Right now Seras was asleep on the bed.
Her breathing was steady and regular.
Her chest rose and fell slowly.
Her sleeping face looked peaceful.
I had used Sleep on Seras a short while ago.
She could not sleep because of the price she paid to the spirits.
But tonight Seras had clearly looked tired.
So I suggested it and put her to sleep with the skill.
Being able to put her to sleep with the skill after checking how tired she was made a big difference.
However,
"…"
She did not show even the slightest caution about being put to sleep by me.
Sleep from the skill would not end unless I released it.
No matter what was done to her, she could not wake up.
Seras understood that perfectly.
Eve had called me soft-hearted.
"Nn… uu."
Seras turned over in her sleep.
"A truly soft-hearted person is someone like this."
Soft-hearted.
The first people who came to mind were my uncle and aunt.
Next were my classmates.
Kashima Kobato.
Sogou Ayaka.
I wondered how those two were doing now.
▽
The next morning.
"I have finished changing, Lord Touka."
Seras finished changing behind me.
"All right, let us go."
I stroked Pigi-maru.
"I am counting on you to watch the room again today."
"Pii!"
Today's first goal was to head to the blood arena.
To gather information on Eve Speed.
We finished breakfast on the first floor of the inn and stepped outside.
Hm?
"What is wrong?"
Seras was shrinking her shoulders.
"I am sorry for eating so slowly…"
"Do not worry about it. Did you sleep all right?"
Seras's face-changing ability borrowed power from the spirits.
The price she paid was her desire to sleep.
Last night I had used Sleep on her.
The duration had increased with the level-up.
Right now the effect could last up to three hours at maximum.
"I woke up three hours after that."
"And you stayed awake until morning after that?"
"Yes, I was awake. I have to pay the price… but my condition is many times better than the days when I could not sleep properly until I finished paying it."
Until now she had not been able to insert proper sleep at reasonable intervals.
She could not sleep decently until she finished paying the price.
But now I could insert Sleep for her.
That difference was huge.
I also felt a little like I was cheating.
"You were completely exhausted back in the Mills Ruins."
"…I am sorry for worrying you at that time."
"On the other hand, you were still able to move that much in that condition, right? If anything, you should be proud of your strong will."
Seras gave a wry smile.
"My lord praises me for all sorts of things."
"I am basically the type who praises people to help them grow."
▽
We arrived at the blood arena.
It was located in a district off the main street.
The first thing the blood arena made me think of was, naturally, the Colosseum.
It was the one often seen in stories about ancient Rome.
I found a map of the interior posted outside.
The spectator seats formed a circle around the central field.
That shape was probably the same no matter where you went.
People came and went in the square outside the blood arena.
Suddenly cheers rose from inside the arena toward the sky.
It seemed a blood fight was currently underway.
"Now then, what should we do? Come to think of it, is there a blood fight for Eve Speed today—"
"It appears there is no blood fight for Eve Speed today."
Seras said after looking at the posted schedule.
"I see."
Well, even if we watched a blood fight right now, it probably would not advance anything…
"For now let us ask the people around here about Eve Speed's reputation and any gossip."
There was no internet in this other world.
We could not quickly search and look up information.
"Coming to a world without the internet really makes you feel how inconvenient this part is…"
That was exactly why Seras, who was knowledgeable, was so helpful.
"Net…? What is a net?"
"Hm? Ah, in the world I came from there was a convenient way to view information from all over the world. Well, it seems highly confidential information could not be viewed, though."
Even so, we could gather basic information.
"Is it like an archive that anyone can enter?"
"It is a little different."
"So that net cannot be used here?"
"Yeah, apparently not."
My smartphone would not even turn on.
I watched the flow of people.
"For now let us solidify the basic information."
A countryside newcomer to the royal capital who was extremely curious about leopard people.
That was the role I would play.
"Shall we split up?"
"Yeah. Time is precious."
I handed Seras one of the small coin bags I had divided up last night.
"What is this?"
"If you need it, you may use this money as you see fit."
There were also stalls in front of the blood arena.
"Some people will loosen their tongues if you treat them."
"Is that all right?"
"It is what they call 'expenses.' Well, to be honest I do not really understand expenses myself."
My uncle had once talked about expenses.
He said it was the term for money used for work.
That was the extent of my understanding.
Whether this counted as "work" was questionable.
We began gathering information on Eve.
After about three hours we met up again in front of the blood arena.
"I did not see you for a while."
"I actually went as far as another district."
"I see."
I had left the judgment to Seras.
Knowing her, she would not have been slacking off.
"So, how did it go?"
"As expected of a popular blood gladiator… many people became quite talkative once the topic turned to Eve Speed."
It had been the same on my side.
Everyone spoke happily about Eve Speed's strength.
People gladly talk when it is about something they like.
Thanks to that, gathering information had been easy.
We shared the pieces of information that caught our attention.
It seemed Eve had originally been a slave.
She had been sold from a slave merchant to the blood arena.
At the time the audience had grown tired of the blood fights.
The operators then introduced a rare leopard person.
From her very first fight the arena had become extremely lively.
The blood fights had regained their energy that way.
"Three years without a single loss is amazing."
"Since the side with Eve always wins, she has not been allowed to participate in team battles for the past six months."
"She seemed to have a lot of supporters. Almost no one was hoping for her to lose."
When the same person keeps winning, boredom usually sets in.
But that had not happened with Eve.
"She probably makes an effort to fight in a way that entertains the audience. She likely understands the kind of victory the spectators want. Everyone gave the impression that they come to see her win."
That was the source of her popularity.
"By the way, did you already hear that tomorrow is Eve Speed's final blood fight?"