The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 211: Demon Kron (9) - Elegantly A fool who couldn't even properly deal with her fiancé openly cheating on her. That was the image the academy students had of Kuella Ospin. Engagement between noble families is itself a political act, not some simple romantic drama between men and women. Lawrence's behavior of treating her coldly and pestering other women despite having a fiancée was certainly problematic, but conversely speaking, Kuella also bore responsibility for not being able to properly control or deal with it. Both the criticism that this was too harsh on the victim and the excuse that it was impossible for Kuella to stop Lawrence's behavior given her circumstances were meaningless. In the end, all of that was also considered part of a family's and individual's 'ability.' And in politics, incompetence itself is a crime. While they might curse Lawrence as an individual and feel sympathy for Kuella, no one jumped directly between the two to interfere with various opinions. First of all, it would look strange for others to jump into someone else's engagement relationship. But now the situation had changed. The girl named Kuella Ospin had become a countess who owned two count territories while still a student, and Lawrence, despite being offspring of a marquis family, was merely a second son. Unless the eldest son suddenly died and Lawrence became the new heir, his position could never match that of his fiancée Kuella. Therefore, that their relationship would be reestablished in some way was something others had sufficiently anticipated. Of course, Lawrence's shamelessness in clinging to Kuella without any hesitation after all he had done was so absurd that even spectators couldn't help but laugh, but at the same time, there were those who considered this a fairly effective approach. Human relationships have something like inertia, so it was surprisingly common for the side that once lost the initiative to be unable to reverse it and continue being dragged along. If Lawrence had naturally bowed to Kuella on his own, Kuella would have naturally been confident of her superiority, but Lawrence continued to act as if he still held the initiative even after Kuella's position had changed. If Kuella couldn't properly refute this and let it slide vaguely, there was a high possibility that their relationship wouldn't change much from before. Like an elephant tied with rope that learned helplessness, even having the power to overwhelm Lawrence, she would become unable to utilize it. But. "A duel? Did you just say duel? Kuella. Are you in your right mind right now?" A voice that seemed to find it absurd echoed through the area. Lawrence Silverheim rubbed the area hit by the glove with his palm several times, then asked accusingly with an expression of bewilderment. Quite a few of the spectators sympathized with his feelings. That was natural since Kuella belonged to the administrative department while Lawrence belonged to the knight department. If a bureaucrat holding pen and paper dueled against a knight holding sword and shield, wouldn't it be obvious which side would have the advantage? A few sharp-eyed students noted that Kuella had just thrown not leather gloves but lace-trimmed cloth gloves, making Lawrence's nose bridge red, but Lawrence himself didn't seem to realize what that meant yet. "Hah, hey. Kuella. Don't act emotional. You seem to be seriously misunderstanding something—" Kuella cut off Lawrence's words as he was about to ramble on as if lecturing a subordinate. "Additionally, if you lose in the duel, the engagement will be immediately broken off. Also, I will formally protest to the Marquis Silverheim family about the various misdeeds you've committed up until now." In fact, breaking off an engagement was entirely possible without bothering with something like a duel. Count Ospin, who had led the engagement, was already a criminal who had lost his title, and the count family's retainers, who had their weaknesses firmly grasped due to their past conduct, were now prostrating themselves flat before Kuella. If anything, the Marquis Silverheim family's protests would be the issue, but if she revealed exactly what his son had been doing all this time, they wouldn't have much to say either. Yet the reason Kron deliberately set conditions in the form of duel victory or defeat was simple. Only then would Lawrence desperately charge at them. He wouldn't be able to offer a few halfhearted apologies and vaguely gloss over what he had done until now. Sure enough, Lawrence's complexion hardened instantly upon hearing Kuella's words. "Are you serious?" "Of course I'm serious. Training ground number 1 should work for the duel location, right? Let's not drag it out and start today. If need be, right now is fine too." "...If I win the duel? If you'll break off the engagement when I lose, there should be something for when I win too, right?" Wow. Someone among the spectators let out an exclamation that could be either admiration or sarcasm. Well, Lawrence's attitude of trying to secure rewards first in this situation was indeed remarkable. His way of thinking itself was simply different from ordinary people. Kron pondered his answer for a moment. Although Kron didn't think for a moment that he would lose, what was being weighed on the scales was Kuella's life, not Kron's. As if sensing Kron's feelings, Kuella called out. [It's fine to do as you think, Kron. But please, definitely show him a lesson! Enough to repay everything I've endured until now!] At those words that fully revealed both her trust in Kron and the resentment that had built up over time, Kron smiled bitterly. Anyway, now that he had obtained permission from his guarantor(?), there was no more need to hesitate. "If you win, of course the engagement will continue. I'll treat all the misdeeds you've committed so far as if they never happened. And I won't complain at all about whatever women you meet in the future." It was a condition that went beyond bold to nearly the level of being a pushover. No matter how common it was in noble society to keep concubines separate from one's marriage partner, getting formal recognition from one's spouse for that was an entirely different matter. Perhaps tempted by the radical proposal, Lawrence's eyes lit up. "...! Ha! You won't change your words later?" "Yes, so. When is it possible?" "No need to drag it out. Let's go to the professor right away." Duels within the academy must be conducted under a professor's mediation. The two began moving without hesitation, and before long, news of them spread quickly throughout the academy. "The engaged couple are dueling each other? Then who's the proxy? Could that proxy be the young lady's new man?" "Oh, chivalric spirit to rescue a lover from an evil ex-boyfriend. Something like that?" "They say there's no proxy or anything like that? The Ospin young lady herself will fight directly." "...Are you saying a young lady from the administrative department is having a direct confrontation with someone from the knight department? Does that make sense?" "It's actually happening, so what can we do about it." Some found it interesting, some tilted their heads in confusion, and some turned away without much interest, considering it just another usual commotion. Since the empire itself was vast, the academy was also quite large in scale, and various incidents and accidents were commonplace. However, the incident regarding Kuella's inheritance had caused quite a big issue even within noble society, so the number of people flocking to get a look at her dueling was not small. "So, we'll start the duel now... um, are you really sure about this?" The professor who was assigned to be the judge confirmed both parties' intentions once more with a reluctant expression. The number of spectators seemed about ten times larger than usual minor duels, the stakes of the fight, and even the personal details of the duel participants - nothing was ordinary. Especially that Lawrence fellow, who was grinning as if already thinking about what would happen after his victory - as one of the knight department professors, he wanted to beat him up even before being a judge. Could that bastard not feel any sense of discord or shame about the sentence "dueling with his own fiancée to earn the right to openly cheat"? "Haha, let's start quickly." "Yes, no problem." He would have liked to stop the duel itself if he could, but the parties involved were so firm in their resolve that there was nothing he could do. As a professor, he could use his authority to prevent the duel within the academy, but then they would likely do it outside anyway. Thinking it was better now when he could intervene as a judge if necessary, the professor forced himself to continue speaking calmly. "The duel will end when one side admits defeat or loses consciousness. Additionally, I will immediately intervene if one side's life becomes endangered, so be aware of that. Now then... begin the duel!" As soon as the professor signaled the start, Lawrence, holding a wooden sword, swiftly charged at Kron. Speed that far transcended ordinary people. The realm of 3rd rank that allows one to demonstrate physical abilities at the level of wild beasts through mana with a human body. Whether he thought it was better to end it quickly since he would be criticized either way he fought, or if he just wanted to enjoy the rewards of victory quickly was unclear, but it was welcome news to Kron. It would be troublesome if he made excuses about losing due to carelessness. Swoosh. Compared to Lawrence charging through the wind, Kron's wooden sword moved in a clearly slower but graceful motion like flowing water. No, rather than moving, it might be more accurate to say he placed the sword in a specific position. In any case, instead of gripping the wooden sword to the end, Kron lightly threw it away. When the blunt end of the wooden sword that left Kron's hand precisely struck the bone protruding behind Lawrence's elbow, Lawrence's entire arm flinched and trembled, then he powerlessly dropped the wooden sword he was holding. His wooden sword soared high into the air. 'Huh?' Lawrence's thoughts were momentarily filled with blankness, but his body continued its previous motion according to inertia. His right arm, already having lost its sword, swung from top to bottom, and Kron stepped slightly to the side to avoid the attack, then grabbed one of his half-spread fingers. And then, he spun his body around with a swift motion. Crrrrrrack! As Lawrence's charging momentum and Kron's centrifugal force converged at one point, Lawrence's fingers to his wrist were crushed with a chilling sound. In terrible pain, Lawrence unconsciously tried to let out a scream, but before that scream could escape his lips, Kron's foot gently stepped down on Lawrence's right toes. His body tried to bend forward and fall, but only his toes remained in place, so the force concentrated there, and when Kron pushed Lawrence's back with his palm, an ominous tearing sound finally echoed from Lawrence's toes and ankle. At this rate Lawrence would have crashed face-first into the ground, but Kron grabbed Lawrence's clothes and skillfully controlled the force, escorting him so he could rotate completely in mid-air and stand on the ground again. It wouldn't do for the precious fiancé's face to be injured when the hospitality wasn't even finished yet. With the unstable landing, his entire weight momentarily shifted to his left foot, causing muscles and bones to be damaged again, but that was merely trivial playfulness. "Guh, urgh—" Only then did a belated scream try to escape from Lawrence's mouth. The sound that seemed like he was foaming at the mouth was surely just imagination. However, at that moment, the wooden sword that Lawrence had first dropped fell onto the back of his head, and Lawrence's scream was forcibly cut off. Along with the impact to his head, his two legs, damaged for different reasons, couldn't support Lawrence's weight and tried to collapse, while Kron gently leaned against Lawrence's back and firmly grasped Lawrence's left arm with both hands. At the moment Lawrence's body fell face-down to the ground, Kron twisted by hanging onto Lawrence's left arm with his whole body, causing Lawrence's left shoulder and elbow to bend in directions they shouldn't, accompanied by screams. Using his fiancé's body as a cushion, Kron landed lightly on his back and then rose with elegant movements. The spectators blinked their eyes and alternately stared at the two duelists. Kuella Ospin, no, the countess, who was as fresh and elegant as if she had just finished a dance at a formal ball. And Lawrence Silverheim, with his limbs grotesquely twisted, foaming at the mouth, and writhing with his eyes rolled back. "Since my opponent has lost consciousness, this should be my victory, right?" The countess, without even a speck of dust on her clothes, said with a bright smile. Someone gulped. It was the splendid prelude to the legend of the demon countess.