Thanks to Freesia’s abrupt declaration in the garden, I was now dragged to the backyard where I usually trained.

"How did it come to this...?"

Lately, I felt like I’d been saying the same thing far too often—and it clearly wasn’t my imagination. Just when I thought Alice, our savior at that oppressive tea party, had helped us scrape through, things somehow escalated.

No, I knew the reason all too well. It all stemmed from the foolishness of my past self.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, Brother..."

"Why are you apologizing, Alice? Honestly, I had a feeling this would happen sooner or later. This is on me."

"But still..."

"Don’t worry about it. Just stay back so you don’t get hurt."

"O-Okay..."

I reassured Alice, who looked guilty and crestfallen, and watched as she stepped away from me. Then, taking her place, my father, grandfather, and Duke Ivern—the father of Freesia—approached me.

"Haha! Looks like you’ve got yourself into something interesting again, Clay!"

"Clay, what is the meaning of this?"

"..."

Ignoring the boisterously laughing old man, I immediately bowed my head to the other two.

"I apologize, Father. This is all the result of my inadequacies. To put it simply, Lady Freesia seems to believe she’s rescuing Alice from my clutches, which has led to this situation."

"…What?"

"…What?"

"Haha! So she’s here to save Alice from the clutches of evil—you? Now this is hilarious!"

"Quiet, old man..."

Both fathers were dumbfounded by the explanation, while my granduncle laughed so hard he clutched his stomach. Embarrassed, I turned to Duke Ivern and bowed deeply in apology.

"Duke Ivern, I truly apologize for this mess. While I acknowledge it’s a consequence of my past misdeeds, could I ask you to intervene and dissuade Lady Freesia from continuing this?"

"Hmm... I’d like to, but my daughter is uncharacteristically determined about this. Can’t you humor her? Of course, be careful not to injure each other. Though, given you’ve already landed a hit on one of the Seven Peerless Swords, I doubt I need to worry."

"I—I understand. I’ll try to resolve this peacefully."

It seemed Duke Ivern had no intention of intervening. My last hope of avoiding this duel vanished. There was no escaping it now.

"Hurry up and grab a sword! Don’t tell me you’re scared?"

As I tried to accept the situation, Freesia, already prepared, urged me impatiently. She must have grown tired of waiting while we talked. I decided to confirm one last thing.

"Are you really going through with this?"

"Of course! I’ll save Alice no matter what!"

"Figured as much..."

Seeing her resolve, I sighed inwardly. It was rare to see Freesia so fired up. This hadn’t happened in my first life.

To me, Freesia Greyfrost was a cold, calculating, and deeply thoughtful individual.

Perhaps, as a child, her passionate and impulsive side was simply something I hadn’t seen. Now, in this second life, I was witnessing a new facet of her personality. As I pondered this, Freesia continued.

"Let’s make it clear. Magic is allowed, and the duel ends only when one of us is incapacitated or surrenders. No interference from outsiders. Agreed?"

"...Understood."

Even though this was a duel between children, the terms were no different from those for adults. This ensured fairness but also emphasized that this was no mere child's play.

"Then let’s begin—!"

Without much warning, Freesia dashed forward with a clean, well-trained posture. For a young girl, her movements were remarkably refined and efficient—befitting the daughter of a duke.

"Ha!"

I effortlessly parried the wooden sword that closed in on me.

The Greyfrost family, rulers of vast lands, were esteemed protectors of the nation’s security and deeply trusted by the people. They were also renowned for producing members of the Seven Peerless Swords through their hereditary primal magic.

Their unique magic, Frost Arts, embodied the concept of absolute zero. Once ensnared, escape was near impossible.

By my recollection, Freesia had only recently inherited her primal magic. She likely couldn’t wield advanced techniques yet or incorporate them effectively into combat.

Though I wouldn’t underestimate her, I couldn’t afford to go all out like I did against Gilflare; it could cause her serious harm. Over the past month, I’d honed my skills further, mastering Bloodflow Manipulation. Even without warming up fully, I was confident I could handle this.

"Impressive, Lady Freesia. Your form is exceptional."

"Don’t patronize me! Are you saying I’m not worth your full effort?"

"No, that’s not it..."

I genuinely praised her swordsmanship, but my words only angered her. In hindsight, my comment came across as condescending. I silently vowed to do better.

"I’ll freeze you solid—Frost Spear!"

Finally, in a critical moment, Freesia remembered to activate her magic. Her attack was basic but deadly—a spear of ice aimed directly at my face.

But it was predictable.

"Too slow."

"Wh—?!"

I caught the spear with my bare hand and crushed it. Closing the distance, I flicked her forehead with precision.

"Boop."

"Ow!!"

A loud snap echoed, and Freesia staggered back, clutching her reddened forehead. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Shall we continue?"

"...I yield."

Though she accepted defeat, her frustration was palpable as she glared at me.

With a deep sigh of relief, I was glad the duel ended without significant injuries. While Freesia nursed her forehead with an ice pack, my father, granduncle, and Duke Ivern approached again.

"You’ve improved, Clay."

"To think you’ve come this far..."

"Bah! Why didn’t you go all out?"

"Thank you."

Ignoring my granduncle’s absurd comment, I acknowledged the praise from the other two.

"That was amazing, Brother!"

"Impressive, Clay!"

"Thanks, you two."

Though their words warmed my heart, the duel’s absurd premise left me feeling conflicted.

"Next time, I won’t lose! Mark my words!"

Lady Freesia declared with unwavering determination, storming off. Her fiery spirit left me wondering when I’d face her again.

Thus ended the visit of the frost-and-snow duke’s daughter.