Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Build Stacking (4)
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A few days had passed since I cleared up Amelin's misunderstanding.
She still showed flickers of anxiety here and there, but to shake it off, Amelin taught me magic with even greater enthusiasm.
Still, my magical progress had stalled at intermediate spells.
Advanced magic wasn't like intermediate spells, where sheer mana volume alone would do the trick.
I could pour in enough mana to squeeze advanced-level power out of an intermediate spell on a razor's edge, but the efficiency was abysmal.
How to describe it?
It felt like I was right on the cusp of grasping it... but it kept slipping away.
When I voiced my frustration, Amelin responded.
"H-Honestly, being able to cast intermediate magic in less than a month is insanely fast, Your Highness. Th-That sensation you're describing, like it's just within reach? Normally, it takes years of grinding intermediate spells to even sense it."
"You know your stuff."
"I-I'm stuck right there myself, dying to master advanced fire magic..."
In Savior of World, Amelin flung around attack patterns that looked like advanced fire magic without a care.
But the current Amelin clearly wasn't there yet.
"I-I'll master advanced magic soon too, so I can be even more helpful to you, Your Highness! So...!"
"I've told you, I'm not discarding you, Amelin."
"If you prostrate yourself again, that barely-patched robe of yours is going to rip even more, Miss Amelin. And like you said, Aren-sama's picking up magic way too fast, so chin up."
"I wasn't discouraged."
"Good. Honestly, if you were moping, even I'd find it a tad grating. You've already blown past my mana reserves."
Come to think of it, Ridel was only at intermediate water magic too, right?
She was thrilled about my rapid growth, but as a fellow magic learner, a twinge of envy was inevitable.
Even stuck at intermediate spells, casting magic daily had steadily ramped up my mana.
Amelin checked it every day, and she said the growth rate was absurd.
This was just a side note, but...
Every time she inspected me and Ridel helped undress, I could feel Ridel eyeing my abs while Amelin zeroed in on my pecs.
Even I could tell my body was getting sharper and healthier by the day, so I figured it was only natural they'd stare.
While my magic progress had slowed, my swordsmanship had made huge strides lately.
Once I'd mastered mana manipulation and met the prerequisites, I went straight to Gillek and asked for his secret technique.
"Haaaaah!"
Eagle Pursuit
"Ooooh! That's it exactly! Your Highness!"
Gillek's secret technique.
I'd acquired Eagle Pursuit.
Eagle Pursuit.
Gillek's secret technique, and a handy one even in boss fights.
You leap high into the air, anchor your body in place with mana, then spray mana at your back like an eagle snatching prey, using the thrust to drive a piercing strike down at your foe.
Leaping high was easy, but stabilizing mid-air and dropping exactly where I wanted took practice—it cost me two days to master.
Watching me nail the technique perfectly, Gillek clapped wildly in delight.
"Incredible, Your Highness! Knowing my technique will aid you brings tears to my eyes!"
"You taught it so well, I picked it up fast. Thanks."
"No need! If it helps my lord, this Gillek can do anything!"
Gillek beamed, but the knights of the order still eyed me with resigned expressions.
"Captain said it took him over a decade to devise that technique."
"Took me years just to mimic it halfway decently."
"Is this the talent of imperial blood?"
"At this rate, won't His Highness outgrow needing the knight order altogether?"
Oh boy.
Not just Amelin—now the knights were fretting over their jobs too.
"Don't worry. What kind of prince goes without a knight order?"
"Ah! Y-Your Highness!"
"We were just joking! Joking!"
"Right? You're all like family to me—how could I cast you aside? Keep serving as my knights from here on out."
They were the ones who'd follow me when I headed to the capital.
I'd never dream of ditching them.
Besides, I was pushing myself harder to protect not just me, but my people too.
'Twisted words aside, I still haven't averted the world's total collapse.'
"Your Highness...!"
"Of course!"
"Gillek, this time spar with me while I use the technique."
"Understood! Use me as fertilizer for your growth, Your Highness!"
And so, I spent my days sparring with Gillek and the knights using the new technique, attending Amelin's lectures on advanced magic, and the like.
That's when word arrived about the hunter I was after—the one with the evasion maneuver.
"He refused?"
"Yes. The Hunter Guild Master just contacted us. We told him Your Highness was seeking him personally, but the hunter turned it down."
'Why refuse? No real reason to...'
Hunters should love the big payout.
Yet he refused...
'Some backstory? He had dramatic lines in Savior of World, but...'
The hunter I wanted was a fightable NPC, but no stage boss, so no deep lore available.
'Don't tell me I need a specific item for this secret technique too?'
To learn from that NPC, you had to hand over an item from a certain region.
If you had the item but withheld it, it'd trigger a fight—skipping the technique but scoring the hunter's gear and weapons.
Of course, multiple playthroughs let you grab everything.
"Did they say why he refused?"
"No. Just that they tried hard to persuade him, but he refused anyway, and they're truly sorry."
"I see. Hmm."
"What will you do? Send them to try convincing the hunter again? Or ask for other hunters with intriguing techniques...?"
"No, I'm curious about that hunter's technique. I'll head down to the village and ask him myself."
"Down to the village?"
"Might as well make it a outing. We'll bring Amelin too."
"Miss Amelin as well?"
"Lately, aside from my lessons and feeding Mikel, she holes up in her room—even if not as bad as me. Time she got out and walked around."
"I'll have her stroll the estate grounds every morning for health from now on."
"Sounds good."
Ridel and I headed to Amelin's room.
And when we reached her door...
Voices drifted out.
"I-Is this all they had? I-I asked for a robe..."
"You have to wear something like this!"
"It suits you so well!"
"See? You've got the style for it."
"M-My back feels so exposed..."
"This design's all the rage in the capital these days."
"Your hair covers it anyway, Lady Amelin!"
Amelin and our estate maids.
From the chatter...
"Looks like that new outfit she ordered arrived."
Her cherished robe, torn when she prostrated and begged me out of her misconception.
We'd mended it, but it was pretty worn anyway.
As the prince's personal mage, sticking to that look hurt her dignity, so we'd ordered replacements last time.
"Come on, strike a pose to show off this outfit's best features!"
"Arms up! Arms!"
"L-Like this?"
Wonder what it looks like?
Sounded like she'd finished changing, so I grabbed the doorknob and stepped in.
"Amelin, looks like your clothes arrived. ...Oh."
"Ack!"
Amelin froze mid-pose with her arms raised, spotting me.
Her new outfit was worlds apart from before.
No full-body robe—instead, a deeply plunging back that exposed even the swell of her sideboob, sky-high exposure.
Like those sweaters that blew up online once, paired with black stockings hugging her sturdy lower half and hips.
And the one-piece skirt left the sides bare, fully revealing her thighs that screamed presence and drove players mad, while covering only front and back.
"Y-Y-Y-Your Highness...!"
Caught off guard by my sudden entrance and embarrassed by the new clothes, tears welled in Amelin's eyes.
'This calls for a confidence boost.'
I gave her a thumbs-up.
"Suits you great. Looks pretty."
"A-Ahh! Th-Thank you..."
"Does Aren-sama like outfits like that?"
"Yeah, I like that kind too. Love the maid outfit you're wearing, Ridel."
"Of course. We special-ordered it thinking you'd like it, Aren-sama."
"Amelin."
"Y-Yes! Your Highness!"
Amelin answered, quickly dropping her arms.
The maids gazed at her fondly.
"We're heading to the village now. Come along."
"R-Right now?!"
"Yeah, something came up. You're my personal mage—gotta come."
"B-But I just put this on..."
"Suits you. Really pretty."
"Th-Thank you. But I still need to get used to it..."
"Come on."
"Y-Yes..."
Sorry, but she'll be wearing that a lot from now on.
Better get accustomed.