I Tamed the Slave Male Lead Chapter 6

When I finally became so anxious that even my legs started trembling, Becky looked around in surprise before firmly pressing down on my leg.

“Young Lady. What on earth is wrong with you today? You keep doing things you’ve never done in your life.”

“……”

“First, you suddenly went and stole my salary. Now you’re trembling your legs. You really aren’t acting like yourself today.”

Her brazen observation left me feeling rather sheepish.

Even though Arabella’s memories were returning, the consciousness that had newly formed within this body contained everything from my previous life—my thoughts, manner of speaking, and even my habits.

If I wanted to keep pretending to be a noblewoman from now on, it seemed I would have to live with my brain constantly working overtime.

“I’m just a little nervous. Anyway, about the salary I borrowed earlier, I’ll definitely pay you back double.”

“Oh my. Double? How wonderful. But, Young Lady, what exactly did you buy at the apothecary you stopped by before sending me away earlier?”

Becky asked cautiously with an innocent smile. Since there was nothing particularly significant about it, I decided to give her a vague answer.

“Just some medicine for an upset stomach.”

“An upset stomach? Young Lady, were you really sick earlier because something you ate disagreed with you? That’s why you should have gotten examined at the Imperial Palace!”

I simply let Becky fuss over me. In truth, I had bought two things at the apothecary. One was medicine for food poisoning to give to Yusiliph. The other was a sedative to reduce the swelling and pain in my own body.

The fact that I was even able to keep going like this was only possible because I had taken the medicine. Considering Arabella’s usual physical condition, that was even more true.

“But you also stopped by a teahouse after the apothecary, didn’t you? What did you buy there?”

I stared silently at Becky’s face as she questioned me rather persistently. I hadn’t even scolded her, yet after meeting my eyes for a few seconds, her face gradually went pale and she lowered her head.

“I-I’m sorry. I kept prying when I didn’t even know anything…”

“No. You’re only doing what your ‘master ordered’ you to do.”

At my matter-of-fact reply, she somehow grew even paler, but I turned my head away without paying her any more attention.

Becky was a decent maid, but I wasn’t the only master she was loyal to.

Arabella had known that very well, too. That was why she had always treated Becky coldly.

‘You really lived such a lonely life, with nowhere to place your heart.’

Thinking about the life of the real Arabella, who no longer existed in this world, made my chest feel tight.

She hadn’t been a good person, but there had also been clear reasons why she had no choice but to live the way she did.

She had been utterly alone until the moment she died. The terrible loneliness and helplessness she had felt seemed to have settled deep into every corner of this body and heart.

‘The life you gave up… I’ll try to live it properly in your place. You can think of it as a kind of rite to lay your spirit to rest.’

I repeated those words silently to the departed Arabella before turning my gaze back toward the arena. Right now, I need to focus on Yusiliph.

Oh, and what did I buy at the teahouse earlier?

Nothing special. I simply asked them to put boiled and cooled water mixed with a small amount of salt, sugar, and lemon juice into a bottle.

Oh, and if they had any apple purée prepared for making apple pie, I asked them to give me some of that as well. I also had them pack a few crackers.

In other words, I had ordered a rehydration drink and some light food that would help a patient suffering from severe stomach trouble recover quickly.

Regita had deliberately starved him, then fed him spoiled food so that he would get food poisoning and become dehydrated. That way, although he would appear fine on the outside, he wouldn’t be able to fight at his full strength in the match.

Regita wanted Yusiliph to lose today’s match at all costs.

She wanted him to lose to ‘Jack the Butcher,’ have his limbs cut off, roll around the arena in agony, and expose his true identity as a mutant quarter-elf to the entire world.

‘So, Yusiliph, please believe me. Eat the medicine and food, and fight the way you normally would. Don’t let those people break you.’

I looked down at the arena with an anxious expression. It wasn’t just me—the shouts of the spectators, who had been waiting far too long, were growing increasingly rough and impatient.

Just then, the match announcer appeared. He waved a flag and shouted loudly.

“The semifinals of the gladiatorial tournament, held to elevate the glory of His Great Majesty the Emperor, shall now commence!”

Waaaaah—

An explosive roar erupted all at once from the five-tiered stands surrounding the circular arena.

“Today’s semifinals will consist of two matches! And now, for the first match—‘Jack the Butcher’ versus ‘Yusiliph, the Slave Swordsman’! Contestants, enter!”

Waaaaaaaaah—!!!

Judging by the overwhelming cheers alone, it was easy to tell just how popular the two contestants were.

“Jack the Butcher! Let’s see some blood today!”

“Silver-haired slave swordsman! Earn that pretty face of yours! I bet my entire fortune on you!”

Of them all, the gamblers’ voices were the loudest and most obnoxious.

Creeeak—BANG.

The iron-barred door leading to the contestants’ underground waiting area opened, and at last, the two gladiators appeared at the same time.

The moment the two gladiators stepped into the center of the arena and faced each other, the spectators, who had been buzzing like an enraged swarm of bees, fell silent in an instant. That was how overwhelming the presence and killing intent radiating from the two men were.

Whoosh—

A sudden gust of wind blew through the arena, raising a cloud of dust from the dirt floor. Yet neither gladiator so much as blinked, their eyes fixed solely on each other.

‘Jack the Butcher,’ carrying a battle-axe as large as his own body, grinned with an orc-like face.

“Pretty girly-looking face, don’t you think?”

He pulled a liquor bottle from his waist, took a swig, then spat it onto the blade of his axe with a loud Ptooey!

Gazing lovingly at the gleaming, razor-sharp blade, he let out a sinister laugh.

“My little darling, looks like we’re gonna have some fun today. Wonder what the blood of a pretty-faced man tastes like. Heh heh heh.”

“Waaah—Jack the Butcher! Let’s see you go all out!”

The spectators, pleased with his performance, responded with a rough roar of cheers.

Yusiliph, however, paid no attention to the commotion and silently focused all his attention on the sword in his hand.

Just then, as if leisurely playing to the crowd’s cheers, ‘Jack the Butcher’ suddenly spun around and brought his battle-axe crashing down toward Yusiliph’s head.

It was lightning-fast.

Even if he had anticipated the attack, it would have been difficult to evade—a sly yet deadly strike.

Whoosh! KRAK!

But the axe narrowly missed Yusiliph and embedded itself in the arena floor.

Tap.

With astonishing reflexes, Yusiliph dodged the attack. Without wasting even a moment, he swung his sword toward Jack the Butcher’s side.

Swish.

The blade grazed Jack the Butcher’s flank, slicing through his clothing and leaving behind a shallow wound.

Having narrowly avoided the sword, ‘Jack the Butcher’ laughed exaggeratedly and put on a show of bravado.

“Hah! So much for the Imperial Princess’s pet slave. You’re nothing special!”

Yet despite his bravado, there was tension in the way he hurriedly pulled his axe from the ground.

Yusiliph, meanwhile, remained expressionless as he readied his sword just as he had at the beginning, preparing for his next attack.

The combination of his indifferent expression, flawless posture, and beautiful appearance proved too much for some of the female spectators, who let out lovesick sighs.

Meanwhile, I clenched both hands tightly, overwhelmed with emotion.

‘Yusiliph, you ate what I gave you!’

I could tell just from the swift and precise trajectory of his sword. He had entered the arena in a completely different condition from the one he had been in the original story.

‘Well done, Yusiliph!’

I was moved, but I still couldn’t let my guard down.

‘The stamina you recovered as a temporary measure won’t last long. If you don’t finish the match quickly, you’ll be in danger again.’

Tap, shing, clang!

Just as I thought that, the weapons of the two gladiators, who had charged at each other, clashed in midair, sending sparks flying.

Yusiliph let the blade of the battle-axe, which came crashing down diagonally, slide past his sword before sweeping his blade in a large arc toward Jack the Butcher’s waist. However, his speed was not quite what he had intended, and Jack once again narrowly avoided the attack.

Tap!

Whoosh, whoosh! Shiiiing!

A barrage of attacks from ‘Jack the Butcher’ followed.

Whoooosh—

The battle-axe tore through the air with a vicious sound befitting its brutal appearance.

I saw Yusiliph gasp for breath as he tightened his grip on his sword once more. Had it really been too much for him to fight with a body that had only barely recovered from exhaustion?

Swoosh—CRACK!

Once again, they exchanged attacks. A handful of Yusiliph’s hair had been sliced away, while ‘Jack the Butcher’ remained completely unharmed.

“Not much to look at, are you, the Imperial Princess’s pet slave! Hahaha!”

Yusiliph staggered as he wiped away the beads of sweat that had formed across his brow.

That was when it happened.

“Yusiliph—! Hang in there!”

Without thinking, I shot to my feet in the stands and shouted with all my might. My voice must have been louder than I expected, because the nobles around me frowned and turned to look at me.

Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, Yusiliph heard my voice, too.

He whipped his head around, his handsome brows furrowing as deeply as they could, and glared straight at me.