Survival 105

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“Kkheuk, kkeulheuk!”

Breathing is painful.

Even when she first forged a link in her heart after awakening magic in the past, it was never like this.

Riu was about to lose consciousness under the agony she had never felt before.

Kkeok-!

“Not yet…!”

Still.

She has not lost yet.

Along with the metallic taste from the tender flesh in her mouth.

Riu worked hard to reinforce the ice wall.

She couldn’t let everyone witness this overwhelming defeat.

Moreover,

As she raised a new ice spear, she targeted the vermin before her.

But,

The mana circle scraped to its bottom and the body overworked beyond its limits wouldn’t obey.

Woosh-

The forming ice spear collapsed in an instant, out of control, and once again her vision began to blur and darken.

“Why do you say so? You said yourself you couldn’t lose.”

The chilling fear whispered, ‘Get up now.’

The hair on her head and all her body hair stood on end, and her closing eyes snapped open.

“Kkeuk, Hans Byron…!”

It’s mockery.

Her weapon had long been thrown away in a corner of the ice wall on the ground.

Riu himself knew better than anyone that she had no chance of winning now.

However, she could not back down.

There was no way she could kneel.

That’s because.

“Ha ha ha, how foolish. Well, you carry a lot on your shoulders. The unity of the coalition, the dignity as a high noble… If you lose to me here, it would be an irreversible blow.”

“Quiet. It’s not over yet.”

She cannot lose.

But behind such stubbornness, a faint sense of doubt lingered.

‘There’s no way I can win…’

His main weapon is a dagger, so he is strong in close combat but weak in ranged combat.

Lacking overwhelming firepower to turn the tide of the battle.

If stamina is weak, avoid short-term battles and engage in long-term ones.

That was the weakness she paid a fortune for from the head of the northern thieves’ guild.

But,

No such weakness was visible in him now,

And moreover.

In this situation, having climbed the ice wall and engaged in close combat, there was no way for a mage like herself to win…

‘No, focus.’

She suppressed the stray thoughts in her mind.

After all, there’s too much at stake with this duel’s defeat.

The extraordinary intellect of a designated heir to a noble house kept working tirelessly.

This public duel?

Realistically judging, defeat is certain.

She knew it.

It’s frustrating, but she can’t beat him.

Then.

As a follow-up measure, the focus should be on how to maintain the half-made Anti-Luciana coalition.

‘Luckily, I have my sister.’

There was a way out.

Even if she loses to Hans Byron now, there’s still a way to cause chaos within the Luciana faction.

Then ‘Caspera’ will be safe too.

But.

There’s no place for her to retreat to now.

Not even in this duel arena.

Even amidst the harsh reality that will soon arrive, Riu gritted her teeth and glared.

“You’ll regret this, Hans Byron…”

All she could do right now was glare with all her might.

“Have you finally given up? Why don’t you try to resist more?”

“Kyaak!”

A dull thud followed by merciless kicking came next.

With the shock, her eyelids, which he had been struggling to keep open, fell.

“Indeed, I suppose this means you’re subdued? Let’s see…”

Unintelligible noises.

However, she succumbed to unconsciousness before she could hear the rest.

Her purple hair fluttered and scattered in the air.

***

-Beep, cleaning in progress.

Golems bustled through the duel arena.

With Riu unconscious, pieces of the collapsed ice wall were held in their hands.

“Why such a stern face? You won the duel, after all.”

“Ah, Lady Elizabeth.”

As I rested briefly in a corner, she soon approached me.

Class A standard, last in entrance grades.

Because her turn to choose her duel was last, she seemed to still have some time.

Moreover, thanks to the commoners stuck in between, it looked like she wasn’t targeted as an opponent in the duels.

“Thanks to your victory, the situation has improved a lot. Our faction is full of morale. Moreover, the other side must be doubting if they have any chance of winning this fight.”

“Ha ha, right. A person who is like the head of a faction lost to the servant below, not even the leader.”

As expected.

Just looking at the duels below, one could guess that fact.

“Kkeuk! Sir Dmitri, why did you choose me as your duel opponent!”

“Hmph, you were the ones who ostracized me for being from the north first, yet you talk big.”

A man in white lion armor had the upper hand against a robed noble.

“Lady Elizabeth, you’ve also managed to persuade a member of the Baltirion family.”

Although he is from the North. I didn’t expect much, as he was a person whose family was in a sharp conflict with Luciana’s from the aristocratic faction.

“What did you offer as a condition?”

“Condition? Oh, do you think I paid something to persuade him?”

She smirked briefly.

“He didn’t need anything like that.”

“Hmm? That’s unexpected. Did you incite a sense of betrayal against the nobility?”

“Something like that. Anyway, he convinced himself and joined our faction, so rest assured. Once he’s in, he’s not the type to just walk out.”

Well.

Considering the reckless behavior he had shown in his family, it was hard to trust.

“So, I didn’t hear an answer to my first question. Why do you look so grim? Aren’t things unfolding as you thought?”

“That is true, but…”

Everything was going smoothly.

The plot by the rude sisters was shattered by my duel results,

Yet the reason my mood was so poor that Elizabeth noticed, lay in the status window before me.

[Riu Caspera’s current psychology]

“…Tsk, why did I absorb emotions? It’s bothering me.”

Emotion absorption.

A skill exclusive to the doppelganger race, which allows one to glimpse into the memories of those they have a trusting relationship with, and those they have subdued.

Initially, it was cast both to mock and to check what tricks he might be hiding.

[Hans Byron, Luciana’s right hand and a power broker of the faction, as well as a representative of the lower nobility. If only this person were gone, the past mistakes could be somewhat mitigated. It wouldn’t be shameful for the family.]

In the memories glimpsed through the skill, there were quite aggressive tactics involved, and exposing just that could have solidified a victory that was already half guaranteed for our side. It wouldn’t be enough to challenge Luciana to a duel with the threat of expulsion from school.

However, what I overlooked was:

[…I suppose I should take responsibility. It’s okay. Laura will fill my place. My sister may be a bit unreliable, but… after all, I won’t be able to attend the academy anymore.]

It was not just about gaining information; this ability also brought with it their feelings.

Resignation.

That heavy and somber emotion was underlaid throughout her memories.

“I just didn’t like it.”

“What?”

“The emotions of Miss Caspera felt like eating reheated rat meat, that’s how bitter they were. That was all.”

In this world, the academy is one of the gates that nobility must pass through.

Ultimately.

Expulsion from the academy meant disqualification from succession rights.

It was too high a price to pay just to maintain a faction.

Yet, the reason she caused such a scene was singular.

It wasn’t due to rational calculation but an emotional impulse.

Having uncovered her memories, I knew exactly what that entailed.

I also understood the reason behind those extreme actions towards the saint that I had encountered in the game.

The fear of lower nobles and commoners threatening her position.

Trauma embedded from her childhood.

And also, the love and blind loyalty to her family and faction.

…Maybe this discomfort comes from familiarity.

After all, the ending Luciana met in the original story was for similar reasons.

A high noble lady, bound by her family, walking the path of ruin.

Was it just a coincidence that Luciana seemed to overlap with Riu?

“Hey, where are you going?”

“I have something to do.”

“Isn’t the class not over yet?”

“It seems unlikely that anyone left would dare to challenge me to a duel.”

With a shrug.

Elizabeth clicked her tongue in annoyance.

But it was true.

After such an overwhelming duel result, how many would sacrifice their scores as victims?

The class would proceed without any issues without me.

That was the same with the Caspera sisters…

No matter which route the original protagonist took.

A villainess with a predetermined ending of expulsion through a duel with Luciana.

So, this was proof.

If the expulsion of the Caspera sisters could be prevented, perhaps Luciana’s ruin could also be avoided.

It was a perfect test case.

“…Hans!”

“What is it, Lady Elizabeth?”

“What were you thinking that you only respond now? Anyway, the wish grant. You haven’t forgotten, right?”

“…Tsk.”

“What’s with that response?!”

Come to think of it, I had promised a wish-grant for persuading Dmitri.

“A noble knight, yet he crossed over without any backbone…”

Half-listening to Elizabeth’s incessant chatter beside me, I clicked my tongue at Dmitri, who was less substantial than a reed.

***

“Riu, are you conscious?!”

An overly excited, familiar voice. She woke up using her sister’s voice as an alarm.

“Ugh! This is…”

Clutching the throbbing area near her solar plexus, she looked around.

A room painted in stark white. This was the place she hurriedly brought Laura to after she was beaten to a pulp during a duel with Professor Marks.

“The infirmary… right, I lost.”

That alone was enough to grasp the situation. Her defeat. This signified a crisis for the faction she had painstakingly rallied around using the bait of the student council presidency, as it would stir feelings of inferiority among others.

“It’s okay, Riu! According to the priest here, you’ll recover if you rest for a few weeks. Just rest until then…”

“There’s no time for that.”

…Pain is momentary.

With willpower, she forced her trembling body to stand up. As time passed, more members would likely drop out of the faction.

This wasn’t the time to be calmly talking about resting, like her foolish sister.

“Ri, Riu! You still must be in pain…”

“It’s okay. Rather than here, I’d prefer to rest in my own room.”

“Do you need help walking?”

“No.”

She pushed Laura aside hastily and headed to her room.

‘Hans Byron…!’

This incident made it clear. Whether politically or by force, Count Caspera and the nobility faction might be in greater danger than even their leaders, dangerous enough to warrant quick exclusion even if it meant expulsion for herself.

Luckily, she had the perfect weapon. A magic bomb provided by the Magic tower, intended for emergencies.

If detonated, even Hans Byron would have to recuperate for a while.

‘His absence will surely cause significant chaos within the Luciana faction.’

If she were to use it, now would be the chance when they are drunk on victory and least expecting it.

“Where, where is it? I need to deal with Hans Byron as soon as possible.”

But the bomb, secretly kept in the second drawer and hidden even from Laura, was nowhere to be found.

As she dragged her pain-stricken body to search other drawers, a moment arrived.

“You seem busy. Perhaps, are you looking for this?”

Is this what learned fear feels like? Just as on the ice wall, she turned around with goosebumps all over again.

“Ha, Hans Byron. How did you…!”

“How did I get into this room, you mean? No, should you be asking how I knew about this bomb?”

Between squinted eyes, his pupils were directly focused on her, making her body freeze like a frog before a snake.

“Lady Caspera, no.”

Her body, completely stiffened, flinched because he grabbed her wrist.

“Riu, you’ve taken this joke too far.”

Trembling, her wrist was tightly gripped by the overwhelming strength of Hans Byron, an aura user beyond her ability to resist.

“How dare you, a mere scion of the baron’s family, to me…!”

“Talking back? Is that what’s important here? Haven’t you figured out yet who’s on top?”

Unauthorized entry into the dorm room.

Use of violence.

Threats.

Hans Byron’s offenses were excessive, yet she was unable to respond properly.

“Even after seeing this?”

Due to the ‘bomb’ he held before her eyes as evidence, her mouth shut tight.

Even the letter she had intended to dispose of as soon as the class ended was fluttering helplessly in his hand.

“It’s really funny. Were you planning to throw this at someone?”

“…”

“Let’s see. You’re definitely getting expelled, and if I play this right, I could probably send your sister packing too.”

“Laura has… nothing to do with this.”

Barely squeezing out the words, he chuckled in response.

“Whether she’s involved or not, what does it matter? It’s important that you, a family member, did it.”

“…What?”

“I’m talking about a pretext, a pretext, my dear. It’s a simple story.”

“……”

“I’ll ask her to have a duel with me.”

The extreme measure that flowed from his mouth left Riu at a loss for words.

“A duel typically involves staking something. Nobles usually wager their honor, but in this case, how about staking your expulsion?”

His intent was clear.

He was using her as bait.

“If she wins, your expulsion will be as if it never happened. If she loses, Laura will be expelled too. I wonder how your sister will react then.”

“You…!”

The blood drained from Riu’s face.

Laura, naive as she might be, truly cared about her sincerely.

It was clear she would fall into Hans’s trap.

His strong martial prowess.

The ingenious strategy he demonstrated while subduing Riu.

Even Riu’s own pleas wouldn’t be able to stop Laura.

“It’s your mistake, so you must take responsibility. Instead of invoking your family’s hollow name, you should find a way out.”

“How can I possibly…”

“Sit down.”

As if he owned the place, he nonchalantly sat on her cherished sofa and nodded.

“Think of something. Make me an offer that might tempt me.”

“……”

“Your sincerity might just change my mind, you know?”

On that man’s face as he spoke was a devilish grin that would put demons to shame.

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