Within the courtyard of the royal castle, the battle of the century was about to be fought.

“I will be in your care.”

Douglas and a woman faced one another across a table.

“Do you think it will go well?”
“Surely, if it’s Douglas-sama, it will be fine! He’s so cool, after all!”
“Ralph doesn’t think so. It’s bound not to go well.”

Thus— hiding nearby in the grass under some shade, Abby-san, Ralph-chan, and I were watching how things would unfold.  Abby-san and I were holding branches with leaves in both our hands.

With these, we can peep… I mean observe, without being noticed by Douglas!

“Ralph-chan, why do you think it won’t go well?”

I asked Ralph-chan.

“Well, that dragon is selfish.  A woman with such strange tastes to like a man like him doesn’t exist.”
“I don’t think that’s right, though…”
“Eliane doesn’t understand.  Ralph has battled Douglas for many years. Thus, Ralph understands his personality the best.”

“Mufuu,” Ralph-chan released a snort-like breath through his nose.

Hmm… Douglas and Ralph-chan are worthy rivals (or more accurately, playmates), after all.  Perhaps there are some underlying feelings about this?

“For many years… you say.  You can’t have known each other that long.”  I muttered this as a quiet retort.  “Besides, Ralph-chan, you worry too much. Surely that lady will also be head over heels for Douglas in no time—”

Just as I was speaking—

“My! How terribly rude of you!”

Suddenly, the woman stood up and splashed the tea inside her cup all over Douglas!  I think he could have dodged it… but Douglas allowed the tea to drench his head.  It dripped from his bangs.

Furious, the woman strode off with large steps, leaving Douglas behind.

“Wh-what just happened!?”
“…Douglas-sama asked the woman a question.”

I had been talking to Ralph-chan, so I wasn’t watching.  Abby-san, apparently, was.  She was holding her head in her hands as she spoke.

“What did he ask her?”
“‘Hoo, thy chest is quite bountiful, is it not?  I like it.  I heard that when it comes to human females, the larger the chest, the better.  May I touch it once?’ …is what he said.”
“…………”

Douglas’ overly rude behavior left me speechless and my mind blank.

No… Douglas is a dragon, and I understand he didn’t say any of that out of sexual interest.

His request to touch her chest was nothing more than simple curiosity.  That said, anyone would get angry if they were asked such a thing.

The first match seemingly ended in Douglas’ defeat.

“Fuun, like I said, that guy has no delicacy.”

Ralph-chan wore a smug expression at having been proven right.

As for Douglas, he tilted his head and asked, “What did I do wrong?”

“…N-next! So what if one of them doesn’t work out!  A man grows stronger through repeated failures!”

I tightly clenched my fists.  However, with such a terrible start, I already feeling uneasy…

“Nice to meet you.  How surprising, you are even more handsome than I imagined.”

The next woman gave a more demure impression than the previous one.

“According to my information, that lady has never dated anyone before.”

Abby-san told me in a low voice.

Is she what is call the “pure and refined” type….?  However, she was so composed before Douglas, it was hard to believe she had never gone out with a man before.  For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this…

Well, it must just be my imagination.

“She might make a perfect match for Douglas.  He most likely hasn’t gone on a date with a woman either.”
“Yes, that’s how it is.  This is going to be interesting.”

Abby-san, Ralph-chan, and I silently watched the interaction between the two.

“Ara, do you like traveling?”
“Ah, yes.  I have traveled the world over. Atop my back, I could bring thou around the globe in a single day?”
“Fufufu, you are quite dependable.  What an amusing joke.”

This is going quite well…!

I was nervous, wondering if Douglas might slip up, but so far, things seemed to be going smoothly.

Other than that—

“Is it just me, or does Douglas seem to be enjoying himself?”
“Well, of course. Don’t you think that lady resembles someone?”
“Eh…?”

As I hadn’t caught on, Abby-san pointed at me.

“You, Eliane-sama! Isn’t her pure and gentle demeanor exactly like your own!?  That must be why Douglas-sama is interested in her.”

She resembles me…?

The woman speaking with Douglas-sama is truly, truly beautiful. If she were to attend a social party, she would surely monopolize the gaze of every man. Someone like me? I could never compare.

And— even if she does resemble me, why would that be a reason for Douglas to be interested in her?  Ah, perhaps it means that she is easy to talk to?  If so, then I can understand.  After all, Douglas and I have been telepathy friends since before we came to Lynchigham.  We’re the kind of friends who can talk openly without worrying about formalities. 

And so, the conversation between Douglas-sama and the lady continued to flow pleasantly, but…

“Ah.”

Just as Douglas and the woman stood up to take a walk in the courtyard—an envelope slipped out from her clothes.

“What’s this?”
“Th-That is!”

Curious, Dougals picked it up.  The woman tried to stop him, but she couldn’t catch him in time.

Douglas, in his discourteous manner, began to read the contents of the letter.

“…What?  This man called Hakyaku, from the contents, he seems to be thou’s fiancé.”
“……”

The woman stiffened at Douglas’ words.  Then, her expression changed.

“Tch! Well, now that you’ve found out, there’s no helping it! Yes, he’s my lover! Though he’s only my fifth one.”
“Lover…? Despite having such a fellow, thy still tried to date me? Was thou not aware of what this meeting was supposed to mean?”
“Fuun!  I intended to make you my sixth one!  Your face is nice, so I thought you’d do… but lying about it is too much trouble, so I’m done.  Bye now.”

Spitting out those parting words, she ran off as if fleeing.

“““…………”””

Abby-san, Ralph-chan, and I were at a loss for words.

“That lady, wasn’t she supposed to not have dated a man before?”
“That seems to have been a lie… I feel sorry for Douglas-sama.”

Abby-san’s shoulders dropped from disappointment.

Douglas, however, didn’t seem to care much.

“What in the world was that about?”

Seeing as how he was scratching his head, he might not have fully grasped the situation.

…Well, I suppose discovering that woman’s true colors before things went further is for the best.

“Eliane-sama—do you know how women like her are referred to in common parlance?”

“Yes.”  What I said was, “A pure-looking bitch.”

“We’re finally at the third one…!”
“There is no more room for any failure.”
“This has gone exactly as Ralph predicted.”

The three of us held our breaths, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next woman.

“However, Eliane-sama, please rest assured. The next woman is the true favorite this time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, she is the daughter of a certain baron household.  She seems to have taken many lessons and is very cultured.  She is also said to be very beautiful, so I am certain Douglas-sama will be taken by—”

However— Abby-san fell silent upon seeing the third woman appear before Douglas.

“Are you the strongest in Lynchigham?”

—The woman who appeared before Douglas, she was nearly as tall as the towering Douglas.

And that wasn’t all. 

How should I put it… she is quite the muscular woman.

“Hm… I am.  Art thou the third candidate for my lover today?”
“Lover candidate? What’re you talking about?  I (atashi) heard there’s a strong one here, so I came.”

The baron’s daughter(?) tilted her head in confusion.

“Abby-san, this is…”
“……”

Ah, she quickly averted her gaze.  Not even Abby-san seems to have expected this situation.

“Well— none of that matters. I (ore) am a woman who was born on a farm that grows baron potatoes.  I am traveling in search of strong folks.”

The woman(?) lowered her stance and beckoned him with a sharp gesture.

“Might I request— a match?”
“Fuu. You prefer to exchange fists instead of words?  How straightforward.  This is more to my liking!”

Thus began the battle between Douglas and the baron’s daughter(?).

“…Abby-san, would you explain what’s going on?”
“…There seems to have been a mistake in the information I gathered.”

Abby-san apologetically lowered her face.

…Although they seem to be getting along in their own way, I certainly don’t feel any romantic connection.

After sparring for about an hour, Douglas and that woman (presumably) acknowledged each other’s strength and exchanged a firm handshake.

Of course, not the slightest trace of romance developed between them.

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