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TL: ALT
Chapter 11 – The Fate of the Loser
(It’s a win! Aire won, which means I don’t have to let her go.)
Wataru was relieved that the battle was over.
He was more relieved that he hadn’t lost than happy that he had won.
He realized that Aire had become so important to him that the thought of losing her scared him.
Seeing Cloche cry like that was painful.
Of course, Cloche was at fault for challenging the duel, but there was something about her that made her seem pitiful.
Aire said some pretty harsh things, too.
Thinking that she had intentionally lost would break anyone’s heart.
When Wataru looked at Aire, he saw that she was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily, and completely exhausted.
Although she had appeared confident and achieved an overwhelming victory, Aire was also being pushed to her limits.
However, she didn’t show it at all during the fight.
Her determination to win resulted in the bluff that confused Cloche and fooled Wataru and the others watching.
Even in her untrained state, she was this strong.
How strong would she be if she trained properly?
Wataru took the drink from Mariel and handed it to Aire.
“Good job, Aire. You did well.”
“Thank you…”
Aire continued to breathe heavily, but after gulping down the water, she let out a sigh of relief.
Her breathing calmed down considerably.
“Hey, Aire. This Cloche really admires you. Were you serious about what you said earlier? Seeing you now, I can’t believe a word of it.”
“No. If we had fought seriously, it would have been dangerous. I wanted to overwhelm her, but it was a bit challenging. So, I shook her up.”
Aire was desperately trying to secure victory in her own way.
Even though she knew that if she lost, she would be freed from slavery, she didn’t hold back.
Despite the risk of being seen as cowardly, she fought to win.
Who could blame her for that?
Rather, Wataru’s trust in her grew stronger because she went that far.
“If it was necessary to win, I won’t blame you. But the battle is over now. It must have been shocking for her, so she deserves support. It would be sad to let her think that her years of effort were wasted. It also wouldn’t be good for our future relationship. I’m sure Aire doesn’t want things to remain awkward between us.”
“…Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Aire probably didn’t feel good about it either.
Nodding at Wataru’s words, she approached Cloche, who was crying softly.
“Hey.”
“U-Ugh. I’m so sorry, Onee-sama…”
“Hey, you loser dog, Cloche.”
“Wh-Who’s a dog? I’m a proud wolf and won’t tolerate insults, even from Aire-onee-sama.”
“Hmph. Then stop crying like a loser.”
Cloche rubbed her eyes vigorously after being told off by Aire.
Her eyes were still red and bloodshot from crying, but she managed to stop the tears.
“I said that earlier, but it was just to rattle you. Forget everything. Cloche has become so strong, a fine warrior.”
“Onee-sama! Th-That’s terrible! I-Isn’t that cruel? You tricked me!”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’ve always been like this! You made me look like the culprit for stealing your snacks!”
“Did I do that?”
“Yes, you did! Goodness gracious!”
“You look like a cow. Come on.” [T/N: It’s because Cloche says “moo.”]
“Like I said! I’m a wolf!”
“Nyaa.”
“That’s a cat!”
After exchanging some playful banter, Cloche seemed to have regained some energy.
She had been so devastated that Wataru had felt sorry for her. Now, however, he thought she might be ready for a more serious conversation.
Wataru and the others moved to the side of the wall and got down to business.
“Well, the decision has been made, but are you ready?”
“Hawa… hawawawa… That’s right. I lost. If that’s the case, do as you please.”
“That’s a good decision.”
“O-O-Of course! This Cloche. I won’t take back what I said. Hyiiii…”
Cloche’s magnificent tail curled up and shrank.
She seemed to realize that she was in a bad situation.
Her pitiful, timid gaze contrasted sharply with her intelligent face, making her look childish.
“First, I’d like to clear up a misunderstanding…”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Why did you suddenly challenge me to a duel? That method was far too forceful, wasn’t it?”
Wataru decided to ask the question that had been bothering him.
He couldn’t understand why she had been so hostile toward him from the beginning that they couldn’t even have a conversation.
Then, Cloche said that she heard Aire had fallen into a trap and been enslaved.
When she said she thought the man who set the trap was Wataru, his head ached.
Her impression of the man who purchased Aire from a slave trader was completely different from her impression of the man who enslaved her.
If the information she had received from rumors was incorrect, the picture she had imagined would have been completely different.
Wataru explained that he was merely the purchaser.
“Whaaaaaat?! H-How rude of me!”
Cloche’s reaction was intense.
With her eyes wide open and both hands pressed against her cheeks, she resembled Munch’s The Scream.
Her well-proportioned face turned bright red, her eyes filled with tears, and she trembled adorably.
Now Wataru understood why Aire wanted to tease her.
“Ah, that hurt. I’m hurt that you thought I was a bad person.”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“My heart hurts.”
“Ugh, please forgive me!”
“This is so hard. I never thought I’d be treated like a villain.”
“Kyaainn!”
Cloche’s body leaned forward gradually, her head dropping until she was close to a kneeling position.
Her curled tail trembled slightly and rapidly.
She’s so silly and cute.
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Pouting “Mou” sounds like a cow? Noted.
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It’s Wataru’s turn to tease Cloche. 😋
Thanks for the treat.
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