The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

Chapter 74: Duel of Determinations

Three days have passed since Aneue came to the mansion.

Today is the day that she would head back. Originally, she was here because she was accompanying the new recruits in their drill. Before she heads back, we have been preparing something.

And finally, yesterday night, a messenger arrived and notified her that they would be returning tomorrow morning.

It’s time for the duel

“H, How is it? Am I good with this?”

“You look fine. Let’s bravely show her your skill.”

“Th, that’s right.”

At the mansion’s courtyard.

Jurgen was preparing his halberd. Of course, it was a practice one but he will be using it in his fight.

His opponent is, of course, Aneue.

We are challenging her to a duel today and make her approve that Jurgen has the minimum amount of skill to court her. That was our aim.

“Judging from the previous conversation, Aneue doesn’t dislike you. Rather, she took quite a liking to you. With that being the case, you only need to show her your power.”

I encourage Jurgen.

The Emperor is also involved in this case.

Whether the marriage will happen or not depends on the result of this duel. However, if he fails here, Jurgen will let this important chance slip away. Perhaps that was on his mind, he is visibly nervous.

He has been trying so hard after all. Even I want him to succeed. Rather, if he doesn’t then I will be troubled.

Concluding Aneue’s marriage will make it easier for me to reel her in as our supporter. Even like this, I am still a cooperator in this succession war, since I am not the directly concerned party, it’s easy to use my father. I do feel sorry that it might make things troublesome for him but I have to use it to my advantage here.

I have to earn my father’s trust somehow.

With that, I and Jurgen have a shared goal.

“You don’t have to win. She will surely approve of you if you show her your power.”

“Yes. She is that kind of person after all.”

When Jurgen says that, footsteps can be heard from the entrance.

The person who appeared with those well-regulated footsteps was Lize-aneue.

Aneue sighed as she saw Jurgen holding his halberd in the middle of the courtyard.

“I thought you would do this since you didn’t come to see me off but…….again?”

“Yes, again. Your Highness.”

“You really never learn.”

Saying so, Aneue receives a practice sword the butler prepared for her.

She swings it a few times to check how it feels and ready herself.

“Come. show me the result of your effort.”

“Yes!”

It was as if they were an instructor and a student.

Thinking that one side is proposing marriage while the other side is turning it down, it made me a little tired.

This pair of man and woman in their twenties shows no shred of romance.

However, since their spark could be hidden anywhere, my job is to light the flame myself.

“Then please start at my signal. If Duke Reinfeld gets a hit in, it will be his victory. Is that alright with you Aneue?”

“I don’t mind. Well, I don’t think it is possible for him though.”

“It isn’t good for Her Excellency the Marshal to be careless against her opponent, isn’t it.

Jurgen shows his unusual provoking smile.

I advised him to provoke her because the gap between their skills is hard to make up for.

Jurgen was reluctant to do this at first but I convinced him of this strategy.

And it worked brilliantly.

“Hou? That’s quite a thing for you to say, isn’t it? To use the word careless against me, it seems you have quite a confidence huh.”

“It’s not confidence. This is simply a reasonable judgment, Your Excellency.”

“Good. if you say that I am careless then prove it. I will fight you with only my non-dominant hand as well.”

Saying so, Lize-aneue switches the sword to her left hand and puts her right hand behind her back.

At that moment, I did a gut pose. It’s my sister who hates losing. I thought that if we provoked her, she would give us some kind of handicap.

No matter how strong she is, fighting with one hand will slow her down even if it’s only a little. It is even better for us since she doesn’t use her dominant hand. The difference in skill between Jurgen and my sister is hard to bridge but this will significantly improve the chance of Jurgen landing a hit on her. If that’s the case then it will be easier for Aneue to approve of Jurgen.

If he could give her a hard fight, she will have no choice but to approve of him. She is not a narrow-minded person who would blame it on the handicap she proposed herself. Well, she still doesn’t give me her sweets though.

“Aneue. Let me confirm this first but if Duke Reinfeld manages to deliver a convincing blow….”

“Of course, I will approve of him. If he has grown that much as a man then I don’t mind becoming his wife.”

She accepted the condition.

I reply to her that I understand and put my right arm between them.

Checking that both of them are ready, I give them the signal.

“Begin!!”

“WOAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!”

Jurgen goes at her with full force from the start.

Aneue doesn’t avoid it and takes it on. Moreover, with her nondominant hand and lighter sword.

It was a loud crash.

Jurgen’s halberd was brilliantly stopped by Aneue.

“What? You only amount to this much?”

“No way. I thought that you would receive it. You are not a person who would avoid it after all.”

Saying so, Jurgen inserts more power into his arms.

Even if it’s Aneue, if it’s a competition of strength then it would be bad for her. Using his whole body, Jurgen pushes his attack on her even further, fully utilizing his weight.

“Hmph! This one is Al’s suggestion, right? This one seems quite tactical after all.”

“What do you think?”

“Are you intending to push on? But remember this. The moment of an attack is the moment you are most vulnerable.”

Saying so, using the moment the push got weaker, Aneue turned her body.

With no one supporting the weight of his attack, Jurgen’s halberd falls straight down to the ground. Performing a splendid rotation, Aneue uses the momentum to strike back at Jurgen.

This is bad.

When I thought that, there was another loud crash.

Looking at it, Jurgen used the handle of his halberd to block Aneue’s attack.

“Hou?”

“I did not choose this weapon because of its weight alone.”

“You grow up quite a bit huh. But are you already satisfied with receiving this level of attack?”

The two take distance from each other.

Jurgen then slowly spinning his halberd.

He must be thinking about pushing through her defense with a single blow using the centrifugal force.

Perhaps she is beware of that, Aneue doesn’t enter into Jurgen’s range.

However, Jurgen does not allow her to do that and starts cornering her.

“You are spinning it quite skillfully huh.”

“I myself become heavier so this is much easier for me now.”

“You really are funny. Do you want me to be your wife that much?”

“I wouldn’t dare. I simply want to remain by your side.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“Unfortunately there’s a big difference there. If you do not understand that much then it seems Your Highness still has a lot to learn as well aren’t you.”

“Ugh……what a cheap provocation.”

Saying so, Aneue stopped backing away.

She plans to accept Jurgen’s challenge head-on. Seriously, she’s still putting herself at a disadvantage when her own future is at stake.

If she is commanding the army as its marshal then she wouldn’t do this but this is her personal battle.

That’s why Aneue sticks with her feelings

I know my sister well so this is as expected.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

Jurgen closes the gap between him while continuing to spin his halberd.

He then skillfully controlled its rotation and put his halberd into a thrusting position.

He’s good.

She should be taken by surprise with that.

That was what I was thinking but

“Naive.”

Aneue thrust her sword out and intercepted the halberd before it could gain momentum.

The tip of the halberd was met with the tip of her sword.

It was masterful.

But how did she read that it was a thrust?

She should be aware of how much power the halberd owns and Jurgen picked it as his weapon because of its power in the first place. Since Aneue is also aware of that, she should be expecting a slash instead of a thrust…….

“How…….”

“Hmph, cat got your tongue huh.”

“No way……you simply thrust out?”

“I won’t do something that stupid. I just read your move. And you are a romanticist after all. If you are going to thrust at me your attack is going to be light. As you know my personality, I also know yours.”

“Kuh……”

Jurgen once again widens the distance.

However, you can tell by his expression that earlier move was his secret plan, his trump card

And now it has been sealed.

There’s no hand left for him to play.

“That’s all huh. It’s my win again, Jurgen.”

“…..Yes. it’s my loss…”

Jurgen admits he loses.

Lize-aneue smiles at Jurgen and starts boasting.

“Well, that wasn’t bad.”

“Then do you approve?”

“That’s a different story. He didn’t deliver a blow that would convince me after all. No marriage for you, Jurgen.”

Aneue cruelly said so.

Jurgen was stunned as he heard those words.

“Aneue…..! Just what do you dislike about him……!?”

“What’s this? Aren’t you quite supportive of him?”

“I am. He put in that much effort so please don’t treat him like that. I can tell that you like him. If there is a reason then please tell us. Pushing him around like this only makes the Duke seem pitiful right.”

To my appeal, Lize-aneue thought a little and make a lonely smile.

Her smile was one that I have never seen before.

Then Aneue makes a small nod.

“That’s true…….Jurgen. Listen well.”

“Yes……..”

“Don’t get involved with me anymore. You are annoying.”

Something impossible just came out of her mouth.

For a moment, I doubt my ears.

What did this person say just now?

Jurgen also seems surprised.

However,

“……Is, that so…….I was annoying……….”