I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

51. Love Doubles Attack Power

Without dwelling on Louis III’s true identity, Zerola, having finally pieced everything together, rushed back towards the academy, wishing he had wings to fly!

The reason was simple: he, and Philola, had both been played!

They say the prettiest women are the biggest liars, and it was true; Queen Louis III looked beautiful and had a good aura, but who knew she could lie without batting an eyelash! He’d thought his arrangement with the willful Henrietta IV was merely a “let’s work together to catch the culprit” kind of thing, who would’ve thought that the wily wench would sneakily find the queen and reach some kind of unspeakable quid pro quo – to deliberately distract him!

Otherwise, such a coincidence wouldn’t have happened tonight – he was pulled aside by the queen for some boring lecture, ha! As if she, a novice who only dared to conduct her own love affair in secret, had any right to instruct him and Philola on how to date?

And then… Henrietta IV must have gone looking for Philola. He never thought that air-headed young lady would be stupid enough to do something bad to Philola out of simple jealousy. But the crucial question was, what matter needed “distracting him to go find Philola” for? Maybe Henrietta IV wasn’t going to find Philola at all, but to “fish” for someone!

Then, the whole thing reeked of something fishy. Never mind what secrets that monkey-like woman who fell from the sky and was so arrogant that she dared to provoke even Philola was hiding; the main point was: with her brother Henry III absent, how could she meet the Queen so easily, and even “reach a deal” with her? Moreover, anyone with a normal brain wouldn’t use their sister, who knew nothing, as bait, would they? Did Henry III not care about his sister at all?

Wait, according to the Queen, Henry III had recently gone out. But if the Queen had been lying all along with a smile, wouldn’t that mean there’s a possibility…

Time didn’t allow Zerola to continue thinking. Because, Zerola had only just arrived at the academy, which was inexplicably unguarded at this late hour, trying to find Philola’s whereabouts, when he… saw a familiar figure flying towards him.

It was Henrietta IV, and she looked like she’d been… blown away. After all, not far away, Zerola sensed a familiar aura, exuding endless pressure. Clearly, everything that had just happened here confirmed Zerola’s worst fears.

Immediately, Zerola… moved aside a bit, watching Henrietta IV tumble a few times beside him, finally scrambling to her feet in a disheveled state, looking surprised.

“Zerola!? How dare you not catch me!?”

Crap! Who said you had to catch a beautiful girl when she flies toward you?!

“You’re not Philola. I’m afraid she might misunderstand.”

Zerola glanced at the figure not far away, and after confirming that Philola seemed unharmed, he finally felt relieved.

And by the way, the doubts in his mind, along with the scene before him, were finally resolved.

Henrietta IV must have reached some kind of accord with the Queen, deliberately sending me away, driving off Philora, only to face that previous “attacker” alone tonight. Hence, a cascade of further questions.

Didn’t Henry III say his sister knew “nothing, just acting as bait”?

Why was it Henrietta IV and the Queen hatching this plan, instead of Henry III, who’s practically glued to the Queen’s hip?

And why… is it only Henrietta IV, this amateur, here? It’s almost as if they wanted to keep things quiet, opting for a solo, clandestine approach. But does Henrietta IV even possess the ability to pull that off?!

Zehrola already had some inkling of the answers, but there was no time to dwell on them now.

Within her line of sight, someone was recklessly dragging a heavy object and “leaping” directly from a high building. It was another familiar figure – the white-haired elf who had taken Philora’s place in that entrance “test.”

Just as Philora had described, this elf, whose name Zehrola recalled was Ludwig, had shed his usual listless and sleepy demeanor. His eyes burned with a desire for “invasion,” his long hair flowing freely as he dragged a giant sword behind him that looked as crude as an unhewn log.

Zehrola was now forced to concede: Philora’s description of what she’d encountered back then hadn’t been exaggerated in the slightest, if anything, it was an understatement. A normal person couldn’t possibly wield such a…terrifying weapon.

“That’s her, right?”

Zehrola muttered, earning a snort from Henrietta IV.

“I’d advise you to grab Philora and run. I underestimated the attacker’s strength. That elf is likely more than just a Rank Seven or Eight, maybe even… a Saint. It’s been…how long since the Great British Empire has seen such a being…”

Your attitude is exactly the same as Henry III’s, so you guys are definitely…cough, cough!

Never mind, not the time for that.

“Get lost. If anyone’s running, it’s you.”

Zehrola shoved the obstructive Henrietta IV aside with her hip and faced the white-haired elf, Ludwig.

“Hey! I just told you her power level, we should be…”

“Should my ass, haven’t I made myself clear?!” Zehrola finally turned to glare at Henrietta IV before refocusing, her attention sharpening. “I wanted to kick this b*tch’s ass myself from the start, no matter what rank she is!”

With that, Zehrola drew her sword.

It had originally been Philora’s personal blade, but ever since she “lent” it to her during that training session, she hadn’t asked for it back.

Zehrola knew what that implied, of course. So, today was finally the chance to return Philora’s sword, and then quietly tell her: protection doesn’t require specific tokens, and she didn’t need to place all her hopes on her.

Because the entire mess had been caused by her own immaturity, even if Philora had forgiven her, even if she’d suffered a terrible loss and essentially gifted her, Zehrola didn’t feel like she’d “won big” at all; she wasn’t happy; she didn’t… want to take things any further with Philora.

To forgive herself, she needed closure.

When?

Now was the time.

“Ludwig, if I remember correctly, what you said when entering the academy was: you wanted to find power within these walls, correct?”

“Although troublesome, you are not wrong.”

The white-haired elf hopped and skipped, moving the giant weapon she had been dragging behind her to in front of her. Just the act of swinging it created a gust of wind.

“Zehrola, have you… become stronger?”

“Hmph, of course. Love can double a person’s attack power!”

The royal family’s swords are really top-notch! Once this is all over, I definitely have to shamelessly beg Philora to take me to the Great British Empire’s treasury or something, so I can pick out a good one for myself.

“Right then,” Zerola pointed his sword at Ludwig, “you want ‘power,’ eh? Don’t bother with petty fish like Henry IV. See what I’m packin’.”

“Let’s make a wager. If I can land a solid punch on that pretty face of yours, you cough up everything you snatched from Philora!”

“Or… you can do whatever you want with me. Not that I’m expecting to lose in the first place.”

“Because… if you’re already thinkin’ about retreatin’ before the brawl even starts, you’ve lost half the battle right out the gate!”

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The chibi with 2000 votes is in progress, still thinking about who to choose.