41-60

Chapter 60: Determined to Discipline the Lord (3) 

Kidnapping. 

Maybe not something that could be easily done to a grown man in my previous world, but in this world’s upside-down norms, it wasn’t impossible. 

Here, men are seen as weak easy targets for human trafficking. I’d never imagined anyone would barge into the mansion and just do it, but once it happened, there was no point sitting around lamenting my fate. 

“Haa~ So this is the gladiator Adrian himself?” 

The woman I pegged as the leader began to taunt me as soon as I regained consciousness, roughly grabbing my face. 

I asked her, 

“…You know me well, huh?” 

“Of course I do~ There’s nobody in this city who doesn’t know your name. Word is you’re the precious treasure the lord dotes on.” 

‘Precious treasure’? What a joke. 

Would I feel dote-on if I hadn’t been kidnapped only to be thrown at the feet of a monster bigger than a house? Where’s the love in that? 

“Hehehe, a big shot like you’ll fetch a high price. If we sell you to a brothel, you’ll be their ace in no time. Sell you to a noble? You’ll have a lifetime post as a personal night slave… Either way, you’ll get to experience the ultimate “happiness” as a man. Not a bad deal, right?” 

“Haha… what, do you think I’m some sex-mad lunatic?” 

“Isn’t that the truth? There are even rumors the whole thing with the Three Knights was faked you barely survived thanks to a fix!” 

With every word, she openly looked down on me, smacking my body around as if she expected no resistance whatsoever. 

“No matter how tough a guy acts, in the end all you’ve got going for you is sucking cunt to survive~” 

She grinned, spreading her legs suggestively. Her henchwomen cackled. Then she leaned in, half-joking, half-menacing, and made me an offer. 

“So, I’ll make you a deal. There’s still a bit of time before the buyer shows up, right? If you satisfy us before then, well, maybe we’ll let you go.” 

“...So you kidnap me, and now you’re just going to let me walk free?” 

“We get pretty desperate for men in this line of work, you know. If a guy as good-looking and strong as you offers his services, who would turn it down?” 

A pathetic attempt at humor. 

If they actually planned to let me go for sex, they wouldn’t have needed a buyer in the first place. 

The sheer fact they’d stormed the mansion ruled out any “normal” deal-making. 

“...Don’t bother. I’ve heard enough.” 

“Keh, so you’ve got pride, is that it?” 

She grinned, as if she’d expected just this, then reached for my clothes, starting to get rougher. 

“But it’d be a shame to just sell you off. Having such prime goods here, I at least want to sample before I hand you over ” 

Snap! 

With a quick flex, the ropes snapped. Now that my arms were free, I clenched my fist and swung as hard as I could at her. 

Thwack! She crashed back, rolling across the floor. 

“Gah!” 

Her lackeys shrieked, scrambling to draw weapons. 

“The hell are you doing, bastard?!” 

“A man, resisting like that!?” 

Daggers, axes, clubs all weapons more than capable of breaking flesh and bone. 

But none of these women could use mana. With the talent Helia had taught me, and the practical fighting from Martina, they looked like nothing to me. 

“Don’t you get it from our sizes? None of you are even a challenge for me.” 

“Ha! So what if you’re well built, it’s just show muscle!” 

“Yeah, get ready to submit like a dog, you cocky bastard!” 

Ignoring my warning, they charged. 

I let out a small sigh, braced myself, focused my mana, and methodically knocked them down. 

Smack, thunk! 

The sound of flesh and bone being battered filled the warehouse. Soon, only a few groaning bodies remained; none of the weapons had even scratched me. 

With mana shielding my body, physical attacks glanced right off unless you could overpower my mana, you couldn’t hurt me. 

“H-he’s crazy!” 

“What is he, a man or a monster?!” 

“Run! Run for your lives!!” 

Once they realized how outmatched they were, the gangsters bolted from the warehouse. 

With just a few left sprawled around, I strode over and grabbed the ringleader by the hair. 

“Ugh… Who the hell are you? How’s a man this strong…?” 

“Never mind that. You’re going to answer some questions now.” 

She now clearly understood that she was not in control. 

With the advantage on my side, I asked the main thing on my mind. 

“Who hired you to kidnap me?” 

“What are you talking about…” 

“I don’t care how weak the security was, your crew shouldn’t even be able to get near the mansion. You’d only invade a lord’s property if you had real backing.” 

Who would have the guts, or the resources, to order a hit on a lord’s mansion? It sure wasn’t a bunch of two-bit criminals. 

“Was it your ‘buyer’?” 

Whoever set this up must either be working against the lord, or be powerful enough to pull strings like her. 

She started to go cold at that line of questioning. 

“Haha… Not bad for a man, figuring all that out.” 

No way they’d do this without serious backup. 

But what she finally said wasn’t the revelation I’d hoped for. 

“But here’s the thing: people like us don’t break under pressure. We survive on trust so getting us to talk isn’t easy.” 

Damn brat throwing attitude around when all her backup’s fled. 

I glared and warned her. 

“So what, you’re saying you’re ready for me to get rough?” 

“Oh, torture? Hah, you really are a scary guy for a man~” 

Even sweating nervously, she cackled. 

Then she puffed her chest out, calling my bluff. 

“Even if you’re strong, you’re just a softhearted man. Do your worst! I can take it with a smile, even!” 

A while later. 

I took her up on the offer. After pounding her into exhaustion, I left her sprawled out, barely conscious. 

“Oooh, gah…♥” 

“Want more?” 

“N-no… ♥ If I have any more, I’ll go crazy…” 

Squelch! 

“Gaaah~♥♥♥” 

Overcome by aftershocks, she climaxed again. 

Watching her like that, I grabbed her hair and asked again. 

“Now, let’s try again. Who hired you to kidnap me?” 

“I-I don’t know…♥” 

“What? You want more?” 

“No, really, I don’t… It was anonymous. Someone sent a letter with a layout of the mansion and the lord’s schedule…♥” 

“Anonymous?” 

Someone gave them information, not orders. 

But if they set this up, what was the real purpose? 

“They said the lord’s schedule meant there’d be no trouble getting in. If we wiped our tracks, it would be the perfect crime…” 

“So you just trusted a nameless tip-off and went for it?” 

“I-I’m sorry! I promise I won’t bother you again, please… just stop pounding me…” 

Slap! 

“Oooh~~~♥♥♥” 

She climaxed again from just a spank. 

Nothing more to see here. I left her and dashed out of the warehouse. 

Looking up, it was just before sunset. Since I’d blacked out around midnight, it looked like I’d been unconscious for almost a full day. 

But where was I? It sure wasn’t anywhere near the mansion. 

“Damn it, this city’s way too big.” 

The enormous scale of the city hit me as soon as I got outside. 

Not knowing what else to do, I spotted some women standing with pieces of paper. Based on their light armor, I guessed they were mercenaries or adventurers either way, the right kind to ask for directions. 

“Excuse me, can I ask you for some help finding…” 

“What the hell? I’m busy  Wait. Aren’t you…?” 

I watched as her eyes flicked between my face and the paper. Her eyes widened and she shouted, 

“Found him! That’s Adrian!” 

“Huh? What are you…” 

“Haha! I can’t believe we actually found him. This is gold!” 

Drawing a sword, she strode toward me with a hungry grin. 

As my wariness rose and I backed away, she brandished the blade in front of me. 

“Hey, why’re you running? Don’t worry, if you come quietly, nothing bad’ll happen~” 

“…That’s not convincing when you’ve got a sword out.” 

“Gah! Shut up and come here, you criminal!” 

Thwack! 

I punched her in the face as she lunged, then turned and yelled at some people coming from the other direction. 

“Hey! Please, help! Someone’s after me!” 

“What? After you  Oh wait, that’s Adrian!” 

“He looks just like the drawing on this wanted poster!!” 

Shit, them too? 

Whatever the details, this was getting out of hand. 

Turning down an alley, I could hear pursuers everywhere  

“Not here  what about that way?” 

“Damn, I saw him run this way…” 

Now there were even more, all armed. 

Maybe they knew I’d been kidnapped, and were searching to save me? 

But if so, their eyes glinted greedily, and the mood was threatening. 

“What are we gonna do if we catch him?” 

“Hehe, just tie him down and fuck him senseless.” 

“A guy this hot he’s even rare in the brothels! We bag him, relieve our lust, then turn him in for the lord’s reward win-win!” 

A reward? What the hell? 

A reward for lost people is normal but why does it sound more like I’m a criminal? 

Flutter. 

A paper blew down the alley. 

I figured it was another of the sheets my pursuers carried and checked it out. 

It was a wanted poster. My own portrait was on it, and below that, a warning, making it clear what was happening. 

[A heinous criminal under Lord Renes has escaped. Charges: illegal entry, unsanctioned escape from custody, violating the Lord’s order.] 

[On these grounds, the lord designates this person as a dangerous felon. Anyone who encounters him must apprehend and deliver to the nearest guard.] 

Rustle. 

My grip tightened so hard on the paper that it crumpled. 

The more I thought about it, the more the note gnawed at my nerves. 

How had such pathetic criminals even managed to invade the lord’s mansion? 

And who else, besides the one person with all the details and power to issue a warrant the moment I vanished, could have orchestrated this? 

Top of the lord’s castle. 

Watching the lights flare across the city, Renes smiled. 

“…So, it’s begun.” 

Yes, from now on the city was to throw an unprecedented, lavish festival. 

For her, desperate for the city to prosper, it was the best possible development. 

But Martina, watching from behind, could only grimace uneasily. 

“My lord, are you sure about this…?” 

“Oh, Martina. Not even a beating can snap you out of it, huh?” 

Martina shuddered at the words. 

Turning her back on Martina, Renes gazed out the window and explained her plan. 

“With such a crowd-pleaser, it’d be a waste to keep him only in the arena.” 

No matter how grand, arena matches are seen only by a limited audience for a limited time. Compared to the city’s vastness, that’s nothing so to raise his profile, he needed to go outside the fence. 

By leaking information to the criminals, she’d ensured my kidnapping, and then scattered wanted posters citywide to whip up the crowd even further. 

“Look  even at sunset, the city is so brilliantly lit.” 

There’s no shortage of justification for drawing the public’s gaze. 

Whether for my “crimes,” my escape, or whatever they only needed an excuse. As long as they got a share, the greedy city dwellers would never ignore the chance. 

The more pursuers on my tail, the bigger the uproar. And the bigger the uproar, the more people would be transfixed by the drama bursting into their dull daily lives. 

A citywide festival, in every sense. 

The energy wouldn’t stop until dawn, and soon even more would join in, consumed by unprecedented frenzy. 

“Hehe, I wonder how long our gladiator can hold out against this city? I hope he doesn’t get caught too quickly~” 

Yes, the lord truly believed I would dance to her tune. 

Here, in this city, she was the master; everything ran according to her wishes. 

Late that night. 

After beating all the pursuit squads and wandering through the alleys, I kept grinding my teeth with one face in my thoughts. 

“…I’ll kill her.” 

I didn’t know why she’d done this. 

But after everything after how I’d been treated one thing was crystal clear. 

“Even if it kills me, I’m going to kill that bitch.” 

I wouldn’t care about the consequences. 

Whether I became free or a felon didn’t matter anything was better than spending my life as her plaything.