I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 95

Taking a deep breath to calm my pounding heart, I closed my eyes and focused on the flow within my body. Like Prim, I gathered holy power in my hands.

Flash!

Soon, a blue light surrounded me. The half-spherical barrier protected me like a shield.

Watching the completed barrier, a sinister smile appeared on Prim’s lips. She glared at me with wide eyes and immediately began to expand her barrier at a terrifying speed.

Boom!

With a loud noise, sparks flew between the two colliding barriers. I was taken aback by Prim’s aggressive expansion from the start.

Why is she so aggressive again?

The vibration was so intense that it was hard to tell if it was the barriers colliding or an attack spell. I almost lost my barrier as soon as the duel began.

Hurriedly reinforcing the magic with more holy power, I swallowed hard. The barrier of my opponent, who had a temper like its master, was threatening me with terrifying intensity.

“What’s this, right from the start…”

Sister Elexi, are you sure I have more holy power than her? It doesn’t seem like it at all!

I glanced at the priest who had said that. Sister Elexi was sitting in the pews, observing us with a serious expression. My gaze inadvertently extended to the person sitting next to her.

“Gasp!”

Seeing Peidos, I quickly turned my head as if I had been burned. My heart, already struggling to maintain the barrier, pounded wildly at the new stimulus.

Why is he sitting there of all places?

It was natural for him, the next Guardian, to be here. Even so, I grumbled and tried to calm my racing heart.

I didn’t want to show a disgraceful appearance to Peidos Carmel. No matter what, I couldn’t let Prim defeat me miserably in front of him.

“You seem quite relaxed.”

Amidst the sparking and crackling sounds, Prim’s eerie voice reached me. She muttered with a cold face.

“Annoying girl.”

Though I couldn’t hear her clearly, I could bet my entire fortune it was an insult. Clenching my teeth, I did my best to block Prim’s increasingly fierce barrier.

Do you think you’re the only one with a temper? I’m originally the villain in this story!

“I don’t know what you’re babbling about, but I won’t lose when it comes to barriers!”

Deciding to counterattack, I poured more holy power into my barrier. As the barrier grew larger and pressured Prim’s, the sparks between the two barriers intensified.

In a regular battle, I would be at a disadvantage due to my unfamiliarity with attack magic. But unfortunately for Prim, the role of the Great Saint wasn’t about attacking.

And I’ve made countless barriers before. I vowed to see that annoying face twisted in defeat before my holy power ran out.

“Even if I pass out today, I won’t back down easily.”

Staring at the woman who had constantly harassed and ignored me since I was a novitiate, I reignited my determination.

I didn’t know how I ended up here after losing so much motivation since recalling the original story. But one thing was certain: her personality contributed significantly.

If Prim had a normal character like in the novel, I would have just admired her from afar with occasional jealousy. Just like Seo Jia in my previous life.

Crackle!

The sparks grew fiercer. I planted my feet more firmly to avoid being pushed back.

I had to put more weight on my lower body, fearing the stage might crack, but if I didn’t, I felt I would be blown away. In fact, mages were on standby below the stage to protect the candidates during the collision.

“This damn girl!”

Prim cursed and reinforced her barrier. I, too, increased the strength of my barrier, my veins standing out as I glared fiercely.

Would it feel like this to face a compressor with one’s bare body? Just as I was pouring out my strength as if my life depended on it, I witnessed an unbelievable scene.

“……Being pushed back?”

Prim’s feet were gradually sliding backward. It was slight, but it was a sign that she was struggling.

“No way.”

It was Prim who first expanded the barrier. It was an impatient and rough attack that could be considered reckless, but I thought it was naturally flowing according to her pace. I even felt gloomy, wondering how extraordinary she must be to push so hard from the start.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case. I thought it was only hard for me, but it seemed it was the same for Prim as well. No, looking at the current situation, it seemed even harder for Prim.

[You have much more holy power than she does.]

Sister Elexi’s words hit me belatedly, striking my mind like a hammer. My body trembled like someone electrocuted by an unexpected thrill.

I can do it. At this rate, I can really do it.

“Huff, huff.”

Prim, drenched in sweat as if it were raining, glared at me fiercely. My clothes were also soaked with sweat, but based on past experiences, I could still hold out longer. Seeing the possibility of victory, I decided to take a bit more risk.

“If I expand just a little more….”

It wasn’t like the balloon-like expansion when Prim first inflated her barrier. But the blue barrier maintained by my palms was slowly but surely growing in size.

“……You.”

Prim’s jaw was clenched tightly, as if she was grinding her teeth. Despite drawing out more holy power than ever before, considering the relic site of Liche and Yetvan, the endorphins from seizing the upper hand seemed to reduce my fatigue.

I could see Prim’s barrier, pressed by mine, gradually distorting. Excited, I erased all thoughts of the future and gathered as much holy power as possible.

Even if I pass out, a few days of rest would be enough. If I could defeat Primis Starring, a few days of suffering would be nothing.

“Just a little more….”

The anticipation far outweighed the fear. Ah, could it be that I’m finally going to defeat this annoying protagonist right before my eyes?

“Aaaah!”

But at that moment, Prim let out a sharp scream. Startled by the ear-splitting sound, I opened my eyes wide, and my opponent suddenly made an unexpected move.

“……Huh?”

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t see it clearly. But after that, an enormous amount of holy power suddenly erupted from Prim. The barrier shattered, and the impact was so strong that it threw me outside.

“Ugh!”

Fortunately, a mage waiting below caught me just in time. I avoided the fate of crashing headfirst into the arena floor and dying, panting heavily as I looked to the opposite side.

Could it end like this? So disappointingly?

“Bring a stretcher! Hurry!”

Fortunately, Prim seemed to be in a similar state as me. Watching the healing priests rush over to place Prim on a stretcher, I tried to calm my startled heart.

What happened to Prim’s barrier? Did it break at the same time? Then, what about the result of the duel?

“Duna! Are you okay?”

Rancho, who ran to my side, asked as he supported me. Weakly nodding, I barely mustered the strength in my limp limbs to lie down on the stretcher.

And I closed my eyes, trying to recall the situation from a moment ago.

Just now… what was that?

Prim suddenly grabbed her throat just before the holy power erupted. The bright green light that seeped through her fingers.

[I know it wasn’t entirely your own strength. You should know your place.]

Recalling the moment we prayed together before the duel, I remembered the necklace that had seemed oddly familiar even at a glance. The exotic color that was a mix of emerald and jade….

“Ah.”

Realization dawned amidst the confusion.

“That was definitely….”

Chelin Sniter’s necklace.

How strange. Why does the necklace of the previous Great Saint belong to Prim?

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