Storing up big moves here?

Kefir had no intention of “exposing Louise the Twenty-Third for cheating.”

Although I was anxious about it, I couldn’t risk my life interfering with the protagonist’s decision.

And so, the night passed.

The duel that Queen Louise had previously arranged—to decide whether Kefir or Louise the Twenty-Third would go to the ruins—began the next morning!

Since this was an important duel judged by the queen herself along with a group of powerful figures, the Kefir family’s otherwise plain training ground, which normally had only weapon dummies, was temporarily furnished with several chairs around the perimeter.

Beside Queen Louise’s seat in the center, a table had even been added.

A maid was pouring tea, then used some kind of magic I couldn’t even begin to understand to block out dust.

Why do I know all this so clearly?

Haha~ Of course, because…

I’m sitting face-to-face with Louise herself!

And right now, I’m panicking like crazy!

“Cleric, if you have a preferred flavor, you can tell the head maid next to me~”

“I’ll… try…”

In reality, I didn’t dare.

That head maid next to Louise looked like she could crush my skull with just a teapot.

And to make it worse, because Louise insisted I sit in this “forbidden zone” right next to her, I’ve been under constant threat since this morning—every single scenario flashing in my head ends in my death.

If I could, I would have already found an excuse to escape to the bathroom, but this time—today—I absolutely can’t!

Because in the center of the training ground, the girl is about to face a trial that only a true protagonist could experience!

I’ve clung to her thigh, so I have the responsibility to stick around until the result!

The appearance of Kefir and Louise the Twenty-Third drew the attention of all the “judges.”

The center of the arena had been cleared into a huge open space, with barriers set up around to prevent stray attacks.

The winner of this duel would become the queen’s appointed candidate to explore the ruins.

As I looked, even though I didn’t really want to see it, Louise the Twenty-Third’s attitude was just too obvious.

“Long time no see, Kefir. I wonder how much you’ve recovered these past few days?

As for me, I haven’t done anything~ Because honestly, I don’t feel the need when it comes to dealing with you!”

Seeing her again, Louise the Twenty-Third wasn’t just back to full energy—she was acting like she’d mixed antibiotics with liquor and was high as a kite.

No more pretending to be some kind of caring big sister—she outright showed her fangs like a true villain.

Just as I overheard last night, Louise the Twenty-Third had already cheated and juiced up on something.

At the very least, she’d leveled up to match or even surpass Kefir’s tier.

To avoid any surprises, I still thought about exposing her cheating, but…

The next moment, I crushed that thought.

Because compared to Louise the Twenty-Third’s excitement, the silent glance Kefir gave me told me everything about her determination.

Kefir is the protagonist!

If I, a villain clinging to her thigh, ruin her plan by acting on my own, that’s basically suicide.

At that moment, Louise raised the umbrella in her hand.

Then, a burst of magic shot into the sky, looking no different from fireworks.

“Biang~”

That wasn’t an explosion sound—that was Louise’s own voice acting as sound effects.

“The duel begins~”

I had no time to wonder what Louise was plotting again.

My gaze immediately followed Kefir into the arena!

As soon as the duel began, Louise the Twenty-Third, who had long been itching to “crush Kefir,” unleashed her “strength” without reservation.

Although I couldn’t see it clearly, I could vaguely sense two kinds of magic surging around her, flaunting her newfound power.

Naturally, for the clueless onlookers around me, Louise the Twenty-Third’s state clearly meant…

“She broke through again!? Wasn’t she at…”

“Fifth tier, right? A breakthrough in such a short time… Looks like our empire’s so-called ‘genius’ is about to be replaced.”

“No kidding. Zerola’s daughter seems to be past her prime. She looks distracted now too. What a pity…”

The chatter of the peanut gallery didn’t just reach my ears—it even carried to the center of the arena.

Kefir, who normally ignored gossip, showed no reaction.

But Louise the Twenty-Third? Totally different story.

She was already smug before, and now these comments made her even more arrogant.

While showing off her strength, she drew her sword and launched a fierce attack on Kefir.

I’m just a weak nobody, so I can’t tell if they’re playing some “thousand-layer mind game,” but what I could see was:

Kefir could only defend passively in silence, retreating step by step, trying her best to block and avoid the swings of Louise the Twenty-Third’s weapon.

Noticing this, Louise the Twenty-Third became even more arrogant, even laughing out loud.

“Hahaha! What’s wrong, Kefir? Why aren’t you pretending like before!?”

“……”

“In the end, your strength is nothing special. You might as well surrender early, or you’ll be eating dirt soon and won’t even be able to get back up!”

Kefir didn’t respond.

She kept silently taking Louise the Twenty-Third’s attacks… which honestly didn’t even look that “flashy,” more like random wild swings.

She was just a bit out of breath from the prolonged effort.

This is about her “storyline,” whether she can seize it or not—I believe Kefir won’t lose focus.

But in the next moment, a voice suddenly reached my ear.

Louise’s voice.

While none of the other judges noticed, Louise leaned forward and flashed a sparkling smile at me.

“Cleric, it seems like Kefir doesn’t have much strength to fight back.

What I told you before still applies~”

“What?”

“Want to try begging me? Maybe I’ll suddenly come up with a way to help Kefir turn the tables~”

Her words matched the small crisis unfolding in the arena.

Most likely, Louise the Twenty-Third’s power-up exceeded expectations.

After taking one of her heavy strikes head-on, Kefir staggered back several steps.

“See?”

See what? Queen, I already know exactly what you’re about to say next.

[Queen Louise wants to use this chance to make Euclid beg.]

You’ve got a pile of death flags ready for me—I’d never dare follow your script.

Besides…

“No need, Your Majesty.”

“Eh?”

“The outcome of this duel… is already obvious.”

I looked back toward the arena.

Kefir, having regained her footing, wiped the sweat from her forehead, while Louise the Twenty-Third laughed even louder.

“Kefir, if you don’t surrender now, it won’t just be like running around like a dog getting beaten everywhere!”

After a deep breath, Kefir looked my way.

Then her gaze returned forward, and her entire aura changed.

“Beaten? Running? Louise the Twenty-Third, you might have misunderstood.”

The rapier she had been holding horizontally for defense flipped and spun, returning to her grip, pointing straight at Louise the Twenty-Third.

“I was just testing my defense. After all, I might need it someday to protect a certain idiot who’s not even stronger than a goose.”

Finally, Kefir ran her hand along the blade.

A burst of frost spread across the sword, making Louise the Twenty-Third shiver and take a step back.

The peanut gallery judges all shot to their feet in shock—but all they could do was stare in astonishment.

What’s there to be surprised about? This is the protagonist.

Counterattacking is like drinking water.

Playing weak before striking back? As easy as eating a meal.

Kefir lose? Impossible!

“Thanks for helping me warm up. Now… shall we continue this ‘duel’?”