Nishizawa’s eyes tremble.
“He’s definitely a stupid, foolish pervert, a scoundrel with no manners, no sense, the most annoying and pathetic man in the world, but…”
Olivia pouts.
No matter how much she thinks about today’s incident, it still irks her.
However.
“…Still, he is a man worthy of having the noble French princess as his personal maid.”
Olivia’s blue gaze turns towards Nishizawa.
‘A man worthy…?’
Nishizawa’s mind becomes chaotic.
She thought he was following her only because of the duel’s outcome.
She expected him to welcome her help.
But the Olivia before her did not do that.
She acknowledged Kim Deok-Sung instead.
As someone deserving of being her master.
Nishizawa couldn’t accept that reality.
“Thank you for your concern, but this is not something for you to worry about, Nishizawa. This is strictly between Mr. Kim Deok-Sung and me.”
A clear statement is thrust into Nishizawa’s confused ears.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Leaving the bewildered Nishizawa behind, Olivia left the classroom.
An empty classroom after school.
Cherry blossoms drift through the open window as Nishizawa clenched her trembling fist.
A low voice escapes from Nishizawa’s lips.
“…I can’t accept it.”
*
Once the review finished, it was already evening.
As I stepped out of the Annex, I stretched and awakened my sluggish body.
‘Hoshino Kasumi is a bit more useful than Olivia.’
Today’s review was satisfying.
Kasumi, with her top grades in the second year, was not just academically strong, her teaching skills far excelled Olivia’s.
If Olivia was a neighborhood academy instructor, Kasumi was on the level of a nationwide top-notch instructor?
Unlike Olivia, she didn’t snap or get irritable; she explained concepts kindly and thoroughly, and I honestly admired her skills.
‘I should leave the reviews to Kasumi from now on.’
Though the process was kind of a mess, it was still a relief that she was useful for more than just being a double agent.
As I walked toward the dormitory with those thoughts in mind…
“Hey, black-haired.”
A familiar voice calls.
I turn my gaze.
Amidst the cherry-blossom-strewn boulevard, there she is.
The top-ranked beautiful girl in the region, Nishizawa Eri.
She gazes at me with a face full of disdain and says,
“You’re finally here. I waited a long time.”
Her voice dripping with contempt.
I haven’t even heard the main point yet, but my blood pressure is already rising.
Why on earth is there a male-hating character in this story?
Is the author a masochist?
Nishizawa Eri glares at me and speaks in a cold tone.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Let’s duel for the princess…”
“Are you suggesting a duel for Olivia? Nope, not happening. Why would I do that?”
I cut her off mid-sentence.
I knew I would end up like this.
I knew it.
It turned out exactly as I expected, to the point of being ridiculous.
Nishizawa gets flustered.
“Well, it’s because you forced me…”
“Forced you? Wasn’t it Olivia who said that?”
“That’s…”
Nishizawa is at a loss for words.
Even though Olivia can be tsundere, she isn’t the type to deny someone she has acknowledged.
“But still…”
She says in a voice that barely comes out.
This too was to be expected.
How nice would it be if the world just revolved predictably like this?
If I could turn back time, I would have sent 5,700 characters to a paid ongoing academy web novel author.
Damn it.
Why can’t I enjoy a happy academy life like other Isekai protagonists?
Suddenly, I’m furious.
“Then it’s just your speculation, huh? Are you trying to fight me over such useless delusions regarding Olivia? You know unlicensed duels come with penalties, right?”
“That’s…”
Nishizawa’s face hardens.
Her hands tremble slightly.
Nishizawa Eri is a character who dislikes men while also feeling fear towards them.
The reason she could wreak havoc in the academy until now is that there were no stronger men than her.
In short, it’s a case of strong vs weak.
In Volume 3 of the original work, the reason Nishizawa Eri, who lost a fight with the protagonist over Olivia, fears and avoids him is precisely because of that.
Taking a step forward toward the trembling Nishizawa, she steps back.
“If you really want to fight, put something on the line.”
“What do you mean by ‘something’?”
Nishizawa responds.
“In my duel, Olivia put up her status as my exclusive maid and the transcendent weapon Durandal, while Shinozaki Rin put one of her family’s treasures on the line.”
I gaze directly into her eyes.
“What will you wager, Nishizawa Eri?”
Nishizawa Eri’s face turns pale.
A heavy silence falls on the cherry blossom-lined road.
I fold my arms and wait for her answer.
As time passes and the sun sets, and the moon rises…
Nishizawa Eri finally parts her lips.
“I’ll wager… myself.”
“What did you say?”
I can barely hear her.
“I’ll bet myself as the stake!! Black-haired! If I lose, I’ll become your possession.”
“You?”
Nishizawa Eri glares at me with teary eyes.
Betting herself.
That was the answer I expected.
Being from a poor family, she’d have nothing to wager but herself, unlike ladies like Shinozaki Rin or Olivia.
It’s a natural outcome and a suggestion I led her towards.
A smirk appears on my face.
‘The protagonist would refuse to wager himself at this point.’
Nishizawa Eri believes all men are beasts trying to claim her body.
If I reject her suggestion like the original protagonist did saying, “No. That wouldn’t be right,” she might go off on a delusional fantasy like in a light novel, thinking “Wow, you’re the first man who hasn’t tried to grab my body.”
‘But that would take too long and be annoying.’
The protagonist might have found this handsome, too.
I, with my handsome looks and no time, can’t afford that.
Most importantly, I know her perception won’t change overnight; she’s sure to keep pestering me.
I’m not dumb enough to walk that path of annoyance.
Let the protagonist deal with that.
So here…
“Alright then.”
Accepting is the answer.
If I’m at a level to defeat Shinozaki Rin, then Nishizawa Eri is a piece of cake.
I’m already slightly worried about how the plot of Volume 3 has collapsed due to preemptively raiding the Holy Ground.
But to think the title heroine would willingly offer herself as a slave.
‘What luck!’
There’s no need to consider the possibility that she’ll betray me due to her misandry after breaking the promise or turning into a slave.
I don’t need to worry about the possibility of her betraying me due to her misandry now that she’s fallen into slavery.
This is a kind world that adheres too well to what people have said.
Just look at Olivia…
Damn. It still sucks thinking about it.
“…If I win, I’ll free the princess in return.”
“Ah, of course. I’ll set the time. Two weeks from now.”
“Do as you please.”
With those final words, Nishizawa Eri quickly left, as if she didn’t want to say another word.
She’ll regret it.
But that’s not my concern.
I resume my steps.
It’s really time to sleep now.
It’s because of the lady.
On my way back to the dormitory.
Nishizawa Eri clenched her teeth and trembled her hands.
‘Disgusting…’
Since being abused by my now-gone father during my childhood.
Nishizawa Eri has not a single good memory of the male gender.
Whenever she receives the ugly gazes aiming for her body, said to be the top-ranking beautiful girl in the prefecture, she feels like throwing up.
She is sensitive to others’ gazes, so she can tell.
The sticky desires and lustful stares thrown at her by men.
‘They’re all the same.’
To borrow Kim Deok-Sung’s words, no man could resist her beauty, which is at the level of ‘extreme plausibility.’
From high-ranking heroes to students and ordinary people.
Every man harbored the desire to covet her.
The only difference is whether that desire is openly displayed or concealed.
And it doesn’t stop there.
In this world, she was judged solely by her appearance.
Even when she ranked third in the entrance exam or recorded an A-rank suitability.
The media, the world, and the men only focused on her looks, not her abilities.
Top-ranked beautiful girl in the prefecture, Japan’s top beauty, galaxy-ranked beauty, the school’s idol, and so on.
‘I feel like throwing up.’
Nishizawa had an extreme hatred for the way the world viewed her only as an object of desire, not as a hero.
Her extraordinary beauty felt like a curse to her.
She’s been exposed to all the dirtiness of the world.
But Kim Deok-Sung was undoubtedly the worst among all the men she had ever met.
‘How could he accept such a proposal without a moment’s hesitation?’
Nishizawa felt chills all over her body.
Just recalling what happened makes it feel like maggots are crawling on her skin.
Even though he’s a lowly man driven by desire, there are societal norms in place.
If she had made such a proposal outright, it would be expected and polite to refuse it at least once.
Had he declined, she might have briefly reconsidered him, even if just a little.
But Kim Deok-Sung chose the worst course of action.
‘The lowest, the worst, a beast, trash…!’
Just remembering his gaze sends chills down her spine.
Kim Deok-Sung sees women only as objects of desire.
What kind of fate has the fallen Olivia, now his personal servant, endured…?
It’s so disgusting that she can hardly bear to think about it.
Nishizawa bites her lip.
‘So the princess’s words back then weren’t sincere after all.’
In the classroom after school.
She recalls the memories of conversing in the same space as her idol, Olivia.
The incomprehensible words Olivia once uttered.
But now Nishizawa can understand the hidden meaning behind them.
‘I, too, thought that abuse was normal in my childhood.’
The so-called Stockholm syndrome.
Unfortunately, her idol might have reached a level where she thinks being abused is just the norm.
Because she used to be like that too.
Nishizawa mutters in a low voice.
“…I will definitely save you, princess.”
Whoosh.
A chilly spring night breeze wraps around her body.
“Damn it!”
*
At the same time.
Olivia’s dormitory.
While enjoying a midnight tea time on the terrace overlooking the cherry blossom-filled campus as usual, Olivia shouts at her phone.
“Not a single word from him until the end! He truly has no manners whatsoever!”
Her hand holding the phone trembles uncontrollably.
That’s because Kim Deok-Sung really hasn’t contacted her all day.
Olivia’s face flushes with frustration.
“Ugh….”
A groan escapes her lips.
It’s simply because she can’t stop thinking about Kim Deok-Sung.
If he had just ordered her around for an archaeological expedition like yesterday, she might not feel this worried.
But this level of perfect indifference?
“I can’t believe it. It’s a series of shocks!”
This is something she has never experienced, not in her home country of France, nor in the far eastern island nation of Japan.
Since childhood, she has been treated with the respect and attention befitting her status as the heir of the Black Prince and the top asset of mighty France, a princess.
Wherever she went, people flocked around her, and each and every move of hers drew attention.
‘Even coming from a distant island nation like Japan, my standing has remained unshaken.’
Japan, a global hero power said to be on par with the United States.
She is the top entrance exam student at Shuo Hero Academy, Japan’s premier hero training institution.
It is unprecedented for a foreign student to excel in the entrance exams in the history of Shuo Hero Academy.
On top of that, with her dazzling beauty and status as a princess of France, she had already become famous enough to warrant the establishment of the Olivia Fan Club’s Far East branch in Japan.
“So, ignoring me is simply unacceptable!”
It’s the first time she has been so blatantly disregarded.
Just then, while Olivia trembles in frustration.
“Your Highness. Do you have any concerns?”
A calm voice reaches her ears.
It’s her personal maid, Bella.
“T-th-that’s, uh… nothing at all!”
Olivia shakes her head.
Bella is not just her maid; she’s like a sister.
Even the not-so-honest Olivia feels she can be a bit more sincere around Bella and trusts her.
But this time, she doesn’t want to reveal her inner thoughts.
It’s embarrassing to admit that she’s bothered by Kim Deok-Sung, and ultimately, her concern ties into the passing down of the visionary skill, the White Flame Sword Style.
Olivia still hasn’t made a decision about his proposal.
Seeing her lady’s troubled expression, a faint smile appears on Bella’s lips.
“Seems your Master hasn’t contacted you yet, Your Highness.”
Olivia is startled by Bella’s words.
“H-how the heck did you know that, Bella…?”
“I’m your personal maid, after all. I can sense your worries even with my eyes closed.”
Olivia falls silent at Bella’s reply.
She recalls a few instances where Bella had somehow sensed things, like when she was just curious about hamburgers and ended up being led to a fast-food place as if Bella had a sixth sense.
She really can’t win against Bella.
“Your Highness, did you know?”
“What, what is it?”
“Shinozaki has arranged a duel with your Master.”
“W-wait a second! Why in the world would Shinozaki arrange a duel with that fool?!”
Startled by Bella’s casual comment, Olivia yells out loud.
She knows Shinozaki Rin well.
She was her opponent during the entrance exam and is the daughter of the prestigious Shinozaki clan in Japan.
