63 The Princess' Mock Battle, A Familiar Calls

"Did you just buy a bunch of erotic novels?" Otto asked, summarizing all the items Brynhildr had purchased during their shopping date.

"Yup, they're all for future reference," she replied, hinting at her plans to explore more interesting plays and positions for her fantasies with Otto.

"The what?"

"Anyway, did you know that Ikki kid and that redhead princess are going to fight?" Brynhildr dismissed his confusion, pointing out the duel she knew Otto was already aware of.

"I know, and the F-rank kid is going to win," Otto said confidently, aware of the outcome of Ikki's and Stella's fight. Watching it live seemed redundant since he had already spoiled it for himself.

"That kid's statistics are all trash. Are you sure he's going to win?" Brynhildr replied skeptically, finding it hard to believe an F-rank could defeat an A-rank like Stella.

"Imagine if I told you there was a caped bald man with no magic who could beat anyone with just one punch."

"What?" She replied in surprise, momentarily thinking such a person could be real.

"Kono Otto da!" He said, pointing at himself confidently with a smug face.

"..." Brynhildr remained silent, knowing Otto's punches were no joke. Even in her previous body as a Valkyrie, she wasn't confident she could withstand one.

'I mean, I could beat the crap out of people if I wanted to. I'm unmatched in terms of physical strength, especially now that my Code: Unknown is working properly,' Otto thought to himself.

"Right..." Brynhildr said, feeling a twinge of excitement as she glanced at her newly purchased novels.

While Otto continued to try and grasp the reverse curse technique, Brynhildr got up and approached him. He could vaguely guess what she wanted.

"Let's do it again," she said, licking her lips.

"..." Otto looked at her, wondering where on earth she got this much stamina.

It had only been three days since they started having sex, and in those three days, they had already done it more than 40 times.

After some time, it was almost dusk and Ikki and Stella's duel had ended.

"Didn't you say that Ikki kid would win?" Brynhildr looked at Otto, who was also confused by the outcome.

"Show me their recorded match," he said, eager to see what had transpired in their duel.

Brynhildr quickly accessed the recording and handed it over to Otto. They both watched intently as the duel unfolded on the screen.

"That's strange," Otto muttered as the fight progressed.

'Why would the arrogant princess be going all out at the start of the match?' He wondered, when in the original, Stella would only start seriously when she was cornered. Ikki didn't have enough time to use his noble art, Blade Steal on Stella, not being able to see her blade style.

"Maybe Stella's improved more than you thought?" Brynhildr nodded, equally puzzled, not getting the full context that Otto had.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Otto admitted, leaning back thoughtfully. "It seems I underestimated Stella's growth."

"Looks like even you can't predict everything." Brynhildr smirked, as it was the first time he guessed incorrectly.

"I suppose not. But it's interesting to see how people can surprise you." Otto shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. 

"Speaking of surprises, how about we continue our own little activities?" Brynhildr nodded, then leaned closer, her voice dropping to a more seductive tone, as she couldn't get enough of him.

...

Earlier at the battle area, as Stella's and Ikki's duel was about to start, the atmosphere was tense despite the few-to-know audiences. It was the height of summer, and many people were away on vacation, leaving only a few dedicated spectators to witness the clash between the prodigious redhead princess and the underestimated F-rank swordsman.

Ikki stood calmly on one side of the arena, his expression focused and determined. He knew the odds were against him, but he had trained relentlessly for Otto. Stella, on the other hand, exuded confidence. Her fiery hair glowed in the bright sunlight, and her eyes locked onto Ikki with fierce determination.

"I've heard a few rumors about you," Stella began, her voice laced with disdain.

"You don't have a high enough ability score, so you can't even take the classes on actual fighting."

"Maybe it'd be better if you quit trying to be a full-fledged Blazer," she added, her tone dripping with superiority.

"That may be so... But I still won't give up," Ikki stated, his eyes full of determination.

"Tsk, are you one of those people who think hard work will beat talent?" Stella looked at him with a disgusted and annoyed stare, recalling the incident from a few hours ago when Ikki accidentally walked in on her wearing only her underwear.

"Yeah, I do believe in those words," he replied resolutely.

Stella was silent, remembering the people who had challenged her in her younger years, those who thought the same as Ikki.

"Hmph, like I don't work hard," she muttered, thinking of the tireless training she had undergone to reach her current level and prove to her father that she had gotten stronger.

Ikki raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her remark.

"Anyway, let's get this over with," Stella turned to Kurono, who was overseeing the match. "Director, let's begin the match."

"We'll now begin the mock battle," Kurono announced. "As you know, a mock battle is a fight where you don't give the other person any physical injuries. The goal is to drain the other person's physical strength." She stated seriously, satisfied with how things were progressing. "So your devices should be deployed only in phantom form," she finalized, seeing that both were prepared.

"Sigh, come to me, Intetsu," Ikki raised his hand, summoning his device, which took the form of a black steel katana.

"Hmph, serve your master, Laevateinn!" Stella did the same, but with flashy effects, as a pillar of flames surrounded her, and her longsword device appeared.

[Let's go ahead]

Stella didn't make the first move, cautiously waiting for Ikki. She remembered the "pieces of advice" supposedly quoted by Otto, which she didn't even know were fake, created by fans. 'Be calm and go all out, even if your opponent is weaker than you,' she recalled, thinking of Otto's domination in the first round of the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival.

Ikki, on the other hand, waited for Stella to make the first move so he could use his Blade Steal technique on her.

For a while, the battle seemed to be at a stalemate, with both Blazers cautiously assessing each other. Eventually, Ikki relented and finally made his move to bait Stella, launching a simple frontal charge.

Seeing this, Stella immediately used her Noble Art. "Katharterio Salamandra!" Normally, her Noble Art took time to cast, but during their stalemate, she had been secretly preparing it.

Ikki, taken aback by the sudden heat wave, tried to dodge the flames as they reached him.

"Ittou Shura!" he cried, using his own Noble Art to end the fight quickly since he only had a minute of enhanced abilities. His physical prowess boosted, and he easily dodged the flame pillars.

"Hmph," Stella scoffed at Ikki's reckless moves. She materialized her longsword again, catching Ikki off guard.

"Take this!" she shouted, appearing behind the flames and about to slash his back. Ikki responded quickly, turning to defend himself.

"Ugh..." Ikki grunted in pain, struggling to regain his footing from the surprise attack.

Stella launched a barrage of fiery attacks, each more intense than the last. Ikki tried his hardest to dodge every strike and find a way to counter her.

'Almost there...' Ikki thought, hoping to see all of her swordsmanship and use his Blade Steal before his body gave out.

Stella, having a vague idea of Ikki's strategy, temporarily went on the defensive. Seeing this, Ikki cursed under his breath and decided to give his all in a single attack.

"Katharterio Salamandra!" Stella used her Noble Art again, aiming to incinerate Ikki.

Dashing forward, Ikki had only five seconds left in his enhanced state. He recklessly forced his way through the pillars surrounding Stella. He managed to break through her flames, suffering burns, but his sword was blocked by Stella's Empress Dress, which protected her with flames.

"Too bad..." Ikki sighed as Stella delivered the final blow, knocking him unconscious.

'Is he really an F-rank?' Stella wondered, impressed by his performance.

"You lost, but you're strong for an F-rank. You might be the strongest F-rank I've ever beaten," she praised the unconscious Ikki.

"Stand proud, Ikki, was it? You're strong." She said.

"That's it! The winner is Stella Vermillion!" Kurono announced, hiding her confusion as she had expected Ikki to win the mock battle.

...

A day later, Otto woke up to find a naked Brynhildr beside him, her face reflecting an ecstatic expression. Suddenly, his phone rang, breaking the morning's quiet.

"Who is it?" Otto mumbled, picking up the phone.

"Hello, Otto-kun!" Lavinia Reni's enthusiastic voice greeted him on the other end.

"Reni? Need something?" Otto asked, wondering why she was calling, as she usually only contacted him to wish him a happy birthday.

"Nothing much, just surprised that Otto-kun didn't let big sis know that he already got a daughter," Reni said, her voice tinged with playful accusation. She had heard the news from her friend, Suzuka Himejima, who saw Otto and Brynhildr together.

Brynhildr, hearing the commotion from the phone, woke up with droopy eyes.

"Oh, is that so? Then I apologize for that," Otto replied, laughing wryly as he glanced at Brynhildr, who was now giving him a suggestive look.

"Is that Miss Reni?" Brynhildr asked, climbing onto Otto's lap and locking her legs around him.

"Hmmm? I am, and who is that?" Reni inquired, assuming it was the mother of Otto's child.

"I am Brynhildr, Miss Reni. Nice to meet you," Brynhildr replied cheerfully, earning a suspicious gaze from Otto.

"Oh, nice to meet you too, Ms. Brynhildr," Reni greeted warmly.

"So, are you interested in becoming one of Otto's—" Brynhildr started to say before Otto quickly cut the call.

"Mhmmmhmphm," Brynhildr giggled at his swift reaction, having been about to suggest that Reni join Otto's future wives.

"Not cool..." Otto sighed as his phone rang again.

"Did something happen?" Reni asked, her voice filled with concern over the sudden cutoff.

"Nothing..." Otto said, covering Brynhildr's mouth to stop her from saying anything inappropriate.

"Oh, by the way, what did Ms. Brynhildr say again? I couldn't catch it properly," Reni asked, curious about the unfinished sentence.

"It was nothing important..." Otto replied, just as Brynhildr mischievously jerked him with her movements, making his voice strain.

"Hmmm, why does your voice sound tired?" Reni inquired, suspicion creeping into her tone.

"No—" Otto began, but his protest was cut off as Brynhildr slid him inside her, moaning loudly enough for Reni to hear through the phone.

"Ahhhhnn~!" Brynhildr moaned deliberately.

"Hmmmm, I see... You are old enough after all," Reni said, her voice blushing with the realization of what was happening, yet feeling relieved that Otto had found someone he loved.

"Ugh..." Otto sighed, frustrated by the situation.

"HNNNNG—!! So BIGGG—!" Brynhildr screamed, bouncing on Otto with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"I think you should hang up now, Otto-kun," Reni suggested, though her voice betrayed a hint of reluctance.

Before Otto could hang up, Brynhildr snatched the phone from him.

"Oi," Otto frowned, trying to reclaim the phone from her.

"Ah— Hey, Reni," Brynhildr called, knowing Reni was listening intently to them.

"Hmm? What's up, Brynhildr-san?" Reni responded.

"Do you want to taste Otto's delicious CO— Ahhnng~!" Brynhildr began to say, but was interrupted as Otto pushed her onto the bed.

"So~ rough! I don't think I can handle Otto all by myself here, Reni-san~ I think I need your help in easing Otto's sexual urges~," she lied, trying to entice Reni into joining Otto's harem.

"Huh? But wouldn't you mind if he was sleeping with other girls?" Reni asked, surprised by Brynhildr's suggestion.

"Not at all~ the moo~re the merrier, they say," Brynhildr replied with a smirk as Otto thrust deeply into her.

"Hmmmm, let me think about it, Brynhildr-san," Reni said, sounding thoughtful, before giving Brynhildr her contact information.

"I see, then think about it for as long as you can, Reni-san~~" Brynhildr screamed in pleasure before climaxing, her voice filled with ecstasy.

Otto sighed deeply, knowing that his love life was getting complicated with more women, not that he minded as he secretly wanted a harem with mature women.

...

-Chapter End-