episode_0023

-I, Emilia Vanity, challenge Juda Snakers to a duel in the name of honor and order.

As expected, a big one came my way.

A bold challenge declared in front of other students.

The spot where the two stood had already become a stage.

A white glove falling to the floor, an atmosphere building up to a fever pitch, the spectators’ attention focused on one place.

It was a setup meticulously designed by someone.

-The price of defeat… is to leave Gallimard Academy according to the winner’s will.

The girl who orchestrated everything smiled.

Her lips twisted into a bitter smirk.

Though it was a smile dulled by jealousy, malice, and inferiority… it was fatally beautiful nonetheless.

Like a flower that bloomed hideously.

Her red lips were excessively alluring.

Her precisely enunciated voice felt like sharp needles pricking at my fingertips.

Like a captivating whisper.

-Your answer?

Did she know I wouldn’t be able to refuse?

It was a strangely confident question.

A sweet scent brushed the tip of my nose.

In such a captivating flutter, denial melted away.

“You mean I accepted it as if possessed.”

It was a checkmate, you could say.

The choice was forced.

Refusing the duel here would be tantamount to admitting I was a ‘bubble’ top student.

Given how many had suspected it, it would just give them more ammunition to tear me apart.

This must have been her original goal.

To tarnish the image of the top student beyond recovery.

For Emilia, even if the duel didn’t happen, she would have achieved her aim.

“How shrewd.”

She seemed to have used her head quite a bit.

A small, proud smile escaped me.

‘Leaving school on the line, huh.’

I thought she was preparing something… but I never imagined she’d bring such an entertaining event.

This is what a proper academy life should be.

There should be some explosive fun, right?

Just imagining it made me feel a rush of dopamine.

As I grinned widely, Regia, who was walking beside me, spoke up.

“Y-Young Master-nim… W-What should we really do…?”

“Hmm?”

Her green eyes looked tearful.

She usually had a delicate aura, but now she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

Her voice trembled pitifully.

“B-Because of me, Young Master-nim is going to duel Young Lady-nim Vanity… Ah, no, don’t.”

“Oh dear.”

I thought her expression looked troubled earlier.

It seemed our protagonist was worried about me.

Well, of course.

Regia also didn’t know my true strength.

Like the other students, she probably couldn’t make a rash judgment and was feeling uncertain.

Then, a bomb dropped.

-I didn’t think he’d accept it… He really seems to not know his place.

The girl considered one of the top elites of this intake, Emilia Vanity.

She was a formidable individual, having secured the third rank in her year.

Her composure must have shattered at the mention of leaving school if she lost.

Since I had stepped forward to help Regia, she probably felt it was her fault.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m always such a b-burden, because of me……”

She was already a protagonist with a tender heart.

She could endure others hurting her, but she couldn’t forgive herself for hurting others.

Her excessively kind personality remained just as it was in the original work.

Thump-.

My hand moved on its own.

I gently stroked her fluffy pink hair.

Like taming a frightened puppy.

Slowly, and gently.

“Ugh, Y-Young Master-nim…?”

Being worried about is nice, but.

A smiling face suits her better after all.

“I’m fine, Regia-nim.”

“……”

“In fact, I’m quite happy things turned out this way. If I could, I’d even bow to Young Lady-nim Vanity.”

“Huh…?”

“Hehe.”

I playfully poked the girl’s cheek.

Behind the soft touch, a warm body temperature tinged my fingertips.

How could I possibly make someone like this cry?

“Because now I have a chance to show Regia-nim my magnificent performance.”

I’ll have to surprise her.

So surprised that even her sad thoughts completely vanish.

‘I’m looking forward to tomorrow.’

It was truly a day to look forward to.

***

The ‘snake’ moved away down the corridor.

His steps were leisurely.

The girl, observing the situation from a slight distance, murmured as if unable to understand.

“Strange person.”

Her serene blue eyes shimmered.

Her platinum blonde hair cascaded along with the gentle breeze.

Charlotte, who had been sitting by the window, tilted her head, watching his disappearing back.

It was a sign of question.

“I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

It was a pure question.

Juda Snakers.

What on earth was he plotting?

The boy’s unusual actions made Charlotte’s interest deepen.

Thanks to him, the Princess had been thinking about him quite often recently.

“He’s difficult.”

He was a difficult person to understand.

He clearly had the ability to overpower everyone, yet he was intentionally allowing Young Lady-nim Vanity to torment him.

Because she had witnessed Juda’s power once before.

For Charlotte, his complacent reaction was simply confusing.

-Should I help you?

-If you’re enduring this because you’re worried about the Vanity family… I can step in and stop it.

Perhaps he was bothered by the Vanity family’s name.

She even asked if he needed help.

-If I just say a word, she won’t be able to bother you anymore.

She wasn’t usually one to interfere in such matters, but he was someone she had been keeping an eye on.

She had also received help from him during the class assignment exam.

And the pink-haired commoner who accompanied him also bothered her a little.

But.

-I’m fine, Your Royal Highness.

The boy firmly refused.

-I already have something in mind.

-I’d appreciate it if you’d just watch quietly. It will surely be entertaining.

Juda replied with a wide grin.

His expression was full of anticipation.

Carrying an ominous aura, yet at the same time, a smile as innocent as a child’s.

It was an undeniably pure color.

Charlotte decided to follow his words.

He must have his own reasons.

Perhaps it was even strange to worry about Juda.

With a single gesture, he could probably handle everyone in the academy, so who was worrying about whom?

She shook off her random thoughts.

“Shall I observe a little longer?”

The flickering voice of the ‘snake’.

Leaving behind the bewildering web of questions, the young prince quietly turned away.

***

The duel was set for the very next day without delay.

The public training ground where the last class assignment exam was held.

It was originally a place with a packed schedule, making it difficult to reserve, but Selena, who appeared from somewhere, resolved it.

The timing was impeccable, as if she had been waiting.

-Since this matter occurred within my assigned class… I will prepare the venue.

-The Dean will be officiating the duel.

-All faculty members will also be observing this duel.

Moreover, news that other faculty members would also be observing.

It seemed the scale of the event was growing larger than I had anticipated.

Furthermore.

I hadn’t expected the professors, known for their reluctance to move, to flock over in droves.

Typically, the supervision of a duel is divided into the roles of [referee, manager, enforcer], so it’s common for the number of observing faculty members not to exceed three.

This duel was an exceptionally unusual case.

‘Well… I roughly understand it, though.’

These old folks saw me saving Charlotte, after all.

The power I showed back then was only a fraction, but… it was an output that far exceeded a student’s level.

Overwhelming the Iron Princess.

Truly, a unique and unparalleled talent.

They are people with the blood of educators.

With a brilliantly shining raw gem flickering before their eyes, how could they not be interested?

Therefore, this duel was a kind of assessment.

To gauge how immensely valuable I was.

‘Professors aside, though……’

What surprised me was Selena.

It was so unexpected, you could say.

In the original work, ‘The Drunkard’ was never the type to show interest in such matters.

-I have been appointed to ‘enforce’ this duel.

-I hope both of you will compete safely and fairly.

It felt unfamiliar to see her acting so proactively.

What on earth could she be planning?

I seemed to fall into thought for a while, but then quickly shook it off.

For now, the immediate situation came first.

“Wow… no matter how many times I see it, I can’t get used to this scale.”

After a brief exclamation, I stopped walking.

The center of the circular arena.

I leisurely looked around.

The news of the duel seemed to have spread quite a bit, as the spectator stands were filled with students despite it being a weekday.

More than I expected.

“I’m getting nervous.”

“If you’re scared, you can still forfeit now.”

A voice suddenly rang out.

Looking straight ahead, I saw the familiar coiled blue hair.

“Young Lady-nim Vanity.”

“Honestly, I thought you’d run away… but I must commend your courage for coming to this duel.”

“Thank you.”

“Hah.”

Emilia seemed exceptionally pleased.

Her expression was a bitter smirk.

A desire to immediately shatter that expression spread through me.

As I took a breath with a gentlemanly demeanor, the girl gestured around her with her eyes.

“Will you be alright?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re about to be humiliated in front of so many people… I’d be so mortified I’d die.”

“Hehe, is that so?”

I’m certainly looking forward to that.

I desperately held back my laughter.

Suppressing the bubbling instinct for mischief, I tidied up my lie with my fingertips.

“It seems it’s about to begin.”

I saw a faculty member walking over from the opposite side.

Everyone’s gaze focused.

The stage, just before the play begins.

Two actors looked at each other.

I suddenly spoke.

Before all the chaos that was about to unfold, one question was necessary.

For her sake.

“Now that I think about it… May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“I just want to know the reason why Young Lady-nim is doing this.”

“Reason…?”

“Yes, the reason.”

Emilia Vanity.

What state of mind led you to torment Regia?

What thoughts drive you to despise the less fortunate, and what pain causes you to crave recognition so deeply?

I was asking about her painful background.

‘A Vain Person.’

What made you that way?

Though life is originally about suffering from the ‘disease’ of adulthood, why have you already forgotten your childhood?

What happened to your star, that…

“Praise is truly sweet, isn’t it?”

Recognition received from others.

Being praised as the prettiest, the best dressed, the wealthiest, the smartest.

But what does it feel like to become so engrossed in it that you lose yourself?

The girl is always fiercely sharp.

To receive praise, she slanders, pushes away, and hurts others.

But if you erase everyone from your life like that…

“I… dare to ask why Young Lady-nim desires so strongly to stand at the top.”

A star where only you remain.

What good would all that praise be then?

“What a trivial question.”

Emilia replied with a bored expression.

As if asking why she’d bother to ask something so obvious.

A sneer was hidden in the twist of her lips. It was clear mockery.

“Because I am superior.”

Her distorted vision could not see ahead.

She simply ran blindly towards her goal.

That is the process of ‘adulthood’.

“Unlike a fool like you, who has no qualifications, I am someone who rightfully belongs in that position.”

“That is your answer, Young Lady-nim.”

“So, forfeit now. If you don’t want to be ugly and ruined.”

“Oh dear… that would be difficult.”

Because there’s someone who wishes for me to win.

Pink hair visible amidst the wide spectator stands.

The girl was praying with her hands clasped together.

I chuckled softly.

“Well, I’ll do my best.”

“How foolish.”

“Hehe… perhaps so.”

The light chatter ended.

The faculty member acting as interim referee stood in the middle and immediately began the duel.

I calmly took my stance.

《Warriors, please wait in your designated positions.》

《The duel will proceed as a sparring match. The duel ends when one opponent is subdued or incapacitated.》

《Additionally, the duel will also end if one side forfeits.》

The basic rules seem similar to the class assignment exam.

Following the announcement echoing through the arena, I took my designated spot.

Emilia did the same.

“Ready.”

The interim referee plainly called out the signal.

A single coin shimmered. It was to fairly signal the start of the duel.

The referee picked up the coin with his fingers.

And then.

Clack-!

He flicked it into the air.

A golden afterimage falling to the floor.

Spinning round and round, the coin soon lost its momentum, then struck the ground with a loud noise.

Clink!

At the same time, the figures of the two standing on the stage vanished.

The forms, scattered like a wisp of smoke, reappeared none other than at the center of the arena.

Two blades clashed.

It was their first swift encounter.

Clash!

And so.

The duel began.