“Ha! I must commend your courage for coming this far. Ohohoho~!”
Standing in the auditorium, Orteza spread her arms wide and laughed, but her petite stature made her look rather ridiculous.
Or was it just my eyes playing tricks on me?
The crowd of Orteza’s followers below the stage cheered and clapped enthusiastically.
The more Orteza heard the cheers, the more arrogant she became, continuing her exaggerated, theatrical movements.
“Amy Rosewell! I will prove that the princess and Meribel were wrong by defeating you! I can’t wait to see the look of despair on those two who thought they were so great just because they were a little talented~!”
“…So it wasn’t just because I’m Alyssa’s sister that you picked a fight with me.”
I thought she was just another one of those who had fallen for Alyssa’s overwhelming power, but it seems she’s more cunning than I thought.
Given that I’m under Lady Sharon’s patronage, she must have thought that by defeating me, she could humiliate Lady Sharon.
…Then her claim that she didn’t see me at the entrance ceremony must have been a lie too.
As expected, nobles are cunning beyond measure.
If you let your guard down even for a moment, they’re ready to sink their fangs into your neck.
“Orteza Noxfer. The loser of this duel becomes the winner’s slave, correct?”
“That’s right! Are you scared now? If so, run away immediately. I’ll calmly observe your disgraceful retreat!”
“Run away? Not a chance.”
Zzzt-
“I just wanted to warn you to be prepared when I win.”
“What…”
“Let’s begin. A duel for the honor that is as precious as a noble’s life.”
“Y-you’re quite bold… Very well! I’ll scatter you like dust in the wind!”
I spoke confidently, but now I’m not sure what to do.
The only attack I’m confident in is gathering my energy and shooting it in the form of an arrow, but I’m not sure if that will work.
Lady Orteza controls the wind, right?
She emphasized it several times, so it must be true.
If that’s the case, she must be quite agile…
“Ha! Full of openings!”
While I was trying to keep my distance and figure out how to attack Lady Orteza, a strong gust of wind began to blow towards me.
“Tch…”
I tried to brace myself against the wind, which was strong enough to potentially blow me away, but Lady Orteza didn’t miss the opportunity and started sending blades of wind towards me.
…Come to think of it, I haven’t learned any defensive magic yet. I can manage some attacks, but…
The greenish blades of wind looked incredibly sharp, and it was clear that getting hit by them wouldn’t result in just a simple wound.
I tried to gather my energy to resist, but the blades were already right in front of me.
Thwack–
“Ohohohot~! So weak! You’re too weak! I didn’t expect to win so quickly!”
As the wind blade struck Lady Rosewell directly, the auditorium fell into silence.
The stage was shrouded in a pale mist, making it impossible to see clearly, but since Lady Rosewell had taken a direct hit from the wind blade, her defeat seemed all but certain.
Lady Orteza, confident in her victory, walked towards where Lady Rosewell was, laughing boldly.
“Well, I controlled my strength, so you’re not dead, right? First, I need to see that confident face of yours…”
“Orteza, you came to me yourself.”
“W-what… How…”
As the mist cleared, an unexpected sight appeared on the stage.
Lady Rosewell, completely unharmed, was holding Orteza by the neck as she approached.
“That hurt quite a bit. Now, I’ll return the favor.”
In Lady Rosewell’s hand was a dark, ominous flame that even a layman could tell was dangerous.
Seeing this, Orteza’s face turned pale.
She struggled to break free, but it was all in vain.
“W-wait! I admit defeat! Let me go!”
“No.”
Sizzle, crackle!
“Kya… Kyaaaaah!!!”
The moment Rosewell’s hand touched Orteza’s head, all the lights in the auditorium went out, plunging it into darkness.
Orteza’s followers, panicked, tried to rush onto the stage, but it was already too late.
In Amy’s hand was Orteza, her entire body charred black and stripped naked.
“The winner, Amy Rosewell.”
The homeroom teacher, Solina, who had been silently watching the scene, declared Amy’s victory in a calm tone.
The other students still couldn’t believe that Orteza had lost so easily, but no matter how many times they looked, the result remained the same.
“Amy Rosewell. From today, you are appointed as the homeroom teacher of Class A. Please take over as Orteza needs to be treated.”
“…Understood, Teacher.”
“Thank you. Once Orteza regains consciousness, please take over. Until then, fill out these documents.”
Thud-
After tossing a stack of documents to Amy Rosewell, the homeroom teacher slung Orteza over her shoulder and began to move away.
Amy, holding the stack of documents, glared at her retreating figure with irritation, but only for a moment.
————
Soon, Amy was also dragged away by a small hand that appeared from the back of the auditorium, leaving the students to stare blankly at the now empty stage.
The back of the auditorium was too dark to see anything, but I knew who was holding my hand and dragging me away.
Alyssa.
My annoying younger sister walked silently down the long corridor.
I thought about saying something, but for now, it seemed better to reflect on what had just happened.
‘…The white light that came from my chest blocked it.’
When Orteza’s blade was right in front of me, I had prepared for defeat, but the entire auditorium was filled with a white mist, and a white light blocked the blade.
After that, I quickly subdued Orteza, who had let her guard down, but it was a hollow victory, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.
That light. It must have been Alyssa’s doing.
If it hadn’t been for her, the Rosewell family’s honor would have plummeted into the abyss.
“Alyssa.”
“…Yes, Sister.”
“You did well.”
Still, I should give her credit where it’s due.
If it had been discovered, it would have been a big problem, but it wasn’t, right?
That’s what matters.
Noble fights are like that.
“Are you… praising me?”
“Yes. You were the one who blocked Orteza’s attack, weren’t you? I don’t know how you did it, but I’ll give you credit.”
“…Sister.”
“Yes?”
Alyssa, who had been walking without stopping, suddenly came to a halt.
I didn’t even know where we were heading, but from past experience, I knew that Alyssa stopping at this point wasn’t a good sign.
“I… I worked hard.”
“Haa… Did you?”
“Yes. To protect you, I used my power earlier than planned.”
“You did well.”
“…I really worked hard.”
Fidget, fidget.
Before I knew it, Alyssa had come close to me and was looking up at me, fidgeting with her fingers.
Thinking that she might still want more praise, I complimented her a bit more, but my sister still seemed unsatisfied, looking at me with a pitiful expression.
“Alyssa.”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
Sister doesn’t like it when you hesitate and do nothing.
From past experience, I know how foolish that is.
“If you want something, say it clearly. If you just wait for the other person to notice, you won’t get anything.”
Alyssa seemed to have realized something from my words, her eyes widening as she nodded.
I guess sisters understand each other, huh?
No, blood isn’t that important.
If it were, Mother wouldn’t have been oblivious.
Or maybe she pretended not to know because it was me.
I hate to admit it, but Alyssa is smart, so she must have realized it quickly.
Unlike me and Mother, who are filled with regrets.
“Sister!”
“Yes. What is it?”
“I want a kiss from you.”
“Alright. Isn’t it so much easier when you say it clearly? That kind of request is easy… Huh!?”
“I want… a kiss from you.”
In case I misheard, Alyssa repeated those terrifying words several times.
Complimenting my sister already made my stomach churn, but a kiss?
Like the ones I used to give her on the cheek when we were younger and I adored her?
Absolutely not.
Back then, both Alyssa and I were young, and I treated her with… care, so it was possible, but now that we’re grown up, it’s absolutely out of the question.
“I… I’ll say it again, but I really worked hard.”
Thud-
“W-wait! Don’t corner me like this, Alyssa!”
Thump-
“If it weren’t for me, you would have been hit by Orteza’s blade, and it would have been you stripped naked in front of the students. Not to mention becoming Orteza’s slave.”
Thud.
Thud.
“W-well, I already complimented you, didn’t I? Besides, protecting me is your respon…”
“This happened because you fell for her provocation, didn’t you?”
“Ugh…”
While I was flustered by her undeniable logic, Alyssa, as she had done many times before, cornered me against the wall, trapping me with her hands.
It was a situation I had experienced countless times, but I could never get used to it.
“So, give me a kiss. Sister. Can’t Amy Rosewell grant such a simple request to her savior?”
‘I’m done for…’
Only now did I realize.
Alyssa had brought me to this deserted place for this very reason.
Alyssa… You’ve become too cunning…