Amelia had always heard how powerful the grandmaster and his companions were from the other people she had met. So she had never tried to fight for herself before since she knew she would not win.
But she had just seen two of the grandmaster's goons being defeated by outsiders. She could not believe how it had happened.
She just needed to win one more match and she would finally be able to become free from the slave curse she was under. Freedom was so close to her now.
"Next people. Please step up."
The caller called out and Amelia knew it was time for her to stand up. She had to be the one to free herself from this situation.
She stepped out but the arena boss raised his hand before she could truly step up to the challenge. His eyes held a sinister look that made Amelia feel scared.
"Not you. I want the guy to fight from your side."
The gladiator boss demanded and the audience gasped out loud. No one had expected the gladiator arena boss to interfere in this challenge. Whispers even broke out due to him butting in like this.
They all waited for the green-haired grandmaster to speak against this immoral decision but the grandmaster did not speak up.
Instead, he only added fuel to the flame with his words.
"Hmm, that is an appropriate decision to follow. So far, the two people who fought from your side were female fighters. Don't tell me that the only man in the group will not fight. This will be the biggest disgrace for you, won't you agree?"
The green-haired grandmaster was a graceful speaker. His words triggered Amelia's pride as a female fighter but it seemed to have touched the hearts of others spectators.
But the fake grandmaster was not done yet. He decided to continue his actions after the first accusation.
"From our side, I will step up for the honor of my name and the guild. Would you not do that same and send your leader out?"
Clair almost broke out into sinister laughter and Shimi looked pissed off at the other side's audacity. They thought they could call their grandmaster out like this? And even question the validity of them being warriors because of their genders.
But the one who was stunned the most was Amelia. She had not realized this was even a possibility that could happen to her. She was not even allowed to fight for her freedom.
"You bastard. Allow me to fight for myself, you a coward? Or, are you too afraid to face a female? Are you afraid that a female will defeat you, grandmaster?"
Amelia's taunt worked and the grandmaster looked pissed. His eyes were blazing and he was about to come at her swinging at her. But he held himself back because of the gladiator arena boss.
Seeing the grandmaster keep quiet, everyone knew that he was not going to back away. It would be better for the other party to decide.
"There is no need for you to fight for me, Keith. I will be the one to fight for myself."
Amelia assured as she raised her claymore and took an attacking stance. But her slave contract came into play and immobilized her.
Everyone could see that Amelia had been caught by the contract's conditions and she could no longer move.
'Shit. I thought that I could get out of there without fighting. Then, I have no choice but to take a stand.'
Seeing as how Amelia will become one of Keith's biggest strengths and protectors, he had no choice but to step up and accept this challenge. He knew he was not going to win, but he still had to fight.
He placed one hand on Amelia's shoulder for reassurance and then stepped in front of her, shielding her from the arena boss's eyes.
"You want me to fight? Then I will be the one to fight you. What's wrong? Are you scared of me?"
Keith questioned with a calm voice. He sounded aloof and detached, looking much more like a great man than the fake grandmaster.
The faker gritted his teeth, his fists clenching in anger. Keith had a feeling that the faker wanted him dead very eagerly.
"Scared? Me? Have you never heard how great the grandmaster is? Well, it's time for you to finally learn. Oi announcer, hurry up and announce our match."
The fake grandmaster seemed to be in a hurry. He was also twisting his hands around in a hyper motion.
"A-Alright, if you both want this then I will announce this fight. Everyone else, please set out of the arena."
The grandmaster's party left with a confident face while Amelia left worried. Shimi was confident and Clair just gave a thumbs-up to show that she had his back.
Now it was Keith and his imposter left in the ring.
"I am a benevolent man so I will give you one last chance to back out. What do you say-"
The faker faltered in his words as soon as Keith activated the magic in his ring. His aura surged with power and the entire stadium gasped in amazement.
Even the faker's party looked stunned at the sudden flair of aura and fear they felt. Many of them could not even move.
"W-What the hell? So you did have some kind of power? Don't underestimate me."
The fake grandmaster stuttered his words as he tried to look straight. His legs were bucking due to the pressure he was under.
Keith took one step toward the faker and his pressure worsened. The faker's legs shook as soon Keith moved. He was sweating bullets by this point and even gasping for breath.
"You are unworthy of even being my imitation at your current level. Now hurry up and repent for your sins."
The faker collapsed due to the fear he felt. His legs refused to listen to him no matter what he did. He gasped as he looked up into Keith's red eyes which were finally visible.
The magic of his ring had eroded his cloaking magic for the time being, leaving his eyes visible for the faker to see.
"Y-Y-You are the real deal? P-Please, forgive me for insulting you and-"
"You want my forgiveness? But why should I give you forgiveness for using my name? My anger is ebbing and I want to destroy you. But I guess I can reconsider my actions if you announce yourself as a faker right here and now."
Keith wanted to resolve this incident but his reputation would not allow him to let such an insult go.
'I need to finish this fast. The ring magic is about to run out.'
A few minutes more and his bluff would be caught. Keith was on a timer right now.
Thankfully, the faker was too scared to do anything else but obey Keith. The faker quickly jumped on his feet and raised his hands in the air.
"Listen, everyone, I have a confession to make. I am not the real grandmaster but a fake imposter. But today, I have been shown the true light and I shall confess all my sins."
The gladiator ring fell silent at those words. Keith also sighed in relief as soon as that happened. His ring had run out of mana at the right time and now he was back to his normal self.
Everyone was shocked at this revelation and the faker's followers looked especially crushed. Retainer A was even crying big fat tears as her ideals came crashing down.
But not everyone was sad and shocked by this revelation. Some like the arena boss were pissed off that their plans had been exposed to the public.
"Oi, what do you think you are doing? Of course, you are the grandmaster, the one and only. You cannot allow yourself to be swayed by some idiot's words."
The gladiator arena boss yelled but the faker had enough. The faker shook his head as he looked up at the sky.
"I have been shown enlightenment, my brother. From this day forward, I shall never defile the grandmaster's name. I will also release gladiator Amelia from her contract."
The faker clasped his hands and Amelia found herself able to move again. She felt lighter and freer than she had ever before.
"Y-You idiot. If you are not going to kill these people then I will. Look how I stab them once and they fall-"
The arena boss took out the sword hanging on the ring's boundary and instantly started to attack Keith. Amelia blocked the attack with her claymore and sent the arena boss flying.
"Man, that feels so good. Keith, I hope you don't mind me taking over from here."
Amelia asked this question when she was already pushing the gladiator boss back. He looked startled but he held his ground well.
"Stop. I order you to stop. How dare a slave like you attack me like this? I will kill you-"
