Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Fruits of Labor
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Thump, thump, thump, thump—
From the early hours of the morning, a dull, rhythmic thudding echoed across the vast training grounds of Dawn Castle.
If one were to close their eyes and imagine the source, it might have sounded like the steady pounding of a drum or the heavy rumble of a massive beast charging across the earth.
"Huff... huff, huff."
The source of this relentless noise was none other than Shiron Prien.
His grueling regimen was finally starting to bear fruit after a little over a month—perhaps even longer—of constant effort.
Compared to standard training methods, his efficiency was several times greater, bolstered by the unique conditions of his new reality.
By layering every technique within his reach, the tower of physical prowess he had built was beginning to manifest an impressive presence that could no longer be ignored.
"Last lap, Young Master."
The owner of that lively, encouraging voice was Encia, the first maid who had been assigned to attend him.
The rotation of the mansion's servants had finally come full circle, landing on her turn to assist him once more.
"So? How many minutes?" Shiron asked, his voice strained but steady.
"Five hourglasses. Exactly twenty-five minutes, Young Master."
"......Good."
Shiron took several deep, measured breaths, and his face quickly settled into a mask of composure.
Even he had to admit that he had made remarkable progress in a surprisingly short time, and a small, satisfied smile crept onto his lips.
He had shaved off three minutes since his very first day on the grounds.
While it was only about a single lap's difference in terms of speed, it was a staggering feat considering the immense weight he was currently carrying on his back.
Thud—
With a grunt of exertion, Shiron roughly dropped the heavy loads that had been stacked layer upon layer on his small shoulders.
The impact roared across the training grounds with enough force to be mistaken for a minor explosion, sending a dull vibration through the earth.
"Splendid, Young Master! Truly splendid!"
Ophelia was there as well, grinning from ear to ear and clapping her hands with genuine enthusiasm.
Shiron had gradually ramped up the intensity of his daily workouts and had eventually doubled his support staff to two maids to keep pace with his needs.
He shook his head as he began to sort through the gear he had just dumped onto the ground.
"Cut it out. I'm still the weakest person in this entire mansion. Your praise is just embarrassing at this point."
"Ophelia isn't wrong, though—what's the harm in a little recognition?" Encia countered, narrowing her eyes with a playful smile.
"I've served countless members of the Prien family, but none have shown this kind of progress in such a short window of time. You could stand a little prouder, you know."
"Whatever," Shiron muttered, brushing off her compliment and holding out his empty cup.
Spotting his obvious embarrassment, Encia chuckled to herself.
"Aw, there you go again. It wouldn't hurt for you to act a bit more like a kid sometimes, Young Master."
"Like a kid?"
"Yeah. You can be oddly curt and grown-up at times, and it's quite a contrast to your age."
"......In what way?" Shiron asked, his ears perking up at her observation.
If his behavior was causing a fair bit of discomfort or drawing too much suspicion, he knew he needed to be more cautious about his persona.
Encia tapped her chin thoughtfully as she considered his question.
"If I had to pick? You don't whine for snacks, your orders are thoughtful without being burdensome, and you train this hard without anyone ever telling you to."
"It's a good thing I'm not kid-like, then," Shiron retorted. "I can let the rest slide, but imagining myself acting like a typical brat makes me want to smack myself."
"What's wrong with that? The previous Family Head and the one before him were exactly the same when they were children."
Encia continued to chatter on as she poured fresh lemonade into his cup, and Shiron turned his attention away, quenching his thirst in silence.
The tart, sugary nectar washed away the fatigue from his muscles, and the slight ache in his ankles and back seemed to melt away instantly.
'Results beyond my highest expectations.'
Shiron knew that much of the credit for his rapid growth went to the special lemonade Encia whipped up every morning.
The drink's ability to instantly lift the [Exhaustion] status ailment was a vital part of his strategy for nonstop training.
But through rigorous self-experimentation, he had uncovered another hidden power of this consumable: it ignored the inevitable growth downtime that usually followed intense physical exertion.
In other words, the recovery-based improvements were delivered directly, skipping the long process of natural healing.
Shiron smacked his lips at the now-empty cup, feeling the surge of energy.
"Would you like more, Young Master?"
"Nah, this is plenty. More importantly..."
Shiron politely declined her offer and turned his gaze toward Ophelia, who was sitting primly by the edge of a nearby flower bed.
"......Eek."
Sensing that she had become his next target, the girl with the soft, cotton-candy-like aura hastily hid her hands behind her back.
It was a pattern Shiron had seen many times before; without him even having to say a word, Encia approached the timid girl with a mischievous grin.
"Ophelia, you knew this was coming when you tagged along, right? Just give up already."
"......B-but..."
Grabbing Ophelia's shoulders from behind, Encia leaned in and whispered into her ear while the girl hunched up tight in anticipation.
"Ophelia... if you don't let go in three seconds, Shiron might just gobble you up!"
Encia made exaggerated gestures to spook her and then shot Shiron a meaningful glance, clearly expecting him to play along.
'What, she wants me to act the part?'
Guessing her intent, Shiron struck what he thought was a menacing pose to humor the pair.
"......If I catch you, it's going to be one smack for every flower ornament you're hiding."
But the reaction he got was far from what he had expected.
"Pfft."
"Puhaha!"
Both girls burst into fits of laughter, and Ophelia covered her mouth with her sleeve, giggling as if she found Shiron to be the cutest thing she had ever seen.
"Young Master, are you really doing this? Spouting ancient thug lines in this day and age?" Encia wheezed between laughs.
"Where do they even find guys who talk like that anymore? It's so hilariously outdated!"
"......Sigh."
Shiron let out a deep breath, realizing that his effort to play along had only resulted in him being mocked for his lack of "coolness."
Encia wiped at the corners of her eyes where actual tears of laughter had begun to form.
"Forget it. I'm the idiot for trying," Shiron muttered, though Ophelia tried to console him with a smile.
"No, Young Master, that was actually super scary!" she praised, but Shiron knew she was just being kind.
'Damn it.'
He had been roped into Encia's farce without realizing it, and he felt a lingering sense of annoyance at being told he wasn't "kid-like" enough.
Ignoring the girls who were still cracking up, Shiron gripped a training spear and turned his focus back to his work.
"......I'm just going to do my own thing."
He turned his gaze to a distant wall at the far end of the training grounds, which was already riddled with countless spears.
They were embedded in a perfect, precise pattern, as if their spacing had been measured with a professional ruler.
This was the result of using the [Merhen Maid Girl's Flower Ornament].
In the game, it was a minor consumable that boosted Accuracy and Dexterity by a measly 5 points, often skipped by players for its inefficiency.
But in this reality, Ophelia made them for him proactively whenever she had a spare moment.
Thanks to her dedication, he had maxed out his power and precision as much as his young body would allow.
‘Pushing my accuracy any further probably won't make a visible difference at this point.’
"I'll let you off for today, Ophelia," Shiron said, shrugging as his competitive steam evaporated.
"Huh? You're not going to rip them today?" Encia asked, sounding strangely disappointed.
"You always used to tear up something precious of hers before throwing it."
"......"
Shiron ground his teeth in frustration; Encia had been grating on his nerves all morning with her obnoxious attitude.
His grip on the spear tightened, and his brows furrowed as he decided to retaliate.
Shiron jabbed the blunt butt of the spear into her side with all his might.
Poke—poke, poke—
A weird shriek—somewhere between a ticklish giggle and a cry of surprise—rang out across the training grounds.
"Ahh! I'm sorry! Haha! That actually hurts!" Encia cried out, flailing her hands to ward him off.
'Such a drama queen.'
Her squeals were music to his ears, but he eventually withdrew the spear, fed up with her fake "dainty" act.
"......I'm going to stop this drill once it's perfected. My efficiency is starting to drop off anyway."
Shiron tapped his shoulder with the spear and eyed his target on the wall once more.
He stepped back with his right leg, gauged the distance, and relaxed every muscle to the limit while keeping his eyes locked on the target.
And then...
Whish—
With a sharp, focused shout, the spear flew straight and true, hitting the wall with a resonant thud.
It was a plain throw, devoid of mana or ki, yet the result was anything but ordinary.
The spear had wedged itself perfectly into the tiny gap at the tip of another spear shaft already embedded in the center of the cluster.
'That will do.'
A faint smile played on the boy's lips as he looked up at the cloudless, azure sky.
It was a rare day of clear weather around Dawn Castle, and he knew the night sky would be just as pristine.
It was the perfect day for a monopoly.