‘So, have you ever beaten the gloomy loner prince?’
He never won.
Not even once. In any field whatsoever.
Seasil Soladin has been expected to compete with the first prince since birth, yet he has never gained the upper hand against him.
If not being able to gain the upper hand was the only issue, that would be fortunate. But it was more than that.
Seasil was always left at the feet of the first prince.
No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much effort he put in, no matter what means he resorted to.
The overwhelming talent of the first prince, who knew nothing of defeat, made Seasil into something less than a mediocre talent.
Amidst countless defeats, Seasil both hated the first prince, who saw him not as a rival, and understood him at the same time.
If he were in the same situation, he wouldn’t feel threatened by his opponent.
‘Of course, you must have beaten him, right? Someone as cute and small as me has beaten him.’
That’s why, when Seasil heard the news that the first prince had lost to the young lady of the Alrn family, he asked the messenger if they were joking.
He simply couldn’t imagine the first prince losing.
Yet, that news was all true.
The first prince had requested a duel first, lost in that duel, and even faced humiliation at the hands of the young lady of the Alrn family.
A massive crack had appeared in the impenetrable wall of the first prince, who had never lost, who knew nothing of defeat, who seemed invincible, and who thought that if anyone were to break him, it would have to be himself.
Upon hearing the news, Seasil laughed. He burst into a hearty laugh, saying that the first prince was just a human, not a god, for the sake of those who followed him, not himself.
Then, alone in the middle of the night, Seasil pondered.
Was the reason he had never defeated the first prince truly because he was incompetent?
‘Could it be that you have never won even once? And yet you think you’re more capable than me? Really?’
Even after quite some time had passed, Seasil couldn’t stop doubting his own abilities.
It wasn’t because the first prince was too capable; it was rather because he was too incompetent to take him down.
‘Then, if I challenge you to a duel, you won’t back down, right?’
Every time the name Lucy Alrn came up in the gossips, Seasil’s doubts only grew stronger.
Some said it was merely a festival’s entertainment. They wondered how such a little girl could possibly stand a chance if the first prince was serious.
Others claimed they had witnessed the scenery of the festival and said that it was a trick made possible only because it was a festival. They believed he wouldn’t even be a worthy opponent in real combat.
Those who loved to chatter said it was merely a courtesy extended by the first prince to honor the dignity of Sir Benedict Alrn, paying back by elevating the reputation of his inadequate daughter.
Though their stories differed, they were fundamentally the same.
If it had been a normal duel, the first prince could not possibly have lost.
The reason Lucy Alrn managed to beat the first prince was purely due to the abnormal circumstances surrounding it.
When he heard such talk, Seasil wanted to ask them.
If what you say is true, then what about me, who couldn’t defeat the first prince under any circumstance, no matter what petty tricks I employed?
What am I, someone less than that girl?
‘Surely, the idiot prince could easily crush someone like me, right?’
“Second prince?”
Hearing the frightened voice, Seasil opened his eyes and let out a long, heavy breath while looking around.
Everyone was cautiously observing Seasil.
It wasn’t hard to understand why.
They all believed that if Seasil reached out, Lucy Alrn would surely cling to him.
Given that he had crossed swords with the first prince, it was natural for him to come over here.
They couldn’t possibly think he would just watch the first prince ascend to the throne while clearly hating him.
They thought he would be captivated by the character of the second prince.
A lion would inevitably come under another lion, they said.
Since he was born into a family of warriors, it was only natural to follow warriors.
What was the result?
He had not only been rejected but also faced humiliating insults.
‘Idiot prince.’
“Idiot prince.”
That was a term Seasil was familiar with.
It was something his parents often exclaimed when they scolded him for losing to the first prince.
However, he had never expected to hear it from someone else’s mouth.
Seasil, nervously fiddling with his fingers while pulling his back straight, spoke without even raising his head.
“Archie.”
“...Yes?”
“I want to hear about the current situation.”
Archie was one of those who had raised his voice, saying that Lucy Alrn would join the second prince's faction.
When he was criticized, he merely fumbled around without offering a proper explanation.
Seasil sighed, as if to say to him to listen, and then called another person.
“Tommy.”
“Um. Your Highness the Second Prince, that is—”
“Explain it.”
“U-um, that’s...”
As this calling continued, the thoughts among the second prince’s faction were generally similar.
They felt they had merely voiced what the second prince wanted to hear.
When they offered advice, they were harshly reprimanded, forced to speak only what was desired, and ultimately, the decision had been theirs; why were they being blamed?
No, from the beginning.
“Holden.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Second Prince.”
“Speak.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t anticipate this situation.”
Who would have expected a crazy girl to call the prince an idiot, and worse, say she wouldn’t want to come under someone inferior to her and propose a duel?
“Insufficient investigation on the young lady.”
“Right. It was insufficient.”
“They will all be like that. Please forgive us.”
The second prince ground his teeth and let out a long sigh.
“Fine. I will forgive you. But in return, you will have to train with me in the future.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you very much!”
This training would be closer to punishment or torture than actual training.
Among the second-year students at the academy, there were many who were physically exceptional, yet fainting was not uncommon during such “training.”
Upon hearing about the training, the members of the second prince’s faction felt a chill, but none dared to refuse.
If they protested, they would end up sparring directly with the second prince and suffer all day long.
“Alright. Let’s move on to the next topic. About the duel proposed by Lucy Alrn.”
Lucy Alrn said that if they wanted to pull her in, they had to prove that they were more capable than her. They should accept the duel and defeat her.
‘It’s a competition to see who can conquer the academy dungeon first. Surely you’re confident, right?’
Seasil nodded at the suggestion.
He didn’t agree because he thought he had a chance. In fact, Seasil hadn’t even thought that far ahead.
The reason he agreed was that Lucy Alrn’s insult had made him hot-headed.
Although Seasil held a higher status, the reality was that he was in a situation where he had to cling to Lucy.
And it was something he simply could not overlook—the words Lucy had last thrown at him.
‘You can run away. If even the gloomy stalker prince couldn’t beat me, there’s no way the idiot prince could.’
If the first prince couldn’t do it, how could you?
You’re a loser.
I’m a loser.
‘If the idiot prince wins, I’ll become your subordinate. But that won’t happen, so I’m graciously giving you the opportunity to dream big. Hmm. No matter how I think about it, I’m really kind, aren’t I?’
No.
I’m not a loser.
I’m not incompetent.
I can defeat the first prince.
I can inherit the throne.
I am.
I am.
As the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, Seasil came to his senses.
Reaching out, he touched his lips and realized the source of the blood taste. His chapped lips had split.
Wiping the red color off his index finger with his thumb, he lifted his eyes and said, “Come up with a perfect way to take her down. Right now.”
I will surely achieve victory against Lucy Alrn.
By defeating her, I will prove that I am not incompetent.
I will accomplish what my brother could not.
Then I will be recognized.
I will.
“Even if I have to use underhanded methods, I will win.”
Whatever it takes.
The last weekend before the academy's entrance opened.
I visited Alsatin’s shop and received various items he had prepared.
The quality of the items he handed over was far superior to what I had expected.
With Karia by his side, did Alsatin’s abilities grow as well?
After leaving the shop with a remark that he didn’t do poorly for a mere information broker, I couldn’t hide the grin on my face.
Wow. At this level, the dungeon raid seems to be easier than I thought.
Once the entrance to the dungeon opens, it would surely be possible to raid it right away! Should I give it a shot?
After all, what the old man demanded of me was an overwhelmingly excellent performance that I couldn’t even dare to catch up to.
Only then would the arrows turn away from the second prince and praise my abilities instead, right?
If I conquer the dungeon as soon as it opens, I might just hit that requirement right on the mark.
The sooner I raid the dungeon, the quicker the pathetic god’s rewards will come in.
This time, the rewards are quite attractive from my perspective. It’s...
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёwebnovel.com.
“Employer.”
As I recalled the quest that the pathetic god had given me this time, I lifted my head at Karia’s voice.
She had appeared from the alley, asking me to follow her and showing me several men sprawled in the alley.
“It seems the second prince really wants to defeat you.”
She said, “He must want to win against you so badly that he forgot he needs to recruit you.”
Those people were the ones who had attempted to ambush me.