Volume 2 Chapter 11 Coward
About a month has passed since then.
I'm continuing to help Ms. Nemophila grow while considering her safety.
Because I once let my guard down and put the princess in danger, I've been extra careful since then.
However, I never engaged in inefficient monster hunting, making sure to provide her with opportunities to contribute so that her involvement wouldn't be overlooked.
In this past month, I've worked as a Nurturer to the best of my ability, and I humbly take pride in that.
Miraculously, no other clients came during this time, so I poured all my strength into helping Ms. Nemophila.
As a result...
[Job Class] Princess Knight
[Level] 2
[Skill]
[Magic] Barrier magic
[Divine Blessing]
- Strength: E135
- Agility: F35
- Resilience: D205
- Magic: E170
- Holy Power: F0
There was no change in Ms. Nemophila's Divine Revelation.
"..."
Today marks exactly one month since we started training.
After finishing our training in the forest, I returned to town and decided to invite Ms. Kikrys over to talk at my place.
Mainly, it was about what to do next.
No, it might be more accurate to say it was more of an "apology" than a "talk".
Despite being entrusted with helping her grow as a Nurturer, I hadn't been able to produce any results in this past month.
After inviting the two of them into my home and having them sit down, I immediately bowed my head.
"I'm sorry. My lack of ability..."
Perhaps they anticipated me saying that, as neither of them looked particularly surprised.
In fact, they wore expressions of frustration similar to mine.
No one had any idea how to resolve the current situation.
Why had Ms. Nemophila's level stopped increasing?
On the third day of our training, I had finally seen a change in Ms. Nemophila's Divine Revelation, and I was overjoyed that we could make progress, even if just a little.
However, even with just a month left until the duel for the right to inherit the throne, there hasn't been any change in Divine Revelation since then.
Despite having properly defeated monsters with the Trainer's support skill.
"That's fine, really. Thanks to Roezé, I was able to level up at least once. I realized that I can grow too. Plus, there's still a month left."
"..."
It's true that there's still a month of grace.
However, if we continue training at this pace, she'll end up facing the duel day still at level 2, with nothing changing.
There might be a miraculous way to grow, but even then, reaching level ten in just a month seems unlikely.
I can't imagine her winning against the other princes and princesses like that.
I don't know what job classes her siblings have or how the duel will actually proceed, but since they all have royal blood, they must possess considerable strength.
"...It can't be helped."
For now, let's set aside Ms. Nemophila's slow growth rate.
No matter how much I think about it, there's no easy answer.
More importantly, given how difficult it is to level up right now, shouldn't I focus on figuring out how to win the duel? In extreme cases, even if she can't level up before the duel day, as long as she win, she can still become king.
But, well, that too...
"Ms. Kikrys. I think I asked you this before, but the details of the duel for the right to inherit the throne haven't been revealed yet, right?"
"Y-yes. There hasn't been any announcement from King Capucine, who is leading the duel. Just that it will be a one-on-one match between the heirs."
That means she can't train in anticipation of the duel's content.
If I knew what kind of duel it would be, I could adjust my training methods accordingly.
If it's a one-hit match with wooden swords, it would be better to focus on swordsmanship rather than leveling up.
"Is there any way to predict what it will be like?"
"Since there haven't been any similar events in the past, I really can't say..."
"...I see."
Well, since they're calling it a one-on-one duel, it's obvious it's going to be a simple test of strength.
Even if it were a mock battle with wooden swords, or even a "race" or "arm wrestling," it's only natural that the one with the Divine Revelation advantage would win.
The divine blessing from the gods is that overwhelming.
"It's impossible to change the fact that Ms. Nemophila is at a disadvantage since leveling up is so hard..."
I mutter to myself, troubled.
No matter how I think about it, leveling up is the best option.
But how? She has trained this much and hardly leveled up.
Why did she level up on that third day, anyway? As I spiral into similar thoughts filled with regret and impatience...
A voice unexpectedly interrupts my train of thought.
"I'm coming in!"
"──Huh!?"
Suddenly, the front door swings open.
The person who barged in without knocking was a short "boy" with spiky red hair.
"...A kid?"
The person who entered my house without any warning looked like a child from any angle.
However, judging by the low voice, it seemed he had already gone through puberty.
Given the precedent of Cosmos, I couldn't be sure of his age.
But looking at his expensive-looking black jacket coat and well-groomed skin and hair, it was clear he came from a good background.
The reason for that atmosphere became clear right away.
"E-Elder Brother Hollis..."
"Elder Brother?"
Ms. Nemophila's eyes widened in surprise, which was rare for her.
Elder Brother Hollis.
Could this person be Ms. Nemophila's brother? If I remember correctly, Ms. Nemophila has 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters.
One of her brothers is the first prince, Crocus.
So, that means the red-haired boy in front of me is the second prince, Hollis Amicus.
I noticed a figure outside the door, likely a servant, waiting.
And with the prince's appearance, Ms. Kikrys seemed to be flustered, her eyes darting around.
That clearly showed that the boy in front of me was Ms. Nemophila's older brother and the strangeness of the current situation.
I mean, it was kind of like when Cosmos suddenly came to visit us...
"..."
However, there was one clear difference from that time.
From the red-haired prince, who looked like a boy in front of me, I felt an overwhelming presence and a terrifying intensity.
This was the demeanor of someone who carried the blood of royalty, the potential next king.
"Whoa, Nemophila! You were really in this dump! Just because you don't have a place at home doesn't mean you'd come to a place like this."
The red-haired boy, called Hollis, waved his hand with an annoyed expression, as if brushing off dust.
I felt a slight anger at his words, but I held back and swallowed my frustration.
Instead, Ms. Nemophila asked Hollis, looking more frightened than I had ever seen her.
"W-why is Elder Brother Hollis here...?"
"There's no need to be so scared. I didn't come here to mess with you like I usually do."
There was something in Hollis's words that caught my attention, but I decided to stay silent and continue watching the exchange between the siblings, where the height difference should have been the other way around.
"Why are you here?"
"Why? I rode a carriage from the royal capital, so it's easy to figure out which town you're in. Plus, with a body as big as yours, you're bound to stand out."
"..."
In response to Hollis's words, Ms. Nemophila shook her head.
"It's not about how you found this place. I asked why you were looking for me."
"Then you should've just asked that from the start. You're still as quiet as ever, and I can't tell what you're saying."
Ms. Nemophila flinched at his slightly raised voice.
She looked so much more scared than the Ms. Nemophila I knew.
What on earth happened between this brother and sister? From the height difference, it looked like their positions were completely reversed.
"I was looking for you because I had something to tell you as one of the heirs to the throne."
"S-something to tell me?"
"First off, there are a lot of things that have been decided regarding this duel for the inheritance rights. The duel, which will be held at the royal castle, is apparently going to be open to some of the upper-class folks, and they're calling it the 'Inheritance Battle'."
Hollis said this quickly and continued to explain.
"The duel format is basically a free-for-all mock battle, and it's a knockout tournament with 5 heirs. First, the 4 of us will fight, excluding Big Sis Clematis, and the last one standing will face Big Sis Clematis. The winner will then become the first in line for the throne again."
A free-for-all mock battle.
I unexpectedly heard the duel method I wanted to know about from the prince's mouth.
It was good to learn about it in advance, but the content was something I couldn't be completely happy about.
The fact that it's a knockout tournament means she might have to face this prince in a "free-for-all mock battle" as well.
"Is that why you came to tell me?"
"Haha! You think I came all this way just to kindly tell you that? No way!"
Despite his small appearance, Hollis let out a low laugh and continued in an even lower voice.
"The matchups for the first round of the knockout tournament have been decided. First, it's going to be Big Bro Crocus against Nigella. Then it's you and me, Nemophila."
"..."
I never thought I would be facing this red-haired prince right from the start.
Ms. Nemophila must have thought the same, as she was left speechless and stunned.
Before I could even process those feelings...
"Now then, Nemophila, let me be direct with you..."
Hollis revealed his true purpose for being here.
"For the inheritance battle, just forfeit without doing anything."
"Huh..."
A defiant smile appeared on Hollis's cheek, as if he had something else in mind.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)