Volume 2 Chapter 9 How To Raise A Princess Knight
I decided to get moving right away to help Ms. Nemophila starting the next day.
For now, just like when I helped Rose, I would head to the western forest to hunt monsters.
There are relatively weak monsters around here, so I should be able to safely level up my job class.
However, due to the recent "Demon Lord army activity" that I heard from Ms. Kikrys, monsters around the world have been getting a bit more aggressive lately.
Plus, since I'm helping a princess this time, I should be extra careful to avoid any mishaps.
"Alright, Ms. Nemophila, let's go into the forest and hunt some monsters."
"...Understood."
With that, we entered the forest.
By the way, Ms. Kikrys was staying behind at the town inn.
Ms. Kikrys also has a somewhat special job class called 'Hymn Singer,' and her Holy Power divine blessing was slightly higher.
It seems she can use a type of holy magic called 'Holy Song Magic,' which can heal injuries and attack monsters, making it quite versatile.
She can also contact specific people from a distance.
I felt a bit awkward being alone with the princess, so I really wanted her to come along...
'Kikrys is resting in town.'
Ms. Nemophila didn't allow Ms. Kikrys to join us.
It was probably to take care of Ms. Kikrys's health, given her age.
Ms. Kikrys, aware of her own frailty, hesitated but ultimately agreed with Ms. Nemophila's decision.
Instead, she packed us a packed lunch made in the inn's kitchen and wished us good luck with our training.
So here we are, just the two of us.
Ms. Kikrys strongly urged me to take care of Ms. Nemophila, which made my stomach hurt from the tension.
"Monsters suddenly attack, so please stay close to me. Even though the monsters in this forest are weak, there are many that are quite nimble."
"..."
I remind her again.
If she stays close, I can protect her anytime, and as long as the detection magic is working, we won't be caught off guard.
I sent the instruction, but there was no response from Ms. Nemophila.
Instead, a cold and soft sensation ran through my left hand.
"..."
My hand was being held.
Due to our height difference, it felt like I was a little brother clinging to his big sister.
Well, that's fine, but...
"Uh, um, what is this...?"
"'Stay close,' I said. It's something Kikrys often does when we walk around town."
I nodded inwardly, realizing.
Ms. Kikrys definitely cares about Ms. Nemophila, so it makes sense she would hold her hand like this to keep her close.
That's how she took my hand.
"Uh, this makes it hard for me to move, so it's enough if you just stay nearby."
"...I see."
Ms. Nemophila smoothly let go of my hand.
Phew, that surprised me.
I unexpectedly held the princess's hand.
What an overwhelming honor.
No, more importantly, I had something else on my mind.
Sorry to say, but Ms. Nemophila's hand was so cold it felt like I was holding a dead person's hand.
And it seemed like her hand was trembling slightly.
Could it be...
"Just to confirm, you have experience with monster hunting, right?"
"Yeah, just a little."
I continued, recalling a story I heard a little while ago.
"If I remember correctly, you formed a temporary party with the adventurers hired by Ms. Kikrys to hunt monsters, right? What was that like?"
"Kikrys kept telling those adventurers to 'make sure it's absolutely safe,' so I was protected while they created openings for me to attack."
"I-I see."
Well, it's a relatively well-known and safe training method.
In that case, there shouldn't be any worries about being attacked by monsters, and she should be able to go on her first hunt without feeling "nervous".
However, since this time I'm the only one accompanying her, she seems to be somewhat tense.
It's hard to tell because she still has that expressionless face.
By the way, it seems she continued training with that temporary party for about a month...
[Job Class] Princess Knight
[Level] 1
[Skill]
[Magic] Barrier magic
[Divine Blessing]
- Strength: E120
- Agility: F30
- Resilience: E180
- Magic: E150
- Holy Power: F0
Ms. Nemophila is still level 1.
Well, it's understandable since she was defeating monsters while being protected by others and having them create openings for her.
The amount of divine growth points she earns seems to depend on how much she contributes to monster hunting, so in this case, it's likely that most of it went to the other adventurers.
She's already a frail princess, and she probably lived a life completely unrelated to monster hunting.
Still, after a month, it would be strange if she hadn't leveled up at least 2 or 3 times, so it's likely that the 'Princess Knight' job class falls into the category of being quite "difficult to grow.".
That's why they're troubled by their lack of growth and came to me after hearing about the Nurturer.
Well, I'm not doing anything much different from those adventurers anyway.
"Basically, I'm thinking of fighting like that too. I'll step forward to deflect the monster's attacks, so when there's an opening, go ahead and strike."
"...Understood."
Ms. Nemophila nodded slightly and picked up her straight sword from her waist and the large shield from her back.
The duration is 2 months.
I was asked how much she could level up in that time, but honestly, I'm not quite sure myself.
I said I'd let them know as soon as I find out, but there's a record of not leveling up at all with the same method...
Is this really the right way to do things? I feel like there might be a better way...
As I walked through the forest, feeling uneasy, something caught my attention.
"That's quite a big shield. Do you have a special reason for carrying it?"
Seeing her hold a rather large shield made me curious.
Well, not just "rather," but pretty much huge.
It's big enough to completely cover this tall Ms. Nemophila.
"Kikrys gave it to me. Just to make sure I'm safe."
"Oh, really..."
That sounds like something Ms. Kikrys would do.
I mean, if she's a princess's attendant, it's only natural to be cautious.
It's already dangerous enough to hunt monsters, and I can imagine how worried she must be about Ms. Nemophila, who seems a bit frail and absent-minded.
Ms. Nemophila is big, so she probably attracts monsters more than others.
Anyway, I understood the reason for the giant shield.
"..."
And then, the conversation came to a halt.
I tried to find another topic to talk about, but nothing came to mind.
So, a silence fell between us, and the only sound was the awkward crunching of grass beneath our feet.
...This is tough.
I never felt this uncomfortable with Rose or Cosmos.
Maybe it's because I know she's a princess, and that weird hesitation is creeping into my mind.
I have no idea what to talk about.
She's the quiet type too, so she doesn't say anything.
What if I say something wrong and get executed or something? As I searched for a way to start a conversation, I sensed a presence coming from the bushes on my right.
"Peep!"
Just as I stood to protect Ms. Nemophila, a rabbit with unusually long horns jumped out of the bushes.
It's a type of monster that roams this forest──a Pin Rabbit.
They're a pretty weak species, but just in case, I focused all my energy.
As the rabbit charged at me with its horns, I met it with my knife in my right hand.
I deflected the sharp side of its horns with the blade of my knife.
Immediately after, without even glancing back, I kicked the Pin Rabbit that was trying to sneak up behind me.
"Peep!"
The rabbit bounced a few times on the ground before falling over.
Since the kick lacked power, it didn't cause much damage.
But that's fine.
"Ms. Nemophila!"
As the pinned rabbit lay exposed, Ms. Nemophila swiftly brought down her straight sword.
She successfully defeated the pin rabbit.
Even though her experience in monster hunting is still limited, it seems she can handle a monster of this level.
Ms. Nemophila's level is still 1, but she has a pretty high-quality weapon, which compensates for her lack of ability.
I could also choose to support her with magic, but if she defeat the monster in that state, the contribution points for the hunt would tilt even more in my favor.
That would mean most of the divine growth points would flow to me.
For now, since support magic isn't essential, I'll make her to handle the monster hunts with just her own.
"Let's keep defeating monsters like this. With my support skill, you can earn a lot of divine growth points, so I think you can level up smoothly."
"...Understood."
I thought it might be a bit overprotective, but prioritizing the princess's safety, I decided to fulfill my duty as a Nurturer.
I would draw the enemy's attention, create openings, and then Ms. Nemophila would attack.
It's a method that causes most of the divine growth points to flow to me, but thanks to that, the princess hasn't been hurt even once.
* * *
After continuing this training, 3 days have already passed.
[Job Class] Princess Knight
[Level] 1
[Skill]
[Magic] Barrier magic
[Divine Blessing]
- Strength: E120
- Agility: F30
- Resilience: E180
- Magic: E150
- Holy Power: F0
"Why!?"
Counting from the start of training, after defeating the twentieth monster...
I checked Ms. Nemophila's Divine Revelation and couldn't help but widen my eyes.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)