Chapter: 83
“Hey, I’ve heard quite an amusing rumor. Little brother.”
The very next day after being confined, a visitor arrived at Arthur’s room.
He was none other than his older brother, Cecil Soladin, the second prince vying for the throne and currently in conflict with the first prince.
“You challenged the Young Lady of the Allen family, but since you thought you would lose, you resorted to corrupt means. What a rude and shameless rumor that is. I’ve caught the one spreading that story and gave them a thorough scolding.”
Cecil wasn’t particularly worried about Arthur.
He didn’t think it was a baseless rumor either.
Yet, there was one reason he came to confront Arthur, and that was to insult him.
“I know you did something like this. Aren’t you ashamed to be tarnishing the palace’s reputation?”
Despite the blatant insults, Arthur didn’t change his expression one bit.
“I’m sorry, brother. I made a mistake.”
“Huh? So this rumor is true then?”
“Yes, it is.”
“What a remarkable thing! You, who usually doesn’t make a single mistake, have done something like this. Was there any problem?”
“No, I just got a bit impatient.”
Such a conversation was quite ordinary in the palace.
It hadn’t always been like that, but things changed as Arthur started to stand out.
Both the first prince and the second prince had their eyes on Arthur with suspicion.
Whenever Arthur made a mistake, they would come to push him down with everything they had.
“Oh, really?”
Initially taken aback by his brothers’ changed demeanor, Arthur was not surprised anymore.
Now that he understood what kind of people they were, he learned to let their words roll off his back.
“My story differs from what I’ve heard.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I heard that the Allen Young Lady was furious because she called you a ‘Pitiful Prince.'”
Pitiful Prince.
The nickname given to Arthur by Lucy.
A name that would normally not even stir an emotion from Arthur had shaken his calm demeanor.
“A ‘Pitiful Prince’? That brat goes around causing trouble, believing in the Allen family!”
Even though those words were in Cecil’s mouth, Arthur’s heart was more at peace than he expected.
Sure, he was angry and annoyed, but compared to when Lucy Allen called him that, it felt like nothing.
So Arthur responded as usual to Cecil.
“Cecil. If you want, I could tell that Lucy Allen, who called you ‘Pitiful Prince,’ a few words?”
“No, that’s fine.”
Cecil appeared stunned for the first time as Arthur shook his head.
“Lady Allen is also a benefactor of my life, you see.”
After that, there was nothing more.
The two exchanged insignificant words before Cecil departed.
Since that day, Arthur had been pondering.
Why was it that when Lucy Allen called him ‘Pitiful Prince,’ he couldn’t withstand the blow, while when Cecil said it, it didn’t bother him at all?
Cecil was surely the more malicious and straightforward one.
And now, today, with his confinement over, Arthur was determined to solve this mystery by meeting Lucy Allen, but just before he got the chance, a group of young ladies blocked his path.
“Hello, Third Prince!”
These were clearly the ones who followed Joy.
The girl at the forefront had a name.
“Hey, Avery.”
As Arthur called her name, Avery’s eyes widened and then softened with a gentle smile.
“What’s the matter?”
“I have something to tell you regarding Lady Allen.”
What she had to say wasn’t particularly valuable.
She couldn’t forgive Lucy Allen, who insulted Arthur.
Winning the match didn’t erase her piled-up sins, and she wanted to help punish her.
Truthfully, it was a pointless conversation.
These girls were just looking to use Arthur while pretending to empathize with him.
They just disapproved of Lucy Allen and wanted to bully her, and now they wanted him to join them.
He felt like yelling at them to just go away, but they were nobly born ladies with some renown, so it was truly disappointing.
Had it been Lucy Allen, she would have insulted them right on the spot without caring about any circumstances.
“Your intentions are appreciated, but I’ll decline.”
“Uh? But Prince, we could certainly be of help.”
“Sure, but isn’t the point of a match to be fought directly? I’d rather decline the help of others.”
With Arthur graciously refusing, the others had no choice but to hold their tongues.
Avery and the ladies retreated, saying they’d trust the prince.
As the group who had initially planned to take action left in confusion, Arthur stopped them and said:
“And let me say this. Lady Allen is not just a benefactor of Joy, but also of my life.
I would appreciate it if you could refrain from spreading bad words.
If she were to cry out for help due to malicious rumors overwhelming her, I would have no choice but to help.”
After Arthur spoke, the ladies answered they understood and hurriedly left.
Watching them go, Arthur let out a ha-ha laugh and rubbed his neck.
With all these enemies around, he worried that before he could take down Lucy, someone else might break her first.
*
“And then, following Lady Partlan, even Prince Arthur.”
“This is ridiculous. Both of them siding with the disgrace of the Allen family!”
“What on earth does that brat have?”
“She must have used corrupt means. It simply doesn’t make sense otherwise.”
“Exactly! Until a year ago, she was rude, incompetent, and trash. It defied logic that she suddenly ranked first in the entrance exam!”
“There must be something. There’s definitely something.”
“If we could expose that, we could smash that smug face of hers.”
*
The sword swings down, again and again, relentlessly.
There’s no chance to catch a breath in this rapid-fire assault.
I wonder if this duel is actually helping to improve my skills, as Frey’s sword is getting sharper by the day.
Is he the most talented swordsman in the history of the Kent family?
Truly, those talent-wasting guys!
A bad noise is coming from the shield as it deflects Frey’s strikes.
While it’s being used somewhat efficiently, it’s still just a basic shield.
There’s a limit to how much it can withstand Frey’s blow from his treasured sword.
If I continue to play defense only, it’ll be my shield that breaks before Frey tires out.
Time to call for a match, then.
“Shoddy Swordsman♡ Is this all you can do?♡ Your sword is so light it might just fly away!♡”
The enhanced provocation effect of the Mesugaki Skill stirs up the hearts of people instantly.
Frey, who was fixated on his sword with a blank expression, scowled and turned his eyes toward me.
He was definitely provoked.
But Frey doesn’t charge in right away.
Based on past experience, he knows that rushing in blindly after my provocation would give me an opening.
Now, how do I make this work?
That’s what I was aiming for.
In a duel where the flow of attack and defense continues, even a momentary gap can be fatal.
In an effort to center himself, Frey forced himself to pause, which made his response slower.
He belatedly sensed it and moved his sword, but by then, it was already too late.
Knocked off balance by my shield, Frey stumbled as he tried to rise, only to face plant right into the mace that came down in front of him.
‘Shall we take a break?’
“What is it? Shoddy Swordsman. Tired already? Such shoddy stamina! If you beg me to take a break, I might just grant it!”
“…I want to rest.”
Seeing him mumble while unable to get up, I dropped my shield, too.
Days have passed since Joy collapsed last time.
There haven’t been many incidents since then.
The worst that happened was my reputation falling even further?
I heard rumors circulating that I bullied Joy, and I received verbal abuse from her followers.
As a result, someone who was already unapproachable became seen as a landmine you don’t want to touch.
Why do I say ‘heard’? Because when I went to ask Visi to join me in the dungeon, she freaked out and told me all about it.
Meanwhile, I didn’t feel any impact at all.
People avoiding me—wasn’t that just a normal thing for me?
In the first place, no one approached me anyway, so it didn’t feel particularly different that my reputation dropped even more.
I decided to just enjoy it.
Wading through the crowd, I thought, “Is this the miracle of Moses?!” and laughing to myself was amusing.
But what felt more tangible to me lately was something else.
When I met Phoebe in the infirmary last time, the Mesugaki Skill had definitely spoken informally, right?
But when I met her again, she was speaking formally?
“Hello, Shoddy Saintess.”
I don’t get it.
If the Mesugaki Skill had returned, I should be using polite language with Joy as well, yet I’m still talking informally with her.
Also, the title for Karl hasn’t shifted back from ‘Shoddy Dog’ to ‘Shoddy.’
It’s only with Phoebe that it’s like this.
If I only knew why that was the case, it might help me control the Mesugaki Skill.
“Lucy Allen.”
Just as I leaned against my shield to catch my breath, a voice echoed.
“Arthur. It’s been a while.”
“I see, it has been a week.”
So today was the last day of my confinement.
Arthur’s expression was calm.
Until earlier, he’d frowned at the sight of me, yet now he didn’t.
Perhaps my saving him has reduced his hostility significantly.
But why is the Mesugaki Skill using polite language with Arthur again?
If you’re going to be rude, why not be uniformly rude?
Why pick and choose whom to be rude to?
Is it because Joy seems easy?!
…Well, it does feel that way. Yeah.
“I have come to meet you to confess my loss and ask for your forgiveness in a public setting in the future. Is it alright if I inquire about the date?”
“That’s fine.”
“Why should I have to seek forgiveness from you?”
Even then, it wouldn’t change my reputation.
It just feels like it would stir up unwarranted rumors about me annoying Arthur.
Honestly, having Arthur change his perception of me would suffice.
“But that is part of the bet, isn’t it?”
“Really, I’m fine! You don’t have to do it!”
“I’d prefer to decline, as I don’t seem to have anything to be forgiven for.”
As I insisted on declining, Arthur nodded, perhaps thinking it was inappropriate to force an apology on me.
“I see. Then, as a substitute, I would like to offer you something in return for saving my life.”
A reward?
It’s probably something I can hardly receive from Arthur…
Most likely just information or connections, neither of which hold any value for me right now.
What I could get would only be known.
Oh! A good idea popped up.
“Dungeon.”
“Dungeon?”
Joy wasn’t able to enter a dungeon, and Visi hated the idea of going into one alongside me, which posed a dilemma.
But now I have someone who can become a party member!
I planned to ask him to accompany me to the dungeon without speaking to him first, but I hesitated, fearing it would lead to misunderstandings.
Hmm.
If the problem is me making the demand, wouldn’t it just be enough to ask him to do it?
“Please tell him to let me into the dungeon together!”
“Prince, would you please ask to allow me to enter the dungeon with you?”
“…What? You want me to ask?”
“Yes!”
“Right. Please kindly ask.”
Arthur, whose eyes were shaking, hesitated but eventually opened his mouth.
“Lucy Allen, would you grant me the honor of entering the dungeon with you?”
“I’ll grant it!”
“I hereby permit you, Prince Pitiful.”
For some reason, I noticed that Arthur’s lips were trembling as he listened to me.
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