A table created for relaxation near the training grounds of Soul Academy.
Sitting there were Arthur, the third prince of the Soladin Kingdom, and Frey, the eldest daughter of the renowned Kent family.
Up until the time they enrolled in Soul Academy, the two had only faced each other in a few tournaments, without any deeper acquaintance. However, now, as their first year was nearing its end, seeing the two of them together was not awkward at all.
This was because there was a common denominator between them: Lucy Alrn.
One side was someone who rolled over and over in a desperate attempt to defeat Lucy someday.
The other was someone who believed that only Lucy could fill her deficiencies and thus became obsessed with her.
Although their purposes were different, they both gathered around Lucy, which made Arthur and Frey feel quite comfortable with each other.
In particular, this sense of comfort was strongly apparent in Frey.
“Useless.”
No one other than her, aside from Lucy, could say such a thing to Arthur, even if he was the prince of the royal bloodline, distanced from the throne.
“...Hey, Frey Kent.”
“You useless coward who couldn’t even speak properly and ran away.”
“Stop it while you can.”
Though it was a rude and almost irreverent tease, Arthur could not muster a rebuttal.
His recent actions were, by his own admission, deserving of the term disgrace.
...No, this is not just my fault. Lucy Alrn bears some responsibility as well.
What in the world happened over the weekend that could change a person so drastically!
What could she have experienced in that short time that transformed someone who used to appear as a doll crafted by a master into someone radiating such irresistible beauty?
“Haah.”
For some reason, Arthur’s face turned red, and he brushed his face while letting out a long sigh.
No matter how much nonsense he muttered inside, it wouldn’t erase what he had done yesterday.
Usually, at this point, he would be mindful of the person in front of him, but Frey didn’t seem to do so.
Having no understanding of her own emotions, how could she care about the feelings of others?
“A little girl who’s two heads shorter than you is enough to scare you off and make you run away.”
“...Who said I ran away because I was scared! That’s not it!”
“Then what is it?”
“I just—Lucy Alrn...”
“Admit it, you were scared.”
“Shut up! Just how many times do I have to tell you to stop?!”
As the thread holding Arthur's sanity together snapped, veins popped out on his neck.
“What’s going on? Do you have that much pent-up frustration? Was it that upsetting when I told you to follow my orders in the dungeon?!”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that largely your fault! If you had just followed my orders properly!”
“But Prince, your orders were so useless that they were boring.”
“Damn it! You’re annoyingly confident!”
Arthur realized he couldn’t win when he couldn’t even make himself understood. He had just learned that truth. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly trying to get his thoughts together, and opened his mouth.
“You’re just as useless!”
“I am?”
“You’re the one who ran away after being humiliated by Lucy Alrn!”
“...”
Just a moment ago, Frey had been brimming with confidence, but even she had her limits. The instant Arthur touched on her sore spot, she clammed up.
“Yet here you are, scolding her for possibly not wanting to acknowledge you as a rival! How absurd!”
“...I didn’t whine.”
“Ha! I asked if something was wrong because you looked unusually dazed.”
“Enough.”
“The one who trembled while speaking wasn’t whining?! Now that makes sense!”
“Stop it. If you don’t, I’ll hit you.”
Even though they glared at each other with veins in their eyes,
“Frey Kent.”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s stop here.”
“Okay.”
That confrontation softened as Arthur stepped back.
Perhaps having drained himself with all the yelling, Arthur leaned back against his chair, staring blankly into the air as he muttered.
“I’ll go back to yesterday’s topic.”
“Are you talking about the day the prince ran away?”
“Are you going to start it again?”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway, back then, weren’t we discussing your concerns?”
The studies they had to do at Soul Academy. The various quotas Lucy personally assigned. And, on top of that, the dungeon raids.
Arthur had been busy fulfilling all these responsibilities, and that was why he had taken the weekend off to go out with Joy and Frey.
To help Frey with her worries. Since she had been feeling dazed a lot lately because of her recent incident with Lucy, he had set aside time during the weekend to assist her.
“That’s right.”
“After I left, you didn’t talk about anything related, did you?”
“No. I just wandered around the academy streets with Lucy.”
“Anything noteworthy?”
“All the restaurants we visited back then were delicious.”
“...That sounds just like you.”
“Really? Thanks.”
“The praise... Ugh. So, in the end, you didn’t make any progress from our conversation yesterday?”
Arthur, having tidied up his messy hair using wind magic, looked at Frey again.
“To convey what I couldn’t finish saying yesterday, I don’t think Lucy Alrn will abandon you. While it’s true that she has a rough tongue, she doesn’t have a bad temper. She considers you a friend, so she will likely stay with you.”
“Me? A friend? Of Lucy’s?”
“Since you’re always together, what else would you call it?”
“A friend.”
As Frey chuckled, Arthur let out a weary laugh.
In the past, when they met at various tournaments, he had wondered if he should even call her human, but seeing her now, she seemed all too human.
Could this change also be brought about by Lucy Alrn?
“Thus, my conclusion is that you shouldn’t worry too much.”
“Shouldn’t?”
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“Regardless of anything, we’ve known each other for a long time, so let’s talk a bit more.”
Arthur thought this change was a good one, knowing the Frey from before.
If one were to ask who seemed more endearing between the cold, distant Frey of the past and the current Frey, the answer was undoubtedly the latter.
So, let’s accelerate this change a bit more. Since she is following Lucy, they would need to keep close for a long time.
“You said you didn’t know emotions before meeting Lucy Alrn. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And you also said you felt anger for the first time after meeting Lucy Alrn.”
“Exactly.”
“Well then. Until now, has anger been the only emotion you’ve felt?”
At Arthur’s question, Frey tilted her head.
She didn’t understand the meaning of the question. How could he explain it in a way that was easier to comprehend?
Ah. This should work.
“You expressed anger as redness. I’m asking if there has ever been another color to fill your heart.”
“There has.”
Frey nodded easily without much thought.
For her, the colors of her heart had been so rare that remembering the times they filled her wasn’t difficult.
“When Lucy called me an idiot. When I was found out for wanting to be teased. And.”
“That’s enough. Frey. Which of those colors would you like to encounter more?”
“Color?”
“Yes. There must be a hierarchy among colors. Just as you hold Lucy Alrn’s matters in high regard.”
Hearing Arthur’s question, Frey opened and closed her mouth repeatedly.
She couldn’t find an answer easily.
Having thought that anything that filled her heart was fine, she had never considered the high and low aspects.
As she frowned in deep thought, a sound of footsteps approached from beside them.
“Are you both well?”
That presence had a status high enough to intrude into a conversation shared between a prince and the eldest daughter of a noble count.
It was Joy Partan.
The daughter of the Partan Duke greeted the two with a perfectly polished bow.
“I’m late. Did I sleep too long because of the curtains blocking out the sun?”
“I met Alrn Young Lady on the way here. The shy little prince fell in love with her the moment he saw her.”
“Who fell in love with whom?!”
“Wasn’t it?”
Seeing Joy casually speaking as if her eyes were filled with confusion about Arthur’s face, Arthur gritted his teeth.
Because of Lucy Alrn’s relentless teasing, this person was getting more and more brazen.
Noticing that her twin braids were the same as before, it seems she was just as clueless as ever.
Normally, he would have scolded her, but today, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
She had to pay the price for teasing him.
“I brought some news that I think you two might find interesting. Alrn Young Lady and Professor Kal are going to have a duel!”
“Those two?”
“Yes. It seems Alrn Young Lady was the one who requested it. She wants to test her strength.”
“A duel with a knight of the Alrn family.”
It was common knowledge that Kal was a knight of the Alrn family.
Both Lucy and Kal didn’t seem to hide this fact, so anyone paying a little attention would know.
If one were to ask who the strongest knight brigade on the continent was, the Alrn family’s knights would always be mentioned.
If Lucy Alrn were to duel with them, even if she possessed extraordinary martial skills, it would be impossible for her to win without going all out.
This could be a chance to see her full strength. This is definitely valuable news.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
“It’s news worth waiting for. Thank you.”
As Arthur expressed his gratitude to Joy, he turned his attention back to Frey, who was still lost in thought.
“Frey Kent.”
“...Yeah?”
“Follow me. That scene will help you find your answer.”
“What scene?”
“Did you not hear?”
As they walked, Arthur said he would explain. Frey stood up and followed him.
“Useless ones. Aren’t you too slow?”
The place they headed toward under Joy’s guidance was the training room rented by the academy.
In that space, where only those who had applied could enter, Lucy and Kal stood facing each other, but what caught Arthur’s eye was only Lucy.
Arthur still didn’t know exactly how Lucy had changed.
What was certain was that she had gained the power to capture attention.
Whether it was her charm or jealousy over her beauty,
Once one’s eyes were on Lucy, they would inevitably be unable to look away for quite a while.
“...Hmm? Lucy Alrn. The condition of your armor is not good. What happened?”
As Arthur observed Lucy quietly, he noticed her armor was in such a state that it wouldn’t be strange if it broke at any moment.
It seemed like she had done some repairs, but the armor itself had reached its limits. Any skilled blacksmith would suggest a new suit of armor.
“You’ve gone through something so awful that even the poor prince wouldn’t be able to wear it. You’ll be very surprised if you hear about it.”
“What exactly did you go through?”
“Are you curious? Shall I tell you?”
“Please do.”
“Hmm. I’ve changed my mind. I’ll keep it a secret.”
“...What?”
Seeing Arthur raise his eyebrows, Lucy let out a giggle.
“Ha ha ha. Did you think I would tell you? Were you expecting that? But it’s a secret. It’s too early for a little thing like you, poor prince.”
In the past, Arthur would have responded by saying something here, but he couldn’t do that today.
Even with gestures that were no different than usual, Arthur’s face turned red, and he was silenced.
“Useless.”
As she looked at him, Frey’s voice seemed to say that she would repay him for the times she was scolded in the dungeon, and Joy, standing beside her, hurriedly turned her head, desperately trying to suppress her laughter.
As Arthur’s face grew even hotter at the reactions of the two, Lucy had already taken her interest away from him.
“Hey, useless.”
“Are you ready, Lady?”
“Come at me. I’ll make you crawl on the floor like a dog.”
“I look forward to it!”
As Kal, with a playful tone, stepped forward, Arthur’s sight of him vanished.
...What is this?
Even though I wasn’t focusing, this is...
Clang!
Arthur only managed to catch up with Kal’s movement after a clash had already passed.
“Your sword is slow, isn’t it? It seems the old dog’s recovery is slow!”
“Haha. Lady! If I’m an old dog, then what are the other knights?!”
Kal’s sword, blocked by Lucy’s shield, searched for its next strike in midair.