"Oh, I just thought of something great. Sharl, capture me and hand me over to Marquis Hannibal."
"How does that even work?"
"It's simple. Sharl collects the success fee from Marquis Hannibal. Once that's confirmed, I take care of the Marquis. That way, Sharl keeps every last coin."
Gotta make sure Sharl gets a nice payday too.
"Hmm, Adventurer Alan, you're pretty evil yourself, you know."
"No, no, I'm nowhere near your level, Lord Sharl."
I mean, Sharl is the one who's truly evil — he swindled advance payment out of Grundle for an investigation he never intended to carry out. Seriously.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! ...By the way, Alan, are we going to do this every single time?"
"This is the last time."
And so, I was "captured" by Sharl (in name only) and delivered to the estate of Marquis Hannibal — a noble who'd clawed his way up from the illegal slave trade.
Having collected his hefty sum of gold coins, Sharl promptly took his leave.
◇◇◇
"Here — a collar of servitude. With this on, you won't be able to disobey anymore. What a fool, to defy the Marquis!"
"Wahh, they put the collar on me! What's going to happen to me now?!"
The moment I was handed over at the Hannibal estate, they slapped a collar of servitude on me.
Of course, it doesn't work on me, so I just pretend to be compliant.
"Now then, get moving! The Marquis is waiting!"
And so I was marched toward the arena tucked away in a corner of the vast Marquis Hannibal estate.
According to the soldier who'd fitted the collar on me — bragging the whole time — pitting combat slaves against each other or throwing them up against powerful monsters was one of the Marquis's favorite hobbies.
In the arena, a blond noble with an arrogant air was already waiting.
And with him stood roughly ten powerful warriors, all wearing collars of servitude.
"So you're Alan. I'd received a quick report from 'Green Eyes,' but to be captured by some nameless information guild after all the trouble you caused me — how underwhelming. A letdown, to be sure, but at the very least, entertain me well here."
The Marquis attempted to explain what would happen next.
"First, the customary ranking. You'll fight these fellows one by one so we can gauge your str—"
"No. 'Unlock Choker.'"
One by one, the collars of servitude on the warriors popped off.
The warriors, grasping the situation in an instant, surrounded Marquis Hannibal.
"Huh? Wha—? What's going on? You lot, don't you dare— Stop this!!"
Marquis Hannibal loved combat and had trained himself to a reasonable degree, but the professional warriors who'd been made to do nothing but fight overwhelmed him in an instant and knocked him unconscious.
"Hey, who gets to kill him?"
"Let me do it! I'm avenging my friend who was forced to fight monsters in this arena and killed!"
"No, it's me! I was kidnapped out of nowhere and haven't seen my family in ages!"
"Then me too."
"Come to think of it — who are you anyway?"
The leader of the warriors who'd been paraded as spectacles in the arena turned to me.
"I'm an Orichalcum-rank adventurer named Alan. I was nearly captured by the White Slave Guild, had 'Green Eyes' keeping tabs on me, and faked my capture to get in here."
"Alan, huh? I haven't heard of you, but to be able to undo a collar of servitude — you must be a mage of considerable renown. You have my gratitude."
"Don't mention it. Um, would you leave the matter of Marquis Hannibal's fate to me?"
Skills: [Reverse][Divine Eye][Sword God][Fist God][Spear God][Scorching Magic][Frost Magic][Seiran Magic][Rock Iron Magic][Sacred Magic][Dark Magic][Spacetime Magic][Thunder God Sword][Phantom Gentleman Thief][Ninja Master][Seeker of Truth][Monstrous Power][Idaten][Pain Dampening][Complete Status Abnormality Resistance][Dark Spirit's Protection][Super Intuition][Heaven's Gate][Abyss Contractee][Magic Hand][Treasure Search][Seduction][Incitement][Eloquence][Strong Luck][Tenfold Growth Speed][Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum