Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Unexpected Route
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As everyone expected, with my trash stamina, I couldn't even properly handle Dabi's light running training.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? Your butt's lagging behind! When you run, always keep your chest out! Straighten your back!"
"W-Wait a sec. My stomach's growling right now..."
"A turtle that's starved for three days would be faster than this! You were zipping around full of energy during that battle, so what's this now? Pick up the pace!"
"No, back then I was flying with flight magic... Hah, huff! Cough!"
"How long are you going to keep flying around? Humans have always been beasts that run on two legs! Hey! Your knees can't drop when you run! Kick off the ground with spring! One! Two! One! Two!"
"Huff, heave, gasp..."
Oh, please.
Are you trying to kill me right now?
Dabi stuck to my side like a personal trainer, endlessly nagging.
And I could barely keep my sanity just from this light jogging.
My chest felt like it was going to burst, my knees throbbed, and my soles were probably torn or blistered.
My lower back hurt like it was splitting in two, even though no one touched it. The moment I finally collapsed forward from enduring it, Meredes came rushing over as if she'd been waiting, pulling out various elixir vials.
"Prince, first, the stamina elixir. Did you hurt your knee again?"
"U-Ugh..."
"Then drink another recovery elixir... How about your soles? Oh, this foot's torn, but this one's blistered. Your ankle's wobbling too, so you'll need an extra recovery elixir for that. And some light sugar water on top..."
"W-Wait! Stop! My stomach's gonna burst! I just drank that much a bit ago!"
Just 15 minutes ago when I collapsed, and 20 minutes before that, I'd been chugging elixirs and sugar water nonstop!
No matter how good elixirs are, trying to run after guzzling them like this feels like my gut's going to explode. I grumbled while casting recovery magic directly on the sore spots instead.
"This is like self-generating power... no, total self-sufficiency or something..."
"Holy magic! As expected, Your Highness has the talent to become the ultimate knight. Now you can take any injury and jump right back into training!"
Dabi shouted excitedly. No, don't twist it like that!
Whew. After recovering my depleted stamina with 'Bless' and blocking the body-wide pain with 'Pain Killer,' I could finally catch my breath.
Recovery is still best with holy magic over elixirs—it's straight fire.
Anyway, from just one hour of running laps around the clearing, I realized my body's condition was way worse than expected.
I didn't do anything amazing. Just simple laps around an open field.
Yet my ankles and knees twisted, my hips creaked, and swinging my arms too hard even dislocated my shoulder!
This regression has been full of unexpected events—maybe this is another one?
From the start, I'd been flying around with flight magic or just sitting in carriages for long trips.
So my body's degenerated even more than before. In short, lack of exercise...
"Alright, maintenance done? Time to resume training! We've only done half of the promised two hours!"
Dabi, in full trainer mode, urged me on with a booming voice. Damn. He's usually so calm, but he turns into a Spartan drill sergeant when teaching someone?
"O-Okay. I'll run. Just give me five minutes to rest first."
"Do you really need more rest? I saw you use stamina recovery holy magic with my own eyes just now."
"Hey, holy magic isn't omnipotent. I'll run five more minutes later... Just let me rest a bit now."
Not my body—my mind needs a break, you beast!
Dabi finally got it, calming his excited face and reverting to his usual self.
"Then let's take a breather."
"Hoo..."
"For the time being, we'll stick to basic stamina training like this. No need to worry about magic armor or swordsmanship for a while."
"Tell me about it. With this body, putting on magic armor might kill me outright. Would any bones even be left?"
I raised my skinny arm and shook it like an undead skeleton. Dabi gave a wry smile and looked around at the scenery.
"By the way, you're planning to build the knight order headquarters here?"
"Starting tomorrow, we'll expand the clearing. We can train there."
"How many members are you thinking for the knight order?"
"It's not just thinking... It's already set at thirty. Oh, Jess set it, so maybe it doesn't matter now."
"The dead don't speak. Any plans to recruit more knights?"
"Yeah. I need to head back to the imperial academy and pick up a few more..."
I'd been juggling multiple routes at once, so no time to swing by the academy for extras. Dabi, as if anticipating my answer, tossed out a suggestion.
"If you're thinking of pulling seniors like Kyle, it might not be bad to wait until they graduate. Less than four months left anyway."
"What if other knight orders snag them in the meantime?"
"Any standout cadets would already have offers from knight orders."
"Oh."
"Besides, knight orders pick based on current skill. But Your Highness's standards are different, right? Just look at Kyle."
"True... But wouldn't it be better to grab them sooner? You could start training them faster."
"That's not bad either. But for now, I'd like to focus on our current members."
Dabi glanced toward Meredes, who'd returned to Lania.
"I'm saying this with her absent, but Meredes has even greater talent than me."
"More than you?"
"Yes."
"You're already a knight master, though? And she's above that?"
"In pure talent, yes. Truth is, I'm only a half-baked knight master myself."
Huh?
What's that supposed to mean? Why are you only half a knight master?
But before I could ask, I remembered I'd never used Appraisal on Dabi even once.
Obviously, it was pointless since top grade was a given...
Race: Human
Current Strength: A
A?
Dabi's strength is just A-rank too? Same as Linen's potential.
And yet he's a knight master?
Potential ability doesn't even show. Meaning his current stats are already at his limit...
Is Appraisal glitching?
"I earned my master title purely from knight skills. For example, if you can use a master skill like 'Splitting Sword,' the knight association grants the title."
Vmmm!
He drew his sword and demonstrated Splitting Sword. That's what took down Phiren before... Up close, seeing the blade split in two is pretty cool.
"But with my capacity, I can't wear 'highest-grade magic armor'—another master hallmark—for long. Even 30 minutes drains me completely. So in real combat, I stick to mid or high-grade."
"Uh... But you can wear highest-grade, right?"
"Wearing it does nothing useful—better not to. Even ignoring stamina, the power boost from highest-grade doesn't outweigh the restricted movement from the extra weight."
Really? I clearly saw you in highest-grade magic armor sweeping otherworld forces last regression.
"So... It's only a loss in situations needing special maneuvers? Like one-on-one with a powerhouse like Phiren?"
"Exactly. It's called highest-grade, but it can't deliver the peak mobility I pursue. So Phiren—who handled highest-grade properly and wielded the master skill 'Weight Sword' accurately—was a true knight master, far beyond me."
His voice was calm, but regret showed on his face. Man, pushing the crazy prince route fast reveals new facts like this.
I'd thought Dabi was just the best fighter among knights. Who knew he had this backstory.
In the end, Dabi overcame his slight shortfall in raw power by going all-in on technique.
Makes sense. He's always said, 'Compensate for lacking strength with skill.'
Not all knight masters are equal. Dabi wiped the regret from his face and smiled faintly.
"That's why I'm excited about these trainees. Might finally get a 'real' knight master out of them."
"Meredes, huh?"
"The others have strong personalities too, so it'll be rewarding to teach. I'd like to focus on these four—no new recruits—for the next six months. Oh, five including Your Highness."
"Me? Whatever. I'll just be running my heart out, so no need to worry."
Back when I grinded the knight tech tree, it took two whole years of basic stamina training just to wear low-grade magic armor.
Of course, with better conditions now, maybe I can shorten it. Dabi, who'd been thinking, suddenly asked something new.
"What do you plan to do with this knight order, Your Highness?"
"Hm? Well..."
Block the otherworld attack that'll flip this world nine years from now.
But I couldn't say that, so I pretended to think and changed the subject.
"Remember that night a few days ago? Azure Lion Palace?"
"Of course. Unforgettable for life."
"What if monsters like that suddenly poured out endlessly? What would you do?"
"I would..."
Dabi fell silent at the unexpected question.
A natural reaction. No one could've imagined such a future.
Thanks to that, I repurposed a story I'd planned for three years later to fit now.
"The empire's surrounded by enemies. Geographically encircled."
"Yes, that's certain."
"And who knows what dangers lurk beyond that encirclement. We've been complacent, never bothering to find out. Those night monsters probably started from somewhere we don't know."
"I think so too. Truly unheard-of beings. Did the regent secretly contact outsiders? With Phiren as his guard?"
"Probably. Anyway, to counter them, we need power. I want to create a core that can protect the empire even in the worst case."
That should suffice for now.
"That's..."
Dabi blinked in surprise. Then he bowed deeply.
"I too will do my utmost, however little, to be Your Highness's strength."
"You're already a huge help just being here. Never dreamed I'd recruit a knight master. Looking forward to working with you."
I smiled and offered my hand. Dabi shook it reverently with both hands, then suddenly yanked me to my feet.
"Urk?"
"I am the inadequate one, but please take care of me, Your Highness."
"But why all of a sudden..."
"Five minutes are up. Alright! Back to stamina training! What are you doing? Run! Now! We've only done half the session! Can't slack off already! Run! Get moving!"