Volume 2 Chapter 13 Signs Of Growth
"I thought you were some kind of new servant, but is that a new bodyguard from Nemophila? You look pretty shabby."
Hollis, whose arm was grabbed, frowned for just a moment in annoyance.
But the instant he looked at me, a sneer appeared on his face, and he drove his words like a blade into Ms. Nemophila.
"The quality of a servant directly reflects their master's status. Just having that filthy servant around is bad enough, and now you're doing something to lower your status even further. Don't you dare sully the face of royalty."
"Ah... ugh...!"
He yanked Ms. Nemophila's blue hair even harder, causing her pain.
To stop it, I pulled on Hollis's arm and replied.
"I'm Roezé, a Nurturer. I'm not Ms. Nemophila's servant; I'm just a collaborator."
"Nurturer? Oh right, that's what this dump was called."
Hollis looked utterly uninterested, wearing a bored expression.
"Well, whatever. I don't give a damn about your background. For now... don't touch me with your filthy hands."
In that instant, as if reacting to his hostility, the sand knight standing nearby sprang into action.
It swung its thick right arm back and launched a piercing punch at me.
It was a completely merciless strike, unlike when it faced Ms. Nemophila.
Both Ms. Nemophila and Ms. Kikrys let out small gasps as they watched.
"──!"
I precisely tracked the sand knight's right fist with my eyes and dodged it, exhaling sharply.
Immediately after, I grabbed the sand knight's right arm and pulled while kicking its legs out from under it.
The impact sent the sand knight's large body flying through the air, crashing to the floor with a loud thud and a violent noise.
Hollis, who was watching, widened his red eyes in surprise for a moment.
"That was... 'Gridman: Sand Knight'..."
Yes, that was the technique the sand knight had just used on Ms. Nemophila.
I didn't really need to mimic it, but feeling a bit irritated, I knocked the sand knight down as a form of payback.
"I'm thinking about wanting to mediate the excessive sibling fight, but this is 'My house' and 'My Nurturer.' It would be a problem if something got broken while they were rampaging around."
"...Heh, you look shabby, but it seems like you can hold your own pretty well."
It was as if my words were just flowing right through Hollis's ears; he was just observing me.
A lot of upper-class people don't listen.
They're also quite hot-headed.
I don't even intend to have a showdown with a prince.
However, the hostility that was directed at Ms. Nemophila had suddenly turned towards me, and before I knew it, Hollis had let go of the blue-haired girl.
Instead, he was now holding the "box" he used to summon the sand knight, giving off an aura that suggested he might attack at any moment.
That means he has a monster kept inside that box, and he can summon it whenever he likes.
If he brings out an even more troublesome monster and wrecks the house, that would be a real disaster.
"Anyway, let's keep the violence out of this. You mentioned you came to make Ms. Nemophila forfeit, but wouldn't it be better for her to participate in the inheritance battle and show her strength there?"
I tried to divert the conversation by saying something that came to mind.
It seemed to work, as Hollis let out a sigh, looking exasperated.
"Weren't you listening? If I beat up some weakling like her, the others will just laugh it off. In fact, the fact that she put up a fight would be a disadvantage for me. If I win the inheritance battle, I can become king, but if the process is pathetic, no one will recognize my strength."
"But if Ms. Nemophila forfeits, there will only be 4 participants in total for the inheritance battle. Considering it's a knockout tournament, the first princess, who is exempt from the first and second rounds, would end up being your first opponent, Sir Hollis, wouldn't she?"
"..."
When I voiced what I was thinking, Hollis froze, his boyish face looking dumbfounded.
The first princess, Lady Clematis, only participates in the final battle since she holds the first position in the line of succession.
If that happens, there will be 4 people left, so we can create a nice knockout format.
Specifically, like 'Crocus vs.
Nigella' and 'Hollis vs.
Nemophila.'
But if Ms. Nemophila withdraws, that changes things.
"If Ms. Nemophila drops out, Sir Hollis might get a bye. But maybe they'll bring in Lady Clematis and do the knockout again?"
I mean, that would make for a cleaner knockout, right?
More than anything, it would allow them to decide the king with just 2 battles.
Realizing this now, Hollis seemed flustered, his eyes darting around.
"Th-the first match is against Big Sis Clematis..."
Even Hollis, as capable as he is, seems confused at the thought of facing Lady Clematis, the top contender for the throne, right off the bat.
Lady Clematis is someone I've heard enough about to know she's not just a candidate for the next king but also a warrior with numerous tales of valor.
Facing such an opponent in the first match is probably not what he wants.
If things go poorly, he might end up embarrassing himself in front of a lot of high society folks.
Even if they're bound to clash eventually in the knockout, he'd likely prefer to face strong opponents later on.
After all, if he loses too quickly, his claim to the throne might drop.
"Given that possibility, I think it would actually be a problem if Ms. Nemophila were to withdraw."
"..."
Hollis bit his lip, deep in thought.
I decided to press on.
"Besides, even if you end up fighting Ms. Nemophila in the succession battle, I think it would be an 'interesting duel'."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Well, saying "interesting duel" might be misleading.
Anyway, I should say it wouldn't be to Hollis's disadvantage.
If he thinks Ms. Nemophila is too weak and would be a problem if she participates...
"I'll make Ms. Nemophila strong before the succession battle."
"Huh?"
"Sir Hollis, she'll get strong enough to prove your strength... I'll make sure she's strong enough to be worthy of being your opponent."
Not just Hollis, but even Ms. Nemophila and Ms. Kikrys froze with blank expressions.
They had been at a loss over Ms. Nemophila's lack of growth until this prince showed up.
I wonder what kind of mouth would say something like that, Ms. Nemophila and Ms. Kikrys must have thought.
And Hollis seemed to be questioning from what position he was saying such things.
It's no wonder, since I hadn't explained anything about the Nurturer.
"I'm a 'Nurturer' who mainly supports budding adventurers in this town. I'm good at helping others grow, and I was asked by Ms. Nemophila to assist her growth for the inheritance battle."
After explaining that briefly, I quickly made my proposal.
"There's one month left until the day of the inheritance battle. During that time, I'll definitely make Ms. Nemophila stronger, so can we drop the talk of withdrawal?"
"..."
Hollis squinted as he looked at us one by one.
Finally, he looked down at Ms. Nemophila, who was sitting on the ground, with a mocking gaze and let out a dry laugh.
"Hah! I can't believe this weak, useless girl will be able to put up a good fight against me in just a month."
But still...
"Well, I'll trust your words and back off for now. If what you say is true, then even against Nemophila, she should be able to show enough strength."
Hollis accepted my proposal and tucked the box he was holding into his pocket.
The tension that had enveloped the place dissipated, and I secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Just know this, if you plan to participate in the inheritance battle, be prepared. This battle will also serve as a stage to show your strength to the others. It directly relates to your future control, so I'll crush you with all my might without holding back."
"..."
After saying that to Ms. Nemophila, Hollis walked toward the door.
As he kicked open the slightly ajar door, he tried to leave with his attendant in tow.
However, at the last moment, he turned back to me and said in an intimidating voice.
"And you, Nurturer."
"...Huh?"
"If you screw up and that big guy over there participates in the inheritance battle like a fool, I'll crush this Nurturer along with Nemophila."
Leaving behind such a terrifying line, Hollis walked away.
Crushing the Nurturer.
Well, if he becomes king, that kind of thing would probably be easy for him.
Of course, I said that knowing full well what I was getting into.
But unfortunately, I can "guarantee" that I won't fail.
"Ugh..."
For now, I'm just glad I managed to scare off that violent prince.
'I'll trust your words and back off for now.'
The reason he retracted what he said before wasn't because he believed my argument.
It was because he realized that he might end up facing the first princess right from the first round.
I mean, that's something anyone would understand if they thought about it normally.
Finally, with the crisis passing, Ms. Kikrys rushed over to Ms. Nemophila, looking startled.
"Milady! Are you okay!?"
Ms. Nemophila slowly sat up and looked at Ms. Kikrys with her usual expressionless face.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything."
"I-I'm so sorry. I couldn't do anything..."
Seeing Ms. Kikrys bow her head apologetically, I also lowered mine.
"I'm sorry too. I should have stopped the prince before he made a move..."
"It's fine, really. This is just a sibling quarrel. If I had intervened, I think something would have happened to both of them."
Standing up, Ms. Nemophila brushed off her clothes and asked me with a somewhat weak expression.
"More importantly, was it okay to say something like that?"
"Huh?"
"You said you'd make me stronger."
Then, she glanced around the house and continued apologetically.
"If I fail, this Nurturer will be crushed..."
"It seems so..."
If I can't make Ms. Nemophila stronger within a month, this Nurturer might be destroyed.
The possibility is indeed terrifying...
"Well, I think it'll be fine."
"Are... are you sure?"
"It's true that the prince is a formidable opponent, and Ms. Nemophila is in a tough spot. I agree that it's a huge challenge to become as strong as him in just one month..."
I shifted my gaze to above Ms. Nemophila and smiled gently.
"On the contrary, thanks to that prince, I've seen a glimmer of hope."
"What do you mean?"
A glimmer of hope.
This time, the prince should not have come to this place.
Because of his mistake, he might have inadvertently created a sign of an incredible monster.
And he might have to "apologize" to Ms. Nemophila.
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