The deathmatch among the Nameless, also known as the “Aftermeal Hour,” is an event held after every meal. Following each of the day’s three meals, duels are conducted on a lower elevated bridge involving the Nameless. Owners send their Nameless participants to battle, and the general rule is that the match is considered won when the opponent’s owner signals surrender. Otherwise, the Nameless must endure until they collapse. The side winning each individual match receives a prize, which consists of the audience’s bets. If a Nameless consecutively wins without falling for thirty matches, they can acquire the owner’s surname, breaking free from the fate of being Nameless, and also receive a substantial cash reward.
After hearing Snowlight’s explanation, Ellyad frowned disapprovingly, and Snowlight shared the same sentiment. However, neither had the power to change this horrifying practice. In a nation suspended in mid-air, facing political instability, loss of past economic trade advantages, and even the absence of land, the only industry left to generate income for the citizens was gambling.
The ongoing battle above presented a stark contrast of advantages and disadvantages. One combatant appeared unscathed, while the other was covered in blood, persisting through the struggle. However, the two fighters didn’t seem to reflect a vast difference in strength, prompting Ellyad to inquire further with Snowlight.
“Because the frequency of the three meals is very intense, right? If an owner has only a few Nameless, but participates in every match, the injuries from the previous match haven’t healed, new wounds are added in the next, and their strength hasn’t fully recovered. So many Nameless are constantly forced to participate in such conditions, eventually succumbing to exhaustion and dying on the bridge.” Snowlight didn’t want to continue explaining and forcefully pulled Ellyad, wanting to leave this place sooner.
Seeing that the Nameless was about to collapse, his owner showed no intention of letting him retire, insisting on him expending his life. Ellyad clicked his tongue and unexpectedly ran towards the bridge of the building.
“Ellyad, brother, brother! Hey, you can’t be… Ah, I can’t catch up with him at all!” Knowing what Ellyad wanted to do, Snowlight wanted to catch up and stop him, but her efforts were in vain. She saw Ellyad directly run into the midst of the fight on the bridge, quickly pulling the male Nameless, who was about to collapse, to the side.
“What’s going on!”
“Who’s intruding?”
“What does the outsider want to do!”
“He dares to interrupt the match.”
Ignoring the curses from above, Ellyad paid no attention. He saw the owner of the Nameless, who rushed towards him with an evil look, shouting, “Who are you! Don’t disturb my match. If I lose, can you even afford to compensate me!”
After saying that, he forcibly dragged the Nameless away, intending to drag the completely weakened man back to the center of the bridge to continue the match. The Nameless showed no strength to struggle or resist.
Ellyad caught up and took the rusty sword from the trembling hand of the Nameless, glaring at the owner. He replied briefly, “I can afford it.”
Then, he assisted the Nameless to a safe and open place for rest. He turned back, walking to the center of the bridge. Facing the opponent of the Nameless who was on the verge of death, Ellyad’s silent actions clearly indicated that he would replace the Nameless. Due to the dark cloak still covering him, no one noticed Ellyad’s hair color.
This sudden change caused a stir in the sky. The enemy, seeing the loss of advantage, began to angrily shout at Ellyad, “This is too unfair! Besides, this is a deathmatch for the Nameless. You are not a Nameless, so you have no right to intrude into this competition!”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
“Get lost, don’t disturb our fun.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Qts jgf sbe ublcu mgjhs obg cb gfjrbc!”
“Cyrbieafis lcrjcf.”
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“Lf’r jmaejiis j Rjwfifrr,” Vcbkiluta weaafgfv lc jrabclrtwfca. Ktf rmjg kjr atf eclolfv ygjcvlcu bo atf Rjwfifrr. Ycmf lvfcalolfv jr j Rjwfifrr, bcf kbeiv yf ygjcvfv ilxf ilnfrabmx.
“So, can I participate?” Ellyad pulled his clothes back on, coldly asking while implying the answer. At this point, no one would doubt his hair color because a member of the royal family could not possibly be a Nameless.
Holding the sword, Ellyad stepped onto the bridge. The bridge was only about as wide as an adult spreading their arms. Without any warning, the match began immediately as Ellyad entered. The opposing Nameless wielded his sword and charged towards Ellyad, but Ellyad easily dodged, swiftly moving to strike the Nameless in the heart with the hilt of his sword. A muffled sound echoed, and the Nameless fell unconscious with rolled-back eyes. Ellyad caught him and helped him back to the other end of the bridge, determining the victory in an instant!
Above their heads, there were unsurprising gasps and a burst of commotion. However, the opponent wasted no time and immediately sent another Nameless to the arena. Ellyad took a deep breath, understanding that the sooner he finished, the better. He aimed to end the match quickly and minimize any harm.
After a deep breath, holding his breath, Ellyad charged forward on his own initiative.
—
Successfully defeating the sixth person, the sound of bells echoed from the top of the tower, followed by nearby towers. A few minutes later, the entire country resonated with the ringing of bells.
It turns out that the citizens of the Iron Gray Nation blindly follow the rhythm of the bells for their daily activities. They start the match after finishing their meal and end it when the bells ring again. Once one clock tower bell rings, the nearby clock towers follow suit, declaring the end of the match for all regions.
The crowd began to disperse, and people complained that the ‘Mealtime’ ended too early, but no one stayed behind. The owners led their Nameless away.
Snowlight finally came to Ellyad’s side, not giving him any chance to linger. She forcefully grabbed his hand and headed straight to their hiding place.
“Ellyad, do you even know what you were doing just now? We can’t draw too much attention. If anything happens, the whole plan will be ruined. You should be more careful!” Snowlight reproached him with a sharp tone.
Ellyad felt a twinge of guilt as he lowered his head, allowing Snowlight to scold him without intending to apologize for his actions. He knew he shouldn’t have done something so attention-grabbing, but since the incident had already occurred before his eyes and he couldn’t turn a blind eye when he had the chance to stop it, he couldn’t simply ignore it.
“Anyway, please promise me that you won’t do such a thing again, okay?”
Ellyad didn’t immediately agree but hesitated before admitting, “I don’t think I can promise that.”
After all, knowing the exact location and timing of what would happen, it was too difficult for Ellyad to act as if nothing had happened.
“Find a way to control yourself. I absolutely won’t allow you to go on that bridge again. Do you want all of Crow’s previous efforts to be in vain? If things go wrong, you might not be able to leave this country yourselves.”
“I’ll help that person finish thirty matches to let him escape the fate of a Nameless. I won’t involve myself in anything else,” Ellyad asserted from the beginning. It seemed that this country gathered a considerable number of Nameless, with almost every low bridge hosting a deathmatch. Helping every Nameless was an impossible task.
“No way!” Snowlight didn’t back down at all; in fact, she was quite angry. She stood outside the tea house, arms crossed, glaring at the unyielding Ellyad. The atmosphere between the two was awkward, and Ellyad was unsure of what comforting words to say.
“What are you doing at the door?”
Suddenly, Thrett appeared from inside the door, having heard Ellyad and Snowlight talking outside for a while. He hadn’t seen the two come in, so he came out to check.
“Ah, nothing. Nothing at all,” Ellyad, for some reason, was startled by Thrett’s appearance, took a few steps back in panic, and then quickly ran into the dimly lit alley, disappearing in an instant.
Snowlight clicked her tongue in displeasure. Originally intending to follow, she was stopped by Thrett.
“Hey.”
She turned around, waiting to hear what Thrett wanted.
“Is he okay?”
“He has a lot on his plate.” Snowlight’s tone suddenly became rough, completely devoid of her usual elegance.
Thrett only smiled at this version of Snowlight, and the warmth in his smile dropped to freezing point. He swiftly reached out and grabbed Snowlight’s face, pinching her tiny cheeks between his thumb and forefinger. “I was asking if you didn’t bully him, you cross-dresser.”
“Let go of my hand!” Snowlight tried to pry Thrett’s fingers apart with both hands, but he remained unmoved. He seemed to be tormenting a small creature, lifting the corners of his mouth with an arrogant smirk as he watched Snowlight struggle.
Thrett had unsealed his power in the morning, enjoyed a good sleep afterward, and now he was in good spirits. However, it was still unclear how long he could sustain himself after releasing a layer of his seal.
“Don’t pretend to be like this. It’s disgusting to look at.”
“You impolite demon. Since you know who I am, you better release me, or believe me, I’ll destroy you immediately.”
“After you break free, I’ll be waiting,” Thrett responded.
“You!” A whirlwind began to swirl around Snowlight, but just then, Thrett released his grip. “It seems you haven’t done anything to him. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Explain to me first, how did you see through me?” Snowlight demanded. As she spoke, her body was surrounded by a whirlwind, and when she reappeared, she had transformed into a handsome man, almost the same height as Thrett.
A sandy-colored wavy fringe covered half of his face, and his eyes were hidden behind a mask resembling an animal skull. The eye sockets of the mask emitted a faint red light.
“You did quite a job, you know, keeping that Crow guy away on the deserted streets in the late night and early morning hours, only to patrol when the place is crowded with people,” Thrett commented.
“Answer my question.”
“Is that the attitude one should have when asking for an explanation?” Thrett had actually noticed the signs early on. From the moment Lena strangely accepted the invitation from a stranger, he had been aware of the whole picture. Lena’s attention had always been secretly focused on Crow. What truly interested her was not Snowlight, the young girl, but the descendant of the bloodline of the hero, namely Crow. Perhaps out of momentary concern, worrying about the impending decline of the country and whether Crow, as the last heir, could survive safely, she insisted on accepting the invitation, leading them step by step into this situation
Woah, I never expected this twist! So this means “Snowlight” isn’t a royal heir? How did he come across Crow?