Chapter 23:

EP 23 - Hero & Lucius vs EVIL(4)

“Let’s make the conditions of the match clear.”

Before I smashed her head in, I decided to establish the rules for ending our duel. If things were left ambiguous, it would be problematic and hard to judge.

Erina seemed to find my meticulous approach to setting the conditions rather petty. She scoffed at the mention of setting the conditions and said.

“Do whatever you want. I’m going to win anyway.”

“Then let's do it this way. Whoever says 'I give up' or loses consciousness loses.”

“Fine. Let’s do this! I’ll make you look like a hungry beggar.”

Erina and I both turned to look at the hero, A.A. He hesitated for a moment, before raising his hand with a sigh. If a fight couldn’t be avoided, the only choice was to accept it. He. understood the harsh truths of this world. And it was clear he had given up trying to stop Erina.

“Then, let the duel between Princess Ahildern Erina and Lord Peta Lucius, begin.”

As A.A. lowered his hand, Erina immediately fired an arrow at my arm. I twisted my body to dodge it, then another transparent arrow flew towards the same location. The figure of the wind spirit appeared faintly behind Erina.

To summon a spirit in a duel—she was definitely shameless. Gripping my mace tighter, I dashed forward and shouted.

“Bless.”

===

[Bless]

Increases the target’s health, attack, defense, and speed.

===

Lucius was a priest. And priests excel in physical attacks and buffs. To put it simply, they're super strong alchemists. With the buff, my body moved forward much lighter. Surprised by the sudden change in speed, Erina hurriedly shot another arrow, putting distance between us.

But my mace easily deflected the arrow, and as soon as I saw the wind arrow coming next, I twisted my body. The arrow still flew in the same direction as Erina's shot. It seemed the wind spirit couldn’t adjust its angle independently.

I was right in front of Erina. She tried to draw another arrow, but my mace was faster. I swung it at the hand holding the bow, and a heavy metallic crushing sound echoed as Erina dropped her weapon.

It should have been enough force to crush her hand along with the bow, but there was some sort of protective barrier in place. The impact sounded far too heavy for a mere strike to the arm. With Erina disarmed, I swung my mace again while she raised her hands to defend herself once more.

Bang!

Even though my mace didn’t physically touch her, the sound of a heavy impact rang out, and Erina collapsed to the ground. She struggled to steady herself, but I didn’t give her a chance. Once more, I put all my strength into a swing.

Crash!

The sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the surroundings. Erina looked at her wrist in shock. It was only then that I noticed her bracelet, shimmering faintly before its light began to fade.

“Sylph!”

Erina cried out in a grief-stricken voice. Judging by her reaction, it was clear she no longer had any means of defense. In other words, it was now time for punishment. �

I grabbed her by the hair, pulling her towards me. She raised her hands, trying to pry my grip from her head. At that moment, I drove my fist into her unguarded stomach.

Thud!

“Guhhh…”

“Erina!”

I heard the panicked voice of A.A. with Erina’s groan buried beneath it.

The heavy impact shook her body. With that single powerful blow, I felt Erina's insides compress under the force. She fell to her knees, retching uncontrollably. I pointed at her and cast a healing spell.

The internal injuries she had just sustained were completely healed, leaving behind only a faint lingering pain. Erina, dazed, stared blankly into space before coming to her senses. I grabbed her hair again, lifting her up. Just like before, she raised her hands to free herself from my grasp.

Kwang!

“Gah… kh

Once again, Erina’s stomach crumpled under my punch. If she were to look at her abdomen now, there was probably a bruise. Feeling an overwhelming nausea, she collapsed to her knees, heaving and choking, unable to catch her breath properly.

I casted another Heal spell.

Though her injuries were mended, the residual pain lingered in her body. Pain like that accumulates, breaking people down bit by bit. It seemed Erina was finally starting to grasp the gravity of her situation—that her reckless provocations could actually lead to her demise. Panic washed over her face as she frantically waved her hands to stop me. The proud elf princess looked completely unrecognizable.

Pride meant nothing in the face of death. Erina desperately shouted at me.

“I, I…”

“Silence.”

===

[Silence]

Silences the target.

===

“Mm… mmph? Mm-mm!”

I had always wondered how the [Silence] status effect was implemented. The moment I cast the spell, Erina’s lips clamped shut. She panicked and clutched her mouth. I spoke in a calm tone.

“So even now, you won’t surrender? Very well. A duel is sacred law. If you refuse to concede, I have no choice but to honor your resolve by delivering even greater pain.”

“Mmmph! Mm-mmph!”

Erina shook her head wildly, trying with all her might to resist. I clenched my fist again and waved it in front of her eyes. Then, delivering a strike slightly less powerful than the last, I drove my fist into her stomach once more.

“Guuuuhmph!”

She rolled on the ground in agony, while clutching her abdomen. Before she could recover, I pulled her upright and landed another punch. The sensation of my fist sinking deep into her stomach was electrifying.

Ppang!

“Ghh... mmph… hhh…”

Erina collapsed to the ground, her eyes nearly rolled back. I cast Heal to ensure her body remained unharmed. In this world, healers are practically omnipotent. As long as someone wasn’t dead and their limbs were intact, they could be restored to near-perfect health.

“Erina. Are you still alive?”

“Guh… kh

Erina raised her head and glared at me. It seemed she had no intention of passing out just yet.

“Stop it, My Lord!”

A.A. couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped in. I shot him an annoyed look, a thought suddenly crossing my mind. If the situation were reversed, and this b*tch smashed my face until I couldn’t even eat, would he have stepped in to stop it? Probably not until I was left a cripple.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘stop,’ Hero? We’re in the middle of a sacred duel.”

“Is the outcome of the duel that important? To treat a woman like this…”

Why wouldn’t it be important, f*cker? I'm threatened to do a naked dogeza! This was why Japanese eroge protagonists were always such insufferable pricks. Always spouting nonsense like, 'Women shouldn’t fight! You shouldn’t hit women!' while building harems of women themselves. Sexist hypocrites!

“Are you trying to tarnish the honor of the duel, Hero? If you let this end unresolved, only bitterness will remain between the princess and me. Is that your intention? To interrupt a duel I’m winning and force your morality onto me—is that how you operate?”

“

“Then step back, Hero. Don’t insult the pride of warriors engaged in a duel.”

“Mm! Mmph!”

Erina shook her head and struggled to her feet. I kicked away the bow she was trying to pick up and grabbed her by the collar, slamming her back onto the ground. A.A. looked like he wanted to stop me but hesitated. If I kept hitting her, the Hero might actually 'heroically' step in, so it was time to wrap this up.

When I pinned Erina to the ground and raised my fist, she reflexively covered her face with both hands. But that wasn’t the right move. It seemed like she hadn’t learned yet. By covering her face, her abdomen was left unprotected—and since her abdomen was open, I drove my fist into it with all my strength.

Bam!

A cloud of dust rose as Erina convulsed on the ground, her whole body writhing while she kept her hands over her face. She couldn’t scream because of [Silence], and with me pinning her down, she couldn’t move properly either. She let out choking gasps, her body twisting as if on the verge of passing out. Finally, she went limp, her entire body collapsing as she lost consciousness.

And with that—

“She's fainted. I win.”

I noticed that Erina's crotch was damp, but I chose to say nothing. A.A. checked on her condition while I cast a healing spell on her. I didn’t bother treating the minor scratches I got during the fight. Was this what they called a pyrrhic victory?

Erina didn’t wake up until the next day. Surprisingly, she accepted her defeat gracefully. I had expected her to say something along the lines of, “You only won because of luck,” or “You used dirty tricks,” but not a single word like that came from her.

Her straightforward reaction caught me off guard.

“A loss is a loss. I apologize for my rudeness. I swore in the name of the Ahildern Kingdom, so I must accept any outcome. That’s what it means to uphold one’s name. As promised, I will leave the Hero’s party and act as proxy for your territory for the time being.”

“Do you think you can handle it properly?”

Erina frowned at my words and replied.

“What do you take the princess of a kingdom for? Can you defeat the Demon King? If A.A. gets hurt, I won’t let it slide. And…”

Erina pulled a small vial from her belongings. Inside the glass container was a rainbow-colored liquid that looked anything but healthy. Pointing to it, she said.

“This is a secret elixir passed down in our kingdom. I stole a bottle before leaving. It can heal any wound and is said to work especially well on men.”

“Why are you giving this to me…?”

“If A.A. gets injured, there’s no way he’d be able to use it on his own. And you are a priest.”

I opened my status window to check the elixir.

===

[Forbidden Elixir]

A recovery potion infused with forbidden techniques.

It is especially effective on men.

===

And so, Erina handed me the Forbidden Elixir. Once it was in my possession, there's no way A.A. would be using this. But what kind of potion was it? I don't remember seeing one like this in the game.

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