บท 44: Chapter 44: I Support You

Seeing Furina's reluctant expression, Yu Xie smiled lightly.

"Miss Furina, are you going to miss me?"

Of course, Furina would miss him. When there was nothing going on, she could casually hang out in Yu Xie's office, feeling very comfortable and at ease.

But if Yu Xie resigned, she wouldn't be able to do that anymore.

Moreover, she would have far fewer opportunities to see him.

However, Furina didn't admit to it.

She lifted her chin, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I just think you're really suited to be the Champion Duelist. If you resign, it'd be a waste of your talents."

"I think so too," Yu Xie joked. "But I have some other things I want to do, so would you, Miss Furina, kindly 'let me off the hook'?"

"...Fine, I really can't do anything about you." Furina sat back down on the sofa, turning her head away. "Neuvillette, go ahead and process his resignation."

"Then it's settled. I'll go submit the application," Yu Xie said.

The resignation was quickly submitted, and Neuvillette promptly approved it.

After resigning from the position of Champion Duelist, Yu Xie returned to his residence in Fontaine.

He slumped onto the sofa, thinking about what he needed to do next.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

Yu Xie stood up and went to open it. Standing outside was Clorinde.

"I heard you've resigned as the Champion Duelist," Clorinde said.

"That's right," Yu Xie nodded. "Just did it. I didn't expect you to get the news so quickly. Come in."

The two of them walked over to the sofa.

"Would you like something to drink? I have Fontaine tea, Liyue's 'Chenyu' tea, and black tea," Yu Xie asked.

"Black tea, please," Clorinde replied.

"Please wait a moment."

Soon, Yu Xie brewed two cups of black tea and placed them on the coffee table.

The tea in the cups reflected Clorinde's expression—calm, but there seemed to be a hint of reluctance hidden beneath it.

The reason Clorinde had become a Champion Duelist was because of Yu Xie.

She wanted to follow in his footsteps, to become a Champion Duelist who defended the law, just like him.

But now that Yu Xie had resigned from the position, Clorinde couldn't understand.

"Why did you have to resign? Is it because of... what you said in the trial yesterday?"

Clorinde was referring to Yu Xie's comments about the Duel System.

"It's not that. Although the Duel System has its flaws, I didn't resign because of that," Yu Xie said, taking a sip from his tea.

"Then why?"

Yu Xie couldn't bring himself to say it. He couldn't tell her that his life was nearing its end.

A system prompt appeared in his mind.

[Remaining lifespan: 70 days]

This prompt about his remaining lifespan had first appeared the night before.

It should have appeared much earlier—at the very least, not when only 70 days were left.

The system's explanation was: "This was a request made by your previous self. Since I deleted the previous data, I am unable to answer any questions about the circumstances surrounding this."

"The request of my previous self?" Yu Xie couldn't remember ever making such a request. Could his previous self have really asked for this?

After some thought, Yu Xie figured that perhaps his past self had known that the time remaining in that life was short. Maybe he wanted to ensure that the next life wouldn't be spent in constant anxiety over running out of time?

"Even if I lose my hands and legs tomorrow, today, my cuffs and trousers are still perfectly pressed."

Perhaps that was the meaning behind it?

But in order to avoid regret, the system had given him a reminder during the remaining time.

Yet, this life was truly fleeting... Even a journey through time felt somewhat rushed.

In any case, the facts were right in front of him. It was only natural to feel conflicted, and it was only human to feel reluctant.

However, with the little time left, there were still a few final things he wanted to do.

Yu Xie wanted to abolish the Duel System in Fontaine's Court of Judicature.

The original purpose of the Duel System was to prevent guilty individuals from being dissatisfied with their trial outcomes, allowing them to use a duel to force those discontented with the judgment to accept it.

For this reason, every Champion Duelist representing the Fontaine Court of Judicature had to be exceptionally skilled.

This system had existed for many years without any cases of wrongful judgments.

But no one could say for certain what would happen in the future.

What if, in the future, a terrifyingly powerful criminal appeared—one whose guilt was undeniable and who could easily be sentenced to life in Fortress of Meropide—but the criminal, dissatisfied with the judgment, demanded a duel and won?

According to the rules, that person would be exempt from the fate of being judged.

Yu Xie didn't want to see such a result.

"Why exactly do you want to resign from the position of Champion Duelist?" Seeing Yu Xie fall silent for a moment, Clorinde repeated the question.

"Clorinde, I want to... abolish the Duel System," Yu Xie said.

There were only seventy days left. He might not be able to accomplish it, but at least he had to make a start.

Upon hearing Yu Xie's words, there wasn't much surprise in Clorinde's eyes—as though she had already guessed it.

"So, that's why you resigned as the Champion Duelist first..."

"..." Yu Xie didn't answer directly.

In truth, wanting to abolish the Duel System wasn't directly tied to resigning from the position of Champion Duelist. To abolish the Duel System, it wasn't necessary to first resign from the position. On the contrary, holding the position of Champion Duelist might actually help further his goal.

After all, the "strongest" Champion Duelist in the Court of Judicature still held some influence.

Yu Xie simply felt that abolishing the Duel System wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight, and with his time running out, he wouldn't be able to hold the position for much longer. Rather than clinging to the position, he believed it would be better to step down and let someone else take over. He trusted Clorinde would do well in his place.

"What do you plan to do?" Clorinde asked next.

"What do you think of the Duel System?" Yu Xie countered with a question.

Clorinde fell silent for a moment, thinking it over.

"The law is a safeguard, but you're right, there are indeed loopholes," Clorinde said. "Although so far, no one with ill intentions has exploited these loopholes, the future is hard to predict."

"Though the laws of each country differ, I believe one thing should remain unchanged," Yu Xie said. "And that is, equality before the law. But Fontaine's Duel System, while giving everyone an equal opportunity, hides a much greater inequality."

"...I support you," Clorinde said immediately.

Yu Xie was taken aback. Clorinde's support came even faster than he had expected.

"Clorinde, listen to me. Revising the law isn't something that can be done overnight; it might take a long time. If I can't finish it, I'll leave it to you in the future."

Her words left Clorinde with a strange feeling, though she couldn't quite place what it was.

"What do you mean, if you can't finish it, leave it to me?" After a long pause, Clorinde finally found the source of that strange feeling.

A gentle breeze drifted through the window, and Clorinde's long hair fluttered lightly.

She looked at Yu Xie with her violet eyes, which, usually calm, now revealed an unusual ripple of emotion.

Before Yu Xie could respond, there was another knock at the door.

"Yu Xie, are you there?"

It was Navia's voice that followed.

End of chapter

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