The Four Stewards

Hark saw that Harrot wasn't interrupting, so he continued.

"First, there's 'The Fat Man.' He's a noble, not a high-ranking one, but he's been Count Sarik's follower since childhood and stuck with him ever since. So, the Count trusts him quite a bit."

"Initially, he managed the Gladiatorial Arena alone. Unfortunately, he was quite incompetent. Under his management, the Arena not only failed to make money but also caused a lot of trouble."

"Count Sarik was very disappointed in him and intended to find someone more capable. One time, while inspecting the Arena, he took a liking to a particularly brave gladiator."

"That gladiator left the Arena to become one of Count Sarik's subordinates. Less than half a year later, that gladiator was sent back and began managing the Arena in 'The Fat Man's' place."

"We all call him 'The Bald Man.' That guy is incredible. Not only is he unbelievably strong, but he's also incredibly sharp. Plus, he was a gladiator himself, so we all really respect him."

"After he took over, he categorized the gladiators and introduced various competition formats. Not only did this make the shows more exciting for the audience, but the gladiator death rate also significantly decreased. As a result, the Arena's profits multiplied several times over."

"Speaking of which, we really have to thank him. Establishing separate training grounds for elite gladiators and proposing the 'Ten Wins for Freedom' challenge rule were all his ideas. If it weren't for him, our situation as gladiators would be much worse than it is now. I probably wouldn't even be alive."

Upon hearing this, Harrot was almost certain that 'The Bald Man' Hark was referring to was the bald uncle he had met earlier. No wonder his attitude towards him wasn't like how one would treat a slave; it turned out the bald uncle himself was once a gladiator.

As for 'Ten Wins for Freedom,' Harrot could roughly guess its meaning. It was likely a rule where winning ten matches would grant freedom, which would not only motivate gladiators but also reduce the risk of them causing trouble.

"'The Bald Man's' rise to power greatly displeased 'The Fat Man,' but he didn't dare oppose Count Sarik's wishes. He also knew he truly couldn't manage the Arena, so he came up with another plan."

"While he wasn't good at management, he wasn't completely useless. He was very adept at gambling operations. The betting dens he set up always made a fortune during every gladiator match, regardless of the outcome."

"Of course, the majority of the earnings still went to Count Sarik, which helped him regain the Count's trust. After that, 'The Bald Man' managed the Arena's operations, and 'The Fat Man' was in charge of gambling. Occasionally, the two would even cooperate. All in all, they kept to their own lanes."

"That period was also the easiest time for gladiators. Not only was the death rate much lower than before, but they didn't have to be locked up in cells all day. Unfortunately, sigh..."

Harrot noticed the extremely pained expression on Hark's face when he sighed, guessing that Hark must have already been a gladiator in the Arena back then, and that the two managers who came later were probably not good news.

"Later, two more managers arrived. The first one, 'The One-Armed Man,' wasn't so bad. He was originally a knight under Count Sarik. Once, while accompanying Count Sarik to battle, he took a blow for the Count and lost his right arm, making him unable to fight anymore."

"He didn't want to manage farms or ranches, so Count Sarik sent him here to retire."

"That guy basically doesn't interfere with the Arena's operations. He just watches matches and places bets every day. He's truly retired. However, he holds a high position. Whenever Count Sarik comes to the Arena, he always seeks him out first for information. The other three managers don't dare offend him."

Harrot understood. This was an old veteran who had taken a bullet for his leader. If he hadn't lost an arm, he probably would have had a chance to gain a noble title.

Ordinary knights without titles were positioned between commoners and nobles. Those who made significant contributions had a chance to be promoted to nobility, though usually only to non-hereditary honorary baronets.

"The last manager is 'Scarface.' Hmph, that guy is truly a beast. There isn't a single gladiator who doesn't hate him."

"He used to be a slave trader. Later, somehow, he curried favor with Count Sarik, and it was his own suggestion to be sent here."

"That guy has special connections and can always find highly dangerous monsters and magical beasts. Gladiators who fight those creatures suffer heavy casualties, and even more cruelly, many defeated gladiators are eaten alive!"

"'The Bald Man' can't do anything about him. Ever since that guy arrived, the Arena's reputation has grown day by day, especially when monster-human death matches are held. Many noble lords from other regions come specifically to watch, and the audiences are incredibly generous with their money."

"Fortunately, those monsters are very expensive to buy. The Arena isn't willing to spend too much money frequently buying new monsters, so usually, there are only one or two matches with those kinds of monsters each month."

"Normally, it's mostly fighting ordinary wild beasts or magical beasts, but even that is still far more dangerous and terrifying than fighting humans!"

Hark was clearly gritting his teeth as he said this. Harrot could understand; the fear and pressure of fighting monsters far exceeded that of fighting fellow humans.

Hearing this, Harrot suddenly recalled the painful memory of being sent flying by a single blow when he first transmigrated. Harrot weighed nearly 250 pounds, so being sent flying over ten meters was somewhat unbelievable no matter how he thought about it.

However, if a monster did it, it made perfect sense. After all, in a fantasy world, there were plenty of creatures with ten times the strength of humans.

After describing the four managers, Hark didn't continue but instead asked Harrot, "By the way, brother, you're not a prisoner from the prison, are you? How did you end up here?"

"My previous lord deceived me and sold me to slave traders, who then resold me here."

Was he trying to probe his background? Harrot didn't want to say he was just an ordinary farmer, so he slightly altered some details of his experience. It wasn't really a lie, as what he said was still factual.

The old man clicked his tongue in sympathy, lamenting, "Ah, brother, that's really unfair to you. Most of the other gladiators in this Arena are guys who committed crimes, so coming here is their just deserts. But you, you've been truly wronged!"

Harrot indicated that it didn't matter. He then asked Hark to talk about the Arena's gladiator ranking system, the gladiator matches, and the specific rules of 'Ten Wins for Freedom.'

After hearing Harrot's reply, Hark had already begun to imagine a melodramatic plot: Harrot had once risked his life for his lord, only to be betrayed and sold to the Gladiatorial Arena. With his skills, he could only serve as entertainment for others, but he was determined to fight his way out.