Furina suddenly slapped her forehead and exclaimed in realization.
"Right! That was a thing!"
Beside her, Shajin narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of puzzlement flickering across his face as he muttered to himself.
"Huh? If that's the case… then that would mean… Miss Navia's father, Callas, ultimately died in a duel against Miss Clorinde?"
Miles nodded solemnly, his voice slow and steady.
"That's right. Miss Clorinde has always held the honor of a duelist in the highest regard. As long as her opponent does not yield or surrender of their own will, then even she would never stop a duel midway."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"Besides, before the duel, she had already come to know Monsieur Callas and held deep respect for his character and integrity."
"But when she personally witnessed his unwavering resolve in that fierce battle… his unflinching determination…"
Miles let out a long, heavy sigh.
"She must have had no choice. Forced into making such a painful, heartbreaking decision…"
Navia scratched her head lightly and spoke in a low voice.
"Honestly, I can sort of understand why Miss Clorinde did what she did. Still… even so, fully accepting something that cruel… that's not so easy."
Miles added quietly.
"According to Miss Clorinde's own recollection, just as the duel began, Monsieur Callas said something directly to her…"
"He asked her to look after you, Miss Navia."
Furina raised her hand.
"So in other words, Callas intended to die in that duel."
Silver nodded.
"That's what we believe, too."
"Sigh… asking the person who's about to kill you to take care of your daughter… what kind of twisted logic is that, Dad…"
Navia waved her hand, clearly exasperated.
"Anyway, that's the gist of what I wanted to share as your partner. It's a bit like venting, really… sorry if it got too personal."
Shajin shook his head.
"Not at all. I actually thought you and Clorinde had some deep, bitter grudge between you. If your father sought death by his own will, then it won't interfere with our current plans."
"Huh?"
Navia's eyes widened.
"Mr. Shajin, you mean…"
Shajin glanced at the wall clock.
"Hmm. She should be arriving any moment now."
——
Knock knock knock…
A series of knocks sounded at the door.
"Apologies. I'm late."
Clorinde pushed open the door to the meeting room.
It was Shajin's first time seeing the famed Champion Duelist of Fontaine.
A tall, cool, and commanding woman, with black-blue long hair and piercing violet eyes.
Her style was striking. She wore a blue side-tilted hat adorned with white feathers. A low ponytail was tied with a black ribbon, with light blue highlights streaking through her hair.
She was dressed in a multi-layered cloak of navy and black, a deep violet tie around her neck, and a black corset belt at the waist. Her skirt was short and sharp in cut.
White gloves covered her hands, and her legs were clad in black tights with thigh straps.
She wore thick white socks and black metal heels, her whole ensemble centered around a palette of black, blue, and violet.
But, of course, the most eye-catching thing was still that pair of—well, let's not go there.
Shajin subtly averted his gaze.
"N-Navia?"
Clorinde froze when she saw Navia.
Navia took a deep breath and smiled as she waved.
Clorinde looked visibly relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off her chest.
"Um… Miss Navia…"
Navia waved her hand dismissively.
"I don't blame you, Clorinde. I just spoke with Lady Furina and Mr. Shajin, and I've made peace with a lot of things. As for the past… I should be the one saying sorry…"
Clorinde quickly shook her head.
"No, I'm the one who should apologize."
The group chatted casually for a while.
Suddenly, Clorinde spoke up.
"Mr. Shajin, may I request a duel with you?"
Furina blinked in surprise.
"Aren't we supposed to be in a rush? Is that okay?"
Shajin shrugged and waved nonchalantly.
"Relax, Furina. That murderer is still comfortably hiding inside the so-called 'fortress' he thinks is foolproof~"
"And besides, a duel with Clorinde suits me perfectly. I've been meaning to hone my close-combat skills."
Navia and Clorinde exchanged a glance, both catching the spark of gossip in the other's eyes.
Shajin's lips curled into a faint smile, and he snapped his fingers crisply.
In a flash of golden light, the entire group was whisked away, as if teleported, and the next moment, they found themselves suspended above a mountain peak in the outskirts of Fontaine.
Furina looked down at her floating body and frowned.
"Shajin, you're not planning to fight Clorinde in mid-air, are you?"
Shajin chuckled and shrugged.
"Of course not. If we used your official dueling arena, we'd have to file applications, follow all kinds of rules… It'd be impossible to let loose and fight freely. So why not just craft our own battlefield and be done with it?"
Furina, Navia, Clorinde, and their respective bodyguards all stared in stunned silence, speechless.
Then, Shajin casually waved his arm, and from his fingertips shot out dazzling, radiant golden threads.
Those "threads" were like impossibly sharp blades, instantly slicing the entire mountain peak clean off. The severed summit began plummeting straight downward.
But shockingly, below them had appeared a massive, radiant golden barrier.
The falling mountain hit the glowing field, and the contact area simply disintegrated like mist, vanishing without a trace.
Everyone above stood frozen, mouths agape in utter disbelief.
Navia smacked her lips and muttered, awestruck, "No wonder they call him the Gambler…"
Shajin and Clorinde gently descended. As they landed, Shajin stomped the ground, summoning a longsword forged of Geo energy into his hand.
He gave Clorinde a respectful nod.
"I won't be using that power from earlier. Let's test our skill—not our elements. I ask that you refrain from using your Vision as well."
Clorinde drew in a breath and nodded.
"Of course."
She then summoned her specialized weapon: Absolution.
"Clorinde, Champion Duelist of Fontaine—ready to receive your challenge!"
Then, in a flash, she lunged forward.
_
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