Chapter 40

Not understanding what Dion was saying, I could only stand there in a daze.

Then, as if misunderstanding something, Dion continued to speak.

“Didn’t you understand what I just said? Shuna is more suited to be my servant. To prove this, we should have a duel, and if you lose to me, you should gracefully give her to me—this is what I’m saying!”

“…………”

Yeah, no matter how many times you say it, I still don’t understand.

Glancing sideways at Shuna, I saw that she also had a puzzled expression.

Still, I couldn’t just leave it at that.

After taking a deep breath, I turned to face Dion.

“Dion, calm down. Even you should understand that such nonsense won’t work—”

“Shut up, you incompetent fool!”

Dion cut me off. Anger was evident in his eyes.

He took a step forward, pointed at me, and continued.

“You have the [Void Emblem], right? How can someone with such a useless emblem challenge me, who has the [All Emblem]? You should just nod and agree quietly!”

Dion puffed out his chest and looked down at me with a haughty attitude.

“There’s no way someone as incompetent as you can have an excellent person like Shuna as a servant. She must have been deceived; she doesn’t know your true nature. Oh, how pitiful.”

Dion continued with a sneer.

“Even an incompetent person like you should understand that this situation is wrong, right? I am the one who is worthy of her! You should understand your position and step down gracefully!”

“……You”

His absurd words were pushing me to my limit.

Just as I was thinking about how to make him see his mistake, an unexpected voice rang out.

“Master Dion”

The clear voice belonged to Shuna, who was standing next to me.

In a calm but strong tone, she continued.

“Zeros is not the kind of person you think. You just don’t understand him.”

“Huh!”

Dion was speechless, clearly not expecting Shuna to oppose him.

To such a Dion, she declared firmly.

“Zeros is a kind-hearted person, and that’s why I want to be with him. Besides, Zeros won’t lose to you in terms of strength either!”

“……Shuna”

Her cry resonated deep within me.

Even though she forgot to use honorifics, it made me believe even more that she was speaking from the heart.

Seeing her like this, I made up my mind.

Until now, I had tried to talk Dion down to avoid a troublesome situation, but now that things had come to this, it was different.

I wasn’t patient enough to remain calm after seeing Shuna like this.

“……Haha”

Dion showed a surprised expression for a moment but then burst into laughter.

He then turned to Shuna with a smug look and said,

“Hahaha! It seems you have a good eye after all. Or did Zeros talk you into it? Fine, when you become my servant, I’ll personally correct that mistake—”

“Shut up, Dion”

“――――”

I said it in a low, cold voice.

At that moment, the room’s atmosphere froze.

Dion, speechless, stared at me, and I could see the fear in his eyes.

A few seconds later, Dion, as if coming to his senses, said,

“W-What, you incompetent fool, you’re getting quite cocky. Are you willing to duel for Shuna?”

I looked at Dion with a cold gaze.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have the right to put Shuna on the line. Shuna is a respectable person. Only she can decide her actions. Even if she is supposed to become my servant in the future, that won’t change.”

“Zeros……”

Gratitude was evident in Shuna’s voice.

On the other hand, Dion took a step back as if pushed.

I continued,

“But if we exclude Shuna, I’m willing to accept the duel.”

“What? Without anything to bet on?”

“No, we have the most important thing to bet on—dignity. If you think I’m not worthy of Shuna, prove it through the duel.”

Dion’s eyes sparkled at my proposal.

“Ha, I see! Not a bad proposal from Zeros! But it would be boring to bet only on that…”

“Then how about this? The loser apologizes sincerely to the winner, admitting they were wrong.”

“Hmph, fine. I look forward to seeing you grovel on the ground.”

And so, Dion and I agreed to a duel.

Shuna had a worried expression, but I could also feel her strong gaze of trust.

Seeing her like this, I reaffirmed my resolve.

(Well, let’s see who really doesn’t know their place.)

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