The plan went bam.
I was thinking of cornering Yerina and rushing into marriage.
You know, the whole ‘love after marriage’ thing? I wanted to try that, but it’s a letdown.
Of course, just because the original plan fell apart doesn’t mean everything is over.
It’s only the plan to quickly tie the knot that’s gone downhill.
Yerina doesn’t seem to have lost her interest in me yet.
But being chased by time, I need to hurry up.
“Higher! Lift your feet higher!”
“Ugh, these iron shoes are too heavy!”
“This is why humans…”
Instead of rushing into marriage, I got to stick around Palana under the pretense of training Yerina’s swordplay.
But seriously, this is brutal!
The Dakia-style swordsmanship Jill gave me improves rapidly after practice.
The Merida-style, aside from a few techniques that twist your joints, isn’t too difficult.
But the Frost-style is full of problems.
“In the last match, you seemed much stronger. Why are you so weak today?”
“I guess it was the pressure to protect the 10 gold of the Guardian Knight… huff…”
“What on earth does that mean?”
The biggest problem is I can’t activate my Guardian Knight.
There’s no way someone as strong as Yerina would think of being protected by me.
So, in our sword practice in the Ice Cave, I suffer from the Guardian Knight penalty and get weaker.
Meanwhile, trying to learn techniques while wearing ten rings, wrist guards, and iron shoes leaves me exhausted just standing still.
“Phew Are you already tired?”
“Yes. It seems too much. Moreover, I’m not even royalty, so these clunky accessories don’t suit me. I wouldn’t normally walk around like this; it’s just pointless.”
“Then shall we modify a bit for Yoo Jin?”
I got rid of most of the heavy steel covering my body.
Now there’s just a single chunky iron ring left.
Yerina told me it’s a token of luck, so I can’t take it off.
A bit uncomfortable, but one ring is manageable.
Sometimes, I might even block an opponent’s blade with my fist if I’m lucky.
“Here are new boots. They’re mostly leather with thin iron plates, so they should be much lighter.”
I try on the new boots Yerina asked the artisan to make.
They look just like regular boots but are incredibly light.
Unless someone deliberately checks the iron plates at the ankle, everyone would think they’re ordinary boots.
“Shall we test the boots now?”
“Ha ha ha…”
“Today I’ll go all out. Try to block just with Frost techniques.”
The harsh training continued daily.
As if to take revenge for the humiliation at the banquet that day.
Even with bruises and bleeding all over, I couldn’t stop.
Yerina’s dedicated healers kept my condition perfectly maintained.
“You. How is your basics so solid?”
Yerina asks, looking baffled.
How could it not be solid?
Whenever I decide to use a technique, my posture changes automatically and the technique comes out.
“Compared to your basics, your application abilities are horrible. You’re really just someone who can sneakily strike a surprise with hidden swordplay.”
“…”
Damn, she hits the nail on the head.
It stings my heart.
Hearing this from a world-class being feels heavy.
“Then you should at least perfectly pull off that sneaky strike. Draw your sword. This time, you can use all the techniques you know.”
After repeatedly training with Yerina, my traits leveled up endlessly.
And all three sword styles leveled up equally.
[Trait: Dakia-style (lv.9)]
[You are learning the forgotten ancient one-handed sword techniques. Your understanding of one-handed swords increases.]
[Trait: Merida-style (lv.4)]
[You have adopted and improved the elf tribe’s traditional one-handed swordsmanship derived from human swordplay. Your understanding of one-handed swords increases.]
[Trait: Frost-style (lv.5)]
[You are learning the sword techniques of the Frost royal family. Your understanding of two-handed swords increases.]
In just a week, they’ve soared to levels 9, 5, and 4 respectively.
Thinking about how I leveled up Dakia-style to 4 by swinging a sword alone for months in Hameln, this is an insane growth rate.
But of course, I have never beaten Yerina.
Ever since the first match, I’ve just been losing.
And today, I’ve lost to Yerina several times already.
As I collapsed and took a long breath, Yerina approached me and smiled brightly.
“Ah, I can’t believe I lost to this pathetic guy.”
“Whether you believe it or not, it’s already happened.”
“You’re right. It has already happened. The fact that I lost to you and that rumors of me having a crush on you have spread…”
“Haha!”
“Don’t laugh. This is serious.”
Yerina warns me with a stern expression.
Yet her ears keep twitching, revealing she’s just messing around.
Realizing my gaze is on her ears, Yerina blushes and quickly covers them with her hands.
“Stop eavesdropping on other people’s feelings with your ears…”
“It’s not eavesdropping. It’s out in the open.”
“I don’t care. It’s annoying.”
Thud.
Yerina pouts and flops down beside me.
And every time I try to turn my head, she grabs my chin, forcing me to look at the ceiling.
I’ve seen the ceiling so much after losing to Yerina that I’m tired of it.
Yet the sight of the icicles descending, shimmering in various colors, is always beautiful.
As the water drips down on my face, I can’t help but smile.
“This is a space I treasure a lot.”
“It’s worth treasuring. It’s really beautiful.”
“It is beautiful, but it’s where my memories reside. Right here. This is the spot where I first defeated my father. That day decided my path to the throne.”
“A cave that brought you a throne. That’s meaningful. Now it’s also a cave that brought you a betrothal…”
“Ugh, just shut up!”
Bang.
Yerina immediately covers my mouth.
But something fills my mouth.
Surprised, I start to chew, and it’s cold ice, but it tastes sweet.
“Hehe. Sweet, right?”
“It is…”
It seems like she wanted to keep my mouth shut that way.
Yerina stands up abruptly, hiding her ears under her hat and strolling slowly through the Ice Cave.
With her ears covered, I really can’t guess what’s on her mind.
“Yoo Jin… You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”
Yerina’s voice trembles.
How did she know?
The time to leave is approaching.
My swordsmanship levels have barely increased.
My relationship with Yerina has hit a wall.
It’s now far more efficient to visit Jill or Yulia.
“Yes. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you so much.”
“Yoo Jin, I don’t recognize you as someone stronger than me.”
“I know.”
“And you’re sneaky, mean, and an opportunistic person.”
“I won’t deny that.”
“And you’re part of a bothersome race that plays silly tricks using our ears.”
“… That doesn’t seem like my fault.”
“And I still think marriage should come after a long relationship.”
Yerina continues, her shoulders shaking.
Predicting what comes next isn’t hard.
Of course, marrying you is out of the question.
You’re a good friend and a good student.
Goodbye, something along those lines.
“So, will you please pledge to me?”
“Uh?”
But as she turns around, those words freeze my body.
Her face is flushed, and her perky ears aren’t even trying to hide their tension.
Instead, Yerina clasp her hands, gazing into my eyes.
“I’ll give you time. Until you become stronger than me…”
“No matter how much time you give, I don’t think I can ever become stronger than you.”
“Ah! Quiet! I want to get married, but doing it right now is embarrassing for a ruler, so let’s take time to date! But I don’t want another girl to sweep you away, so this pledge is to tie you down! Got it, you blockhead?”
“I actually figured it out earlier.”
I can’t help but laugh.
Yerina seems to have decided it’s impossible to hide her feelings anymore and openly speaks her mind.
But that’s just so cute, I can’t help but smile.
Yerina, all excited, reaches her hand out to me.
Just as I was about to take her hand and stand up…
“Alright. The pledge…”
“Yoo Jin!”
A butler’s voice echoes from the cave entrance.
It sounds quite serious.
What’s odd is that he’s calling me, not Yerina.
I approach the butler, holding Yerina’s hand as I stand up.
“A letter has arrived.”
“Is it addressed to me?”
“Yes. The address is Palana Palace, but the recipient is Yoo Jin.”
“…”
Well, here we go.
No one knows I’m here.
Who would send a letter with my name written accurately in this situation?
The answer is clear.
Someone who’s been desperately searching for me.
I’ve failed the time attack.
I squeeze my eyes shut, bitterly swallowing the ice in my mouth.
“Who’s the sender?”
“The sender is Jill Diner, the Priestess of the Southern Region.”
“Yoo Jin, what’s going on?”
Do you know the key to our game’s harem strategy?
One major principle.
Never let Yerina know about the other heroines.
If Jill has a jealousy level of 3 and Yulia 5, then Yerina’s is about 10.
Jill and Yulia can somehow work things out after learning about each other, but not Yerina.
If she finds out, the harem strategy is completely doomed.
“You’re asking me. I’m genuinely curious! I won’t get mad.”
“You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad! Just tell me. I heard you were an orphan, so what reason could the Priestess have for sending a letter all the way here to Yoo Jin?”
Yerina’s ears stand up straight as she says this.
The tail’s fur does too.
Despite her effort to look cool, her ears and tail clearly reveal her anger.
First playthrough.
I think it’s pretty much screwed.
