Marriage With A Suspiciously Demure Husband - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 39

Outside, the corridors had grown so quiet you’d have to search to find a person. Not here.
I gripped the heavy metal ring and pulled.
“Ugh, this thing weighs a ton.”
I’d made it this far without too much trouble—weaving through the staff corridors by catching each employee’s eye and casting Illusion Magic whenever our gazes met. But this massive door demanded something raw, something physical.
The metal was far too thick for any spell to move it.
I hauled on it with both hands, grunting, throwing my full weight against the resistance.
I squeezed through the gap just wide enough for my body, then slipped inside and let the door seal shut behind me.
The roar of the crowd hit me immediately—a surge of cheers and bloodlust.
The stench of tobacco and smoke drifted even into the corridor; the patrons must have been chain-smoking in the Gladiator Arena itself.
The day’s spectacles had already begun.
That was fine with me.
Eggmen was a top-tier Slave Gladiator, currently competing for first or second place—he’d probably make his entrance near the very end.
Until then, he’d be waiting in his holding area.
A fighter of his caliber would have a private waiting room.
He was as close to a star prospect as the Colosseum had.
I’d heard that even though all Slave Gladiators looked identical from the outside, the top-tier fighters were treated like royalty once you got inside these walls.
They were given private chambers, and if they were injured, healers were rushed to them first.
Some of the top-tier Slave Gladiators were rivals intense enough that the Colosseum kept them separated on purpose—partly because some had already adapted so completely to captivity that they fought to stay, to earn that special treatment, to claw their way to the top tier and survive one more day.
Others simply accepted the chains and focused on climbing to greatness, hoping that being the best would at least guarantee them a longer life within these walls.
You had to be the strongest to endure here.
These were men so skilled at swordplay, so accustomed to killing, that when they clashed the Colosseum itself took heavy losses—damaged stands, ruined equipment.
Some said the management encouraged it, feeding their competitive hunger for better spectacle.
Either way, none of that mattered now. I just needed to find his private waiting room and deal with whoever was guarding it.
“All right, then.”
I studied the empty corridor ahead.
Both directions branched out openly, each corner visible.
It would’ve helped to know the layout beforehand.
Since I didn’t, I’d have to navigate to Eggmen myself.
Which way would lead me to him?
“Left or right? Let’s see if I can guess right…”
I was tapping my fingers against my palm, deciding, when a staff member appeared from the right.
“Oh, you there!”
I waved enthusiastically, calling him over.
“Outsiders aren’t permitted in this section, but how did you get in here? If you’re a patron, please use the main entrance.”
He approached quickly, his demeanor hostile from the start.
The moment he was close enough, I met his eyes directly and smiled.
“Hey there.”
“What are you—get out of here!”
“I’m your supervisor, James.”
I held his gaze and spoke with absolute authority.
“…G-good to see you, James.”
His pupils were already glazing over as he bowed respectfully.
James was common enough—there was bound to be one somewhere in this place.
And if not, well, no harm done.
“Great. I’m looking for Eggmen’s waiting room. Is he fighting today?”
“Yes, sir. This way, please.”
“Thanks. Let’s move quickly—I’d rather slip through when the corridors are clear. Don’t feel like wearing myself out with magic if I don’t have to.”
“Of course, sir.”
The staff member led me forward with the deference of someone addressing their true superior.
“What’s your name?”
“Sess, sir.”
“All right, Sess.”
This was almost too easy. Using power like this—it was intoxicating.
But I couldn’t let myself get drunk on it. Dark Magic was a tool, and tools required restraint. Always restraint.
I hummed quietly as Sess guided me deeper, toward the private waiting rooms.
We passed two other staff members on the way, but a quick application of the same technique got us through without incident.
“Here it is.”
Soon enough, we arrived at the private waiting room.
……
The moment I saw the massive door bound tightly with an Iron Chain and fitted with three separate Locks, words failed me.
This looked less like a waiting room and more like a prison cell.
Certainly the staff intended it for convenient management of the Slave Gladiators, to cut off escape routes and maintain surveillance—but I couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling it gave me.
Sess opened all three Locks with practiced efficiency in moments.
He unwound the Iron Chain and hung it aside, then stepped back to signal me to enter.
“Alright, you wait here. If his colleague comes to fetch Eggmen, tell them he’s adjusting his conditioning—that you’ll bring him when the time comes. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Sess nodded, his expression still vague and unfocused.
I turned and went deeper inside.
There was another door beyond—thankfully a normal one, not locked.
Before entering, I knocked lightly on the door frame. I pressed my ear against it to listen for any sound from within.
“Yes.”
A deep, heavy voice.
No one stood near the door—so an ambush was unlikely.
“I’m coming in.”
Even as I grasped the handle and opened it, silence followed his response from within.
Stepping in quietly, I saw Eggmen sitting on a Simple Cot, elbows propped on his knees, head bowed.
“Eggmen?”
The man lifted his head—slowly, as if only just noticing me.
His nearly-shaved gray hair and slightly drooping eyes gave him a far gentler face than I’d imagined.
The warmth of his brown eyes contributed to that impression.
Had his gaze been colder in color, he might have looked fearsome instead.
Based on the descriptions—that he’d beaten opponents down with the ferocity of a wildfire, that they’d trembled sword in hand before him—I’d expected something far more menacing.
“Hmm.”
It was clear that Ginger shared my weakness for a handsome face.
But enough admiring for now.
……
What drew my eye far more than his face, however, was his body.
His bare upper torso revealed dark skin crisscrossed with scars.
They were so densely packed it was almost overwhelming to look at.
The scarless patches seemed fewer than the scarred ones. That was how many he had.
No matter how skilled a gladiator might be, fighting with a sword every day leaves its mark on the body.
The original text described how Ginger would ache whenever she saw Eggmen’s scars.
He was someone she loved enough to risk her life to save—so my heart would have torn too.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. You’re a new staff member, aren’t you?”
Eggmen fixed me with a steady gaze.
“Well, not exactly…”
“No?”
“I came at Ginger’s request.”
The moment I said that, Eggmen shot to his feet.
Whoa—caught me off guard.
He towered over me, his height easily a full head taller, his broad frame imposing as he looked down.
Even though Noah was so much larger, Eggmen’s build was certainly not small—yet somehow he didn’t feel threatening.
The Knight Order had accustomed me to men of considerable stature anyway, and with all the armor I’d seen worn, a body like this was routine.
“Ginger?”
I nodded, and Eggmen strode toward me.
Before I could react, his large hand closed around my throat.
“Ah.”
“Has something happened to Ginger?”
His voice carried an edge of killing intent that made me realize I should have explained myself beforehand.
Right, of course.
I’d rushed in unprepared, and he didn’t know me from anyone.
Ginger knew about me, sure, but we didn’t have telepathy—and there was no way for him to know what she knew.
Besides, I hadn’t cast Illusion Magic on him yet.
I could do it now and he’d calm down—but I didn’t want to.
“Ahem! Could you let go of my throat first? I came here to talk with you, not to waste energy on a struggle.”
Though not enough to choke me entirely, his grip was threatening enough that I coughed harshly as I spoke.
Eggmen examined my face intently, tilting his head slightly.
He must have reconsidered for a moment, because his grip on my throat loosened at my words.
“How can I believe you came here at Ginger’s request?”
“Ah, she said this would convince you.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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