The Prince's Resolve
The incident involving the chest had finally come to a close, and peaceful days followed. Joshua had stopped obsessing over her large breasts and returned to her old, energetic self. It was truly a heartwarming sight. But Leo, that walking sexual harassment machine and officially recognized pervert where Joshua was concerned, remained an eyesore I couldn't ignore.
Even if Joshua claimed she couldn't live without him, in a world where love alone could get you killed, Leo was little more than a well-dressed fool. In Aria Chronicle, if you lacked the power to protect someone, even the protagonist couldn't seize true happiness. If Leo truly wanted Joshua's happiness, he had no choice but to grow stronger somehow.
His body had been artificially strengthened by medicine, not through his own effort, so he had no real sense of his limits. He might somehow manage against monsters with that brute strength of his, but against humans—especially battle-hardened warriors, thieves, or Heresy Inquisitors—he would be utterly helpless. I could already picture it. Every bearer of the Holy Eye had left a massive mark on history, for better or worse. Even if the current Leo was just a breast-obsessed perverted idiot, we needed to prepare in advance.
If Joshua got dragged into danger, it would be a problem for me too. Whether I liked it or not, I needed an objective assessment of Leo's current state.
“Leo, come sit over here.”
I called him alone, worried it might be awkward with Joshua present. But of course, Joshua plopped herself right between us, beaming with a bright smile. She must have stubbornly insisted on tagging along. If she kept twisting me around her little finger like this, I had no idea what would happen later. It was honestly pathetic.
“I heard your vow to live for Joshua. I believe you mean it. But the world isn't something you can survive on sincerity alone.”
“What do you mean by…”
“If Joshua were in danger, could you save her? If a Heresy Inquisitor tried to harm her, could you cut them down without hesitation and rescue her?”
We couldn't stay cooped up in this house forever. Joshua needed to venture out into the world soon and broaden her horizons. Not that she was weak, but magic wasn't infinite. If she ever found herself in real peril, someone other than me would have to help her… and right now, the most likely candidate was Leo.
“I made a promise with Joshua. I am no longer the prince of the Holy Kingdom, nor anything else. I want her to be happy until the day her life ends. Even if that means I must cut down Heresy Inquisitors.”
I hadn't expected such an immediate answer. He could have hesitated or fumbled, but he spoke without pause. More than that, I had to give him credit for having the courage to say something so embarrassingly heartfelt right in front of Joshua.
“I see. I understand your heart.”
I stood up and took Triceratops in my hand.
“Mom? Why are you bringing out the broom…”
She always reacted like this whenever I picked up the broom, as if it were some rare event. I gave her a gentle smile.
“Follow me.”
I led them to the weapon storage room. Before settling in this house, I had traveled the world and collected quite a few valuable items. There was probably a holy sword, a demonic sword, and even a noisy ego weapon stuffed away in some corner. But those were too good to give Leo. Instead, I grabbed a decent iron sword and tossed it to him. Even calling it “decent,” it was still a rather fine piece. What a waste.
“Do you know how to handle a sword?”
“I practiced a little when I was young.”
A little when he was young. For someone I assumed had zero experience, that wasn't a bad answer.
“Any other weapons?”
“I've never handled anything besides swords.”
“Then we're good. Follow me.”
Now that he had a weapon, all that remained was the location. I sat Joshua down on the rocking chair in front of the garden, then stood facing Leo in the center of the yard.
“Is this a spar?”
“That's right. I can't entrust Joshua to someone whose level I don't even know.”
Leo took a stance that showed he'd prepared himself somewhat. I gave him a crooked smile. A spar was only a spar when both sides were somewhat evenly matched.
“I'm going to test how far your body can endure. And while I'm at it, I'll see exactly how skilled you are.”
“Despite how I look, I was once called a prodigy.”
A prodigy? As if. I could clearly picture the soldiers deliberately losing to avoid offending the prince.
“Are you sure it's okay to use a broom? You might get hurt.”
“You don't need to worry about me.”
He must have thought I was underestimating him, because he gripped his sword with visible strength. It was almost cute. Joshua, watching from the chair, looked completely at a loss.
“I'll let you take the first move.”
“Then I won't hold back…!”
Leo pushed off hard with his heels and leaped forward in an instant, slashing diagonally. The movement of his shoulder muscles, the angle of his wrist twist, the way he shifted weight to his front foot to swing upward from below—it was all clear. And judging by how he turned the blade to the flat side, apparently worried about hurting me, it seemed he was underestimating me too.
“Haaah!”
With a fierce shout, his sword strike failed to reach its target, stopped cold by Triceratops in its path.
“……!”
“How kind of you to hold back so I wouldn't get hurt.”
He had swung with the flat of the blade, but the fact that his attack didn't even push through with raw power left clear panic on his face.
“You shouldn't show that kind of consideration when fighting other people, you know?”
I channeled mana into the broom and kicked the flat of his sword, sending him flying back to his starting position. I smiled sweetly at him. He must have broken into a sweat, because he readjusted his grip and prepared to charge again.
“I'll come at you seriously this time.”
He kicked off faster than before, rushing straight at me. His movements were far too honest for someone with no real combat experience. I could practically read his next move—if I dodged the thrust, he'd follow with a horizontal slash. For now, I'd play along with his rhythm.
As expected, the thrust came. I spun lightly to evade it, then blocked the incoming horizontal strike with Triceratops. Now what? He kept the momentum from the swing, twisting his waist to prepare a side kick. Not a bad combo. I created distance to avoid the kick, and he closed the gap immediately, swinging again. Even while blocking his attacks, I didn't lose my smile, which seemed to frustrate him. That was entertaining to watch.
“This can't be all you've got, right?”
It had only been about two minutes, and he was already breathing hard.
“Ugh… Not yet. Not yet!”
“That's the spirit. That's how you'll be able to protect Joshua. You already know, don't you? With your current skill, you can't even protect yourself, let alone Joshua.”
There were quite a few strong people in Leo's memories. His two older brothers, and not far away, the woman named Lucia, commander of the Heresy Inquisitors. To survive against sword masters like them, he couldn't give up now. Being ordinary wasn't enough. He had to become special. This world had no interest in ordinary people.
His next slash was slower than the first, but still decent.
“Why won't it hit…!”
“Because you're too slow.”
I jabbed the end of Triceratops into his solar plexus and sent him flying. He sailed clear over the wall. I was wondering whether I should go check on him when his iron sword came hurtling back through the air. I deflected it, and it spun through the sky, briefly blocking my view.
“Not done yet!”
In that split second, Leo had closed the distance again. He reached out desperately, trying to grab my wrist.
“I said you're slow.”
Compared to an average person, his strength, speed, and decision-making weren't bad… but to protect Joshua, they were all insufficient. It wasn't Leo who grabbed the wrist—it was me. Using his own momentum, I slammed him into the ground without expending any effort. The iron sword that had flown into the air embedded itself right beside his face.
It must have been his secret technique. He was drenched in sweat, but I had no intention of going easy on him.
“Your skill is… pretty terrible. Alright then. Time for the durability test.”
“W-wait…!”
From my perspective, the purpose of this spar was simple and clear. While I did want to gauge his ability and see how far his body could be pushed, the primary objective was, of course, to beat the living daylights out of Leo.
I poured mana into Triceratops. It responded instantly, glowing with a dark red light as its single horn protruded. For the crime of groping a mother and daughter's breasts!
For the sin of touching what should never be touched, receive your judgment.
“UAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”
I'd tried to hold back, but since he couldn't react in time, the blow pierced straight through his left shoulder. Leo's scream echoed across the garden.
“Mom!!!”
Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the yard red. Joshua tried to intervene, unable to watch any longer, but I stopped her.
“Joshua, this is all for your sake. Stay put, dear.”
I turned my head so Leo couldn't see and gave her a little wink. I couldn't let him die after going through all the trouble of saving him. At the very least, he needed to suffer as much as Joshua had.
“Get up. You're not going to whine over something like that, are you?”
“Ugh…”
His left arm was in tatters, yet he still grabbed the iron sword with his right hand. I had to acknowledge that spirit… or maybe just call it stubborn foolishness.
“I don't know what kind of promise you made with Joshua, but in your current state, you'd only hold her back. Wouldn't it be better to just die here?”
“Not… yet.”
An unpleasant sensation crawled across my entire body. Leo's eyes were glowing. Perhaps because he was on the verge of death, the Holy Eye burned fiercely in both eyes. They said that those who possessed the Holy Eye wouldn't die until they fulfilled the fate bestowed by the angels. If he died here, the Holy Eye wouldn't have been granted to him.
The divine power radiating from the Holy Eye wrapped around his torn shoulder. Even though black magic made healing difficult, it grotesquely forced the bones back into place, reconnecting muscle and skin. Surviving the curse on his heart must have been thanks to the Holy Eye as well. Surely its power didn't end with mere recovery. Besides, the healing speed was far too slow. There was no fool in this world who would wait for an enemy to finish recovering.
And he wasn't even consciously using it yet. In many ways, he was clearly a high-maintenance type.
Thud.
“What do you mean, not yet?”
Leo tried to get back into stance, ready to charge again, but the moment his shoulder fully healed, he collapsed on the spot. The backlash from using power beyond his capacity must have been severe. At this rate, recovering wouldn't mean much. He still had a long way to go.