Her crimson hair fluttered wildly, and her glowing red eyes sprayed blood around her.

Thankfully, the blood wasn’t hers—it belonged to the soldiers and gladiators who dared to challenge her.

“Get out of my way!! If you don’t give me Ken, I’ll kill every last one of you━!!”

Her clear voice rang out like a bell, reverberating through the air and sending shivers down the spines of everyone around her, causing them to instinctively retreat.

She was stunningly beautiful, and surprisingly, she was someone I recognized.

Despite this body’s lack of memories, one thing was certain—I remembered her.

Could this be fate?

Overcome with emotion, I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and her name echoed in my heart.

‘Raphne…’

Her name was Raphne Bel Martinez.

She was the villainess from the game I had loved so much, Epiris Academy.

The very character who had made me fall for the game, my ultimate favorite.

‘She’s a thousand times more beautiful in person than in the game’s illustrations….’

I was utterly captivated.

Even in the game, I had been smitten by her striking beauty and confident personality, but seeing her in reality was breathtaking—almost soul-stealing.

Mesmerized, I stood there watching her spear dance, which felt more like an elegant performance.

And then—

“Cha-Champion━!!”

Someone called out, breaking me from my trance.

It was one of the gladiators who had been kicked by Raphne earlier and sent flying into the barrels nearby.

“P-Please help! While we respect your decision to honor our strength, none of us can stop that woman but you!”

He must have misunderstood my silent observation of her battle.

After all, the reason I was sent here was to stop her.

‘Damn it, my first encounter with my favorite character, and I have to fight her?’

It felt like a thousand needles were stabbing my heart.

What I truly wanted was to sit down and enjoy a leisurely cup of tea with her.

But—

“Champion!”

“Please, we’re begging you, Champion!”

“You’re our only hope!”

I had no choice.

‘Fine, I’ll fight her just enough to look like I’m trying, then let her knock me out and pretend to be unconscious.’

That was the best plan I could think of.

Even though I was the champion of Perion, my opponent was Raphne Bel Martinez.

In the game, she was unrivaled in combat, the indisputable number one in the academy’s martial division.

Someone like her could easily crush a champion of a mere desert city-state.

Resolving myself, I steadied my breathing and walked past the fallen gladiators toward her, gripping the iron greatsword I often used in matches.

Clang! Clang!

BOOOOM━!!

At that moment, she sent three soldiers and gladiators flying with a single swing of her spear.

Standing with her back to me, she heaved heavy breaths, her shoulders rising and falling, her body trembling with unbridled fury.

I stared at her beautiful back for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Ra-Raphne!”

‘Oh no, I said her name!’

For the first time, her name escaped my lips.

Just saying it made my heart race, and I could feel my face growing warm.

If it weren’t for this ridiculous helmet, she’d see how flushed I was.

But—

“……”

As soon as I called her name, she froze mid-breath and stood still.

Then, clenching her trembling fists tightly, she slowly turned her head toward me, her expression one of disbelief, as if she’d found something she’d been desperately searching for.

‘Wow… Just as I thought…’

Her face, filled with sorrow, was as beautiful as I’d imagined.

Overwhelming emotions welled up in her, turning into tears that glistened in her large, stunning eyes.

For a fleeting second, her expression held a heartbreaking beauty.

But that expression lasted less than a second.

“…Who the hell are you?”

Her face twisted into an irritated scowl as she looked at my helmet.

Ah, of course. Everyone here called her the Crimson Mad Dog.

And here I was, someone she didn’t know, addressing her by name without any introduction—it must have annoyed her.

Blame my nervousness for making me act so thoughtlessly.

“I-I’m the champion of Rendil’s gladiators! Peasant, the ‘Odd Helmet’!”

There, I’d done it.

Even if it wasn’t my real name, I’d successfully introduced myself to her.

Not that it seemed to improve her mood.

“Right… So you’re next, then…”

With an exasperated sigh, she cast a sharp glare at me.

And then—

She vanished.

CLANG━!!

“Grrk!”

“…You’re on a completely different level from them, huh?”

Her golden spear came at me from the side, its gleaming arc leaving afterimages.

I barely managed to block her strike by swinging my greatsword up in time.

As the weapons clashed, sparks flew, and she observed me carefully, her sharp eyes scanning my helmet.

“…I’ll go all out.”

Her words were simple, but they made my heart race.

How could I be feeling this way in a fight where my life was on the line? I had to be insane.

Swoosh!

Lost in thought, I realized too late that she’d disappeared again.

She reappeared above me in an instant, her spear aimed straight for my head.

CLANG!!

Our weapons clashed again, the sound of metal on metal reverberating as sparks showered around us.

I was sweating now, barely keeping up with her relentless attacks.

She was on an entirely different level compared to anyone I’d fought in the coliseum.

‘This… This must be her [Instant Acceleration]…!’

A skill from the game Epiris Academy—a signature ability of hers that made her the strongest in the physical combat division.

Clang!

Clang!

BOOOM━!!

As our weapons clashed repeatedly, I came to understand just how overwhelming this skill was.

It wasn’t teleportation in the magical sense, but rather a physical acceleration that heightened her speed and reaction time to seemingly superhuman levels.

It was as though she moved freely in a slowed-down world.

Raphne’s eyes widened in surprise as all her swift, ambush-like attacks were blocked by my greatsword.

And then—

We locked weapons again, our faces only inches apart.

Screech!

The grinding of metal under intense pressure filled the air.

“You’re… stronger than I thought.”

“T-Thank you.”

“What was your name again?”

“Peasant. My name is Peasant…”

“Peasant…”

She repeated my name nonchalantly, her gaze fixed on my helmet.

Then, she smiled faintly.

“Alright, I’ll remember your name.”

“R-Really?!”

“…Why are you so happy? It’s creepy.”

“S-Sorry…”

It wasn’t even my real name, but the thought of being remembered by her, even for a moment, filled me with joy.

That my favorite character, the ideal woman I admired so much, had acknowledged me—it was overwhelming.

Maybe I let out a weird noise in my excitement, because Raphne gave me a look of utter disgust.

From the sidelines, cheers erupted.

“Ooooh!! Champion!! I knew you could do it!!”

“The Crimson Mad Dog’s attacks can’t even faze him!!”

“Keep going, Champion!! We believe in you!!”

To the onlookers, our heated exchange must have seemed like an intense battle of wills.

“Huh… You’re pretty popular, huh?”

“I-I’m sorry. That’s just how it is in the coliseum…”

“Do you know a lot of these people?”

“W-Well, I guess I do…”

Between strikes, we exchanged a brief conversation amidst the clash of metal.

And at the end of our exchange, Raphne looked at me intently before speaking.

“Alright.”

Whoosh!

She pulled her spear back and stepped away, retreating about five paces.

As the distance grew between us, I felt a pang of disappointment.

Raphne, now more composed, leveled her spear at me.

Her face, once twisted in fury, now bore a serious expression.

And amidst the deafening cheers, she spoke in a voice so soft that only I could hear.

Her lips moved, mouthing words I’d never forget.

‘Help me.’

I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d understood her correctly.

But I wanted to believe I had. Even if it was my own delusion, I was willing to bet on it.

So, I nodded.

And in response, she gave me the most radiant smile I’d ever seen.

Before vanishing.

She reappeared behind me, and I didn’t move.

After all, she’d asked for my help.

She leaned in close, whispering into my ear.

“…Thank you.”

Then, the cold blade of her spear rested against my neck.

“Everyone, back off━!! Move a single step, and your champion dies right here━!!”

I had become her hostage.

‘Ah, against my back… it’s touching.’

Soft.

As her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders to immobilize me, her front pressed firmly against my back.

And naturally, that meant her chest—impressively large even in illustrations—ended up fully pressed against me.

“Uwah, uwah, uwah, uwaaaaah!!”

Flustered, I felt my face heat up as though it was about to explode, throwing me into complete confusion.

Raphne noticed my reaction and, with a soft laugh, whispered, “Good acting! Just keep it up like that!”

It seemed my startled expression was being interpreted as genuine fear from being taken hostage, and the others appeared to think the same.

“D-Damn it!! That’s low, you Red Mad Dog━!!”

“A hostage?! How dare you call yourself a fighter!!”

“Shut up!! Just hand over Ken or let me through!!”

Fortunately, everyone seemed to value my life.

Especially the gladiators.

Like me, they were confused and clutching their heads as they reluctantly stepped back one by one.

“Y-You fools! What are you doing?! No matter if he’s the champion, he’s just a gladiatorial slave!! Ignore the hostage and attack!!”

But the soldiers, particularly the officer leading them, barked angrily at the hesitant gladiators.

‘Well, from the soldiers’ perspective, I am just a gladiator…’

But that was only the soldiers’ viewpoint.

Here, there were a significant number of gladiators gathered as well, and they immediately retorted with fiery anger to his command.

“What the hell are you spouting?!”

“Do you even know who he is?! Just one of his matches is worth three years of your paychecks!!”

“We were ordered to assist you, sure, but we’re not sacrificing the champion’s life for you!!”

“Our master would never have agreed to your request if that were the case!!”

The gladiators’ faces turned red as they all raised their weapons.

And all those weapons were now aimed not at Raphne but at the soldiers.

Seeing this, Raphne chuckled softly into my ear.

“You’re more popular than I thought.”

“W-Well, it seems so. I didn’t expect this either…”

I had assumed they would abandon me without hesitation, but it seemed the title of champion carried more weight than I realized.

Thanks to this, Raphne appeared to recognize my value as she tightened her grip on me.

“Alright. You’ll have to help me out for a while.”

Soft.

Her generous chest pressed more firmly against my back with every movement.

Of course. I’ll follow her to the ends of hell.

I pledged my loyalty to her.

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