I Was Reincarnated as the Most Wicked Aristocrat Who Rules Over the Kingdom’s Darkness in an R-18 Eroge, but I Don’t Like Abnormal Situations, so I Tried to Live a Normal and Peaceful Life, but I’m Somehow in the Same Situation as the Original Scenario - Chapter 25 - A Battle of Fate

Chapter 25 – A Battle of Fate

In the center of the arena set up in the academy, standing squarely in the middle of the stage, I was under the gaze of all eyes.

As the Rank Match was a big event for the students, the enthusiasm was truly incredible.

As the eardrum-splitting cheers rang out without pause…

I let out the darkness that was filling my heart.

“How did it come to this…”

The fact that I was participating was fine.

I’d try to resist the attention of the students.

But…

Of all people, why her…

Why Cecil…

“Haha. Let’s both do our best, Alvart-kun.”

The smile on her androgynous beauty was as shallow as ever.

…It’s true that I had intended to stand on this stage against her someday.

The final stage of my plan was to lose a match against Cecil and force my number one position onto her.

However, to achieve this, I need a convincing explanation for my defeat.

If I spread the word about Cecil’s abilities and everyone recognized her as a strong opponent, then a defeat under those circumstances would surely be accepted by all.

However…

If I lost at this stage, very few people would be satisfied with the outcome.

No doubt people would think there was something behind it or read too much into it.

Should I rather aim for victory this time?

Yes.

That sounds good.

Win the first match, lose the second.

That would make a great storyline. However…

“Oh? You seem a bit more motivated, Alvart-kun… but you know…”

Although the reason for it is unclear, right now——

“I’m getting pretty excited too♪”

——An immense sense of intimidation is emanating from Cecil.

Just as you’d expect from the Grim Reaper.

Her pressure took away all the enthusiasm from the audience and brought silence to the venue.

“…Clarice-sama, please declare the start of the match.”

I urged Clarice, who was the referee and facilitator.

“Y-yes. Well then, begin!”

A microphone-like magical tool acted as a loudspeaker, making Clarice’s voice reverberate throughout the venue.

In that moment,

“Let’s start with a warm-up.”

With a bright smile, Cecil unleashed her first move.

Probably few in the audience were able to accurately recognize the attack she had unleashed.

It was a completely invisible onslaught.

Invisible blades of wind swarmed towards me like hail.

In response, I remained motionless.

Due to the power of my supernatural power, Adaptation, all of the approaching wind blades disappeared.

Choosing that timing, I unleashed “Fireball.”

It was my usual magic.

However, this time, tens of thousands of fireballs were manifested at the same time.

A massive swarm of fireballs filled the void.

But Cecil didn’t show the slightest bit of panic.

“Come on, Alvart-kun.”

“Don’t die on me, Cecil-kun.”

I pointed the direction with the index finger of my right hand and… fired.

It was a ridiculous amount of fireballs, but Cecil dodged them with nimble movements.

…It was a really intriguing movement.

In this battle, I might be able to grasp the truth about her.

Yes, that’s it.

I’m sure I’m getting closer to the truth of why Alvart lost in the original story.

“…Unarmed, huh? I’ll take you on.”

Narrowly dodging the incoming fireballs, Cecil clenched her fists and approached me.

Then——

“——Raaahh!!”

She attempted to overpower me with her rough martial arts.

…This too was an intriguing movement.

It didn’t seem very strange.

In fact, from the beginning until now, it had been like this.

Cecil’s movements generally felt like a complete copy of someone else’s.

…I see.

It’s possible that she——

“Thinking during a fight! You seem quite relaxed!”

Cecil’s fist hit me on the cheek.

However, that was a deliberate hit taken on my part.

At the same time that she made contact with my face, I also kicked her in the shin.

…That was the first strike.

Thanks to my power of Adaptation, Cecil’s defensive ability is now practically nonexistent.

If she got hit with a second blow, it would be the end of our match.

…She probably understands that too.

That’s precisely why… That first exchange was intentionally taken on her part.

“…What are you thinking, Cecil-kun?”

“…I wonder? What could it be, Alvart-kun~?”

As expected, she’s frightening. I can’t read her thoughts at all.

Well, at least for now…

“Fireball.”

“That again, huh!”

After that, the match took many twists and turns, when finally——

“Argh!”

One of my fireballs grazed Cecil’s right arm.

This was the second hit.

Cecil was no longer able to use magic unless I gave her permission.

If that was the case, there was no point in continuing any further.

She seemed to understand that herself.

“——I give up, I give up. It’s my loss.”

She raised one hand and declared that she gave up.

At that moment, the students who had been watching finally began to speak.

“What the… What on earth did those two just show us?!”

“That was so ridiculous that I can’t even comprehend it…!”

“It’s insane… Seriously, they’re insane.”

Praise was showered down on me.

…Under normal circumstances, I would have felt some emotion.

But right now, I couldn’t hear anyone’s voices.

My attention was completely focused on Cecil leaving the stage.

…It was surely not just my imagination.

That second hit, which grazed her right arm…

It did absolutely no damage to Cecil’s body.

◇

After the Rank Matches, my status had been pushed even higher.

Something like an Alvart Fan Club had been set up, and when I walked through the dorms, many of the people I passed gave me exaggerated greetings.

…Honestly, it’s tough.

I wanted to quickly finish laying the groundwork, lose the second battle against Cecil, and hand everything over to her.

“Alvart! What a good morning again today!”

It was the usual morning scene during school, but… There was one big strange thing.

“Miss Elise. Where is Cecil-kun?”

“Ah, about that. You see…”

The next words she spoke only amplified the strange feeling I had inside.

“I couldn’t find him.”

With a strange sense of foreboding, we entered the classroom.

Then…

“Well then… Before homeroom begins, there’s something I need to tell you.”

The teacher in charge, Rinslet, stood at the podium.

A hint of confusion was plastered on her beautiful face.

The moment I saw that, I was certain.

The next thing she would say was,

“Just this morning, we found——Cecil Imitation’s body.”

◇

T/N: Nah… There’s no way she just dies like that man…