The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 48: The Arena

The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 48: The Arena

"Hello! My name is Bancolo, though most people prefer to call me Bloodhorn, and I quite like it myself. From now on, you'll be under my care. I promise to look after your food, clothing, and shelter, but you must behave. If you don't, I won't spank you! I'll just twist your heads off and hang them in the hallway, just like your predecessors!"
A middle-aged man with a small mustache, resting his hands on an intricately patterned metal cane, smiles as he introduces the place to the youths.
After speaking, he raises his cane and points to the hallway, where human skulls hang from the ceiling like decorations. Seeing the youths remain silent, Bloodhorn smiles and remarks to his assistant, "See! I always said we should bring a batch from the base. Look at this quality, it's fantastic!"
The assistant smiles in response but remains silent. Bloodhorn taps the floor with his cane, producing a crisp metallic sound.
"Alright! Next, I'll show you my masterpiece, which will also be your future home!"
Bloodhorn leads the way, and the youths, escorted by fully armed guards, enter a massive structure. It is an oval-shaped arena, with tiered seating extending to the top.
Here, it is known as the gladiator arena. The central combat area is slightly larger than a soccer field, with stone slabs covering the ground, marked by the passage of time, uneven and brownish in color. This is the result of years of blood soaking into the stones; if you get close and sniff the slabs, you can catch the scent of blood.
"The history of the arena is long, even predating the kingdom itself! Throughout the ages, it has been destroyed twice. After several renovations and restorations, it has become more magnificent and robust!"
"Originally, it was the property of a marquis of the kingdom. Later, I bought it, invested a lot of effort to clean and refurbish it, breathing new life into this ancient structure. It can hold fifty thousand spectators, but we don't like to earn from paupers. So, I've remodeled it into various stands and boxes. Altogether, there are two thousand of them, accommodating at least forty thousand people!"
"Close your eyes and imagine! Thousands cheering for your performance, tossing coins down below, clinking and jingling! You are the center of attention, the brightest stars of the arena! Isn't it wonderful? Doesn't it make you feel valuable?"
Bloodhorn points to the prominent section in the middle: "Remember these twenty-one stands! They are reserved for our esteemed guests, the ones who can change your fate! If they take a liking to you, you'll receive better treatment, and they might reward you."
"If you're even luckier, they might pay to take you away. You'll become a free person, or perhaps not; they might become your new masters."
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Bloodhorn taps the floor tiles again with his cane, "In short, you do have a chance to leave, aside from the lucky way I mentioned. There's another method! You can pay off the debt you owe. I spent real gold to bring you here! Your redemption fees aren't too much!"
"The most expensive is twenty thousand gold coins, and the cheapest is seven thousand! Besides those twenty-one esteemed guests, we take eighty percent of the audience tips, and the rest is yours!"
"Additionally, your expenses here are twenty gold coins a day! I'm not being stingy! Free medical care, constant food supply, comfortable rooms—these all cost money, and it's not expensive at all! All you have to do is fight in the arena once a week, and we'll inform you of the specifics in advance."
At this point, Bloodhorn's smile fades, and his eyes turn cold, "Kids! Use your blood and lives to entertain the audience, to make money for me, and to fight for your future! I keep my word! As soon as you save enough money, you can buy your freedom and leave. There won't be any trickery! That's the rule of the arena business, and I won't break it!"
After the introduction, Henwell and the others are assigned to their respective rooms.
At this point, there are only 53 youths left, each with their own room. However, every six rooms share a common hall, with a shared toilet, washroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The youths are randomly distributed across various suites. As Bloodhorn promised, the living conditions here are far superior to those at Forge Furnace.
Over the next three days, all the customized items for the youths arrive. Dressed in white clothing, they begin their adaptation training.
During this period, Bloodhorn brings in a dancer to teach them a flamboyant sword dance.
Finally, on the sixth day at the arena, the youths participate in the closing performance of this round of gladiatorial games.
Clad in fitted white garments, they perform the sword dance in the blood-soaked arena. The contrast between the clean youths and the brutal setting creates a twisted sense of beauty, captivating the already depraved noble audience, who shout frantically at the spectacle.
Some nobles, driven by their own warped desires, even lift their clothes and make obscene gestures towards the arena. Among these nobles are both men and women, all equally entranced by the performance.
As the atmosphere heats up, Bloodhorn addresses the crowd from a high platform using a special device—a series of twisted, oversized horns that amplify his voice throughout the arena.
"Welcome, esteemed guests! I understand your desires! But they are still just children! My conscience feels uneasy about having them fight! So, how about this? If you truly wish to see these adorable ones perform, I need to soothe my conscience a bit!"
"One week from now, welcome to Bloodhorn Arena! By then, these little darlings will surely take the stage! I can guarantee you'll see what you want—not this beautiful sword dance, but bloody battles!"
His words further ignite the arena's excitement, with the audience showering the area with money.
Four days later, Henwell receives his assignment: the young gladiators will be divided into four matches.
All are team battles, with the first four matches featuring teams of twelve fighting against beasts, condemned prisoners, and captive soldiers. The final match involves a team of five facing off against Bloodhorn's five adult gladiators. Undoubtedly, the last match is the most perilous. Even the lowest-level gladiators are specially trained, stronger, and more skilled than captive soldiers.
Henwell is clearly assigned to this group. Alongside him are several talented youths, including a girl named Michelle. The four of them, along with Henwell, are now arranged in a single suite. They all recognize Henwell as the most capable among them, having received individual training from Scarface Archie.
Now, they eagerly want to know what plan Henwell has in mind.

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Chapter 48: The Arena