Chapter 28

The next day, when I woke up, I found myself in the middle of the gazebo in the garden.

The gazebo, also known as a "shide," is a structure with no walls, supported by four pillars, with only a roof above.

In the gazebo, where a cool breeze blew through, I had the maid Zoe stand by my side while making Leviathan and Lutiera fight each other.

By linking the armor rings, I made them create doppelgangers and fight. Both the water magic sword and the fire ring have high abilities, so to avoid breaking anything, I had them fight in the gazebo in the garden instead of inside the mansion.

They fought ten times, and Leviathan won all ten times. Both have high abilities, but Leviathan is overwhelmingly stronger.

That being said,

"Got it."

I muttered, shifting my gaze from the two dolls after the battle to the corner of the status.

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Name: Noah Ararat

Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 3/∞

HP E+F Fire F+C

MP F+F Water E+S

Strength E+E Wind F

Stamina F+F Earth F

Intelligence F+E Light F

Spirit F+F Dark F

Speed F+F

Dexterity F+F

Luck F+F

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My level has gone up by one again. Just like yesterday, I made Leviathan and Lutiera fight to level up.

This time, my strength has increased by one level to E.

"Zoe"

"Yes, Master."

Zoe, who was standing by, nodded, closed her eyes, and cast the status check spell on me. She has been in my mansion for over six years and has learned various things to repay me for my kindness.

The status check spell is one of them. Thanks to the spell she cast, my status immediately appeared.

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Name: Noah Ararat

Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 3/∞

HP E Fire C

MP F Water SS

Strength D Wind F

Stamina F Earth F

Intelligence E Light F

Spirit F Dark F

Speed F

Dexterity F

Luck F

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As always, what I see is different from what is displayed. There are no "+" signs, and it shows the combined values.

"Amazing... You really leveled up without fighting yourself... I've never heard of such a thing."

"These dolls fought, and that's the result."

"Then, if you keep making them fight, will your level keep going up indefinitely?"

"It's not that simple. The experience points needed to level up decrease the more you fight the same opponent. It took one fight to go from 1 to 2, but it took ten fights to go from 2 to 3."

"Oh..."

"From this, it seems that if I keep making Leviathan and Lutiera fight, it would take over a hundred fights to reach level 4. It would be fine if I had the patience, but..."

"That's a shame."

"Well, we learned something."

"What did we learn?"

"That we need to gather more dolls like Leviathan and Lutiera. Even if it takes a hundred fights, having two hundred would make it instantaneous."

"Indeed!"

With Zoe's understanding, I started making Leviathan and Lutiera fight again. Even though it's not very effective anymore, I still made them fight.

It's quite informative to watch Leviathan and Lutiera fight. I know their abilities, and seeing how they use them, especially from a third-person perspective, is very valuable.

So, I had Zoe serve me while I watched them fight endlessly.

So far, Leviathan has won every time.

Lutiera isn't weak, but compared to Leviathan, she is a step—no, two steps—behind. That's why she is being overwhelmed.

At the same time, I got a sense of Lutiera's personality. Unlike the loyal Leviathan, Lutiera is quite competitive.

Even though she is under my command, she immediately appeals to me with a "next time" attitude when she loses.

I kept making them fight.

"Oh!"

I saw a gap in Leviathan's movement after dodging an attack. The stiffness after dodging an attack. Since I can use Leviathan's techniques, I could clearly see the gap.

At the same time, since I can use Lutiera's abilities, I knew that Lutiera couldn't exploit this gap.

Unfortunately, this gap would result in another win for Leviathan.

But in the next moment, Lutiera's movement changed. After losing balance, she regained it by blowing fire to stop her momentum. Then, with a fire-encased gauntlet, she delivered a full swing hammer punch to Leviathan.

Leviathan's body was split in two and then caught fire. Lutiera won.

The competitive Lutiera's excitement, "Did you see that? I did it!" directly reached me.

"Great job, Lutiera. That move felt like a breakthrough."

Lutiera's joy flowed into me.

At the same time, the status in the corner of my vision changed.

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Name: Noah Ararat

Minister of Justice

Gender: Male

Level: 3/∞

HP E+F Fire F+B

MP F+F Water E+S

Strength E+E Wind F

Stamina F+F Earth F

Intelligence F+E Light F

Spirit F+F Dark F

Speed F+F

Dexterity F+F

Luck F+F

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My level and abilities didn't change, but the "+" for fire increased.

"Did you grow more?"

Clap, clap, clap.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping came from behind. I turned around to see my older brother Henry, being led by a new maid (Evelyn's replacement), approaching me.

"Brother"

"Truly impressive, Noah. To make the rings grow, even with just willpower."

"Where were you watching from, brother?"

I smiled wryly.

"From a little while ago. I couldn't help but watch since it was so interesting."

"I see."

I smiled wryly again, and my brother entered the gazebo and sat across from me.

"Anyway, do you have something for me, brother?"

"Yes, actually, the nest managed by the Ministry of Military Affairs has matured."

The nest has matured. This is a phrase I learned after being born as a prince, which I didn't know in my previous life.

As a prince, to prevent premature death, I am not allowed to go to the battlefield without the emperor's permission. That's why I've been level 1 until yesterday.

To prevent accidents during my first battle, a "reasonably safe" hunting ground, a monster nest, is prepared in advance. This is managed by the Ministry of Military Affairs.

I see, so the preparations are complete.

"The emperor's permission has also been obtained. So, I will perform the divination for your first battle."

"Divination?"

"Here it is."

My brother said this and handed me a seamless box.

"What is this?"

"It's a famous diviner's box. When you open it, it will tell you what you need. This time, it will tell you the necessary military force for your first battle."

"Such a thing exists?"

"We must be cautious about this."

My brother's expression turned serious.

"Having too many soldiers accompanying you on your first battle will become a blemish later. On the other hand, having too few will be dangerous. Therefore, we use this to determine the appropriate number."

"I see."

"By the way,"

My brother's expression changed, and he grinned mischievously.

"This costs 10,000 Reen."

"That's expensive."

Even though I have a better sense of money since becoming a prince, I was still surprised by this.

If it were a fraudster, I might laugh it off, but this is my brother Henry, the Fourth Prince and Minister of Military Affairs.

A 10,000 Reen item is fitting.

"What should I do with this?"

"Anything will do. Just open it, and the answer will be inside."

"Understood."

I said this and applied force to the box, pushing and twisting it.

The seamless box unraveled like a thread. The thread then disappeared, leaving behind a piece of paper. I grabbed the paper and read the words written on it—hmm.

"What's wrong... hmm."

My brother, who had stood up to look at the paper, was also surprised.

The paper had only one number: "1."

"Does this mean... one person is enough?"

"That's right. ...Amazing, Noah."

Since he brought the box, my brother firmly believed that the divination result reflected my strength.