Chapter 49

Although it's a bit late, I'll post the second part.

"So, how was the evaluation?"

"About 30 points."

"Eh, eh..."

Ain, who had just finished the consecutive training with three Red Bison, hadn't even received a fatal wound, let alone a serious injury. However, the evaluation from his instructor, Kaiser, was low.

"But I managed to take them down! Why!?"

"You would have gotten 90 points for the first two... Your strategy to immobilize them by targeting their legs and knocking them out with a clean blow to the head was impressive. But... what were you thinking with the third one? That way of taking it down is no good."

"I, I just went for a direct power play..."

"Who in their right mind would face a monster's charge head-on, you idiot! That's a huge deduction. Don't do such reckless things from now on."

"But, it might come in handy someday!"

"If there's a chance it might come in handy, use your head to prevent that chance from happening and work hard!"

Sighing, Ain had faced the third Red Bison head-on. He had a feeling it would work, and indeed, with his stats boosted by absorbing magic stones, he managed to stop the Red Bison with brute force. However, it was still a dangerous method, and Kaiser deducted points for it.

"Well, well... Thank you anyway."

"That's my line... Anyway, good job. Check your equipment and make sure you're not injured before you leave."

"Sure thing."

After returning the equipment provided by the training ground and checking his body for injuries, Ain found that he had completed the training without any injuries. The results were good, making it a not-so-bad day. A boy was watching Ain from a distance.

"Um..."

"That was an amazing battle... As expected of His Highness, to face a Red Bison head-on... You're just too cool!"

Ain recalled the boy in his mind. It was Batts, a boy in the same first-year class. Taller than Ain, Batts had a sturdy build and was the heir to the Crim baron family.

"Batts. You were here too? I used it first."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness! I was excited to see your heroic figure!"

Batts, breathing heavily, expressed his admiration. He was standing by the railing in the observation area, leaning over to watch Ain's battle.

"Did you get excited? Well, I'm glad you praised me."

Ain had spoken to Batts a few times before. Having spent a year at the academy, some classmates had been demoted, but Batts, along with Ain, Roland, and Leonard, had continued in the first-year class and entered their second year as excellent students.

"Teacher! I want to face a Red Bison too!"

"Ah, well... It's not like you'll get seriously injured, but I think it's too early for you, Batts."

"Seeing such a battle, I can't suppress the urge in my body! Come on! Come on!"

Kaiser shook his head and started preparing. It wasn't like Batts would get seriously injured, so he could have created a Red Bison illusion, but...

"Do it properly if you're going to do it. Get your equipment ready, and do some warm-up exercises to avoid injuries."

"I've been exercising for about three hours, so I'm fine!"

"...You should rest first."

(He's so energetic, Batts.)

Thinking about how Batts had been in the training ground since noon, Ain couldn't help but admire his stamina. A Red Bison after three hours of exercise was quite a unique training menu for their age.

"Alright, Batts! We'll start on your signal!"

"Please, sir!"

Hearing Batts's voice, Kaiser pressed the switch on the magic device, and the Red Bison illusion appeared. The Red Bison, with its mysterious killing intent, charged at Batts with full force.

"Hey, Batts, you're not seriously going to...!"

Kaiser was surprised. Batts didn't move from his spot even after the Red Bison appeared. It looked like he was going to face the Red Bison head-on, and Kaiser called out to him.

"Come on, Red Bison!"

Ignoring Kaiser's warning, Batts faced the Red Bison's charge head-on... or so it seemed. But Batts couldn't withstand the force and was blown back to the wall. The safety mechanism activated, and the Red Bison illusion disappeared.

"You... You idiot! What are you doing!?"

"Sure is a strong charge, the Red Bison. It was too early for me..."

Ain stared at Batts, who had a blank expression. He didn't expect Batts to imitate what he had done. Batts was blown back to the wall, but he looked refreshed as he turned to Ain.

"Your Highness! You're amazing! Not only did you defeat Teacher Kaiser, but you also took down such a strong Red Bison with brute force!"

Batts looked at Ain with sparkling eyes. Realizing how impressive Ain was, he suddenly started praising him.

"Ah, thank you, Batts... I'm glad you think so."

"Damn, you idiot! What were you trying to imitate!?"

"I just couldn't help it, seeing how cool you were!"

"Damn, don't do such reckless things. Not everyone can do that... Ain! It's your fault for doing such reckless things, really."

"Is it my fault?"

"You do bear some responsibility. Damn, Batts, how's your body?"

Kaiser, worried about Batts's injuries, approached him. Batts stood up with a carefree look and checked his body as if doing exercises, but there were no problems.

"I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you."

"Then don't do such things next time. If you do, you'll be banned from monster training."

"I won't be able to challenge it if you say that..."

It was natural for him to be scolded harshly. Playing with his life wasn't part of the training. The device wasn't free to use, so Kaiser made sure to convey that to Batts.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard, Batts. But... your challenge was cool."

"O-Oh, thank you, Your Highness! I'm glad to hear that!"

"Hehe. Well, I'm leaving now. Batts, don't overdo it and keep up the good work."

Ain, having finished his training, decided to leave. He praised Batts's spirit and left the training ground.

---

"That's what happened. I thought he was a lively guy."

"Yeah, Batts is always energetic."

"However, Your Highness, did you know? Batts Crim, despite his personality, actually entered the academy with the third-highest overall score, right after me."

Incidentally, Ain was first. His score for defeating Teacher Kaiser was counted as a perfect score.

"Eh... What!?"

"Is that true, Leonard?"

"Unfortunately, it's true, Roland. That means his score is higher than yours."

Batts wasn't just a musclehead; he was an intellectual musclehead. The concept of a smart musclehead might be confusing, but he was good at studies. His parents, or rather, his mother who married into the Crim family, came from a noble family with a background in the humanities. Therefore, he was educated to excel in his studies.

Leonard mentioned that Batts entered the academy with the third-highest overall score. He didn't pass the entrance exam through martial arts but by excelling in the humanities test to join the first-year class.

Probably, everyone in the first-year class thought Batts was just a musclehead. But in reality, he was the third-smartest in the class.

"So, he's not just energetic; he's smart too, Batts."

"Well, Your Highness, he is energetic... but, never mind."

"But it's impressive. To keep training like that, I couldn't do it. Batts's father is a knight, right?"

"I've heard that too. Leonard, do you know what kind of knight Batts's father is?"

"Yes, I know. He serves as a centurion in a fortress where many monsters appear."

Istharika was the only country on the continent of Ishthar. However, the threat of monsters wasn't absent. In some regions, fortresses were built to defend against monsters, and many knights protected the people and ensured their safety.

Batts's father was a knight working in such a dangerous place.

"So, he's always in a dangerous place."

"Yes, as a centurion, his position is quite high."

"Wow... So, Batts's father is amazing."

"Sometimes I think I want to travel to different places on this continent. But it's difficult, isn't it?"

"Yeah... It might be tough for you, Your Highness. As a prince, the people in the castle probably won't allow it."

"Roland is right, Your Highness. That's why I have a concern."

Ain and Roland looked at Leonard, who mentioned his concern.

"Concern?"

"Yes... Next year, when we become third-year students, we have a field practice with monsters. It's not as dangerous as where Batts's father is, but we'll still go to places with monsters."

"Oh, I remember. Warren mentioned something about it before."

"What did Warren say?"

"He said we need to have at least Dil nearby. Or maybe Chris."

Chris, the deputy commander of the royal guard, was known to both of them. Of course, Dil's legendary battle in last year's competition was known to everyone.

"If someone like Chris or Dil is guarding us, it will be reassuring."

"This will likely be a special arrangement. The academy won't let us graduate without this practice, but they also need to ensure your safety, Your Highness. They will hire many adventurers as guards, but they can't guarantee complete safety."

"But, it's a bit exciting. If it goes as planned, we can all participate in the event."

"I'm looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of practice it will be."

"Me too. We can do many things with our friends while we can."

Leonard agreed with Roland. The three of them were close friends who had enjoyed their academy life together, and the many events to come were exciting to imagine.

"By the way, I remember the practice is in groups of five. There are 10 people in the first-year class and 20 in the second-year class, making 30 in total. I heard we'll form six teams of five."

"Is that so? Then we need two more. Can we choose our team members?"

"Yes, Your Highness. So, we need to recruit two more people."

"I see. Then we need to invite one more person."

"Ain, do you have someone in mind?"

Leonard mentioned two more people, but Ain said they needed one more. Roland wondered who it could be and asked.

"Your Highness...?"

"Leonard, did you notice? Roland, the fourth person I thought of is Batts. Don't you think it would be a fun team?"

"Ah, I see... Batts. But... yeah, I think it's a good idea. He's a nice guy, and it will probably be fun."

"He's not the type to be intimidated easily... I agree with Roland that it will be fun."

"Then it's settled. I'll talk to Batts about it. He'll probably agree."

Leonard, who agreed after some thought, didn't have a low opinion of Batts. He was just a bit shy and didn't talk much to people he didn't know. When he spoke to Ain and Roland, it took a lot of courage.

"Next year will be fun."

"...Yes, it will."

"Yeah, let's have a lot of fun. There will be many events in the coming academy life!"

The Royal Kingsland Academy had almost no events for the lower grades, except for regular exams. There were no school-wide festivals, only a few events per grade.

When they became third-year students, the monster field practice would be the biggest event. Even students who entered through the humanities had to participate. It was a strict policy, but they had to follow the academy's rules.

While they were also curious about the events waiting for them in their fourth year, they decided to look forward to the upcoming monster field practice and enjoy their academy life.

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