July 10, Upper City, Knights’ Arena.
When Allen jumped down from the carriage and his feet landed on the ancient stone slabs worn smooth by time in front of the Knights’ Arena, the scene before him made him doubt whether he had come to the right place.
In his memories, the Knights’ Arena was mostly deserted except for the annual ceremonial Knight Tournament held for the nobility’s amusement.
Most of the time, it was so quiet that one could hear the wind whistling through the cracks in the stone.
Today, however, it had been transformed into the busiest marketplace in the Capital.
The area was a sea of people, with everyone standing shoulder to shoulder.
The air was a thick mixture of the sweet aroma of roasted chestnuts, the sour scent of cheap ale, the shouts of vendors at the top of their lungs, and the buzzing roar of the crowd.
Countless vendors had set up stalls at the arena gates, selling everything from steaming sausages and honey-glazed pancakes to crudely made souvenirs.
Whether it was well-dressed nobles or commoners in coarse cloth, everyone mixed together, happily waiting in long lines to purchase tickets.
It was as if this were not a duel to the death, but a grand festival that everyone had been eagerly anticipating.
Even the Capital guards had clearly tightened their patrols.
There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five, their expressions grim and alert as if facing a great enemy.
Clearly, some very important big shots were in attendance.
Allen knew very well that he had brought this all about.
His tabloid story had been like a drop of boiling oil falling into a pot of public opinion that was already simmering, turning this duel between nobles into a public event of universal celebration.
“Master…”
Beside Allen, Marianne was acting out of character today.
Instead of clinging to him affectionately, her small face was slightly puffed up, and her crimson eyes were filled with the words ‘I am sulking.’
“Your story was truly well-written,” Marianne said softly, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she heard the people around them discussing the gossip.
“I never imagined that an ordinary country maid like me would one day become the talk of the town for noble ladies over tea. I truly have you to thank for that.”
This passive-aggressive tone made Allen scratch his head in embarrassment. He let out a dry laugh and tried to defend himself.
“Cough, well… didn’t I do that to protect you? Think about it. You are now the tragic female lead, the childhood friend that Miss Livia can’t forget, and the focus of the entire Capital’s sympathy and curiosity. With so many spotlights on you, who would suspect that you’re actually the Torchbearer of the Dawn’s Children?”
He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, analyzing the situation seriously.
“Even if traitors or spies have managed to infiltrate our rapidly expanding Dawn’s Children, would they believe it? Would they believe that a core leader of a massive revolutionary organization is actually that frail, love-stricken maid from the newspaper? It’s called hiding in plain sight—it’s the most brilliant camouflage strategy!”
“Oh? Is that so?” Marianne’s watery eyes blinked as she glanced sideways at Allen. “Then those things you wrote… were they all true?”
Without waiting for Allen to answer, she casually recited a plot point he had painstakingly crafted, using her own voice to vividly dramatic effect.
” ‘Livia, don’t look at them. Look at me.’ Marianne gently cupped her best friend’s face, her fingertips brushing against the tear-stained lashes. ‘Your world only needs to have me in it.’ … Master, when did I ever say such things to Livia?”
Hearing those sappy, possessive lines recited by Marianne herself made Allen feel as though his dignity were being publicly executed.
He quickly called for a stop. “Stop, stop, stop! Fine, I was wrong! I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have used my dear sister as material for a yuri story without permission!”
“However…” even as he apologized at high speed, he couldn’t help but mutter stubbornly under his breath, “wasn’t it written quite well? It had a great feel to it…”
The feigned anger on Marianne’s face was instantly replaced by a sly smile.
“Fine. Since you think it’s so good, I’ll hire someone to write a tabloid story about you and Hugo later. I’ve already thought of the title. We’ll call it ‘Iron and Blood Tenderness: The Sun Knight’s Heart Captured by the Genius Master’.”
The thought of an “ambiguous” scene between himself and that blockhead Hugo, filled with sweat and clashing muscles, made Allen’s stomach turn. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin.
“Stop joking! I’m going to throw up!”
“Oh? So you also know how annoying this kind of thing can be?” Marianne chuckled, finally catching her chance for revenge.
“My pure friendship with Livia has been embellished so much by your writing that the entire Capital thinks our relationship is abnormal. Look, my reputation has been ruined by you; I definitely won’t be able to get married in the future. Therefore, you must take responsibility and marry me properly.”
Looking at Marianne’s slightly reddened cheeks, Allen replied half-jokingly, “So after all that circling, this was your goal. Fine, how about I marry both you and Livia at the same time? That way, you and Livia can be together legitimately, right?”
Marianne’s eyes instantly lit up. “Are you serious? If you really plan on that, I’ll help you convince Livia! You can marry her as your primary wife, and I… I can be your lover!”
“Stop right there! That isn’t the kind of yuri I wanted at all!”
Allen had only said it in passing, but he hadn’t expected Marianne to look so serious.
In fact, Marianne was indeed serious.
Yesterday, after she had finished handling the mountain of daily affairs for the Dawn’s Children at Heaven’s Haven and assigned new surveillance tasks to the “Candelabra” of the Intelligence Division, she finally had a moment to catch her breath.
Just as she sat down, Eleanor had handed her a fresh copy of the ‘Lucerne Daily’ with an expression that looked like she was trying not to laugh.
Marianne had only taken one look at the massive headline and the accompanying illustration on the front page before her vision went dark. She nearly fainted on the spot.
No wonder Finn and the other comrades had been looking at her so strangely today!
It turned out that her old history with Livia had been hyped up by her own Master until everyone in the Capital knew about it!
In Allen’s story, the cold-as-ice Livia was actually a “weak submissive” who was cold on the outside but passionate on the inside, longing for love.
Meanwhile, Marianne had been transformed into a “possessive girl” with a pure yet lustful aura and overwhelming obsession.
Although she never hid her love for Allen, this story had forced Livia in as a second object of affection… Didn’t this make her a deeply sinful woman?
Of course, she understood Allen’s intention. He was using public opinion to create momentum to completely peel Livia away from the quagmire of the Stern family.
But he just had to insert his personal tastes! And the worst part was that those tastes were written damn well.
The prose was delicate and the emotions were sincere, to the point that after Marianne finished reading it, she even began to doubt her own life.
Her relationship with Livia back then… surely it hadn’t turned into that?
This caused Marianne to reflect deeply on herself.
If she hadn’t met her Master, she might really have developed feelings beyond friendship for Livia during those years when she was at her most lonely and helpless, just as Allen had written.
After all, during those long and gray years, Livia had been her only spiritual pillar that kept her alive.
‘Master… actually understands me this much.’ For a moment, Marianne’s heart was filled with both embarrassment and secret joy.
That night, she had gone back intending to confront Allen and act a little spoiled, only to find that he had already entered a “war-crazy” mode where he recognized no kin.
“Marianne, come practice with me.”
There was none of his usual playfulness or tenderness in his eyes. There was only a desire for combat so pure it was chilling.
Marianne looked past him and saw Hugo collapsed on the training ground like a puddle of mud.
His chest was heaving slightly, though it was unclear if he was even alive.
It was obvious that Allen had already been “friendly sparring” with his brother-in-arms for an entire day.
This made Marianne, who had just finished work and felt like her bones were falling apart, pull a long face.
“No! I don’t want to fight you. I want to rest.”
“Marianne, be good,” Allen’s voice was unusually gentle, like someone coaxing a kitten. “I really missed you. So, stay by my side and don’t leave.”
The words were sweet, but his eyes held only cold battle intent.
Marianne knew him too well. Once this guy entered this state, there was nothing but fighting in his head.
She couldn’t help but complain, “You don’t miss me at all! You just want a punching bag that can take a hit! Look at Hugo; even his physique couldn’t satisfy you. I’m just a weak maid; how could my small body handle your tossing around? Please, just let me go!”
“Come on, Master made dinner for you, you know? Just for a little while, just a little while will do. It’s a candlelight dinner, specifically prepared for you. Are you… really not interested?”
“…Fine.”
In the end, Marianne could not resist the sweet words and the temptation of a “candlelight dinner.”
However, she soon learned the price of that “tenderness.”
The importance Allen placed on this duel exceeded Marianne’s imagination.
In the end, even with her full power unleashed, she was no different from Hugo.
She was swatted to the ground by Allen’s sword without suspense.
Her whole body throbbed with pain, and she nearly couldn’t get up.
Although Allen used that holy Healing Power to restore her afterward, the trauma to the girl’s heart could not be fixed.
That night, she had nightmares all night long. Her dreams were filled with Allen’s emotionless face and his ruthlessly swinging sword.
When she woke up this morning, Marianne found that she had somehow crawled into Allen’s bed again and was clutching his arm while weeping uncontrollably.
Allen was startled awake by the crying. Seeing her eyes swollen from weeping, he finally realized that he had gone way too far the previous day.
Marianne punched his chest while sobbing breathlessly, “Pervert! Demon! Jerk! Domestic abuser! Stupid Master! Were you trying to kill me? Waaaah…”
“I’m sorry! I was wrong! I’m really sorry!” Allen apologized in a frantic rush.
Even Bernard and the Old Butler were alerted, and they rarely joined forces to give him a lecture.
As for Hugo… he had been sent home last night. It was said he had locked himself in his room and would likely be depressed for several days.
That was the real reason Marianne was sulking today.
But now, her anger had mostly dissipated.
She didn’t care about how the world viewed her. After all, she used to be a genuine Heresy, someone who was almost an enemy of humanity.
It was her Master who had saved her and given her a new life.
For his sake, any sacrifice was worth it.
Moreover, she felt an unprecedented pressure today.
Allen was her beloved, and Livia was her most important friend.
She didn’t want either of them to get hurt, but this duel was destined to be a bloody and cruel slaughter.
Allen was fighting for the future of humanity, while Livia was fighting for herself and the promise she had made with Marianne.
The significance of this duel was too heavy—so heavy that Marianne even wanted to flee this arena that was so noisy it felt suffocating.
She looked up at Allen’s profile.
As the person directly involved in the duel, the pressure on him was surely even greater.
He had to keep himself alive, while also keeping the suicidal Livia alive. This was a hundred times more difficult than simply seeking victory.
That was why he had trained to the point of obsession yesterday.
If possible, Marianne naturally hoped Allen would marry Livia, as that would also fulfill her promise to her friend.
However, she understood in her heart that with things having reached this stage, her unrealistic expectations would only fall through.
She had no choice.
“Master, do your best.”
Marianne’s voice was very soft, carrying a hint of a tremble.
“Livia… she is my best friend. But if the three of us cannot walk forward together, then please… give her a release. She is living in too much pain.”
She raised her head. Those crimson eyes that had once been dim were now filled with an unprecedented determination.
“Allen, we are already walking on a path that no one has ever taken before. We are destined to lose the things most precious to us. So… Master, you must be victorious. You must survive.”
Between her best friend’s life and the future of humanity, the old Marianne who lived for only one person might have chosen the former without hesitation.
But the Marianne of today would only choose the latter.
Allen instinctively wanted to make a joke, like ‘Shouldn’t you, the yuri protagonist, be cheering for Livia?’
But when the words reached his lips and he saw Marianne’s eyes, he couldn’t say a single word.
He always used the setting of being in the world of the ‘Starlit Romance’ game to numb himself, as if that would allow him to escape the pain of reality.
But at this moment, he knew more clearly than ever that Marianne and Livia were living, breathing human beings.
They were not characters in a script. They had their own loves, their own hates, and their own lives.
And Marianne had chosen him.
This heavy weight of trust moved Allen, but it also made him feel a tinge of sadness.
He was afraid that he would eventually fail this love and trust.
If he died, what would happen to Marianne, his father, the Old Butler, and the comrades of the Dawn’s Children? How would they face a future that was destined to be dark?
Allen could ignore his own life and death, but he couldn’t let go of the people behind him.
“If I die, what will you all do?” he asked on a strange impulse.
“You won’t die.”
Marianne wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and interrupted him firmly.
“You are God’s Messenger. Even if you must leave one day, you will surely return like a lightning bolt. And I, as your first apostle, will complete all your unfinished tasks before your return.”
“…I understand.”
Allen took a deep breath, suppressing all the chaotic thoughts in his chest. His gaze became steady once more.
He was ready.
“I will bring Livia back to your side.”
He turned his head and gave Marianne a familiar smile.
“Don’t worry. The yuri story I wrote personally won’t end so easily.”