I didn't sleep the previous night much at all. It wasn't even the girls this time. I felt a knot in my throat. I had tried to put off thinking too much about this competition, but it was seriously scary. If I failed, I had no clue what would happen to me or the girls. If the slave status was removed, then they might all leave me. I forced myself up using Refresh to help me get going. The girls all woke up and got ready too. Although they all slept in my bed, they actually took care of their needs in the cramped adjacent slave quarters. I told them they didn't have to, but they always insisted on it.
Taking one last glance at the note the Prince left me, I waited for the girls to put on their best armor, and then the lot of us headed out. The stadium had been refitted for the new event. Rather than a dozen independent stages with crowds moving from one to the next, there was a single stage with massive bleachers. I wasn't sure the crowd was any bigger than it was that first day, but with all of the audience combined into one group, it felt that way. The small stage in the center seemed rather tiny comparatively.
The place was crowded and noisy. It was exactly the kind of event that in my previous life I liked to avoid. Now, I was at the center of it all. A guard checked my identification papers, and then I was brought out onto the field. There was a massive roar as the girls walked out behind me. Some people were shouting encouragement, while others were shouting vitriol. I couldn't make out any specific thing being said though, there was just too many people that it came out as a buzz.
On the other side of the stage, Lord Tibult was already there. As soon as he saw me, he gave a sneer. There was a special box that was separate from the audience, closer to the front and gilded with fancy adornments. Sitting in it were a few people I didn't recognize, likely high nobles. However, the Prince and Princess were as clear as day. Prince Aberis immediately stood up and walked out onto a small stage in front of his box, which put him up over just about everyone in the arena. He cleared his voice, but it was lost in the sounds of the crowd.
"First things first!" his voice suddenly bellowed, clearly being amplified with some kind of spell. "Record the Status of the opponents!"
His voice was booming, and the crowds silenced almost instantly. He spoke suddenly that a few people even cried out and covered their ears. A priest immediately walked out onto the stage.
"Deek, your team first…"
I gulped and nodded, making sure White Mage was the job when the priest touched me. I wanted to meet everyone's expectations. After a moment, he nodded and then yelled out.
"Deek, Human, White Mage, level 26!"
I hadn't expected to yell out everything like that. He should have been able to detect True Dungeon Diver too. Could he tell I had more than one job equipped? I was seriously worried, but he didn't say anything else. At the least, I had no doubt the Prince would hear exactly what my status looked like. There was a roar of commotion after he made the announcement. Some people who hadn't been keeping up with the news asked what a White Mage was. When they were told, they burst out laughing. Something like a Priest didn't belong in an arena at all. I was wasted space. Well, not everyone thought that way.
"Lydia, Slave, Tigerkin, Swordsman, level 38!"
The calls this time seemed to be excited about a rare tigerkin variant. Lydia didn't seem to like the attention, as her tail whipped back and forth agitatedly.
"Miki, Slave, Nine-tailed Fox, Spiritualist, level 35!"
"How is that thing even alive!" someone cried out.
There were even more murmurs in surprise over her identity than Lydia. She stuck her tongue out at the crowd, particularly at the man who said she should have died. She was touchy about comments like that.
"Celeste, Slave, S-sylph! Ahem… Master Wind Magician, level 10?"
This one clearly was difficult for the priest to announce. Each thing caused an even larger roar.
"Do Sylph even exist? I thought they are a myth!"
Celeste shrank down into a fairy size, flying out in flying eights. The crowds seemed to go crazy. Unlike Lydia, she seemed to like the attention. Master Wind Magician was a max tier job. Only the most powerful people in the country would have a job like this.
"Terra, Slave, Earth Golem, Earth Manipulator, level 48!"
"What is with these slaves…"
"Is Earth Manipulator even a job?"
Terra looked down, slightly depressed. All the others had received roars of shock and surprise. For her, it was more just a general sense of confusion. Although she was likely one of a kind in this world, she wasn't so mainstream as to be known by the general audience. I patted her head to make her feel better.
"Alright, and on to the next te-"
"Wait!" Lord Tibult shouted as the priest tried to turn away. "Aren't we forgetting someone?"
His eyes ended up falling on Faeyna.