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“……”

I didn’t answer and tightened my grip on my arm.

Then King Rahar II also got serious, clenched his fist, and took a stance.

The more I looked, the thicker his arms were. The steel-like muscles reminded me that he was no easy opponent.

Moreover, the sparse hair on his arms and chest made him look like a gorilla. At this point, I suspected he might have an excess of male hormones.

Could I really win against such a beast?

No… It’s not a matter of whether I can win. I *have* to win.

This is a matter of pride as a man.

“Are both sides ready?”

“Haha. Of course.”

“Alright.”

“Good. Then… begin!”

With the referee’s shout, the arm-wrestling match began.

One way to win arm-wrestling is to not give your opponent a chance to exert force and immediately overpower them.

I waited for the right moment and tried to push Rahar’s arm down.

But…

“?!”

“What are you doing, Count? The match has already started.”

He didn’t budge.

It felt like pushing against a rock. No matter how much force I applied, Rahar’s arm didn’t move.

“Put some more effort into it. This is too boring.”

Even though I was putting in quite a bit of strength, Rahar yawned as if he was bored.

“Hey, big bro. Don’t be so harsh.”

“Maybe it’s because big bro is just too strong?”

“That’s right, big bro!”

Now even the guys on the side were chiming in. It felt like I was in the middle of enemy territory, and the environment was definitely unfavorable.

But I’ve been through countless trials as Tristan and am already in peak condition.

I won’t be shaken by such psychological tactics.

“You have a lot of cheering brothers.”

“Ah, they’re not my real brothers, but they’re my cherished younger brothers. In our country, if you lose in arm-wrestling, you have to call the winner ‘big bro’ for life.”

Rahar II pointed to the bodyguards standing behind him. No wonder they didn’t look like brothers at all.

“So, you’re more like a big bro than a king?”

“Haha. That’s right. Everyone respects me as their big bro.”

Then, Rahar started to exert force on his arm. The strength was unbelievable, as if it wasn’t human.

‘What kind of strength is this…?’

Rahar’s monstrous strength was almost comparable to Helga’s.

Seeing me barely holding on, Rahar started to laugh mockingly.

“You’re quite delicate. Too beautiful to be called a man. If I win, how about you call me ‘oppa’ from now on?”

“……”

For a moment, I almost lost control of my expression.

“Hmm. Maybe ‘oppa’ isn’t the right word. ‘Orabeoni’ might be better.”

Inside, ‘Pride’ stirred.

Even though I’ve tamed the demon and it’s completely under my control, being treated like a woman still doesn’t sit well with me.

For the first time in a while, I decided to sync with ‘Pride’ and put on a show of confidence.

“Sorry, but I don’t have that kind of interest.”

“Is that so? But isn’t it good to have such interests?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Hahaha… That’s a shame. But…”

*Crack.*

“You can only refuse if you beat me.”

As Rahar’s grip tightened, my hand felt like it was about to shatter.

But the expression I entrusted to ‘Pride’ remained utterly calm.

“Earlier… you said only the strongest can possess the most beautiful, right?”

“Haha. That’s right.”

“What I know is a bit different.”

“Oh? Different, you say?”

Rahar’s immense strength was slowly pushing my hand down.

Once arm-wrestling starts to tilt, it’s hard to reverse, so everyone was sure of my defeat.

Rahar, who knew this well, wore a smug expression.

But even if I don’t have that kind of strength, I have the strength to win.

“In our empire, being strong doesn’t just mean having physical strength.”

“Then…?”

“The one who doesn’t fall until the end is the truly strong one.”

Without hesitation, I used ‘Wrath.’

“?!”

In that instant, I flipped Rahar’s weakened arm with ‘Wrath’ and slammed it down.

“Uoooh?!”

Rahar’s eyes widened in shock.

He probably felt my strength increase momentarily. But in reality, it was the opposite. His strength had just been weakened by ‘Wrath.’

“W-what…!”

Unaware of the truth, he panicked and started to resist.

No matter how strong he was in arm-wrestling, this was his first time in such a situation.

Just when victory seemed certain, the tables had turned.

If Rahar had purely tried to beat me in arm-wrestling, he might have succeeded.

But he made me angry.

Not only did he treat me like a woman, but he also hinted at targeting Bella, which provoked me.

Now it’s time for him to pay the price.

I warned Rahar in a voice only he could hear.

“Don’t even think about taking the ‘most beautiful’ from me.”

“W-wait…!? Count, I think you’re misunderstanding…”

Misunderstanding, my foot.

I slammed Rahar’s barely resisting hand down.

The result was my victory.

No, thinking about it again, I’m not sure if I can call it my victory.

Because it was only after hearing Bella’s explanation later that I realized I had misunderstood.

The reason why Rahar II’s bodyguards and attendants were all men, with no women in sight…

It was because Rahar II was a man who had no interest in women… a homosexual.

*

“Wow, wow… It’s so beautiful…”

Wendy, hanging on the second-floor railing, let out a small gasp as she looked at the reddened beach.

Finally, after finishing all our business, we sat at a bar by the Mojito beach, watching the sunset.

It was truly relaxing.

The wide expanse of Mojito’s beach, visible from the second-floor railing, was healing just to look at.

“Here are the drinks you ordered, Princess.”

“Thank you.”

Bella, who received the drink from the waiter, smiled back.

“It’s a relief everything ended well.”

Yeah… I guess it’s a relief that everything somehow worked out.

-Frankly, I underestimated you, Count. I admit my defeat.

Contrary to my worries, Rahar II was a magnanimous man.

I thought beating the king in arm-wrestling might earn me some resentment, but it was the opposite.

In fact, Rahar and the people of Mojito acknowledged and respected my strength.

Moreover, being a foreigner helped. According to the law, only Mojito citizens could ascend to the throne through arm-wrestling.

If I had messed up, I might have ended up as the king of this country. Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.

It’s better to leave men’s pointless pride aside.

“Anyway, men… Was it really something to cling to like that?”

Though she said that, Bella seemed a bit pleased.

The reason I agreed to the arm-wrestling match was because I thought Rahar was hitting on Bella.

‘But who would have thought Rahar was a homosexual…’

Remembering that the ‘most beautiful person’ he mentioned wasn’t Bella but me gave me chills.

If it weren’t for Bella, I might have been screwed… No, in some ways, maybe I already was.

-The Count is truly a man among men! In that sense, I, Rahar II, bestow upon Count Tristan an honorable title!

Yeah. That damn honor. The title I was forced to accept because I beat the king. That title was…

“Here’s your Maldives… ‘Big Oppa.'”

“Pfft…!”

Hearing the waiter’s words, Bella almost spat out her drink.

The title Rahar bestowed upon me, ‘Big Oppa,’ became attached to me, just like Rahar’s ‘Big Bro.’

In this country where brothers call each other ‘big bro,’ it’s considered the highest form of respect.

Perhaps Rahar wanted to emphasize that in front of me, any man is no different from a woman.

But I wish they’d consider how the person being called feels.

‘Sigh…’

Only then did I realize the gravity of what I had done. I shouldn’t have won that arm-wrestling match…

In a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, I asked the waiter who brought the drinks.

“…I’d prefer if you didn’t use that title.”

“Sorry, Big Oppa. It’s an honorable title bestowed by the king. If we don’t use it, we’ll be punished.”

“……”

Ugh, this is so frustrating.

I swear I’ll never set foot in this country again.

“Count!”

Wendy, who was on the railing, scurried over and said with sparkling eyes.

“Let’s come here again together later! Hehe… It’s so beautiful…!”

…Hmm. Yeah. I can tolerate coming here a second time.

“If I were there, I would have taken care of everything for you, Count…”

Helga muttered regretfully.

What are you going to do with being recognized as masculine…?

Just the thought of macho men calling Helga ‘oppa’ is a nightmare in itself.

I took a sip of the drink the waiter brought.

The familiar taste on my tongue. And the green drink filled with crushed mint leaves. It was easy to recognize.

“…Mojito.”

“Already drunk, Count? This is Maldives.”

Bella chuckled and shook the Maldives in her hand.

In this world, common sense is flipped, but this is definitely a mojito.

“Here are the drinks you ordered.”

“Thank you!”

“Don’t mention it, little lady.”

Of course, what we ordered for Wendy was a non-alcoholic juice.

“Count, is it really okay for me to drink this…?”

“Sure.”

“Wow…”

Wendy, holding the drink with its pretty emerald color and various fruits on top, looked like the happiest person in the world.

“Hehe… You’re really cute.”

“Huh…?”

“Who wouldn’t think you’re a baby, ordering something so cute?”

“Eek?! I-I’m not a baby!”

“Goo goo! I baby Wendy! Drink juice. Juice please!”

“Uuuuu…”

Wendy puffed her cheeks at Helga’s teasing. It’s really a talent to make such a kind girl angry.

“Can’t argue back, huh?”

“Uuu… You’re so mean…”

Wendy’s eyes welled up with tears, clearly upset by Helga’s words.

Teasing a child by calling them a child is never a good idea.

Before I could say anything, Blanshe spoke up.

“Enough, Helga. Don’t you feel sorry for Wendy?”

“Tch…”

Helga pouted.

Come to think of it, Helga has been picking on Wendy a lot lately.

Of course, I can guess the reason.

In the original story, Helga was a character who shared my fate until her death and was my most trusted subordinate.

But Wendy, who was supposed to have died early, survived and became my exclusive maid, even receiving my favor.

Helga must feel like her position is being taken by Wendy, which is why she’s picking on her so unreasonably.

The conflict between Wendy and Helga might have been inevitable.

‘I hope they can get along…’

Thinking that, I reached for the mojito… no, Maldives in front of me.

*Crash.*

“Eek?!”

The glass tipped over on its own, spilling its contents onto Wendy’s apron.

This familiar situation where the glass falls on its own is definitely…

“Count… Are you really drunk? What’s wrong?”

“Uuu… It’s wet…”

No, this is my sister’s doing… I wanted to say, but I’d definitely be treated like a lunatic.

I have a lot to say, but I won’t.

I got up without any explanation.

“Wendy. Follow me. I’ll lend you some clothes.”

“Uuu… Okay…”

Wendy, with her white apron soaked, looked pitiful.

No… But what reason did Sora have for giving me that signal?

Usually, she gives such signals to warn me of some impending danger.

But no matter how much I looked, there was no sign of danger around. And there’s no way to ask Sora what she meant…

For now, I took Wendy to the restroom and gave her my cardigan.

“Wear this for now.”

“Okay… I’ll just wet it with water and come out…”

Seeing Wendy so down made me feel down too.

While waiting for Wendy in the restroom, a customer appeared at the bar in front of me.

“Barkeep. Can I get a mojito?”

“Come on… Didn’t I clearly say it’s Maldives before?”

“I don’t know… I don’t remember…”

“Tsk tsk…”

The man’s appearance didn’t fit the resort at all.

Long, messy hair, a shabby appearance, and the stench of alcohol. Now that I looked, the man’s hands were trembling as if he had a seizure.

‘An alcoholic.’

I don’t know how such a man got in here, but judging by the bartender’s reaction, he seemed familiar.

“Here. Do you have money?”

“Uh… Thanks.”

“Tch. If you’re grateful, sit in the corner and drink. What will the customers think?”

“S-sorry…”

The bartender scowled and waved his hand, and the drunkard bowed his head and headed to the corner… right next to me.

Ugh. Being entangled with such a person on a vacation is no good… Just as I thought that, our eyes met.

Damn it. Just ignore me and move on.

I quickly averted my gaze, but the man had already seen my face.

Well, if he’s begging, I can spare some change. It’s just annoying.

But the man who spotted me wasn’t asking for alms.

*Clang!*

“You, you…!”

The glass in the man’s hand fell and shattered.

“Tristan!! Why are you here…! Why are you here!”

Huh?

“Do you know me?”

“I’ll kill you…”

“What?”

“I’ll kill you… Tristan! You of all people!”

Huh? What? Wait…!

Without a moment to stop him, the enraged man lunged at me.

The man’s sharp kick flew towards my face. It was a swift kick, unbelievable for a drunkard.

I narrowly dodged the surprise attack and quickly created distance.

“Don’t run away!”

“Listen to me first.”

“I don’t want to! You bastard…!”

He’s not listening.

No matter how fast the man was, he was no match for me, who had grown through countless trials.

First, I need to subdue him.

Just as I was about to target the man’s weak spot…

“S-stop it!”

Wendy, who heard the commotion, came out and stood in front of me.

“W-whoever you are, don’t bully the Count!”

“If you don’t know anything, don’t interfere…!”

Despite Wendy’s plea, the man vented his anger.

“Calm down!”

“Do I look calm! Tristan that bastard…! He’s my brother’s enemy…!”

“What?”

For a moment, something clicked in my head upon hearing the man’s words.

But the man didn’t give me time to think.

“I’ll kill you…!”

Even with Wendy right in front of him, he charged at me.

That can’t happen…!

“Wendy! Move!”

“C-Count?! Eek!”

I quickly shielded Wendy.

Fortunately, the man wasn’t armed. A few hits wouldn’t be a problem.

I braced myself, but the man’s attack suddenly stopped.

“…Wendy?”

The man’s pupils trembled through his long hair.

In his eyes was Wendy, nestled in my arms.

And then, an unexpected word escaped his lips.

“You… You’re alive… Wendy!”

“Huh?”

Realizing the attacker’s change in attitude, Wendy tilted her head.

Staring intently at the man’s face, Wendy asked in a disbelieving voice.

“A-are you Peter… oppa?”

“Yes! It’s me…!”

Standing there was Wendy’s brother and the protagonist of this story… Peter Wingfield.

But why are you here?

 

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