Originally a space for the knights, instead of knights, spectators had gathered there. And among them, a few people holding weapons were eyeing each other, waiting for an opportunity.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, a loud sound echoed as if the castle were about to leave.

Ivy reflexively turned to look out the window, but Dies covered his eyes, so he couldn’t see anything.

“Don’t look.”

At Dies’ whisper, Ivy realized the situation and fixed her gaze on the maid leading the way.

She gradually began to feel it. This was a place where people fought and killed each other for money.

However, Ivy, accustomed to the atmosphere despite Dies’ overprotectiveness, didn’t find this atmosphere particularly unfamiliar.

If she hadn’t encountered a fortune teller or caught the eyes of the Tower Lord, Ivy would have been in such a situation, sold off to a place like this.

Unlike Cassel, who shivered with invisible disgust in the atmosphere of the arena, Ivy quickly adapted to the atmosphere. However, Cassel, overwhelmed by the unseen repulsion, was shivering.

‘These crazy people…’

Cassel turned pale, recalling the sight he had witnessed.
Arriving at the castle, he found himself watching a match all of a sudden. It was the arena’s unique way of treating precious guests with utmost care.

Cassel felt a bit uncomfortable, but since he had come this far, he decided to experience life in the lower continent with a commendable mindset. After all, Montla was a prestigious noble family from Tindavis.

So, he sat in the seat closest to the arena and carefully observed the space.

The vulgar and uncivilized behavior of the people from the lower continent, shouting like whales, was strangely fascinating. Cassel realized once again that those who lacked manners were no different from beasts.

It was somewhat surreal to think that people were seeking entertainment by watching the brutality of animals. So, he took a moment to watch the arena to understand what they were so passionate about.

There, bare mercenaries stood holding swords.

‘What are they clumsily doing?’

Cassel thought it was trivial, but in an instant, something happened.

As one of them moved, six mercenaries in the arena entangled with each other. They ruthlessly stabbed each other, and the rose-like blood, as vivid as May, bloomed over the fragrant dust.

At the sight of those vivid colors, Cassel swallowed a breath.

Thinking that they might actually die, one mercenary already down was struck by another.

The crowd cheered, and Cassel’s mind went blank.

He knew it in his head. In the arenas of Bys, people sometimes died, and the savages who paid to watch it were numerous.

However, Cassel was still taken aback. He didn’t expect it to happen so easily.

The shocking scene was similar to the astonishment of a child who learned how the chicken dish they ate every day was slaughtered.

“Welcome! It’s an honor to host such a distinguished guest!”

Amidst this, a well-fed man with a smiling face warmly welcomed Cassel. He was the owner of this arena, whose name Cassel couldn’t remember.

After that, a splendid table was waiting for the guests. However, Cassel had no appetite at all.

“How was the match? I’m worried that our entertainment might have been inadequate for someone who came a long way.”

Even with the flattery of the arena owner, Cassel was in a low mood. So, he reluctantly sat at the table but didn’t engage in conversation or touch the food.

Instead, he inwardly resented the mastermind behind this dreadful situation that brought him to this unsavory place.

His presence here was all because of Ivy Ariahte and Miel Cedro.

Even though Ivy had declared a kind of war, Cassel didn’t overestimate her. So, he intended to stop bothering with her by checking Montla’s accounts and burning Ivy’s mansion.

However, due to the reckless actions of little Cedro, he seriously reconsidered Ivy Ariahte’s intentions.

Back then, Cassel didn’t expect to face such a situation.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’

In response to Ivy’s question about where he sold the salt, Cassel genuinely thought this way.
Yet, he subtly smirked. It was because he had played a prank with the Tower’s salt.

Until Cassel Montla became a viscount, the distribution of purification salt was evenly spread across the various regions of Bys. The reason was, of course, to minimize the damage caused by the curse of Grom and the Night Clan.

However, if the amount of salt distribution was fixed, it was difficult for the selling party to have fun.

Since it was impossible to turn it to another place if the salt didn’t sell, when the lords of Bys complained about the difficulty, the only option was to eventually lower the salt price.

Cassel didn’t like this restricted trade, so he slyly changed the method following the tradition.

He kept the rule of distributing salt by region but changed the criteria from population-based distribution to distribution based on the area of the territory.

There was no backlash. In fact, there were some protests from the densely populated Northern and Western regions, but it was well smoothed over as the Southern and Eastern regions actively supported it.

As a result, the ruined South and the barren East, which comprised half of the territory, could now purchase a much larger amount of salt than before.

Cassel didn’t stop there; he introduced an auction system to encourage wealthy lords to buy salt at higher prices, fostering competition.

In this way, by significantly raising the price of salt and redirecting substantial profits to the Tower, Cassel earned quite a bit in auction commissions.

However, Cassel didn’t think this was wrong. Instead, he took pride in his business acumen.

Though there were some grumblings from the numerous but impoverished North, he believed it was right to stand up against other regions fairly.

So, he genuinely thought there was no problem, but while tracing the path of salt due to Ivy, his attention reached the ruins of the South.

And he learned about the existence of the arena using the Night Clan.

‘It’s not my fault; I didn’t know about this!’

Cassel never dreamed that the vulgar lords of the lower continent would turn the curse of Grom into a means of making money.

And he wanted to continue pretending not to know.

However, due to the news that Ivy Ariahte confronted Viscount Bayen, he couldn’t. If that troublemaker raised this issue and made it a problem, the elders of the family would also jump on the bandwagon.

In the end, Cassel, who reluctantly descended to the lower continent, felt nauseous at the sight of the arena, which was worse than he had imagined.

So, he resented Ivy Ariahte, that audacious one, even more.

After barely swallowing his revulsion, Cassel whispered to his attendant in his ear.

The attendant conveyed those words exactly to the owner of the arena.

“Can I see the Night Clan in advance?”

“Oh, normally, it’s not allowed, but… If you wish, I will specially arrange it for you.”

The owner feigned embarrassment but then smiled sheepishly, calling the servants. Though he was trying to act discreet, he somewhat grasped Cassel’s identity.

After a while, two iron cages, each large enough for one person, were brought into the dining hall.