I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

40. Gathering the Ultimate Move? (Seeking votes at the beginning of the month~)

Kefir had no intention of “exposing Louise XXIII’s cheating,” and although I was anxious, I couldn’t recklessly interfere with the protagonist’s thoughts. Thus, a night passed, and the duel that Queen Louise had set to decide who would go to the ruins—whether it would be Kefir or Louise XXIII—began in the morning of the next day!

After all, it was an important duel officiated by the Queen herself and a host of strong figures. At this moment, in the Kefir family’s training ground, which was originally so monotonous with only weapon dummies, many chairs had been temporarily added around the perimeter. Right in the center, next to Queen Louise’s seat, even a table was added. A maid was pouring tea and water, then used some magic I couldn’t understand at all to keep the dust at bay.

Why do I know this so clearly? Haha~ That’s because…

I’m sitting face to face with Louise herself! And now, I’m panicking to death!

“Mr. Priest, if you have any preferred flavors, you can tell the head maid beside me~”

“I’ll try…”

The truth is, I don’t dare to. After all, the head maid beside Louise looks like she could crack my head open with a teapot. Not to mention, because Louise insisted on having me sit next to her in what must be a “forbidden” seat, I’ve been subjected to too many threats since this morning—all of them, without exception, are like death sentences.

If I could, I would have fled long ago, but this time, today, I absolutely cannot! Because where my gaze falls, the girl in the center of the training ground is about to undergo a “training” that only a protagonist would experience! Having clung to her coattails, it’s my responsibility to wait for the outcome!

The appearance of Kefir and Louise XXIII drew the “judges'” attention. The center of the training ground was specially cleared into a vast open space, surrounded by barriers to prevent accidental injuries. The winner of this duel will become the Queen’s chosen candidate to go to the ruins.

Where my gaze falls, even if I don’t want to see it, Louise XXIII’s attitude is still so conspicuous.

“It’s been a long time, Kefir. How have you been recovering during this time? As for me, I’ve done nothing~ because I feel there’s no need to make an effort against you!”

Seeing her again, Louise XXIII’s attitude can’t just be described as fully revived; she’s as excited as if she’s taken a heady mix of antibiotics and alcohol. She no longer pretends to be a caring big sister to Kefir but bluntly reveals the villain’s fangs.

Indeed, just like what I overheard last night, Louise XXIII has cheated by taking drugs, at least reaching a rank similar to, or even higher than, Kefir’s. To avoid accidents, I really should expose Louise XXIII’s cheating…

The next moment, I suppress my thoughts, because compared to Louise XXIII’s excitement, just a silent glance from Kefir towards me has already made me aware of her determination. Kefir is the protagonist, after all. For me, a villain clinging to her coattails, to disrupt her actions with my own monologue is no different from courting death.

Beside me, Louise raises the umbrella in her hand, and then, a magic spell that’s no different from fireworks shoots into the sky.

“biang~”

That’s not the sound of an explosion, but Louise’s own sound effect, “The duel begins~”

I don’t have the time to follow the script and see what Louise wants to do next; my gaze immediately follows Kefir into the center of the training ground!

As soon as the duel begins, Louise XXIII, who can’t wait to “crush Kefir,” shows off her “strength” without reservation. Although I can’t see it, I can vaguely feel two types of magic power bursting forth from her surroundings, boastfully emphasizing her “growth in strength.”

Naturally, for those around me who are unaware of the truth, Louise XXIII’s situation is obviously…

“Did Twenty-Three break through again!? I remember she was…”

“A fifth rank, right? To have a breakthrough in such a short time, it seems our Great Ying Empire’s ‘genius’ is about to change.”

“Isn’t that so? Zerola’s daughter seems to have peaked and is now in a state of unrest. Ah… what a pity.”

The chatter of the judges, not only reaching my ears, even reaches the center of the training ground. Kefir, who usually doesn’t pay much attention to rumors, shows no extra reaction, while Louise XXIII is quite different: originally smug, she becomes even more elated by these words, and after showing off her strength, she draws her sword and launches a fierce attack on Kefir.

I’m just an ordinary rookie; of course, I can’t tell if there’s any “thousands of gambits” between the two, but what I can see is: Kefir can only silently defend passively, retreating while fighting, trying to catch and dodge the swings of the weapon in Louise XXIII’s hands as much as possible.

Noticing all this, Louise XXIII becomes even more arrogant, even laughing out loud.

“Hahaha! What’s the matter, Kefir? Why aren’t you pretending like before!?”

“…”

“After all, your strength is just so-so. I think you’d better beg me to admit defeat sooner, lest you end up face-down in the dirt later, unable to get up!”

Kefir did not respond, still silent as she followed Louis XXIII’s moves… Upon closer inspection, they didn’t seem particularly “cool,” perhaps more like random flailing sword techniques, at most due to exertion, leaving her somewhat breathless. This was a matter of great importance, related to whether she could get her hands on “the script” that belonged to her. I believe Kefir wouldn’t be distracted.

At that moment, suddenly… Louise’s voice reached my ears.

Unnoticed by the other judges, Louise leaned forward, flashing a sparkling smile in front of me.

“Mr. Priest, Kefir seems to be out of strength to fight back. What I told you before still stands~”

“What?”

“Why don’t you try begging me? Maybe I’ll come up with something that can turn Kefir’s defeat into victory~”

Corresponding to Louise’s words was the slight danger that appeared on the dueling ground for Kefir. It was probably Louis XXIII’s “growth” that was beyond imagination. After withstanding a heavy blow from the opponent, Kefir staggered back a few steps.

“See?”

See what? My queen, I even know what you’re going to say next.

【Louis IV wants to use this opportunity to make Ogelid beg for mercy.】

You’ve killed my script over and over, how dare I follow your wishes? Moreover…

“No need, my queen.”

“Eh?”

“The outcome of this duel is already clear.”

I looked back at the dueling ground.

After staggering and finally standing firm, Kefir wiped the sweat from her forehead, while Louis XXIII’s laughter grew louder.

“Kefir, if you don’t surrender now, what follows won’t just be you getting beaten up and running around like a dog.”

After a long sigh of relief, Kefir looked my way.

Then, her gaze returned to the front, and her whole demeanor changed.

“Getting hit, running away? Louis XXIII, you might be mistaken.”

The rapier, previously used sideways for blocking, flipped up and down for a while, then returned to Kefir’s hand, pointing straight at Louis XXIII.

“I was just testing my defensive abilities just now, after all, I might need to protect some idiot who’s not even as strong as a roadside goose.”

Finally, Kefir stretched out her hand, and a cluster of cold air tinged the blade, causing Louis XXIII to shiver and take a step back.

The surrounding judges, who were eating melon seeds, stood up in surprise, but all they had left was “shock.” What are you looking at? This is the protagonist, after all, a counter-kill as easy as drinking water, playing the pig to eat the tiger as routine as eating.

Kefir lose? Impossible!

“Thank you for practicing with me, now… shall we continue the ‘duel’?”

——

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