Chapter: 354
It was a relief for Arthur and his party that Possell was not completely clueless after all.
As a seasoned commander who had taught countless people, he was able to gauge the levels of the three with just a glance and adjust the weight of the magical tools accordingly.
The moment he shouldered them, a ugh escaped involuntarily, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from running.
“Since it’s your first training session with the Allen Knights, let’s start by getting your bodies accustomed. First, let’s loosen those muscles, shall we?”
“…With the magical tools on?”
“Yes. With the magical tools on.”
Possell’s stretching exercises were not vastly different from what they usually did, but the moans of agony continuously escaped the three of them.
Is this really how it’s supposed to be?
Instead of loosening their muscles, it felt like they were just straining them further.
“Puhaha! You just started, and you look like this already?”
Lucy, drenched in sweat as if she had just finished running, doubled over laughing at the sight of her suffering friends.
They were just getting started; how could they endure until the end?
“If you can’t handle it, speak up now. I’ll give you a chance to be a pathetic, dirty sloppy mess as soon as you want.”
Arthur couldn’t help but feel relieved; he was certain he wouldn’t escape this hell.
Try to run away because it’s hard? What would he hear later from Lucy Allen?
Better to die here than give that girl any reason to talk back.
Arthur’s resolve only grew stronger as they continued running.
“Eh? Are you already tired? You haven’t even completed a lap yet! I thought you’d be lousy, but I didn’t expect you to be this much of a sloppy mess. Pfft. It’s downright pathetic.”
Surely they had just been running a moment ago, but instead of resting, Lucy joined the three of them, voicing her comments repeatedly.
“Shut up.”
At the very beginning of the run, Arthur had enough energy to retort.
Even though his body felt heavier, it didn’t mean his rigorously trained physique had vanished; he thought he could manage it.
But it didn’t take long for him to realize that was an illusion.
His body, now much heavier than usual, quickly accumulated fatigue.
“Pitiful Prince. Whatever happened to that confidence you had at the start? Are you finally ready to admit you’re a mess?”
“…Ugh!”
Damn it. Why is Lucy Allen so relaxed?
She had just been running with the knights, so how could she still be bursting with energy?!
Ah. Could it be the magical tool she’s wearing is not activated?
So that’s why she has the luxury.
“I can see exactly what you’re thinking. The pitiful Prince with stamina issues.”
Lucy casually removed her magical tool and held it out to Arthur.
“If you’re confident enough to handle the real thing, go ahead and check. But I doubt the pitiful Prince would have the guts.”
Arthur, tempted by the light provocation, lost his balance while accepting the magical tool and fell forward.
This magical tool is real.
And it is heavier than the one we’re wearing.
So, she’s been wearing this and still looks this unbothered while running longer than us?
Getting back on his feet, Arthur looked up at Lucy with a wry smile.
What a piece of work Lucy Allen is.
“Fool Possell. The pitiful Prince says this is far too light to be any fun.”
“Haha. Ambition for growth is something admirable.”
Being forcibly made into an ambitious student, Arthur lost the energy to move his legs by the time the running ended.
The others weren’t much better off either.
Frey, guilty of possessing outstanding physical abilities, was struggling to breathe and could barely speak, carrying a horse like the other knights.
Joy, having shouldered the least weight, was still in bad shape, unable to move her limbs.
Among those who had run together, only two were fine.
Only Possell and Lucy, who had been through such training repeatedly.
“You all have exceptional abilities, just like the Young Lady’s friends. To manage to run the whole way on the first day is impressive. I look forward to the proper training after lunch.”
“…Is this not the end?!”
At the mention of “proper training,” Joy shot up with a startled voice, and a thick smile crept upon Lucy’s lips.
“Fool! Don’t be too obvious with your stupidity. Didn’t I just tell you? It’s a warm-up, right?”
“This is the warm-up.”
After being half-forced to get them up, they found the dining hall and encountered someone unexpected.
“Jack.”
It was Jack Burrows, the second son of the Burrow family, now the only child remaining, wedged in among the knights.
Jack, with his head bowed and eating to unearth himself, slowly raised his head at Arthur’s voice.
“Third Prince.”
“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Although Arthur was acquainted with Jack, he wasn’t particularly close, but after Lucy, Joy, and Frey left, he sat down across from Jack.
“Weren’t you assisting the Duke of Burrow?”
“He has already gotten better. To be precise, he has gotten healthier than before his illness.”
“Phew. That’s certainly a fortunate thing. So why are you here?”
“I can’t go into detail because it’s complicated, but I came to get stronger.”
To get stronger.
Arthur sensed from Jack’s expression that he had changed since before.
Just a few months ago, Jack had a ferocious look in his eyes.
He recognized his shortcomings but didn’t want to admit them, thinking he needed to climb higher by any means, yet he always fumbled in urgency as he poisons his surroundings.
But not anymore. Whatever he had experienced, Jack had shaken off that temptation and regained his old disposition.
“That’s a good thing too.”
Arthur was curious about Jack’s expression, but instead of probing, he picked up his spoon.
“By the way, Third Prince, how did you come to be here?”
“For the same reason you are. To get stronger.”
“In that case, you’ve come to the right place. There’s no better hell to surpass human limits than here.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow at Jack’s description of himself.
“Jack, how long have you been here?”
“I’ve spent the longest week of my life here.”
“…What does that mean?”
“You’ll soon understand, Your Highness. You’ll have a day longer than any other.”
It only took one hour in the afternoon to prove Jack’s words correct.
Unlike the morning, where he moved among the knights, he learned what it meant to be considerate when Lucy handed him a terrifying training schedule.
Living in an environment like this, it would be easy to think of it as “consideration.”
Clang!
“Damn it! Give me a breather!”
“Haha! I’m being more than considerate!”
“Well then, give me even more consideration!”
“I must refuse! That way the training won’t work! Look over there! Young Lady Kent and Duke Burrow are doing just fine, right?”
“Where does it look like they’re doing fine?! They’re struggling for their lives!”
Arthur’s scream was a sign of trouble.
Possell, his sparring partner, wasn’t easing up, insisting he still had time to speak as he pushed him even harder.
*
Pulling Joy aside, who was trying to train along with the others, I stood before her fully armored except for my mace.
“Lady Allen, what kind of training do you intend to do?”
“It’s practical training. Joy is…”
“Practical training. Foolish Young Ladies become clumsily reckless when they get desperate, don’t they? I’d rather not see you making foolish mistakes in a dangerous moment, so I’ll burden you first.”
I try to keep Joy and the others away from danger as much as possible.
I think it’s better for me to suffer alone than to watch others suffer. Even if it’s dangerous, I feel more at ease if I’m the only one in danger.
However, I can’t wish for my friends to always live in peace just because I want it.
Joy right in front of me is no exception.
As long as she’s a student at the Soul Academy.
As long as she’s a noble of this land.
And given that it’s clear that the world is only becoming more chaotic.
Joy will inevitably face a crisis someday.
It would be fine if I or another reliable person were beside her then, but I can’t always hope for good luck.
Just think back to when Nakrad and I first met.
If the situation had been just a little different, Joy, who was nearby, would have faced death helplessly.
She needed practical experience to prevent such a situation.
So she can manage everything alone, even without others nearby.
So she can endure until help comes from someone else.
“Foolish!♡”
“…What?!”
“I’m gonna go all out from now on, okay?♡ Let’s see you hold on!♡”
After fighting the skeleton mimicking a hero, my fighting style developed into one of endurance.
My main focuses are shield techniques and divine magic.
And having the Mesugaki Skill’s provocation fit perfectly with these tactics led to this evolution.
That said, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to counterattack.
Enduring is just a struggle to win against opponents similar to or stronger than me.
If the enemy has an opening like Joy, clutching her staff tightly, then there’s no reason to fortify my defense.
“If you can, that is!♡”
With that said, I charged at the ground.
In a world where countless superhumans exist, safety distance doesn’t exist.
The moment there’s even a small gap, a blade could fly into the neck.
Joy, who had only been behind someone until now, didn’t know this fact.
Because of that, she couldn’t react to my sudden appearance right in front of her.
Even upon seeing the fist shooting towards her face, she couldn’t cast her magic in time.
And only after the punch created gusts of wind, blowing her hair back, did she realize and fall backward in shock.
“How disappointing!♡ You’re below expectations!♡ You’re so sloppy it’s not even funny!♡”
I continued speaking while observing her trembling eyes.
She must know.
That just a moment ago, she could have died.
If I hadn’t held back my punch, she would have been shattered.
“Scared?♡ Afraid?♡ Puhaha!♡ Our foolish one can’t do anything without someone in front of her!♡ Pathetic!♡”
I didn’t stop provoking, knowing Joy would realize her shock and, instead of breaking down, would grit her teeth and rise up again.
“With your life options of just trembling in fear, keep doing that!♡ Foolish ones may be sloppy, but being a noble means someone will look after you, right?♡”
At that, Joy bit her lip and staggered to her feet.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear that from an inept Young Lady who causes accidents and can’t even clean up after herself.”
The moment I saw the cold glare of the villainess, I couldn’t help but smile, pleased that my instincts were correct.
“Come at me. I’ll grate you down seriously.”
“Puhaha!♡ Are you sure?♡ If you say that and lose, it’ll be so embarrassing!♡”
“How about you, my Young Lady? Wouldn’t you feel fantastic losing to someone you mock as foolish?”
Faced with Joy’s fierce smile, I grinned and charged at her.
Before we leave the territory, let’s drill her in a wizard’s fighting style.
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