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"Too bad, Prince Julius, your ambitions were short-lived," she taunted.

I remained silent, my gaze fixed on the wooden floor.

"I was hoping you\'d put up more of a fight. Oh well," she continued. "I should thank you for taking care of those pests for me. But who the hell was that boy? How could he absorb all of your skills like that?"

That was the burning question indeed. Who was that guy, and how could he pull off such a feat? No matter how much I pondered it, there seemed to be no answer.

After the commander left me, a young boy suddenly appeared before me.

"Hey there, Prince," he said with a chilling grin. "Seems like you\'re in a bit of a pickle. But no worries. If you fail at the King\'s Game, there\'s another route to the throne."

With that, he laid out his next plan for me.

***

Leon\'s POV

It was official: there were no other contestants left on the island besides us. The survivors included me, Princess Myrcella, Johanne, Hertrude, Shredica, and Hereon.

Shredica and Hereon emerged from Prince Julius\'s nuclear-like blast unscathed, which was nothing short of astonishing. Shredica revealed that they sought refuge underwater as the explosion\'s shockwave approached. I couldn\'t fathom how they managed to survive. I mean, taking cover underwater doesn\'t typically shield you from the devastation of a nuclear explosion, does it?

The shockwave from the explosion hitting the water meant trouble. In normal science, water being relatively non-compressible would crush you with its force. It\'d act like a compression wave, destroying your organs. Being underwater during an explosion would likely be more lethal than being above water.

It\'s weird that it didn\'t happen that way, but I\'m kinda relieved Shredica made it out alive, even though it defies logic.

Sadly, one of our team members had died. Harold got burnt to a crisp, his corpse teleported to the Church along with the others who perished in the blast. I said "sadly," but truth be told, I didn\'t really care about Harold. He didn\'t do anything to earn my sympathy, so whether he lived or died was irrelevant to me.

However, the death of an academy student would undoubtedly tarnish the academy\'s reputation.

"As promised, we\'re bowing out of the game and allowing you to claim the prize," Princess Myrcella declared.

The game was still ongoing, as only one winner could emerge. It would persist until there was just one left on the island. Princess Myrcella had vowed to withdraw once she thwarted her brother, Julius, from winning. With that goal accomplished, she and Johanne were opting out of the game altogether.

"I... I\'ll also bow out," Hertrude announced. She had her own agenda in this game—to protect Princess Myrcella. She aimed to alter a certain future where Princess Myrcella met her demise. Despite her efforts, the future she foresaw hadn\'t been averted. Fortunately, it turned out that the person Hertrude saw on the vision wasn\'t actually the Princess all along.

This revelation highlighted the limitations of Hertrude\'s Clairvoyance skill—it could only reveal fragments, not the whole picture.

With that, three of us had decided to withdraw from the game. I raised my hand and added, "Count me out too."

Princess Myrcella looked surprised. "Are you sure about this, Leon? Don\'t you have something you desire?"

"I\'m not particularly after anything," I replied. The sole reason I joined this venture was to assist Shredica. There was nothing more to it.

"Is that so?" Princess Myrcella still looked puzzled, but she flashed a smile. "Well then, would you mind accompanying us somewhere? I\'d like to have a private chat with you."

"Sure," I agreed. It seemed like she wanted to inquire about how I managed to thwart Julius. Well, I couldn\'t blame her for being curious.

I followed the Princess and her knight to a secluded spot where no one could overhear us. Once we were alone, the Princess broke the silence.

"I want to express my gratitude to you, Leon, for stopping Julius. Without your intervention, I fear I wouldn\'t have been able to halt his plans," she confessed.

"Are you more concerned about that than how I took him down?" I inquired.

"Well, it\'s not like I\'m not curious about your true skill, but considering that you\'ve been hiding it for so long, I figure you must have your reasons, so I won\'t pry," the Princess remarked.

"I see," I responded. "I appreciate that."

The Princess smiled at me before continuing, "Well then, may I make a request? Feel free to decline. I won\'t pressure you into accepting it."

"What is it?" I inquired.

The Princess turned to Johanne. "I\'d like you to engage in a no-holds-barred duel with Johanne, giving it your all. Are you up for it?"

I had no clue what prompted this sudden request. I glanced at Johanne, who wore a serious expression. Was he angry with me for concealing my strength? But that didn\'t make sense. I wasn\'t particularly close to Johanne.

"Please, Leon," Johanne urged. "Agree to the duel."

It seemed he was adamant about facing off against me. Then it hit me—I could best Johanne, and his first step toward submission was losing a duel. Was fate orchestrating events to facilitate my dominance over Johanne? Not that I had any intention of dominating him; that much was a given. He\'s a guy, and I wasn\'t interested in adding a guy to my harem. Why was my route veering into yaoi territory?

It\'s not like I found it repulsive, but it wasn\'t my cup of tea either.

I couldn\'t handle the thought of two handsome men locking lips. And I certainly couldn\'t bring myself to engage in yaoi activities either. However, I didn\'t want to reject his challenge for a duel. He wanted something from me, and if agreeing to this duel fulfilled one of his requirements, then so be it.

As long as I didn\'t entertain any more of his requirements, there was no chance of him being dominated.

The fujoshis weren\'t going to have a field day with this one.

"Alright, Johanne," I conceded. "I\'ll take you up on that duel."

Preparations for the duel commenced as soon as I agreed. Johanne and I positioned ourselves five feet apart. I had already summoned a mana sword, while Johanne stared at me with unwavering determination—a look I hadn\'t seen from him before.

He held his sword diagonally, a stance I\'d never witnessed before. It resembled the stance of someone well-versed in multiple sword styles. If I recalled correctly, Johanne was the son of the Sword Saint, explaining his exceptional swordsmanship.

"The duel will commence once I give the signal," the Princess declared. "The objective is to disarm your opponent or land a critical hit. Killing is strictly prohibited. If I sense the duel taking a dangerous turn, I\'ll intervene, even if there\'s no clear victor yet. Skills are off-limits for Johanne, as Leon possesses none. Only blade work and magic are permitted.

Are you both prepared?"

"I\'m ready," Johanne affirmed.

I, however, remained silent.

"What\'s on your mind, Leon?" inquired the Princess.

"It just doesn\'t sit right with me that skills are off-limits, Princess," I replied. "You mentioned no-holds-barred, right? Then I urge you to remove the restriction on Johanne using his skill. If he refrains from using his skill during a duel, it implies he\'s not taking his opponent seriously.

I\'m not suggesting that Johanne wouldn\'t take me seriously, but I dislike the notion of him holding back just because I lack any skills."

The Princess appeared taken aback. "Are you certain about this, Leon? If Johanne slips up even slightly, he could end up injuring you severely."

"I\'m willing to take that risk," I affirmed. "Besides, in a duel where killing is prohibited, accidents are bound to occur."

"Are you absolutely certain about this, Leon?" Johanne\'s voice carried concern this time.

"Don\'t worry, I\'ll manage," I reassured him. As I spoke, I could swear I saw his pupils dilate slightly.

The Princess turned her attention to Johanne, who met her gaze and nodded. story-at-NovelBin

"Very well, if you both insist, I\'ll lift the restriction on Johanne using his skill," the Princess announced. "However, the prohibition against killing remains in place. Now, are you both ready?"

"Absolutely," Johanne affirmed.

"Definitely," I echoed, confirming my readiness as well.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as our gazes locked. Despite myself, I felt a surge of excitement. It was a rare opportunity to duel someone with such formidable sword skills. The five-foot gap between us seemed to shrink gradually. Every movement as we adjusted our stances felt agonizingly slow. I could hear the Princess\'s breath, as well as my own heartbeat.

The grip on his sword tightened, while the mana coalescing in my mana sword grew more concentrated.

The Princess, acting as the referee, raised her hand and glanced at both of us.

"Now then, begin!" she announced, bringing her hand down.

With that cue, we both dashed forward.