The Ugly Orc Strikes Back ~ Reincarnated as the Cruel Crown Prince of a Twisted Doujin Eroge with No Happy Endings, But as an Inexperienced Guy, Cruel Play is a Hopeless Challenge, So I'll Give My Best to Break the Flags and Strive for Survival ~ - Chapter 20: The Challenge of a Duel

Chapter 20: The Challenge of a Duel

“Your Highness Ludwig! You disappoint me!”

There’s a muscle-head heroine who recklessly charges in without thinking, right here in this academy…

Pushing through the crowd, Ophelia appeared before us.

“P-Please calm down. What brings you here, of all people?”

“What brings me here? I heard it! You… no, you bastard insulted Princess Sophia, who went to address the matter on the night of the ball, and you attempted to defile her!”

“Haaaa!?”

I screamed in response to Ophelia’s words.

If it were the Ludwig from the game, I could understand, but why me!? And with a woman like her?!

“T-this must be a mistake! I haven’t seen her or anything since the incident at the ball!”

“Don’t lie! Her attendant, Thomas, said that if he hadn’t noticed and intervened, who knows what would have happened!”

Thomas, her attendant… I think he was that handsome guy from the same class.

“No, no, I just passed by that Thomas guy in the hallway earlier and only learned about him!”

I actually learned his name just now.

“This is disgraceful… I thought you were not the kind of man rumored about…”

“No, I really haven’t done anything like that! I was with Ilse until morning on that day!”

That’s right! Thanks to being in bed with Ilse, I couldn’t sleep a wink due to nervousness… Wait a minute.

“I knew it…”

“So in the end, that woman was just a plaything, as the rumors say.”

“In that case, it means the other rumors were true too.”

Damn it… Due to my unnecessary comment, it ended up creating even more misunderstandings…

“I-I’ll have you know, I haven’t laid a finger on Ilse! Even on that day, we were just together!”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

Ophelia looked at me with her golden eyes, as if she could see right through me.

Well, even if she could see through me, there’s nothing to be guilty about, so it’s not a problem at all.

“…Very well.”

“Huh!? T-then!”

“Whether your words are true or lies, I will ascertain it with my sword!”

“Why does it have to come to that!?”

Oh gosh! This muscle-head heroine!

I mean, come on, confirming it with a sword? It’s obviously going to be a duel! I know it!

“Hmph. By crossing swords, one can gauge the depths of their opponent’s heart.”

“No, no, no, wait a minute!?”

“What is it?”

As I tried to stop Ophelia, who nodded with her arms crossed, she looked at me suspiciously.

“W-Well, first of all, the difference in strength between me and Your Highness Ophelia is too great! It’s not fair like this!”

“Is that so? Then how about a two-on-one with your attendant, Ilse, included?”

Upon saying that, Ophelia smirked, lifting the corner of her mouth.

Ahaha… She thinks it’s no problem even if it’s the two of us against her.

“If you won’t accept, then what you did is the truth. And your attendant, Ilse, is nothing but a plaything for you, an ‘ugly orc.'”

“!!”

I glared at Ophelia as she provocatively uttered those words.

I’m fine… I’m the lowest of the low, the one who would ravage and destroy the Western nations just like in the game, and humiliate the heroines.

But… I can’t tolerate the fact that she demeaned Ilse.

She’s someone much kinder, purer, and untainted, a wonderful girl who I consider a miracle for being by my side.

That’s why…

“…Fine, I understand.”

“…”

“I, Ludwig von Waldberg, will accept your challenge for a duel! And… I will make you apologize for insulting Ilse, without fail!”

“You said it! Then wait for me at the training grounds after today’s class!”

With that declaration, Ophelia calmly left the scene, as if she had no further business here.

“L-Louie-sama! You don’t have to comply with such a demand…!”

“It’s necessary, Ilse. Otherwise, you’ll be left insulted.”

I used my index finger to cover Ilse’s trembling lips and smiled at her.

That’s right… I just can’t bear to see her suffer unjustly while being by my side.

“Besides, I have no intention of losing to Princess Ophelia. We will win and make her regret ever insulting you.”

“Louie-sama… Louie-sama…”

Ilse clung to my chest, her shoulders trembling.

Thanks to her, my body became stiff with tension, making it impossible to push her away for various reasons.

“That’s why… Let’s win, Ilse.”

“Yes!”

As I looked into her shimmering azure eyes, we nodded to each other with determination.