Chapter 144: The Difference Between Holy Knight and Sanguine Berserker



Meanwhile, after Ryuji's match ended, Princess Anne quickly left with a wide smile on her face. To those she passed, it seemed eerie. Her crescent-shaped grin and the scar on her cheek made her atmosphere terrifying.

'That boy, he was much better than Alan said back then. I know those gazes, unyielding, always searching for stronger enemies. Alan, I can see why the boy became your friend. If you are one side of a coin, then Ryuji must be the other!'

The moment Anne thought this, she stopped moving. "A terrifying thought just crossed my mind; there's no way he is. That cannot happen—there is already a demon queen in the north. Let's not get carried away now."

Her mind started thinking of various situations and scenarios, all focused on Alan and the chosen one she just saw fight.

'I don't care who or what he is. He needs to become stronger... Unlike Alan, I can fight this boy until we draw blood and enjoy the thrill of combat. I must help him grow... I will nurture him into the perfect rival. An enemy who could strike me down with brute strength!'

Anne walked with a spring in her step, humming while she felt the warmth of her blood surging with delight. She wanted to hurry up and fight the young man from today. Alas, she needed to meet her teammates...

"Haruki Tanaka... Holy Knight and his level seems to be 35 because Qwass is trying to help him grow faster." Anne shook her head because of what she saw in their practice the other day. "Whatever, I don't like his party—they are so arrogant and have formed no bonds or links to this kingdom. At least Ryuji has shown a desire to aid the kingdom.

My father mentioned him helping the knights we cannot help because of diplomatic issues. I want to know more about him!"

Anne rushed off to find Haruki and his party to watch them train.

The Holy Knight was weak, and she wanted to help him because if he became too weak, then she might not fight Ryuji. Her freedom was less than one might think, and only because both her father and Lord Qwass gave permission could she help and take part in the tournament.

The long hallway from the royal box took longer to arrive at the private manor of Qwass, where the party of Haruki Tanaka were living. Anne reached the empty training grounds.

She didn't even feel disappointed; this party rarely practised, and when they did, it was a letdown. They would swing their weapons and do some basic muscle exercises—however, none of them fought stronger opponents and the last time they went to the dungeon, A-Rank knights led their path to clear rapidly.

"Where are they?"

"Princess Anne?" a girl with messy brown hair and a modest figure stood with her sword interlocked with a knight who joined their team. Princess Anne realised that only this girl was serious about living in this world.

"Ah, Fuuka? Where is the Holy Knight?"

"He.... They went for a drink because the training was boring... Princess..." Fuuka, the daughter of a police chief, knew how to respect those above and wasn't that bad a student or hero, but because she wasn't the leader. Her voice and opinion meant less compared to Haruki or Kenta who liked to speak with big voices and acted like they led the party.

"I see; thank you, Fuuka," Anne knew that Haruki and his party didn't train, and the reason for them not training was a lack of drive or interest. Not only that but with the level system, they seemed to misunderstand that numerical attributes couldn't devolve or degrade.

'These fools, they don't understand that strength degradation is one of the biggest knight killers. Not everyone is equal!'

Liana practised silently, not wanting to distract Alan and Ryuji, but she couldn't help but look at the state of their bodies.

'Alan and Ryuji are amazing, but I can see how much damage they have taken. Uncle Alan's sword fully heals his body every ten minutes, while Ryuji doesn't seem to be healing at all. He takes less damage, but it's adding up!'

"Ryuji, stop; your body is reaching its limit. Alan, heal him." Velvet opened her eyes, a bright purple light vanishing, her body exhausted while Ruby and Lapis almost instantly collapsed as she caught them, the two girls now sleeping.

"Got it," Alan healed Ryuji's body.

"Thank you." Ryuji stretched and smiled, not feeling any pain in his body, but a few seconds later, he dropped to the ground and began to convulse. His face seemed fine, but his arms and leg muscles started to visibly cramp, a sight that made it look immensely painful, while Alan hurriedly tried to heal his body.

"Alan, it's fine, don't heal me yet. This is natural; since I was five, my mother always put me into this state before I got a break."

Alan understood his words.

"Velvet, could you prepare a bath?" Alan asked, and the moment he finished, Ryuji began to vomit blood. Though the blood seemed strange, unlike fresh red blood, it seemed stagnant, black and smelled horrible, like the blood from a corpse.

"Alan, don't worry. Velvet watched with stern eyes and nodded. He's making substantial progress, Alan. He's even more competitive than you; how lucky you are he is Liana's chosen now."

Alan nodded; he knew Ryuji was special, but after seeing him covered in dark purple bruises, bones snapping and then vomit blood, Alan didn't feel his friend was normal. "His arm broke in the first punch, yet he just snapped it back and kept fighting... I could never match this guy in his insane style; I admire him deeply."

"Hahaha, Alan, don't put yourself down; that beautiful swordsmanship isn't something given. I can feel how much you sacrificed and suffered to train that initial flurry of blows. It reminds me of a dance like a beautiful woman standing against a dozen monsters, yet she remained standing in the end."

Ryuji's words made Alan's eyes focus on him. His lips curled into a bitter smile as he let out a sigh. "Yeah, the style was used by my late mother... I'm amazing. You could imagine how she would look just from glimpses of me, though..." Although Alan had a bitter smile, the pride and delight in his eyes shone bright; even Velvet showed a look of appreciation to Ryuji's words.

"I really am glad you are my rival... Ryuji."

Sariel seemed to watch these kinds of scenes all the time; in fact, she probably knew more about Ryuji than the other girls because of these brief moments when he opened himself to others.

"Master seems to be the type who likes older, mature women... Is he going to run away and choose Mother!? I can't let that happen! I have to get stronger and take Mother's place. Mmm... I will do the same training as the master and that process!

Just wait!" She looked determined before floating off into the sky, heading towards the barracks.

Alan and Velvet then dragged the half-dead Ryuji to the medicinal bath and tossed him inside naked. Velvet and the other two witches seemed to enjoy doing this, while Alan wore a pair of rubber trunks and hopped inside, holding Ryuji above water to make sure he didn't fall asleep and drown or something.

"Alan, do you really like women...?" Velvet asked with a raspy voice while looking at the two blonde males, one with a thick and perfectly sculpted muscular figure and the other slim with a lean build. "Most women in the kingdom would pay for this scene. Should we sell pictures?"