Chapter 4: A Duel Scenario? Like I’d Ever Stand for That!

Among the heroines decorating the package of the game, Elise occupied the center spot. In other words, she was the main heroine of a corruption-themed eroge, and as such, her character design was heavily tailored to meet those specific "needs."

Dignified eyebrows. Eyes that spoke of a strong will. Elegant, black hair tied in a ponytail. She was a literal parade of elements designed to make a player anticipate her eventual "fall into pleasure."

Accompanied by another student, Elise walked up to me and delivered her line.

“Alvart Zesphiria! I reject you and everything your house stands for!”

It was a line straight out of the original script.

“...Hey, Onii-sama. Can I just kill this bitch?” Lumiere whispered.

I held back my bloodthirsty sister with a hand and ordered her to watch from the sidelines. Then, I turned to Elise.

“Might I ask what intention lies behind that statement?”

“Search your own heart and think for yourself! You insolent wretch!”

Her attitude was completely shut off to any negotiation. This, too, was exactly as the original game dictated.

I had asked, but in truth, I understood Elise’s intentions perfectly. She possessed a straightforward, uncompromising sense of justice and was incredibly puritanical. Consequently, she utterly rejected the "underbelly" of society. She believed such things shouldn't exist. That was why she desired the eradication of the Zesphiria family, the clan that ruled the kingdom’s shadows.

“Hey! Are you even listening?!” she yelled.

Every time she used body language to express her anger, her large, voluptuous breasts swayed lewdly. Her waist was tightly cinched. And from beneath her short skirt, I could see a hint of her plump, juicy thighs.

Faced with a supreme physical form that would make any man throb with desire, the original Alvart would have thought:

“That statement just now was an attack, an insult against me.”

“In which case... I have the right to retaliate.”

He would have cooked up a justification like that and then activated his second Heterodox Ability on her—not his Adaptation, but something else. At first, Elise would have resisted that power, shouting things like:

“No matter what you do, I will never submit!”

But in the end...

“I—I lose...! Haa... ♥ I’m... ♥ I’m your property nowww...! ♥”

She would have fallen perfectly into pleasure. ...And shortly after that, Alvart, at the height of his triumph, would meet a gruesome end at the hands of another character.

To prevent that future, I decided on my move.

“Miss Elise. I understand your position perfectly,” I said, fully affirming my opponent’s intent.

“Huh...?”

“Your noble convictions and the justice that accompanies them... I, Alvart Zesphiria, also intend to work as one who shares those very same values.”

“Wha—?!”

That response was clearly outside her expectations. Elise knitted her brows, a look of suspicion crossing her face.

“What are you talking about...?”

“It is not something I can openly proclaim. However... it would please me if you understood that I, too, am thinking exactly what you imagine I am.”

I used roundabout phrasing to ensure I wouldn't give her anything she could use against me later. Elise’s goal was to crush the kingdom’s shadows. To that end, she wanted to destroy the Zesphiria house. If I were to directly say I had the same goal, it would lead to complications later. Hence the indirect wording.

“...! I—I can’t believe you! You liar!”

She could understand the words, but she couldn't accept them. With that attitude, she threw more words at me.

“To think you would try to deceive me...! Don't toy with me!”

As she worked herself into a frenzy, she pulled off the glove she was wearing on her left hand—and as she threw it at me, she delivered her next line.

“—A duel! I shall beat that twisted soul of yours into shape!”

In an instant, the area fell into a commotion.

“A duel?!”

“Miss Elise is the number one ranker in our grade...! Even in the Academy overall, she’s one of the top rankers...! Against a Zesphiria...!”

“Things are getting interesting right from the start...!”

I stared at the glove on the ground and sighed. Academy ranks, duel developments... it was all very typical of an "academy battle" story. But all of this was ultimately a bridge to R-18 content.

A duel with Elise would almost certainly result in my victory, no matter what. After that, she would naturally begin to show her "dere" side, and after things escalated on their own...

“A-Alvart! I—I want your child!”

“S-So, um...”

“Tonight... could you spend the whole night... breeding me...? ♥”

I could see it now: Elise waiting for me on a bed after a session of lewd, submissive service with her smutty body. Her white thighs spread wide... making herself go 『Kupa... ♥』 while she was ready and waiting.

To be honest, if that future came, I didn't know if I’d be able to restrain myself. That was why...

“...I must decline this duel.”

The moment I said that, the buzzing of the crowd grew even louder.

“He refused the duel...?!”

“Forget dragging his family name through the mud, that’s like throwing filth on it in broad daylight...!”

This country was deeply rooted in machismo; refusing a duel was considered one of the most contemptible acts possible. Elise shared that sentiment.

“............Alvart Zesphiria. Do you have no pride?”

The anger she had felt until a moment ago must have changed into something else. The look in her eyes as she watched me was now incredibly cold.

It would be great if she lost interest and disappeared somewhere... but I knew things wouldn't go that smoothly. In that case, I’d take the initiative before she made a troublesome choice.

“What meaning would there be in a duel with you?”

After stating that... I knelt down before her.

“Wh—What are you doing?!” Elise gasped, her eyes wide.

Looking up at her from below, I wove my next words.

“We are comrades who share the same ambition. Why must we hurt one another?”

“Y-You...! To still be saying such things at this stage...!”

“Miss Elise. It is only natural that you doubt me. However... my resolve is the genuine truth.”

The moment I declared that... I kissed her shoe.

“““............?!”””

Not just Elise, but everyone present was stunned into silence.

What I had performed was a proof of absolute submission. Kissing an opponent’s shoe in front of a crowd was recognized as an act of pledging one’s loyalty, and it served as an absolute vow with the public as witnesses. If I were to break this, it could lead to the dissolution of my house... but from my perspective, I didn't care about that at all. It was effectively zero damage to me.

“Does this prove my sincerity? Does it show that my words were my true intent?”

There was no response. Elise could only stare at me, her mouth hanging open.

“...Then, Miss Elise. I shall take my leave.”

With my sister in tow, I walked down the paved path of the school courtyard.

Whew. For now, I think that ended on a good note. I didn't clash with Elise, and I didn't do anything to make her fall for me. She should lose interest in me now and won't interfere in any special way... probably.

And that should be the same for the other one, too.

“Of all the people I didn't want to get involved with, I can't believe they showed up on their own... Talk about a shitty day,” I whispered.

Those words weren't just for Elise. In fact, I had focused all my nerves on the other one, desperately trying to signal that I was harmless and had no intention of hurting their friend.

Yes—the youth standing beside Elise. Or perhaps "maiden" was more accurate.

In the original game, this was a mysterious individual whose background and even gender changed constantly. A "mob" character who was only identified as Elise's friend. And yet, they possessed a neutral, blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty and had even been given a unique name.

That name was Cecil Imitation.

He—or she—was the one who was...

The "Grim Reaper" for the original Alvart.