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"Homare-sama, please do not-"
But Homare already jumps off the gallery and into the ring. Takao can't even complain because Homare is the arena lord.
Homare picks up a pair of twin gladius from a fallen warrior and points one of them at his opponent, a lightly-armored gladiator with a sword and a shield. "Behold, esteemed warrior! I shall be your match today!"
"The arena lord is fighting?"
"I have watched countless battles and weaved ballads from them. However! I need something new for my poetry." Homare readies the twin gladius. "And I have just thought of a brilliant idea! Hands-on experience in gladiator fights will certainly inspire me!"
"Good! You nobles pit slaves against each other for entertainment! I'll make you feel how we feel!"
"Please do so!"
Takao watches in fear, but he probably shouldn't be feeling that. Homare is well-trained in combat arts because well, combat is arts. And good poems often come from good fights. But Takao really wonders, how many fights Homare has willingly thrown himself into just to create poems? He isn't accompanying Homare 24/7 so there has to be a lot of fights he doesn't get to see with his eyes.
But that means he has to take over Homare's position to signal the start of the fight? Or what should he do…
Huh? He doesn't need any. His crazy lord is already fighting and for some reason the audience is cheering more loudly than usual. Maybe there's the charm in a surprisingly barbaric nobleman fighting in an arena?
Wait.
Homare fights damn well and it's a fighting style you don't usually see in the ring. He moves with elegance and poise. And the twin gladius fits him to a tee. He dances with them, spinning, slashing, chaining one strike after another. His opponent struggles to block his strikes because they come relentlessly.
"Aha! Inspiration strikes! And a poem bursts forth!" Homare makes big spins and swings with his gladius. "Swinging swords, shattering shields~"
As Homare's most trusted butler, it's a natural instinct to jump in to interfere because such moves are easily countered and Homare's life is at stake. But when Takao lands in the ring, the crowd is getting louder. This is the most chaotic fight he has ever witnessed (and somehow the audience loves it).
"Takao, please do not interfere! This is my fight alone!" Homare shouts. Well, there it is. His flash of poetic inspiration had caused him to be wide open and now he has a pretty nasty gash on his side (it's hard to see because Homare is wearing a reddish outfit, but it's there). But the wound doesn't seem to affect him.
Unfortunately, as Homare's most trusted butler, Takao has no choice but to climb back up to the gallery. Just as he gets back to the seat, Homare has slashed through his opponent's defense.
"Victory is mine!" Homare slashes with a gladius, and then slashes again, leaving two bloody gashes across his opponent's bare torso.
The opponent has fallen.
Takao looks at the crowd and notices they want Homare to kill the opponent.
"If that is what you ask for, then you shall have it, my esteemed audience!" Homare smiles at his fallen opponent and readies his twin gladius. "It has been a marvelous battle full of passion, my friend. Unfortunately, I will have to execute you, but I shall immortalize this match in a poem. Thank you for the inspiration."