Chapter 5
Unfortunately, Selena was being sincere.
She didn’t particularly desire anything. Desire is urgent only when it’s unfulfilled.
Selena was someone who lived indulging in everything she wanted, so she had none.
“…If you want, I can hand over one of my gold mines to you.”
But Johannes didn’t seem the type to back down easily.
He had spent the entire night reviewing and reviewing what he could possibly offer her.
“I’m rich, you know?”
“But isn’t it better to have more?”
“Not really. I already have more than enough. You know I’m a Rommel.”
Who in the Empire didn’t know the Rommel dukedom held it in the palm of their hand? It was obvious her purse was far deeper than that of the crown prince, who lacked a strong faction behind him.
“It’s a gold mine with decent output. Not a bad deal, wouldn’t you say?”
“I said I’m not interested.”
“……”
The longer he clung to this engagement, the more it seemed to cost him—so why was she so stubborn about not breaking it?
Johannes simply couldn’t understand Selena.
He could only guess she meant to use his desperation to raise the stakes a little higher.
“Then I’ll make another offer. I have access to the Imperial Library’s restricted section. If you want, I could give you one of the banned books from—”
“Ah, boring.”
Selena leaned against the armrest of her chair and propped her chin on her hand.
“I told you, I don’t need anything else.”
“…Didn’t I tell you to speak up if there’s something you want?”
Enduring rudeness was nothing for Johannes.
If it meant survival, he could do far worse. He waved off the bodyguard who looked ready to draw his sword at any moment.
“Hmm… Cry for me.”
“…What?”
“Cry. You said you liked my face, didn’t you?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
Johannes couldn’t tell if it was mockery, a joke, or—heaven forbid—serious.
Because Selena’s clear eyes were fixed on him without the slightest hint of playfulness.
“…No.”
“Too bad~! I think you’d be exactly my type if you cried. In that case, negotiations are over, Your Highness.”
Selena shot up from her seat. Naturally, rising before the crown prince was a grave discourtesy.
Anton, Johannes’ aide and bodyguard, immediately reached the end of his patience.
Shing.
It happened right after he drew his sword.
“Anton!”
“Well, this is a sight.”
The knights who had been waiting in the drawing room immediately pressed their blades to Anton’s neck.
“My knights tend to be a little overprotective.”
Too many swords to count with one hand gleamed coldly. Move an inch, and something terrible was bound to happen.
“Put your swords away.”
Selena personally grabbed one knight’s blade.
Even holding the edge with her bare hand, she didn’t get so much as a scratch.
At her command, the knights immediately withdrew. Anton, still pale from the killing intent, dragged his sword along the floor.
“Your name’s… yes, Anton, wasn’t it?”
“This level of disrespect cannot be tolerated.”
Anton’s voice was low and heavy.
“No matter how lofty the Rommel name may be, this is His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“And?”
“I ask that you address him with the proper titles and honorifics. If you refuse, I will regard it as a challenge to the imperial authority.”
“Sorry, but I talk to everyone like this. That’s why even the Duke of Rommel doesn’t like to dine with me.”
“Whatever the reason, this man is the Crown Prince of our nation. Show him the courtesy he’s due.”
Anton clearly had no intention of bending his stance. And people like him—upright to a fault—were all the more satisfying to break.
Selena was bored anyway, and with such an amusing toy right in front of her, she saw no reason to hold back.
She tossed out the words on instinct.
“Then how about a bet?”
“A… what?”
“You’re an Esper, right?”
“……”
Anton gave a short nod.
“You’re not Center-ranked, so being the Crown Prince’s direct bodyguard says it all. And yet you dared to draw your sword on me. I guess I should commend your spirit.”
Selena toyed with the sword she’d taken from the knight, wielding it in her bare hands. In her light indoor dress, the weapon looked almost like a decorative court blade.
“If you don’t like my attitude, make me yield by force.”
“!”
“Oh, don’t worry—I won’t kill you. I just happen to need a suitable sparring partner.”
After all, she couldn’t exactly go around breaking her beloved half-brother’s limbs.
She’d spent so much time on battlefields, she’d forgotten how much force it took not to injure someone.
Her original plan was to use the Rommel knights to retrain her control, but with such a tasty morsel in front of her, it would be rude not to bite.
“Thirty minutes. If you manage to injure me within that time, you win. Otherwise, I win. How about it?”
“…I understand you’ve never had formal sword training.”
“Yup. None.”
Selena swung the blade playfully, her stance sloppy, her grip a mess.
“So. Are you scared?”
“……”
It was such a cheap provocation.
Anton wasn’t foolish enough to be swayed by something so crude, but he also couldn’t back down.
To retreat here would be to shame his lord.
“Fine. Will we go to the Rommel training grounds?”
“Nope. I’m banned from those.”
“…Pardon?”
“I know just the place.”
Johannes decided to pretend he’d misheard.
“Mm… It might be a little intense for gentlemen like you. Is that fine?”
“Anywhere is fine.”
When Selena looked at Johannes, he reluctantly nodded.
“If I win, then His Highness will end this engagement as he wishes.”
“Of course~.”
Selena grinned. Johannes thought maybe—just maybe—this might resolve itself easily.
Completely unaware of what awaited them.
“…Where exactly are we going?”
Anton couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. The narrow alley kept forcing them to bump shoulders with passersby.
Selena slipped through the crowd with practiced ease, while Anton and Johannes grunted and groaned each time they collided with someone.
“I mean, you suddenly told us to change clothes, and now here we are in the market—what for?”
“This place is too crowded for a proper duel—urk.”
Annoyed by their chatter, Selena picked at her ear. They were almost at their destination anyway.
“Come on, boys. Just keep quiet and follow.”
“…Such impudence—!”
“Shh. Anton. Wait.”
Johannes stopped him. Selena had just opened the door to a tavern that didn’t look like it was in business.
Inside was dark and empty, the lamps unlit. It might look decent enough at night, but for now, it was clearly not operating.
“Hey, boss! Get out here!”
Bang, bang!
Selena pounded a table and raised her voice.
“Jake! Jaaaake!”
Just as Johannes was covering his ears, someone came down the stairs.
A middle-aged man with greasy hair, shirtless and wearing only loose trousers. He scratched his head and yawned wide.
“Ha~aah. Well, if it isn’t Selena. Thought you were dead.”
“Lend me the basement.”
“That’s the first thing you say after all this time? No way! There’s a rookie’s debut match tonight. Do you know how much is riding on that?”
“How much? If it’s ruined, I’ll cover it.”
Jake flinched.
“You think it’s all about money?! This guy could be the star of our club, and you want me to—”
“I’ll pay double.”
“…You know I love you, right?”
“Gross.”
“Hahaha! You lucky charm! Fine, fine. Though it’s gonna get noisy—Selena Rommel’s return and all.”
Jake fished a massive keyring from his pocket—at least thirty keys, each with a different shape.
“By the way, who’s that behind you? Not your usual crew.”
“Just some temporary company.”
“Oh-ho. The guys you usually bring are all nuts. These two look… relatively sane.”
He glanced at Johannes and Anton from head to toe. Even with their hoods, their greenhorn aura showed.
“Introduce them?”
“This one’s Yan. That one’s Anton. The one fighting me’s Anton.”
“Well then, don’t worry. Our Punch Club always has a shady doctor on standby!”
Johannes was startled to find himself suddenly renamed “Yan.”
“…Why am I ‘Yan’?”
“Johannes is too long.”
“?”
And that was that.
Jake led them to the beer cellar. Amid stacked oak barrels, he tapped the one in the far back—it rang hollow.
Empty inside.
“Heave-ho!”
Once it was moved aside, a hidden door appeared—an old, ominous-looking iron door.
Click, click.
Jake found the exact key for it.
“Watch your step!”
The door opened, and they descended an endless staircase into darkness.
With barely any light.
Johannes stepped carefully, but the stairs went on and on until he finally twisted his foot.
“!”
Grab.
Someone caught his shoulder before he could pitch forward.
“Thanks, Anton. I almost—”
“Not Anton.”
“!”
He nearly toppled over again in surprise.
Turning his head, he saw Selena watching him calmly.
“…You can let go now. I can manage on my own.”
“Sure.”
She let go without a second thought, striding off and leaving Johannes standing awkwardly.
It felt… oddly disconcerting.
“At last, here we are! The pride of Punch Club!”
Jake made a drumroll with his mouth.
“Behold~~ the Punch Hall!!”
Click-click-click!
He pressed a button, and the lights hanging high above came on one after another like running footsteps.
“Hooh…”
“Wow.”
Johannes and Anton widened their eyes. It was hard to believe such a splendid arena existed underground.
A dueling ring sat in the center, surrounded on all sides by spectator stands.
Though empty now, it was easy to imagine the place packed at night.
“This is…”
“An underground fight ring! First time here, I take it?”
Jake chuckled.
“Do you know how much blood has been spilled in this place? Hauling off the corpses is half the work! But isn’t that the fun of it?!”
His eyes gleamed with greed. Watching people fight for their lives had always been the most classic form of entertainment.
Illegal, yes—but that only made it more profitable.
Gulp.
Anton swallowed hard. The dried bloodstains on the ring floor sent shivers crawling down his spine.
