The Seventh Prince Runs Away from Awkward Situations Chapter 90

“Good! Miss Ria, this time try hitting me once.”

“What?!”

Ria, unable to keep up with Jing's overflowing enthusiasm, asked back in surprise.

“You can use any method, so just try hitting me once. Fists are fine, using your feet is also fine.”

Jing, who answered like that, even spread both arms wide to expose his openings freely so Ria could attack comfortably.

“Suddenly like this? You haven't taught me anything yet.”

Ria, who awkwardly brought her tightly clenched fists together in front of her, spoke as if it was unfair.

“I need to know your skills to decide what and how to teach you. So straighten your posture and try attacking.”

Jing shouted heartily.

But Ria still stood blankly, unable to think of attacking Jing.

“If you're going to just stand there, I'll go first.”

It was the moment Jing, bored of standing still, took a step forward.

Instantly, Ria's body flinched noticeably.

There was no way Jing wouldn't have noticed what I discovered.

Jing stopped his step immediately.

Before the awkward air could circulate between the two, I opened my mouth.

“Ria, there is nothing to worry about. Even if Ria had ten arms, you wouldn't be able to touch a fingertip of Jing anyway. It's better to just attack quickly and end it quickly.”

“T-Ten arms.”

It seemed my provocation touched her pride.

Ria, who hesitated for a moment, took a stance, albeit awkwardly.

Clenching her fists clumsily but similar to a boxing stance and fixing both feet on the ground, she pondered for a moment before extending her fist toward Jing.

As expected, Jing easily dodged it.

And before Ria could even raise her guard, Jing's fist lightly tapped Ria's forehead.

“Ouch!”

“What are you doing lowering your hand right after attacking once!”

Jing scolded Ria.

Ria, who allowed the attack in an instant, stared at him blankly before coming to her senses.

Her brow furrowed slightly.

Ria attacked again.

This time it was a little faster, and a little more precise.

Although he was speaking sternly, he looked quite happy.

He's very excited.

Whatever anyone says, Jing was someone who had lived a life using his body and sword.

Training knights as the Knight Captain must have also been his job.

It seemed he regained vitality by doing something he was accustomed to after a long time.

“You shouldn't let your center of gravity be disturbed! Uh-huh! When throwing a fist, use the recoil of your waist, properly! Don't rest your feet!”

And putting that differently, it meant his training was intended for knights.

“Huff……! Huff……!”

Ria, having received a few of Jing's light yet heavy attacks, collapsed on the floor with rough breathing.

Watching Ria like that, I slightly detached my back from the tree trunk.

It was obvious that if I stayed blankly like this, I would become part of that heat.

I had absolutely no intention of doing that.

My effort to disappear quietly didn't work.

“Jing!!! Ran is running away!!!”

Thanks to Ria diligently tattling even while lying on the floor unable to control her breath that had risen to her chin.

When I glared at Ria, she avoided my eyes feigning ignorance and enjoyed the sweet break time while Jing was distracted by me.

At Ria's tattling, Jing looked at me with eyes of disbelief.

“Lord Ran…… were you really trying to run away?”

“Yes.”

At my firm answer, Jing swallowed his breath as if shocked.

“Lord Ran, I thought you, Lord Ran, would do your best to achieve your goal!”

This time I was shocked by his overestimation of me.

What part of me did he see to think that?

“There is no way skills can be raised that much in two days. Besides, there is only one teacher, Jing, to teach us. Rather than dividing the effort in two, concentrating on one side will have a higher chance of winning.”

Above all, I buried the words that I didn't want to hear Jing's Spartan-style education deep in my heart for his sake, as he would be shocked.

“What are you saying, originally education is most ideal when there are two people. Because you can improve your skills while competing with each other!”

Jing spoke confidently.

That's only when both sides have a competitive spirit.

At my lukewarm reaction, Jing also seemed to realize that the premise of competition was not met.

He pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Alright. Then I will set one condition. Until the Lucha Competition ends, between Lord Ran and Miss Ria, I will grant a wish to the person who succeeds in attacking me.”

“Really?”

“No need.”

The expectant question was Ria, and the answer throwing cold water was me.

As if he expected my cold reaction, Jing nodded to Ria pretending not to hear my refusal.

“If it's something I can grant, I will grant anything. It doesn't matter if it costs money.”

At his definitive answer, Ria's eyes sparkled.

She sprang up as if she had never been exhausted and collapsed.

At that sight, Jing smiled satisfactorily and looked at me.

“Lord Ran, shouldn't one of the two achieve one win? Please help a little.”

At the gentle pressure to stay for Ria, who would achieve one win instead of me, I eventually had no choice but to stand next to Ria.

***

Although her sweat-soaked body screamed that it couldn't move a single step, Ria couldn't easily calm her excitement.

Her heart was beating wildly, but she didn't feel bad.

Jing's education was exhausting, but at the same time beneficial.

Fitting his self-introduction as a traveler with much mercenary experience, all his points were accurate and easy to understand.

Above all, it was fun.

His white hair naturally mixed with silver seemed like evidence of the numerous adventures he had overcome.

If one looks around the world and learns for that long, can one become that strong?

How did he become comrades with Ran or Ratel?

A smile naturally formed at the imagination that followed one after another.

Although it was a relationship that would end after the competition, thinking she wanted to ask Jing a little more about adventure stories until then, Ria climbed the stairs to the second floor.

And she ended up encountering a huge black silhouette standing at the second-floor window.

“Kyaaaaaack!!!!!”

Ria screamed at the shock that blew away her physical fatigue.

“You're noisy.”

A somewhat familiar annoyance returned her heart, which had jumped wildly, to its place.

“Ra, Ratel. What are you doing there?”

Ria, who almost had a seizure at Ratel's appearance looking as if he had become one with the shadows, asked in fright.

“I was getting some fresh air.”

“Fresh air?”

Ria's gaze naturally headed to the tightly closed window.

Because there was no way the owner would have neglected to lock the doors on this cold day, late at night.

“Yes, wind.”

But the opponent was shameless.

There was no way Ria would have the power to overcome Ratel's eyes that looked as if asking if there was a problem.

“I, I see. Come to think of it, it seems the window gap is slightly open. On such a cold day, this much weaker wind is just right.”

Ratel's gaze looking at her speaking servilely was still crooked.

Compared to Jing or Ran, Ratel had many uncomfortable corners.

Ria, unable to find anything more to say, tried to pass him and enter her room.

“3 years ago, what was the reason you participated in the competition?”

At the unexpected question, Ria stopped her steps and looked at Ratel.

“That is…… because the temple's blessing is at stake.”

It was an obvious answer, but Ria quickly realized that the opponent didn't quite like her answer.

“Enough that you couldn't give up even after being ridiculed by the whole village because of that?”

Because ridicule returned along with cold eyes.

It wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean the shame was lessened.

Ria lowered her head feeling her face heat up.

“……Because with just that, I can leave on an adventure anytime. With just the prize money and the blessing, I can be free like you all.”

She knew now that it was a childish dream from her youth.

Because she wasn't as strong as the heroes in books, and she was just a fool who couldn't do anything without other people's help.

“Is that all?”

Feeling a bit choked up at the question that seemed to mock her this time too, she lifted her head.

But what awaited her was neither ridicule nor contempt.

Because of the clouds covering the moonlight just in time, a shadow was cast on Ratel's expressionless face.

Ratel turned away as if he hadn't asked the question hoping for an answer.

Ria chased the back of him leaving without lingering attachment, then looked at the scenery outside the window visible from where he stood.

Thinking that it didn't seem like a coincidence that the backyard where Jing and Ran were sparring together until a moment ago was visible at a glance.

***

It was clear that those defeated in the preliminaries were pouring their unvented passion into cheering and booing.

I waited for my turn, letting the shouts of people piercing the tent and hitting my eardrums flow out the other ear.

“Lord Ran, if you think you'll get caught, just forfeit. Ratel will also have no choice but to move for us to find ‘that’.”

It would have been nice if I could let this flow out one ear too.

But I couldn't ignore his words, realizing through the suffering of the past few days that Jing's worried voice wasn't something that ended by letting it flow out one ear.

“Yes, I intend to do so too. I will shout forfeit immediately if I think I'll get hurt even a little. Didn't I answer exactly the same without leaving out a single letter earlier too.”

At my answer mixed with annoyance, Jing took a step back, but still not reassured, he turned his steps to another victim of his nagging this time.

“Miss Ria, you just have to do as you trained. Understand?”

“Jing, do you know you'll reach ten times if you say it one more time? I didn't know I would say something like this to another person either but…… please calm down a bit.”

It seemed Jing's nagging did have some effect though.

Because compared to her initial answer that she would do her best, the tension was much lessened in her answer stained with annoyance.

At her appearance having found quite a bit of confidence, Jing slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Miss Ria, you can shout forfeit anytime if you think you'll get hurt too.”

“Pardon?”

Whether it was an unexpected remark, Ria asked back blankly.

“Didn't you end up entering the competition getting swept up in our unreasonable demand in the first place. Because the cause of our defeat is not you but another person.”

Jing glared at that other person as he spoke, but the other person was just looking ahead as if he had no interest.

“Shout forfeit if you think it's even a little dangerous. No, if I think you'll get hurt, I will shout forfeit. So there is no need to be too scared.”

At Jing's words reassuring her, Ria looked down at the new leather gloves wrapping her fists.

And she lifted her head as if she had made up her mind about something.

“No, please don't do that.”

At her answer, Jing twitched his eyebrow.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Even if it seems like I will lose, even if it seems like I will get hurt badly, still, absolutely do not forfeit. Jing.”

This time, a slightly more confident answer returned.

Puuuuu—-

Just in time, the whistle blew.

It was the sound announcing the start of Ria's true first match.