I Was Just a Losing Jail Guard, but When I Was Kind to the Captured Heroines, the Game’s Story Fell Apart. - Chapter 11: The Losing Jail Guard Pumps His Fist

Chapter 11: The Losing Jail Guard Pumps His Fist

“You actually showed up instead of running away!!”

A few days later.

I found myself in the Demon Lord’s castle arena, facing off against Laecia.

As always, Laecia was dressed in something… wild.

But the giant scythe in her hands was way more intimidating. It was bigger than she was and radiated an overwhelming pressure.

Meanwhile, I was in my usual light gear, the same I wore when I went hunting, and holding my trusty slingshot.

My pouch was packed with carefully chosen stones, the perfect shape for shooting. At least I didn’t have to worry about running out of ammo… I hope.

But there was something even more concerning.

“…That’s quite a crowd you gathered.”

“Of course! Who wouldn’t want to watch me fight?!”

The arena was packed with spectators.

Well, Laecia was a beautiful girl, and more importantly, she was strong enough to be one of Lucifelle’s top aides.

A lot of demons wanted to see her in action.

“If I win, you’ll stay away from Her Highness Lucifelle forever. You’ll promise me that, right?!”

“Sure. But if I win, you’ll promise to never waste food again.”

The winner of the duel got to make the loser follow their demands. That’s how things worked here.

Since we’d be using a contract spell, neither of us could break the promise.

“Now then, Your Highness, please watch me defeat this lowly jail guard!”

Laecia bowed toward Lucifelle, who was seated in the fancy, elevated spectator box overlooking the arena.

By the way, Lucifelle was casually munching on the potato chips I made for her.

She was completely in spectator mode.

“Hmm, both of you, don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Yes!! I will live up to your expectations, Your Highness!!”

And with that, the duel began.

Laecia was the first to move, charging at me with blinding speed.

She was really fast.

In the blink of an eye, her massive scythe was already swinging for my neck.

She was seriously trying to kill me.

At the very last second, I twisted my body and dodged the blade just as it was about to slice into my neck.

If I’d been a second slower, my head and body would’ve been saying goodbye.

“Whoa, that was close!?”

“Hmph. So, even a low-level demon can dodge a little.”

“…”

She followed up with a relentless barrage of attacks.

And the scary part? It didn’t seem like Laecia was even trying. She was completely toying with me.

…She was really underestimating me.

I reached into a different pouch —not the one with my slingshot ammo— and pulled out a palm-sized orb.

Then, I slammed it onto the ground.

“A smoke bomb!?”

Laecia was right. I’d just used a disposable magic tool that created a smokescreen.

I had asked Elette to make it for me.

“What a cheap trick!! Do you think something like this could actually work on—”

“Yeah, probably not.”

“!?”

I used the smokescreen to sneak around behind Laecia and fired my slingshot.

I aimed for her head.

For a normal person, that would’ve been enough to crack their skull and splatter their brains everywhere. But Laecia was a top officer in the Demon Lord’s army.

Even if she took a direct hit, she wouldn’t die.

“Gah!? W-What was that!?”

She had no idea what just hit her.

Good. While she was still confused, I kept up the pressure.

I ran around, changing positions, firing stones at her with the slingshot.

This was my strategy —keep chipping away at her bit by bit.

Yeah, it felt a bit sneaky, but this was a legit tactic for weak demons like me when facing stronger opponents.

There’s an old saying: Winners are heroes, losers are villains.

As long as I win, that’s all that matters!

“Ugh, this is getting annoying!!”

Frustrated, Laecia swung her giant scythe, creating a gust of wind that blew away the smokescreen.

In an instant, she spotted me.

I must’ve really gotten on her nerves with my hit-and-run tactics.

Laecia raised her scythe high, ready to strike.

“Guh!?”

“Serves you right!! I’m not holding back anymore!!”

She skillfully swung her scythe, slicing me up bit by bit like she was playing with her food.

It hurt. A lot.

Even so, I barely managed to avoid a fatal blow and put some distance between us.

“My, you’re already falling apart, and the fight has just begun. Wasn’t it you who said you’d beat me to a pulp?”

“Wow, starting with the taunts already? I guess the ‘Mighty’ Demon Army Officer is good at trash talk too.”

“…You just can’t shut up, can you?”

“Yikes, lame comebacks. Maybe work on your vocabulary a bit?”

Laecia’s face twisted with even more frustration.

While she was distracted, I reached into my pouch and pulled out a small bottle. I gulped it down in one go.

Honestly, I didn’t want to use this, but…

Let’s face it, a low-level jail guard like me wasn’t cut out to fight a top officer of the Demon Lord’s army.

So, if I wanted to win, I had to use everything I had.

“Heh.”

“…What was that?”

“Hehehe, ahaha!! Oh yeah, it’s kicking in!! My mind’s so clear now!! I feel like I can do anything!! This is the BEST high ever!!”

What I drank was a special potion Elette made for me earlier.

My energy levels skyrocketed. I felt amazing.

“W-What did you just drink? You seem like a completely different person…”

“Who cares, you dumb twin-tails?! All I wanna do is teach you to respect food!!”

“!?”

I dashed forward with a knife in hand, charging straight at Laecia.

She looked shocked that I, who had been keeping my distance until now, was suddenly closing in on her.

Laecia tried to deflect my knife with her giant scythe, but that left her wide open.

I slipped in close, aimed my slingshot right under her chin, and fired at point-blank range.

“Gah!?”

Her eyes rolled back for a second. That probably gave her a mild concussion.

This is my chance!!

I slipped behind Laecia and wrapped my arm around her neck.

“Hyahaa!! Choke sleeper time!! Get ready!! When you wake up, you’re gonna eat so much of my cooking you’ll wanna die!!”

“Agu… ugi…”

And just like that, I choked Laecia out.

The audience stared, completely stunned. Lucifelle casually munched on her potato chips.

I pumped my fist in victory.

“I win!!”

It was all thanks to Elette’s slingshot, smoke bomb, and potion.

Huh? You’re saying I relied too much on Elette’s gadgets?

Hahaha, let’s not get bogged down with facts. All that matters is that I won!

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[Afterword]

A Random Tidbit

Author: “This protagonist is scary when he’s high.”

L: “You’re the one writing this…”

If you thought, “Winning is all that matters,” or “He’s high again…” or even “Pretty sure the author’s the one who’s high,” please leave a comment, bookmark, give a ★ rating, or write a review!