I Became a Gladiator in the World of Gender Reversal

49 – Criminal-6

“So, what about it? Did you lose on purpose?”

“The man swung the knife himself. If it was me, I wouldn’t have been hurt.”

“I went to see it too, but it just crashed and nothing like that happened? It was a bit disappointing.”

Although his body hadn’t fully recovered yet, Jerry crawled out of his bed and into the bar.

I thought being with her friends would make me feel a little better, but it didn’t.

“Because I fought seriously and lost…”

Just by explaining the situation, I had to waste too much energy.

“Ah, to be honest, I like you too, right?”

“Well, it’s nice to run into each other while training or… Eating. But, I don’t even think about it in the ring.”

Of course, it was important that he was a man, but it did not affect Jerry’s victory or defeat.

I wanted to complain. She wanted to tell him how normal she was, how strong and blessed he was, how she was feeling right now.

“Really, it’s f*cking strong…”

“Well, yes, let’s see! Be honest. If you were born as a man, would you dare to enter the Colosseum even if you had a body fit for a gladiator?”

“That’s right.”

However, her friends weren’t ready to listen to her story.

“I’m not saying that being a gladiator is a bad job… But if the life of an ordinary man is your opponent, isn’t it worth comparing?”

“The daughter of an aristocratic family with a natural talent for slaughter, gave up the family business and worked at a butcher’s shop.”

“That’s right…”

Jerry knew it too. That it was unreasonable and unnatural to feel inferior to him.

No matter how sad she is alone, he won’t blink an eye.

“Anyway, that old man named Evan was wrong. If he had kissed our Jerry saying he was pretty, he wouldn’t have whined like this!”

“Don’t f*ck with me…”

Maybe, that could have been true. If it was his sympathy, it seemed like he might be able to hold his hand even if it wasn’t a kiss.

“I don’t like it…”

It was more unrealistic and unreasonable for Evan to sincerely sympathize with and acknowledge his pain. To the point of being a little creepy.

“So, what’s his personality like? He’s a bad guy.”

“No, he’s a good guy. A very nice guy.”

She had heard of her vicious gossip about her man. However, Evan, even if you consider him just an ordinary colleague, was an overly kind person.

If he had been a bad person, he could have hated it with ease.

“When there is something to do, you are the first to come forward, when someone asks for help, you rush to help, always smile, and when you are serious, be sincere…”

“Wow, it’s already gone.”

“When you see those aristocrats, you fall in love with a man just for a few seconds, right? If you stick around all day, you’ll fall in love.”

Jerry didn’t have the strength to carry on with her words. Just, he was drinking like water.

I wanted to forget everything.

No, I have to force myself to forget. After a while, there will be another normal sword fight, and if you don’t come to your senses by then, you will lose there too.

Normal cheers, normal attention, normal grades.

She had to work even harder than she is now in order to keep her position as an ‘ordinary gladiator’.

“By the way, are there any rumors about Evan?”

“Why?”

“With the last victory, Evan’s fan club came up with something similar. He said he wanted to cheer me on when he came out?”

Jerry once again felt deprived. Could her victory against an ordinary gladiator like her have had such a ripple effect?

“…Well,”

However, her jealousy welled up inside her and the outpouring of alcohol made her Jerry’s mouth lighten.

Just imagining that person surrounded by fan clubs was ridiculous.

If he wanted to, he could receive all kinds of perks and fight only fights in which victory was assured. He won’t be very happy if he gets ‘special’ treatment, such as an outpouring of popularity.

“I’ve heard that you’ll be stopping by the armor store tomorrow. I don’t think you have any complaints about weapons, but maybe you just want to take a look.”

“Ooh…”

It seemed like this level of revenge would be acceptable. Jerry had a drunken face, and she casually let go of his movements.

Until then, I thought nothing would happen.

/////

“Excuse me.”

The faint smell of fire and steel tickled her nostrils. It was not the first time she had seen a sword and shield, but it was interesting in its own way to see the nicely displayed weapons.

“Why does his voice sound so thick… Ouch! Excuse me. He’s a rough guy, so there’s no weapon a man can use.”

“…Yes?”

“They are all heavy weapons for self-defense, and they have no decorations or jewels.”

“No. I didn’t come here to buy a weapon like that.”

“Is that so?”

She glanced at the main knife at my waist.

“Unexpectedly, you’re a real fighter… Did Selam’s fashion change without my knowledge? Anyway, the sword worn around your waist would be enough. Even here, it’s hard to find a sword that’s stronger than that thing.”

“Do you know right away when you see that?”

“The balance is right. If it’s something made by a blacksmith like that, it’s unlikely that the quality will be terribly bad.”

“Ah…”

“Sometimes, a blacksmith with a lot of talent but lack of experience makes deformed things…But probably not.”

It was an old blacksmith, but compared to the way he spoke and acted, his face looked much younger.

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Considering that Logan also looked much younger than his age, it might just be that the people of this world are much younger than the people of Earth.

“It might be Ki-woo, but… Did he run away from somewhere? There’s no way a man would go around alone.”

“Ah… I know people. Today, I just wanted to come out alone.”

Neither Dana nor Florence were worthy of sending me to a place like this alone.

But Dana had a sword fight scheduled for tomorrow and Florence today.

Dana regretted it, but I didn’t want to see her neglect her sword fighting because of me.

If they followed, you might not be able to see the weapon so comfortably.

They were full of desire to do a little more for me. It wouldn’t be strange if he bought a few weapons or shields that he wouldn’t use in a matter of minutes.

Besides, considering the purpose of my coming here, it didn’t seem like they would be particularly happy.

“I see. Thank you.”

“I didn’t come here to buy a weapon for me to use. If you said you needed it, I would have bought one, but…”

Right away, I didn’t feel dissatisfied with my weapon.

Daisy prepared a weapon for me. Even if I buy a normal weapon with my poor eyesight, it won’t be easy to buy a better weapon than the sword I’m holding now.

“Do you have any good gladiator weapons?”

“Is it a present for a lover! Oh, a man gifting a weapon for the woman he loves. It was a story from the distant past when I was young… He was more romantic than I thought.”

“That’s not it.”

“So, friends? Is there anyone you like?”

“I don’t know if he’s a friend… I don’t know. I think he’s kind of close, but I don’t know if he thinks like me.”

What was so satisfying about it, the old blacksmith was smiling all over his mouth.

“Okay. By any chance, do you know the girl’s height or her class?”

“I’m Secutor. He’s about this tall… It doesn’t have to be too expensive or special.”

Her sword looked very old to me.

I just started sword fighting and I couldn’t compare myself to using a new sword, but even considering that, there were flaws on the handle and the blade.

Of course, in sword fighting, it is not the cutting power of the sword itself, but the form of cutting the opponent with the magic applied to the sword, so the killing power will not be affected.

But it was disappointing. Even if she was an ordinary gladiator, she didn’t look like her poor skills enough to have to wield such an old sword.

“The blade isn’t sharp… A simple adjustment is needed. Please wait a bit.”

After the blacksmith laughed out loud, he went into the smithy connected to the armor shop.

While he was gone, I was looking at the ordinary weapons hanging in the shop.

Weapons focused on practicality, not useless decorations or special features.

It was simple, clean, and solid. Just watching it made me feel at ease.

“It’s over. By all means, I hope things go well with her. No, is this a joke? If a gladiator is your opponent, then there’s no reason for a man to be swung.”

“I don’t have those feelings.”

It’s just plain respect. It’s just plain annoying.

It just made me feel bad that a faithful and stalwart gladiator like her couldn’t demonstrate her skills with only an old sword.

“Thank you.”

Holding the sword in its scabbard with both hands, I walked out of the forge and walked down the street.

“…”

Without walking a few steps, I felt that the distance was strange.

The alley is quiet. It seems that there is still a little time left before the sun sets completely, but did the time pass faster than I thought?

Without a watch, there was no way to objectively check how long I had been in the forge.

At that moment, a woman’s scream pierced my ears.

“Help!”