As Silvia and Irethiel argued, I stood there bewildered, still reeling from what had just happened.
Silvia's grey eyes had turned red, and her ears had become rather pointed, as I examined her again.
Silvia turned to face me when she noticed my stare and spoke quickly.
"D-Did this appearance makes you worried, Ares? When I consume blood, my eyes turn bright crimson." She clarified quickly.
"No, I was simply thinking about something else," I explained before continuing.
"If the merchant association's head is a Vampire, does that mean the entire merchant association is made up of Vampires?" I was curious because I hadn't read anything about them in the novel.
"Of course, all the merchant association's higher-ups are vampires," she explained.
'Hmm, they already dominate the economy of the majority of the Kingdoms,' I reflected thoughtfully.
while I was pondering to myself, Silvia and I both received a notification on our phones at the same moment.
I promptly took out my phone and checked its contents, while Silvia did the same.
As soon as I opened the notification on my phone and read the text, I became baffled.
Silvia hurriedly switched on the television and tuned in to the news.
We were astonished to see a massive arena being constructed, as well as a plethora of protective spells being cast all around it.
While the main headline was...
"The Battle of Two Transcendent Beings,
Mika Amami vs. Tania Elizabeth,"
"...."
I was surprised to hear the news because I hadn't read anything about their battle in the novel.
And Tania Elizabeth was an essential character in the story, as she would help Lucas' party eradicate one of the demon lords.
She shouldn't be taken lightly; instead of using weapons, she fights with her fists, which makes her combat style fairly distinct.
Most importantly, she will be Lucas's instructor in the future is what matters most. And she'll teach Lucas her martial arts.
And no matter who wins, none of the two transcendent beings will remain unharmed as a result of this combat.
To be honest, I'm concerned about Mika as well. I'm not sure if she could win...
As I was thinking to myself, I got a holographic call from Aegis.
"Did you see the news?" she inquired as soon as I picked up her call.
"Of course, I did" I replied.
"Will you be there as well?" she inquired.
"When will it happen again?" I asked.
"It will take place early tomorrow morning in The Solstice stadium, which is located in the Kingdom of Demetria. But, because we don't know how much havoc their fight would do, there will be a separate stadium solely for the audience, where their fight will be live televised," She elaborated.
"Why don't they just fight it out in a magical space?" I asked.
In addition to ensuring their safety, it will also lessen the harm to the surroundings, which piqued my curiosity, as to why they didn't select this possibility.
"I don't believe any magical space can hold their combined prowess," she remarked.
'Well, she is not wrong there.' I thought to myself.
"It will be quite dangerous, right?" So I inquired.
"They will undoubtedly suffer serious injuries, and one of them may even die," she said with an uneasy expression.
"How did things get to this point? Wasn't she supposed to be on a mission?" I inquired.
"I'm not sure where to begin; it all happened on her mission, and even I don't know much details either; you should ask her the next time you see her."
"... But they were at odds with one other for a long time," she continued with an uneasy smile after a brief pause.
"Everywhere Mika goes, she makes enemies," I sighed and expressed.
"...."
Aegis just kept her awkward smile on because she had nothing to say in response.
"... You're in for a lot of work now, Aegis," I warned.
"I know, right?" She replied awkwardly.
"Between, how did things go with the demon? Did you save it? "She inquired curiously.
I directed the hologram at Irethiel, who stood beside Silvia and was staring at me.
"Damn, she's gorgeous," Aegis grumbled as she saw Irethiel.
"...."
And I didn't know how to respond to her words, for Irethiel's beauty could enchant even girls.
"Ahem, I mean, did you sign a contract with her?" she inquired after faking her cough.
"Yes, I did," I said
"Of equal terms?" she inquired
"...Slave contract," I answered and avoided her gaze.
"What!" she shouted.
"Did you become that demon's slave? I know she is beautiful, but still-"
I didn't let her finish and clarified.
"It's the other way around"
"Huh?" she looked puzzled.
"...."
"...."
She just stared at me for a moment, before speaking.
"So, you mean to say...that demon is your slave?"
She curiously inquired.
"Umu," I nodded in agreement.
"You're quite bold for someone dense," she said.
"Wait, turn the camera again!" She suddenly spoke after realization.
"What is it?" I said and directed the hologram towards Irethiel again.
"Who is that loli beside her?" she inquired.
Silvia, who had been standing beside Irethiel and stared at me the entire time, introduced herself after hearing Aegis.
"Hello, my name is Silvia Ursula. I'm Ares' fiancee."
"...."
Aegis was left speechless for a moment before introducing herself,
"Ahh, I-I am Aegis Winston, Ares's Sensei!" she said.
"...."
'Sensei? Really?' I thought inwardly.
"Nice to meet you Aegis," Silvia said with a smile.
"Y-Yeah, nice to meet you as well, Silvia," she replied.
"Ares, might I have a moment with you...alone?" she demanded.
'I knew where this was headed.' I shook my head and thought to myself.
"Ahem, I'll be right back," I remarked to Silvia and Irethiel before departing.
And quickly left the room for somewhere deserted.
"Ares, how long has it been since our last conversation?" When no one was around, Aegis inquired.
"Huh? I'd say about a day." I answered casually.
"No,... It hadn't even been a day and you already have two new girls? You're faster than any Harem protagonist I've read about in novels or seen in anime." She went on to say.
"And what were you saying before? 'I already have my hands full with two crazy women, I don't think I will get involved with anyone else'." She tried to imitate me.
"...."
I was rendered dumbfounded because I have no answer to that.
"And how did you turn that demon into your slave?...No! Wait, from when do you have a fiancee?" She questioned curiously.
"...."
Getting hit by her repeated questions I sighed inwardly.
"I don't know how it happened, but even I wasn't aware that I was engaged. And I used some cunning methods to make that demon my slave. Is that sufficient justification?" I explained nonchalantly.
"That's obviously not enough information, but you can fill me in on that later. Let's get back to the main subject now." She took a brief pause before moving on.
"Do you think Mika has any chance of winning against Tania?" She asked in an anxious voice,
"To be completely honest with you, even I can't guarantee that she will win. After all, I've never seen Mika use all of her strength." I said honestly Since I've read about how resilient Tania is when she becomes serious in the story.
However, I didn't read or witness Mika exercising all of her strength.
"Well, we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" I told Aegis.
"Yeah, worrying won't get us anywhere. And Mika isn't going to back down now, so all I can do is prepare for whatever circumstance arises." Finally, Aegis calmed down and spoke.
"I'll do my best to get to the stadium on time as well; though, I was on my way back to the floating island. Silvia might be able to assist me with this." I said.
"Hmm, Ok. For the time being, I'll need to make some arrangements, so let's meet in the stadium." She explained.
"All good, I'll see you soon," I said as we hung up.
***
I returned to the room Silvia and Irethiel were in after finishing my call with Aegis.
Silvia started speaking as soon as she saw me, even before I had a chance to inquire about my means of transportation to the stadium.
"I made all the necessary arrangements for our trip to the stadium so that we could be there in time before the match begin."
After hearing her, a satisfied smile came to my face.
"Do you intend to accompany me?" I inquired.
"Yes, the merchant association is the one making the preparations for the game. I will therefore have to attend as well." she reasoned.
Hearing her, I simply nodded my head in agreement.
***************