Chapter: 288
Nearby the Soul Academy’s training grounds, there was a table set up for some much-needed relaxation.
Sitting there were Arthur, the third prince of the Soladin Kingdom, and Frey, the eldest daughter of the Kent family, known for their swordsmanship.
Not long ago, they had only crossed paths a few times at various tournaments, but with the end of their first year at the Soul Academy nearing, it was no longer strange to see them together.
Their common denominator? Lucy Alrn.
On one side was someone who was determined to roll about on the ground and defeat Lucy one day.
On the other side was someone who was obsessed with Lucy, believing that only she could fill the gaps in her life.
Though their goals were different, they both centered around Lucy, making Arthur and Frey quite comfortable with each other.
This comfort was particularly apparent from Frey.
“Loser.”
Despite being distantly related to royalty, it was only Frey—besides Lucy—who dared to speak to Arthur like that.
“…Hey, Frey Kent.”
“A loser who couldn’t even speak properly and ran away.”
“Can it! Just stop already!”
Rude and close to blasphemous banter, yet Arthur couldn’t muster a counter.
His recent actions were indeed a display of pathetic behavior deemed suitable for a circus.
…No, this isn’t solely my fault. Lucy Alrn has a hand in this too.
What on earth happened over the weekend to make a person change so much?
In that short time, what did he experience that transformed someone who could previously only admire—like a doll crafted by a master—into someone radiating captivating beauty?
“Haah…”
For some reason, Arthur’s face was flushed as he sighed long and hard, wiping his face in despair.
No amount of inner mumbling could erase his disgraceful actions from the previous day.
Usually, he’d begin to consider the feelings of the person sitting in front of him, but not Frey.
Given that she didn’t even understand her own feelings, there was no way she would care about anyone else’s.
“A coward scared of a girl two heads shorter than him who ran away.”
“…Who’s scared?! That’s not it!”
“Then what is it?”
“I just… it’s Lucy Alrn…”
“Sounds like you’re scared!”
“Cut it out! Seriously! How many times do I have to say this?!”
Arthur’s temper started rising, veins popping out on his neck.
“Why are you like this! What’s been bothering you so much? Do you really hold a grudge over being scolded for not following orders in the dungeon?!”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that mostly your fault? If only you had just followed my orders…”
“But Prince, your orders are so boring, they’re utterly useless.”
“Damn it! How can you be so outright brazen!”
Trying to shout in anger only led to the realization that he was utterly defeated in this bizarre duel of banter. So Arthur ruffled his hair, and a thought occurred to him amidst the chaos.
“You’re also a loser!”
“Me?”
“You’re the one who ran away when Lucy Alrn made fun of you!”
“….”
Just moments before, Frey was empowered, but touching a nerve caused her to shut up immediately.
“You whined about not being acknowledged by Lucy Alrn while chastising me! How ridiculous!”
“…I didn’t whine.”
“Hah! You were so out of it that I asked if something was wrong!”
“Stop it.”
“The trembling voice you made as you complained about it?! Who are you kidding!”
“Just shut it! Or I’ll smack you!”
The two glared at each other, veins pulsing in their temples.
“Frey Kent.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s call it a day.”
“Okay.”
The intense standoff eased when Arthur took a step back.
Perhaps it was the fatigue from how loud they had just been, but Arthur sank into his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“I’ll get back to what we were discussing yesterday.”
“The day you ran away?”
“Are we really starting this again?”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway, we were discussing your troubles.”
With all the study they needed to do for the Soul Academy, Lucy’s personal tasks, and the dungeon exploration, Arthur had taken time out to come to the streets for one purpose:
Helping Frey with her worries. He’d carved out time on the weekend to help solve the issues plaguing Frey following her recent encounter with Lucy.
“Really?”
“After I left, you didn’t talk about any of that stuff, right?”
“Yeah. Just roamed around Academy Street with Lucy.”
“Anything interesting happen?”
“All the restaurants we visited were delicious.”
“…Sounds about right.”
“Really? Thanks!”
“Praise is… sigh. So we’re not making any real progress from yesterday’s discussion, huh?”
Arthur fixed his messy hair using wind magic, then looked back at Frey.
“What I want to tell you is that I don’t think Lucy Alrn would ever abandon you. Sure, she may have a rough tongue, but she’s not a bad person at heart. She considers you a friend, so she’ll probably stick by you.”
“Me? A friend? To Lucy?”
“What’s that? You describe spending all this time together as anything less?”
“Friend….”
Frey chuckled lightly, and a weak laugh escaped Arthur.
The last time he had seen her at one of the tournaments, she was so icy one might question her humanity. Now, suddenly, she felt so much more relatable.
Could it be that this change was also due to Lucy Alrn’s influence?
“So don’t worry too much about it, that’s my conclusion.”
“But?”
“Regardless, seeing as you two have known each other for a while, let’s talk a bit more.”
Knowing Frey’s past self, Arthur considered this transformation a positive change.
If asked who seemed more personable—the cold Frey or the current one—it would, of course, be the latter.
So let’s speed this change up a little. Since she’d be spending more time with Lucy anyway.
“You mentioned you didn’t know emotions before meeting Lucy Alrn, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“And you said the first feeling you felt toward her was anger.”
“Exactly.”
“Then, until now, have the feelings you’ve experienced just been anger?”
At Arthur’s question, Frey tilted her head, clearly not grasping its meaning.
How to make this more comprehensible?
Ah, this could work.
“You described your anger as ‘red.’ So I’m asking if you ever felt any other colors in your heart.”
“I have.”
Frey nodded eagerly without much thought.
Feeling colors was such a rare occurrence for her; remembering when she had felt that was not difficult at all.
“When Lucy called me an idiot. Or when I got caught wanting to be teased. And…”
“That’s enough. Frey, which of those colors do you want to experience more?”
“Colors?”
“Right. There are rankings among colors too. Just like how you prioritized things connected to Lucy Alrn.”
Hearing Arthur’s question, Frey opened her mouth only to shut it again, caught in indecision.
She hadn’t thought of high and low before; she just thought if only her heart could be filled with color, anything would be fine.
As Frey frowned, trying to mull over this serious dilemma, footsteps could be heard approaching from the side.
“Good day to you both!”
The speaker was someone of considerable standing, able to easily interrupt a conversation shared by a prince and the daughter of a noble family.
It was Joy Partran.
The noble lady of House Partran offered a perfectly polished greeting to the two.
“Sorry I’m late. I didn’t realize the sun was up thanks to the curtains and dozed off again!”
“I met with Lady Alrn on my way here. The shy prince fell head over heels upon seeing her, you know?”
“Who fell for whom?!”
“Wasn’t it you? That’s what I heard, anyway!”
Arthur gritted his teeth, frustrated by how Joy nonchalantly repeated Lucy’s words, suggesting that Arthur might seem foolish as he turned crimson.
Due to all the teasing Lucy had inflicted on her, Joy was becoming increasingly brazen too.
Not to mention her pigtails were still perfectly styled like a child’s!
Usually, Arthur would’ve scolded her but today, he kept his mouth shut.
After all, she had to pay the price for her mischievous part in all this.
“I’ve got some news that you both might find interesting! Lady Alrn and Professor Karl are going to have a duel!”
“Those two?”
“Yep. It seems Lady Alrn asked first. She wants to test her full strength.”
“A duel with a knight from House Alrn.”
It was common knowledge that Karl was a knight from the Alrn family.
Neither Lucy nor Karl tried to hide this fact, and if anyone paid slight attention, they’d catch on quickly.
When asked who the strongest knight on the continent is, the Alrn knights always come up, and if Lucy Alrn were to face one of them, she would undoubtedly need to fight at full strength to stand a chance.
So this was an opportunity to see her in action. News this rare was definitely significant.
“Interesting, right?”
“That sounds worth waiting for. Thanks!”
Arthur thanked Joy, then turned to Frey, still lost in thought.
“Frey Kent.”
“…Yes?”
“Come. This will help you find your answers.”
“What scene?”
“Weren’t you listening?”
As Arthur promised to explain on the way, Frey stood up to follow him.
“Losers. Aren’t you two slow?”
Guided by Joy, they headed toward the training room rented out by the academy.
Inside the space that only those who signed up could enter, Lucy and Karl stood facing each other, but all Arthur could see was Lucy.
He still didn’t fully understand how Lucy had changed.
But one thing was certain: she had developed an undeniable magnetic charm.
Whether drawn in by her allure or jealousy over her beauty, anyone who laid eyes on Lucy would certainly find it hard to look away.
“Hmm? Lucy Alrn. Your armor doesn’t look too hot. What happened?”
While observing Lucy, Arthur noticed her armor was in a state where it could fall apart at any moment.
Though it seemed she had tried to repair it, the armor had reached its limit. A capable blacksmith would have recommended getting a new set.
“The poor prince has gone through something exceedingly terrible, you see. You’d be shocked if you hear about it.”
“What kind of ordeal did you experience?”
“Curious? Should I tell you?”
“If you could, I’d be grateful.”
“Hmm. My mind has changed. It’s a secret now.”
“…What?”
Seeing Arthur raise an eyebrow only made Lucy chuckle.
“Ha ha! Did you really think I’d tell you? Were you looking forward to it? But it’s a secret. So sorry, Prince Loser!”
Previously, Arthur would have warned her about this type of teasing, but today, he stayed silent.
There had to be repercussions for someone who had inflicted so much teasing.
“I have some news I think you two might be interested in! Lady Alrn is set to duel with Professor Karl right now!”
“Those two?”
“Yeah. Seems Lady Alrn asked first, wanting to gauge her full strength.”
“A duel against a knight from House Alrn.”
It was no secret that Karl was a knight from the Alrn family.
Neither Lucy nor Karl tried to conceal this truth, and if anyone paid attention, they’d figure it out.
When asked who the strongest knight on the continent was, the Alrn knights always got a mention. So if Lucy Alrn dueled one of them, she definitely wouldn’t win without using everything she had.
This was an opportunity to witness her true strength. This news was without a doubt precious.
“Interesting, right?”
“That’s definitely worth waiting for. Thank you.”
Arthur expressed his gratitude to Joy before turning his gaze back to Frey, who was still caught in her thoughts.
“Frey Kent.”
“…Yeah?”
“Come. This will aid you in your search for answers.”
“What kind of event?”
“You weren’t listening at all?”
As Arthur promised to explain, Frey stood up, following him.
“Losers! Can you pick up the pace?”
Guided by Joy, they made their way to the duel room provided by the academy.
Inside, where only those who signed up could enter, stood Lucy and Karl facing off, but Arthur’s gaze was fixated solely on Lucy.
He still couldn’t quite grasp the changes Lucy had undergone.
But one unarguable fact remained: she had developed an irresistible kind of charm.
Whether it was due to being enchanted by her beauty or being envious, anyone who beheld Lucy couldn’t help but be drawn to her for a time.
“Hmm? Lucy Alrn. Your armor looks awful. What happened?”
As he scrutinized Lucy, Arthur noticed that her armor was in dire condition, ready to give out at any moment.
Sure, it looked like she’d attempted to patch it up, but there were limits to what it could take. Any decent blacksmith would recommend she get a new one.
“The poor prince went through something grand and terrible! You’ll be astonished to hear about it.”
“What exactly did you go through?”
“Curious, are we? Would you like me to tell you?”
“If you did, I’d be thankful.”
“Hmm, I’ve changed my mind. Consider it a secret now.”
“…What?”
Seeing Arthur raise his eyebrows only made Lucy laugh lightly.
“Ha ha! Did you expect that I would spill? Did you look forward to it? Sorry, but it’s a secret. Poor prince loser!”
Normally, Arthur would have scolded her for mocking him, but today, he remained quiet.
After all, teasing should come with consequences.
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