“Chaos Frame has been destroyed by a great, great calamity. The evacuation of the residents should have been handled by Yorna, but beyond that…”

The voice of the girl, with her round eyebrows and downcast eyes, was filled with sorrow.

I thought she was a child who hardly expresses her feelings, and indeed, her expression did not quite scream sadness. But anyone who doesn’t see this as sorrow must be a fool.

Subaru may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he certainly didn’t want to be a fool. So, he resolved to take Tanzer’s words seriously and empathize with that pain.

However—

“Haha, a calamity that would demolish a Magic City is quite an extravagant claim! It’s amazing how even while I’m stuck on this island, the world continues to bustle with various developments. I should be careful not to fall behind and be unwanted!”

“Hey, Cecilus, could you just be quiet for a minute?”

“Huh? Did I say something again?”

The person trying to advance the conversation, ignoring both Subaru’s inner turmoil and Tanzer’s heartache, was the Fake Cecilus, who was now receiving a glare and tilting his head in confusion.

Seeing him be so indifferent both in front and behind ‘Spalca’ was surprising and disappointing.

Considering how many times he had coldly tried to hear Subaru’s last words, it made it all the more frustrating.

“…Still, if Cecilus hadn’t woken Tanzer at the end, it wouldn’t have worked.”

“Ah, you owe me no thanks in that regard. At that point, Bassu had already won; giving the last push was just a bonus. Besides, it was a gamble whether this girl would wake up or not!”

“You don’t need to worry me.”

As the stern-faced Subaru listened, Fake Cecilus was being falsely modest. Hearing this, Tanzer lowered her head slightly, and Subaru felt that he couldn’t say anything in return.

—Subaru had broken through the dangerous welcome ceremony on Gladiator Island, known as “Spalca”.

They had gone through a seemingly endless challenge and managed, just somehow, to sever the lion’s neck, but it must be said that they couldn’t have achieved it without Tanzer and Fake Cecilus’s help.

Had it not been for Fake Cecilus waking Tanzer up at the end, and Tanzer beheading that lion with the sword stuck in its neck—

“I couldn’t say how many more times we would have failed.”

Of course, they couldn’t stop until they succeeded, so giving up wasn’t an option. Still, the presence or absence of motivation would greatly influence the outcome.

And depending on the scenario, it was entirely possible that not everyone would survive.

If it had ended up like that, he wouldn’t have been able to regret it enough.

“Vaits, Hiaine, and Idra all worked hard together.”

Cooperation had been difficult, but losing any of them would have meant not surviving.

The fact that all of them had survived was the best result for Subaru. It made him feel like he could truly act like a leader, which in turn boosted his confidence.

This was exactly the kind of confidence that allowed him to proudly say he was the son of Natsuki Kenichi.

“Schwarz?”

“Oh, sorry, sorry! I was just thinking a bit. So, um, about Chaos Frame…”

“—Yes. We want to return to help with the restoration as soon as possible.”

“…Right. I want to reunite with everyone too.”

Once they returned to the original topic, Tanzer, with her head bowed, looked incredibly pitiful.

Worrying about family and homeland was natural; Subaru shared the same feelings. Knowing that Chaos Frame had fallen into a terrible situation while he was oblivious made it feel all the more urgent.

Everyone who was separated from him—especially Lui—he worried if she had not been found by the troublesome Abel.

If Yorna was with her, he believed she would surely protect Lui.

“——”

The anxious-looking Tanzer had returned to her kimono from when they had seen her in the Magic City.

From what he heard, Subaru had apparently slept through a whole day right after “Spalca”. He woke up in the healing room, having been informed by a toothless old man claiming to be a healer that he had no particular health issues, but he felt mentally weighed down.

Still, he couldn’t dawdle about.

“The other three… what about Vaits and the others? Have they woken up yet?”

“Oh, those three are already awake and back in their own rooms. Apparently, they’re all in the same room. As for me and Schwarz, we’re in the same room too, and then…”

“Yes, yes, that’s me. This is the room that Bassu first woke up in, so that’s our shared quarters. I’m really glad that someone else is finally here with me—well, it’s more like I dragged myself up!”

“You dragged yourself…?”

“Just don’t worry about it too much. It’s a story about me and Tanzer falling into the lake.”

Now that he mentioned it, he did have a hazy memory of desperately trying not to drown.

Whether he crossed the lake in one go or had nearly drowned a couple of times was a blur, but that part wasn’t particularly important, so it was pointless to think on it.

Anyway, he was relieved to hear that the other three were safe. It couldn’t be helped, but during ‘Spalca’, he had learned various details about their situations.

Cheaters, cowards, and frauds—none of them had a personality to brag about, yet each of them had their reasons for acting cowardly, cowardly, and fraudulently.

“Right, just like how I’m Superman, huh?”

“Oh? You seem quite brimming with confidence. That’s definitely a vibe I like; it’s much better than brooding and worrying. It doesn’t exactly suit a side character or a commoner, right? Bassu should be carrying himself with dignity!”

“I don’t plan on indulging in your storytelling brain, but I agree.”

After all, it wasn’t good to dwell too much on negativity.

Somehow, it felt like Subaru had been a tad too passive in dealing with various matters until now.

In any situation, being passive allows others to take charge. It didn’t matter if they were someone he hated or just fate; it all felt the same. Recently, it seemed like fate was getting a bit too cocky.

“From now on, I’ll aim more actively and greedily toward my goals!”

For now, Subaru’s immediate goal was to escape this island.

He wanted to leave Gladiator Island and return to Chaos Frame with Tanzer. Of course, his ultimate goal was to leave the empire and get back to where everyone was in the kingdom—

“But if I get caught up in those grand goals, I’ll trip and fall flat. Even summer homework should be completed one piece at a time. You can’t write a whole diary at once.”

Though he looked casual, Subaru was the type to diligently do his summer and winter homework.

Sometimes there were classmates who would come back without doing their homework after the break, and he couldn’t understand the courage and thought process behind that.

He felt a bit irritated at losing to their bravery and creativity.

“But doing my homework makes me the better person…”

“—Schwarz-sama, may I have a moment?”

“Huh?”

With his chin resting in his hand while he nurtured his self-esteem, Tanzer timidly called out to Subaru.

When she captured Subaru’s gaze, she gestured towards Fake Cecilus beside her. Then, while looking at him casually swinging his legs on the bed, she said,

“About this person… um, is he really Cecilus Segmunt?”

“Hmm? Oh, he’s just a wolf boy who keeps insisting he is.”

“Ahahaha, he just called me a wolf boy! And what do you mean by that? If you mean a werewolf, cut it out! I surely have my charms, even if it’s true I can’t seem to connect the dots sometimes, right?”

“Sorry, but I’m not quite following you.”

Overwhelmed, Subaru instinctively voiced his confusion and clutched his chest.

If he closed his eyes, he could picture the lovely face of a girl. Next, he could also recall the important faces of everyone. Still, he was aware that the drawer of memories felt securely locked.

He couldn’t continue this situation for much longer.

“Setting aside Cecilus’ careless joking, what exactly is bothering you, Tanzer? Since he’s a famous general from the empire, it wouldn’t be surprising if there’s a brat who lacks the sense to pretend to be him.”

“That may be true, but… I once saw Cecilus before, and he looks remarkably similar…”

“You’ve seen him before? The real Cecilus?”

“Yes, Cecilus Segmunt. He was once an assassin sent after Yorna.”

Tanzer claimed she had seen the real deal, and upon hearing her words, Subaru remembered tales he had heard before. Apparently, because Yorna kept scheming, multiple ambush squads were dispatched against her.

However, now that he knew the type of person Yorna was, Subaru’s impressions had flipped completely.

“Trying to kill Yorna? That’s one seriously bad dude…”

“Yes, Cecilus was a true villain… no, what’s important is that although there’s an age gap, this Cecilus resembles the other.”

“Looks similar? Age gap?”

“Yes. I wondered if perhaps they could be siblings.”

Hearing Tanzer speak about both Cecilus, real and fake, Subaru stared intently at Fake Cecilus.

He hadn’t thought of that possibility. In fact, it wasn’t a train of thought he should have even entertained. After all, he had never met the real Cecilus and couldn’t judge whether they resembled each other or not.

Yet, having someone who knew the real deal present was an unfortunate turn of fate. Forced to give in, the lying Fake Cecilus would reluctantly acknowledge the fib he had told—

“No, no, that’s not it! I’m an only child; I don’t have a resembling sibling! Certainly, there’s a chance my father had a son after I left, but given the flow of conversation, you’re saying he would be my brother, right?”

“That’s right, but you’re stubborn…”

“That’s quite unfair! However, there is reasoning behind it! If I had a brother or a sister, my father would’ve had to kill them! And if I had a younger brother, then I’d be dead at his hands! So with me being here, it means neither brother nor sister can be alive at this moment! What do you think?!”

“……What do you mean?”

The reasoning was delivered with an insistence that left Subaru unconvinced.

According to that explanation, it sounded as if Fake Cecilus’s father was cursed to only ever have one child. Regardless of the truth of it, it seemed like a curse would be a far better situation to consider.

Subaru wanted to believe that the lying Fake Cecilus had only layered more lies upon lies.

However—

“The more confidently he states something, the more I’m starting to believe it. What do you think, Tanzer?”

“……I think I want to follow Schwarz-sama’s thoughts on this.”

“Hmmm, that’s quite a significant responsibility.”

Feeling entrusted by the modest Tanzer, Subaru stroked his chin, pondering.

The bafflingly goofy expression of Fake Cecilus, who was tilted in confusion, wouldn’t reveal the answers to this conversation about his family environment.

What was essential here was merely deciding whether to trust Fake Cecilus or not.

If he chose not to, he’d treat Fake Cecilus as just another wolf boy and leave it at that.

However, if he chose to believe, it would mean no brother existed for Fake Cecilus and that Tanzer’s testimony about Fake Cecilus looking like the real one would be all that remained.

And, if he firmly believed both this testimony and Fake Cecilus’s self-identity—

“This might sound scary to ask, but, Cecilus, have you perhaps shrunk?”

That was a possibility he genuinely wanted to deny but couldn’t avoid addressing.

If the Subaru who stood here was the grown-up version before he shrank, perhaps he would hesitate to ask after contemplating various implications. But since he was now the post-shrink version of Subaru, it wasn’t an appropriate subject to carry unresolved doubts about.

He thought that if he asked and angered him, he’d just apologize and move on with a light-hearted question.

However, at that point, Fake Cecilus’s eyes widened slightly.

“Shrink? Me? Ahahaha, that’s a funny thing to say, Bassu! If someone’s body shrank like that, it would be so amusing, wouldn’t it?!”

He laughed heartily, and Fake Cecilus cheerfully patted Subaru on the shoulder.

Subaru found himself deeply troubled by the implication of his statement.

“Which is it…?”

Whether he was just pretending not to understand, or if he genuinely didn’t comprehend, the question remained. If he was indeed playing dumb, was he on purpose or was his subconscious muffling his thoughts?

Subaru himself felt the effects of “infantilization,” where pieces of memory were drifting away, so it wasn’t unthinkable that Fake Cecilus had similarly forgotten a few things for the same reason.

But if that were true, it meant that Fake Cecilus had forgotten even that he had shrunk, leaving a puzzling situation before them.

How could it be possible?

If he had undergone the same infantilization as Subaru, was this Fake Cecilus’s mental state the endpoint of Subaru’s journey?

“That darn old man…! I mean, has Cecilus also been shrunk by Orbart?!”

If that were the case, it would be a major incident—a major incident among the Nine Divine Generals.

It was a situation he didn’t want to consider that Orbart could perpetrate this, but he also didn’t want to think that someone else could possess such a nonsensical technique.

Naturally, he wanted to believe that it was indeed Orbart who had shrunk Fake Cecilus.

“Wait, so you mean Cecilus isn’t Fake but the real deal, and the one who shrank the real one was Orbart, and that makes Cecilus my end point?”

“Uh, Schwarz-sama, are you alright? You seem quite confused…”

“…I’m okay. I’m really confused, but it’s also coming together really well.”

If one were to hear the chaotic thoughts tumbling from his mouth, it seemed like a mess, but around the back of his mind, he managed to narrow down the situation to about two possibilities.

One was that this Fake Cecilus was actually the real Cecilus Segmunt in a “shrunk” state thanks to the wretched Orbart.

The other, on the contrary, was that the real Cecilus, using the opportunity of resembling his appearance, was a punk kid who manufactured a convincingly elaborate lie about his wolf boy identity.

“Let’s keep both the punk kid and the old fart in the back of our minds.”

“Oh? That sounds rather intriguing. Mind sharing with me the details?”

“Nope. It doesn’t seem like it would mean anything to Cecilus.”

“Hahaha! Such a nonchalant attitude! While your views can be rather selfish, I strangely like that direction!”

Instead of getting mad at the dismissal, Fake Cecilus seemed genuinely pleased—tentatively still Fake Cecilus for the moment—but perhaps his reactions provided a good respite.

Considering he already had plenty of worries, having a person he didn’t have to worry about was a rare commodity.

“For the time being, let’s put Cecilus on the back burner for now, Tanzer. Whether he’s real or fake, he still can’t be relied upon.”

“……That’s true. He’s someone who tried to harm Yorna, so personally, I can’t feel any goodwill toward him.”

“Your honesty and straightforwardness are appreciated. Now then…”

Upon reaching a certain conclusion, Subaru shifted his mindset.

Having woken up, he could no longer monopolize the bed within the healing room. He’d probably head toward the room Tanzer had been discussing that now accommodated the three of them.

But before that—

“I’d like to feed my rather empty stomach. Look, my stomach has been making very sad noises for a while now.”

So while he rubbed his belly, Subaru made an exceedingly brazen request on the island of captivity.

△▼△▼△▼△

—There’s a saying that one cannot wage war on an empty stomach.

Moving forward, every obstacle Subaru and his companions would face would be a fight of sorts. To tackle these, they needed to be completely fit in body and spirit; otherwise, they might be frozen in place when things got serious.

They shouldn’t be reckless just because they felt the need to sleep less and act more freely.

“I remember having more stamina before shrinking, so I used to partake in such antics. If I misjudge that, I might suffer the consequences.”

For that reason, he’d like to prioritize both meals and sleep when the opportunity arose.

Apparently, due to the fatigue from “Spalca,” he had inadvertently slept a whole day, so he was determined to take that as a golden opportunity to restore his energy.

Thus, it was time to have something to eat, following the lead of Fake Cecilus—

“……Eat up, Schwarz. This is your share.”

With a thud, a large plate was placed in front of him, and Subaru’s eyes widened at the bone-in meat piled high.

When he looked up in confusion, a tattoo-covered face narrowed its brow as if to say, “What now?” Yet, Subaru was the one wondering that very thing.

Being treated like this without any explanation, he had no idea how to respond.

“Vaits, that’s way too much, don’t you think? Look, Schwarz is frozen in place.”

“Huh, isn’t that what I’m trying to not do? Honestly, there’s no need to pile this much food onto such a little guy. We could just share it… Ouch!”

“The allocation was decided through discussion… if you bend the rules, convince me otherwise…”

As that was said, he stabbed his fork into the tattooed fellow’s side, causing him to yelp and flee to the opposite end of the table.

Sighing at this, the rust-colored-haired Idra looked to Subaru with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Sorry for the racket, Schwarz. How’s your body coping?”

“…I feel fine enough. How about you?”

“We’re all good over here; thanks to you… thanks to you, really.”

Having corrected himself, rust-colored-haired Idra slightly bowed his head toward Subaru.

It wasn’t just Idra. The squabbling tattooed guy and the lizard man, as well as Vaits and Hiaine, all raised their hands or nodded to indicate their agreement with Idra.

Right then, Subaru found himself in a corner of the island that was opened to gladiators, equipped with tables and chairs used for dining in a great hall.

As soon as he entered the great hall, he had been cornered by three people, and before he knew it, he was led to one table where he was presented with a large plate.

Honestly, it was a bewildering turn of events.

“Did you save this for me?”

“Eh? What else would it be? You don’t seem to appreciate my hard work, brat… Oww!”

“Don’t claim it as if it’s all yours; I’ll wipe the floor with you…”

“I didn’t say anything, you punk! I’m just being kind!”

Pointing at the pile of bone-in meat, Subaru prompted another argument to break out right in front of him.

While not exactly a refined way to show gratitude, it seemed this was indeed a gesture of thanks. To receive such a feast, one could be really confused about how gladiators were treated.

“Even though you forced us to fight to the death, you let us eat until we’re stuffed…?”

“Technically, it’s not a fight to the death, but a death match. Plus, it seems that under Gustaf’s policy, if a gladiator is to die, it should happen in the arena; dying elsewhere proves the incompetence of the management. So, we do get to enjoy a significant amount of freedom.”

Nearby, Fake Cecilus nonchalantly pulled out a chair beside him.

Given his rate of brazen behavior, Subaru expected him to reach for his plate, but surprisingly, he didn’t do that. Instead, he poured water from a pitcher into a chipped glass and sipped it.

“Everyone thinks Schwarz-sama contributed the most, so it makes sense that a feast is set aside for him.”

“Tanzer… is that true for all of you?”

Hearing the words from Tanzer, who was sitting beside him, Subaru turned his surprised gaze toward the three of them, and Idra nodded deeply.

“What I just said is right; we owe our safety to you. On the night we survived the initial ‘Spalca,’ it’s customary for a feast to be given during that ‘gathering.’ Thus, for you to skip out on it feels entirely wrong.”

“Just so you know, I was the one who made the suggestion…”

“Hey, I had no intention of saving any food for the brat!”

As each took turns explaining the reasons behind the large plate remaining, Tanzer tilted her head at Hiaine’s last quip.

“Was it really you? Because if I remember correctly, the one who initially said they wouldn’t be worried about eating it all by themselves was you, Hiaine.”

“Huh!? I didn’t say that! I don’t know what you’re talking about! Hey, don’t you say that, you little brat, or I’ll make you regret it!”

“Enough, Hiaine. You can’t win against Tanzer; she’s the girl who chopped off Guiltilaw’s head.”

“I was fortunate to do so.”

Idra restrained them with a wave of his hand, and while Tanzer bowed politely, the backed-in Hiaine stumbled on his words, turning away in defeat.

This was indeed a token of appreciation from everyone.

“Very well then, I’ll gladly not hold back!”

“Oh ho, such a great appetite! Showing the ability to accept this much is also quite impressive!”

“Don’t push yourself too hard and upset your stomach…”

“Don’t worry; it’s quite the contrary! I’m known as the academy food fighter who eats the leftover meals meant for those at rest!”

Forcing drinks down kids who couldn’t drink milk was an everyday affair; brushing teeth was also an everyday affair! This was the battle style of the academy food fighter, Natsuki Subaru.

While the meat was cold and hard, its seasoning was quite decent, and he couldn’t complain. More importantly, the fact that everyone had saved feast for him was the best spice of all.

However, while Subaru gorged himself on the bone-in meat, Vaits shook his head, waving his patterned head in disagreement.

“Don’t get it twisted… I’m not worried about you…”

“—? So you just regret giving away the bone-in meat now?”

“That’s not it… it’s about the death match…”

“――――”

Vaits’s low words echoed heavily in Subaru’s mind.

Instinctively, he nearly dropped the bone-in meat, but Fake Cecilus snaked his hand over to catch it, promptly shoving it back into Subaru’s mouth.

“Mmmph…!”

“Calm down, calm down; you’re going to choke. By the way, that tattooed guy’s words regarding the death match are somewhat lacking. You shouldn’t worry; there won’t be a death match happening immediately.”

“Is that… really so?”

“Yes. So far, we haven’t received any notifications regarding death matches. However, it seems there’s no telling when we might receive word about one.”

After clearing away the remnants of the bone and discarding it onto the plate, Subaru glanced at Vaits, who nodded after hearing the additions from Fake Cecilus and Tanzer.

“I said that…”

“That’s not what you said! I thought we were about to be forced into fighting again!”

“It isn’t such a harsh environment; it’s what they say. The island’s owner changed, and they decided on a new policy. Until then, it seems Schwarz had been treated anxiously under a much more restrictive handling.”

“You mentioned a change… after it was Gustaf?”

As he questioned, Idra nodded, and Subaru reached for the next bone-in meat.

Picturing Gustaf’s emotionless face in his mind, Subaru tilted his head, pondering what sort of person he was.

He thought of how, upon waking Subaru, he had just been tossed into “Spalca” without regard.

He seemed to embody the cruel and brutal rules of the Volakia Empire, but far from it; the information he gathered suggested he didn’t immediately force gladiators into deadly fights.

“Or is it that he simply prefers to take things slowly?”

“One can certainly see he’s not one to act swiftly. In fact, it seems if Bassu hadn’t woken up, the three of us might have joined in on the ‘gathering’ for ‘Spalca.’ Had that happened, this meal would likely have been much darker in ambiance!”

“That’s not funny! Besides, why are you even here?!”

As Fake Cecilus laughed off Subaru’s comments, Hiaine jabbed a finger at him, barking.

To be fair, he was correct. Even though Fake Cecilus had helped Subaru and Tanzer get onto this island, that was merely the extent of their relationship.

“I’ve heard that every gladiator here has participated in a ‘gathering’ at least once for ‘Spalca.’ After that, they dissolve the ‘gathering’ based on their performances, but your ‘gathering’ is…”

“Ah, mine? You needn’t worry. Everyone besides me has already perished, and by a stroke of luck, I’ve already settled into the position of gladiator assigned to death matches.”

“What…?”

“And most importantly, I’m the strongest! No one can ever defeat me, so there’s absolutely no need for anyone to worry, ahahaha!”

With a pat on the knee, Fake Cecilus declared triumphantly, leaving everyone, including Subaru, at a loss for words.

Though, the reason for Subaru’s silence and the others’ silence was surely different, and probably deep down, Subaru and Tanzer also felt a bit different from each other.

Idra and the others probably saw Fake Cecilus’s statements as utter nonsense, while Tanzer harbored suspicions that Fake Cecilus was a blood relative of the real Cecilus Segmunt.

And Subaru, on the other hand, believed there was a possibility he was the shrunken version of Cecilus Segmunt, and if that were true, even in this form, Fake Cecilus might be the strongest.

If that were the case, having Fake Cecilus on their side would be tremendously advantageous—

“—but, Bassu, don’t look at me like that with those greedy eyes; it’s quite unbecoming!”

“Eh?”

“Individuals with potential standing above others mustn’t look at their peers with such vile desires; that’s not classy at all, and I’ll have none of it! If you want to flatter me, it requires actions, commitment, and, of course, a dramatic catchphrase!”

While he expressed himself, Fake Cecilus crossed two of the bones he picked from the plate in front of him to make an ‘X’ shape before Subaru, offering up an advice as if reading his mind.

Receiving such a phone issue, Subaru swallowed hard.

And then—

“…Even though you said actions speak louder than words, if you need a catchphrase, you first need words, right?”

“Ah! You’re right! I didn’t realize it! Well, that was quite unimpressive of me!”

With eyes wide open, Fake Cecilus leaned heavily back against his chair, then suddenly leaned forward. As Subaru stood frozen, he came closer with a beaming smile.

“Well then, my interruption has gotten a bit excessive. I have my own business to consider, important conversations to hold, and many ways to kill time, so I’ll take my leave here for now, but no worries—we’re still in the same room, so we can continue our chat there later!”

“Ah, ah, understood.”

“‘Understood’? That sounds perfectly dashing! Well then, ‘understood’!”

Lightly misinterpreting his own playful quip, Fake Cecilus waved his hand and rushed off without delay.

Though he had no real reason to stop him, Subaru was left staring, wide-eyed.

In reality, he hadn’t been much of an obstacle. It was preferable to be beside someone knowledgeable about the details surrounding Gladiator Island.

“Still, having him blabber five times more than necessary is draining.”

“Schwarz-sama, please return to your meal.”

“Ah, right, right! I need to recover my strength for sure.”

Regardless of Gustaf’s plans, he wasn’t going to sit still until the next death match.

After all, he had no intention of remaining a gladiator for long here. His goal was to take Tanzer and escape this island as soon as possible.

In the worst-case scenario, they might have to face off against Gustaf.

But if that happened—

“What’s wrong, Schwarz?”

“Well, I’m just worried about everyone. You think they could manage without me?”

“Huh? What are you saying? Don’t tell me you’re planning to escape? If that’s the case, give back my meat!”

Hiaine yelled, opening his mouth wide at Subaru’s anxious demeanor.

He thought the reprimanding was deserved, but Subaru had more important people to worry about than them. Perhaps he should even consider ways for all three of them, not just Tanzer, to escape together.

“…What if we all left together, instead?”

“Schwarz-sama?”

“Ah, sorry, sorry, I’m just thinking out loud. That’s a bit far-fetched.”

Even in his own private musings, he was aware those fluctuating notions were not something to casually share.

However, Vaits, Idra, Hiaine, and certainly both Subaru and Tanzer were all brought here against their will, disliking the idea of being forced into death matches.

If everyone shared that sentiment, then strangely, perhaps Subaru’s ideas weren’t as outrageous as they seemed.

At that moment, as Subaru mused on—

“You finally woke up, kid!”

“That last ‘Spalca’ was quite something, huh?”

“I heard about it later, and I can’t believe I missed it!”

A bunch of men started gathering around Subaru, reaching for the meat on his plate.

They were all rough-looking fellows, each giving off a vibe that screamed ‘trouble’—without needing deep explanations, they were certainly all gladiators.

Some newly arrived in the great hall gathered along with those watching Subaru from a distance, and a dynamic little scene formed centered around him.

“So, what’s going on with everyone?”

“What else? We’re the veterans on this island. You guys certainly had yourselves a lively ‘Spalca’!”

As Subaru’s eyes widened, the men erupted in hearty laughter.

Their comments didn’t carry any mocking tones; rather, it genuinely seemed praise mixed with light-hearted camaraderie. Meanwhile, Idra wore a wry smile, Hiaine awkwardly fidgeted, and Vaits remained silently disgruntled.

“The last girl’s interference was a sight to behold. Surprisingly strong for her looks!”

“Thank you! It’s all thanks to my beloved admirers!”

“Oh? I see. I don’t fully get it, but great match! You did great!”

The men laughed more, leaning in closer to share tales of Subaru and his companions’ performances during ‘Spalca.’

“However, you guys did well! That Gladiator Beast… the Shadow Lion put up quite a fight against you.”

“If you had lost, you’d be the one to mark the tenth match by that guy. Lately, ‘Spalca’ has been getting quite intense, huh?”

“Must be the governor’s orders. Once they welcome a gladiator, they’re served with utmost courtesy, but the entrance can really be the toughest part… the next show’s going to be terrifying.”

Gossip flowed freely among them, and as Subaru listened intently while responding to their conversations, he gleaned some insights into the island’s affairs.

It seemed that since Gustaf had taken over as the island’s overseer, they had changed policies quite a bit. Moreover, that lion seemed rather formidable, indicating Subaru and the group had achieved considerable recognition.

“Oh, I see; it was worth our efforts! …What do you mean by ‘show’?”

“Oh, here we regularly have nobility from the empire gathering to watch our death matches—the ‘Spalca’ is just practice leading up to the main event.”

“Practice…?”

“Practicing for death holds no value. I’m sure the governor knows that as well. If you’re just serious about it, no complaints should come your way, but—ah, there are exceptions, it seems.”

“Exceptions?”

The beefy man with tattoos stroked his nose, his tone implying hesitation, and Subaru tilted his head in confusion.

He stayed quiet for a bit, taking a deep breath before finally saying,

“I don’t like saying this since you’ve grown closer, but steer clear of that one.”

“That one…?”

Given the man’s manner of speaking and taking into consideration someone absent from the gathering, there could only be one candidate.

Subaru hesitated as he followed up with, “You can’t be talking about Cecilus? Because, if anything, I’m the one being bothered by him…”

“Oh, it seems you’ve garnered his favor, but that doesn’t mean that’s a reliable indicator. —He showed up about twenty days ago.”

“Uh-huh.”

“During the first ‘Spalca,’ he sat by as his ‘gathering’ was wiped out, merely observing instead of lending a hand, and when his allies had fallen, he effortlessly slaughtered the Gladiator Beast with his bare hands.”

“———”

“Every time he’s faced with a death match, he always goes until the enemy’s dead; he even introduces himself as Cecilus Segmunt, the one supreme commander.”

The burly man’s voice revealed his true distrust, glancing toward the entrance of the great hall. It was the same entrance that Fake Cecilus – Cecilus Segmunt – had just exited through.

Additionally, it wasn’t solely the burly man wearing that expression of unease.

Ill expressions were shared by all in their surroundings, who were not part of Subaru’s ‘gathering.’

The ones interacting warmly with Subaru, turning out tales of brimming stories with bewildering plots and thoughts expressed, were too soon discussing the needs of the dying Subaru for advice, facing down the life-threatening affairs of the gladiators.

And that was—

“—the key figure of this bizarre Gladiator Island crisis revolves around Governor Gustaf and that reaper.”