That day.
After the events at the party, Alios had been confined to her house.
It was the natural consequence of challenging the Emperor.
Viol had reluctantly forgiven her for Ceres's sake, but the fact that she had challenged her didn't disappear.
Her mother, the current head of the Gravius Duchy, was furious upon hearing the news.
She demanded if her daughter had lost her mind, told her to cool her head, and forbade her from leaving.
But if that was enough to cool her head, she wouldn't have challenged Viol in the first place.
“What happened to Ceres?”
Alios urgently questioned a certain woman who had secretly come to her room.
She was the informant Alios had infiltrated into the imperial palace.
Even while confined within her family estate, Alios had been hearing news of Ceres through her, but today's news was unbelievable.
“Ceres collapsed? Why?!”
Upon hearing the worst possible news, Alios pressed the informant.
“Tell me the details!”
“I didn’t hear the cause, but the Emperor gathered all the palace healers after he suddenly collapsed.”
“So, did they heal him?”
“No.”
Hearing the informant's heavy words, Alios's expression changed drastically.
The palace staff were all competent individuals, yet even gathered together, they couldn't heal him!
She intuitively knew this was different from when he was sick before.
'Viol, that crazy woman!'
Unable to determine the cause, Alios assumed it must be Viol’s fault.
'It was strange how she left Ceres alone for a while, but she finally crossed the line!'
An image of Viol assaulting him until he collapsed flashed through Alios’s mind.
How dare she, to my Ceres!
It was absolutely unforgivable.
Unable to contain her anger, she asked the informant about their whereabouts.
“If he wasn’t healed, what happened to Ceres? And where is Emperor Viol and what is she doing?!”
“She summoned the great mage Sibylius, took Lord Ceres, and went with her to her residence.”
“Don’t tell me she intends to entrust his treatment to that dangerous person?!”
Alios too had heard all sorts of rumors about Sibylius.
She didn't believe all of them, but she was wary just in case. To think she’d take Ceres to such a person.
“Could she be pretending to entrust his treatment to that person while actually planning to kill Ceres?”
“Th-that doesn’t seem likely. If she planned to kill him, she wouldn’t have attempted treatment. Besides, after Lord Ceres collapsed, the Emperor seemed almost deranged...”
“Ceres!!”
Agitated, Alios didn't wait to hear the end of the sentence.
Ignoring her mother's orders to stay put, she gathered everything she could and left the estate.
And so,
“To kill you.”
She arrived at Sibylius's residence, found Viol there, and spoke the murderous words.
"This is driving me crazy.”
Seeing Alios pointing a sword at her, Viol’s expression hardened.
“Does your mother know you’re doing this? She specifically asked me to forgive you just this once.”
“If I kill you, there’ll be no need for that.”
“... Dealing with Ceres already has me on edge, and now you’re causing more trouble.”
She initially sounded troubled, but soon a fierce smile spread across her face.
“Fine, I accept your challenge. Truthfully, I’ve never liked you either, you bitch!”
After shouting loudly, she turned her head towards Hames and said.
“You stay out of it!”
“I won’t interfere. You two handle it yourselves.”
Hames couldn’t care less if the Emperor and the Hero fought right next to her.
She continued to gaze towards the house Ceres had entered, sending worried glances.
“You never liked me? The feeling is mutual!”
Alios shouted back at Viol, her voice filled with rage.
This situation wouldn't have happened in the original novel.
The male Viol and Alios, before they completely lost their minds, had a degree of common sense.
Alios, being a knight, would never carelessly speak of killing his lord.
And Viol recognized Alios as his most useful subordinate, at least initially.
But the female Alios and Viol are different.
Ceres thinks this world is one where male and female roles are completely reversed, but it's not entirely perfect.
Due to differences in male and female physiology, it couldn't be perfectly identical, and the subtle personality differences compared to the original novel were due to this.
Because of this, unlike the male versions who had a somewhat detached relationship, the female versions disliked each other intensely.
“Don’t act superior just because you’re the Emperor when you’re weaker than me! Don’t take my Ceres away!”
“Who said he’s your Ceres? You always pretended to be polite and kind, it was ridiculous. You’re actually rotten to the core!”
Can I trust this?
I glared at Sibylius.
“You absolutely have to keep that promise...”
“Of course.”
“Don’t say lines like ‘Ah, my lovely Ceres...’”
“I wouldn’t do that even if you begged me to love you!”
She sounded exhausted, looking at me as if I were crazy.
“I’ve lived a long time, but I’ve never met a man as delusional as you.”
Despite her exasperation, Sibylius placed various magical instruments next to me.
Soon, numerous magic circles floated around me.
It was a situation that would frighten anyone, not just me.
But this time, I didn't cause a scene and remained still. I had decided to trust her words for now.
Thinking about it rationally, there was no reason for Sibylius to do anything to me at this point.
If I don't act friendly towards her like the original Ceres did, she probably won't fall for me.
Especially after I had firmly rebuked and warned her.
“Now, let’s slowly begin the examination……”
Just as I relaxed and Sibylius was about to diagnose me.
CRASH!
A tremendous noise, like a bomb exploding, came from outside.
What was that?
I could hear that woman's voice and the sound of destruction earlier, probably Viol unable to control her temper and breaking something.
But this was on a different level.
It sounded like deliberate destruction aimed at taking someone down.
“What now!”
A startled Sibylius moved her hand, and an image appeared in the air.
As magic revealed the scene outside, a staggering sight unfolded.
Alios and Viol were fighting.
Why is Alios here?
I was surprised that she, who should have been at home, had appeared so suddenly, but even more surprising was that she was fighting on par with Viol.
Threatening with an aura-clad sword.
When Viol, unable to take it lightly, increased the distance, Alios threw daggers pulled from her clothes.
To block the daggers aimed at the fatal weak point, her eyes, Viol raised her guard.
Into the intended opening, Alios instantly closed the distance and thrust her sword towards an opening in Viol's defense!
“This damn wench!”
Viol had no choice but to accept the damage and stopped the aura-clad sword by grabbing it.
Blood flowed from her hand, but she succeeded in catching her opponent's weapon.
Just as she was about to rejoice, thinking, 'Caught you!'
Alios headbutted Viol in the mouth.
“Kuhk!”
“Ugh!”
Blood trickled from Alios’s forehead.
It seemed the one who delivered the blow took more damage than the one who received it, but Viol stumbled back; it was an opening.
Alios abandoned her sword and kicked her opponent.
Viol might have superior strength, but her weight was still human-level.
Without bracing for impact, she couldn't help but be sent flying.
She flew backward like an arrow and crashed into the house wall, shattering part of it.
“My house!”
Sibylius cried out as if screaming.
“Why are those two fighting like that right in front of someone else’s house?!”
“How... should I know...? More importantly, was Alios always that strong...?”
“She’s a Sword Master, of course she’s strong.”
No, that's not what I meant.
I know Alios is a master swordsman, enough to become a Sword Master.
Having learned some martial arts myself, I couldn't possibly not know. I often admired her clean, flawless movements.
But what Alios showed just now was the kind of dirty, desperate fighting you’d see in a back alley.
I can say this with certainty.
If the original male Alios fought the current female Alios, he would definitely lose!
The male Alios was, for better or worse, a knight through and through.
He wasn't the type of man who would fight like that.
If the two fought, even if their skills were equal, he’d likely be overwhelmed by the female version's dirty tricks and lose unexpectedly.
Since when could she fight like that, and why is she radiating such killing intent? I don't get it.
“Aargh, you brat!”
The female Viol, on the other hand, seemed weaker than her original counterpart.
As the fight continued evenly or with her being pushed back, she rampaged like a beast.
“Tsk, such wasted potential.”
“Indeed.”
Sibylius and I clicked our tongues.
Even while being cut by the aura, Viol suffered no fatal wounds, showing how outstanding Viol’s potential truly was.
And it was impossible not to see how much she had neglected it to be beaten so one-sidedly.
“I don't like the royals, but I can't let that royal bloodline die out while I'm alive.”
Sibylius sighed and cleared away the magic circles around me.
“If she’d at least produced an heir, I’d let her die. Ceres, wait here, I’ll be back shortly.”
"Wait."
“What is it now?”
“Take me with you...”
“Are you insane? Do you not realize the state your body is in?”
“But... they aren’t the type to listen just because you tell them to stop.”
I have to intervene. If I step in, things can be resolved more surely and stably.
I forced my body to move.
Enduring the burning sensation with every single movement of getting off the bed and putting my feet down,
“This isn’t something a sane person would do! Moving like this will make the pain suppressed by the medicine return!”
“Then help me!”
I shouted back, and Sibylius frowned.
"Damn it."
As if she had no choice, she supported me and went outside.
I emerged from the door and shouted with all my might.
“Everyone, stop moving!”
"Why did you come out?!"
Hames was the first to notice my presence.
What was she doing, not stopping them? As soon as the door opened, I saw her staring only this way. She rushed towards me.
“You! What about your treatment?”
“Ceres!”
Viol and Alios, absorbed in their fight, noticed a beat later and approached.
“What are you two thinking?!”
As they approached, I immediately yelled.
“Are you aware of your positions? The Emperor of the Empire and the heir to a Duchy, the Empire’s greatest knight!”
“That one said she’d kill me first.”
“That damn woman took you and made you collapse!”
So you're saying this is my fault too?
If either of you died, it would immediately spark a civil war and throw the country into chaos.
Ares, who’s become my family, and all the people whose lives I barely saved through healing would get caught up in it and die.
I'm already dying of pain just lying still, don't make me worry about things like this!
“Never fight again. If I find out you fought each other while I wasn't looking, if one of you disappears, I will never forgive the other one either. I will never see the remaining one again, ever!”
Using myself as hostage, I issued the strongest warning I could.
“If you don’t want to see me go crazy, don’t do this again. Understand?”
"... Yes."
"Understood."
Viol and Alios.
When the two reluctantly agreed, I reached out my hands to them and used my divine power to heal them.
And then,
“Well then, I’m going to pass out for a bit, so keep your word.”
Having used up all my strength to speak, I lost consciousness and collapsed at the last moment.