Chapter: 198
The day after I wandered around the territory with Joy, I finally encountered the Duke and Duchess of Partran.
The two of them, who had already arrived at the breakfast table, looked exhausted as if they had just come from a demanding task.
It’s curious how even people at their level have urgent matters to deal with.
I was curious but couldn’t bring myself to ask.
“Good morning.”
“Hello, Loose Duke. Weak Lady.”
I suddenly found myself in a bit of trouble before I could even get over the awkwardness.
The Duke of Partran, known for having knocked people out with a mere frown, and the Duchess—who looked like she’d fit right in as the villainess in a morning drama—froze slightly at my greeting.
Both of them had created a bad reputation for the Partran family solely based on their appearances.
I was used to fierce expressions from the Alrn family, but those two were on a whole different level.
Even without saying a word, I started sweating bullets.
Looking at them through a monitor, I thought there was a limit to how scary someone could look. I thought the game descriptions were just exaggerated, right?
Yeah, no.
The game’s explanations were spot on.
When these two started whispering to each other, it was cinematic to point where you’d seriously think you were in a crime thriller or a horror movie.
“Bwahaha!”
The silence, which felt eternal, shattered with the Duke’s thunderous laughter.
It wouldn’t be strange if he suddenly deadpanned, “Kill that girl” right after the laugh, but he wasn’t that kind of person.
“It’s been ages since we’ve met a child so bold as you.”
“Indeed. As I’ve heard from Joy, you are quite the spirited one.”
Those two may look fierce, but they were genuinely decent people.
They loved each other, cherished their family, and worked hard to lead the territory towards a better future. They were practically the living embodiment of nobility and obligation.
Naturally, I expected they’d take my rudeness in stride.
So why was I sweating bullets?
It’s like watching a horror movie: you know the ghost is going to pop out, but when it does, you still jump. It’s similar to that.
Even though I knew what to expect, standing in front of them made it hard to stay calm.
What if they behaved differently than in the game?
“Enjoy your time here.”
After successfully overcoming my greatest crisis in Partran territory, I stepped out into the streets with Joy.
“I’m excited. This time, I’ll become the festival’s slaughterer!”
Her using the phrase “festival’s slaughterer” made it clear this wasn’t just some simple quest.
Instead, it was more like a tradition in the Partran territory.
The title of “festival’s slaughterer” is awarded to the person who wins the most at the stalls during the Partran family’s festival.
Regardless of status, gender, or age, anyone who participates in the festival can compete and only the one who achieves the best results can be called the festival’s slaughterer.
Considering Joy’s serious demeanor, I could tell this title wasn’t something trivial.
There were many who would genuinely target me among the participants.
So, the stall operators were serious too.
They were preparing to smash challengers without mercy. No matter who you are.
“Why is the trajectory off? It should be fine.”
“That’s unfortunate, Young Lady Partran.”
“…Could I just try once more?”
“You know that’s not allowed.”
The stall owner’s stern tone caused Joy to deflate.
Each stall only offered one chance.
Even the Duke’s daughter had to follow that rule.
As Joy stepped aside, it was finally my turn.
The stall owner hesitated slightly upon seeing my face but didn’t say anything further.
Instead, he handed me a staff embedded with magic.
This staff was meant for fun.
It contained a very weak magic missile.
I was supposed to hit a target way over there with it.
On paper, it sounded easy, but there was one detail I hadn’t mentioned yet.
The target moved in unpredictable, bizarre trajectories.
As I said before, the stall owners took this challenge seriously too.
What does this mean?
These folks spend their time outside work developing and practicing these difficult patterns.
“There are twenty targets. You have twenty magic shots stored inside the staff. Hit them all to win.”
Holding the staff, I realized I’d never win this duel by my own hand.
I seriously struggled with magic. So instead of showing off, I used the Ring of Fun.
Then my body moved of its own accord, executing the best actions.
“Indeed, Young Lady Alrn. You have a profound understanding of magic!”
“Impressive! You’ve easily dismantled the patterns we worked so hard to create.”
The Ring of Fun, to put it bluntly, was an item made for entertainment.
Here’s how it works.
You can win at mini-games four times a day.
There are no prerequisites. You can win in any mini-game you participate in exactly four times every day.
At first glance, it might sound like a cheat item, but there’s a flaw.
To prevent abuse, they unnecessarily restrict its use to only mini-games that occur during quests.
The use cases are quite limited, but among veterans, it was considered essential gear.
At first, mini-games are fresh and fun, but over time they become annoying busywork.
The Ring of Fun proved effective not just in-game but in reality as well.
Once I saw all the targets shattered and strewn across the ground, I returned the empty staff to the stall owner.
Then, applause erupted a beat late.
It all started with Joy.
“That was amazing. Young Lady Alrn! Even I, the mage, couldn’t win at the stalls!”
As she genuinely marveled, those around her started to applaud one by one.
No matter my reputation, with the Duke’s daughter clapping beside me, how could anyone not notice?
Thus, beyond simple compliments, I received something akin to cheers and couldn’t help but smile awkwardly.
“Uh…”
So, it’s nice to get praised, but…
This kind of attention wasn’t what I expected, and rather than joy, I felt more embarrassment first.
It felt like standing on a stage being the center of attention.
Overwhelmed by their encouragement, I quickly grabbed Joy and left the scene.
We continued wandering from stall to stall, competing against each other.
I didn’t always win.
I made silly mistakes sometimes because I hadn’t completely recovered yet, just like Joy.
Even though it was a simple game of chance, there were moments I lost because the Dice God decided to look elsewhere for a moment.
Nevertheless, in most cases, the Dice God blessed me, and I managed to secure five victories by lunchtime.
Now, I just needed to win two more times on my own.
Once I did, the remaining three would be automatically provided by the Ring of Fun.
Hah! Did you see that, Pathetic God!
No matter how much you try to make things harder for me, you’re useless compared to this veteran!
If you haven’t thought about how to raise my reputation, you better start doing so from now!
Just a heads-up. Don’t just drop the quest rewards. If you mess with me, you better increase the rewards too, alright?
Having mentally secured my victory and feeling quite smug, I initially turned my head toward the bustling noise from a distance, where a crowd parted.
What’s that? Am I not the only one who knows how to part a crowd?
I turned around, and there I saw two familiar faces: one I was determined never to see again and the other familiar, along with the stern guards flanking them.
“Brother. Just wait a moment.”
One of them was Arthur Soladin.
The third prince of the kingdom, and one of the few who thought highly of me at the Soul Academy.
The other was Rena Soladin.
The first prince of the kingdom, responsible for being the final boss in the kingdom’s storyline at the Soul Academy.
He was also the person who, in Lucy’s past, had been labeled the gloomy loner prince and was someone who couldn’t possibly think well of me.
What on earth was he doing here?!
According to the game story, he should be holed up in the capital!
What kind of twist is this?
What has made the story deviate from the game?!
Is this Benedict’s doing?!
Did Benedict pump some courage into that hermit?!
While I was panicking, the two of them continued to approach.
Naturally, the crowd parted without question.
With both heirs to the throne appearing, who would dare dare to show disrespect?
If they weren’t crazy, they’d instinctively bow their heads.
On that note…
I felt like I was the one going mad.
More like involuntarily going crazy, to be honest.
“Lady Alrn?! What are you doing?!”
Reeling away from maintaining decorum, Joy gasped at my upright head in the presence of the princes.
I know. I must look like a lunatic.
But what am I supposed to do?! The Mesugaki skill won’t let me bow my head!
I want to show those princes some respect!
I’d kneel and apologize for all the past wrongs if I could!
But what can I do? The Mesugaki skill just won’t listen!
I desperately tried, but the will of the Mesugaki skill was stronger than my own.
As the first prince and Arthur reached me, I was still awkwardly holding my head high.
“I greet the first prince and the third prince.”
“Ah, it’s good to see you again, Young Lady Partran. You’ve grown into someone fitting of the Duke family name. I’m truly glad. With such talent in the Partran family, their future looks bright!”
After wrapping up the customary pleasantries aimed at Joy, the first prince turned his gaze toward me.
His eyes…
Those jet-black eyes that seem to absorb all the surrounding light stared right through me.
In that moment, I was certain.
It wasn’t Benedict’s influence.
The one who called the lonely hermit prince here was not him.
The first prince had come here solely to meet me.
I didn’t know why. I can’t read minds like Karia.
But one thing was certain.
There’s no way it could be for any good reason.
Why would someone go to meet the person who called him a gloomy loner?
“I’m being disregarded?”
I thought opening my mouth would only set off a bomb, so I decided to stay silent, but the first prince wouldn’t let me be.
What do I do?!
How do I handle this?!
Is there a way to break out of this situation?!
I desperately racked my brain and even threw questions at Grandpa, but I couldn’t come up with an answer.
As long as the first prince stood in front of me, there was no way to escape this scenario.
It was a clear dead-end.
‘Greetings to the first prince and the third prince!’
“Ah, I greet the gloomy loner prince and the pitiful prince.”
Wow. At least I left out ‘loner’ from the gloomy prince title.
That’s quite a leap forward.
Is this enough to swing things positively for the others?
I thought so while scanning the crowd, but the reactions remained icy.
Ehh? Guess that was asking for too much?
I figured as much.
…Sigh.
What a mess.
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