Chapter 69 69: Cold (4)

I couldn't ever let down my guard. Not until I was certain that the Protagonist had identified me as her one and only 「target of interest」. No, beyond that, even if I was the only 「target of interest」 remaining, the only person left who she felt was the one to be with, there yet remained the need to have the Protagonist disclose her hidden power to me. Fortunately, excluding the four 「targets of interest」 I already met a while back, there hadn't seemed to be any others for me to worry about. I have done extensive investigation to ensure that I was not mistaken in this, so I'm relatively confident. I think it made sense to assume there was no secret fifth 「target of interest」 for now as the Contract Difficulty is only 3-star. Or well, the fifth love interest is me, so I guess no sixth would be correct. In any case, one of the most important priorities to have right now is to make sure none of the other 「targets of interest」 catch the eye of the Protagonist too much. If they grab her attention and draw it away from me, I'll be placed at a disadvantage. Currently, I can say with confidence that I'm the closest to her out of everyone, but since that can always change at a moment's notice, I can't afford to relax. All it would take, is but a single 「scene」. Mikhael Avalon, the young Saint who lives and works 24/7 in the Sunlit Temple, is the lowest threat out of the four. Ever since I met him, he's seemed to think of me as a kind of apostle for the Winter Goddess, and because of that, listened diligently to everything I had to say. Honestly, though it was awkward to say the least, I couldn't be more grateful for it. I could easily imagine him being a tough opponent to beat with that extraordinary healing power if the Black Wisp failed to take him out in one go, and it would be hard to isolate him inside that faith-filled Sunlit Temple to begin with. Well, I also just think it might be a bad idea to kill someone inside a temple that houses three deities. In any case, so long as nothing unexpected occurs, I shouldn't have to worry about him. Next up, Joádin Lomaziere, the so-called Apprentice of the Mage's Tower. He's the other guy I warned to stay away from the Protagonist, and although I haven't caught so much as a glimpse of his hair since we first met, I've taken it as evidence that he took that warning to heart. Again, I'm thankful I don't have to worry as much about him since he's a mage―I've seen only a little bit of magic since living here, but to be honest, I don't think there's a whole lot I'd be able to do if I had to fight against it. Unlike in the first and second Contracts, magic here didn't seem to require incantations to be cast, so it would really be dangerous for me. After all, there's only so much an ordinary person like me can do against a flying fireball or torrent of spears made out of ice; the only reliable weapon I have is the Black Wisp, so I would have to do my best to dodge and fire back right away. Anyway, those two 'toughest opponents' were, luckily, the least of my concerns. The other two, the little prince and the fiery red-head, were very much infatuated with the Protagonist, and this has only become more evident with the passing of time. I've scarcely interacted with them since our first encounters, but to be frank, they really are bastards. Particularly the little prince. I'll need more time to think of a plan to counter the prince's obsession with the Protagonist, but in the meantime, I can still take action for the other guy. Kran Vyckard. I didn't expect it when I first saw him because he didn't really look like he had anything special about him, but according to Lucretia, that guy was the son of the Imperial Military's Marshal, or Head Commander. That's why he was pretty well-built compared to all the other students, I guess. So, as it turned out, everyone vying for the Protagonist's love actually had quite the prospective background. Except for me, of course. Regardless, like I thought when I first saw him, I knew words would never work to make him back down. I'm sure killing him would be no tall task, but doing that brings far too much risk when there are still almost two months left until the ball. 'Then, what should I do? If words don't work and force doesn't work, aren't I completely out of luck...?' Ordinarily, that might be the case. However, as it turned out... I didn't have to do anything at all. "―You, northern bastard. Stay away from Miss Ayla." Unexpectedly, in the middle of lunch in the Academy's cafeteria, the bull approached with that sort of vicious tone. "Kran Vyckard. You seem to be out of your right mind, ordering around my personal attendant as you please. Have you no manners? Know your place. If you believe you have business with what is my property, ask respectfully for the master's permission like a proper noble. And before you do, no, you do not have such permission." "Tsk... Lady, I don't have time for this. Let me speak with that dog of yours at once. Or what, are you involved in this too? No, you must be. Someone underhanded like you..." I must say, I didn't know why he was acting like this all of a sudden when I've barely ever spoken to him before, but realising that he was mad about my recent over-familiar interactions with the Protagonist, it was an opportunity I wouldn't let slip. "My Lady. May I?" "Speak." Lucretia still wasn't aware of all the nonsensical stuff regarding 「targets of interest」 or anything like that, so she would naturally have no clue why Kran was acting like this too. Sure, she must have also picked up on his mention of the Protagonist, but she wouldn't question it. She trusts me, and she knows I'll handle everything surrounding the Protagonist even if she doesn't tell me to. This guy wasn't her problem to deal with in the first place. "Hey. What's your problem, huh?" "'My problem'?! That's what I should be asking you! Who do you think you are to mess around with my... my friend, huh?! I bet you're the one making her miss so many classes recently, too, isn't that right!? It's all your fault!" Seeing him yell and spit viciously at me, I stared back at him with indifference. "'Your friend'? That's rich. Oh, yeah, Ayla loves hanging around me so much that she's even willing to skip classes! Does it make you mad? What are you gonna do about it?" After I said that in an excessively derisive tone, it was as if a blood vessel burst in his head to match his face to his hair. "You...! Duel me!" Suddenly, something I hadn't yet heard about was proposed. '...What? Duel?' "Heh. Scared? You're a bodyguard, aren't you? Then that freakish sword you carry mustn't only be a decoration. Fight me." I was about to instinctively respond with something along the lines of 'why should I?', but stopped myself. Indeed, it felt far too much like a cliché, but... Wasn't this actually perfect? If I beat this guy, might he actually be too ashamed to show his face around the Protagonist? It was a bit of a gamble, but I could definitely see it working. Whatever the chances, it seemed to be my best bet to obstruct the advancement of his 'route'. "Sure." With that in mind, I put on a smile. "Whoever loses keeps their distance from Ayla for the rest of the year. Agreed?" How long was there left in the year, two-and-a-half months at most? It wasn't a tremendous stake, but at the end of the day, I only needed him to be out of the competition until the ball on Lucretia's birthday, which happened to occur on the Winter Solstice. Also, if it's like this, he'll be more likely to comply when he loses. "Hah. It's funny you say only until the end of the year. Are you that terrified of losing? Well, whatever. Fine. I accept those terms." Like that, without responding to his provocation, we shook hands to consolidate the agreement. All the whilst I clocked Lucretia staring at me, evidently baffled.