Chapter: 167
You want me to teach you how to get stronger?
Why on earth me?
I couldn’t fathom why Arthur was bringing this up. He’s the third prince of the Soladin Kingdom, a name known all across the continent.
Even if he’s got the blood of a relatively lowly baron family, being a royal means he can have nearly anything he desires.
Top-notch knight training? Renowned scholars’ teachings? If he really wanted, he could probably hire any professor at the academy as his personal tutor.
So, there was no reason for Arthur to ask a mere student like me for help.
I initially thought he might be joking, but his expression was seriously earnest.
‘Why?’
“Come on, poor little prince. Didn’t you say you wanted to beat me? And now you want my teachings? That’s pretty pathetic. Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“Ahem. I’m not joking. I know how you’ll respond, so why stand in front of you unless I’m serious?”
Well, he has a point. When I opened my mouth to ask for help, it was predictable what would come out.
He came prepared for whatever verbal smackdown I might dish out.
And that’s not something he could take lightly. With his high self-esteem, especially.
“Hey, you two. Hold on a sec.”
While we were chatting, Joy piped in.
“This doesn’t seem like a quick conversation, so let’s move somewhere else.”
Only then did I notice all the eyes on us.
Whoa. Everyone’s staring.
We were already quite the spectacle, but blocking the grade report adds to that attention.
I figured it wouldn’t be good to hog the space, so we made our escape through the crowd.
Next stop: the academy’s private rooms.
Usually packed during exams, the space was quite empty now that finals were over and everyone was waiting for break.
The staff at the entrance was practically dozing off.
Thanks to that, finding a spot for the four of us was a piece of cake.
“The reason I’m asking you for guidance is that the folks around me are growing rapidly.”
No sooner had we closed the door to the private room than Arthur launched into speech.
“First up, Joy. This clueless one.”
“Prince?”
“Oh right. Sorry. Anyway, she’s clumsy and clumsy… but Joy acknowledges her talent. Yet, her growth lately has been off the charts. The professor teaching spell manipulation even said she’s the best of all the students they’ve taught.”
Well, of course. What I taught Joy was basically the culmination of thousands of hours in Soul Academy.
She’s that character who essentially caught up to top users through sheer talent and effort.
And adding my optimization for a magic character, it’s no wonder she’s skyrocketing.
“Frey Kent’s the same way.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. Frey Kent’s skills were among the best in her class initially but weren’t overwhelming. Now, though? Standing next to you, she’s turned into an absolute monster.”
Huh? This sounds a bit off.
I haven’t taught Frey anything specifically. We just trained together, sparred, and farmed in dungeons.
If you want to know who had a hand in her growth, it’d be more accurate to say it’s Karl.
“Yep, that’s true. Lucy’s amazing.”
I was about to correct the misinformation when Frey nodded enthusiastically, leaving me speechless.
Hey, do you actually understand what Arthur just said?
I mean, it sounded like a compliment, but did you really get it?
“Above all, Lucy Alrn, your growth is abnormal. I get you’ve got the Alrn blood, giving you incredible talent. But there are limits even to that. How can someone who struggled just climbing stairs become the strongest in just over a year?!”
Um, well, that’s a tough one to argue.
When I first possessed Lucy’s body, climbing stairs was a big struggle. And now look how far I’ve come!
Thinking back, it’s been a non-stop series of absurd challenges.
What if I hadn’t persuaded Benedict into feeding me that elixir?
What if I hadn’t implanted passive skills into Lucy’s body?
What if the Alrn family’s brutal training hadn’t existed?
What if I’d never met the grandpa after passing Ruel’s trial?
There were countless “what ifs” along my journey. If any one of those had gone awry, I wouldn’t be standing here.
But what really irks me? I’m still a first-year at Soul Academy!
If this were a game, I wouldn’t even have entered Chapter 1!
How many close-call deaths have I navigated in what should have been a couple hours’ worth of story content?!
“Given all this, I’ve concluded that Lucy Alrn possesses something I don’t know.”
While I was sulking over having to keep slogging through tough training, Arthur continued his rant.
“So I’d like to request this: Teach me how to get stronger. I’ll do whatever it takes for that.”
Arthur bowed his head in front of me.
Even if he’s far from the throne, to see a prince kneel in front of a countess like me is quite a sight.
Even I, not fully acclimated to the nobility’s ways, found that heavy.
Joy, standing next to Arthur, showed clear signs of astonishment, too.
If I were to ask Grandpa how he’d react, I imagine it’d lead to some political horror stories.
Uh, wait. Is this really about him wanting to get stronger?
Helping Arthur wouldn’t hurt me.
Think about it. I’ve already built up karma with the first prince who’ll be my final boss. He likely hates me for it.
And the second prince feels the same. Although he sees me favorably now, I’ll bet the moment I call him the dumb prince, things would flip.
With two rival heirs breathing down my neck, I need to stick with Arthur if I want to survive!
Stacking up favors with him means that even if I pull off something outrageous due to my Mesugaki skills, he’ll cover for me!
Alright. I’ll focus on that for now.
So, how to help Arthur grow?
If we set aside everything else, Arthur’s build would be a magic swordsman.
Typically, characters in this class are theoretically the strongest. Both magical and physical prowess, a versatile character!
But the term “theoretically the strongest” usually means it’s only strong on paper. In practice, it often turns disastrous.
That was the case at Soul Academy as well.
There are many growth paths to explore, but the game time given is limited, making it easy for magic swordsmen to become trash.
But you know what?
This isn’t a game, and Arthur has nearly the best talent in Soul Academy.
If things go well, it might be totally possible to make that theory a reality!
“Lucy Alrn?”
‘Hold on a sec.’
“Poor little prince, can you kindly shut your stinky mouth?”
“Uh… okay.”
I once dreamed of creating a theoretically superior magic swordsman.
Since I loved playing with various concepts, did you think I wouldn’t try to build a character that shined both in magic and physical combat? Of course I did!
But no matter how I built it, the character became ambiguous.
And that’s because there’s a ceiling on growth resources in games. You can’t create a magic swordsman unless you compromise with reality.
After countless efforts, I ended up creating a character that used a physical build while integrating magic as utility. But that wasn’t really a magic swordsman.
It was merely a swordsman who could use magic.
Since then, I ditched the idea of building a magic swordsman. But now, in front of me stands a character who could realize that dream!
This could be my opportunity to achieve my fantasy!
The real issue? Stamina. Right now, Arthur doesn’t have the energy to keep up with a grinding schedule.
He needs to at least be at a level where he can run through the 100 floors of the first floor dungeon with me.
First, we’ll rigorously train his stamina. Next, we’ll hone his swordsmanship, layering on the magic afterward…
Hmm. It might be tough, but I think it’s doable.
‘Grandpa, Grandpa.’
[What is it.]
‘I’m thinking about my plan right now.’
After conveying my thoughts to Grandpa—who’s the best at determining what’s feasible—he chuckled incredulously and said:
[Little girl. Not everyone trains as passionately as you do.]
‘So it’s tough, huh?’
[It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly challenging.]
‘Where should I compromise?’
[For starters…]
As I lifted my gaze after revising my plan under Grandpa’s guidance, Arthur looked at me with nervous eyes.
“Have you finished thinking?”
‘I’ll help you. But…’
“Alright. Since this is the request of the poor, pathetic prince, I’ll oblige. However, there are a few conditions.”
“Tell me.”
I presented Arthur with just two conditions.
No matter what I asked him to do, he would follow without suspicion. And he wouldn’t give up midway through.
Hearing that, Arthur nodded as if it were nothing.
“Hah. What a joke. I’m not the kind to give up easily. If I do, I’ll allow Joy to mock me.”
“Wait, why am I suddenly involved?!”
Alright. Now that I’ve got a confirmation, I guess I can do as I please, right?
Initially, Arthur looked confident, but seeing the greedy look in my eyes, his gaze began to flutter.
But it’s too late now.
It wasn’t just a one-on-one promise—it was made in front of witnesses: Joy and Frey.
There’s no backing out now.
So, let’s do this.
‘Arthur…’
“Poor little prince, let’s start running.”
“Running? For stamina training? That sounds good.”
‘Roughly…’
“A half day should suffice, right?”
“Uh. I think you’ve miscalculated the time.”
‘Half a day is enough…’
“Half a day. The pace should be around the limit of what the poor little prince can handle.”
Should I be worried about whether he can run for a full half day?
Nah, I’ll make it so he has to!
If I provoke him from the sidelines, he’ll end up biting the bullet and running.
Stamina struggle? Nah, that’s not a concern.
I’ll pull Phaebi into training.
If Phaebi’s there for recovery spells, no matter how tough it gets, he’ll soldier on!
And I needn’t worry about injuries or side effects either.
What could possibly go wrong with the Saintess healing him?
‘Let’s stop this chit-chat. Let’s move.’
“Come on, poor little prince. We better get moving! Unlike good-for-nothing poor princes, my time is precious.”
You chose this lesson.
Struggle and push through, Arthur Soladin!
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
