45 45: Fight for freedom [pt3]

"Stop. I order you to stop. How dare a slave like you attack me like this? I will kill you-"

The whole arena held their breath as they watched Amelia step toward the man who had enslaved her. The gladiator ring boss was currently sweating bullets, trying not to gain an advantage.

But Amelia was not stopping to consider his words. She raised her greatsword and brought it down in an arch.

The huge and heavy sword cleaved the arena boss in two, its force doubling now that it was aided by gravity as well as Amelia's magic.

The ring fell silent, not knowing how they should behave.

"This is for thinking that female warriors are any less than male warriors. If you are going to make us fight, then treat us all equal, you darn man."

Amelia raged over the dead body. The boss had died instantly but Amelia's rage had not quite gone down yet. She was still seeing as she stabbed the man a few more times.

The audience was divided into two by her display. Some loved it when she got violent while others were not able to handle this, much violence, and looked away.

Amelia was not conscious of this and she ended up stabbing the man a few more times.

"Amelia, I think you missed a spot. You should stab his face as well so that he can never be recognized again."

Clair encouraged Amelia, liking all this violence. Meanwhile, Shimi was clutching Keith's hand in a death grip. She tried to behave like a delicate maiden who was scared of all the bloodshed but her eyes glittered with interest.

Keith maintained a straight face throughout the massacre but his gut was twisting on the inside. He could not take it anymore. Thankfully, he was able to hold on until Amelia was done letting her anger out.

"Amelia, join us if you are done venting. We will be leaving this evening."

Amelia looked up with sharp surprise in her eyes. She looked at Keith, trying to understand what Keith wanted from her. But Keith did not give her an answer.

"What do you mean by that? Are you asking me to join you? Or, are you going to abandon me? Why did you even give me this freedom and not even ask me for anything?"

Amelia might have gone through hell and back, but she still had decent values inculcated in her. Her honor and her heart demanded her to help Keith out since she had received his help.

But here he was, telling Amelia that he did not need her help and to figure it out for herself.

She might have begged Keith to give her an answer if he was not looking as cold as he did right then.

"Your questions are something you need to answer for yourself. How long will you keep on living in someone's shadow like this?"

Keith's words were simple but strong. They struck something inside Amelia and she was moved. Suddenly, she did not want to stand still. Her heart demanded that she go with Keith and be on his side.

'But you've only known him for a day. Do you want to follow a man you know nothing about? Is it a safe decision to make?'

Amelia's mind reminded her of the last time she had done it. She ended up becoming a gladiator slave. What if she became something worse this time?

'But Keith helped me out. And if I get betrayed again, I get betrayed again. This is a risk I am willing to take.'

"Hey wait. Keith, wait for me. I don't need a whole day to make my decision when I already know what I want to do."

Amelia took in a deep breath, ready to speak about what she wanted for the first time in her life. All her other decisions had been made based on her circumstances, but this was something she wanted to do.

"I want to join your side. You are my benefactor and someone I treasure dearly. Allow me to be of assistance to you."

Amelia did not beg but it was a close thing. She did not want to sound desperate but it was up to Keith to decide if he wanted Amelia or not.

'I need to replay Keith and also find out what is this feeling I am feeling inside my heart. I will not let this opportunity slip from my fingers.'

Keith looked back at Amelia with a blank expression. It made her nervous but she refused to back down from his gaze.

In the end, Keith gave him a small smile.

"Do what you want to. It's your decision and I will not stop you. But you will need to work hard to earn a place in my world."

Amelia bit her lip to stop herself from speaking something foolish. And Keith took her silence as her answer.

......…

Once things calmed down in the gladiator arena, the party returned to their hotel room. But there was not enough room for everyone to live alone so they would have to share.

In the end, Clair and Shimi ended up sharing a room while Amelia got Clair's old room for the time being. Keith had the advantage of having a solo room all to himself.

He was in the middle of his bath when his bathroom door opened and small hands snuck around his chest.

Keith caught Clair's hands before she could do anything to him and held her body up in the air.

"What are you trying to do, Clair? You know that I do not like such useless tricks. Especially by someone underaged like you."

Clair quickly yanked her hand out of Keith's grip and walked out into his room. Keith also walked out while pulling his clothes back up on his body.

"Keith, Keith, Keith, when will you learn? Did you want desperately want to get your hands on Amelia? Then why did you make yourself sound all mysterious and give her a choice? What if Amelia chose not to come with us?"

Clair was curious about Keith's reasons. But Keith was calm and he did not react to Amelia's words or provocations.

"It was all calculated Clair. My intention was always to reel Clair in but it was going to be a problem if she felt forced. That is why I gave him a choice to come with us or not."

Keith explained simply. The reason he had not doubted Amelia answered that he knew her character well.

"And what if she did you agree to come with us? The risk was still there, right?"

Clair asked as she stretched her body. It put all her feline grace to display and Keith found himself appreciating her nice curves.

If only Clair was a few years older, Keith might have suggested she have some fun. But Clair was a child and the reason he was in this mess.

Keith was not going to lose his composure in front of her.

"Risk? I guess you can say that the risk was there but I had things under control. I already formed an emotional bond with Amelia which she would not have been able to forget. Sooner or later, she would have come to my side."

Keith explained it all to Clair and she finally looked satisfied.

"So, in simpler words - you managed to capture Amelia so it did not matter what she chose now, huh? I'll take your word for it then. So, what is our next plan of action?"

Keith stopped to think over his choices. But ultimately, there was only one thing he had to do - he needed to get the mother pearl back from Master Olivia.

The longer he lets it rest in Olivia's hand, the higher the chance of it falling into the protagonist's hands.

"Clair, I need you to look into Master Olivia with your information network. And have all the information sent forth by Shinzou and Long Dong sorted out. I want to know what Olivia is planning on doing."

Keith knew from the story of the game that the mother pearl had been a prize for some kind of gladiator hunt Adrian Smith participated in. But the details of the event were a little foggy in Keith's mind.

First of all, he needed to know how much time was still pending from the present to the start of the main story. It would help Keith decide where he should focus his attention.

"Sure, pile up more work on the kid. Alright, fine. I will get it all sorted out once we reach back home, ok? Let me enjoy the remaining time of our vacation. I am overworked anyway."

Clair complained and Keith decided to throw her a bone this time. She could take the evening off because she was going to work her butt off from tomorrow.

Somehow, his interaction with a protagonist had gone well and Keith had gained immunity in the form of Amelia.

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