Chapter 40: Ashytara's Duel Declaration
The moment Ashytara had fully memorized every detail about the room duel regulations, she devised a single plan. She would challenge Mion to a duel and drive her out to another room. The dorm supervisor's mediation? She could simply ignore it. Her intention was to push forward aggressively, making it clear she had no desire whatsoever to compromise with Mion.
Of course, such an attitude required a legitimate dispute to justify it.
A dispute... This needs to escalate into a fight severe enough that even Mion's side won't agree to mediation. In that case, should I bring up Ludenberg and Eden as the topic? But that's not something I can naturally bring up first. How should I go about it?
While Ashytara pondered this, Mion was grappling with her own dilemma: how to pull Ashytara to her side.
Their relationship clearly isn't as close as it used to be. If I can somehow draw Ashytara over here, it would shake Ludenberg quite a bit. I've heard they've been very close since childhood. But it's been a full five years since they last saw each other. Any old feelings have probably withered away by now.
After a brief moment of thought, Mion concluded that recruiting Ashytara was far better than confronting Ludenberg directly. She lifted her face from the pillow and spoke.
"How's it been with Ludenberg lately?"
Mion's sudden question pierced through Ashytara's deliberations like a ray of light.
"Why do you ask out of the blue?"
"Oh, just curious. I vaguely remember hearing you two used to be close."
Vaguely? I've heard every intimate detail.
That rumor had struck the Altis family like a bolt from the blue. The Altis house had poured immense effort into surpassing the Lavante family. To do so, they allied with the Asta house and recruited various nobles to bolster their influence. But if Lavante were to unite with the imperial family through blood ties, the gap would become insurmountable, no matter what they did. Thus, Crocus Altis, the family head, was constantly racking his brains over it.
Mion, having heard these stories firsthand, knew more about the two's relationship than most nobles.
"It's not good now. Not that I can blame him—Ludenberg's changed too much."
Ashytara spoke with a bitter expression.
"Yeah? He has been pretty off lately. Nasty personality too. Last time, he snapped at me so viciously it left me speechless."
As Mion's eyes gleamed in response to Ashytara's words, Ashytara felt a subtle surge of anger rising within her. The very person who had hurt Ludenberg was spouting such nonsense. But she endured it with superhuman patience. She needed to draw out the conversation a bit more.
"Ludenberg did that?"
Ashytara feigned surprise. She already knew everything, but a proper reaction was key to keeping the dialogue flowing. And the more someone talked, the more likely they were to slip up. That was what Ashytara was aiming for—a casual slander against Ludenberg from Mion's lips.
"Oh, you didn't see it? After he yelled at Cletta, he came at me for no reason, picking a fight."
"Really? I wasn't there, so I missed it. What did he say?"
Even as Ashytara spoke, she sneered inwardly.
Loathsome Mion Altis. Hurry up and wag that disgusting tongue so I have an excuse to tear you apart.
Oblivious to Ashytara's true intentions, Mion fed her lies to lure her in.
"I hadn't done anything, but he acted like Gawin, Rev, and Marvin picking on him was my fault. Even Eden has more distance from them than I do. And then he threatened me to stop messing around."
Gawin's group, Mion, and Eden had always kept their connections hidden from the public. When Mion compensated Gawin's crew in the past, she sent it from her personal funds in secret, and Eden did the same. They strove to appear as mere casual friends. Few people even inquired about their ties. Gawin, Rev, and Marvin weren't causing major incidents, and aside from Ludenberg, they maintained generally amicable relationships.
Thus, few knew of their lord-vassal dynamic with Mion. The one thing Mion overlooked was that Ashytara was among those who did.
"What? Is that true?"
She stared at Mion with feigned shock, prodding her further, baiting her to provide an opening.
Normally, Mion would have sensed something off by now, but desperate to win Ashytara over, she unwittingly poured out slanders against Ludenberg with unusual zeal.
"Totally. Like this one time before..."
She recounted Ludenberg's past actions toward her, laced with baseless rumors. Of course, these were all from Mion's perspective, riddled with her lies, so Ashytara didn't believe a word. She merely responded with an incredulous expression.
"I had no idea Ludenberg was like that."
The thick disappointment in Ashytara's voice felt so vivid it couldn't pass for acting or deceit. But anyone with the Solem's Eye that could read truth would see it: her once-vibrant blue eyes, shimmering like sunlight on waves, now darkened and sunken.
Mion, naturally oblivious, smirked faintly and wrapped up her tirade against Ludenberg.
"Anyway, I don't know about the old Ludenberg, but this one's a total scumbag. Even his own followers are turning against him. So Ashytara, you should cut ties with him too."
This should do it. With Ashytara on my side, I can torment Ludenberg even worse. For now, befriending her takes priority over harassing him right away. Come on, Ludenberg. What face will you make when even your one true friend turns her back on you...?
"Thanks for telling me. But Mion, there's something I haven't said."
Ashytara's demeanor shifted abruptly as she continued.
"Yeah?"
"I said Ludenberg's changed. But I've never once said I dislike him."
Meeting Ashytara's gaze, Mion flinched. A vicious killing intent leaked from those eyes. For a mere first-year like Mion, it was unlike anything she'd ever felt—beyond simple malice, a complex aura overflowing with obsession and love-hate. It dwarfed the killing intent she'd glimpsed from an erosion beast before.
"Huh? But just now you said things weren't good between you and Ludenberg..."
In that instant, Mion realized something was wrong.
No way...!
She quickly replayed Ashytara's words.
[It's not good now. Not that I can blame him—Ludenberg's changed too much.]
Ashytara hadn't said a single word about hating Ludenberg, just as she claimed. That meant Mion had excitedly misinterpreted their relationship on her own. Realizing she'd been played by Ashytara's wordplay, Mion's face drained of color.
"Thanks. Hearing Ludenberg from your perspective in such detail makes it 'perfectly clear' now why he's changed."
"A-Ashytara?"
"Shut up."
Ashytara lunged at Mion, who was lying on the bed, grabbed her collar, and yanked her up.
"Ugh... Ack!"
Thud!
With one arm's strength, Ashytara hoisted Mion—who was slightly shorter than her—and slammed her against the wall. The impact echoed loudly beyond the room.
"Ludenberg's a scumbag? Cursed? Then what are you? Vermin? Trash? Eden's whore? All you know how to do is cling to Eden and suck up his talent, and yet you dare wag that filthy mouth?"
"W-Wait! Ugh... Ack!"
Mion tried to protest, but Ashytara's grip on her throat pinned against the wall choked off her voice.
"When did I permit you to speak? You'd better shut it before I rip that mouth apart. I don't want to dirty my room with your blood—filthier and more repulsive than any erosion beast."
Mion felt chills erupt across her skin at Ashytara's whispered killing intent in her ear. And that wasn't all. Despite struggling to pry Ashytara's hand away, she couldn't budge it an inch.
What kind of strength...!
In that moment, Mion recalled Ashytara's formidable lineage. The Solenute imperial blood granted robust physique and immense potential. Moreover, her mother, Empress Itara, had been a princess of the mighty warrior nation Ortara before marrying into the empire. Thus, Ashytara's body looked delicate but harbored superhuman power beyond ordinary imagination.
For Mion, whose physical strength was average for a student, resistance was futile.
Ashytara whispered lowly into the suffering girl's ear.
"Why do you think I bothered checking the student regulations?"
"...Ugh!"
"All to drive you out of this room. Sharing it with you makes my skin crawl."
With that, Ashytara sensed someone approaching the room and released Mion's collar. Mion slid down the wall, clutching her throat and gasping raggedly.
"Hic... Kek! Cough!"
At that moment, the noise from their room prompted Dorm Supervisor Enrique to fling open the door.
"What in the world is going on here?!"
Enrique was speechless at the scene: Princess Ashytara glaring coldly at Lady Mion Altis.
"Supervisor Enrique."
"Explain. Miss Ashytara, what happened? You should report disputes to me first."
"Sorry for the late report."
"Then tell me—what exactly happened?"
"Mion Altis maliciously insulted my dearest friend, Ludenberg Lavante, right in front of me."
Enrique rubbed his forehead, looking pained.
"So what do you want from this, Miss Ashytara?"
"A room duel with Mion Altis."
"...Haa."
Enrique assessed if a room duel was feasible. Including theirs, four rooms had disputes now. Early in the semester, hot-blooded knight faculty students clashed often, many wanting roommate swaps due to clashing personalities. The other three rooms also refused mediation, fulfilling the basic conditions.
"Fortunately, disputes have arisen among the other students too, and some want room duels, so the conditions are met. Miss Ashytara."
"Yes."
"Can you swear there's no falsehood in what you just said?"
"I swear by Solem—I haven't uttered a single lie."
At Ashytara's firm declaration, Enrique turned to Mion.
"Miss Mion. Can you prove Miss Ashytara's words false?"
Mion couldn't claim Ashytara lied. She had sworn by a god. In the Solenute Empire, oaths in a god's name were absolute. Mixing falsehoods diminished one's total divine power over time, as it deceived the divine. It didn't manifest immediately but eroded gradually.
However, proving the loss was tricky, so to curb false oaths, both the oath-taker and accuser needed solid evidence—like submitting a Setra Record Book capturing words or situations, or summoning a Setra priest to glimpse the past.
Mion had no proof Ashytara lied. Nor could she request a Setra priest to claim innocence—Ashytara's words were true. No escape.
With a despairing expression, Mion nodded quietly.
"No... Everything Ashytara said is true."
"Very well. Then, Miss Mion, do you agree to the room duel?"
"...Yes."
Mion bit her lip, thinking.
What the hell is she? Is she insane? Has she lost it? Even if she's close to Ludenberg, this killing intent...!
She couldn't hope for the supervisor's mediation either. Ashytara's dominance wasn't just raw power. It was a sticky malice piercing her lungs, binding her heart—not something a normal girl possessed. Refusing the duel here might lead to unimaginable horrors. Ashytara's aura was that threatening.
In a voice thick with fear, Mion muttered.
"I... accept the room duel."