33.
Fortunately, the fragile egg shattered easily under the pathetic fist of a scrawny seven-year-old.
Even though her own egg had broken, the girl giggled and patted my head as if she found me charming.
“No matter how many times you break my egg, the match is already over. I’m the winner.”
She was a kind child. That made me feel a little sorry.
But a competition is a competition. It couldn’t be helped.
I fumbled as I stood up, brushed the dirt from my clothes, and muttered.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not over until it’s over.”
Saying that, I undid the bun I had tied my hair into.
I took out the egg I had hidden inside and held it up for the people in the safe zone to see.
It was an egg with ‘Tania’ written on it, clear as day.
The girl, who had been certain of her victory, pointed at me with a look of utter disbelief.
“Y-you…! Then what was the egg in your pocket!”
“Someone else’s.”
To be precise, it was an egg Rosemary had stolen from another participant during the early stages of the battle royale.
I turned my pocket inside out to reveal the name written on the shell.
“The one that broke was the egg belonging to a kid named Hans.”
“That’s impossible….”
“Well, you shouldn’t have let your guard down just because your opponent was much younger and possessed zero physical ability.”
It was so trivial that the match had ended without me even needing to use my save-load ability.
*Tweet-!*
A whistle sounded, signaling the end of the battle royale, and the moderator stepped between us.
“As of this moment, Tania is the only one left holding an intact egg, so I declare that the winner has been decided!”
At the definitive declaration of victory, I let out a sigh of relief and let my tension drain away.
That was when someone in the safe zone raised their hand and objected to the result.
“Wait! I have an objection!”
“Speak.”
“Raspi and Elision, who were the strongest contenders for the win, didn’t attack that girl and instead purposefully helped her—isn’t this unfair?”
“That’s right! It makes no sense for a child who just passed the entrance exam for the Talent Academy and has never even shown her face once to be adopted by the Duchess!”
“I agree. Shouldn’t only people from the Talent Academy be eligible for adoption by the Duchess?”
Once one person raised the issue, a flurry of complaints poured out.
The moderator furrowed his brow at their unreasonable claims and spoke with a displeased expression.
“First, Tania passed the entrance exam for the Talent Academy fair and square. She registered yesterday, and her enrollment was confirmed as of today.”
Perhaps because his irritation grew the more he thought about it, he took a breath and continued.
“Tania is, strictly speaking, a member of the Talent Academy. So, I would appreciate it if you would stop questioning her eligibility. Also….”
Just as the moderator was about to continue, someone cut him off and raised her voice.
“I clearly stated before the start of the match that you should use any means and methods necessary.”
A dignified voice and a fierce aura that no one dared to interrupt.
Viviana Papiope Dillum.
It was the Duchess of Papiope.
Having appeared suddenly, though I didn’t know how long she had been watching, she opened her lips with a face flushed with rage.
“Attracting capable people to your side is also an indispensable talent. In fact, if you are in a position to rule over others, it is the most necessary ability.”
The Duchess pushed through the students, who parted like the Red Sea, and walked toward me.
“Didn’t all of you form teams as well? Besides, Tania eliminated the last remaining survivor right in front of everyone’s eyes.”
The Duchess let out a short, hollow laugh as if it were absurd. A vein bulged on her forehead.
“In fact, the condition of having to break an opponent’s egg was a disadvantage for Tania, who has absolutely no physical ability.”
The Duchess gave me a brief glance before turning her gaze back to the students.
Then, her enraged voice shook the area as if the earth were trembling.
“Speak up with those mouths of yours! Do you really think the confrontation between a seven-year-old child and a fifteen-year-old child was fair?”
In reality, there was a height difference of almost two heads between her and me.
I was smaller than my peers, and she was as tall as an adult; it must have looked like a fight between an adult and a child.
Moreover, she was an Abilitator with super strength. Even if I knew what was going to happen in the future, I couldn’t have dodged her if I wasn’t faster than her.
They must have all known that fact.
The Duchess emitted an intangible energy, pressuring the students.
“Where on earth could there be a more perfect winner than this?”
Under her overwhelming presence, the surroundings fell silent, as if ice water had been poured over the crowd, suppressing them with fear.
Just then, the girl with super strength who had fought me bowed her head toward the Duchess and expressed her thoughts.
“I also believe that this child is more qualified to be the Duchess’s adopted daughter than I am. I have no complaints about the result.”
Seeing her, who perhaps had the most to be disappointed about, show such ready acceptance, the Duchess’s brow relaxed as if her anger had subsided to some degree.
“Since the last survivor has no complaints, I suppose we can end it here.”
The Duchess grabbed my right hand, lifted it up, and shouted to the students.
“I declare Tania the winner of the second Papiope adoption competition!”
“Waaaaah-!”
Rosemary’s excited voice rang out loudly.
Even Raspi and Elision had smiles on their lips as they clapped, and the students, who had been reading the room, followed suit one by one.
The Duchess, who had silenced the voices of dissent at once, tilted her head slowly and added.
“If any of you have anything else you want to argue about, apply for a private audience with me. I will explain point by point exactly why you were destined to be the losers.”
✦ ✦ ✦
After winning the adoption competition, the other students returned to the Talent Academy.
I, holding the Duchess’s hand, moved to the Papiope Ducal Townhouse in the capital.
It was a rather bewildering schedule for me, as I had intended to thank the twins and Elision, and inform the gentleman of the victory right away.
Under normal circumstances, I would have gone to the Talent Academy with the other students to pack my things and headed to the ducal estate the next day.
“Tania, this is where you will be living from now on.”
The Papiope Townhouse was exactly as I remembered it when I was an adult.
Buildings with a clean white base and points of oxidized copper that created a luxurious blue hue.
It was fascinating that nothing had changed in the twelve years since. I was staring at the building blankly when the Duchess brought up what she couldn’t say in front of the others earlier.
“I had been looking forward to our first meeting, but I have no face to see you after showing only an angry side. I should have maintained my composure.”
“No. I was happy that the Duchess spoke the words I wanted to say in my stead.”
At my expression of gratitude, the Duchess’s eyes widened slightly.
“…Do daughters normally speak so prettily? Or is this child just sweet?”
“Yes? What did you just say?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The Duchess shook her head hurriedly and ordered the butler who had appeared to welcome us and stand at attention.
“She is a child who has been rolling in the dirt all day. See that she is washed up cleanly. We plan to have dinner together later, so bring the child to the dining room.”
“Yes, understood.”
With a word for me to see her later, the Duchess walked away, her cape fluttering behind her.
The butler, ordered by the Duchess, looked at me and smiled kindly.
“I will assign maids to assist you with your bath. Please follow me.”
That was my first task upon entering the Papiope household.