Chapter: 302
The training grounds of the academy gradually turned crimson.
On one side of the outskirts, Arthur and Frey were fiercely exchanging swords as if their lives depended on it.
“Frey! Are you trying to kill me!?”
“You shot magic at my face too, Third Prince! An eye for an eye!”
On their swords, a blue aura, known as the knight’s insignia, glimmered.
If one could master the aura before graduating from the academy, they’d be called a genius.
Yet here were two first-year students freely wielding their aura, causing the onlookers in the training grounds to smirk.
They had to be just good enough to be envied or belittled, but their talents were so exceptional that those feelings couldn’t even arise.
The intense duel came to an end when Arthur kicked up dust with wind magic, obscuring Frey’s vision, and then knocked her sword from her hands.
“So that makes it 2 wins and 4 losses, right?”
“No, from your perspective, it’s 1 win, 4 losses, and 1 draw.”
“Where did that draw come from?”
“The duel was interrupted. Don’t you remember?”
“That duel was clearly leaning towards my victory, right? Didn’t we agree I’d win?”
“Do you really want to be unreasonable? Fine, I’ll go with 2 wins and 4 losses, but I’m still in the superior position.”
“That’s not being unreasonable!”
“Please calm down, both of you. At this rate, you might actually end up in a real sword fight.”
As Joy, who had been diligently practicing magic, interjected between them, Arthur and Frey reluctantly stepped back.
“I know you two get along well, but if one of you gets hurt, it’ll mess up our dungeon expedition.”
“…I apologize. I was being childish.”
“Right. Third Prince, you were the childish one.”
Hearing Frey’s cheeky remark, Arthur clenched his jaw, but he let out a sigh at her clueless face as if she didn’t even realize she was wrong.
“Alright. Let’s take a break.”
“Sure.”
“Then I’ll be doing some personal training again.”
Not caring for dignity or grace, Arthur plopped down onto the dusty ground, wiping his sweat-drenched hair.
After checking the notice posted earlier that day, it felt like he had trained for about half a day already.
He could definitely feel he had gotten stronger.
Just a few months ago, if he had pushed himself this hard, he would have been sprawled on the ground, unable to think about getting up.
It was worth asking Lucy Allen for guidance.
That wasn’t the only improvement he had seen.
His magic, physical strength, magic skills, swordsmanship abilities, and calmness in real combat were all growing too.
But above all, his ability to wield the aura was rising rapidly.
A month ago, he could barely manifest it, but now he could handle it pretty freely.
This rapid growth wasn’t exclusive to him.
Joy, who was now simultaneously manifesting five different spells, had also grown tremendously compared to her state before entering the academy.
Apparently, she had received nearly ten inquiries about her plans to head to the Magic Tower after graduation.
He understood the professors’ feelings.
How could anyone not feel jealous seeing someone who wielded five spells with different properties so freely?
If it were him, he would have done his best to recruit her into his faction.
Even though he suggested they take a break, Frey Kent was also growing at a rapid pace, swinging her sword.
Not even formally trained in swordsmanship, she was already acknowledged as the strongest promising candidate due to her raw talent.
How could she not grow rapidly when she was taking swordsmanship seriously now?
Honestly speaking, the only reason he could win against her right now was that this was just a spar.
If it were a serious fight for their lives, he was certain he would lose to her.
Ha. Seriously. Even though he was also supposedly a genius, all he had around him were such monsters.
Is it any wonder he’s afraid of falling behind and can’t even take a break?
As Arthur stood up, wobbling, he heard a commotion at the entrance of the training ground.
What’s going on?
In his field of vision, he spotted a burly figure he had seen since childhood.
Cecil Soladin, the Second Prince of the Soladin Kingdom, was passing through the center of the training grounds.
What’s the older brother doing here?
And he even came alone, leaving all his usual subordinates behind.
His mind filled with questions as he realized the moment his eyes met Cecil’s that he had come looking for him.
After getting soundly beaten by Lucy Allen, he had been pretty quiet. Did the Second Queen give him a command, or was it just a change in the wind?
As Arthur hastily tidied up his disheveled outfit from training, Cecil approached him.
“Greetings, brother.”
“Right. Little brother. You look well.”
“What brings you here?”
“Do I need a reason to visit family?”
“Of course you do.”
Arthur didn’t let his guard down, even in the face of Cecil’s smile. He had too many reasons to be cautious based on past experiences.
“Ha. Fine. I’ve heard that Lucy Allen is the one organizing the upcoming Dungeon Studies exam.”
“..Yes. That’s what I know too.”
“So tell her that I intend to show her that I’m the first to clear the dungeon she created and challenge her to a rematch to prove I’ve changed from before.”
Hearing Cecil’s serious tone, Arthur couldn’t help but respond sharply,
“Is that the Second Queen’s command?”
Was that a rude question implying he hadn’t yet gotten out from under their mother’s wing?
The old Cecil would have shouted at him for such a remark, but today he was different.
Cecil saw Arthur’s fierce gaze without anger, and instead grinned.
“No. Mother just wants me to stay quiet. If she knew I was blabbering in a public place like this, she’d sigh heavily.”
“Then why?”
“It’s a matter of pride, little brother. A ruler who is disrespected by his subordinates is not to my taste.”
Arthur saw himself in Cecil’s determination to win this time.
He found himself wanting to surpass Lucy Allen and hear what she had been hiding.
In that moment, Arthur felt his emotions swell.
“If that’s your request, couldn’t you just tell Lucy Allen yourself?”
As his aura began to manifest around him in response to the flames rising in his heart, Cecil merely smiled leisurely.
“I know, little brother.”
It wasn’t posturing. He knew there was a better way but still insisted on using him as a messenger.
That meant there was something else to his actual purpose.
Arthur’s mind, spinning rapidly, reached a conclusion in less than a second.
“Are you challenging me?”
A declaration of war. If he didn’t act, he might lose someone he valued, and he was being pushed to give it his all.
Seeing Arthur’s anger manifest in his voice, Cecil merely smiled wider and released his aura into the surrounding space.
“Little brother, consider this information a part of repaying the favor you owe Lucy Allen.”
“…What? What does that suddenly have to do with her?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve heard rumors that you turn red every time you see Lucy Allen.”
“That brat with such a horrible personality? Do you really think I’d take an interest in her!?”
“Oh? Are you saying you fancy small girls? Could it be you keep Frey Kent around for a reason?”
“What kind of person do you think I am?!”
Cecil, looking at Arthur who was flustered and unsure of what to do, decided he had said enough and simply walked away from the training ground.
After Cecil, who had come like a rainstorm, disappeared, Joy, who had been watching with concern, cautiously approached Arthur.
“What did you talk about?”
“…Didn’t you hear?”
“In the middle, the Second Prince blocked the sound with his aura.”
…Could my assumptions have been wrong?
Was the war declaration just a facade, and the real message was something deeper?
No, but why would my brother tell me something like that?
“Ha. Damn it. I have no idea what he’s thinking.”
He couldn’t comprehend why his brother, who had always seen him as a target to eliminate, was acting this way.
There was just too much he didn’t know to even venture a guess.
…But there was one thing he was sure of.
“I now have another reason to clear Lucy Allen’s dungeon exam.”
He couldn’t let his brother confidently approach her to start a conversation.
What if yet another incident occurs?
If Lucy Allen starts yelling that the Pitiful Prince is at fault and causes trouble, he would be dragged into it as well.
Arthur frowned, lost in thought, when he felt a tug at his sleeve. It was Frey standing there.
“Hey, Third Prince, was what you said earlier true?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That you have a preference for small girls.”
“…Do I look like some kind of pervert?!”
As Arthur yelled in shock, Joy quietly added, “But Third Prince…”
“Spit it out if you have something to say!”
“Never mind. Just ignore me.”
“You saying that’s even more annoying! Spit it out! Quickly!”
As he yelled at Joy, he turned, feeling the sensation of someone patting his back.
“Who now!… Oh, Saintess?”
“Prince Arthur Soladin. It’s alright.”
“Excuse me?”
“Preferences can vary. You don’t have to be embarrassed…”
“No! My preferences are nothing like that! Please, believe meeee!”
*
Adding the contents I desired to the new resources wasn’t that arduous.
I just had to put back the various gimmicks I had to compromise with when meeting the walls of reality.
In fact, I became so absorbed in it that I lost track of time as the quality of the dungeon improved.
What was truly difficult was something entirely different.
It was adjusting the dungeon’s difficulty to align with each grade.
Soul Academy had established a system where students couldn’t advance to the next grade without achieving a certain level of performance.
In other words, as you moved up, the average skill level was bound to be higher.
What would happen if I threw first-years into a dungeon designed for second and third years?
That would allow them to brute-force their way through dungeons focused on solving gimmicks.
So, I had to increase the monster strength in the second and third-year dungeons to compel their use of gimmicks.
The problem was that I wasn’t very good at balancing.
When I judged that this difficulty was what a second or third-year should handle and raised the bar, I heard nobody could clear it.
Thanks to that, I had lost count of how many times I adjusted things.
If the professors hadn’t rejected the proposal to adjust the difficulty and I had taken it upon myself, I would have probably cursed multiple times.
Anyway, after all that effort, the dungeon I designed was set to begin fabrication soon after, and within a week or so, it started to take shape.
Oh, and it’s still not complete. I still need to verify whether the dungeon was constructed according to the design and fix any problems.
[You seem quite excited, even with work ahead of you.]
‘Well, I’m about to experience the dungeon I created firsthand! How could I not be excited!’
Alright then. It’s time for QA.
Let’s see if the dungeon I designed has been properly completed.
If I notice any sloppiness from those in charge of making it.
Then I shall personally whip them into shape to transform it into a proper dungeon.
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