CH 269

“Hmm, he’s still going on, huh.”

For about a month now, he’d been based in the outskirts of a certain town. Today, as always, Rouge showed no interest in Ed’s relentless training.

Then another man who was by Rouge’s side spoke up.

“It seems so. According to my estimation, it would be good if he could last up to ten days at most…”

“Oh, what a coincidence. By the way, I thought he would quit on the first day.”

Rouge stood as she answered Alexis, who sat on a suitable stone and watched the training scene. She could sit next to him, and as an adventurer, she didn’t care about the dirt on her clothes, but it’s not like they were close enough to sit side by side and watch the training scene of their party members.

“Really, it’s hard being an ordinary person. To have to be that desperate to get stronger.”

“I agree. But, don’t you think you should put on a little more stamina?”

“No, I don’t need it. If I’m going to build my body, I’d rather hire someone who has done so and have them carry me. Isn’t that much more efficient?”

“…Heh, that’s a very ‘you’ answer.”

At Rouge’s words, Alexis returned with a mix of half exasperation and half admiration.

Indeed, she was both right and wrong. For a normal adventurer, even a wizard needs stamina, but Rouge is different. If she spent the time to gain stamina through unfamiliar strength training with her magic research, the results would multiply by tens of times.

Then it would be better to pursue only what she is good at, and cover what she lacks with money, tools, or other people. To Rouge, the things she can’t do are things she doesn’t need to do herself, and she doesn’t consider her inability to do something a shame. Being the strongest magician was all that mattered to Rouge.

“Still, that’s a really harsh training… Is that some kind of torture?”

Rouge grimaced openly at the act taking place before her eyes. Overworking your body to the point of immobility, then immediately recovering and starting the same thing again, it seemed like a type of torture to Rouge that would break one’s spirit.

And Alexis gave a bitter smile at such an impression.

“You could say it’s apt to call it torture. Indeed, it is torture that continues forever as long as one’s spirit doesn’t break. I’ve done it once before…”

“Eh, are you kidding!? You did that!? Are you sane!?”

“… Well, maybe I wasn’t entirely sane.”

That was a secret known only to a handful of people around the world, including himself. The sword at his waist was not a real holy sword… When Alexis learned this fact, he questioned his own power for the first time in his life.

So, he had once consulted Gonzo, whom he was already acquainted with at the time, about wanting to become strong enough to hide the absence of the Holy Sword from others…

“… Yeah, that’s right. That’s not something you can continue while being sane. Of course, as a person of my caliber, I could have continued it indefinitely, but everyone around me was desperate to stop me.”

Alexis himself did not mind paying some price for becoming stronger, but the people around him did. It was not acceptable for Alexis, the only hero in the world and a prince of a powerful nation, to have anything happen to him, and the training that resembled torture caused a fierce backlash.

Of course, he could have ignored it and continued, but Alexis didn’t. It was a reversal of priorities to seek strength to cover up the absence of the Holy Sword, only to anger those around him and stir up anxiety.

“Well, looking back on it now, that was the right decision. I don’t need to struggle so disgracefully, I’m strong enough just by training normally.”

“Hmm… But if he continues the training that you gave up, won’t he become stronger than you?”

“… Are you hard of hearing? When did I say I gave up on training? And him becoming stronger than me? Oh, I’m sorry. Not only are you deaf but also foolish.”

“Oh my, how strange? It seems that the pitiful hero who had his sword blocked by a mere mortal is grumbling? I’m sorry, I’m an adult woman, so I don’t understand the squealing of a defeated pig.”

“Fufufuf……..”

“Huh………”

Alexis and Rouge, while different in swordsmanship and magic, were both people who have unwavering faith in their own talents. As an unsettling air began to waft around, sparks flew from both their eyes… But the cause of that was the punch that had been rammed into both of their heads.

“Ugh!?”

“Agh!?”

“Seriously, why do you guys always end up fighting when I take my eyes off you!?”

Gonzo, who was supposed to be by Ed’s side, was now standing by the two of them. At Gonzo’s exasperated voice, Rouge was the first to snap back.

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“Ouch!? What are you doing, Gonzo!? It’s unbelievable that you would punch a glamorous lady like me in the head!”

“What glamorous lady, you should put on some more muscle first!”

“Do you not understand words either!? Where in that sentence was there any element of muscle!?”

“? Muscles are glamorous and virtuous, aren’t they?”

“…………Enough.”

Rouge dropped her protest against Gonzo, who looked sincerely baffled. It was already well known that any argument with Gonzo would inevitably be converted into a conversation about muscles.

Then, as if swapping places with Rouge, Alexis cast a resentful gaze towards Gonzo.

“Hmph…… You’re the only one who can punch me in the head so casually, you know, Gonzo?”

“Gahaha! Then I’ll have to keep punching you!”

“That’s not what I meant! Tsk, when I defeat the Demon King and become king, I’ll surely have you thrown in jail for disrespect!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll look forward to that.”

This was a typical exchange between Alexis and Gonzo, who have known each other since they were children. To Alexis, a hero and prince of a powerful nation, Gonzo was the only one he could be completely at ease with.

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“So, how’s he doing?”

Having finished their customary exchange, Alexis asked Gonzo again. Gonzo’s answer was somewhat lackluster.

“Well, he’s average, I guess.”

“Average, huh…… I suppose that’s about right.”

Facing Gonzo’s blunt assessment, Alexis directed his gaze towards Ed, who was continuing his training a short distance away. While he did feel a certain brilliance in Ed’s ability to block his sword, even though he was holding back, the rest… especially Ed’s physical ability, was just about average for an adventurer, which Alexis also agreed with.

However, this brings up a question. Alexis mused, still looking at Ed.

(Then why is a man who’s only average working so hard? What is driving him?)

If he’s average, he should live as an average person. It’s reckless for him to overreach and stick with the Hero’s party, which wouldn’t make anyone happy.

At one point, he thought Ed might be clinging to the honor of “moving with the Hero’s Party,” but looking at Ed now, he couldn’t possibly think that. Alexis himself understood all too well that the training wasn’t so easy to continue with just that kind of thinking.

“……He’s really an unreadable man.”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s certainly building up stamina, right? If a useless porter becomes a somewhat useful porter, that’s good enough for me.”

“Hah, you’re so simple.”

“What? Are you picking a fight again?”

“You two stop it! If you’re going to continue like this, you’ll have to train with the kid!”

“Don’t joke with me! I’ve had enough, I’m going home!”

Rouge, who had come on a whim, left to return to the town on a whim. Watching her walk away, Alexis sighed softly.

“……What on earth did Rouge come here for?”

“Hahaha, didn’t she just come because she was curious about the kid, same as you?”

“Me? No way. My being here is… well, just a bit of a whim.”

“Huh, is that so.”

That whim was the same, being curious. But Gonzo didn’t say that out loud. He just looked at Alexis with a gentle, parental gaze, and then turned his gaze towards Ed, who was desperately working hard.

Alexis and Rouge, both young and excellent, often clash because they don’t adjust to each other. Gonzo wanted to do something about their relationship, but being twice their age, he could only press them down from above and couldn’t stand between them.

(But, kid. Maybe you can be the trigger to change these two.)

“Guh……ha! One… more… time……!”

“Hmm, it’s about time. Hey, kid! I’m going to heal you now, so wait a bit!”

An ordinary man who never gives up. If a small gear desperately spinning gets into the gap of a big gear that’s spinning in vain, won’t everything start to spin properly? It’s a convenient hope, but it’s okay to expect that much as a reward for special training, right?

He wished for a brilliant future for all the young people. With that thought in his heart, Gonzo walked towards Ed, who was lying on the ground twitching.

(T/N: Apologies for the delays, just finished ghost of tsushima)