Chapter: 114
Cecil Soladin.
If I had to sum up this character in one word, it’s Cancer Character.
Using his status and power, he pressures others, only to collapse later and provide a refreshing sense of relief.
Why?
Because his personality is dirty.
Maybe it’s because he lost everything to the First Prince, but his greed is sky-high, and on top of that, he’s always comparing himself to his younger brother, pretending to be unfazed while harboring an inferiority complex about his knowledge.
Plus, he believes in brute strength above all else, constantly claiming that military officials are superior to civil ones.
He often mentions that fists are closer than law, and he’s a guy who rides the extreme of the weak being trampled by the strong.
It’s one thing if he’s an ordinary noble, but a prince acting out this nonsense is just ridiculous.
Cecil mostly appears as an antagonist in the personal stories of noble NPCs, and as soon as personal stories related to the Third Prince or First Prince pop up, he becomes a primary enemy.
If you take on his personal story and reform him, he can become a somewhat decent human, but until then, he’s more beast than man.
Due to the countless blunders he commits, players nicknamed him the Pitiful Prince.
In fact, the title “prince” is almost never attached.
Just posting a picture of Cecil with the word “Pitiful” could easily get that post recommended on forums, which shows how people view him.
Personally, I didn’t hate the character that much.
After all, his fighting skills are top-notch.
Who cares about his personality and wickedness, right?
For the users, the character’s performance was everything.
But if the game becomes reality, that’s a different story.
In reality, personality trumps performance.
When it was just some lunatic on the other side of the monitor, it didn’t matter how much havoc they wreaked; you could just ignore it. But now, that’s not the case.
If this guy causes chaos, the impact hits home.
Especially for someone like me, it’s a serious problem.
From past experiences, the Mesugaki Skill would 100% refer to Cecil as the Pitiful Prince.
What kind of reaction will Cecil have when he hears that?
I can’t imagine it will be a good one.
If he were a true gentleman, he wouldn’t have been called the Pitiful Prince!
“The reason I’m trying to talk to you is that I’ve taken a keen interest in your talents.”
What should I do?
How can I escape this situation?
While Cecil is busy boasting, let’s think.
First, let’s eliminate opening my mouth.
No matter how cautiously I speak, the Mesugaki Skill will definitely blurt out something about being Pitiful.
Going by my experience dealing with Arthur, that’s how it’ll go.
“Your talent, which carries the blood of the great Allen Family, is undoubtedly sufficient to dominate the continent, and your intellect surpasses that of your brother, so how can I not be intrigued by such talent?”
I appreciate the compliment, but I really don’t want any association with you, okay?
Keeping you by my side would lead me to be called Pitiful Prince, and I want to avoid that fiasco at all costs!
So please, don’t ask me to be your companion?!
“So I will make an offer. Would you consider being under my command?”
Gyaaaah!
I’m done! It’s over!
[Young Lady, what’s wrong with you?]
Did my eyes rolling around raise some suspicion?
The grandpa softly spoke.
Oh, right! Grandpa is here.
‘Grandpa. Help. Help!’
[What’s the matter?]
‘You know my blessing never calls people by their names, right?! I feel like I’m going to blurt out something about being Pitiful Prince to that prince! How can I stay quiet and get out of this?!’
If Agra just made a random comment, I might find a way out with my game knowledge, but this is beyond me!
I don’t want to lose my neck over blasphemy!
[That sounds serious.]
I asked desperately, but grandpa sounded relaxed, as if it were someone else’s problem.
Now’s not the time for that!
I’m in a hurry, come on!
Answer me!
Quickly!
[Young Lady, is it alright if you make an enemy out of this person? ]
‘No problem!’
Honestly, it would be good to make him an enemy.
He wouldn’t want to associate with me anyway.
Better to create a debacle calling him the Pitiful Prince than endure that humiliation!
[Then just keep your mouth shut, greet him, and leave. Ignore him if he tries to stop you from behind.]
‘Is that okay?’
[It’s fine. If you act like that, he’ll misinterpret your intentions.]
Huh? What does that mean?
He’ll misunderstand my intentions?
It was a puzzling statement, but till now, grandpa had never been wrong.
I nodded at Cecil, offering a curt bow before turning away.
Will this seem like a firm rejection?
“Hey!”
Just as I was about to step away, Cecil reached out from behind, but avoiding him wasn’t difficult.
The Iron Wall Skill warned me of danger, so all I had to do was dodge.
Ignoring his whining from behind, I pushed through the crowd and speed-walked away.
He won’t follow, right?
Please, just give up on me!
Do I really have to keep this angry Mesugaki under me? This Masochistic Prince?!
*
“Such audacity.”
Cecil, publicly rejected in front of many students, glared at his empty hand and clenched his fist.
“Huh? Quite audacious.”
I already anticipated he would face rejection.
He knows all too well about Lucy Allen’s temper.
The one who committed blasphemy in front of his father wouldn’t care about any of his feelings.
He’s someone who moves as if he’s the center of the universe without regard for anyone.
He wouldn’t even think about lowering himself to anyone else.
I expected this much, but I couldn’t help but feel angry.
If an ordinary person had been rejected like that, Cecil would have thrown a fit.
How dare a person like you refuse my offer!
But Lucy Allen was different.
To Cecil, who divides the world into strength and weakness, Lucy Allen, with extraordinary talent, was someone deserving of respect.
Even if he was boiling internally from public humiliation, it was worthwhile to endure.
“Holden.”
Cecil, finding himself irritated, exited the plaza and called out to his subordinate once they reached somewhere out of sight.
“Yes, Prince.”
“What do you think of Lucy Allen’s reaction?”
Holden, possessed of the highest tactical acumen among Cecil’s subordinates, took his time considering the question before answering.
“I don’t think it’s very negative.”
“Why is that? She was humiliated in front of everyone.”
“The opponent is Lucy Allen, after all.”
If an ordinary person silently declined his offer, it might be a symbol of determination.
But Lucy Allen was no ordinary person.
No matter who she was facing, she would express her thoughts clearly.
If she truly found his offer distasteful, she would have shot back poisonous words without hesitation.
Her maintaining silence and extending a courtesy indicates some level of acknowledgment of Cecil.
“Just look at how she calls the Third Prince the Pitiful Prince. She isn’t one to bottle up her complaints.”
Upon explaining this reasoning, Cecil raised an eyebrow.
“Do you think Lucy Allen considered that?”
“If it were the simple brat she was in the past, maybe not. But the current Lucy Allen, who has proven her intellect, certainly could.”
Indeed. That’s quite persuasive.
Pleased with Holden’s sweet words, Cecil nodded, urging him to continue.
“I’ll take your word for it. Then what could be the reason she left without saying a word?”
“Perhaps she was asking for time to think. She hoped for a postponement rather than a flat refusal.”
Asking for time to think?
So she’s weighing her options against others?
That’s exceedingly arrogant, but Lucy Allen is just that deserving.
Her talents shine like stars.
“Fine. Then she must be given time to consider.”
But my patience won’t last very long.
Lucy Allen, you better make your decision quickly.
Otherwise, this lion will come to feast on you.
*
Fortunately, Cecil didn’t chase me afterward.
Truly, it’s all thanks to grandpa!
In this aspect, he’s unbeatable!
If he’d just fussed a little less, things would’ve been smoother!
Having succeeded in overcoming a tremendous crisis, I headed to the training ground in search of Joy and Frey, but only Frey was there.
What’s going on? Did Joy, like me, oversleep today?
Curious about this, I asked Frey, who replied that she came with Arthur but went somewhere else.
“She said she was going to review the exam paper.”
The exam paper?
Since the scores are out anyway, what’s the point of matching them?
Is there something strange about it?
Maybe there is.
Joy secured second place in the academy exam.
The foolish Foolish Young Lady I know usually messes up to the point of ranking tenth or ninth.
She’s not the thorough type to take second place.
Arthur must have thought something similar and took Joy with him, right?
I’ve been curious about how Joy managed to get second place, and it turned out well.
With my curiosity piqued, I said goodbye to Frey and searched for the two.
After asking a few people, I must’ve been looking for about ten minutes.
“I took the exam like this, and my score is better?!”
I could hear Arthur’s voice, filled with disbelief.
“I messed this up! I made mistakes here! The calculations were all wrong!”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Isn’t it?! Foolish Young Lady!”
“So what? I got a higher total score.”
“Ugh—!”
Why is Arthur so worked up?
As I approached him, intrigued, Joy greeted me with an unexpectedly bright smile.
“Lady Allen! Did you see? I came in second place in the academy exam!”
‘I saw. Amazing, right?’
“I know! Can you believe the Foolish Young Lady got second place? How pathetic are the ones below her?”
Arthur reacted to the words spat out by the Mesugaki instead of Joy.
His face turned red as he clenched his teeth, revealing his unadulterated anger.
‘Arthur, why are you so mad?’
“Poor Prince! Feeling inferior? Of course, it makes sense since you lost to the Foolish Young Lady. Hehe, how pathetic~”
“Shut up, Lucy Allen! I refuse to accept this defeat! How can a Foolish Young Lady beat me?!”
Huh? What’s this?
Didn’t the Foolish Young Lady just get second place because she was less Foolish?
No, this is strange.
She must have acted foolishly, so how could she secure second place?
While I tilted my head in confusion, I saw Arthur vomiting his anger and Joy said:
“This is all thanks to Lady Allen.”
Thanks to me?
Why?
Can someone explain this to me?
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