Day of the duel.

Elective class was canceled for everyone just so they could come to witness the duel– even thought they had nothing to do with it.

It became a hot deal. 

Well.. forcing them to participate as spectators does help in amping up the shock factor. It’ll definitely be helpful when I reveal myself as a demon lord. It’s sure to be an incident to shake the kingdom.

“Liliath, you know the plan right?” standing in front of the mirror, I made sure that my ceremonial clothes were in good order. 

White fabric, with gold epaulets on both shoulders. A golden rope dangled across my chest.

This set also came with a secret pocket, probably to hold poison or some antidote. His Highness Kyoshi borrowed me this, saying that it would catch the heart of ladies more if I.. fuck off. It’s because I represent royalty, that’s why I was told to wear this.

The maids have offered to help me put it on but.. you know. Not a chance.
“Yes dear,” Liliath came up to me and fixed my tie, “There, my husband looks absolutely stunning.”
In embarrassment, I failed to say anything to follow up.

At that time, Rin came bursting into the room. She was about to say something when her gaze stopped on me.

“Noel there’s..” Flustered, she continued. “A maid came and said that H-His Majesty wishes to see you.”
“Huh? Alright..”
About time.

“Even Rin agrees that you look stunning,” Liliath chuckled.

“Yeah right..” I turned to the girl with bright cheeks, “Thanks Rin.”
Outside, a maid was waiting to guide us to His Majesty’s office.. except that he wasn’t a maid. Did Rin get the gender wrong? This was Regan, the young butler.

“His Majesty wishes to see you.”

“Please lead the way.”
He nodded and began walking.

We arrived at the office.

His Majesty Akihito, was seated on a golden chair. The prime minister stood behind him.

“Son-in-law, my daughter Liliath, and second wife, Rinalanashina-san, please take a seat,” he placed his pen aside and showed us the warmest smile. 

Rin flinched, I sighed inwardly. He actually took the effort to greet us with ‘appropriate’ titles.

Jokes aside..

“It’s an honor to meet you once again, father-in-law,” I greeted.

His Majesty’s smile grew to a grin, almost.
Liliath stabbed me with her shoulder before performing a curtsy, Rin did the same. I rubbed my flank.

“Please make yourself comfortable.”
“Yes, father.”

Liliath took a seat first, Rin and I followed right behind her.
Regan poured tea for us with a straight face.

“Where should I begin..” His Majesty pondered. His smile faded, replaced by a tired expression. 

The prime minister whispered something into his ear. His Majesty nodded a few times.

“Noel-san, I wish to hear it in your own words. What exactly do you intend to accomplish in this duel?”
There were differences between a typical duel and one at an arena scales. For duels in an arena, the challenged and challenger begins by first declaring what they wish as a reward. Each side may dictate a duelist. As for your typical duel– anything goes as long as it follows some chivalric law of: don’t be a cheater.

“I intend to take the chance to reveal our race as demon lords. I want to make a statement that royalty does not discriminate against demons, thus ending the conflict between pro-demon lords and anti-demon lords.”

The prime minister whispered something to His Highness again.
Which kind of bugged me. Was there magic involved? Because I could hear nothing– which was abnormal. No secret talk doesn’t not get noticed by my ears, normally.

“I had pondered whether I should have involved myself in the matter. It seems I wasn’t wrong in trusting your intentions.”

“Father, if you have been so worried, you could’ve asked for an audience could you not?” LIliath said.

“I’ve been busy, my daughter,” His Majesty said in a worn out tone.
Liliath blinked a few times and nodded. Rin looked towards the paper work on the king’s desk and paled.

“Noel-san, I have no doubts that you will win. But, I must warn you to restrain yourself. We humans are much more fragile.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“In addition, I see no particular problems in regards to the public display of your identity. There will eventually come a time when change is required. As such, I am thankful for the initiative, to change the kingdom, the people. You have my gratitude for my daughter’s future.”

“R-Right..”

Should I just say it happened on a whim because my LUK stat was 2000?

That’s the thing about luck. Things may look like an unfortunate development on the surface, when in reality, the unfortunate incident is really just a blessing in disguise.

“Noel-san. Today, my four daughters will be under your care, please watch over them well. They will be there to assist you in clarifying the revelation,” he paused, and in a serious voice, continued, “I count on you on my behalf to make our stance clear.”

“I will do my best,” I felt the weight of his words.
What happens today will ultimately change Toren Kingdom forever.

“Liliath-chan.”

“Yes father?”

“Good luck.”

She bowed. “Thank you.”
We left the room. 

A good few corridors away later, I looked to the ceiling and slapped my face.

“Why is this happening..”
“Noel, i-it’s alright..” Rin tried to console me.

“Dear?” Liliath tilted her head.

Something so small turned into a national issue. I now represent His Majesty and the fate of Toren Kingdom rests in my hands.

“Liliath, your sisters. You have to protect them if anything happens alright?”

“I will of course. They’re my family. I won’t allow past mistakes to repeat themselves.”

“Huh?”

“”Huh?””

Rin and I turned to Liliath.

She tilted her head. “Pardon?”

“You said.. mistake.”

“What about it?”

I thought for a moment she meant Rin’s death. Or was she referring to something else..

===

“Incredible. To be granted this chance to watch a knight protect my sister’s dignity!” Kana, the eldest sister amongst my family, also the first princess declared so.

“It makes me wonder if we should decide on our partners soon. I can’t believe we’re behind our younger sister. We hadn’t even begun our search,” said Linda, my elder sister, the second princess.

“Brother-in-law, what about our Liliath-chan did you fall for?”

“Let’s not forget Rinalanashina-san, what about her caught your eye?” 

“Um well..”
I turned to Noel. His troubled face was enthralling. The carriage made it past a few humps, he had yet to give his response. He must be having a hard time.

“That.. I guess I’ll begin with Liliath..”
“Oh?”

“I guess it’s because of her clumsiness.”

“”Eh?””
“Dear..” 

How dare he?!

“Remember how I said I accidentally summoned Liliath to my world? There were so many things she didn’t know back then and it was cute seeing her misunderstand and.. make a mess..”
He turned from my sisters to me.

“Of course, it’s different now. If anything, my naivety played a part in it too.”

How so?
“How romantic.”

“I agree.”

My elder sisters were being peevish, I wish they would stop asking such unnecessary questions. I enjoyed how they made Noel troubled however.

“As for Rin.. Liliath was the one who decided to take her in as her wife. I actually rejected the idea,” Noel raised both his hands in surrender.

Rin nodded to confirm Noel’s statement? 

“Liliath-chan, don’t tell me you’re.. interested in girls?!”

He just said..
“No, that can’t be possible. There must be a hidden agenda at play,” Kana interjected.

“Not particularly.. though, I will admit that I am fond of Rin. The main reason for taking Rin is for her sake. I would rather share my husband than to have her suffer at the hands of such a brute.”
There, satisfied?

Mysterious smiles crept upon my sister's faces.

“Sometime after, Noel just decided to make me his and..” Rin continued.

“And that’s how it happened,” Noel concluded with a sigh.
The carriage arrived at the academy. The crowd wishing to catch a glimpse of my sisters was impressive.

Teachers, including the dean, came to greet us. My sisters, alongside their attendants,  proceeded to the private room to rest. They will make their appearance again when the duel commences. My anee-sama was working as usual. 

Teal had been assigned to guard her specifically.

Day classes were as usual. Yet the mood felt festive. Students had trouble paying attention in class.

In the midst of it all, I met Edgar’s eyes once. He showed me a rather disgusting grin. Oh, I’ll enjoy seeing your head roll across the floor.

Class ended. After a quick lunch will begin the duel–

“Liliath, Rin, I’ll be going now. Good luck.”
“You too Noel. Kill him if possible.”

If not, I will take the Marquis’ head without hesitation– was something I almost added.

“Eh.. no. I won’t lose, anyways, be careful. I’m not sure what he’s planning.”
“We will. You take care too, Noel.”
Noel will separate from Rin and I. He will prepare himself for the duel whilst we make contact with the demon which will come and meet with Gina-san. I have the role of protecting the venue from any unforeseen attacks.
Many orange dots were scattered about, I have plenty to do.

I reached out to Gina-san.

344. 

I had warned Noel beforehand to be wary of poison or underhanded methods to push for his disqualification. For a duel of this scale, it is not uncommon for such an occurrence.

“Liliath, won’t people become suspicious?” Rin asked, staring at the man who had passed out in front of me.

“I suppose they will. Though, I doubt a few dozen incidents would do anything to suspend the duel.”
I first began by checking markers which had a redder tint. An example would be this man who was hiding in the shadows. A small tool in his possession which could shoot poison darts at range. 

There were also those who attempted to alter the standard of the weapons which would be used by Noel during the duel and attendants of unknown affiliation bringing poison concoctions. 

Noel may be able to manage them without much issue with the convenience of [APPRAISAL], the same can’t be said for my sisters however.

“Um, Liliath, he’s here,” Rin showed me her UI.
“We shall go and greet him.”

Ruff-san was a demon lord whose loyalty towards the bastard far exceeded my expectations. It’s a disappointment that he chose the tyrant over the person who he should be protecting– Gina-san.

“Hello sir, would you allow me to guide you?” I greeted the suave man in a suit.

“How did you.. nevermind. I hope you didn’t do anything to her?”
Ruff in disguise. Perhaps Gina-san fell for his false image? That would be a sight to behold if such were the case.

I highly doubt that.

“Follow me, we shall go to her at once.”

“I don’t need your guidance, where is she?”

“We have arranged a private place where only you two can meet, have you not heard? It’s not somewhere normal strangers such as yourself can’t enter. Do you still remain obstinate and refuse to comply?”
“I’ll find her, I don’t need you.”
“The school is rather large. I wonder how long her patients would last, she had been waiting– for an entire season.”

He clicked his tongue.

Remaining obstinate, I turned around and began walking away.

Rin, who was in dilemma, bowed before keeping pace with me.

“Liliath, are you sure? There’s no way her can find her without..
“The jewel on his neck.”
“Eh?”

“It’s a magic tool. He’ll manage somehow. We only came to give him a greeting. The remainder of our duty requires that we keep him under observation. Detain him if he makes any move that would hinder the progression of the duel.”

Gina-san should already be at the arena.
“What’s important now is we make our way to the venue, we can’t possibly miss our husband’s performance, can we now?”

“Y-Yes..”

I took Rin’s hand and incited a teleportation spell.

===

“Good luck.. does someone like you even need luck?” Teal said in a slack voice.
“Where’s Liliath-chan?” Valentine-sama asked.

“She’s purging the place for our safety.” Liliath insisted herself. Not that I can really say much about it since she’s more knowledgeable about the shady things behind the scenes.

I get that she had experience with killing assassins in the castle as a kid but.. I’m only beginning to skim the surface of her capabilities in areas like this.

“Most people were taken aback by the surprise duel.”

All because of His Majesty's underhanded tactics.
Only a 3 day notice had been given. And since the battle was between the Marquis Edgar and the fiancé of the ‘rumored’ lost princess of Toren Kingdom, the anticipation was hype.

Then again.. the Lionheart academy was supposed to be a place where noble and royal influences don’t reach.
Really now.. the politics of this world is lax compared to most other novels. I appreciate that people don’t die just because someone says: send him to the guillotine.

The door opened. Two princesses entered. Kana and Linda.

“Oho, what do we have here?”
“It’s an affair! Valentine-chan, you shouldn't!”

“S-Shut up!?”
These people really..”
“I think I’ll go get myself ready.”

“You’re leaving already? It seems our presence is quite the nuisance to someone like you,” Linda laughed.

“I wish you the best, mister demon lord,” Kana grinned.

“Right, thanks. And stay safe too.”

“Good luck,” Valentine said.

I walked out of the waiting room for royalty and made my way down to the weapon’s chamber. You may use a family heirloom and what not, but I didn’t have anything like that so I’ll just make a random pick.
The princess’ should be safe under Teal’s care– and it seems Rin and Liliath have completed their shady business. Did Rin learn anything through all that?

“Good luck dear!” Liliath jumped at me. She gave my shoulders a tight squeeze.

“Good luck Noel,” Rin just bowed.
“Thank you.”

Liliath nodded as if she was proud of my reply, “Noel, I take back my words. Please don’t kill.”

“Huh?”

“A battle junkie will be out there to greet you, you should understand who I’m referring to, no?” Liliath winked.

===

“Before we commence, shall we be graced with a few words from the princess’,” the emcee announced.

The arena fell into a hush. 

From where I stood, I looked up to the tower. Four princess’ stepped out into the light. 

“The first princess, Kana Toren greets all that have come to spectate. It’s an honor to be a part of such a grand event, seeing such a large crowd creates such expectations in my heart for..” first was Kana Toren.
“Linda Toren, the second princess of Toren Kingdom. I wish to first express collectively, our apologies for the unexpected involvement of royalty. The explanation of why will be revealed in the duel. I hope that everyone will look forward to what's to come~” Next was Linda Toren.

“I am Valentine Toren, third princess of Toren Kingdom. I welcome everyone to this noteworthy occasion. As per tradition, calling upon the name of The God of Law, Thermis, I pray that a winner will be decided through fair means. I extend my blessings to the two duelists who will be part of this short event today–” then was Valentine-sama.

For each speech came the roar of the crowd.

“Greetings to all..”
And lastly..
“.. I believe this marks my first appearance in a public setting? I’m sure my face is unfamiliar to many. I’m sure most would find curious as to why I’m still standing here today?”

She was coercing those pro-demon lord supporters.

“I am the Fourth princess of Toren Kingdom, Liliath Toren. ”

There was silence. 

“I won’t spare too many words, I understand that everyone is in anticipation for the main course. I pray for safety and fair victory to whom my heart calls out to. Thank you.”

That’s so biased.. and objectionable in many ways.

Liliath passed the microphone crystal back to the emcee. Liliath really ruined the mood for this one.

“Give it up for the princesses that have troubled themselves to partake in this event!”

The emcee got things back on track and aroused the spectators. 

“Without further ado, let us proceed with the main event–”

At the cue, I climbed the stairs to the surface. The arena could be described as an oval colosseum. The battle ground is dry dirt with paint marks dividing the battlefield into 4 quadrants.

The rays of light poured down from above, I looked towards the opposite side.

The Marquis’ son, Edgar.

We met each other at the dividing line.

He was wearing ceremonial clothes just like me. He didn’t look too happy.

“Please declare what is at stake!”
“If my house wins, you shall hand over your princess.”

Incredibly exaggerated gasps echoed out. Was he being forced to do this? No saNe person would dare to ask for something so absurd– especially not in such a large crowd.

“Then If I win, I ask that the Faraday Marquis ceases cooperation with the demon lord, Javiel.”
Before the crowd had a chance to react, the emcee started.

“The challenged, please name yourself!”

“Noel.”

Did they even hear that? Whatever.

“The challenger, please name your representative!”

Representative? Oh right.

Edgar was so pitiful. His smile was cracking. The Marquis must have forced this onto him.

“The daughter of baron Ausi, Gina-san.”

Wow, what a disgrace. Ahem.. I shouldn’t be thinking bad. He’s probably pitiful in his family um.. yeah. Shouldn’t judge him so randomly, I don’t know the kind of life he led.

Edgar bowed stiffly before retreating. The crowd raised voices of disappointment. Seriously, this is demoralizing.

In replacement, the girl with short hair came to the battlefield. In her arms were two black swords.. what the hell is that?

The crowd went crazy.

[Craim’s Stygian]

What in the world..

[Description: A cursed weapon. A blade forged in black flames, material crystallized from the core of a dead star, imbued with the grim souls of a hundred deads.]

Sucks how [APPRAISAL] doesn’t give a grade to weapons, nor does it tell me anything about its special skills. Just some useless backstory.
I lifted my hands a little and peeked at my crude steel sword.

This is going to be funny.

Let’s go through my checklist of essential skill..

“Noel-san, I won’t tolerate you fooling around this time around,” she said, pointing one of the swords at me, “You’ll die by my hands if you do.”

Her eyes had an eerie yellow glow. She’s cursed, isn’t she?
“Both parties will be given a few short moments to warm up.”
“I’ll take you seriously this time, I’m sorry, okay?”
When did she decide to join the pro demon lord faction? I thought she wanted nothing to do with it?

Or maybe it’s just as Liliath said, she was a battle junky.
“Excuse me,” I raised my hands.

“Yes?”

“To what extent is magic allowed? Enchantments, was it?”

345. 

“There are no limits.”
Okay. That’s surprising. Large scale duels sure are different from your typical ones. If that’s the case then I suppose I’ll use one of Liliath’s original spells, if worst comes to worst.

I’ll enchant this crude steel sword with as much defense as possible. I get the feeling that it’ll be destroyed the moment it comes into contact with that Stygian blade thing.

‘Noel, be careful. The weapon especially.’

‘I will.’
I swung my sword around.. it looks pretty shabby in the eyes of the spectators. I think I even hear a few jeers. Compare my warm up to Gina swinging two cool ass swords– you get what I mean.

“Are both parties ready?”
“Ready.”
Gina merely nodded. Her eyes were growing hazy.

I checked her stats just in case, and found some pretty disturbing titles. Her status was elevated around 50 percent from last I saw.

Since she’s here for a serious battle, I’ll give her one.
Let’s just hope no one dies.

“You may begin!”
An explosion occurred, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.

Her figure flickered in front of me, blades, one coming diagonal, another horizontal.

She was preparing to parry and throw me off guard.

The blades were crackling in a weird yellow light.

I rolled to the side.

Another explosion.

I saw her blade coming down from above. I was just about to get up.

I threw myself again.
She flickered, I sensed her behind me.

This isn’t something you can achieve from those stats. There must be some special effect I’m not getting here. 

I checked myself for any debuffs. Nothing.

I swung my reinforced steel sword against her’s

The ground beneath us cracked.

Her other sword came from underneath, ready to pierce.

I pushed against her sword and backpedaled.

I checked her status for buffs.

[Raiden]

What? What does Stygian have to do with Raiden? 

[Description: user may move as lightning wills.]

Really? Lightning similar to the speed of sound?  You sure she’s supposed to be this slow if she’s moving at the speed of lightning? Come on.. really?
A flurry of attacks continued, I parried or dodged the incoming strikes. She kept pushing me to retreat, a hundred clashes, dust clouds blew into the air.
Crap, I don’t have anything like hearts eyes, the dust was getting into my eyes. I don’t know if intuition is enough to cover up for my lack of vision.

I activated a spell to moisten the surrounding area, thus weighing down the dust and keeping it from flying.

Dust cleared. Spectators could now enjoy the show.
It was a crazy dog fight, blades clashed for the hundredth time. I was hearing some pretty uncomfortable noise coming from my steel blade. My mana was also being depleted at a crazy rate. Seriously, reinforcing the steel sword has got to be the most inefficient way to spend MPever.

“Can we call a short break?”
I managed to force those words out of my mouth amidst the chaos.

Gina stopped, retreated a distance. She gave her own weapon a weird look.

“How..” she asked.

I looked at my sword.

The fuck is this? It’s totally bent out of shape. It’s a work of art.

The crowd burst into laughter.

I shook my head and tossed the sword away.

Looks like I have no choice.

Liliath knew that I liked her void magic very much, especially [Void Artillery]. So she disseminated the magic and reconstructed it into a new, more polished conjuration. The biggest flaw of [Void Artillery], or any void magic in particular was its unpredictability and lack of control.
This new creation solves that.

I initiated the spell. A sword coalesced in my right hands. I brought it to the front and held it in a stance.

[Liliath’s Magic Sword]

Hey! Don’t judge me, I suck at names. I scrapped the idea of naming it [Void Sword]. That sounds worse. 

It’s a jet black sword with flickering purple-red lightning. Unlike the Nebula Sword, everything about it is pitch black. The Nebula Sword at least had glitter on it.

Moreover, this isn’t a sword a normal person can wield. Only people who have infinite mana to expend can support it. The consumption is one fifth the amount it takes to fire the [Void Artillery], except that it’s constantly draining, so as long as the blade is in existence. 

“Damn it, you’re at it again.” Gina cursed.
I ran forward. No fancy flickering and what not, just a fast dash.

“Die!!”
No way. I’m not dying.
Liliath’s sword came into contact with Stygian, a strong shockwave was created at the point of contact and we were both pushed back a few steps back.

“Cool.”
No wonder Liliath said that I should use it together with wind magic– to cushion the recoil.

If I lower the output, the knockback should reduce. Huh, it’s variable.

Gina’s blade came from behind me.

This time, I didn’t need to dodge as much, parrying became much easier.
Let’s use Sid’s skill, [Pulse Driver (SS)].

Cling–

She blew a loud cloudust and hopped backwards.

Her sword danced in the air– and stuck itself to the ground. 

“Hahaha.. You’re insane.. insane.. insane..”

She looked like a puppet with strings cut loose.

Yellow lighting grew even more intense, the blade that’s stuck to the ground began vibrating. 

I need to end this duel without killing her– fuck, how?

“I’ve been waiting for this chance,” Gina raised her head and looked at me with a crazed smile. Horns grew from her head, the aura around her felt thicker. Her eyes were now authentically gold, the exact shade of the Goddesses..

Damn it. Horns don’t give me a power up, so what logic is this..

She threw her only sword at me, what they duck!? I hacked it with Liliath’s sword– it bounced away– the sword returned to her hands.

Taking the chance, she pulled up the other sword that was stuck on the ground.

“The real match starts now.”

With lightning flickering all around her like some Christmas celebration..

That’s super cliche..

And oh crap. Her sword has become a whip sword of sorts. I can’t even get close to her.

===

“S-She’s a demon lord too?!” Kana-san was astounded.

“That’s perfect, isn’t it? We can use this opportunity to change the public opinion of the demon lords,” Linda said.

“Is he going to be alright?” Rin asked.
“Noel will be alright. The question should be directed at the other party.”

I continued replenishing the mana and vitality that continues to be sapped away by the cursed weapon.

Gina-san was strong. 

So much so that she had the potential to become the demon generals of this cycle.

However, that strength is nothing in front of an Irregular whose limits are infinite.
Noel, you have to find a way to remove the sword from her. She’ll reach her limit eventually.

“E-Eh.. y-you..” Rin panicked.
“Stop this match right now.”

Ruff-san held a blade to my neck.

“I understand that she is in danger. However, that is no reason to threaten me.”

“W-What?! When did you?!”

“L-Liliat-chan s-stay calm?!”
“Who are you?” 

While my elder sisters were panicking, Teal-sama tilted her head and asked him an innocent question. Teal understoods my abilities more than anyone here did.

“What the hell, do you want me to kill you? Go on and stop the match already!” Ruff wasn’t seeing the big picture.

“I’m not in danger.” I said, “Ruff-san, please stay calm, we’re doing what we can. Noel should’ve noticed it by now.”
“Stay calm? How can I stay calm when she’s using a forbidden weapon?!”
“F-Forbidden weapon?!”

“Watch.”
I set the UI to public viewing. 

“What is..”
“What you are seeing is Gina-san’s status window. Through this, I’m able to keep her alive. If you hurt anyone here, cause me to falter, or do something to take my eyes off of this– you know what to expect don’t you? Would you prefer that?”
Ruff-san gritted his teeth.
“I-I know it must be worrying, but stay calm. It’ll be alright.. “ Rin tried to console.

“Easy for you to say.”
“I won’t disagree with that.”
“Like hell you do!!”

“She’ll live. Trust in my husband, and in her, will you?”

Ruff-san, reluctantly, removed his knife from my neck.

346. 

It’s like a game reference. Spinning blades and golden lightning.

Her status is flickering in a weird way, it feels as if someone is tampering with it. It drops rapidly, and then in the next, an additional zero is added to prevent it from hitting zero. 

I leaned backwards, the diagonal attack nearly grazing my clothes. I didn’t like how it was creating static, it feels uncomfortable.

My instincts have been blaring away ever since the Stygian turned into a whip sword.

I slashed upwards, a wind arc shot forth– intercepted by her counter shockwave. The sword in her left hand lost momentum.

I need to do something about this.

I pushed forward and created a few more wind arcs.

It isn’t just about the duel anymore.

I equipped [Reincarnated Otherworlder].

Then can’t I just use [Absolute End] on her?

I layered Liliath’s sword onto [Magick Sword (SS)], warding the incoming attacks remotely.

But Gina wasn’t a fair duel, didn’t she?

She retracted both swords and hacked both of them out in front. Creating a cross, rending air, two powerful wind blades came at me.

Then I’ll respect her decision.

I sweeped [Liliath’s Magic Sword] before myself, the void ate away the wind.

Pressing down against my right foot, I used ground shrink, my vision warped.

The next microsecond, I had Liliath’s sword pointed against her throat. Her arms went limp, both swords dangled to the side.

It was as if time itself had stopped.

“Are you going to drop the sword?”
“I concede.”
The two Stygian dropped the the floor, returning to its original black colour.

She staggered.

I held her shoulder.

The crowd roared to the end of the duel.

“You’re really insane.”
“Like I said, I’m cheating.”
“I’ve always wanted to fight like this, he would’ve never allowed it. I wonder what he would say to me later.. that I was reckless?”
I turned to the tower where the princesses were spectating. Sure enough, Ruff was there with a difficult expression.
‘Congratulations Noel.’

‘Noel, we can show our horns now right?’

Oh yeah..

It happened to appear when the battle reached a stage of intensity. 

“W-What an unexpected development! Who would’ve known that both duelists would be demon lords!”

Ruff jumped off from the tower and ran towards me.

“Let’s end it with a speech from the princess!”

“Thank you.”

The emcee passed the microphone to Liliath. Her horn gleamed under the sunlight.

“I hope today’s show was entertaining? I’m sure that the fight brought to surface a number of questions. After all, demon lords weren’t welcomed existences,” Liliath swept her gaze across the crowd. “Let me rephrase, while not everyone is in support of the demon, not everyone is against them either.”

Ruff’s pace slowed.
“People wish for a change. With the current happenings, I foresee tension to grow in the kingdom thus– I have come to make a declaration to all.”

“Gina-chan..”
“Did you know? How long.. I’ve been waiting?” Gina croaked.
“Demon lords have been living in part of our society, they have always been. Not until the people see our horns, do they deem us as treats?”

“I’m sorry.”
“For what reason do demons deserve such a treatment?”

I passed Gina over to Ruff.
“Pro-demons, anti-demons. Which does one side with?”

Gina pushed me gently and fell into his arms.
“I’m here to declare to everyone, this marks a new beginning. I, Fourth Princess of Toren Kingdom, will represent the demons in His Majesty’s name.”

“I missed you, Ruff-kun. Why were you gone for so long.. why?”

“I’m sorry, Gina-chan. I’m sorry..”
“Thus there is no longer a need to fight. It has been decreed, the line between the two factions will dissolve. What we demons wish to seek is not war, but peace.”

One half watched Gina and Ruff’s reunion, the other listening to Liliath’s speech.
“Henceforth, I wish for everyone’s consideration and cooperation. It is no longer relevant in these changing times to follow the sins of the people of our past.”

===

“It turned out better than expected. Of course.. there'll definitely be some conflict so..”

“His Majesty has that covered, please be at ease. You have done well.”
Akihito-sama wasn’t around. We were talking to the prime minister. Currently, His Majesty is busy going around weeding out the tumors in the kingdom.
There’s a lot of underhanded things that I don’t know about. Just what in the world did they plan? I get the feeling that this duel just killed 5 birds with one stone.

To summarize.

We prevented a civil war.

We converted anti-demons and pro-demons to neutral.

We managed to build trust with Ruff and Gina.

His Majesty was able to take the chance to weed out unsuspecting nobles thanks to Liliath’s hard work.

Last but not least, furthering a demon lord’s wish for peace.

“Is there any more to add, prime minister? I’m feeling slightly fatigued from all the work.”
“There is none. You may retire to your rooms, thank you for sparing the time to hear my report.”
“Thank you for supporting father, prime minister. I pray for your eternal health and wisdom.”
“I graciously accept your words, Your Highness.”

We left the office and returned to Liliath’s room.

I dropped face first on the bed.

I’m beat. Absolutely beat.

My muscles feel so sore.

I felt small hands grab my shoulders– a squeeze, I squirmed like a worm, that hurt?!
“Stay still dear, I’m giving you a massage,” Liliath said with graceless confidence– the last time she massaged me, she almost broke my shoulder.
“I’m good without a massage– that hurts?!”
“Rin, hold him down.”

“Roger that.”

“Wait Rin, no you– ught?!”
“Are you doing it correctly?”
“The maids taught me that this is the right method.”

Fine. I’ll admit, it doesn’t hurt as much as the last time. 

“There.”

I felt the stiffness on one part disappear, but was present elsewhere.. 

“Thank you Liliath.”

“Noel’s back is so soft.”

“Same could be said for your butt Rin. My spine is going to break– ugh?!”

Fucking hell my back isn’t a cushion to bounce on Rin?!

Rin got off from my back, a warm sensation spread across where she last sat.

“I learnt healing magic from Liliath.”

“My proud student.”

“You two really..”