The duel pit in Lustra was basically a theater with dirt.
A circular ring of packed sand. Low stone walls. Lanterns hanging like a festival. A scoreboard carved into wood that somehow already had my name on it, because apparently nothing in this city waited for my consent to become public.
Elise stood at my side, tether chain tight, expression locked in "I will kill the concept of entertainment."
Yuki stood on the other side with a clipboard, a bell, and a look of pure bureaucratic joy.
Freya was already eating fruit like it was a show.
Sofia leaned on the wall like she was judging everyone's posture.
Charlotte sat calmly, elegant, watching like she could buy the ring if she got bored.
Kaori hovered in the back with her charm basket, worried and pink.
Rika bounced so hard I thought she might break the sand.
Mira had three scrolls and an unsettling sense of readiness.
And the foreign queen sat under a canopy like she was attending a gala, crown catching lantern light, eyes steady on me like she was curious what kind of idiot I would be today.
"Why," I asked Elise quietly, "am I in a duel pit."
Elise didn't look at me. "Because you said you wanted 'normal'."
"This is not normal."
"This is Lustra," Elise said. "Normal here is a rumor."
Yuki lifted her bell.
Ding.
"Attention," Yuki announced. "The undefeated noble knight is present."
The crowd around the ring cheered like they were desperate for violence with romance on the side.
Then she entered.
Armor polished so bright it reflected lanterns. Cape trimmed with silver. Long hair tied back in a strict braid. A noble crest on her shoulder plate, and a sword at her side that looked too serious for this city's nonsense.
She walked like she'd never lost anything. Not a duel, not an argument, not her temper.
Her eyes landed on me.
Then narrowed.
"So," she said, voice sharp and proud, "you're the hero they're worshipping."
Freya whispered loudly, "Not worshipping. Kissing."
Sofia smirked. "Same thing in this city."
The knight's gaze flicked to Freya, then back to me with open disdain.
"I heard you leveled up by kissing in a circle," she said. "Pathetic."
Rika gasped like she'd been personally attacked. "It's not pathetic. It's science."
Mira nodded. "It's protocol."
The knight ignored them like peasants.
She stepped closer to the ring edge and pointed her sword at me, not touching, just pointing with the confidence of someone who had never been told no.
"I am Dame Valeria Ardent," she announced. "Champion of the Twelve Houses. No one here has defeated me."
The crowd cheered again.
Valeria's chin lifted. "And I refuse to accept that the city's new darling is a soft-handed boy with a pretty mouth."
My face went hot instantly.
Elise's hand tightened on the tether chain.
Sofia smiled slowly. "Oh, she's about to get obsessed."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "She's challenging him publicly. Bold."
The queen's gaze sharpened with amusement. "Interesting."
Yuki flipped a page on her clipboard like this was a scheduled meeting.
"Dame Valeria Ardent has filed a formal challenge," Yuki announced. "Reason: pride."
Valeria snapped, "It's not pride. It's duty."
Yuki wrote something down. "Pride, but noble."
Valeria glared at Yuki like she wanted to duel paperwork.
Then Valeria looked at me, voice firm.
"Hero," she said, "fight me."
I stared at her.
"I don't know how," I admitted.
The crowd made disappointed noises.
Valeria's lip curled. "Even worse."
Elise stepped forward, cold. "He is not obligated."
Valeria's eyes flicked to Elise, then narrowed further. "Paladin. You're tethering him like a pet."
Elise's face reddened with fury. "I'm tethering him because the city is feral."
Freya laughed. "She's right, though."
Rika raised her hand. "We are feral respectfully."
Kaori whispered, "Rika…"
Valeria's gaze returned to me.
"If you refuse," she said, "I'll assume you're nothing but a festival toy."
That hit something in my chest. Not deep. Just… annoying.
I glanced at the queen, sitting calm under her canopy, watching like she was reading a story.
Then I glanced at the harem, who were all staring like they wanted me to do something cool for once.
Then I glanced at Elise, who looked ready to say no for me and also ready to protect my right to say yes.
I exhaled.
"Okay," I said, surprising myself. "I'll fight."
Elise's eyes widened. "Ren—"
"Non-lethal," I added quickly. "Training swords. Candle lit. And if I say stop, we stop."
Yuki's face lit up like a child seeing candy.
"Yes," she chirped. "Consent Duel."
Mira already had a scroll out. "Duel Liability Waiver."
Valeria scoffed. "A waiver for a duel. Weak."
The queen spoke smoothly from her canopy. "It's civilized."
Valeria's eyes flicked to the queen, and for the first time her posture shifted slightly, like she remembered she was talking in front of royalty.
"…Your Majesty," Valeria said, stiff.
The queen smiled politely. "Proceed."
Yuki put a candle stand at the edge of the ring. I set my Consent Candle on it, lit and glowing.
The candle voice spoke, calm as ever.
"Consent ritual active. State consent and boundaries."
"I consent to spar," I said. "Non-lethal. Training weapons. No humiliation. I can stop anytime."
Valeria snapped, "No humiliation."
Freya whispered, "Too late."
Elise said clearly, "I consent to supervise. If she breaks a boundary, I stop it."
Valeria's gaze flicked to Elise, annoyed. "Fine."
The candle glow stayed steady.
Yuki rang the bell.
Ding.
Valeria stepped into the ring like she was walking into destiny.
I stepped in like I was walking into my own funeral.
Someone handed me a training sword. It felt too light to be real, like a toy pretending to be brave.
Valeria lifted her blade and pointed it at me.
"Try," she ordered.
I held my sword up awkwardly, elbows wrong, stance wrong, dignity missing.
The crowd laughed.
Rika shouted, "Ren, pretend you're holding someone's hand! You're good at that!"
I choked. "That's not helpful!"
Sofia called, "Just kiss the sword. It levels you up."
Elise snapped, "Stop distracting him!"
Valeria's eyes narrowed.
"You're wasting time," she said. "Come."
Valeria moved.
Fast. Clean. Like her body had trained itself into certainty.
Her sword flashed toward me.
My brain did the only thing it knew.
Panic.
I stumbled back, tripped on the sand, and my sword swung up by accident—
Not a proper swing. Not a hero swing.
A desperate flail.
The edge of my training blade tapped Valeria's chest plate. Just a tap. A dumb little contact like "oops sorry."
And Valeria froze.
For half a heartbeat her eyes went wide.
Then the air around the ring pulsed.
My Consent Candle flared bright.
And Valeria's body simply… dropped.
Not injured. Not crushed. Just knocked backward onto the sand like someone had unplugged her pride.
The crowd went dead silent.
Yuki's pen stopped mid-scratch.
Freya's fruit paused halfway to her mouth.
Sofia's eyebrows rose.
Charlotte's gaze sharpened with sudden interest.
Kaori gasped.
Rika whispered, "One hit."
Even Elise went still.
Valeria lay on her back in the sand, staring up at the lanterns like she'd just been betrayed by physics.
I stood there, sword still raised, mouth open.
"I… I didn't," I stammered. "I didn't mean— are you okay."
Valeria sat up slowly.
Her face was red.
Not from pain.
From humiliation.
From shock.
From her pride shattering into dust and sticking to her armor.
"You," she said, voice strangled, "cheated."
"I didn't," I blurted. "I swear I didn't. I literally flailed."
Yuki cleared her throat and lifted her clipboard.
"Result," Yuki announced, delighted. "Hero Ren wins. One hit."
The crowd exploded.
Cheering. Laughing. Someone started chanting my name like I was a war god.
Valeria's face went even redder.
Elise stepped into the ring, hand on her sword hilt. "Are you harmed."
Valeria snapped, "No!"
Elise narrowed her eyes. "Then why did you fall."
Valeria's jaw clenched.
She looked at me like she wanted to stab me and kiss me and erase me from history all at once.
"That candle," Valeria said sharply, pointing at my Consent Candle. "It did something."
Mira nodded immediately. "It's plausible. Consent energy resonance."
Sofia smirked. "He bonked her pride out of her body."
Freya laughed. "He tapped her like a doorbell and she collapsed."
Rika squealed, "Ren has a one-hit flirt build!"
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Careful. That's a dangerous reputation."
The queen's expression was amused. "Fascinating."
Valeria rose to her feet stiffly, brushing sand off her armor with enough anger to set it on fire.
She stepped close to me, too close, and I instinctively tensed.
Elise moved one step forward.
Valeria noticed. Her eyes flicked to the tether chain between me and Elise.
Then Valeria looked back at me and said, with raw intensity,
"Fight me again."
I blinked. "What."
Valeria's cheeks were still red.
"I demand a rematch," she snapped. "That was not real."
"It was real," Yuki said brightly. "It was recorded."
Valeria glared. "Shut up."
Yuki smiled. "No."
Valeria turned back to me.
Her voice dropped, suddenly quieter, and that was worse.
"You," she said, "are not what I thought."
I swallowed.
"I'm sorry," I said automatically, because apologizing was my special skill.
Valeria flinched, like the apology was an attack.
"Don't apologize," she snapped. "That makes it… annoying."
Freya whispered, "Tsundere detected."
Sofia murmured, "Oh, she's doomed."
Kaori whispered, "Is she… blushing."
Charlotte watched Valeria carefully. "Her pride broke. Now she's attaching."
Valeria's eyes flicked to Charlotte, offended. "I am not attaching!"
Rika raised her hand. "You're attaching."
Valeria snapped, "No!"
Then, as if her body betrayed her, Valeria grabbed my wrist.
Not hard. Not violent. Just… abrupt.
Her hand stopped when she realized she'd touched me without asking.
Her eyes widened. She released instantly, lifting both hands up like she'd been caught stealing.
"I—" she stammered, furious, "I was checking your pulse. Because you're weak."
I blinked. "My pulse."
Valeria's face went nuclear. "Shut up."
Elise's eyes narrowed. "Ask next time."
Valeria snapped, "I know how consent works!"
Yuki's pen scratched. "Noted: she knows."
Valeria's jaw clenched.
Then she looked at me again, voice harsh, like she was trying to shove her feelings back into her chest.
"You won," she said. "Once. Don't get smug."
"I'm not smug," I said. "I'm terrified."
Valeria's mouth opened, then closed.
For half a second her expression softened. Just a crack. Like she found my honesty… irritatingly cute.
Then she masked it with anger again.
"Tch," Valeria said. "Idiot hero."
Freya whispered, delighted, "She called him idiot. It's official."
Sofia smirked. "She's cooked."
Valeria snapped, louder, "I'm not in love!"
The crowd went silent again.
I stared.
Elise stared.
The queen tilted her head, amused.
Rika whispered, "Nobody even asked."
Kaori whispered, "Valeria…"
Valeria's face turned so red it looked painful.
She pointed at me like accusing me of existing too loudly.
"I will not," she snapped, "join your ridiculous chorus."
Freya raised her hand. "Chorus."
Valeria hissed, "No!"
Sofia asked, "Then why are you still standing close."
Valeria stiffened. "Because I'm guarding him."
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "From what."
Valeria's gaze flicked to the harem, then to the crowd, then to the permits, then to the entire city.
"…From Lustra," Valeria admitted bitterly.
Elise blinked, surprised, then looked away like she didn't want to agree with her.
Valeria looked at Elise, jaw tight.
"I can protect him too," Valeria said, almost like a challenge.
Elise's eyes sharpened. "He already has protection."
Valeria snapped, "He can have more."
The queen sipped her tea, watching like she was enjoying a very expensive romance show.
Then Valeria turned back to me, voice lower again.
"Ren," she said, and the way she said my name sounded like she hated that she knew it. "If you are going to survive in this cursed city… you need training."
I blinked. "Training."
Valeria nodded sharply. "Yes. Proper stance. Proper grip. Proper balance. So you don't flail and accidentally defeat champions."
Freya whispered, "So she can get closer to him daily."
Mira nodded. "That is likely."
Valeria snapped, "It's not!"
Sofia smirked. "Then ask him on a date like a normal obsessed person."
Valeria's face went red again. "I am not obsessed!"
Rika raised her hand. "You are."
Valeria looked like she wanted to duel Rika's entire personality.
I cleared my throat, trying to save everyone.
"Valeria," I said gently, "do you… want to train me."
Valeria stiffened like she'd been struck.
Then she looked away, cheeks red, voice sharp and defensive.
"I don't want to," she snapped. "I have to. For honor."
I nodded. "Okay."
Valeria's eyes flicked back to me, annoyed.
"Don't look happy," she hissed.
I blinked. "I'm not happy."
Valeria's gaze dropped to my mouth for half a second.
"…You are," she muttered.
Elise made a sound like she was done with all of this.
Yuki wrote furiously.
Freya grinned like she'd just witnessed a proposal.
Sofia looked satisfied.
Charlotte looked thoughtful.
Kaori looked relieved and terrified.
And the queen smiled behind her tea cup like she'd just watched a new rival join the stage.
Valeria Ardent, undefeated champion, stood in the sand with her pride in pieces and her heart doing something she absolutely refused to name.
"Rematch," she snapped one more time.
"Tomorrow," I said.
Valeria's face reddened again.
"…Fine," she hissed. "It's not like I'm excited."
Nobody believed her.