“I guess I have to go myself.”

Bella, who had been watching the situation on the front lines from the castle walls, quickly made up her mind.

“Bring me my horse. I’ll go check the front lines myself.”

“You must not leave your post, Princess.”

The one who stopped Bella was Ariel Rizeute, who was in charge of the castle’s defense. A stickler for rules, she didn’t approve of Bella leaving her position.

“Our duty is to stay here and protect the castle.”

“That’s true. But isn’t the castle secure enough without me now? The monstrous beasts aren’t even approaching anymore…”

The horde of monstrous beasts that had been rushing toward the castle had suddenly stopped. This meant that those who had gone out to fight were doing well, but Bella still felt uneasy.

-You must have realized how dangerous the demons are. If those demons were to storm the castle, the soldiers here would likely panic. The only person I know who could properly command them in that situation… is you.

Tristan wasn’t the type to praise anyone. He was an arrogant noble who wouldn’t even say thank you, let alone give compliments. The fact that he spoke highly of Bella and insisted she stay at the castle clearly meant he had some ulterior motive.

And as Bella continued to defend the castle, she thought about what that motive might be, and soon reached a conclusion.

The reason Tristan wanted Bella to stay at the castle.

It was to keep her away from some kind of “danger.”

“Princess. I heard the Commander ordered you to protect the castle. Leaving here would mean disobeying his direct orders.”

“I know. But right now, I believe my duty is to help those on the front lines.”

Of course, it could just be her imagination.

But Tristan had once risked his life for her.

Thinking back to that incident still made Bella’s heart race. Both of them had been in a life-or-death situation, falling off a cliff. Tristan had chosen to cut his own bracelet and fall into hell. The fact that such an arrogant man had sacrificed himself for her was something she could never forget.

No… perhaps it was more accurate to say it had become a trauma. If she were to lose him like that again… Bella would undoubtedly break.

So if Tristan was risking himself for her again this time.

If he was planning to sacrifice himself again.

She had to stop him.

Bella was already prepared.

“It’s fine. I’ll take full responsibility.”

“…Why are you going this far?”

“Huh?”

“To be blunt, we’re just following his orders. This battle is entirely his plan, so whatever the outcome, he’ll handle it alone. It has nothing to do with you, Princess.”

Ariel looked at Bella as if she couldn’t understand. At first glance, it seemed like she was just being dutiful, but Bella knew better. Ariel’s words subtly hinted that she hoped Tristan would fail.

“Even if you go and help, he won’t be grateful.”

“That’s true. The Count is the type to do that. Instead of thanking me, he’d probably scold me for coming without being asked.”

Bella calmly replied as she descended the castle walls.

“Then….”

“But I just… don’t want to leave him alone.”

“Huh?”

As she mounted her horse, Bella spoke to Ariel, who looked utterly confused.

Ariel, who held a grudge against Tristan, would never understand, but…

“I don’t want to let him act all lonely and cool by himself again.”

*

“…Why did you come?”

“Wow, did you see that? I knew you’d say that, but you really went for it…”

“Enough with the jokes… I told you to protect the castle. Did you forget?”

“How could I forget? Hehe…”

I couldn’t accept it. Bella had appeared before me with such confidence, smiling in this situation.

“…You shouldn’t be here.”

“But I am.”

“Disobeying orders is punishable. Go back.”

“Fighting alone and losing is also punishable, you know?”

“What are you….”

That’s when it happened.

“Interrupting a duel.”

Aaron’s greatsword flew toward Bella.

The heavy weight and icy sharpness of the blade aimed precisely at her neck.

-!!

With a sharp sound, a flash of light erupted.

Aaron’s greatsword was deflected as if it had struck solid rock.

“Hoh…?”

“Indeed. My apologies.”

Bella brushed off the ice shards clinging to her rapier. If she hadn’t observed through “Jealousy,” she might have missed it. The moment she deflected that massive sword without hesitation with her thin blade.

“Our disciple seems to be struggling, so I had no choice but to step in.”

“Disciple?”

“Yes. Sorry, but I’m this man’s swordsmanship teacher.”

Bella politely bowed to Aaron. Meanwhile, she glanced at me with a sly smile. Her lips curled up, clearly intending to provoke me. It was a cute provocation, but…

The problem was that we were in the middle of a tense standoff with the enemy.

“I see. So it’s a renowned swordsmanship style.”

By now, even Aaron had to recognize that she was no ordinary swordsman.

He drew another sword from the air.

“Then this will be worth my time. State your name, new swordsman.”

A chilling aura, along with the cold, was directed at Bella. But Bella opened her mouth with a relaxed demeanor.

“I am Bella Izakhel. Descendant of the hero Alonso Izakhel and inheritor of the Izakhel Style.”

“I am Aaron. The one who brings the endless winter and the knight of the Snow Princess.”

Bella and Aaron stood in a tense standoff.

In this situation, there was only one thing I could say to her.

“Bella, you….”

“I can’t answer why I came.”

Bella cut off my question and spoke without even looking at me.

“Thinking about it, you’ve always been like this.”

“What?”

“On the surface, you act all cool and arrogant… but behind the scenes, you’re suffering like this. Does that really look good to you? That’s why your reputation is so bad.”

“That’s….”

“But in reality, you’re a good person.”

“…What?”

What? Why all of a sudden….

“You must be doing this because you’re a good person. Always fighting reckless battles for someone else, trying to handle everything alone… Did you think I’d be moved by that? Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not that kind of woman.”

“No….”

“From now on!”

“?”

“Don’t take everything on yourself without my permission. Don’t try to fight alone.”

Finally, Bella turned to me and flashed the most beautiful smile in the world.

“And don’t leave me alone without my permission.”

“…….”

“Got it?”

It was strange. I felt such relief from the comfort in that lovely smile.

At the same time, I found myself thinking about her again.

Perhaps Bella was destined to clash with Aaron even without my involvement.

Bella is a character who grows through her bloody battles with Aaron. Although she loses to Aaron and imprisons herself, tormented by guilt… Bella eventually overcomes it and rises again. She stands up again through her sorrow, growing stronger all the while.

Maybe I was the one holding her back. Thinking that, Bella’s sudden intervention didn’t seem like such a big variable. No, it was actually for the best.

I said what I had originally intended to say.

“Don’t cut in so sneakily.”

“……What did you say?”

“That guy’s opponent is me.”

I adjusted my grip on my sword and faced Aaron.

If I could drain as much of Aaron’s stamina as possible, it would be easier for Bella to finish him off later.

The problem was….

“You’re really going to do this to someone who came all this way to help? Just let me have this one.”

“No. I can’t do that.”

Bella had no intention of backing down. She wasn’t going to leave this fight to me alone.

Just as the situation was about to become awkward, Aaron unexpectedly provided a solution.

“You’re both fools.”

He swung the swords in both hands through the air and spoke.

“Numbers mean nothing to me. Come at me together.”

Bella and I stared at each other.

“So that’s how it is.”

“That’s how it is…?”

It seemed like we were both thinking the same thing.

*

“Damn it… cough…!”

Patrick, who was injured, watched their battle from a distance.

Clang-!

Tristan and Bella were facing off against Aaron, the “Knight of Winter.”

As soon as the duel began, the two of them closed the distance to Aaron as if they had planned it.

Bella swung her sword first, and a relentless barrage of attacks followed. They were lightning-fast strikes. The Izakhel Style swordsmanship, infused with the power of light, was so fast it looked like flashes of light. Even Patrick had never seen it used so seriously before.

But what truly surprised Patrick was Tristan fighting alongside Bella.

He already knew that Tristan had been taught swordsmanship by Bella. But he never imagined Tristan could fight shoulder-to-shoulder with her like that.

When Bella led the attack, Tristan perfectly covered her blind spots.

The same was true in reverse. When Tristan led the attack, Bella covered his blind spots. Thanks to this, the two of them were able to unleash a relentless assault on Aaron without giving him a moment’s rest.

Aaron, even with two swords, was struggling to block their attacks. His armor was gradually being chipped away, and wounds began to appear all over his body.

The two of them were thoroughly overwhelming Aaron. At this rate, it seemed like they could defeat him.

Wait… what’s that?

Patrick noticed something shimmering behind Aaron’s armor. A secretive, cold light. It was enough to remind Patrick of the sudden attack he had experienced earlier.

“Look out…!”

At Patrick’s shout, the ribs of a giant skeleton shot toward the two, emitting a sharp light. Not just one, but four of them.

Patrick knew firsthand how sharp and sturdy those ribs were. Getting hit would mean serious injury at the very least.

Clang-!!

But something amazing happened.

The two of them didn’t retreat. Instead, they swung their swords and deflected the ribs. Not only that, but they began to swing their swords in perfect unison, as if they were mirrors of each other.

The two of them blocked the bones while simultaneously launching an assault on Aaron. Even Aaron looked visibly flustered.

What kind of coordinated attack is this? No, just who is this Tristan…?

“Ha….”

For some reason, a hollow laugh escaped Patrick’s lips.

Before his eyes, Tristan was perfectly in sync with Bella. Their coordinated attacks were flawless, and they complemented each other’s weaknesses.

Seeing that, he couldn’t help but think they made a perfect pair.

“So that’s how it is….”

He didn’t even feel bitter anymore.

“The Princess….”

Patrick wasn’t a fool. He had always known where Bella’s heart lay. But he had believed that her feelings could be swayed.

Tristan silently swung his sword beside Bella. His sculpted face showed no emotion. He was entirely focused on wielding his sword.

How long had he been training, how much effort had he put in to reach this level? No, did he have the talent to put in that much effort in the first place?

Patrick slumped down onto the snow.

The ribs Aaron had summoned were also lost to Bella and Tristan’s swords. Aaron desperately swung his sword in resistance. Each of his strikes was threatening, but it was a last-ditch effort.

Patrick watched the two of them and thought.

Winning over a woman’s heart had never been difficult for him. No matter how long it took, he always got what he wanted.

He had believed Bella’s heart would be no different.

But for the first time, Patrick felt a huge wall.

Watching the two of them fight in perfect harmony, he questioned himself.

Could he ever stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Bella like Tristan?

Unfortunately, Patrick wasn’t confident he could.

“Haha….”

Bitterly, even his blind love…

“…It’s over.”

At those words, Tristan and Bella’s swords pierced Aaron’s chest.