?"
Disbelief crashed over me as I looked at the staff member, hoping that I had just misheard him.
"..."
The staff then met my gaze with a deadpan expression, utterly unamused.
"Haaaa..."
He let out a long, tired sigh before glancing down at his papers again.
Then, with complete indifference—
"Yeah, you're a gladiator. Congrats."
He said it so casually. Like it was nothing.
Like he expected me to be happy about this.
Well—
'I'M FUCKING NOT!!!'
I screamed internally, barely stopping myself from shouting it out loud.
"But I'm just sixteen years old. Aren't I supposed to be a servant?!"
I mouthed the words, trying to make sense of this nonsense.
"..."
The staff's face twitched in irritation.
And then, with an annoyed tone—
"Listen here, kid... I don't care how old you are."
He declared that.
His voice was sharp and harsh.
"I don't care about your background, your gender, or your race."
The staff continued without hesitation.
"Master Jeff put you in the gladiator section. I have nothing to do with it."
His tone was final.
"So whether you like it or not, I don't care. And I can't do anything about it."
Then, after a short pause, his gaze darkened.
"And you can't do anything about it either, because at the end of the day..."
He locked eyes with me, his voice firm.
"You're just a slave."
That final sentence hit like a slap to the face.
"..."
I had no words.
No argument.
I realized now what's my place in this world at the moment.
And before I could even try to protest again—
BAM!
"Gah?!"
A sharp force shoved me forward.
And of course, it was a guard.
"Move it!"
He barked from behind me.
'Fucking hell...'
I cursed in my head, gritting my teeth.
But as much as I wanted to fight back, as much as my gut burned with frustration—
I couldn't do anything about it. Not right now.
So—
"Fuck..."
I just muttered that under my breath.
And then, with no other choice—
Tap- tap- tap—
I started walking toward the right gate—toward my fate.
*****
CREAK—
As soon as I stepped through the right gate—
"Hmm, another young one, huh."
A deep voice greeted me.
I looked up—
Then I saw another guard stood there, arms crossed, eyes scanning me with mild interest.
'Another?'
I wondered internally. Did that mean there were other young fighters?
But before I could even think too much about it—
"Come on, don't make this harder than it needs to be for the both of us. Just follow me."
The guard said it as if it were a casual stroll.
And before I could even respond—
Tap- tap- tap—
He turned around and started walking away.
"..."
For a split second, I considered attacking him.
His back was turned. If I struck fast enough at the back of his head, I might be able to—
'Nah.'
I immediately pushed the thought away.
Even if I could take him down in one hit—
What about the other guards?
I glanced around. The place was crawling with them, there are a lot more outside too.
Even if I managed to knock this one out, I wouldn't get far. I'd be caught in seconds, and then—
'I'd probably just die sooner.'
I concluded in my head.
And so silently—
"..."
Tap— tap— tap—
I just followed after the guard without saying a word.
"I'll think about how to escape this place later."
I whispered to myself.
...
...
...
After walking for a while—
We finally stopped in front of—believe it or not—another fucking jail cell!
This time, it was made of steel. Thick bars, solid walls. No cracks, no splinters, no easy ways out!
'Great... And I just got out from the wooden one not even an hour ago.'
'Is this a promotion?'
I thought sarcastically, already annoyed.
Then—
CREAK—
The guard I was following unlocked the cell door and swung it open.
"..."
He just stood there, looking at me.
"Haaa..."
I let out a long, defeated sigh.
And without saying a word—
Tap—
I stepped forward.
But the moment I passed the guard—
"Wow, you're obedient, huh... And just a few moments ago, you were considering attacking me from behind."
He suddenly muttered that casually!
It took me a second to register what he said.
"...!"
Then my eyes widened in shock!
My feet froze in place!
And before I could even open my mouth—
"Don't let out too much malicious intent, kid."
He followed that.
"Veterans like us—guards, warriors—we can feel it... Heed my words if you want to survive in this place."
His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it.
"..."
I was silent.
Dumbstruck.
Then at that moment—
"Now, go in."
His tone shifted back to its usual disinterest.
"I don't know why you're in the gladiator section... You're young, probably the youngest fighter here. But that's that. Do your best to survive."
He said.
And after that—
"Hup!"
"...!"
Before I could react, he gave me a small shove—not too hard, not too soft.
Just enough to make me stumble forward into the cell.
And as soon as I got in—
BAM!
The heavy steel door slammed shut behind me.
Then—
"Hmm~ hmm~ hmmm~"
The guard simply walked away, humming as he go.
"..."
I just stood there, watching him disappear down the dark hallway.
Then—
"Ah! A familiar face!"
A loud voice suddenly called out behind me.
"Huh?"
I turned around, confused.
And there—
"Hello!"
I saw Damian.
Smiling.
Like I hadn't beaten the crap out of him in the carriage just a few days ago.
'Did he forget already? Or is he just pretending?'
I narrowed my eyes slightly, but Damian didn't seem bothered at all.
Tap- tap- tap—
He casually walked up to me, his grin never fading.
And as soon as he reached me—
"Ahh, I'm so glad I saw someone I know... I was nervous earlier, being the youngest here and all."
He sighed, glancing around the cell.
'So, he's in the gladiator section too, huh.'
I followed his gaze, taking in our surroundings.
"..."
There were fifteen of us in the cell. All of them looked just as lost as we were.
'Newcomers, just like us, huh...'
Then my eyes landed on something else.
'There are women in here too…'
They didn't even bother separating us by gender.
Not that it mattered nor do I care.
"Hey, why are you so silent? Are you nervous now that you're the youngest?"
Damian suddenly asked, tapping my shoulder.
"..."
I just stared at him, unimpressed.
"Don't worry! Let's stick together so they don't pick on us."
He said it so confidently, like we were some kind of a team.
"..."
I still didn't respond.
Then, after a few moments of silence—
"Haaa..."
I just let out a sigh.
"Whatever."
Pat—
Then without another word, I walked to the corner of the cell and sat down.
"Hmm, that's right... Let's stay together."
Damian, ever persistent, followed me like a lost puppy.
'I guess having him around is better than being alone…'
Still, that didn't mean I trusted him. Not completely.