Chapter 95
10. The Arena
The day the fighting arena opened its gates.
Reina caught her breath again at the sheer, impossible size of the place.
The moment they stepped inside, space itself unfolded like a blooming flower, rising into the shape of a tower.
Every floor blazed with extravagant light that flashed and danced like captured stars.
The vast circular arena lay far below, visible from every private room that ringed the heights like boxes in a theater of blood and gold.
They’ve woven magic through the entire structure.
It would cost a fortune—truly obscene amounts—every single time the games were held.
This was excess made solid, a playground built exclusively for nobles drowning in coin.
The attendant who checked their invitation handed each of them a mask.
“Please proceed to Room A-32. All other facilities and entertainments are located in zones B through E. Instructions for use are provided in your room manual. Masks must be worn at all times outside your designated room. They are to be returned upon departure. We hope you enjoy your evening.”
The mask was pure white, with only slits for the eyes—nothing else. No one would ever know who hid behind it.
On the inner surface, delicate magic circles had been etched breathing was effortless, and voices could be altered at will.
For something that was supposedly just a place to watch fights, the security rivaled the imperial palace itself.
Kaiden turned the mask between his fingers and murmured, “Perfect spot for secret deals while hiding your face. They even provide the masks for you.”
Reina thought exactly the same.
There was a reason Mikael had chosen the arena as their meeting place.
She had never seen any location in Lunin wrapped in this level of secrecy.
This isn’t just an arena.
The fights were only smoke.
A convenient curtain to hide what really happened here.
A fortress where people who could never meet in daylight could brush shoulders in perfect darkness.
A citadel built by nobles, for nobles.
The room they were led to was reserved for Lavender members—those who paid a regular fee.
It was in a different league from the guest suites.
While Reina and Kaiden were still flipping through the thick manual, Alisa approached with an easy smile.
“You’ll be here all night if you try to read every page. Want me to give you the highlights?”
She summarized the rules with practiced brevity.
1. Masks must be worn outside private rooms. (Mask color changes with rank, mileage raises your rank.)
2. Everyone uses only nicknames.
3. Mileage is earned by sponsoring fighters. You gain points only when your sponsored fighter wins.
“The white masks you’re wearing are guest-grade,” Alisa explained.
“As mileage accumulates, the color changes: white → blue → red → black → gold. Higher colors unlock more facilities. But since points come only from victories, throwing money around blindly won’t get you anywhere.”
“If there’s any area you’d like to visit, just ask me. Higher ranks can invite lower ranks to their exclusive zones.”
Alisa’s own mask was crimson.
Afterward, she recommended several fighters with strong recent records. One of them was the very man Arteon had mentioned.
“I’d like to sponsor this one,” Reina said.
“Oh, excellent choice. He’s been on a hot streak. Have you decided on a nickname yet? Mine’s Lemon, by the way.”
Alisa shook her golden hair and grinned, bright and shameless.
Using a personal trait apparently made it easier for others to remember you.
Reina hummed, thinking.
Kaiden spoke first.
“Snow.”
“Sorry?”
“It suits you. White hair, white skin… Or is it lame?”
He seemed suddenly unsure, rubbing the corner of his mouth.
Reina’s face lit up with a soft laugh.
“No. I love it.”
Kaiden’s ears reddened he tried to hide it by touching his lips again.
Alisa watched the newlywed-like exchange with open envy.
“Then Snow, you should give your partner a name too. Lots of couples do that.”
Reina gazed at Kaiden.
Hair dark as midnight. Eyes a brilliant, glittering violet.
Suddenly she thought of a magpie that loved shiny things.
“How about Crow?”
“Matching the ending sound?”
“Exactly.”
Snow. Crow.
The names rolled together beautifully in her mouth—simple, yet somehow romantic.
“I like it,” Kaiden said, voice low and pleased.
By the time they finished registering their sponsorships and memorized the remaining rules, Isabel and Eric arrived late.
Eric Vincent spotted Kaiden immediately and called out with genuine delight.
“Kaiden? What brings you here?”
Kaiden’s response was ice.
“Who are you?”
“It’s me—Eric Vincent. We were in the academy together. You really don’t remember?”
Eric forced a smile, trying to smooth over the awkwardness.
Kaiden’s expression did not change.
“Don’t know you.”
The utter indifference on his face made Eric’s stiffen.
“…You truly don’t remember me?”
“Should I?”
The final blow, delivered with a slight tilt of the head.
For the future Marquis Vincent, this was mortifying.
Of course, the Guardian of the North and head of House Crensia had no obligation to remember every classmate.
“You haven’t changed at all,” Eric muttered, looking away in defeat.
The air turned frigid.
Isabel stepped in smoothly.
“Sir Eric has become so dashing lately that His Grace must have failed to recognize him for a moment.”
“Haha, is that so? Well, I have changed quite a bit recently—thanks to Her Highness.”
Eric seized the lifeline gratefully. Thanks to Isabel, he avoided total humiliation.
“Then please enjoy the matches.”
Isabel whisked Eric away before anything worse could happen.
Anyone else might have exploded in rage, but because it was Kaiden, they simply retreated.
It ended more tamely than expected.
Reina watched the retreating pair until the announcement blared through the arena: the first match was about to begin.
Attention shifted instantly to the sands below.
Reina and Kaiden left the room.
They headed straight for the poker den.
Arteon was already seated at a reserved table, a red rose brooch glinting on his chest—the prearranged signal.
The three sat together and spoke as naturally as old friends.
Arteon leaned in slightly.
“Unless something bizarre happens, ‘Black’ will win. May I ask why you told me to spread the sponsorships—and in such specific amounts?”
‘Black’ was the fighter believed to resemble Jeffrey.
A masked man who never lost, the arena’s current king.
Their entire reason for coming tonight was to make contact and confirm his face.
Since he hadn’t tasted defeat in recent memory, Arteon’s curiosity was understandable.
Reina lowered her voice to a whisper.
“Because the true owner of this place is the Lone Spider. We can’t let them know we’re interested in Black. It’s safer to look like we’re randomly sponsoring several strong contenders.”
The Lone Spider—the symbol of the Julid family.
Arteon’s eyes widened.
“How did you know that?”
Even he hadn’t uncovered that detail.
Reina gave the answer she had prepared, letting it stand in place of the truth.
“Crensia’s intelligence network.”
In reality, before coming here, she had borrowed Ritsy’s power to glimpse the future.
She would have hesitated in the past, but thanks to the jewel Isadal had given her, she could now roughly calculate how much life force each vision cost.
“So you even knew in advance exactly how much each person would bet on whom?” Arteon pressed, incredulous. “Your intelligence is that good?”
Kaiden cut in, voice cool.
“Got a problem with that?”
Arteon raised both hands in surrender, shrugging.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to be this terrifying. No wonder you could stand fearless in front of the Sun itself.”
The Sun—code among certain circles for the Emperor of Mernier.
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