Side: Anastasia (6)

"A-Allen?"

Stop it. A talent like yours shouldn't be crushed here. It’s simply not right.

And yet—even so! How could it come to this?

"Forget about that, Lady Anastasia. Please, just officially recognize me as your proxy."

"Huh? O-Oh. Very well. I recognize you."

I had given in and acknowledged him simply because he told me to. Realizing this, I felt a wave of self-loathing so strong I wanted to cry.

Allen, however, proceeded to dictate the terms of the duel with a detached air. From that point on, it was his stage and his alone. He declared with absolute certainty that he would win a five-on-one fight, then systematically provoked his five opponents until they lost every shred of composure.

Before I knew it, the negotiations were settled. A duel at the training grounds was decided.

"Well then, Lady Anastasia. I'm going back to the dorm to grab my weapon. Please head to the training grounds ahead of me."

His words finally snapped me back to my senses. I tried to persuade him to back out of such a reckless challenge, but he shot down my arguments with ease.

To my shock, I learned that Allen was the youngest C-rank adventurer in history and the man who had conquered the Goblin Labyrinth. On top of that, he was an Orc Slayer who had somehow managed the solo subjugation of a Blizzard Phoenix—a monster of nearly Legendary status.

Honestly, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Why would someone like that be enrolled in a Higher Academy?

"As I said, victory is a certainty. You can relax; consider this a guaranteed win."

With a small smile, Allen turned and walked away.

I made my way to the training grounds to wait for him. Margaret and Isabella stayed by my side, though they really should have distanced themselves from someone as ruined as I was.

I was blessed with good friends, but standing next to me now was equivalent to a public declaration of rebellion against His Highness. I felt a profound sense of guilt for dragging them into this.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Allen appeared. He was dressed in light traveling gear, and the only weapon he carried was a single dagger.

"Allen!"

Why didn't you bring a proper weapon?!

I intended to shout exactly that, but only his name managed to escape my lips.

In response, Allen simply offered a bold, "That’s good."

"What is 'good' about this, you fool?" I snapped, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

"Ah, no. I was just thinking about how much your friends seem to treasure you, Lady Anastasia."

"Wh—"

I could feel my face turning bright red.

What is wrong with him? His own life was on the line, yet he was wasting his breath worrying about me!

"Well then, Lady Anastasia. I shall go and win this for your sake."

"A-Ah. Also, Allen... that man acting as the witness belongs to a faction hostile to House Ramslett. Be careful."

"I see. Thank you. However, it won't be an issue. I have no intention of showing them any mercy."

With an aloof, breezy air, Allen stepped forward and continued to goad the Prince's circle. Then, with His Highness and the others sufficiently enraged, the desperate five-on-one duel began.

However, the conclusion was a slaughter so one-sided that none of us could have imagined it. No, it wasn't even a fight.

In the blink of an eye, three of them were down. Before I realized what was happening, Marcus and His Highness were being subjected to a lecture from Allen.

The Prince’s excuses were particularly childish and unbearable to hear. Allen likely could have ended the match instantly, but he chose to secure a dominant position first so he could systematically dismantle the Prince's logic in front of the entire crowd.

Could Allen have planned this from the start? Did he set this all up just to rebuke the Prince?

The doubt crossed my mind, but I dismissed it. No matter how I looked at it, that seemed impossible. After all, who could have predicted a duel like this would even happen?

Despite his brilliance, it seemed Allen made a mistake in his calculations at the very end. Having lost all sense of reason, His Highness attempted to cast Grand Magic, causing his magical power to spiral out of control.

I hurriedly began preparing my Ice Magic to offset the inferno.

Strictly speaking, my Ice Magic had a poor affinity with His Highness's Fire Magic; it was highly doubtful I could suppress it. But if I didn't try, then His Highness, Allen, Margaret, Isabella, and the entire audience would be in mortal danger.

If I failed, I would be the first to be consumed by the Prince’s flames.

But this had all happened because I failed to keep a tight rein on His Highness in the first place. This was my responsibility.

Just as I steeled my resolve for the worst, Allen signaled to me with a small gesture that there was no need to worry.

Then, before I even realized he was chanting, he unleashed his Wind Magic. He swept up the rampaging flames in an instant and sent them screaming into the sky.

"Alle... n?"

The gap in our abilities was so vast I couldn't even find the words.

I see. From the very beginning, Allen never even entertained the possibility of losing.

"Prince Karlheinz is unable to continue. Therefore, the victory goes to Allen."

Allen gave a polite bow, walked over to me, and knelt gracefully. As I looked down at him, my heart began to throb strangely, and I felt my face grow hot.

"I dedicate this victory to you, Lady Anastasia."

"A-Ah. Thank you."

"Don't worry, I didn't kill anyone. As for His Highness, he simply exhausted his mana, so his life isn't in danger. My Wind Magic blew all the fire upward, so there shouldn't be any serious injuries. I'm sure he'll wake up once he’s had some sleep and his mana recovers."

"I-I see."

Thank goodness. If that was the case, Allen wouldn't be executed.

I let out a long sigh of relief, but his next words made my chest tighten so painfully I thought my heart might stop.

"Well then, Lady Anastasia, I shall take my leave. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Lady Margaret, Lady Isabella—my thanks to you as well. I feel a bit of regret leaving like this, but goodbye."

"H-Hey, Allen!"

Wait! Don't say things that sound like a final farewell!

I called out to stop him, but Allen didn't respond. He simply walked away with a quickened pace.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of chasing him; I had to deal with the aftermath of this foolish duel.

That woman had collapsed and been carried away before anyone could get a word out of her. His Highness wouldn't be awake for a while due to mana exhaustion. Marcus’s nose was shattered, leaving his face a mask of blood, and Oscar was still groaning in agony, unable to even open his eyes.

Claude and Leo regained consciousness a short while later, but they seemed to have no idea what had actually transpired.

And then, despite the fact that my engagement had been publicly annulled, some fools from the royal palace had the audacity to tell me it was my duty as the Prince's fiancée to look after him.

I made sure they understood the reality of the situation, but the argument wasted a significant amount of time.

By the time I finally finished cleaning up the mess and reached Allen's room in the dormitory, it was already an empty shell.

"Alle... n...? Why...?"