From what I remember, King James was a ruthless man who shoved aside his brothers to seize the throne.

The way he became king involved such dark deeds as murdering not only his brothers but also relatives with distant succession rights, to the point where he was one of the most hated characters in the game.

Arata: “If this world is indeed in the past compared to the game, there’s a high chance that the seventh prince will meet his death in the future.”

Rose: “What?!”

Well, it’s just a high probability.

It’s not entirely confirmed that this world is in the past.

We can’t deny the possibility of a parallel world scenario, and a change in the second prince’s mindset could possibly avert the bloody future.

In conclusion…

Arata: “You might need to make a decision. Whether to continue as the captain of the second knight’s order, or to quit.”

Rose: “…”

 

＊＊＊

 

Morning came, and I was in the mansion’s courtyard.

True to form for a mansion built on prime real estate in the aristocratic district, its vastness was breathtaking.

The space, comparable to a sports stadium, felt more like a ground than a courtyard.

While I was being astonished by the size of the courtyard, Rose-san arrived a bit late.

Rose: “I apologize for the wait.”

Arata: “…”

Rose: “Is something wrong?”

… Well, how should I put it…

Arata: “What’s with that outfit?”

Rose: “Is something off?”

Something’s definitely off.

We’re about to start training, so why are you dressed in easy to move in shirt and jeans?

Are you about to do sports or something?

For now, I’ll have Rose-san change into armor supplied by the country, which wouldn’t matter if it gets damaged, and try again.

Arata: “Shall we get started then?”

We both took up our weapons, standing about 10 meters apart.

For starters, a gentle approach would do.

I readied my usual iron sword.

Rose-san’s weapon of choice was the rank 7 Orichalcum rapier she used back at the restaurant.

Rose: “How shall we signal the start?”

Arata: “Let’s toss a coin. When it hits the ground, we start.”

Rose: “Understood.”

I took out an old copper coin from my pocket and placed it on my thumb.

Comparing the simple ranks of our weapons, there’s a gap of five ranks.

Checking my level shortly before, it had increased to 84 – perhaps the restaurant incident counted as a mock battle.

Still, there’s nearly a 400-level difference.

Is that why?

Rose: “Aren’t you going to use the new sword you acquired?”

Rose-san blurted out such a thing.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

Arata: “What a shame.”

Rose: “What is–”

Arata: “Do you truly think you can win?”

Rose: “What?!”

I flicked the copper coin on my thumb.

Rose-san’s comment was extremely misguided.

Because at the moment, the chances of her inflicting damage on me are practically one in a million.

The moment the coin hit the ground; Rose-san disappeared.

An approach by 『Shrink』.

In a battle against another person, it’s standard to employ a hit-and-run tactic using 『Dash』 or 『Shrink』.

I’m not an expert so I can’t feasibly engage in a back-and-forth offense and defense in a closed up situation – it’s near impossible.

However, this tactic doesn’t work against opponents of a certain level or higher.

In fact, it can leave a huge opening.

The moment Rose-san disappeared.

I threw my iron sword right in front of me.

The greatest weakness of movement abilities.

That is, if you’re hit during the activation of an ability, it results in a stun.

The motion of 『Shrink』 takes 1.0 second.

There’s 0.6 seconds of invincibility during the activation of the ability, but if you’re hit by an attack in the 0.2 seconds at the beginning or end of the ability, you get stunned.

After a beat, Rose-san reappeared in front of me.

However, my iron sword, which I had thrown a few moments earlier, was right there.

Rose: “What?!”

The iron sword made a direct hit, and Rose-san went down.

The ability she was about to use was forcibly cancelled, leaving her in a defenseless state on her knees.

Immediately, I unleashed the level 2 ability 『Kick Strike』 from my 【Martial Arts】 skill.

*【Body Technique】=> 【Martial Arts】

The 『Kick Strike』, unleashed like a roundhouse kick, caught Rose-san on the left side of her head, sending her flying far away…