Chapter 10 - Love
Marie trembled while looking at the grey armor standing in the arena.
(What? What is that? I never heard about there being a strong person like this. I…I don’t know who this is!) Once the grey armor took its foot off of Jilk, people in charge soon rushed to get him. It seemed that his life wasn’t in danger, and that he just fainted. Kyle was surprised. “Will things really be fine? The four of them lost while not being able to do anything at all.” Julian clenched his fist. He looked at his white armor. “──I didn’t think he’d turn out to be such an opponent. However, my armor was made using the best technology in the kingdom. Marie, don’t worry.” Marie made a stiff smile. (Didn’t everyone else say that and still lost?! That really isn’t helpful. That reminds me, these guys were useless during the war part and suffered defeat, so I made my older brother clear the game.) Marie thought about her previous life. It was a form of escapism, not wanting to accept the current situation. (My older brother was terrible! I told my mom that I went on a vacation, then he died──and afterwards, my position in the family was non-existent! They didn’t even help me when my partner ran away after we married! It’s all my brother’s fault! I see, that Leon guy is similar to my brother, and it’s making me irritated!)
Julian took off his coat. Then, he put on a whole-body suit that were like tights. Regular clothing became a hinderance when getting into armor, and when thinking about it, the outfit used were garments similar to tights, which emphasized the outline of the body. Marie had some thought after seeing it in real life. (This is kind of stupid. Though in the game, I was a little excited by his muscles appearing. I’d prefer if he at least wore a vest or pants like that copycat of my older brother.) Once Julian entered the armor, the eyes of its helmet glowed. It had two eyes, and pretty much looked like a robot.
Kyle looked at the white armor with a gaze of yearning. “How nice~. I’d like to have that as well.” Marie shook her head. “You’re not a knight, you can’t. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to move it since you’re an elf.”
“You never know unless you try. There’s a chance it could work since I’m only a half elf.” “No. Besides, having armor──” Thereupon, Marie thought for a bit. (H, huh? Humans and sub-races shouldn’t be able to make children…well, since this is as game, I guess that these details are left unclear.)
Julian got into the armor, and looked at Marie. “Marie, I’m off.” Marie searched in her head for the words to respond to Julian with. (At times like these, it’s definitely──) “Alright. I’ll be praying for your victory, Julius.” “Ah, leave it to me!” Her speech and manner mimicked that of the protagonist’s. In front of the five people, Marie acted like their ideal woman.
(*sigh*, I’m tired. In the first place, it’s seriously tough to imitate the innocent and helpless protagonist who has her head full of flowers.) She had been doing her hardest to take the position of the protagonist in her second life.
She lied in wait at the proper locations, drove away the protagonist, and then mimicked her speech and manners to charm the boys. It was very easy for Marie since she understood the tastes and personalities of the five, and things went according to her calculations.
As evidence of that, she was able to quickly knock Anjelica off of her pedestal. However, an irregular being appeared. Leon. (Anyways, I need to do something about that mob. Or rather, what will I do if we lose? I think if this were the game, I’d get a game over.)
The matter concerned her livelihood, so she wanted Julian to win by any means. (Right. I can’t let it end here. I need to enjoy myself more in this world.
Others were able to have many boys fall in love with them and then live a life of luxury. My previous world was just cruel. I was finally able to reach happiness…I need that mob-like boy to lose!)
◇
The white armor descended into the arena. It looked quite like it was shining, and was the kingdom’s strongest armor. A stronger version would appear later, but for the time being, this was the most powerful one. …I cannot stress enough that no other armor matched up to it. “I didn’t expect that you’d make it up to me. I commend your struggle.” In front of the prince’s arrogant attitude were pleasant cheers from the audience.
Perhaps it was those idiots that bet all of their wealth. However, I’ll be the one to win. The prayers of the audience won’t make it to the heavens. First of all…I knew that I was only an insignificant person. The reason why I stepped into the duel was because I had Arroganz, but also because the prince and the others were still first year students. If it were the end of the year, they would have begun developing and we would have been about equal. They were talented people that would become strong by the end of year, and at their current level, their lack of strength came from their lack of experience. If I were to strike, it would had to have been now. This made things convenient for me. “So you would be proud of beating down a small fry…is that right?”
I tried agitating him, but the prince barely reacted. He held a shield in his left hand, and a sword on his right. Coming from his backpack were two cannons mounted at the shoulders with revolving magazines. It was a very extravagant armor, one that suited royalty. It felt odd having an battle where my opponent…was someone originally connected to the protagonist.
I wanted to ask if he was really okay with Marie being the one he would protect…
“Your Highness, is it alright to ask a question?”
“If I can answer it.”
“What do you think about the honor student, Olivia?”
The prince’s response was weak. It seemed that he didn’t know why I asked such a question. “Olivia? I heard that she was doing her best here, but what about it?” “…Is that so?” I readied my shovel. This was a surreal scene now that I thought about it.
Though, perhaps it would be good to switch to a blade now?
If I came here with a shovel, perhaps it would be better to fight with a shovel until the end. The referee made a slightly pained expression. He was looking at me…with an expression that said “You know what this entails, right?”. I wondered if he wanted to tell me not to cause any injuries.
The referee raised his arm and then swung it down. “Begin!” However, when the cue began, neither Julian nor I moved. It looked like the prince was waiting while holding his shield out in front. Luxon seemed dissatisfied with that. [Is he trying to stall the fight? What a hopeless person. The difference in ability is obvious. It may be superior compared to other armor, but it still amounts to just armor.]
“In that case, all we can do is take the initiative.” Arroganz made giant steps and thrusted the shovel at the shield. Upon which, the prince fended off the attack and then used the sword in his right hand to slash at me.
I stopped the blow using the handle of the shovel, causing sparks to form. “I’m not done yeeeet!” He made continuous attacks using his shield and sword. I caught them using my shovel, and repelled them while stooping down.
Perhaps thinking that the prince had overwhelmed me, there where passionate cheers coming from the audience.
“These guys just don’t want to lose a bet.” [They would be relieved if you lose, master. After all, you’ve been trampling on their emotions, even though you’ve done that for a while now. From the standpoint of the audience, they probably think you’re a nuisance.]
“Don’t say that! Whoa!” A quick thrust from the prince approached me, and I slipped down as if I was sliding away on the floor. He did the same too. He glided across the floor as if he was on skates, and assaulted me using his sword.
When I stopped his slash, I heard the prince’s voice. “I will not lose. For the sake of the girl who prays for my victory──I will not loooose!”
The glow on his blade grew brighter, perhaps due to his crazed emotions.
The blue flames coming out of the back of the prince’s armor were quite beautiful. “I’ll acknowledge your techniques.” “Coming from you, that’s not praise. But anyways, I’m not going to give up either.” I intercepted and repelled each blow he made in his crazed vigor using my shovel. I knew quite well that the abilities of the person piloting that armor were of the top. “As expected of his Highness Julian. Your vigor is different from the other four. Perhaps the other four have been on your mind? Maybe you don’t want to lose since being the only victor might mean having more time with Marie!”
“Don’t jest! What do you know about us?!” The blue flames on the back of the white armor grew stronger, and their force increased. I realized that he was upsetting the difference in ability by putting a strain on his armor. It seemed he had gotten serious… “I don’t know anything. I just don’t think what you guys are doing is good.” When I looked over at the audience to see Olivia and Anjelica, they turned their gazes towards me.
Olivia cheered me on by linking both of her hands together as if she were praying. Anjelica had a complicated expression. I suppose she didn’t like seeing me fighting with the prince. No wait, perhaps she was worried about me injuring him?
I continued fighting while talking with the prince.
“Your Highness, how does it feel to be totally in love with another person? I can’t comprehend such a feeling, you see.” “No wonder. So that’s why you’re able to so calmly intrude on the affairs of others. If you really did have someone you love, you wouldn’t have caused an uproar by doing this duel! It would have been better if you knew what love was so that you would have backed down!”
I can’t speak for others, but couldn’t those words also apply to him?
“Is this about Anjelica? Well~, I do believe that she loves you, your Highness.” “──She doesn’t” “Huh?” The flames on his back increased in force, heightening the armor’s speed. He was faster than the other four, and made quick slashes. Things were getting quite serious with just that. “There’s no way that what she’s feeling is love! She doesn’t consider my own feelings! She’s the same as all the other girls in the royal palace! My life as a royal was forced onto me! I didn’t want to be born into royalty. I lived in the royal palace, where nobody saw me for myself, so──”
It couldn’t be helped. After all, he was the crown prince──the heir to the throne.
I wanted to tell him that, but being born into royalty doesn’t mean one would always like their situation.
“Marie is the only woman that recognizes my feelings.”
There weren’t any types of women that he was looking for in the royal palace, so was able to easily be deceived in the midst of his turmoil.
Olivia was originally supposed to step in here. That was in the game though.
Things have gone awry thanks to someone else who reincarnated here.
She led those five guys by the nose in an act of unthinkable disgrace.
“The same goes for you, who keeps saying those self-important things! Your words are cheap! You can’t call yourself a knight when you’re just a boy who got arrogant after coming across a great power! Are you having fun? How do feel abut using that power to overwhelm others and then scold them with a condescending attitude?!”
“──It feels great!!”
“Wha?!”
When I tried kicking the prince’s armor, he blocked it with his shield. He flew towards his behind in an instant and fired from the cannons on his shoulders, but I didn’t guard against them.
Arroganz shook. I did not get a single scratch.
“It’s the best feeling! It’s refreshing being able to use my overwhelming power to pin down you domineering, vigorous people and rebuke you all. I do have a problem with your companions who don’t talk back, though. Well, I suppose the ones that talk back in spite of losing will only invite misery! So, let me tell you something. I certainly may be arrogant, but you guys won’t be able to win against me. How does it feel knowing that? How does it feel losing to a guy of a lower rank than you, your Royal Highness?!”
“Yoouuuu!”
I held down my opponent with an overwhelming power while condemning him.
This was getting addictive.
Furthermore, my opponents were people looking down on me…so my feelings of guilt were thin.
Luxon held the same opinion as me.
This thing’s voice didn’t leak out. My conversation with it didn’t leak out either. It was very capable.
[He’s done refuting you at this point, master. Though, I suppose he can’t talk back from the shock of losing the argument. All things considered, humanity is quite trash-like. I’m impressed.]
When I bashed the shield that the prince was holding in his left hand, smoke started rising from it, perhaps from the burden it caused.
The shield warped, and the prince threw it away. The fingers of his armor were bent, and it seemed that his hand was no longer usable.
“I’ll say one more thing. Do you even understand your own feelings, idiot?! Do you even have a vague grasp of my own feelings?! Furthermore, do you even know Anjelica’s──”
“Shut uuuup!”
When he slashed at me with a sword, I used my shovel to lock weapons with him, causing us to come face to face. I held the advantage in terms of weight and size.
The prince’s armor seemed like it had been overcome with burden.
“You didn’t want to be born into royalty, you say. Have you ever been at risk of being sold off to perverted old women? Have you ever experienced having to be servile and lower your head to ask a girl to be your wife? Have you ever been told by someone that they hate the countryside and that they also have additional lovers too? It’s wretched. Do you know the feeling of seeing peoples entire lives turning miserable after marriage and yet being told that you’re being raised to be someone’s lover, do you?!”
I spoke my honest thoughts, and there were definitely many boys who would agree with me.
I could see the figures of boys in the audience either nodding their heads or shedding tears in understanding.
Everyone…I’m going to enact a just punishment upon this spoiled boy who knows nothing about this world, so watch me from there!
“W, what are saying such things for?! Aren’t you guys free?! All you have to do is find a good partner!”
I bashed him many times over in anger. Each time, Julian would shake inside his white armor, and cried out in an attempt to withstand the impact.
“Free?! Finding a good partner? You say that I──we are free?! Don’t treat us lightly, you spoiled brat! Have you felt that your chastity was in danger?! Did you put your life at risk?! Did you get on a tiny boat?! Have you ever set sail into the sky?! You’re allowed to have a beautiful fiancee and you get to play around with another girl…what is there that you don’t want to be born into royalty for? Aren’t you the one enjoying yourself?! Get a grip!”
“I am not playing around! I’m serious!”
“That’s even worse!”
He normally should have been the lover of a girl from a viscount household. Perhaps he was at one point?
In any case, I don’t know the details, but getting the daughter of a duke household as a fiancee is not something to be ignored.
Now that I was talking about this──will the elite, or rather the kingdom as a whole, be safe in the future?
The same goes for the influential nobles.
Everyone having the same kinds of women around them was only going to create problems.
I blew away the sword using a full swing of my shovel, seized his arm, and crushed it. Now that he couldn’t use either of his arms, he took a distance and started using his cannons to fire. I avoided them and waited for his shots to stop. Since there was a limit to his ammunition, he would soon run out of shots. “*sigh*…isn’t this enough? I’m done playing around. Your opponent is over there. Got it?” When I used my thumb to point at Anjelica and Olivia in the audience,
Anjelica had a sorrowful face. I bent forward and waited for the prince’s reply. Anjelica took a liking to the prince. No, I can say that she loved him. This duel happened because she wanted Marie to separate from the prince. The prince, who had stopped fighting, spoke. “…Not done.” “Huh?” “It’s not over yet. I would rather die than let Marie be taken away! I will not accept defeat. If you’re going to kill me then do it! This is a duel! I forbid this duel to stop until either you or I die!” He intended for nobody to get in our way.
He had become defiant. Since it was someone from the royal family saying this, it could be taken as order for nobody to step in and stop us. Talk about double standards…he’s fine if he’s the one doing it, but gets irritated if others try it.
However, now that it has come to this, dealing with him would be troublesome. “Alright, how about I torment you until your heart breaks?”
Luxon muttered its surprise in a low voice. [This turned out to be the worst kind of conversation to take place. However, the words you said just a while ago were filled with more genuine emotion than I had felt before. That’s my evaluation.]
That was obvious. They came from real experiences I had. Denouncing people felt great! I wasn’t here for negotiations.
Although both arms of Julian’s white armor had broke, he still struck Leon’s armor.
A sense of desperation could be felt from that image. Anjelica clutched the handrail while looking at him going against Leon, who held an overwhelmingly strong power, and wept.
“It seems….you’re being serious, your Highness. It seems you really like that girl.”
Anjelica wiped her tears and accepted that her feelings didn’t reach him. (I see. I have to step down. If that’s what his Highness wants me to do…then I’ll resign.)
Her line of sight focused towards the other side of the circular audience seating. She glared at the face of Marie, who held a gloomy expression.
(However, I will not approve of you. You are not someone who can stand next to his Highness. You’re only a hinderance to him. That’s the only thing I won’t allow.)
Even after resigning, she would still try to pull Marie and Julian apart. She thought about it being for Julian’s sake. That woman had four other men near her as lovers──and someone like her should not take the position of the queen.
The woman managed to ensnare five people in a short time. It was possible that she would further increase the number of men she had. If Marie became the queen, it was obvious that the seeds of conflict would take a sudden increase. Furthermore, the royal palace wouldn’t stay silent about it either. Anjelica glared at Marie, who became pale and dismayed from seeing Julian getting worn out.
(No matter what happens to me, I will drag you down with me. I absolutely will not let you do as you please with his Highness.) It was heartbreaking to tear apart Julian’s relationship with a girl he claimed to love, but it was something Anjelica planned on carrying out no matter what. Thereupon── “T, that can’t be right!”
──Olivia cried out. “Perhaps you love Marie, your Highness the crown prince. But, but! Anjelica loves you! After all, she has been watching this fight while looking pained the entire time! It may have been hard for her, but she kept watching with a sad expression while not looking away! You can’t say that isn’t love!”
Anjelica spoke to Olivia in a hurry. “H, hey, stop.” She grabbed Olivia’s shoulder and tried to have her back down from her agitation, but Olivia didn’t stop. Her voice was well-heard, and her yelling attracted the attention of others. The audience in the arena, both students and teachers, gathered their gaze towards her.
“Why are you in denial?! Are you saying that it’s not love unless the feelings are mutual?” “That’s enough, stop. Olivia, stop already!” “No, please let me say this. Anjelica, your feelings are love. The one receiving the love is free to either take them in or not. However, don’t just deny it altogether!” Olivia’s words also reached Marie.
◇
…Anger. That was Marie’s honest feeling. (This is why I hate good girls. Her head is full of flowers, isn’t it? Love is annoying when the feelings are one-sided! It’s very annoying. Hearing her speech is making me irritated.)
Marie disagreed. However, when Olivia won over the people around her with her clear voice, Marie revealed a frustrated face.
──She felt like her true self was being exposed.
She became largely aware of the fact that she was being a sham. She snatched away the position that belonged to another girl originally. The one who originally had rich and influential boys leaning towards her was
Olivia. Even though her position was snatched away, she still shined. (What’s with her supporting a somewhat strong mob? I have everyone.
That’s definitely better than being with a comical mob who just happens to be strong.) Olivia looked straight at Marie. Her stare was frightening. She took just a step back, feeling as if her deceit had been seen through. Marie felt as if Olivia was saying that she would take back her position that had been coated in lies. ──Something occurred at that moment. “──Is that all you want to say, girl?” Julian squeezed out a voice. Julian replied to Olivia in a muffled voice coming from the inside of his armor. His tone was filled with fury. “一Is it love if it’s forced onto me one-sidedly? Is it love if the girl only sees me as the crown prince? I…I’ve found a woman who will look at me for who I am. She understands me. This is love. This is what love is! Anjelica, have you ever tried understanding me? You’ve been forcing your feelings onto me. That isn’t love. Don’t get involved with me ever again!” Marie regained herself after hearing Julian. (R, right. I’m not in the wrong. She’s the one that’s wrong. What’s up with the protagonist standing with the villainess? If this were the game, wouldn’t they be going against each other? Just go and fight with each other!)
Julian still planned on fighting.
“So, let’s continue. This duel won’t end until one of us dies. I’ve resolved myself. How about you?!”
The grey armor simply stood while shouldering a shovel.
(Julian is the crown prince. If it were a noble, they would be able to read the situation. How would you feel about killing the prince of your own country? You’d realize that you need to lose, right?)
Thereupon, Leon…started tormenting Julian even more than before.
“You’ve resolved yourself, you say? You mean that you hadn’t been prepared in this fight? Are you saying that you’ve resolved yourself on your loss? Are you looking down on me? Actually…that’s the way duels went in the first place. We don’t take the lives of others simply due to an unspoken rule within the academy, but if we got serious, things would soon be over. Didn’t you notice? I’d be fine even if I had to deal with all five of you at once. Your fun ends here. I was being cautious since you guys were so confident of your strength, but you’re all weaker than I thought. Give me a break. When it’s like this…it seems like I’m the one who’s bullying the weak.”
In addition to criticizing him, he also made a complete fool out of Julian and the others.
Marie thought for a bit.
(W, who is this guy? He’s a completely terrible, naggy person who complains about others, like my older brother!)
“Could it be that you didn’t prepare yourself before, but now that you’re losing you are? I know that you’re being stubborn, trying to win by using your life as a shield. However, it’s quite apparent that you’re faintly hoping for me to back down when you said that. I suppose that I’d have to accept defeat when realizing that I can’t kill you, the crown prince, right? How nice. You’re his Highness the crown prince, so you use that to win battles. I will commend your stubbornness in using your status to the maximum degree while still claiming that you didn’t want to born into royalty!”
Everything in the stadium had a thought in their heads.
─This guy is the worst.
Though he was harshly torturing him, there was no fault to his argument. In fact, Julian didn’t talk back, nor did he move. There was the faint hope that Leon’s heart would waver at least somewhat.
However, Leon hadn’t budged one bit.
“Look, tell us that you lost. Beg me to let you win because you don’t want to be separated from your cherished Marie. Tell me that you didn’t expect to lose, and that you beg for forgiveness. No wait, you can even make it an order as the crown prince!”
Julian refused.
“T, that’s not possible! This is a sacred duel. It is courtesy for both of us to fight!”
“Huh? Are you saying that I should do what you want and admit defeat? Your Highness Julian, how harsh of you~. No matter how you look at it, wouldn’t admitting defeat here be an insult to this sacred duel~? We can’t just turn back after coming this far. Or perhaps you’re going to make a perfect speech that will move me deeply? Well, I don’t think my heart will waver, though. Despite there being five of you, hearing you makes me want to tilt my head and treat it as a joke. My heart has not moved a single millimeter. On the other hand, I am impressed by how often you can make lame speeches!”
The mood in the arena worsened.
The crown prince’s displeasure grew as Leon agitated him. The cries of
“Your Highness the crown prince, finish off that guy!” gradually grew louder from the girls in the audience. (This guy is revolting. It seems the worst kinds of men are everywhere.) Many girls and boys were booing Leon.
◇
I breathed a small sigh inside Arroganz. Luxon talked to me like I was the worst person. [You had a lot to say, didn’t you. Are you feeling the greatest right now?] “I do think I said too much. However, I’d be bothered if those five didn’t realize their own situation at least a little bit. These guys will be the center of the country in the future.” Right, I would be bothered if these five remained the same as they were right now. At least, I’d be bothered if they didn’t realize their position of being at the top of the top.
Furthermore, it would be bad if they didn’t calm down at least a little…and if Marie keeps deceiving the five.
[Were you trying to force yourself as a villain? Was it fun?] “…To be honest, it was really fun. Well, I don’t think I’ll do it again, though.”
With me as the villain in the arena, the voices supporting the prince were strong. …That was fine. Julian approached me while the people around booed me. He tried to strike me, so I caught the blow.
“…Your Highness Julian, I will not back down.” “Let go. Let goooo! You beast of a fiend who doesn’t even know the way of the knights! Even if I can’t win against you, I don’t plan to stop fighting this──” Arroganz pinned down the rampaging white armor. It was really good that there was this much of a difference in ability. “Shall we have a serious discussion? Do you really think that you’ll find happiness this way?” “W, what is it you want to say?!” He claimed that both his love for a woman who had other boys with her, and him insulting his fiancee was genuine love. I shed a tear when thinking about how this guy was going to be the king in the future. The people around still thought of him as a student, so they didn’t really realize this. No wait, perhaps the ones that did realize didn’t want to think about it too deeply.
It was obvious that in the future, something would trigger with Marie being in the center of it. If a girl who was surrounded by five boys had a child, whose child would that be? It would certainly raise some doubts, and such doubts would definitely become a central topic amongst them.
If that happened, what would this guy do?
Would he come to his senses and find a woman to make a heir to the throne with? Well, there’s a long ways to go before that. Even though he’s the crown prince, having backers is necessary in this world.
Powerful ministers and leaders──the feudal lord nobles.
The government wouldn’t run smoothly with a king that people don’t accept. Factions or things of a similar nature can be serious for a king. Furthermore, after doing some investigation, it turned out that the largest backers of the crown prince were the Redgrave duke family. Anjelica’s household. They unified factions and had them support the prince.
This guy was willingly making an enemy of his biggest supporter. In the game, this was where the saint came in, but the problem was that Marie wasn’t a saint. She was only a reincarnated person who was doing well.
In other words…a mob just like me.
She was going to mess up at some point. No wait, she was partially on the way towards that already. I felt like I was going to have to clean up after Marie’s mess.
I so wanted to say that she was my little sister from my previous life.
“Love is wonderful, isn’t it. I’ll acknowledge your spirit of going as far as to cast away your right to the throne in order to obtain it.” “…!” Julian wasn’t an idiot. He indeed knew about that. Even though he knew, he still chose Marie. Wait. In that case, didn’t that make him worse than the average idiot? “Would you indeed go as far as to throw away your current position?”
“Are you having a foolish laugh? Still, I would do that much for this girl. I don’t need status or prestige. Having her is enough…” “I think that people want you because of your status and prestige, though. I believe people would take no notice of you if you weren’t the crown prince, but just an ordinary Julian.”
Would Marie take no notice of him if he lost his status, prestige, fortune, and everything? I couldn’t help but think so. She’s the type that may hang out with him because of his good looks, but wouldn’t think about marriage.
“That can’t be true! Marie would accompany me. Marie would still be with me──with us.” I was saying all of this because Marie was a terrifying girl. Her mimicking of the protagonist’s actions speaks for itself, doesn’t it? So much so that I think Marie had a talent for these kinds of things.
I don’t think what that guy had was genuine love.
In the first place, if it really was love, then there wouldn’t be six boys around her. “How nice it must be. However, if you lose, you’ll have to refrain from associating with her from now on.” I let go of the prince and hit him as hard as I could with the shovel. There was a dent in the white armor, and the prince greatly shook inside, throwing him off balance. Luxon informed me of the preparations being ready. [Analysis complete. Securing the safety of the pilot is possible.] “Going easy on you is a pain. Here, this will end it.”
I let go of the shovel and used my right hand to make contact with the chest of the prince’s armor. Once touching it, Arroganz’s right arm started shifting. Its interior glowed, leading up to the next moment.
[Impact.]
As soon as Luxon declared that, an impact blew the prince’s armor away into pieces. The audience shrieked once the armor had broken apart. The armor had been smashed up, but the prince inside appeared to be safe. It was nice that he didn’t put up any resistance since he had fainted. Once the right arm reverted back to normal, I retrieved the shovel I dropped and shouldered it. The arena fell silent. When I looked at the referee, he sent a doctor before announcing the victor. They took priority in confirming Julian’s safety. When they realized that he had fortunately only fainted, the victor was declared.
“The winner is Leon Fou Baltfault…and therefore, the victor of this duel is Anjelica Rafua Redgrave. In accordance with the oath of a duel, the two──” The declaration ended with them saying that the duel’s loser had to obey the victor. At that moment, the blue tickets signifying the bets made on Julian and the others had fluttered about within the arena. The arena was engulfed in the quite pleasant sounds of shrieks and jeers. It was indeed pleasant to hear these boos directed at me. “Give me my money back!” “Cheater! As if such a duel can be acknowledged!”
“Give it back. Give back my money!”
I raised my shovel, and slowly turned around while recording the faces of the audience. So many of them had the expression of despair, but some that had bet on me tucked their important red ticket into their pockets. Then, I addressed the audience. “Everyone…gamble responsibly!” After saying that, they got agitated and started throwing trash at me.
However, I magnificently avoided them while making a loud laughter, returning to where Olivia and the others were. After landing the armor and appearing out of it, the armor automatically stored itself into a box and returned to the sky.
“…I wonder if I’ll be able to collect my earnings.”
[Wouldn’t that be a matter of course?]
The box disappeared into the sky, and I put on a coat that Olivia handed to me. “How was it, my fair lady? I made a great success.” Anjelica had a complex expression. Well, it made sense that she had complicated emotions after seeing me beat up the prince she loved. “Right. Thank you.” Her face did not say that she was thankful. Her complexion was pale, and it seemed that she was concerned about the prince. So, I spoke with a serious expression. I didn’t poke any fun.
“He has no injuries. He really just fainted.” If something went wrong, it would have been Luxon’s fault. Not my fault. Olivia also had a complex expression. Above all, she seemed to feel a sense of impending danger as she looked at the people around.
“H, hey, was that really alright? There’s something about the gazes from the people surrounding us.” The students were glaring daggers at me. There were those that were booing, and those that were crying. “What am I supposed to do?! What happened to my entire fortune was because of you!”
“I beg of you, return it to me! I’m in debt. I made bets using borrowed money!” “Who would acknowledge such a bet like this?!” This was a good lesson for the children of nobles who make fun of society. I heard people talking about borrowing money, but those people were stupid to try doing it. They were stupid for gambling when they didn’t know who the winner or loser would be. They would be better off if they only gambled when they were sure of winning, like I do.
Hmm? Wait a minute…these guys made bets since they were absolutely sure that I would lose, didn’t they…? Well, it doesn’t matter to me anyways. I won against five people and won a bet. That was the result.
“It’s fine to ignore them. Those people did bet all they had. They reap what they sow. If they study and do well, the academy might cut their tuition costs.”
Anjelica sighed.
“Well said. Those people bet on a large amount, knowing that things could possibly turn out this way, right? You really saved me this time. Thank you… I’ll show you a token of my gratitude afterwards. I’m going to head over to his Highness shortly.”
After seeing Anjelica disappear as she quickly headed towards there, we walked to the changing rooms.
Olivia was worried about me. “Leon, why did you say such cruel things to his Highness and the others? Wouldn’t it have been better to say nothing?”
We talked along the way there, but it seemed that Olivia held some kind of delusion about me. She seemed to think that I could have done better. Actually, why was she this kind towards me? I had no recollection of doing many special things.
Perhaps it was just the protagonist being open-minded or caring? At any rate, wasn’t it a problem that I was the only one she was close with?
“People are harboring hate towards me, just as planned.” “Is that okay? U, um, I think your marriage situation will be unstable from now on. Everyone’s really angry at you.”
“Aah, that’s fine. I’ll be dropping out of the academy.” Olivia made a odd voice, saying “Huh?” towards what I said. However, she was quite the beauty. Even that expression she had looked cute.
◇
It was just Anjelica and Julian in the medical office.
Julian had only fainted and had no injuries, so the doctors and nurses read the mood and left.
Anjelica shed tears when seeing Julian’s figure.
He sat on the bed, and feebly hung his head, heard the result of the duel, and was shocked. Anjelica knew that he didn’t agree to it. “Your Highness, I’m really glad that you’re safe.” Julian turned towards Anjelica with an emotionless gaze. “Stop your shameless acting. Wasn’t it your duel representative that drove me this far into a corner?” Anjelica couldn’t reply to him. He was saying that what happened was her fault. “…Your Highness, please listen to me. What is it that I can’t do? I…I’ve been doing my hardest for your sake.”
Anjelica had tried hard to be a woman suitable for the crown prince. She made so much effort towards it that it became her pride. As someone of a duke household, she had undergone severe training from morning until night in order to one day become a queen. It began with the numerous mannerisms of etiquette related to culture and the fine arts, and Anjelica kept persevering to become someone suitable for Julian.
That was why she couldn’t accept girls like Marie who were able to be near
Julian with no effort at all. Anjelica had to sacrifice many things for the sake of Julian and put in hard work since she was a child. Even so, she lost in face of girls like Marie who just suddenly showed up.
Julian made a slight laugh. “For my sake? I think it’s just that you want the position of being the crown prince’s woman.” “T, that’s not it! That’s not my relationship with you!” “I’m not wrong. You’ve never seen me for who I was. I have proof too. Do you even know what my favorite dish is?” “I, I do! It’s that soup──” She described Julian’s favorite dish, but the reaction she got was negative. “──Wrong.” “Huh?” “I like the grilled skewer foods that I get to eat when I sneak outside disguised. They tell me that commoner foods aren’t suitable for me, so I couldn’t say it to you though. I’m sure that you would also want to deny me from such things.”
She couldn’t say what Julian’s actual favorite food was.
When hearing that, Anjelica wiped her tears.
“I wouldn’t! If you told me that, I would have immediately──”
However, Julian interrupted her.
“Marie noticed it without me even saying. When we went outside together, she understood me and invited me to a cart.” When hearing that, Anjelica’s tears fell to the floor in large drops. (…I didn’t notice it, and yet that girl did? I’ve been by his Highness’ side all this time, though.) Perhaps feeling guilty, Julian made an apology towards Anjelica. “…I know that this is rude towards you, and your household. However, the only one I love is Marie.” Anjelica’s sobs intensified. “T, that much is still fine. As long as I get to be your side your
Highness──Julian.” Julian shook his head. “I…cannot love you.” Anjelica, realizing Julian’s feelings, decided to step back. She turned around to leave the room.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry, I won’t say anything anymore. However…I’ll be rooting for your happiness from the sidelines.” Julian made a cynical remark once Anjelica left the room. “There’s no use saying that at this point…I wanted to hear that from you sooner.”
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