Chapter: 168
“Eww♡ Look at you, sprawled on the floor like a dog, panting♡ Don’t you feel a bit pathetic?♡ With a stamina worse than a girl who’s two heads shorter than you, it’s just absurd♡ As a man, you’ve totally flunked before being a prince!♡ Should I start calling you Princess from now on?♡ Pathetic little princess♡”
I tried to provoke Arthur, who was sprawled on the ground, to get him to stand up, but his body just wouldn’t cooperate.
His arms, braced on the ground, were trembling, suggesting his body wasn’t following his will.
So, I turned my head towards Phaebi, but she shook hers.
“If we try to force him up any more, it’ll just push him over the edge.”
Hmm. Is that so? It feels strange. When I trained in the Alrn family, I went through tougher stuff than this.
Possell never cared about my physical limits. There were times when I’d be training so hard I’d faint and wake up in a bed instead.
Compared to that, this should be nothing, right?
[Girl, I’ve said it before, but you shouldn’t base everything on your own experiences.]
‘Is that so? Everyone else can handle at least this much, right?’
I didn’t start out being special or anything. I just used my cunning to turn this useless body into something decent through rigorous training.
Aside from that, I’d been rolling around like mad to level up.
I may have built a solid strat as a veteran, but the process was just effort, effort, and more effort.
Even if I fell from the modern world into this fantasy land, shouldn’t Arthur, the officially recognized genius of Soul Academy, be able to do better than me?
He doesn’t even lack a solid base like I did.
[Speaking from my experience teaching many talented knights back in my day, you are quite the exceptional case.]
‘Is that so?’
Well, I couldn’t argue much when Grandpa was saying all that, and when Phaebi, the treatment expert, agreed, it seemed right to let Arthur have a break.
“Take a breather, Arthur.”
“Well, it can’t be helped. The poor prince seems weak and pathetic. Just rest there like a bug.”
“…Lucyyy!”
Arthur raised his voice in response to my Mesugaki skill’s provocation, but it wasn’t scary at all.
Him flailing on the ground and shouting just made it funny.
If I kept watching him, I’d end up laughing, so I shifted my gaze elsewhere.
There wasn’t a single fine specimen in sight.
Frey was exhausted from our sparring sessions; Joy was squeezing out her nonexistent magic to train; and Phaebi, left with minimal divine power just to heal Arthur, was at her limit too.
Well, we had been training since early morning, and around eight hours had passed. It was only normal for everyone to be worn out.
Personally, I wanted to move a bit more, but I’d just been told that applying my standards to others was unfair. Hmmm.
“Everyone!…”
“Useless people! That’s all for today!”
As I raised my voice, all eyes turned toward me.
The emotion in those gazes was undoubtedly confusion.
What’s with that? I was just being considerate and saying we should take a break.
Why aren’t you all happy about it and instead just blinking at me like that?
In the unexpectedly formed silence, it was Frey who moved first.
She trotted over to me and placed a hand on my forehead, tilting her head in confusion.
“No fever?”
‘I’m totally fine.’
“Dumb knight. Do I look sick to you?”
“But if you weren’t sick, there wouldn’t be a reason for Lucy to suggest resting.”
Frey’s blunt remark had everyone nodding in agreement, even Arthur sprawled on the ground.
…Wow, I really get how my image is viewed by you all.
Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll just have to fit that image.
Frey would train with me, and Joy, exhausted of magic, would work on stamina with Arthur…
“How convenient! I actually thought of a place we could go together.”
As I hatched a plan to keep rolling with the training until they begged for mercy, Joy urgently interjected.
“What place?”
“A really awesome bakery!”
Then Phaebi chimed in.
“Ooooh, desserts! Sounds delicious.”
Frey quickly dashed over to those two and chimed in with a lifeless voice.
“Then let me pay.”
Arthur, who had struggled to sit up, concluded the discussion.
Then, those four stared blatantly at me.
As if to say, “We shouldn’t continue training here, right?”
No way! If you do that, I’m the bad guy!
I was the one who suggested we take a break first, after all!
Ugh. Is this really irritating? Have I become that clueless idiot?
It wouldn’t be hard to hijack the conversation and crush it.
Though it wouldn’t be hard…
…But I just can’t let that happen.
I’d get to bond over sweet treats with the key characters of Soul Academy, sharing fun student talk.
How could I refuse such an opportunity after falling in love with that game, now rotting in nostalgia?!
“Alright, let’s hit the bakery.”
“Ugh, if the bread is as dumb as you, I’m gonna freak out, you know?”
“Fufu. I’ll bet my honor as a Partran on it.”
—
The bakery Joy confidently led us to was a familiar spot for me.
On weekends, if you visited Soul Academy, you might bump into the somewhat disguised “Dumb Young Lady.”
In other words, it was the bakery that the clumsy young lady loved the most.
Whoa. I always thought it would be cool to come here with Joy one day, but who knew she’d invite me to come first!
It’s a bit disappointing that it wasn’t just the two of us, but the lively atmosphere also appealed to me.
More importantly, I could come back here with Joy later!
While I excitedly explored the inside, several fresh loaves of bread were brought over by the staff.
I hadn’t even ordered yet, so these must be pastries Joy always gets, right?
Arthur was the first to reach for a loaf that had just come out, still steaming.
That’s a croissant. Just looking at the brown crust shows it’s well-made.
When Arthur bit into it, the crunch echoed around the table as the crust crumbled.
With a blank face, he swallowed a bite and nodded with a light smile.
“Pretty good.”
“Pretty good, you say?”
“…It means it’s incredibly delicious.”
“Right?”
As they bantered, I reached for my own piece of bread.
Like Arthur, I opted for the croissant too.
Seeing how much he was enjoying it made it look incredibly appetizing.
What would it taste like, coming from the bakery that Joy, who had tasted countless fine dishes as a noble, always bragged about?
With a racing heart, I took a bite of the croissant, and my eyes widened in surprise.
I had already expected it to be crispy.
However, the softness inside was unexpected.
It melted in my mouth, filling it with the richness of butter.
A subtle sweetness, pleasant nuttiness, and a slight saltiness.
There’s nothing lacking.
Ah, it’s for sure the most delicious bread I’ve ever tasted in my life.
As I came to my senses and opened my mouth again to eat, I was shocked to find my hand empty.
Huh? Where’d the bread go?
I definitely had a croissant a moment ago, didn’t I?!
“Lady Alrn, how is it? Did you enjoy it?”
Was Joy watching me devour the bread?
She had a satisfied grin as she observed me.
Ugh. It annoys me when the clumsy young lady gets all smug, but I can’t deny that.
‘It was incredibly delicious!’
“Hmm. Well, for a place recommended by the clumsy young lady with clumsy taste, it’s not bad.”
“Fufu, right?”
I expected a sharp retort from Joy in response to the bluntness from my Mesugaki skill, but she just smiled.
What’s with this? I thought she’d say something to put me in my place like she did with Arthur.
“Why so kind to Lucy Alrn?”
Arthur seemed to find it puzzling too, grumbling at Joy, but she just shrugged and replied confidently.
“Well, Lady Alrn makes me happy just by watching, but the third prince doesn’t.”
So that’s it. Just watching me enjoy that bread pleased her. Fair enough, if I shut my mouth, I look like a doll.
The real issue is that disasters unfold every time I speak.
Arthur seemed unable to argue that point, grumbling as he just picked up more bread.
From that moment on, everyone was too engrossed in eating.
We had been training from early morning for about eight hours straight.
Given the prime deliciousness laid before us, how could we not relish it?
After filling our battle-hungry stomachs, it took some time before we could relax again.
Phaebi smiled at us, sipping on fragrant tea, and gently spoke.
“It seems you all endured quite a lot.”
“Saint, I’ve seen you for days, so you know, right? That grueling training is not easy to endure.”
Phaebi smirked at Arthur, who complained about not being able to do anything except sleep whenever he returned to the dorm.
“But soon, you’ll get to rest during the break, right?”
‘Nope. Can’t rest.’
“What do you mean, Useless Saint? If you rest during the vacation, our already pathetic prince will become even more pathetic.”
Arthur needs to be above “just okay” as a magic swordsman.
Why would I allow him to become a mediocre magic swordsman by slacking off?!
“Excuse me?”
“There’s a plan already set up for break, meaning he won’t have time to rest, Saintess.”
“Wha…?”
Of course, I had my own tasks to handle during the break, so I couldn’t keep an eye on Arthur constantly.
So I had to rely on his conscience.
But I should be fine. That guy’s pride is as strong as they come. Arthur wouldn’t let himself slack off.
What’s more, I’d already warned him that if he’s still slacking off by the second semester, I’ll work him to the bone. He’ll be fine.
Phaebi, unsure of what to say to the sulking Arthur, blinked her eyes and then turned her gaze to Joy.
“Joy, what will you be doing over break?”
“Me? I don’t really have any plans. I’ll be returning to my family, though.”
As Joy spoke, she shifted her glance toward me.
What was that? Did she have something else to say?
“…Maybe I’ll be studying and training simultaneously?”
From the lack of further elaboration, it seemed like I was wrong in my assumption.
“Lady Kent?”
Frey, who had been munching on bread continuously, finally opened her mouth after several moments of contemplation following Phaebi’s question.
“I’ll also train.”
She delivered that bluntly and went back to munching.
I know it’s not really my place to comment, but wouldn’t it be a bit rude to be so disrespectful to the Saint?
Isn’t this how reputations can drop to the ground?
Ah, but she wouldn’t care about that kind of thing, would she? She’s always been on her own path.
“Lady Alrn, what about you?”
Phaebi turned the topic of conversation back to me.
What will I do during vacation? I’ve got a few plans lined up.
There are about two mandatory tasks, and the rest are more optional.
But one thing is for sure.
“I’m going to take on a dungeon raid.”
“I’ll smash the trash dungeon to pieces.”
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