Chapter 13

From the princess's perspective:

I was recalling a story I had heard before.

A fairy tale passed down at the royal capital's training facility – the story of "The Talentless Boy."

No, the instructors who told the story were dead serious; it didn't seem like they were telling a made-up tale.

When asked about the truth of the story, they all said, "It really happened."

But when you hear the story, it's only natural to think that such a person couldn't possibly exist.

Of course, everyone would think so – no one could possibly complete all six training programs, and that too, to the fullest extent, in the notoriously harsh training facility of the royal capital.

Ten out of ten people would think the same.

The tutorials developed by experts in various professions to promote the manifestation of skills typically last about a week. During this short period, most people who come to the training facility acquire multiple useful skills. Of course, they go through intense days, but that's to be expected.

The subsequent training process is a trial that continuously imposes excessive loads to promote the manifestation of skills.

It's not mandatory, but only those who seek higher-level skills undergo this more rigorous tutorial, which is a test of how much one can endure in extreme conditions, with no expectation of anyone actually making it through.

Moreover, it's impossible for a "child" to overcome such a trial –

That was the impression of everyone who had experienced the training process.

I, too, think so even more because I experienced it myself. The training, even called hellish, is so harsh that few can endure it for a week. Of course, it's effective because it's so strict, and most people quickly acquire useful skills and leave the training facility.

The return is significant because it's so strict.

It's not a place where one should stay for long – once you've experienced it, you won't even want to go near it again. That's the kind of place it is.

I, too, was quite persistent, but even so, two weeks was my limit. As a royal, I received guidance from instructors from a young age and had some preparatory knowledge, but even then, it was a struggle.

──To endure for three months?

I can't even imagine it.

The story goes that the boy was the same age as I was when I received training – 12 years old.

The story claims that this boy completed all three months of training in all six occupational categories.

──It's impossible.

Surely, anyone would think so.

But the instructors all say that the boy really existed.

Moreover, the unbelievable part is that the boy didn't acquire a single useful skill, and the instructors, in unison, told him, "You have no talent for this profession" and expelled him from the training facility.

The boy was declared "unfit" for all the training programs and, after leaving the last one, the priest training program, he disappeared without a trace.

After that, no one could track the boy's whereabouts.

The instructors, upon learning that the boy had disappeared, all became concerned and searched for him using every possible method, but they couldn't even get a fragment of information, even after years.

Such a thing is hard to believe.

──Everything seems so unrealistic.

It's a very interesting story, but there are too many inconsistencies.

First, the instructors at the training facility, known as the "Adventurer's Holy Land" in the Kingdom of Creis, are among the most outstanding in the world. Foreign students from all over the world come to the training facility, which is famous for being taught by the "Six Saints," the world's top adventurers.

──It's hard to believe they would miss such a person.

Moreover, is there really a person that all the instructors, each with their own quirks, would recognize and search for?

I, too, received excellent evaluations from six instructors, but

I think it was because of my position as a royal.

In my case, I think I received attention because I had a clear record of acquiring more skills than anyone else.

But the boy in the story is different.

Despite his desperate training, he didn't acquire a single useful skill.

The instructors, who continued to train him for three months, expelled him for "lacking talent."

Once they had given up on him, they later started searching for him.

……Is such a thing even possible?

Moreover, it's strange that no information about him could be obtained afterward.

The Master of the Thief class, the "Hidden Saint," should be able to locate people over long distances.

If he tried, there would be almost no one on this continent he couldn't find.

But he couldn't find the boy.

What does that mean?

And the boy appeared in the royal capital out of nowhere and then disappeared again.

He was only spotted by the instructors for a period.

There were some vague testimonies that such a boy had been seen, but there were no solid sightings before or after.

For such a remarkable person, it would be strange if there were no stories about him.

So, it's natural to think that "The Talentless Boy" is a fictional character –

That's what everyone concluded.

Therefore, most people, including myself, considered the story of the boy to be a cautionary tale created by the instructors to prevent trainees from becoming overly confident in their talents and to remind the instructors not to overlook talent.

But──

Now, I think.

Perhaps, the story is really true.

The person in front of me seems almost as unrealistic as that boy.

The "Puchi Fire" he showed me, which creates a larger flame than usual──

I saw this before when I was young.

The "Magic Saint" Oaken, also known as the Great Sage, who was my private tutor in magic, showed me this once.

He lit a flame on his fingertip and said,

With enough training, even the lowest-level skill "Puchi Fire," which only lights a small flame, can grow to this size. Of course, it's practically useless, and only someone with a lot of free time, like me who has lived for over two hundred years, can do such pointless training, he said, jokingly during a lesson.

I remember that clearly.

Even at the time, I could use "Puchi Fire," and after the lesson, I tried to do it myself.

But I couldn't make the flame bigger.

Through trial and error, I understood, even as a child, that it's not something that can be done overnight.

It must require a very long time of training, I thought.

That's why I was speechless with surprise.

I saw something that was hard to believe.

The "Puchi Fire" the person in front of me used──

It was several times larger than what the teacher showed me back then.

This means that this person has reached a level that even the world's top magician, the Great Sage Oaken, couldn't achieve──and he did it with a mass-produced one-handed sword, in addition to the sword technique that repelled the abyssal monster, the Minotaur.

I can't even imagine how much training this person has done to reach this level.

But his strength is clearly evident from this "Puchi Fire."

And while showing it to me, he asked me this:

"Can you understand what this means?"

──That's what he said.

I was startled by his words.

What did I show him just now?

Was I just showing off a high-level skill I had just learned?

I felt ashamed of myself.

And in front of me, the person said this:

"It means there's nothing I can teach you."

──At that moment, I understood everything.

This person corrected my fundamental misunderstanding with just one word and one action.

I realized again.

The foolishness of my repeatedly using high-level skills I had just learned.

And I understood at the same time.

Indeed, it was this person──

I should follow this person.

The "Sword Saint" Sig, the instructor of the Swordsman class, said to me, who had learned all the skills that could be acquired in a week:

"Your talent is recognized by everyone – there's no one in this royal capital who can match you in terms of talent. But one day, someone will surpass your talent – or even if they don't match your talent, someone who can guide your way of life will appear. Keep this in mind and don't become complacent."

At the time, I didn't understand what he meant and took it as just an encouraging word……

But now, I think he was talking about this person in front of me.

I am witnessing this person's incredible strength.

The moment the summoning magic was activated, I was put under a "Movement Hindrance" barrier.

I don't know how it happened.

I was completely off guard on the way back from the dungeon.

The effect of "Movement Hindrance" lasts for a few seconds.

But it was enough to kill me.

During that time, the guards who tried to protect me were quickly eliminated,

The Minotaur raised its iron-clad siege axe, and I braced for death.

No, I might not have been able to brace myself.

I let out a scream.

──If I died, everything would be in vain.

The days of enduring harsh training for the sake of this country.

The nostalgic days I spent with my parents and brother.

The conversations I had with the people I met.

All the memories.

The connections with many people.

Everything would be erased if my body was torn apart.

I had never experienced such fear before.

Even if the "Movement Hindrance" had been lifted, my body and mind would have been frozen.

The last guard was eliminated.

The "Movement Hindrance" was still in effect.

I realized that it was all over, and my face must have been distorted with fear.

But at that moment──

Something flew at high speed.

It left a slight scratch on the Minotaur's eye, which is said to be harder than iron, and drew its attention.

There was a person there.

Dressed in dirty clothes like a day laborer at a construction site, he held a one-handed sword that belonged to a guard.

The Minotaur charged at him with incredible speed.

A giant, as big as a house, charging with such speed that it would be impossible to follow with the naked eye, and a touch from it would mean instant death for a normal person.

It raised its siege axe, which was as large as three people standing side by side, and charged at the man.

No, he's going to be killed too.

I should have run away faster, without caring about me.

Because of me, another person will die.

I felt like crying.

But──

The man deflected the siege axe.

With just a one-handed sword.

Then, the siege axe clashed with something, and the sound of it breaking echoed around.

A fierce battle that I couldn't even follow with my eyes.

Before I knew it, the man was standing in front of me, protecting me──

And the Minotaur's head had fallen.

That's how he saved me, without even telling me his name, and left.

I was curious about who he was and searched for him desperately.

I was saved from a crisis.

I couldn't help but feel grateful for the favor of saving my life.

But regardless of that, I might have started to take an interest in this person himself.

Yesterday, my father handed over a dungeon relic he once used – the "Black Sword" – to this person.

I don't know what my father saw in this person.

But──

I'm sure my father felt something about this person.

──This person has overcome everything.

The Minotaur that appeared due to a foreign plot and attacked me.

The dazzling treasures, positions, and honors offered to him one after another.

Even me, a person with considerable value if he wanted to use me.

My father says he's turned down many offers of political marriages.

Even when I asked to be his follower, he refused.

No matter what I offered, he said he didn't need any of it.

──In short, this person is strong.

Not just physically, but mentally.

He has the strength to live alone, so he doesn't need anything.

He doesn't bend to anyone.

Moreover, he has the strength to help others.

This person, as an adventurer, accepts the "Gutter Cleaning" quest every day.

Despite his incredible strength, he does a job that no one wants to do.

Despite his incredible strength──he doesn't use it for himself.

Perhaps, saving me was just a "nothing" to him.

It's his daily routine.

A matter of course.

I might have just been one of the many people he helped.

I have never seen anyone as strong as this person──

I am in a position to lead this country in the future, alongside my brother.

The only family motto of the Creis royal family is "Be strong."

Then, I must learn this person's "strength" above all else.

──I understood that.

"Yes, I understand well – my arrogance and immaturity."

I haven't been recognized by this person yet.

But I won't give up.

Until I am recognized by this person──and until I truly understand his strength.

"To think that someone like me could become your disciple is presumptuous. It's only natural that I am not recognized in my current state……Therefore"

My feelings might not reach him.

I might be rejected.

But──I will follow this person for the rest of my life.

That's what I decided.

"One day, I will be recognized as your disciple──Mr. Noll. No, Mr. Noll. Until then, I will follow you, no matter what."

The answer I sought──

No, the ultimate "strength" that the Creis family has sought for generations.

I am sure it lies within this person.

Thank you for reading.

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