"Disqualified!" The clear voice that wrung out in the aftermath of the fight between Terra and Carmine was Princess Eliana.
"Please, explain how you could say such a thing?" The Slave Master barely showed the Prince or Princess any respect.
"B-because… you… you used spells…" she responded uncertainly. "And your methods… they nearly killed your slave."
Under his malevolent gaze, her energy started to weaken, and soon the Prince pushed her behind him so he could take that gaze instead. Unlike the Princess, the prince matched him completely, a cold smile on his lips that suggested he could be a more serious guy than he typically let on.
The Slave Master only rolled his eyes. "I'm a Slave Master. I do not cast magic. I order slaves. Every skill I used was a slave's skill. How can you wish to assess a slave owner without allowing him to use his slave skills? That's preposterous. Just by being my slaves, they are stronger, would you have this effect stripped from me too? Nothing I did fell outside the guidelines of your game.
"Slave skills don't use mana, but the power of their slave mark. Slave Order is simply something that compels a slave to follow and punishes her when she doesn't do as she is asked. Slave Overdraft is an ability that forces a slave to use every ounce of their own energy to fill out their order. Together, they are a Slave Master's greatest weapon, but they were nothing added by the Slave Master. All I did was call out what Carmine was already able to do on her own."
"Yeah… if she turned off her limiters and had no desire for life!" Eliana cried out.
"What does a slaver buy, if not the life of another? Her life was always mine to do with as I wanted."
The Prince watched him icily for a few moments before speaking. "Since you have three slaves available, if Carmine is unable to perform in the next match, you do know that you forfeit, right?"
With those words, Lord TIbult who was previously as surprised as everyone else started to sweat. He didn't care about the slave at all, but he didn't want to forfeit after coming this far either.
The Slave Master chuckled. "You worry so much. The slave will be fine."
He waved his hand and a few servants went out and pulled the unconscious Carmine off the stage. He pulled out a small crystal vial. One the Prince reacted to when he said it, giving a gasp.
"Elixir?"
"To a country bumpkin nation like Aberis, elixirs are a priceless artifact, but the Imperial Cloud Meadow is vast and this can be obtained with ease. Lord Tibult, I trust you will compensate me for using this?"
"Y-you…" Lord Tibult's face went white.
Promising him the elf was one thing, but after intentionally hurting one of his slaves, to now try to charge Tibult to heal it, that naturally enraged the young noble. However, the Slave Master wouldn't even give the Prince and Princess respect, so how could he put the young Lord in his eyes? He clearly had only come to this place he considered beneath him for a chance at the elf.
"If you win, it's yours, but if you lose, don't expect anything!"
The Slave Master snorted and then poured a few drops into Carmine's mouth. Her body started to repair itself. It took another five minutes before she woke up, however, she was still very weak. As for me, I spent that time healing Terra. By the time I was done, I had already consumed two mana potions. Terra gave me a small smile.
"I'm okay, Master…" Terra smiled weakly, "Please concentrate on the match."
A moment later, the Prince spoke up. "Match two, send your contestants."