The Beast Arena used single-elimination matches. As the tournament progressed, the fights grew more brutal and Ye Chen's opponents grew stronger. He came away covered in wounds every time. The Dragon People in the stands had also noticed something strange: whenever Ye Chen fought, Hancock cheered for him from below. And whenever Hancock entered the ring, Ye Chen shouted encouragement to her.
Ye Chen bounced around below the Arena, never staying still. He made Hancock's opponents so nervous that the slightest lapse in concentration gave her an opening.
But on the tenth day of the tournament—Ye Chen's seventh birthday—he woke with an inexplicable sense of unease. He had been in this world for more than half a year now. At breakfast, he could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. When he entered the arena with the crowd, he spotted several Marines in the VIP seats. Among them were two familiar faces. Ain and Zephyr were looking straight at him.
Ain's red-and-black eyes widened. She almost cried out in shock. Back at the port in Sabaody, she had thought someone looked like Ye Chen. She had never imagined he had truly been captured and made a Slave.
"Teacher!" Ain turned to Zephyr. He shook his head. "Let it go. There's no need to bring that up again."
Zephyr meant that, now Ye Chen had been taken to Mary Geoise, there was no reason to pursue the matter of Saint Rosward's injury. The boy had clearly suffered here. Wounds covered his body, his clothes were soaked with blood, and in many places the fabric had long since stuck to his injuries. He was only a few years old. It was hard to imagine the abuse he had endured.
Ain nodded. Strangely, she felt no hatred for Ye Chen at all.