Chapter 18
'Gift it!'
The moment I selected it, a message only I could see appeared.
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It was quite different from the divine power class change quest I received. Unlike magic and divine power where ability awakening was the first step, aura was closer to the final step of swordsmanship, so this was only natural.
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Achieve Iron Physique Lv.50 (1/50)
Achieve Weapon Art Lv.50 (1/50)
- Currently registered main weapon is 'Wooden Sword,' sub-weapon is 'None.']
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"Huh?"
Prinz's shoulders stiffened.
There wasn't as clear a change as with the skeleton, but it seemed he had felt something.
"I invested eleven million cash, so you have to work hard."
"Huh?"
"Don't go around getting beaten up."
"Y-yeah, okay."
After giving my instructions, I stood up abruptly.
"Ai, where are you going?"
"Sudden inspiration for alchemy struck me, so I need to go cook."
"Huh? Inspiration for alchemy but you're going to cook?"
"I'm trying to make stamina-replenishing elixir pills taste good this time. Pasta flavor and steak flavor recipes came to mind. I have to go make them before the inspiration flies away!"
"Wow, that sounds really delicious."
"I'll let you taste-test when it's done, so just rest, Oppa."
"Ah, no. I should go back to the Young Master too. Is swordsmanship class already over? I want to hold the wooden sword again..."
Seeing him quietly show enthusiasm, it didn't seem like the eleven million cash would fly into thin air.
"See you later, Oppa."
"Yeah, Ai."
✠
A week before that day when Romdio beat Prinz half to death under the pretext of practical training.
After that day, something had changed. The person who felt this most clearly with their body was Romdio.
"Y-you bastard! *huff huff* Why are you getting better at dodging! *huff huff huff*"
"Um, I think it's the same... Could it be that you're getting tired, Young Master?"
"Grrrk! Don't talk back so leisurely! *huff huff*"
The swordsmaster insisted on continuing education on the condition of strengthening safety measures. Wooden sword sparring continued consistently.
However, Romdio could no longer get drunk on the fantasy of becoming the continent's strongest knight like before.
For some reason, the master always appointed Prinz as his sparring partner.
Furious, Romdio charged at Prinz and brought his wooden sword down vertically.
Prinz, just like before, tried to lightly raise his wooden sword to only defend. However.
Crack!
The wooden sword flew from Romdio's hand and pain blasted through his wrist.
"Aaaagh!"
"Ah, Young Master!"
"Y-you bastard, y-you're attacking me? H-how! How could you...!"
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't attack... I didn't know you'd bounce off on your own..."
"What, punk! Is that something to say right now?!"
Hearing that he just blocked but it turned into a counterattack, Romdio felt like his clothes would burst from rage.
However, there wasn't a single lie in Prinz's words.
Actually, just a moment ago, a message he couldn't see had appeared.
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'Is it my imagination? My body feels different somehow.'
Prinz was starting to feel it too.
"Alright, that's it for today's class!"
The swordsmaster with blonde bob hair and catfish mustache came over and kindly went over today's class.
However, the target wasn't Romdio.
"Ah, Prinz! You're improving day by day! Just be mindful of bending your knees slightly when blocking attacks and using your arms rather than your wrists!"
"Thank you for the advice, Viscount."
"Hehe, no need for thanks. Watching Prinz's growth is my joy these days!"
At the heartwarming scene, Romdio yelled.
"Hey, Viscount Carmel! Whose master are you!"
"Haha, I'm sorry, Young Master. I couldn't help myself when I saw a student who might become an unparalleled genius with such excellent class attitude!"
The swordsmaster, Viscount Carmel, treated Prinz with an affectionate attitude, unlike someone who had previously condoned the beating.
Actually, he had his own excuse.
Back then, he was full of complaints about being forced to take on the education of Romdio Gillet, an inferior student everyone avoided because he was a retainer of the cadet branch.
As a result of neglecting him with a whatever-happens-happens attitude, an incident occurred.
But thanks to discovering a pearl in the mud through that incident, his educator's soul was now blazing.
'Let me raise an Aura user too! Yeah?'
Having had something to be sorry for, Viscount Carmel wanted to treat Prinz even better.
He whispered to Prinz so Romdio couldn't hear.
"Prinz, you can come find me anytime you get stuck while practicing. My quarters are on the 3rd floor of the west annex. Okay?"
"Viscount, for a mere servant like me to go that far..."
"Ah, 'Viscount' is so cold. When it's just the two of us, you can call me Master."
A student this full of talent needed to have the master-disciple bond established and territory marked before some other sly fellow snatched them away.
Prinz, his ear tips reddening at the favor poured upon him, answered politely.
"J-just the words are enough, thank you."
"Hehe, I don't speak empty words."
Despite appearances, Viscount Carmel was quite something in his prime.
In the days when Gillet made its name as a renowned swordsmanship family, Viscount Carmel, who was a 1st corps elite member of the Count family's dungeon subjugation squad, was famous as a boy genius swordsman.
Being able to receive instruction from such a person would be an enormous honor.
'Could I possibly become a knight too?'
Prinz imagined himself being knighted and making the Oath of the Sword at the Knight Academy, the continent's official certification organization.
Somehow, it felt like a fragment of a dream was now within his grasp.
✠
"Ai!"
"You're here, Oppa?"
I greeted brightly, stopping midway through pounding a piece of steak into mush.
Lately, I had been devoting myself to making medicinal tonics.
The work of adding food flavors like steak, pasta, smoked salmon, and blueberry muffin to high-concentration elixir pills was going smoothly.
Prinz always took on the first taste-test of the experimental works.
Just like in wuxia novels where all kinds of spiritual medicines are consumed to increase internal energy, alchemical tonics were essential in this world too.
Even the talentless Count family ruffian drank potions like water, so I couldn't feed Prinz nothing.
'Thanks to the dungeon farm, I get a ton of herbs too. Nice.'
For reference, I also ate the tonics whose taste was verified through Prinz's taste-testing. I need to nourish my body too, ahem.
Today too, I offered the experimental work to Prinz.
Prinz's reaction after gobbling it down like a rice ball was as good as ever.
"Wow, this is really delicious!"
"Really?"
That's tuna kimbap flavor, though. Does Korean food unexpectedly work for people of this world?
I waited for Prinz's chipmunk-puffed cheeks to settle down, then slipped out the separately stored elixir pill.
"Oppa, do you want to try this too?"
"Yeah!"
Prinz innocently swallowed it right away. And the moment he took one bite.
"U-urgh!"
Prinz threw up.
"...Hmph, was it that bad?"
"Gasp! S-sorry, Ai! You made it...! I'm really sorry. Sorry..."
"It's a success."
"...Huh?"
I smiled wickedly.
"Hehehe, I made that for the ruffian. Sparrow droppings flavor, specially! Throwing up in just one bite means it's a huge success!"
"..."
"Oppa?"
When I turned around, Prinz was there with his eyes brimming with resentment.
"Making me eat something like that... You're too mean."
"Aw, Oppa. Are you sulking? It's still good for your body, you know."
"..."
"Oppa? Hey, Oppa?"
"..."
Prinz turned his back and sat down, ignoring me.
This is bad. He must be really sulking.
"I was just playing around. Are you mad, Oppa?"
"..."
"Oppaaa."
"..."
It seemed apologies needed not only sincerity but also substance.
"F-fine, I'll give you half of my chocolate milk for a week! Cheer up! Okay?"
"...What?"
At that, Prinz whipped his head toward me. His widened eyes in surprise were unusual.
I flinched. In my haste, I had unconsciously done what I used to do to Oppa when I was young—I wondered if he found it suspicious that the possessor was doing something uncharacteristic.
Being observed continuously wasn't a good situation. I pretended to be nonchalant.
"Oppa, what's wrong?"
"Uh, um, that's... just now, I felt like something was about to come to mind."
"...Huh?"
The answer to the question I threw out to deflect the situation was strange.
"No, it's nothing."
"..."
Since Prinz had brushed it off first, I decided not to pry further.
"Are you still mad? Still not cheered up?"
"I wasn't mad from the start. I was joking too."
I finally felt relieved at his bright smile. Forgetting the minor incident, Prinz and I chattered away, losing track of time.
Privileges for the Possessor