Rise of the Blood Prince: From Slave to Emperor

After dealing with Speas, Aslan was able to make more money. Still, the areas where he spent money remained consistent.

Protein-focused meals.

Alcohol.

Occasional baths.

He didn't request anything else beyond that. He didn't pay extra for special training or buy weapons. He didn't call for doctors or women.

So Aslan's money just kept accumulating steadily.

"Phew."

At the time when everyone was asleep.

As always, Aslan was practicing his Drunken Immortal Method while calming his heavy intoxication.

"Hmm?"

He was the first to detect the commotion outside. There was a disturbance from very far away, but it was different from before.

Quite a loud noise was reaching the arena where he was.

He detected it but didn't particularly pay attention.

Then Liscal shouted loudly.

"Everyone come out!"

Aslan and the other slaves all came outside. Light rain was falling. And naturally, Isaac, Oben, and even Chira stood next to Aslan.

"They say it's a rebellion."

Oben suddenly said.

"A rebellion?"

"Yeah. They say a rebellion broke out in District 4. That's why we're being mobilized now. We'll be used to suppress the District 4 rebels."

"A rebellion... but we're being mobilized?"

"Since it's dawn, I guess. We'll have to suffer until the regular defense forces arrive. Isaac! How long has it been since the last rebellion?"

"About 5 years, I think."

"There were rebellions before?"

"Yeah. District 4 that time too. There are rumors that District 4 has harsh conditions."

"Harsh conditions..."

"The arena owners in that district are pretty vicious. That's probably why the rebellion broke out."

"But is it okay to bring us along?"

"Yeah."

"If we had a change of heart, the damage would be huge."

"We have to hope there's no one that stupid. The damage would be big, but the rebellion will be suppressed anyway. The Empire isn't that sloppy."

While they were chatting, armed Liscal stood in front of the slaves. Behind him, soldiers were distributing weapons to the slaves.

"A large-scale rebellion has broken out in District 4. Since those rebels are coming into District 3, we'll be stopping them. You guys are very lucky. The master has decided to forgive half the debts of those who participate in this matter. So those who will go out and fight proudly, step forward."

However, the slaves didn't step forward hastily. Isaac and Oben were the same.

"No one's stepping forward? Is it because you're fellow slaves?"

"Who do we know in District 4? Even among fellow gladiator slaves, there's no such bond. It's just..."

"Just?"

"Life is precious, so they're not stepping forward hastily."

"From what I see, arena matches are also sufficiently..."

"That's different from war. Looking at how they're even preparing us, this is really a large-scale rebellion. It means it couldn't be suppressed in District 4. It's a really big war. If you get swept up in it, it's hard to survive."

"Do you think that rebellion will get very big?"

"That won't happen."

This time it was Isaac. He was very firm.

"The rebellion will fail. That's certain."

"But you said the rebellion is getting big enough that the aftermath is reaching District 3?"

"That's possible."

"What if it takes this place and eats up the entire region?"

"That's impossible. Once Airs' regular forces arrive, it's over. I can see what confidence they had to start a rebellion. But when knights who use mana breathing and wizards who use magic step in, it'll be tough."

"Are they that strong?"

"Very strong. They're monsters."

'Magic... I can roughly guess what kind it is...'

He had intact memories of living as a modern person. He'd witnessed wizards several times in novels and movies. So he wasn't particularly curious about information on wizards. He thought they wouldn't be much different from his memories in any form.

But he was a bit curious about knights, who were said to have risen to the ranks of superhumans.

What exactly was this mana breathing method?

Seeing that there were clear physical characteristics, it seemed to be a different concept from martial arts. So Aslan wanted to confirm that.

Escaping slave status was a predetermined matter for Aslan, so it wasn't something he considered much.

If he moved like he was now, he could escape slave status soon. It was fine even if opponents he couldn't handle came.

He had already created his dantian and was getting stronger. No, to be precise, it was more accurate to say he was gradually regaining his original abilities.

In the arena, he attracted attention by appearing drunk, but in reality, he wasn't a clown, nor was he an attention-seeker thirsting for interest.

Right now, he was moving under very cold calculations.

He attracted attention according to the information the odd-eyed girl had told him, and even gained popularity, all just to escape slave status.

What he worried about was life after shedding his slave status. How should he live in this place called the Empire?

He had one path decided for now.

Become a mercenary.

More precisely, create a mercenary group.

But was creating a mercenary group easy? Weren't there things to consider? What exactly were these creatures called monsters?

He had a lot to consider, and so he needed a lot of information.

This was an opportunity.

A chance to witness the abilities of the superhumans they spoke of—wizards and knights.

"No one? This is a very good opportunity. Do you think we'll only forgive debts? There will be other sufficient rewards too. Among them will be women. Really no one?"

Liscal asked again, but no gladiator slave stepped forward hastily. They didn't all look scared. They just had the thought that there was no need to step forward for that.

Then someone raised their hand high.

Liscal brightened considerably.

"Oh!"

But when he confirmed it was Aslan, he made a slightly frowning expression.

"Am I not allowed?"

At Aslan's words, Liscal shook his head slightly and said no. Isaac and Oben were looking at Aslan with very surprised expressions.

"You can."

"You'll definitely forgive the debt, right?"

"Yeah. This is a decree that came down from all of Airs. It's a promise that will definitely be kept. But Aslan, I didn't expect you to step forward. I thought you wouldn't be interested in this kind of thing..."

"I'm very interested in debt."

"You could die."

"It's not exactly safe now either."

While Liscal and Aslan were exchanging conversation, more hands went up. It was Isaac and Oben. Then after a few exchanges, Chira also raised his hand.

"You've been hanging out together lately... there's loyalty after all."

"We're also very interested in debt. We've been saving money lately."

"If you two hadn't gambled, you would have already escaped this place by now."

"Oh come on... bringing up such old stories."

At the mention of gambling, Isaac chuckled and scratched his head. Oben also laughed.

"With your skills, you could have managed gladiator slaves here. At least until your eyes and arm became like that."

Liscal said with a pitying expression. He truly thought Oben and Isaac were pitiful.

"Why suddenly bring up old stories? So are we allowed or not?"

"There are no exceptions. Since there are fewer volunteers than expected, it's a difficult situation. Rather, we're grateful you're joining. You guys will receive more rewards than what was just mentioned."

"If we survive, that is?"

Isaac said with a bright smile.

"Right, if you survive. But don't worry. I'm going out too."

Liscal hadn't expected so few volunteers. It was a big enough rebellion to spill over into other districts.

Naturally, many personnel had to be mobilized to increase survival probability. That's why they decided to mobilize even the gladiator slaves.

However, gladiator slaves who died in harsh environments had choices. At least if you became a gladiator slave in Airs, you could limit where you died to inside the arena.

"I'll ask again. No more?"

But no one stepped forward.

***

"Take weapons. You can take as many as you want."

The arena's armory had many weapons. Anyway, Oben, Chira, and Isaac had weapons they used. So they only put on light armor. On the other hand, Aslan carefully selected weapons and then gave attention to an unexpected item.

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes."

"I haven't heard stories about using bows in Maran..."

It was a correct story. The Maran Kingdom was a country of magic. If you could use it, magic was superior to bows.

"Still, we use bows. There are wizards who use bows too."

"So you're saying you know how to use it?"

"Yes."

"Good. If you know how to use it, use it. You can take anything."

There were many bows. The types were diverse and the quality varied greatly. Fortunately, Aslan had the eye to recognize that quality. And that wasn't all—he was someone who could make bows himself if he had the right tools.

Before he seriously threw himself into the Martial World, he was in the military, and when he was in the military, his buddy was a master archer. He wasn't just someone who could shoot bows, but someone who could make them. At that time, Aslan learned how to make bows.

And after that, making bows became one of his hobbies. Bows didn't need full-scale tools like blades. With just skill, you could make them with simple tools. It was just that such skill was very rare.

Having made countless bows, his eye was above ordinary level. The appearance of the bows spread before Aslan was no different from the bows he'd seen in the Martial World. However, he made a surprised expression after trying a few bows.

Because bows with unremarkable appearances were better than he'd thought. It didn't mean the completion was high.

Bows were delicate items, and even slight warping could cause major deviation. So finished items that could shoot straight without warping were important.

However, frankly speaking, the bows here were hard to consider highly finished. The storage conditions weren't very good either, so there was warping somewhere. But that wasn't what surprised Aslan.

Elasticity and power.

A bow's power comes from the string. The string needs good elasticity to receive strong force, but all the bows here were stronger than he'd thought. It meant drawing the string wasn't easy.

"Those items are weapons made from monster sinews, so they're not easy to handle."

"But they're quite good."

"The power would be very good. But I haven't seen anyone handle them properly yet. They're items that slaves brought when they were captured. The owners disappeared long ago. I said take anything, so whatever you take is your freedom. But don't forget. Where we're going now is a battlefield. We're not going to play."

"I understand."

"I'm saying this because you seem too relaxed."

"Isn't that better than being nervous?"

Aslan said with a slight smile.

"You... are you really from Maran?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Looking at what you do, it doesn't seem like it at all. It feels like you've been rolling around in this business for decades."

"If I had, I wouldn't be here either."