282: The Long Walk
“U-uncle!” the pale, dark-dressed girl, Number Forty, called out to the old man who slowly walked away from her, toward the group of shirtless masked men and the equipment they brought.
The old man stopped, turned back to the girl, and asked, “Yes, Lilith?”
The large observer sphere above the arena focused in on the old man, clearly displaying the called-out fiery number four written across his black armband. He wore little else of note. A simple old man in simple, medieval ragged clothes. A plain shirt with long sleeves, brown trousers, and woven sandals. The complete opposite of the stylishly designed fantasy outfit of his niece.
“Throughout these years… I’ve caused you much trouble, haven’t I?” Number Forty asked meekly.
“Think nothing of it!”
“But I’ve been horrible to you! And all you did was look out for me! Saving me whenever I got into trouble… Being there when a dumb boy broke my heart… Unlike my deadbeat dad who just abandoned me!”
“He didn’t abandon you!” the old man said and sighed. He walked back to the distraught girl, put his hands on her shoulders, and said, “He loved you! And he was a better man than I ever was!”
“Stop defending that coward! Where did he run off to? Was he killed? Did he find a better daughter for himself?”
“Participant Number Four!?” the announcer’s voice echoed through the mines with a slightly annoying questioning tone of an overworked cashier. The announcer pretended to be searching for her missing first participant of the second round, even going as far as leaning over the railing and putting her hand above her eyes as she scanned the arena as if every single person in these mines including herself did not already know where Number Four was.
“… Let me take care of this next opponent real quick!” Number Four said to Lilith with a kind smile. “We’ll talk about your father when I get back.”
The old man then turned around and proceeded to the masked men.
“U-uncle…” Lilith muttered, putting her hand on her shoulder where her uncle’s hand was a moment ago.
With each step, the old man moved toward the four great burning pillars of the arena, farther and farther away from Lilith. Away from her. Out of her life. Just like her dad.
“I LOVE YOU!!” Lilith screamed out at the top of her lungs.
Number Four stopped, turned around, looked at Lilith with a knowing gaze, and said, “I know.”
Lilith wiped away a tear from her eye as she watched her uncle walk toward the fate-making containers.
“Awww, what a touching moment!” the announcer clasped her hands in delight as if she just saw a cute puppy. “Let’s all root for our dear Number Four to have a swift reunion with Number Forty! The last thing any of us would want is to see an old fart get gutted like a pig before his little girl’s eyes!”
Laughter broke out among a great majority of the spectators.
“Oh, you’re right! Who am I kidding?” the announcer giggled. “Number Forty is hardly a little girl anymore! Should I tell him what kind of company his ‘little girl’ requested during the intermission?”
“YES!!” an overwhelming majority of spectators shouted in unison.
Drop dead! Beatrice cursed the malevolent hairball along with the callous spectators. Beatrice never thought of herself as a particularly vindictive person, but now she found herself wishing she had made sure that Felicia got all her holes railed to the point of inability to speak back when she had the chance in that alley.
To the old man’s credit, he had a phenomenal poker face. Beatrice did not see so much as a single hair on his thick brows move as he walked the final, confident steps to the first of the two tables.
“Hm… hm, hm, hmmm~!” the announcer played up how hard it was to make a decision. “Oh! Let us do it like this! I won’t reveal any details for now—”
“BOOO!!”
“Now, now! Hear me out! If her old man bites it and gets slaughtered before Number Forty’s eyes we’ll let him bleed out with his innocent, virtuous image of his niece intact! But… If he survives… I might just bring witnesses! Maybe a re-enactment? Hey! If we offer Number Forty to have sex with Number Four for a chance to pass this round, do you think he’ll take it? Oh, but they probably do that anyway, so they’d probably have their pants down before I finish the offer.”
More laughter and encouraging cheers from the crowds.
The announcer momentarily undid her voice enhancement spell, turned to her masked partner on the platform, and said, “This is why I get paid the big bucks!”
“You’re not getting a raise,” the white-mask girl said, seemingly unimpressed.
“Hmph!” Felicia pouted and demonstratively turned her head away, reapplying the voice enhancement on herself.