Chapter: 167
“Did you just ask me how to get stronger?”
“Why me?”
I couldn’t wrap my head around why Arthur would bring this up.
He’s the Third Prince of the Soladin Kingdom, renowned across the continent.
Even if he hails from a relatively lowly Baron family, as a royal blood, he has the power to obtain practically anything.
Outstanding knightly training. Renowned scholars’ teachings. He could get just about everything he desires.
If he was a bit pushy, couldn’t he just hire any professor from the Academy as a personal tutor?
So really, he had no reason to ask a mere student like me for help.
I thought it was just a joke, but Arthur’s expression was serious as a heart attack.
“Why is that?”
“What’s this? Oh, Pitiful Prince. Didn’t you say you wanted to defeat me? And now you’re asking me for guidance? That’s just pathetic. Aren’t you ashamed?”
“Ahem. This is not a joke. I’m aware of how you’d react, so why would I stand before you?”
That’s true. When he asked for guidance, it was obvious I’d have some smart-aleck remark ready.
He came here with a full expectation of my retort.
That must’ve been a heavy resolve for him. Especially with that inflated self-esteem of his.
“Hey, you two. Hold on a sec.”
Just then, Joy cut in while we were yapping away.
“This doesn’t seem like a quick chat, so let’s move somewhere else.”
Only then did I notice all the eyes on us.
Wow, everyone’s staring at us!
We were already drawing attention, but blocking the report cards just amplified it.
It was pretty clear we were being a nuisance, so we slipped away from the crowd.
After that, we headed for a private room in the Academy.
This place was usually packed during exams, but now that the finals were over and vacation was coming, it was totally empty.
The staff at the entrance was even dozing off.
So, it wasn’t hard for us four to find a spot together.
“Arthur wants to ask you for guidance because your peers are growing rapidly.”
As soon as the door to the private room closed, Arthur got right to it.
“First of all, Joy. You silly goose.”
“Your Highness?”
“Oh, right. Sorry about that. Anyway, this clumsy idiot… well, sorry, just an idiot…”
“Just call me silly, it’s fine…”
“The talent of this foolish Young Lady is something she herself acknowledges. But recently, the rate of her growth has gone overboard. I mean, the professor teaching Magic Manipulation Class said she’s the best of his students!”
Of course! What I taught her was the culmination of thousands of hours I’d spent at Soul Academy.
After all, Joy was a character who caught up to users purely with her talent and effort.
With my optimization strategy for developing a magic-based character, her growth was bound to skyrocket.
“Frey Kent is the same.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I’m talking about you. Frey Kent’s talent could have been called the best among her peers, but she wasn’t overwhelming. But that’s not the case anymore. Frey Kent has grown into an overwhelming monster next to you.”
Uh, wait a sec. There seems to be a misunderstanding here.
I haven’t personally taught Frey anything. We’ve just trained our stamina and sparred while grinding in dungeons.
If you ask who influenced her growth, it would definitely be Karl.
“Yeah, that’s true. Lucy is amazing.”
I tried to correct the misinformation, but Frey nodded her head before I could say anything.
Wait. Did you actually understand what Arthur just said and respond?
Did you just nod because it sounded like a compliment?
“Above all, Lucy Allen. Your rate of growth is abnormal. It’s understandable, as you have the blood of the Allen family and possess outstanding talent. However, there’s got to be limits to that. How can someone who struggled to climb even stairs reach the peak in just about a year?!”
Uh, well, I’ve got nothing to say to that.
When I first possessed Lucy’s body, climbing stairs was a struggle, and now look where I am!
Looking back, it’s a series of unbelievable occurrences.
What if I hadn’t convinced Benedict to let me eat that potion?
What if I hadn’t implanted passive skills into Lucy’s body?
What if the brutal training of the Allen family hadn’t existed?
What if I hadn’t overcome Ruel’s trials and met the grandpa?
Countless “what-ifs” lined my path so far. If just one of those had gone differently, I wouldn’t be standing here.
But do you want to know what really gets my goat? I’m still just a first-year at Soul Academy!
In video game terms, I haven’t even entered chapter one yet!
Sure, normally it should take a couple of hours to finish this amount of content, but how many life-or-death moments have I dodged along the way?
“Based on this, I’ve come to the conclusion that Lucy Allen has something unknown that I do not.”
Arthur continued on with his speech while I wallowed in my misery about working hard in the future.
“So I’d like to ask you. Teach me how to get stronger. I’ll do whatever I can for that.”
Arthur bowed his head right in front of me.
Even though he’s far from royal succession, the fact that a prince bends his pride before a count’s daughter isn’t a small matter, even to me who’s not yet used to the aristocratic society.
Just the way Joy reacted with surprise was enough to show it.
If I asked Grandpa about it, he’d surely pull in the political implications and all that jazz.
Hmm. So he’s asking for help to get stronger.
There’s no harm in helping Arthur.
Just think about it. I’ve already built up some karma with the first prince, who’s set to become the final boss. And let’s be real, the first prince probably hates me.
Same goes for the second prince. He’s all nice and friendly now, but the moment I call him a pitiful prince, it’ll be a whole different story.
In a situation where I’m hated by both potential heirs, the only way for me to survive is to latch onto Arthur!
If I help him out now, it’ll ensure that if my Mesugaki skill gets me into trouble, Arthur will help me out!
Alright. Let’s think about helping Arthur for now.
A method for Arthur to get stronger.
If we focus solely on that, Arthur’s build is a Magic Swordsman.
Characters of this type are generally considered the strongest in theory. Strong in magic and strong in physical combat too! An all-rounder class, basically.
But you know, the term ‘theoretical strongest’ usually means they only excel in theory. Things can get brutal once we hit reality.
And Soul Academy was no different.
There were so many things to grow, yet the growth time given in games is limited, so characters like Magic Swordsmen often ended up being lame.
But you know—
This isn’t a game! It’s real! And Arthur is a genius with some of the best talent in Soul Academy.
If we play our cards right, it might just be feasible to turn theory into reality!
“Lucy Allen?”
“Wait a moment. Let me think.”
“Pitiful Prince, you’ve got to shut that smelly mouth of yours. I’m trying to concentrate!”
“…Oh. Um. Understood.”
Once upon a time, I too dreamt of being a Magic Swordsman character who was theoretically the strongest.
Did you think I, who enjoyed all kinds of concept play, wouldn’t think of a character who excels in both magic and physical strength? Of course I tried.
But no matter how I approached it, the character always ended up being mediocre.
Naturally, that’s because in-game growth resources are limited. To craft a Magic Swordsman, you need to make compromises with reality.
After all my efforts, I succeeded in creating a character that was centered around a physical build while using magic as a utility—but that wasn’t a Magic Swordsman.
It was just a swordsman who could use magic.
After that, I quit trying to create a Magic Swordsman when the game complex arrived, but now, at this moment, a character has appeared before me that can fulfill my dreams.
This is a chance to realize my fantasy!
Now the problem lies in stamina. As of now, Arthur’s stamina can’t keep up with a tight schedule.
At the very least, he needs to be able to run from the 1st to 100th floor of the Academy Dungeon with me.
Starting with stamina training, then honing swordsmanship, and finally layering magic on top…
Hmm. It might be a bit tight, but it feels doable.
“Grandpa, Grandpa!”
[What is it?]
“I want to run this plan by you.”
After that, I explained my plan to Grandpa. He’s the best judge of whether it’s feasible in reality or not.
Hearing my plan, Grandpa chuckled as if he couldn’t believe it and said:
[Child, not everyone trains with the same fervor as you.]
“Is it really that hard?”
[It’s not impossible but it’s definitely challenging.]
“Where should I compromise?”
[First...]
After modifying the plan under Grandpa’s guidance, I lifted my head, and Arthur looked at me with tense eyes.
“Are you done pondering?”
“I’ll accept your request. However…”
“Fine. Since it’s the pitiful request of a pitiful prince, I’ll help. But there are a few conditions.”
“Speak on.”
The two conditions I set for Arthur were simple.
He’d follow whatever I instructed without suspicion, and he wouldn’t quit halfway through because it got tough.
Arthur nodded, as if it was nothing serious.
“Ha. What a joke. I assure you, I’m not a quitter. If I fail, I’ll allow Joy to mock me.”
“Why am I suddenly getting roped into this?!”
Now, I’ve got the assurance I need. Apparently, I’m free to do whatever from here on out, right?
At first, Arthur seemed confident when I asked him, but when he saw the greed in my eyes, his gaze began to twitch.
But it’s too late now.
It’s not a personal agreement between us. We made this promise in front of the witnesses Joy and Frey.
It’s already too late to take it back.
For now, sure.
“Arthur…”
“Pitiful Prince, let’s start with running.”
“Running? As stamina training? Sounds good.”
“Just about…?”
“Half a day would be good enough.”
“…Oh. You seem to have misheard the timing.”
“Half a day…?”
“Half a day. At a speed limited to what the pitiful prince can endure.”
Are you really worried now about whether he can actually run for half a day?
It’s fine! I’ll make sure he has no choice but to run! I’ll provoke him while he runs, and here we go!
Worried about his stamina? He shouldn’t be.
I plan to bring Phoebe along during training.
With Phoebe healing on the side, he’ll be able to run no matter how difficult it gets.
In the same vein, there’s no need to worry about injuries or side effects.
The Saintess will ensure his recovery, right?
“We don’t have time for chit-chat. Let’s go!”
“Okay, let’s move, pitiful prince! Unlike the sloppy pitiful prince, my time is precious!”
This is the path you chose for your teaching.
Endure everything with grit, Arthur Soladin!
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