Chapter: 559
– What a pathetic man.
As soon as I opened my eyes, Soladin’s fragment started throwing shade at me. I tried to ignore it since it wasn’t a surprise, but its follow-up comment stopped me in my tracks.
– You fainted just from seeing some revealing armor and now you’re bleeding from your nose?
…Ah. Right. It was that ridiculous armor of his that I saw under my outer garment.
“I seriously felt like hanging myself.”
– Wouldn’t a tree be suitable for that?
“If I hang myself, the branch would probably snap.”
– Rolling in the dirt would just be more pathetic and sad.
“You little brat, are you sure you’re not one of the evil god’s lackeys?”
I shot back at the fragment, but the thought of wanting to die wasn’t a lie.
Of all times to lose consciousness—right in front of Lucy Alrn and listening to that jerk’s insults!
This wasn’t just some embarrassing incident! If I wasn’t careful, I might be demoted to the level of Lina or the Art Guild’s Apostle!
…Actually, there must be other ways to die without hanging. Maybe I should think about how to die as cleanly and painlessly as possible.
– Tsk. I can’t believe that’s my descendant. If I were to borrow some words from that little kid who receives love from the God and likes to mess with you, it’s truly a pathetic sight.
“I won’t deny that, but please let me make excuses.”
– Go on, I’ll laugh at all of it.
“Don’t you think this is also Lucy Alrn’s fault?!”
– …What?
“She’s way too defenseless!”
I often think about it: Does Lucy Alrn not even realize who she truly is?
She’s far too wide open.
She doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings.
She doesn’t think about how others perceive her.
While she replies mischievously to the gazes directed her way, her words rarely contain any truth.
No, it would be more accurate to say they almost never do. The disgust she expresses toward the foxes lurking near her or the apostle praising her beauty carries some truth.
I can’t understand how those two can just laugh it off amid the torrent of outrageous statements while I’m standing by, soaked in cold sweat.
I don’t even want to understand. The moment I start to empathize with that feeling, I’d probably be demoted from human to beast.
Anyhow, back to the topic. Lucy Alrn doesn’t care at all how she appears to the people around her.
In the past, from a distance, she seemed beautiful and cute, yet she was something no one wanted to approach.
The moment you edged closer, things sharper than thorns would fly toward you, tearing apart a person’s heart, leaving no one able to appreciate her appearance comfortably.
That’s why when she just began attending the academy, nobody was around her.
People who grew tired of Lucy Alrn for various reasons avoided getting entangled with her, and those who didn’t dislike her enough kept their distance, just watching from afar.
After all, Lucy Alrn appeared like a work of art from a distance.
In other words, she was a being that couldn’t be more than a mere work of art. Who would want to own something that curses you upon touching it?
Even now, most people don’t approach Lucy Alrn.
Even if someone found interest in her due to the Art Guild’s adornments. They might think that with the blessings and her possessing divinity, she’s different from the rumors, but…
They couldn’t help but be terrified of the thorns scattered by the past Lucy Alrn, fearful of being ensnared by her mischievous red eyes, and they worried someone near her might take an interest in them so they couldn’t dare approach.
That’s why most people remain oblivious to how defenseless Lucy Alrn is.
Lucy Alrn approaches others with open kindness.
She smiles casually as if it were nothing, charms people with playful glances, and as soon as they momentarily get lost in her allure, she steps away, laughing as she scans them.
I’m not the only one affected. She treats anyone around her like a toy.
In the process, she doesn’t even consider how much the hearts of those toys might tremble. She doesn’t doubt it. At most, she’ll think she annoyed them a little and call it a day with a giggle.
“Even the previous incident was like that! She always yammers about being cute and pretty, but doesn’t she realize that’s not how others see her?! Seeing her tilt her head infuriates me!”
Since ancient times, Lucy Alrn’s appearance has been famous. Otherwise, she wouldn’t continuously cause an uproar wherever she goes and be able to attend high society gatherings regularly.
Even back then, she enchanted her opponents with laughter while tearing them apart with words, and she has only grown more beautiful in recent times.
The Apostle of the Art Guild, known for its picky nature when it comes to art, doesn’t just show her admiration for her without reason.
Ask anyone passing by, even someone who hates Lucy Alrn with a passion, and they’ll give the same answer.
Lucy Alrn is beautiful. It wouldn’t be unusual if a goddess descended upon this realm.
“Then that girl shows up wearing that bizarre armor! And to top it off, she burrows under me and ambushes me! How am I supposed to handle that!?”
If it hadn’t been for that last jab, I would have barely managed to keep my composure. I’ve built up enough resilience for it.
But the last insult that left her lips shattered everything.
“That’s more like a fox than an actual fox! The fact that she captivates others without intending to is even more vicious!”
I was the only one who fell, but everyone else was shaken too.
The Saintess barely managed to hold on to her crumbling legs, while Frey Kent pretended to be indifferent but was actually hiding a trembling hand behind her back, and Karl, even while turning his head away to avoid witnessing his master’s antics, cast glances furtively.
I’m not the weird one! The weird one is Lucy Alrn! If she had just been more conscious of her appearance, none of this would have happened!
– So you’re saying that little kid is entirely at fault?
“Well, that’s… not true.”
I know very well why Lucy Alrn is so twisted.
According to what I heard, she became hated by everyone after committing all sorts of misdeeds, so she doesn’t expect any goodwill from others.
Just like how I forgot to be happy due to events related to my mother’s death, desperately trying to elevate her name. The surrounding hatred robbed her of the chance to be loved.
“That’s why it makes me even angrier. I have nowhere to vent my complaints.”
I grabbed my hair tightly, lamenting, and the fragment let out a hollow chuckle.
– At this rate, that kid will never solve her dullness. Outsiders prey on her dullness while insiders can’t comfortably tell her she’s dull.
“What can we do? All we can do is try not to misinterpret her and play the part of her toy.”
Eventually, she’ll get hit hard once. The people of the world can’t be as perceptive as us. Someone will misunderstand greatly, and Lucy Alrn will get hit hard for it.
…But I’m not sure if there’s anyone capable enough to misunderstand her to that degree.
Grumbling, Arthur stood up, listening to the sounds of battle nearby and let out a sigh.
Damn it. I’m going to be teased again. Not just Lucy Alrn but also everyone around us.
Those guys have no respect for royalty. Even though I’m a royal, I’m treated as prime target practice by those around.
I should engrain the fact that there’s such a thing as sacrilege at least once.
– Just in case you’re thinking of collapsing again, I advise you not to go near.
“It was just an accident. An accident caused by a perfect ambush. I’ve seen it once and received a thorough beating, so I won’t fall for the same thing twice.”
After all, Lucy Alrn referred to her before-as-ambush as training.
When facing a beast-like ominous presence, she hardly mutters any nonsense, so that bizarre appearance must be something essential.
So even if I know I’ll be mocked, I have to face it. The trials given to us right now aren’t the kinds we can just brush off lightly.
– I’m not trying to mock you; I’m genuinely giving you serious advice.
“You’re giving me advice? You? Aside from how to enchant my sword with magic, you’ve never taught me anything useful!”
– If you think it’s nonsense, feel free to disregard it, but be mentally prepared. I don’t want to see my descendant faint twice before women.
The seriousness in the fragment’s expression made me not say anything more, just take a deep breath.
Lucy Alrn has always transcended common sense. From the very moment she got entwined with me, she utterly shattered the common sense of the world.
So I’m sure that this time, she’ll shatter my common sense again. I should engrave this fact in my mind as I head toward the commotion.
As I made that resolution and approached the chaotic scene, I understood why the fragment urged me to prepare my heart.
Above the barren ground, the fairy was dancing.
She painted the stage with warm holiness reminiscent of sunlight.
Through something that couldn’t even be called armor, she drew attention.
Capturing gazes with her playful smiles.
With a dance more beautiful than any other dancer, she seduced her audience.
As she lightly stepped back, she looked more like a fairy than the fairies in the storybooks.
“Prince Dedication. I see you’ve finally awakened?”
“…Y-yeah. I have.”
“Puhahaha. A loser is a loser even if they wake up, right? What a pathetic face you have. It’s adorable♡”
Feeling blood rush to my head, it wasn’t long before my vision blurred.
– Ugh. How do I raise someone like her to fit her title?
Next to me, the fragment’s grumbling could be heard, but I couldn’t respond to it.
“Are you going to collapse again!? You’re so hopelessly pathetic. I wonder if it’s even possible to properly utilize this premature prince.”
That cold sensation of the dry, barren ground met me as a greeting.
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