Chapter: 83
“I heard quite an interesting rumor, little brother.”
The very next day after being confined, a guest visited Arthur’s room.
He was none other than Cecil Soladin, his elder brother, currently on the brink of graduating from Soul Academy and embroiled in a rivalry with the First Prince for the throne.
“You challenged the Young Lady of the Alrn family, but when you felt you would lose, you resorted to dishonest means, is that so? What an outrageous and disrespectful rumor! I shall find the one spreading such tales and give them a good scolding!”
Cecil wasn’t visiting out of concern for Arthur.
He didn’t even believe it was just nonsense.
The sole reason he came to talk to Arthur was to insult him.
“To disgrace the royal family like this, aren’t you ashamed?”
Yet, Arthur remained unfazed, his expression unchanged.
“I’m sorry, Brother. I made a mistake.”
“What? So, this rumor is true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Remarkable! To think that you, who rarely makes any mistakes, would do something like this. Was something troubling you?”
“No. I simply became impatient.”
Such conversations were the norm within the royal palace.
Not long ago, Arthur had stood out, causing a shift in the dynamics.
Both the First and Second Princes cast wary glances toward him, and if he slipped up, they seized the opportunity to come and hound him.
“Is that so?”
Initially surprised by his brothers’ changed demeanor, Arthur had grown accustomed.
Now that he knew their true colors, he learned to brush off whatever they said.
“The story I heard differs from yours.”
“Does it?”
“Yes. I heard that the Alrn Young Lady was furious after calling you ‘the pitiful prince.’”
The nickname “pitiful prince,” given to him by Lucy, had stolen the calm demeanor usually unshakeable even by outside provocations.
“‘Pitiful prince,’ huh? That brat is just strutting around, believing Alrn’s name grants her the right to throw thorns everywhere.”
Despite those words coming out of Cecil’s mouth, Arthur felt surprisingly tranquil.
Sure, it was true he felt anger bubbling up, but compared to when Lucy had called him that, this barely fazed him.
Hence, Arthur could respond to Cecil in his usual manner.
“Arthur, if you wish, I could have a word with Lucy Alrn, who called you ‘the pitiful prince’?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Arthur’s gentle denial prompted the first look of surprise from Cecil that day.
“Lady Alrn is also the one who saved my life.”
Nothing else followed.
After that, they engaged in a conversation devoid of substance, and Cecil left.
Since that day, Arthur pondered.
Why was it that he couldn’t bear it when Lucy referred to him as the ‘pitiful prince,’ yet when it came from Cecil, it felt inconsequential?
Certainly, it was Cecil’s words that were far more malicious and direct.
Now, with his confinement lifted today, Arthur decided he would resolve this question by seeking out Lucy Alrn. However, before he could do that, a group of young ladies blocked his path.
“Good day, Third Prince.”
These were clearly those who shadowed Joy.
The one stepping forward, no doubt, was named…
“Ah, Everry.”
Upon hearing her name, Everry’s eyes widened before settling into a serene smile.
“What brings you here?”
“I have something to discuss regarding the Alrn Young Lady.”
The words she presented held little value.
She could not forgive Lucy, who had insulted Arthur.
Even if she won their rivalry, Lucy’s amassed sins wouldn’t just vanish, and she wished to help Arthur punish her.
Truly insubstantial chatter.
This was merely a scheme to pretend they empathized while trying to use him for their own agendas.
They wanted to bother Lucy Alrn, and now they were dragging Arthur into it.
Part of him desired to shout them away, yet these young ladies came from reputable noble families.
What a severe disappointment.
If it were Lucy Alrn in this position, she wouldn’t care for the circumstances and would insult them right then and there.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I must decline.”
“What? But Your Highness, we definitely can help!”
“Definitely. However, isn’t a competition something you must engage in personally? I prefer to decline any outside assistance.”
With Arthur speaking so mildly, how could anyone say another word?
Everry and the other young ladies had no choice but to retreat, claiming they trusted the prince.
As the young ladies, flustered by their disrupted plans, were about to leave, Arthur called out to them.
“And one last thing. The Alrn Young Lady is not just Joy’s benefactor, but also mine. Please refrain from spreading harsh words.”
Arthur’s statement earned nods of understanding from the young ladies, who hurriedly scurried off.
Watching them leave, Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle while rubbing his neck.
With so many enemies, he worried whether she would collapse before he could take her down.
*
“First Joy Partan, now Prince Arthur.”
“Unbelievable. Both siding with the disgrace of the Alrn family.”
“What on earth does that brat possess?”
“I’m sure she used underhanded means. It just doesn’t make sense otherwise.”
“Right? Just a year ago, she was arrogant, incompetent, and trashy. It’s absurd she suddenly topped the entrance exam.”
“There must be something shady going on. Absolutely something.”
“If only we could unveil it, we could smash that smug face of hers.”
*
The sword came crashing down and down again.
Unyielding, relentless attacks that offered no chance to breathe.
Was sparring with me truly helping her grow, or was Frey’s sword just getting sharper and sharper each day?
Was he truly the most gifted swordsman in the history of the Kent family?
Talent does seem to be a double-edged sword!
Freys’s strikes were creating unkind sounds against my generally sturdy shield.
I might be using it efficiently, but it’s still a basic model.
There’s a limit to withstanding Frey’s strikes from his beloved sword.
At this rate, if I don’t make a move soon, my shield will shatter before Frey tires out!
Maybe it’s time for a counterattack.
“Pathetic swordsman ♡ Is that all you’ve got? ♡ Your sword is so light it might fly off! ♡”
The enhanced taunt effect of my Mesugaki skill instantly stirred emotions.
Frey’s face, once stoic, contorted into a frown as he turned my way.
He was certainly provoked.
However, Frey didn’t immediately attack.
From experience, he knew that blindly falling for my taunts could lead to disaster.
But then, what now?
That was precisely what I was hoping for.
In a relentless sparring match, even a moment’s lapse can be fatal.
Being forced to gather his focus, Frey’s response was slow.
Realizing too late, he moved his sword, but it was already too late.
Hit by my shield, Frey stumbled backward and collapsed as the mace I wielded landed right before him.
‘Time to take a breather?’
“What’s up? Pathetic swordsman, got tired already? Such a lousy stamina, you know? If you beg hard enough, I might let you take a break!”
“…I want to rest.”
Glancing at him muttering while down on the ground, I couldn’t help but lower my shield as well.
Days had passed since the incident when Joy collapsed.
Not much had happened in that time.
Perhaps I had just fallen further into despair?
Word spread that I had tormented Joy after verbally assaulting her followers.
Consequently, it seemed that where I had once been approached, I was now treated as a minefield—an area to stay clear of at all costs.
Why did I say “it seemed”?
Because when I went to request a dungeon run with Visi, she had freaked out and shared all this gossip with me.
Truthfully, I noticed none of this myself.
People avoiding me? That’s not new.
Nobody approached me anyway, so even my reputation plummeting didn’t feel like a big deal.
I decided to just embrace it.
Passing through the crowd, I could almost feel like Moses parting the sea?! It was amusing.
But currently, what was more striking was something else.
Last time I met Phoebe in the infirmary, I distinctly recall my Mesugaki skill outputting to informal speech, right?
Yet when we met again, the tone was suddenly formal?
“Good day, pathetic saint.”
No clue what led to this.
If the Mesugaki skill had indeed returned, I should be speaking formally to Joy too, but I was still using informal language with her.
Not to mention, referring to Karl is still “pathetic dog”, not just “pathetic”.
This was a quirk only granted to Phoebe.
If I understood why this was the case, it might aid me a bit in controlling my Mesugaki skill.
“Lucy Alrn.”
Sitting up against my lowered shield and taking a breath, a voice rang out.
‘Arthur. It’s been a while.’
“Long time no see, pitiful prince?”
“Right? It’s been a week.”
So today marked the end of my confinement, huh?
Arthur wore a serene expression.
Before the duel, he had always frowned at me, so I suppose my earlier rescue must’ve lessened his animosity a fair bit.
But why was Arthur now receiving my Mesugaki skill in the formal tone?
If we’re being rude, it should be equitable rudeness!
What? Is it that Joy is just easy pickings?!
…Well, I guess she kind of is, yeah.
“So, I’ve come to acknowledge my defeat at a publicly disclosed location and seek your forgiveness. If you don’t mind, can I ask about the schedule?”
‘That’s fine by me.’
“Why should I seek your forgiveness, ‘pitiful prince’?”
That won’t alter my reputation, and I worry that it’ll just make me seem like I’m torturing Arthur.
To be frank, if Arthur’s perception changes, I’d consider that enough as it is.
“However, isn’t this part of the wager?”
‘Really, it’s fine! You don’t have to!’
“I’d rather decline. I feel like I have nothing worth forgiving.”
On denying the request outright, Arthur nodded as if recognizing the awkwardness of pressing for an apology.
“I understand. Then in return, I’d like to grant you something. After all, you saved my life.”
A return gift.
What could I possibly get from Arthur?
Almost nothing, really.
The most I could hope for would be information or network connections, neither of which mean much to me at this moment.
He probably already knows everything anyway, and gaining connections is out of my reach.
Ah! An idea popped into my head.
“Dungeon.”
“Dungeon?”
Joy couldn’t enter the dungeon, and Visi despised going in with me, leaving me in a bind.
But now, I might have a party member to join!
I hesitated to ask him outright, fearing odd rumors would spread if I said it first.
Hmm.
If my request is a problem, I could just flip it and make it his asking!
“Please ask if I can join the dungeon!”
“Pitiful prince, could you kindly ask if I might join the dungeon with you?”
“…What? You want me to ask?”
‘Yep!’
“Alright then. Please grant me the honor of accompanying you into the dungeon, Lucy Alrn?”
‘I’d allow it!’
“I grant you permission, pitiful prince.”
For some reason, Arthur’s lips trembled anxiously at my words.
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