Clorinde still vividly remembered the first "not-so-simple duel" she encountered shortly after becoming a Champion Duelist.
The opponent was a wealthy merchant accused of illegal labor practices.
He withheld wages and provided extremely low-quality diving suits that couldn't pass any quality inspection, leaving his workers plagued by illness and suffering immensely.
If Charlotte hadn't uncovered the truth, such tragedies would have undoubtedly continued.
With conclusive evidence, Neuvillette declared the merchant guilty.
But the merchant demanded a Proxy Duel, claiming his reputation had been tarnished.
"Who else would be willing to hire them besides me?!"
"No one cares more about their health than I do! I hired doctors, provided medicine! They never complained! They're just trying to extort compensation from me—this is a scam!"
As he raised his hand, someone in the crowd shouted:
"How can such a good gentleman be wrongly accused!"
"I suspect those workers are just faking it to get compensation..."
A wave of murmurs swept through the audience. Some speculated that it might be true, that there must be a conspiracy... Others, convinced, joined the calls to halt the duel.
Furina, watching at the time, frowned so hard she nearly leaped from her seat.
The evidence was conclusive, the judgment had been passed—the man was undeniably a criminal.
Yet everyone was calling him a good person?
But when Clorinde saw the gaudy, impractical sword in his hand, she instantly knew it was all a lie. Her blade swung, effortlessly shattering his.
"Only your sword can prove your honor."
This was the Proxy Duel.
Even in defeat, as long as the sword in your hand remained unbroken, everyone would listen to your voice.
Possess unwavering conviction, and others will heed your words.
But ever since encountering the Phantom Thief White Cat, Clorinde couldn't help but wonder:
Should the voice of a sinner—one who possesses unwavering conviction, impervious to corruption, and who commits crimes without remorse—truly deserve to be heard?
The Phantom Thief White Cat wasn't a so-called "principled offender"—one who believes their crimes are justified.
She knew exactly what she was doing, yet she refused to stop.
"Clorinde?"
A familiar voice snapped Clorinde out of her reverie.
But the one looking at her was no longer Furina, but Focalors.
"You seem distracted. Didn't sleep well?"
"Apologies, I was just thinking about something."
Focalors nodded slowly. "That's fine. If you're tired, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm not one of those heartless bosses—rest is essential when you're weary."
"Thank you," Clorinde said gratefully, glancing down at the arena below.
"Hector, you are suspected of forcing your agency's talents, including minors, into prostitution and other illicit activities, spreading rumors, damaging others' reputations, and fueling the 'Phantom Thief Mania' phenomenon..."
Neuvillette listed Hector's crimes one by one.
Hector remained silent throughout, only answering "Yes" or "No" when questioned. He took full responsibility for all the charges, claiming he had acted alone.
Neuvillette glanced at him a few times, then tapped his cane.
"Therefore, I declare you, Hector Mason, guilty."
Hector smiled faintly. "I request a Proxy Duel!"
Focalors, resting her chin on her hand, slowly shook her head.
"Once a Proxy Duel is approved, it will only conclude when one side is defeated. Do you wish to proceed with your request?" Neuvillette asked.
"I do!"
"Then let both parties prepare. The Champion Duelist for this Proxy Duel is—Miss Melda."
A figure walked onto the stage.
Focalors's eyes lit up. "Oh?"
Others might not recognize her, but Focalors knew at a glance who it was.
Though her movements, demeanor, and even her face were slightly different, she couldn't be mistaken.
Isn't that Luna? Now this is getting interesting! I was just about to yawn, but now I'm wide awake.
Neuvillette glanced at Luna and sighed softly.
Her again?
The real Melda is probably fast asleep at home and won't wake up for a while—likely with a large bump on her head.
"You're the Champion Duelist for this duel?"
Hector, sword in hand, stepped onto the stage as well.
"Indeed. Mr. Hector, why did you request a Proxy Duel?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Hector turned to face the audience below.
"Because I want everyone to hear my side of the story!"
This feels all too familiar, Clorinde thought, her hand resting on her sword's hilt.
If I'm right, his next line will be...
"I did make a mistake, but it's a mistake anyone would make."
Bingo.
That's the core of his argument.
He'll claim he was just momentarily confused, that he only did what everyone else was doing. Their method of hiding their own filth is to pollute the entire pond.
"Do you all truly not know what the acting world is like? Someone like Miss Luna, with both opportunity and talent, is a once-in-a-century phenomenon."
"Most actors need resources to climb the ladder!"
"But resources are limited! How can you gain anything without giving something in return? That's the rule! I had no choice. And in the end, didn't they get what they wanted? It was just a transaction."
Casting himself as the victim instead of the perpetrator—another one of their favorite tactics.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, it was a consensual transaction."
"But... no matter how you look at it, this feels wrong..."
"You're not in the industry, how would you know? Everyone's done it; they just don't talk about it."
Luna glanced at them but paid them no mind.
Four or five out of every ten people here were hired plants, meant to sow confusion.
"I took in these orphans precisely because I feared they'd have nowhere else to go!" Hector continued. "At least with me, they had food and shelter. If they'd been sent to certain other households, being treated like a caged bird would have been the least of their worries!"
Some audience members nodded again.
"That's true. At least they could get by. Better than ending up somewhere worse..."
"When you put it that way, he does seem to have some humanity."
Other spectators were bewildered, unable to tell who was making sense and who wasn't.
"Finished?" Luna asked with a faint smile.
Hector puffed out his chest. "I am. Thank you, Miss Melda, for allowing me to express my true feelings."
"Don't mention it. I found it quite amusing."
Luna drew her sword, her fingers tracing the blade. "Like watching a clown dance. I couldn't help but chuckle."
Hector's expression froze. His smile vanished, only to reappear on Luna's face.
"Then tell me," he challenged, "where exactly was I wrong?"
"Oh, I can certainly refute your points one by one. But before that," Luna said, turning to the crowd, "are you all satisfied with this performance?"
Luna's gaze instantly pierced a spot in the audience.
This isn't something Melda would do, Clorinde thought.
This familiar feeling... could she be—
Clorinde's eyes widened slightly. She whispered, "The Phantom Thief White Cat?"
"What do you mean?" Hector demanded.
"Among the audience are people Mr. Hector hired, as well as those who've done business with him."
"Beneath your grandstanding words lies a message to your fellow scoundrels: 'I won't sell you out, so when I get out of prison, you'd better help me get back on my feet.'"
Just as Hector was about to speak, Luna pointed her sword at his face.
She pressed a raised index finger to her lips. "Shh. Please remain quiet."
"Since you wanted someone to point out your mistakes, I don't mind being the good guy."
"Do you know what your biggest mistake was?"
"You put yourself on too high a pedestal. 'Who else would hire them but me?' But in reality, your presence or absence has no fatal impact on them. The reason lies in the very 'rules' you mentioned."
Luna smiled faintly. "When everyone else is doing the same thing, what makes you so unique and irreplaceable?"
She knew exactly how men like Hector thought.
They prided themselves on becoming part of the system, believing they had seized power and could act with impunity within its rules.
But they failed to realize that people like them were the most replaceable. They were a dime a dozen.
Hector's expression faltered.
"That's right! He's nothing but a tool!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"If this is how the underworld operates, his absence won't change a thing!" another added.
The audience erupted in understanding.
But an impatient voice cut through the noise: "Is this a Proxy Duel or not? Stop talking and start fighting!"
"I came to see blood!"
Luna retracted her sword, pressed a hand to her chest, and raised the other. "Of course, of course! It is now time for the Proxy Duel. Allow me to present a magnificent sword fight for you all."
With light steps, she turned and created distance between them.
Hector's eyes darted nervously. She's right. If I go to prison, why wouldn't those nobles who dealt with me just find a replacement?
There were countless people willing to debase themselves for power.
No... this can't be happening! He scanned the audience. The nobles who had dealt with him, who had called him "brother," now watched him with cold indifference, as if calculating his worth.
Worth... that's it. No matter where you are, the most important thing is your value!
As long as I prove my worth, I still have a chance!
Hector's eyes narrowed as he pointed a finger. "Get her!"
Several figures leaped from the audience and onto the stage. They were desperados who cared nothing for the law—only for money.
The audience gasped as the cold glint of blades lunged toward Luna's back.
"Watch out!"
"Miss Champion Duelist!"
But faster than the flash of steel was a blur of purple.
Clang!
An impossibly swift sword strike shattered the blades in their hands. Clorinde's cloak and hair billowed, revealing sharp eyes beneath the brim of her hat.
She lowered her sword. "No foul play is permitted in the Duel Arena."
Luna, her back still to Clorinde, smiled. "Miss Clorinde, what exquisite skill."
She knew I would come to her aid, Clorinde thought.
"...Why are you doing this, White Cat? The role of a Champion Duelist isn't for you."
Luna tugged at her gloves. "Do I need a reason?"
"A Champion Duelist is a representative of Fontaine's law and justice."
"And what of it?" Luna walked to Clorinde's side and twirled her sword in a flourish. "I wanted it, so I took it. Justice, right and wrong... isn't all that terribly dull?"
A smirk played on her lips.
"All I want is a stage."
Were those her true feelings? Clorinde couldn't tell.
Neuvillette frowned. "Those who disrupt the rules of a Proxy Duel will have their crimes compounded. Maison Gardiennage—"
"Stop."
Luna linked her arm with Clorinde's. "This is a fair duel, you know."
Neuvillette: "..."
Focalors rose to her feet, clapping with a wide smile. "Indeed! Let them continue."
"Lady Focalors, there is no precedent for this," Neuvillette stated.
"Then let everyone witness the might of our Champion Duelists! Let them reconsider their own strength before daring to challenge us again."
"I declare the Proxy Duel officially begun!"
Neuvillette closed his eyes.
A headache, to say the least.
He sighed. "I will not recognize this as a Proxy Duel. However, I must trouble Miss Clorinde and... Miss Melda to assist in apprehending the criminals."
Clorinde tried to pull her arm away. She didn't want anyone other than Navia—or Luna—linking arms with her.
"Shall we begin, Miss Clorinde?"
"The soul has been placed within. It's time to make the heart beat. Show me the fire in your eyes, won't you?"
Luna released her arm and smiled.
Clorinde froze.
Isn't that what Luna said to me before? And her tone is almost identical.
Clorinde couldn't help but stare at Luna.
Either the Phantom Thief White Cat is a stalker, or... she's deliberately revealing clues to her true identity.
For some reason, Clorinde felt an urge to touch Luna's face, to feel the texture of her skin.
But serious matters came first.
"You take left?" Luna asked.
"I'll take right."
"You go high?"
"I'll go high."
Luna grinned. "Then I'll reluctantly take the low ground."
After their brief exchange, they launched a lightning-fast assault!
Luna and Clorinde split up, attacking from two directions. Clorinde leaped over Luna's head and slashed down with her sword!
Flashes of light and shadows of blades flickered in the blink of an eye. Within a few breaths, they had struck down all the men, leaving them immobilized on the ground.
Hector, his face pale, still gripped his sword tightly.
"See? Did you see that? I even dared to launch an ambush! I'm more valuable than the others! When I get out of prison, you have to come—"
Before he could finish, Luna and Clorinde exchanged a glance and simultaneously launched a flying kick.
Thud!
Two feet slammed into Hector's face, distorting his features.
"Aaaaaah!"
Hector flew backward and crashed to the ground. A tooth clattered onto the floor.
Luna patted her calf. "Don't worry, none of the others will escape. If it weren't for scum like you colluding for your selfish gains, these so-called 'rules' wouldn't even exist."
"Let me teach a lesson to those of you who treat these filthy rules as authority and power—"
She thrust her sword into the ground.
"Rules are meant to be broken!"
Focalors was the first to applaud. "A truly splendid performance."
The audience, snapping out of their daze, joined in the applause.
"I almost fell for it."
"Me too. I nearly believed him. Following his logic would only make those 'rules' stronger, wouldn't it?"
"I say we arrest these shills too!"
Neuvillette tapped his cane. "Silence!"
Once the hall fell quiet, he nodded.
"Thank you for your efforts, Miss Clorinde and Miss Melda. The Maison Gardiennage will take it from here."
Luna curtsied and turned to leave.
Clorinde glanced at Focalors, her eyes conveying a clear message: I'm going after her.
With Focalors's tacit nod, Clorinde gave chase.
"Wait, White Cat—"
"Is it over? Come look at this—"
Different hands seized Luna's wrists from either side.
Clorinde looked up, her gaze meeting Chevreuse's.
"Captain Chevreuse?"
"Clorinde..."
Luna blinked in surprise—what a coincidence! But she didn't mind. Instead, she looped her arms through Clorinde's and Chevreuse's.
"What can I do for you two ladies?" she asked with a beaming smile.
It was as if a tail were wagging behind her.