Ripe Melon

"It burns."

"I feel like my insides are bursting. Please help me! Someone"

"Malaya is vomiting blood!"

"Call the doctor!"

'Darren? Father? ' Malaya's vision was blurring, but she noticed her father and older brother Darren approaching her. Their faces held fear.

"Please help me, father, brother..."

---⚓⚓⚓---

That was the first recollection Carolle had when she awoke as Malaya. The little girl's pain was engraved not just in her head, but also in her heart. An excruciating anxiety and agony that would not go away quickly.

*Crowds cheering noise*

(A/N: I will refer Carolle to Malaya here now to not cause confusion.)

Malaya raised her eyes to the Octagon Colosseum, which was booming with cheers.

"Are you sure, Milady, you wanted to do this?" Rein inquired, concerned.

"It's ok, Rein. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to Milady," Dorris brought a huge scythe this time, scaring the people passing by.

"Dorris, keep that away." Malaya shifted her gaze to the Octagon Colesseum. 'The author of the Fate of the Stars certainly made it appear like the Colesseum of Earth.'

"I'm totally ready. For the last four years, I've been preparing for this." Malaya glanced at her hands, which were riddled with blisters.

They had returned to the Dukedom of Taleba three days after the food preparation. They wore hoods again to blend in.

Today's agenda was the main city, Orealles, which was home to the famed amphitheater, the Octagon Colosseum. This was where slaves battled for their lives for the pleasure and enjoyment of the people.

But this day was different. Today was the Taleba's dukedom anniversary. Today's fight will not only be fought by slaves, but also by ordinary people who wished to demonstrate their power.

If a slave won the whole battle, they would be liberated and all of their misdeeds would be forgiven. While if a regular citizen won, they would gain money and fame.

Not only that, but both slaves and ordinary citizens would be able to ask one wish. Whatever it was, the duke would grant it. And, sure, if one wanted the post of Duke to be replaced, they may wish for it too.

Because they were made up of eight separate tribes, the rest of the time disputes arise among the family tribes. And this was one of the days where they could settle any problem with each other. This was also a brilliant strategy used by the dukedom to avert a revolution.

'If you have a problem with the government, then remove them with your own strength alone.' That was the policy sounded here.

And that was how the current Taleba family got their position. And again, yes, the empire approved of this too.

Ah...Right. There was a wish that couldn't be fulfilled no matter what. And that was to overturn the entire empire or request the change of emperor. If you wish that, you would just earn a direct ticket to the gallows.

"Welcome dear guess!" A beast folk wearing bright green clothes and had bunny ears appeared in front of Malaya's group as they were going to enter the colosseum's entrance.

'Those ears looked fluffy, fluff, fluff.'

"Don't you dare, Milady, otherwise your allergy may flare up again." Rein warned Malaya as he noticed her hands moving to those soft fluff ears. He drew her away from the bunny guy before her allergy was triggered.

'Darn. Even with my new existence, I was cursed to never touch fluffy things.' Malaya retaliated in her head. And, by the way, the curse she was alluding to was not a curse at all, but rather her skin allergy to fur. She adored beautiful and fluffy things, but she could only view them from afar and never touch them. She did, however, touch puppies or cats on occasion, and as a result, she was bedridden for days.

The bunny man's smile became strained. Despite the fact that it had not been spotted in Taleba. Outside the dukedom, however, prejudice against beast folks was still prevalent. When Rein moved Malaya away from the rabbit guy, he realized how uncomfortable the situation had become. Rein spoke out right away.

"I apologize for being impolite, but my cousin here is allergic to furs."

"Oh. If that's the case, I totally understand." The rabbit man's face brightened up again. It was unusual for him to have a human apologize to him rather than further upset him. He totally understands why this individual would do much for his companion if it was due to certain medical conditions.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you?"

"My two companions want to purchase the green melon, and I wanted the ripest one," Malaya said, keeping her distance this time.

'Arghh. It's a pain to be me.' Malaya muttered in her head, but her face was still bright.

The bunny man's cheerful glittering hazel eyes became serious. "Perfect, we already have several customers who have asked for the ripe ones. They're selling very nicely today. Please follow me and I'll show you where you may buy one."

"Of course," she replied. Malaya trailed after the bunny man. Dorris and Rein simply followed them wordlessly. The crowd's cheering grew louder as they approached the Colosseum.

Malaya's melon remark was some kind of code here. If one desired the Green Melons, it meant they desired the VIP seats here at the Colosseum. While the ripped ones indicate that they intended to join the fight today.

---⚓⚓⚓---

They preceded the long stairs leading to the third level of seats. Malaya could now see the center of the arena, where the fights were taking place. There was already a fight going on in there. A young man with orange hair versus a huge Apeman. Somehow seeing this, reminded her of the biblical story of David and Goliath.

The Apeman's fist struck the young man. He flew over the other side of the arena and collided with its concrete walls.

"The winner is the Apeman of the East, Baru the Merciless!" The emcee announced, which elicited loud cheers and applause.

'In reality...not everyone ended up winning in the same way as David. Such a young man, I wonder what crime he committed to be enslaved in this colosseum. Yeah. Yeah. I shouldn't judge people based on their appearance, but in terms of physical strength, one can really determine one's strength by simply looking at them once. That young man was skin and bones and much smaller. What can he do in the face of a beast?'

"We've arrived." The voice of the Bunny guy interrupted Malaya's thoughts. They came to a halt in front of two massive doors.

"You'll find the green melons this way." The bunny pointed to the right door. "And the other one is where the ripe one can be found." At a meter distance from Malaya, the bunny man stretched out to Malaya a small piece of wood with the number 855 carved on it.

"This is your participant number tag."

The Bunny Man bowed his head and started to walk away.

"Let's meet later." Malaya began to make her way to the left door.

"Milady," Rein managed to grab Malaya's hands, causing her to stop moving.

Malaya shifted her gaze to him. Seeing his worried expression, she couldn't help but sigh.

"I already told you that I needed to do this to prove myself."

"Milady does not need to prove herself," Dorris said looking at Malaya with firmness. "Milady will always be the best master to me. I believe in you no matter what." 

Malaya used her right hand to remove Rein's hands. "Dorris, I really appreciate your words. But we've already discussed it. And, besides, if something were to happen to me, I'd just use my teleportation talisman."

"But..."

"If both of you really believe in me, then let me do this."

She wore the Shift-Identity Mask, which altered her physical appearance and even her voice to that of a male. Why was she wearing it now? It was due to the fact that it only had a twelve-hour time limit per day. And she wanted to save as much time as she could for this mask.

"From now on, just watch everything and don't do anything," Malaya said as she entered the door without waiting for the two to respond.

When she entered the room, everyone looked inside for a brief moment before returning to their own worlds. Malaya descended down the long stairs as she looked around for a place to wait.

Malaya examined her small hands, which were covered with blisters. 'Before I leave on my journey, I'll make certain that I leave no regrets here. Malaya I will avenge you against those who poisoned and killed you. And in order to do so, I needed to have that wish.'

---⚓⚓⚓---

Meanwhile...

At the Colosseum's underground.

"Are you certain you don't want to come with us, Marquess Gridon?"

Marquess Gridom chuckled at the fools in front of him. "No, I'm not going to. This is my retribution. I made the decision to spend the rest of my life here. And, besides, do you think you'll be able to easily defeat the Duke?"

A certain young man, whom Malaya had previously observed fighting, walked out of the battle arena. Or, rather, because she had short orange hair, one might mistake her for a man, but she was indeed for a fact a woman.

"That's too bad, Marquess. But it's fine. When you hear how the Duke will fall, I hope you won't be sorry you didn't join us." The woman raised her voice.

'Because the Duke is a character I created, I am familiar with all of his flaws." The woman's dark almond eyes flashed with a lethal glint.

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Dorris: Will Lady Malaya be alright?

Rein: Yes.

(They made it to the VIP room in the end.)

Dorris: Will Lady Malaya be alright?

Rein: Of course.

('This is the 115th time she has asked me this question.' Rein thought.)

Dorris: Will Lady Malaya be alright?

Rein: ...

(Rein finally snapped and didn't answer. But Dorris snapped as well as she brought her scythe out, crying as she acted to leave the VIP room.)

Dorris: I have to go there and save Milady!

(It took Rein a long time and a lot of beatings to stop Dorris from running wild.)

Rein: My God. I'll always remember to be patient, especially with children.

(But he too couldn't help but asked himself, if letting Malaya go was the best choice. 'Why am I surrounded with a troublesome bunch of children.' Rein couldn't help but sigh internally.)

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