In the imperial palace, Prince Blake was sitting.
"Is that all?"
He was being informed about the secret and criminal acts of the Iscariote family.
To make his day even more bitter, many members of his faction were corrupt.
That annoyed him greatly.
"I'm afraid so. Those involved have erased evidence of what they did. It's very difficult to track them."
"I understand..."
It was already past midday and Blake was in a bad mood, then he remembered something.
"Right. Do you know what became of the duel between Lux and Cid?"
"..."
"What's with that face?"
"Your Highness... don't tell me you haven't heard? What happened was a huge scandal."
"What are you talking about?"
Blake was very confused and intrigued by what he was saying.
"Tell me what happened while I was resting from that headache."
The man's mouth moved, and Blake's face contorted in horror at what he heard.
◇◇◇
The stands were excited about who the winner would be.
"It's incredible that the Attley son and the fourth prince ended in a draw."
"The fourth prince did it because he had no chance against him. Personally, I don't blame him. I would do the same."
"Now only that boy who defeated Prince Regulux's three friends remains. Who do you think will win?"
"In this match... anyone could win."
Meanwhile, in another section.
"What the fourth prince did was something that even I myself couldn't foresee."
"I was thinking about what kind of strategy he would use. But something like that is undoubtedly an act to applaud."
"Really?"
"Of course. If you were a normal person against a prodigy child, how would you win?"
"I would go all out to destroy his defenses and then his sword."
"That's something only you would do, Dolph."
"Now only one duel remains."
"..."
"Instructor?"
"I just wonder if the winner will be the one whom the goddess Alexia has been smiling upon. Three consecutive victories. Now only his most annoying opponent remains."
Christina and Goredolph watched the prince, who was calming Lambert down as he bowed in an apologetic pose known as dogeza.
"I am truly, deeply sorry! I have no words to express how regretful I am, Your Highness!"
"Lam. Calm down, it's okay."
"No! Of course it's not okay! I failed you... I said I would win and I lost. I lost to someone who fought like a coward!"
Regulux crouched down to take Lambert by the shoulders.
"Lam."
He called him, and the face of his dejected childhood friend lifted with fear. But the smile he found made his tears stop.
"It's okay. You didn't lose. What Cidfert did was just an act of cowardice."
"It was a duel. And you are someone who respects the rules. Something like that is impossible to imagine for someone with your intellect. Take it as a joke. A very bad one."
"Lambert. You didn't lose; they just played a very bad joke on you."
The tears of the dejected Lambert stopped. Instead, an embarrassed expression with red cheeks appeared.
"Y-You're right. Sorry. I got carried away by it."
Regulux stood up and Lambert did too.
He wiped his face with his sleeve.
His friend spoke to him while his usual expressionless face returned.
"Lam. I will win, don't worry. Just leave it all to me. In the end, it should have been me who finished this originally."
"...?"
Lambert didn't understand what his friend was talking about, but didn't give it more importance.
"I understand. I'll go get your Pegasus. I'll check that nothing is wrong with it; meanwhile, rest."
"I just need to do one thing while I wait."
Regulux smiled as he looked at the audience. To be precise, where Elize was.
She didn't notice since she was staring intently at Razel, who was saying to Cid.
"I need to go evacuate many brown babies. Breakfast is just now taking effect."
Razel ran.
"Lily-san, excuse me. I need to go to the restroom."
"Sure."
Elize stood up and left her seat.
Lily watched her walk away in a direction that wasn't the ladies' room.
◇
I left the bathroom after releasing a big bomb. Well, it was several.
I feel very sorry for the janitor who has to clean that up.
I wrote on the wall that I was sorry.
While returning to prepare, I found someone unexpected.
"Hello."
The third prince was waiting for me, leaning against the wall.
He greeted me as if he were a casual friend.
After doing so, he approached me to say.
"We don't know each other, and believe me, I don't want to either, but how about this? Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" I said, intrigued.
"Yes. You see, I am confident that I won't lose. But it's never bad to have insurance."
(His way of thinking is the same as mine. It scares me a little.)
"May I know what makes you think you'll win?"
"It's simple."
He smiled like an insurance salesman, a very diabolical one.
"Simply by being third in the line of succession. Since I was born, I've had a certain rank in the palace court. My childhood was surrounded by annoying adults who wanted to greet me and belong to my faction. My mother took care of them for me."
"Leaving that aside, there's the other fact. Your family."
I made a bad expression when I heard him say that.
"Don't misunderstand me. It's not a threat. Your family will only be bothered by those who feel offended by insulting the imperial crown."
(I warned my family about what I was going to do. Their responses were surprising.)
(My mother said: "Making a girl cry is terrible. As her mother, I would be very ashamed, and as a woman, doing that to his fiancée deserves a good hit. Hit him hard right in the mouth!")
(My little sister and brother supported her. While my father told me:)
("You got into this problem because you wanted to, but if you are a true man, never back down. Always be firm in your decisions, even if they are wrong in the eyes of others.")
(In my previous life, hearing words like that was only believable in video games; considering this world is one, it's not strange. But still, it's nice to be told that from the heart.)
The prince continued saying.
"That's why my plan is the following. Let's give everyone a show, then you'll lose to me. I guarantee not only that nothing will happen to you. Cidfert won't be bothered by the ministers either, and your family will live well. I'll even give you a reward."
(All of that sounds very good. But there's something that bothers me more than anything.)
"What about Eli?"
"What about what? I don't understand you?"
"I'm talking about what would happen to Eli and her house after her defeat."
Regulux put his finger in his nose as he told me.
"Does that really matter? I mean, the Rosenberg Household is in ruins. Their debt is approximately 350 million crystalia. Not even the imperial family has that money. In fact, that money is what is collected in 5 years. It's impossible for them to pay that without business or any legal method. That house is in ruins. I'm telling you for your own good; getting involved with that plague won't bring you anything good."
(That debt is so large that not even the books sold by Amy can pay it.)
(Undoubtedly, his offer is what any intelligent person would take.)
(But, at that moment, a certain memory passed through my head.)
(Razel!)
(Razel...)
(It was Eli as a child, the day we became childhood friends. She smiled at me with a pure and innocent smile of a little girl.)
(The other was about the day I saw her beautiful cherry-red eyes cry.)
(Her beautiful face showed how hurt she was.)
(Furthermore, there's something I cannot allow.)
(That certain rumor I read on the very day I died.)
(That rumor said that the bearer of the sin of wrath, who had no appearance as it was a black ghost emanating pure hatred, was actually Eli.)
(This rumor came about because at the moment of her end, her illustration showed the silhouette of a young crying girl.)
(In the character pose menu, more information appeared.)
(Her birth date was five years after the time skip.)
(A young crying girl. A deep hatred. Five years since she was born.)
(Even if it's a coincidence or a rumor where the villainess daughter became the last bearer of the second most difficult sin to defeat.)
(Even more reason I was going to prevent her end!)
I smiled at the prince.
"I refuse." With a grin from cheek to cheek.
"Are you sure?" He said. I replied. "Of course I am. Do you think I would let my childhood friend suffer at the hands of a dirty bastard like you?"
Regulux looked at me angrily.
"You've made a grave mistake. I won't repeat it again, and I won't accept your pleas later."
"That's fine; I'll say the same words to you when you're begging me not to knock out all your teeth."
(With this, my peaceful life as a background character went overboard.)
I watched him head straight for the exit. But he stopped because he glanced to one side before continuing.
I didn't understand why he did it until I observed.
Eli was peeking out from a small place.
Once her face was within my line of sight, she came towards me.
Her eyes clearly showed sadness.
(It seems she heard everything.)
(What should I do in this case?)
(Romantic comedies don't have situations like this to imitate the main character everyone loves.)
I didn't know what to say to her until she spoke to say something unthinkable.
"Why didn't you accept?" She said in a cold tone.
I froze and couldn't say anything.
"If you had accepted, your family, Prince Cid, and mainly you, wouldn't have problems with the palace."
Her left arm grabbed her right. Her large breasts rested on her arm.
"What he said is true. My house, the Rosenberg Household, is a mere shadow of what it once was. Every day that passes, the interest on the debt grows by 2%."
"For your sake and theirs, that plan was the best for you."
She lowered her head while her shoulders trembled.
"I've endured so much pain over these years. It doesn't matter if my house receives more mockery. My mother and I have endured it and will continue to do so."
A tear fell to the floor.
"No one asked you to be my representative. In the first place, weren't you the one who abandoned me years ago? Lily-san told me the reason, but you never sent a single letter all this time, nor at the academy."
(That was because I thought the game should follow its course so Lily could obtain the power of love.)
(But I don't care about that anymore.)
"If you go now, you can still catch up to the prince and tell him you were wrong. At least, defeat will taste better for you if there's a prize."
When I heard her say that, I did what my mind had wanted to do all this time.
"What are you?!"
My right hand moved to her large chest.
"I haven't touched Lily's yet, but comparing them to Amy's, yours are big and have good potential to grow more. They'll undoubtedly be just like your mother's!"
I told her what I always wanted to say while my hand handled those large breasts. Even with gloves, the touch felt soft and elastic.
I'd like to pinch the center part. But that will be for another occasion.
Elize stepped back, covering her chest.
Before she could say anything, I walked straight to hug her.
"Huh?"
She didn't understand what was happening; she tried to break free from me.
"What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!"
I hugged her tightly; my left hand touched her back, and my right pushed her head onto my chest.
Eli stopped struggling after a while.
My hand stroked her head once she calmed down, and I said what she had wanted to hear all this time.
"I'm sorry."
"... It's too late for that."
"It's not too late yet."
I moved my hand so she could look at my face. Her face showed pain.
"I'm truly sorry. You're right, I should have written a letter, but I didn't. It was because I thought that, with this, you would become a strong girl. What happened to your family is something I never expected to happen."
Her eyes showed tears once more.
"Of course it hurt, idiot! You were my first friend in the world! I was happy, so happy to have made a friend. If you had stayed with me, I would have made you my fiancé instead of that misbegotten prince."
"You don't know how much everything he said hurts me! I tried, I worked hard to please him! No matter what, I was willing to even be his sex slave for the sake of my family!"
"But... he... said horrible things to me. Those things run through my head every day; it hurts so much."
Eli started crying again and this time hugged me.
I rubbed her back so she could vent.
"Razel. I'm scared. Scared that my house will be ruined more, scared that my mother will have to cry again at night, and mainly, I'm scared that they will do something to you."
Eli lifted her head from my chest and looked at my face.
"I... dreamed of the day you would apologize. I was going to make you suffer a little, and then tell you that you were welcome. I wanted you to suffer a little, for making your beautiful, voluptuous childhood friend cry."
"I'm sorry, Eli. You won't cry anymore."
I rubbed my fingertips on her face to wipe away her tears.
"I won't lose. I will win. I'll make that bastard apologize to you on his knees. Also."
"Also?" She said while touching her face, so soft and delicate.
"I have a solution to save your house."
(Her eyes are beautiful; her lips are full and red.)
(Eli is beautiful; undoubtedly, that prince is an idiot.)
(In the game, he could have had both beauties if he had used his head.)
Now my other hand touched Eli's face.
"Be mine." I told her. She couldn't believe me.
"If you give me the title of your house, and I become the next head of a ducal household, the prestigious Rosenberg Household will return to the peak of its former glory."
"Razel, what are you—?"
I silenced her so she wouldn't speak anymore.
And the method to do it was to insert my tongue into her mouth.
Apparently, it was Eli's first kiss.
She showed a little resistance, but then let herself go.
We kissed for a while.
My tongue left her mouth, leaving a small trail of saliva.
I looked at her beautiful eyes with my ugly black eyes.
"Eli, I can't tell you that I love you from the bottom of my heart since I don't know that feeling. But, if love is the desire to be with someone and protect them, then I love you."
"That is the worst declaration in the history of humanity, I'm sure of it."
(I would have been broken into pieces if I were still a virgin.)
But she touched my left hand with both of hers.
"I don't know what love is either, but with time, I think I can develop it fully. So, I accept. Razel, become my future husband once you defeat the prince."
(I am a future upstart baron. My future is sad. But if I become a duke, my future will be safe.)
"Then, my future wife. Wait in your seat. I'll show you the beaten head of your ex-fiancé."
Eli kept her eyes closed, smiling.
"Yes. Please win."
With those words, we shared another affectionate kiss.
(At the same time, my harem has increased, and I have a future legal wife.)
(I would have liked your mother to join that harem.)
(She is beautiful and her breasts are enormous, so it would be a waste for a woman like her, who deserves love, to end up alone forever.)
(I promise you that your mom won't cry at night anymore, at least not in a sad way.)
(Anyway, I must go prepare for my fight.)
◇
I returned to where Cid was, who had my Pegasus ready.
A new bat too; I brought a spare since I don't want to show my trump card.
"What's with that face?"
Cid asked about my strange face.
(It was happiness. I had made peace with Eli and at the same time we declared our love that needs to develop.)
(Once I beat the prince, my future will be glorious.)
(The annoying part will be how to explain it to Lily and vice versa.)
At the other end was Regulux mounted on his white Pegasus.
It was a beautiful steed like an angel.
In the game, it was called Weiss.
He was ready.
Before getting on, I looked at the stands.
I could see my two women staring intently at me.
Lily smiling at me with her angelic smile, and Eli smiling at me like a wife wishing her husband the best.
(It makes me happy.)
(Now, my chance of winning increases by 110%.)
I got on Schwarz, and positioned myself on the starting line.
Regulux said something to me while showing a beautiful decorative sword to intimidate me.
"I will show no mercy."
"Same here."
And so, the referee gave the words most awaited by everyone.
"The final duel begins! Razel Bartlet vs. His Highness, the third prince, Regulux von Bryes!"
And with that, we both took off flying.
Apparently, we were heading to the same place, the great white mountain.
(For me, that place is a way to defend and attack, but for the prince, it would be a very simple method to prevent me from escaping.)
Once we were close, he began the attack.
"Light magic: Orion's whip."
A golden whip manifested in his hand.
I couldn't see the range, but when he moved it, it extended a lot and struck the air near me, and a small explosion was heard.
(Undoubtedly, if it touches me, it'll be bad.)
(But it doesn't matter.)
Once I was near the mountain, I took out my bat.
"Come!" I shouted at him.
His hand moved to make several movements.
My bat was ready; I repelled all his attacks since the light magic he uses is just energy.
A fireball is more lethal than that.
(That's why, in the game and this world, light magic was useless.)
(No one really cared, which is why the prince felt nothing about having the rarest magic to use.)
(Mine was the second.)
"Is that all! Come on, it's no big deal!"
My hits with the bat repelled each lash due to the electricity imbued in it.
The strikes generated sparks, and the lashes were deflected to the mountain and the surroundings.
I laughed.
"Hahaha, is that all the third prince's magic can do? Seriously? You talk so much shit about Eli, but you're not that great! I will undoubtedly enjoy it a lot when you humiliate yourself by apologizing to her!"
(My attitude was not appropriate for a background character like me.)
(For some reason, I remembered that RPG game again.)
(On the forums, they talked about an annoying guy who just went around mocking people as if they were trash. Everyone hated him for it.)
(Is that how that guy felt? It doesn't really matter.)
(I will win; I'll beat that idiot easily.)
"Hey, is that—?"
"I'm bored already."
Before I could continue mocking him, the light whip disappeared, and his right hand was raised.
"Light magic: star shower."
A large magic circle manifested in the air.
The magic circle shone, and then...
"Huh?"
A rain of swords flew directly towards me.
And before I realized it, a great explosion of light occurred.
◇◇◇
In the stands, the girls watched the explosion.
"Razel!"
"Razel-kun!"
They shouted in panic as they stood up.
Cid watched the situation, very astonished.
On the other hand, Lambert was very calm.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry you had to show your power to that plague. But with this, they will understand that you are not a weakling."
A sinister smile appeared on his face.
"Lux's victory is inevitable, after all."
His head lifted towards the sky to say a line from the game.
"He is the person who will one day become emperor. No one will prevent that. Not even his own brother."
The light explosion finally ended, and only dust was visible.
Everyone thought that Razel must have died in that attack, since there was no trace of him. Victory seemed to belong to the third prince, just as the game indicated.
___________________________
Weiss: Means white in German.