Chapter 6
“I’ll explain the rules. Don’t destroy the arena! Please, I’m begging you, at least keep that one, Selena. Okay?”
Jake pleaded desperately. Selena didn’t even pretend to listen and just brushed it off with a half-hearted, “Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
Anton’s face stiffened, and Selena smirked.
“Scared?”
“…!”
“Then should we add another rule? Something like—don’t kill your opponent.”
Her tone was almost as if she were trying to soothe him, though it was clearly a provocation. Anton clenched his teeth.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Then forget it. I’m not great at holding back anyway.”
Selena removed her robe and stepped onto the dueling platform. Anton also removed his robe, hesitating for a moment.
He touched the scabbard at his waist—since Selena didn’t appear to have any weapon on her.
“……”
“Bring it.”
She quickly read the reason for his hesitation and spoke casually.
“You’ll at least need that to stand a chance.”
“…It’s fine.”
He unfastened the sword from his waist.
“I don’t want to hear excuses about losing because of weapons after the result’s decided.”
Thud.
The scabbard hit the ground with a small noise. Selena chuckled at the prideful display.
“Heh. This is gonna be a rare sight. Selena, what about a referee?”
“Don’t need one. You think that rookie even knows what a points system is?”
“Good point!”
Jake stepped back a few paces from the arena. When Anton stepped onto the platform, the spotlight shifted to shine on the two of them.
Tak!
The sudden flood of light from above made it feel like they were performing in a play. Only then did Johannes realize this place was more like a stage than a typical arena.
“……”
“……”
They stared at each other for a moment. Anton stood in the basic combat stance he had been trained in.
“This is why bookish types…”
“?”
“Are you waiting for a ‘Begin!’ signal or something? You think this is some formal knightly spar? Why don’t you shake hands before starting?”
The biting sarcasm rang in Anton’s ears. He realized he’d been unconsciously waiting for a signal to start.
“Come at me.”
Selena beckoned with her fingers.
Anton hesitated briefly, then moved in.
Whoosh!
The distance between them vanished in an instant. Rather than throw a punch, Anton planned to get behind her and restrain her—because speed was his specialty.
Although he wasn’t part of the Central Bureau, Anton too possessed a certain Esper ability.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Selena. Through her fluttering hair, he saw the slender nape of her neck.
Got you…!
Just as his hand was about to touch her neck—
Thud.
“Gotcha.”
Selena gripped his wrist with crushing force.
Squeeze!
“…!”
Anton tried to pull free, but it was too late. Selena never let go once she had something in her grasp.
“Wow, you’re fast. You almost got past me for a second there. Is your ability acceleration?”
“Agh!”
“Oh, sorry. Guess I grabbed too hard.”
She let go with a flick. Anton quickly created distance, checking the wrist she had grabbed—it was red and throbbing alarmingly.
“You know my ability, right?”
Of course he did. Selena had been on the front page of the papers almost daily for the past three years.
“…Physical enhancement.”
“Knew it!”
She stood right before him again, just as suddenly.
“In other words, my ability is the higher-grade version of yours.”
It wasn’t just brute strength—she could freely enhance any part of her body at will.
Anton’s face darkened.
I underestimated her way too much.
He had assumed her war-hero image was just for show, crafted because the empire needed one and she was the only noblewoman fighting on the front lines.
And she was the infamous delinquent noble daughter, after all.
Anton reset his stance, this time watching her movements with care.
“Oh? Gonna go again? It’s gonna hurt~.”
She glanced at his wrist, already swelling red. Anton just lowered his stance in silence.
“Fine by me. It’s not over yet!”
Thud.
Selena grabbed Anton by the collar and lifted him into the air.
“Ghhk!”
He struggled for breath, but she didn’t budge.
“What should I do with you, hmm?”
Like a predator savoring its prey, she licked her lips.
“…Hasn’t the match already been decided?”
Johannes asked Jake. Jake, unlike Johannes, looked almost bored.
“Didn’t you hear earlier? There’s no referee for this one.”
“So whether the match ends or not depends entirely on the winner, and we’re just spectators?”
“Exactly. We could place a bet though. I’m putting 100 gold on Selena. You?”
Johannes turned away—no point talking to Jake.
Crash!
Selena slammed Anton into the floor with a nasty sound.
This was no longer a duel—it was a beating. She picked him up again.
“Weird. Is your ability really acceleration? Feels… different. You’ve got decent strength too, and you can take a hit.”
Anton was too out of it to respond.
“So what is your ability? Don’t tell me it’s the same as mine—physical enhancement? But…”
“It’s ‘Self-Deception.’”
Selena turned—Johannes was now in the arena, still wearing his robe and holding Anton’s sword.
“Self-Deception?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. The ability to consciously remove the brain’s self-imposed safety limits.”
“Ahh. So that’s why you looked similar to me. And the endurance—‘I’m not hurt,’ right?”
“Something like that. And since your curiosity’s satisfied, isn’t that enough? The match is already over.”
Selena tilted her head.
“Says who? This arena has no surrender rule. Should’ve agreed on that beforehand.”
She dropped Anton to the ground. He lay there unconscious.
“Anton’s already lost. That’s obvious.”
“Not to me.” She smiled. “You never know until they’re dead.”
Johannes realized she wasn’t bound by common sense at all.
“…Anton is my personal knight. If you kill him, you’ll face consequences—”
“You really think that’ll work on me?”
Johannes stayed silent—realistically, even if she killed Anton, she wouldn’t face any real punishment.
“Pick up the sword. Isn’t that why you brought it?”
Johannes gripped the blade tightly. He knew normal sword skills were meaningless against an Esper like her, but he had no choice.
“I’ll even let you have the first hit.”
She smiled and closed her eyes.
Shhk!
The sword came down—
…but not on her.
“This should do it.”
Johannes swung the sword with all his might into the arena floor. The shock stung his hands, but it only left a faint crack.
“For damaging the arena, we’ve broken the only rule. That means we lose.”
Selena burst into laughter.
“Oh, that’s priceless! You swung with everything just to make that tiny crack?”
“What? A crack?!” Jake shot up from his seat.
“That flooring was expensive! Get down before you ruin it more!”
“Relax, Jake. I’ll replace it if needed.”
Selena glanced at Johannes.
“Our dear crown prince—more interesting than I thought.”
Jake’s expression tensed at the title, unsure if it was a joke.
“Fine. I lose. Take him. Is that knight really so precious you came up here yourself?”
“…Childhood friend.” Johannes gave the short answer as he picked Anton up.
“Not that you’d understand what that means.”
“There’s no need to be so mean,” Selena said, without denying it.
