Why? Because I’m here

The dagger Kefir threw was, in her view, nothing more than “intimidation.”

But what surprised her—though it still made sense—was that such a scare tactic was actually intercepted by the leader of the Rossiya Empire’s trio of candidates: Rasputin.

Rasputin caught the knife in one hand while walking forward, twirling it from thumb to pinky, from left hand to right, then casually tossed it aside.

Holding a bottle of liquor, strutting out proudly with her lackeys, the anger she had shown earlier when Euclid found the new path was long gone, replaced with a blatant attitude of “seizing by force.”

“Long time no see, Miss Kefir. That last strike of yours was really beautiful.”

“…”

If possible, Kefir wouldn’t even bother replying.

But the three uninvited guests from the Rossiya Empire weren’t the kind of people one could just ignore and walk past.

If before they had been competitors exploring the ruins, now they were enemies.

“Well, isn’t this quite the coincidence~ After continuing our exploration these past few days, look at that—we just happened to wind up here too~”

Rasputin adjusted her glasses in a mocking tone.

“And guess what? We happened to see you fighting that big rock.

Us Rossiyan rookies wouldn’t dare interrupt the number one genius of the Albion Empire, right?

So we just waited until you finished beautifully before stepping out to say hello.”

“Had enough jokes?”

Kefir blocked the newly revealed passage behind her, opened after the stone giant’s defeat, though she knew it was pointless.

The enemy was clearly here to reap the spoils.

What Kefir worried about more was Euclid, that conman—he was waiting outside for her!

If these three Rossiyans had snuck in after them, then… what was Euclid’s situation now!?

And worse still: she had just spent everything defeating that massive creature.

Even if she didn’t want to sound discouraged, the truth was that she was drained, exhausted, with little magic left.

Her opponents were candidates sent to explore the ruins—definitely not weaklings that could be brushed aside.

The next moment, Rasputin’s behavior made Kefir frown even deeper.

“Well~ As expected of Miss Kefir. But we Rossiyans don’t like wasting breath. Let’s keep this simple.”

Rasputin slowly removed her monocle and tossed it to a waiting subordinate.

Her aura shifted instantly—like a seal being lifted, the cultural mockery faded, replaced by raw fighting intent.

“Step aside.

What’s inside belongs to the Rossiya Empire.

And by the way, aren’t you worried about that maid you brought along… and that useless stick who can’t fight?”

Euclid!

And… Nilu!?

These three weren’t just “mentioning” them.

Kefir clenched her sword tighter, losing all interest in the treasure hidden in the passage.

What mattered far more was Euclid’s and Nilu’s safety—had they been harmed by these three Rossiyans!?

And yet, even now, the enemies still pressed on, dangling this threat as if it were a game.

“No need to rush, Miss Kefir. I don’t really get magic anyway.

What I do want to know is… where does Rossiyan martial arts rank against your Albion Empire?”

“Out of my way!”

Kefir no longer cared about appearances.

She drew her sword at once.

If these three had really harmed Euclid and Nilu, then she was already prepared to cut them into a thousand pieces.

Anyone who touched her people would pay the price.

But—

Though Rasputin’s two lackeys dodged back quickly, Rasputin herself showed strength Kefir hadn’t expected.

She sidestepped the blade and sent a punch sweeping in.

The gust struck Kefir’s wrist, nearly knocking the sword from her hand!

She dared not recklessly use magic, but even so, this woman’s attacks were far too entangling, forcing Kefir off balance.

“Careful with those eyes and that pretty little face~ We Rossiyans never care how pretty someone is when we fight~”

“Ugh, despicable!”

This was no time to be brawling in some street fight!

Kefir evaded the strike aimed at her eyes, stepped back, and summoned what little magic she had left.

Her sword swept forward, releasing a blast of cold that made Rasputin shiver and stagger backward.

Immediately, Kefir turned and bolted for the exit!

Treasure?

According to Euclid, it would surely be in the hidden passage.

But she would leave it for them!

For Kefir, what was truly important was already clear.

“Lady Rasputin! That Brit ran away! Let’s hurry and grab the treasure!”

“You worthless idiot, all you think about is treasure, Buret!”

Rasputin stopped, cold eyes locked on Kefir’s retreating back.

“Oi, Kirichenko. Hand me the musket.”

“Lady Rasputin?”

“Lady Letty said killing a few people doesn’t matter.

And right now, there’s such a perfect chance to eliminate Albion’s little genius…

Heh… I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they’re hauling her coffin!

Hurry up, give it here!”

Rasputin snatched the musket from her subordinate’s hands and aimed at Kefir’s back.

And then…

——

【Rasputin fires a surprise shot at Kefir, wounding her, forcing her to unleash her hidden potential, and finally defeating her foes!】

That was the script.

Kefir really would level up inside the ruins—but only at the cost of being wounded.

For my “golden thigh” to be injured just to grow stronger—what kind of useless conman would that make me?

If Kefir is harmed, then as a man I would have failed completely.

So this script absolutely cannot be allowed to happen.

Because—here I come!

“Kefir!”

Turning the corner, I caught sight of Kefir, anxious, rushing toward me!

And I saw not far away Rasputin, the Rossiyan, raising a gun at her.

At last, I made it in time—before the script could play out, before it truly happened!

“Eu…clid? Thank goodness! Are you hurt!?”

But I’m a villain.

No matter what, I can’t always rely on the protagonist’s luck.

“Get down!”

I pulled Kefir close, pushing her aside.

And with the ripping, burning sensation tearing through my body, I toppled onto her, forcing her to the ground.