I could go crying for help to the demi-human country of Siltvelt, or maybe Shieldfreeden, and have them purchase the slaves on my behalf. That would be a last resort, though. I wanted to avoid it if at all possible. They might end up holding the demi-human slaves ransom and force me to go to Siltvelt. I was in the middle of preparing for the next wave. The risk of getting caught up in some kind of mess with Siltvelt was just too high. Even worse, we might get caught up in some kind of big conspiracy that affected Raphtalia and the others, too.

I needed to make a ridiculous amount of money, and I needed to do it fast. Surely there had to be a way. We were in Zeltoble—the country of mercenaries and merchants . . . and underground auctions. Now that I thought about it, the slave trader had been whispering something about making money just a second ago.

“Hey, slave trader.”

“What is it? Yes sir.”

“How much money can you make fighting in the coliseum?”

We may have been temporarily weakened at the moment, but we were still a lot stronger than your average adventurer, knight, or warrior. I could conceal my identity as a hero and participate in a coliseum fight that allowed betting. Then, if I bet on myself . . . This wasn’t horse racing, but it would be like betting on a horse with 100 to 1 odds and winning.

“Payouts range from extravagant to insignificant. Yes sir.”

“I’m interested in that extravagant. If we concealed our true identities and fought in a coliseum that allowed betting . . . Let’s say we managed to win in the most dangerous one. Could we make enough money to buy the slaves at these inflated prices?”

“Hold on just a moment. Yes sir.”

The slave trader began whispering back and forth with his uncle. A few moments later . . .

“It’s not impossible. That said, I can’t guarantee you will make it out alive. It’s quite likely to prove rather dangerous.”

“Hmph . . . I’m not worried about that.”

I mean, come on. If we were talking about a risk of death, that’s something we had faced countless times, and we were still here. I’d fought against the waves, against conspiracy, and against religion. I’d fought against the Spirit Tortoise, and I’d even fought in another world. I had been on the verge of death time and again, and that wasn’t going to stop any time soon. If that was the only problem, then I’d face that risk again fighting in the coliseum for the sake of Raphtalia’s village.

“. . .”

Raphtalia looked at me with a mix of expectation and apprehension on her face. Raph-chan was doing the same. Rishia was panicking over what my decision would be, and Filo had her head cocked to the side as if she had no idea what was going on.