The Doctor Cured The Villainess And Ran Away-Chapter 61: Clairvoyance (2)
"I hereby declare the opening of the Duel Trial! The officiator is none other than the Empire’s Second Princess—me, Lauga von Württempelt!"
With Lauga’s chirpy shout, the curtain drew open.
Asella and I stepped into the bright arena lights without hesitation.
"Young master, your shield’s slipping."
"It’s just heavy. Don’t worry—once the duel starts, I’ll hold it properly."
Asella snorted, lifted her staff, and strode forward.
Her tightly bound blonde hair swayed with her steps.
She wore a specially-prepared magical outfit for dueling. From afar, with the skirt fluttering like that, she looked like a tiny fairy.
I held a large shield and a short sword. My armor was light plate. It didn’t offer much protection, but the mobility was excellent.
"At least you didn’t chicken out, Asella! That I’ll praise!"
From the opposite end, Georg marched in, clad in ornate full-plate armor covered in elaborate engravings.
From head to toe, everything on him was enchanted—a full legendary-grade set.
Money really isn’t an issue for him. If he had that kind of gear lying around, why not give it to one of his so-called champions?
The arena we stood in was small in size—like a compact coliseum. The floor was packed dirt.
As both sides entered, polite applause rose from the audience seats.
They were filled with royalty and high nobles. Since this was an imperial trial, the mood remained solemn—this wasn’t entertainment.
Still, it’s a spectacle. A bloody fight between succession candidates?
To them, it was undoubtedly thrilling. Even if their expressions stayed composed, they were probably enjoying this.
Among them, I spotted a familiar face.
The current Emperor.
He sat in dignified silence, watching his children pick up swords and staffs as if it were only natural.
Rather than concern, he seemed eager to see how much they’d demonstrate in this duel.
Lauga’s voice spread through the arena via an amplification spell.
"The truth of the assassination incident at the Duke of Schwarzschweik’s party will be revealed here and now! Both parties, prepare yourselves!"
Asella raised her staff in her left hand and began drawing incantation sigils.
Georg planted his feet, ready to charge the moment the signal came.
"The rules are simple: the one who dies or yields first—loses!"
I was considered an accessory to Asella, so my opinion or survival didn’t factor into the outcome.
"Honor in the left hand, conviction in the right. Only those who struggle shall be deemed just!"
Lauga kissed a gold coin laced with magic and flung it toward the arena.
In the whispering wind, the small, sunlit projectile spun and fell—
—Boom!
With a puff of smoke, the duel officially began.
—Boom!
Georg burst forward at the same moment, kicking off the ground with explosive speed. Faster than expected.
Blessings. He must’ve gone through a truckload of healers.
Recruiting that many healers capable of bestowing blessings couldn’t have been easy.
He was literally a bundle of money charging at us.
"Iceball, Mana Wall!"
Asella quickly chanted her spell.
A blunt projectile of ice shot toward Georg—faster than a Major League fastball.
—Crack!
Though precisely aimed, it shattered harmlessly against Georg’s armor. Asella looked startled.
"Magic resistance enchantment...!"
"I’ll end this quickly!"
Georg had already closed in on her. At this range, close combat had the clear advantage.
That’s why I was here.
I stepped between Georg and Asella.
Without hesitation, he swung his sword at me.
—Whoosh!
He didn’t land a direct hit, but I wasn’t a stranger to dodging the swordsmanship of the Four Heavenly Kings.
My reflexes were nothing to scoff at.
—Clang!
My quick counter deflected Georg’s sharp longsword.
"Wha—?!"
He was caught off guard by the unexpected parry.
It was the defensive stance. The one and only technique Tanya had drilled into me over two weeks.
And I’d been jogging a lot lately.
I probably couldn’t win in a full fight, but I could at least trade one or two blows.
—“Ohh! He blocked the Second Prince’s attack!”
—“Wasn’t he just the Third Princess’s physician? Who knew he could fight?”
—“He’s the one who cured the plague, isn’t he? Must be rare to master both magic and martial arts!”
Oh please, stop. I’m a Gotberg.
I would’ve loved to give them a dazzling smile, but unfortunately I had no leisure for that.
One strike, then another—Georg’s blows came rapidly.
"A lowly healer like you dares deflect my sword?! My blessed strength rivals that of a Sword Expert!"
"Blessings aren’t exclusive to Your Highness."
"What did you say?!"
Boom!
My counter, bursting with divine power, struck Georg in the stomach and shoved him back. It didn’t hurt him much, but it broke his stance.
"Such pathetic tricks—grhk!"
As he staggered, Asella’s spell hit Georg squarely on the helmet.
"Take this!"
Sturdy, no doubt about that. He shook it off and swung again.
As if she hadn’t thrown snowflakes, but a damn shot put.
He should’ve had a concussion, but his helmet was saturated with magic resistance spells.
Georg’s eyes glinted menacingly through the visor.
"You’re not even a proper warrior. Stop grappling and fall already. If you keep pushing, I won’t forgive you!"
"There’s nowhere to climb in Tojin Palace. It's only three floors."
"You damn physician!!"
Wham! Georg stomped the ground.
Rumble!
Cracks splintered across the arena floor. The dirt tore up, and dust scattered.
Fwoosh! A wave of heat surged, raising the temperature around us.
"Ugh."
The magic circle Asella had been drawing melted mid-air like soft clay, losing form.
So that was the signal.
Between the cracked earth, something sparkled.
He buried anti-magic stones under the arena.
They’re stones naturally found in the Demon Realm, like granite. They only activate when a mage tries to cast spells nearby.
Georg had set this up to seal Asella’s magic. His men triggered them at just the right moment.
"Hahaha! Look upon her now, unable to cast even a single spell before the might of Georg von Württempelt! Behold, Your Majesty! Witness the charisma that shall overwhelm the people and lead the Empire forward!"
Georg raised a triumphant fist like he’d already won.
Asella sneered at him with contempt.
"How cowardly, Georg. You claimed this would be a duel of honor—and yet you laid traps in the arena?"
"Traps? What nonsense. Are you trying to cover up your own incompetence, Asella?"
The princes and princesses in the stands murmured to one another.
—“It does look like the Second Prince used underhanded tricks.”
—“Still, it’s part of his skill. Using all your assets is part of dueling, isn’t it?”
Even the Emperor nodded.
—“Wealth and manpower are part of a ruler’s strength. If Asella loses because of them, she’s simply less capable than Georg.”
Asella kept trying to cast, but her spells wouldn’t link.
"Those anti-magic stones must’ve cost you, what—thirty-one hundred gold to fill the arena?"
At my words, Georg scowled.
"You bastard—how did you...?"
"You didn’t know? Budget allocations from each palace are submitted «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to His Majesty. It’s public information."
Monitoring your enemies is basic protocol.
I’d predicted the setup from the sudden budget increase for Tojin Palace and the size of the delivery crates.
And we had time to rig the arena too.
"Even if you did know... h-hmph, what use is it? Asella can’t use magic, and with your skills, you can’t possibly beat—atchoo!"
Georg suddenly sneezed.
It didn’t stop. His nose started running profusely.
—“There’s a strange haze drifting across the arena.”
—“Is it just dust?”
I activated a skill while looking at him.
"Diagnosis."
[Symptoms: Chrysanthemum Pollen Allergy]
Georg had no major illness or injury—but he had a glaring weakness: allergies.
I’d had the Moonlight Palace knights harvest a bunch of chrysanthemums and spread their pollen across the arena.
Once the anti-magic stones triggered, the pollen would naturally fill the air like this.
"What the hell—atchoo!—did you do?!"
"Consider yourself lucky chrysanthemums aren’t cultivated in the palace."
"You damn physician!!"
Georg suddenly began to glow. Healers outside the arena were layering him with blessings.
All of them strength blessings. He’s going for the kill.
Georg charged straight at me.
He wanted to settle this with brute force before the situation got worse.
That’s just what I wanted.
I grabbed the syringe hidden behind my shield.
―――――――――――
Advanced Strength Booster
Effect on use: Greatly increases strength for 3 minutes. May cause side effects.
No, it’s not protein, I swear.
―――――――――――
I jabbed the shot into the inner thigh where the armor was light.
Adrenaline rushed through me. My body heated up.
—Boom!
Georg crashed into my shield. Felt like getting rammed by an iron rhino. My arms went numb.
I skidded across the dirt but managed to hold my ground.
"Why—atchoo!—why won’t you fall?!"
Georg was flustered. Given our size and gear, it should’ve been like a bus hitting a bicycle.
No wonder he was confused.
―――――――――――
Strength: 63 (+50)
Stamina: 19
Magic: 1
Mana: 28
Divine Power: 22
Faith: 100
―――――――――――
The strength booster, refined to C-rank with alchemy, gave a +50 strength boost.
Right now, I was as strong as a mid-tier knight.
"Ugh...! If I just get past you!"
He thought Asella would be easy to finish off once he got through me. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
But his allergy made him impatient. He couldn’t maintain form and relied only on brute force.
His eyes were watering. His arms were weakening.
We stood locked in place. Then Georg sneezed again—loud.
"ATCHOO!!"
I slipped sideways in that moment.
"Wh-whoa?!"
He lost balance from his own momentum.
This was the setup I’d waited for.
With him exposed and off guard, it was the perfect time for magic to land.
I shouted.
"Your Highness, now!"
Asella dropped her staff and crossed both arms.
Only one finger curled.
She didn’t need a drawn magic circle. Mana in her body transformed directly into a spell.
"Disarm."
—Clang!
"Wha—?!"
—Boom!
Georg’s ornate armor shattered apart, scattering into pieces.
—Thud!
Thrown completely off balance, Georg fell flat.
I pulled out another syringe and drove it straight into his exposed calf.
"Gahhh!"
Georg collapsed, eyes rolling back, trembling like a newborn in the dirt.
"Y-you d-damned... physiciannnn!!"
He had guts—still grinding his teeth at me through the foam.
"Young master."
Asella walked over, her ponytail swaying like a tail.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Tangled in your own trap. That’s my favorite kind of strategy. Keep it in mind."
She really does have a twisted taste.
Standing beside Asella, I raised the syringe.
"Your Highness, what I just injected you with was a black magic toxin—same as the one that struck the Duke. Taken from the assassin."
"W-what...!"
Crinkle.
I pulled a rose-shaped candy from my pocket and popped it into my mouth.
Then held up a different syringe for Georg to see.
"The antidote’s only with me. So, what will you do?"
Georg rolled his eyes around.
To the left was Asella. To the right—me.
Aw, crap. He’s tearing up.
