The Seventh Prince Runs Away from Awkward Situations Chapter 92

"Idan, what do you mean appearing suddenly like that? Saying you'll enter the competition instead of me. There is no way something like that is possible just because you want it."

Ria's voice, full of bewilderment, broke my reminiscence.

Idan stared intently at Ria with his characteristic stiff expression.

"You just have to say you were injured. If a member is ejected due to an individual mistake, the remaining participants can find someone to replace them. You should know that better than anyone else?"

A pained look flashed across Ria's face as she recalled the bitter past.

When Ria avoided his gaze first, Idan passed her and stood in front of us.

"It is not what the temple desires either for Ria, who has already committed corruption once, to enter a match with outsiders. If you get on the temple's bad side more than this, it will become harder to live in the village."

I saw Ria's head bowing over Idan's shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and looked at the brusque face.

"So, you're saying we should enter the competition with you instead of Ria?"

"That will be better for you all as well."

Come to think of it, it was said he grasped the championship in the competition he entered in Ria's place.

Well, at least if Idan joins, I can avoid Jing's Spartan training.

Unlike Ria who barely extended her fist in 3 years, he has winning experience too.

Perhaps accepting Idan could be a better choice than the original work.

Since it means the opponent Ria could never beat in her life would become our ally.

It might be faster to persuade Idan and make him a comrade than Ria who doesn't need to go outside the village following Idan.

Thinking simply, it is a proposal that isn't that bad.

"I believe I already answered. That I refuse."

I shrugged my shoulders at Idan at the protagonist's bastard's voice full of annoyance coming from the side.

"He says he refuses?"

"What is the reason? Ria only barely won the 2nd round. If I go out instead, the probability of winning is......."

"Your face looks unpleasant."

Ratel cut off Idan's words and answered.

At the unexpected reason, Idan's mouth shut completely this time.

He seemed severely shocked that the reason for refusal was neither skill nor reputation, but Ratel's personal aesthetic sense.

"So take that unpleasant face and get lost."

When Ratel drove the wedge in, Idan's face finally contorted.

"You will regret this."

"Funny. What is there to regret more than accepting a piece of trash who can't even understand words."

Ratel repaid Idan's single remark with a curse.

If they fight like this, there will be no end to it.

Accepting Idan might be the better choice in the long run, but since the protagonist hates it that much, it couldn't be helped.

I had no choice but to politely refuse the guy's proposal myself.

"I think further conversation is useless, so how about you get going now?"

Idan raised his eyes at my mediation.

The one who refused was Ratel, so why is he glaring at me?

However, since I was a more mature adult than Ratel, I had the magnanimity to laugh off that level of anger venting.

"It must be heavy, so carry it carefully as you go."

At my kind advice, Idan, who had entered the bookstore empty-handed, frowned as if asking what I was talking about.

If he couldn't understand, I was willing to answer kindly again.

"I mean your pride that is too bloated compared to your skills. Must be heavy."

At my sarcasm, Idan's face contorted fiercely.

The guy approached as if he would pounce on me at any moment.

However, I didn't just flap my lips for nothing either.

"If you approach any closer, I will regard it as an attack. I can make your body unable to ever enter something like the Lucha Competition again."

As if to show he wouldn't end it with a simple warning, Jing spoke with his hand on his sword.

Perhaps judging that he couldn't win against an opponent with a sword, Idan ground his teeth and retreated backward.

"I will watch if you can keep blabbering so well with a torn mouth."

Leaving behind words very much like a villain, Idan left the bookstore.

I wished it was a cheap threat just like the cheap line, but unfortunately, the guy had the power to make me like that.

He had the conviction that he could participate in the competition ignoring the rules.

Whatever else, the probability that the temple would help with his participation was high.

The 3rd round could become a fight against that guy.

The worst assumption was the case where Ratel yells forfeit and I end up fighting Idan.

Because if I get caught before I can even yell forfeit as the guy said, all I would gain is my body beaten to a pulp right before death.

"You seem to have many worries."

It was Ratel who spoke to me as I was quietly counting the number of cases with a frown.

"I received a notice of half-death, isn't it strange not to have worries."

"It's a waste of time to just worry when you know the solution."

The guy answered calmly.

"Yeah, I know."

Since if the protagonist bastard in front of my eyes participates properly in the Lucha Competition, there will be no reason for me to be in danger.

I already know the condition to move the guy too.

Leaving the guy waiting for my answer, I turned my body to Jing.

"Starting tomorrow, I will also participate in the training with Ria. Do I just need to go out at dawn."

"Yes, you just have to come out to the backyard from before with Ria. However...... will you really be okay?"

Jing asked with a worried face.

"Does Jing also think the probability of me beating Idan is low?"

Jing hesitated to answer my question.

That in itself was enough to answer, but Jing didn't avoid answering.

"It is not low. There is no probability of Lan-nim winning at all."

It was an honest answer to the point of being inflexible.

"Even if I participate in Jing's training for the remaining three days?"

"It will be possible to buy time as soon as the match starts. Time to shout forfeit before being caught by Idan. However, do not worry. If Ria and I win the remaining matches, there is enough of a chance of victory."

"That is if luck follows us."

"......That is correct."

Wouldn't it be better for Jing to just assassinate Idan instead.

Shaking off the temptation, I shook my head.

It seemed better to leave that as a final bastion.

Perhaps I might discover something hidden in the descriptions of the book through this incident.

***

Entering Jing's training was very different from just watching.

It was much harder.

"Lan-nim, is it really true that you have never received training even once? You are more outstanding than I thought!"

Listening to Jing's flattery was too, very, extremely hard.

I knew my physical abilities well.

And I knew well that Duke Piteos hadn't taken a stance to give such generous praise.

"Unless you want to say how trashily you thought of my body, please be quiet."

At my request, Jing gave a benevolent laugh, haha.

"No, I am not just saying empty words. Since you said you had never learned fighting, I was approaching it with the mind of teaching a young child, but. You are doing much better than I expected."

Well thanks for that.

Swallowing a hollow laugh at his generous evaluation, I threw a punch at the sandbag he had hung up simply, and repeatedly dodged to the side the bag that returned from the recoil.

Jing, who was watching that appearance proudly, made a clapping sound by striking his palms together.

"Good. Since the warm-up exercises are over, let's do it properly now. Miss Ria, come here."

At Jing's call, Ria, who was working hard throwing punches in one corner, approached with a bewildered expression.

"Wasn't what we did until now proper?"

Jing smiled broadly at Ria's question.

"Miss Ria has been watching Idan fight all this time, right?"

At his question, Ria hardened her face and nodded.

"Then you must know roughly what kind of method Idan attacks with?"

"......Yes. But it's really rough. Since Idan is too strong, I can't copy him."

Jing narrowed his eyes at her answer, lacking confidence.

"So Idan is that strong....... Well, it doesn't matter. Even though it is fine, try attacking Lan-nim mimicking Idan."

"What?!"

When Ria freaked out, Jing looked at her as if asking what she was so surprised about.

"What you need right now is sense and experience. Since you haven't hit people much, hesitation forms in your fist, and you can't gauge how much power you need to give."

"So what do I gain?"

"You become able to respond to Idan's attacks even a little. Watching the two of you exchange attacks, and after that I will face Lan-nim and Miss Ria once each. There is nothing like this to increase skills in a short period."

Jing kindly explained the hell that would unfold for two days.

"E-Even so, attacking Lan is a bit......."

Ria said while glancing at me.

At her appearance hesitating to attack more than necessary, I narrowed my eyes.

"Is it because I am too weak, or are you hesitating to attack because it is me."

At my question, Ria wriggled her fingers.

"B-Both......."

It was an answer that made a sigh come out naturally.

She was a Ria who smashed the opponent's skull as if it were nothing in the original work, so just what kind of change did Idan's death bring to her.

"In the match, the opponent could become Idan."

At Jing's firm words, Ria, who was hesitating, bit her lip.

"No matter how strong the opponent is, no matter how much you don't want to fight them, the moment where you must fight will come. Especially in your life, you will encounter it very often.."

Wonder appeared on Ria's face with his slightly softened words.

"M-Me?"

"Yes. Even if not now, someday it will definitely happen."

"......It sounds like a curse."

At Ria's pouting answer, Jing smiled broadly.

"That will depend on what you wish for. Still, you cannot avoid it."

"While living in the village, how many times would I have to hit a person."

At Ria's retort as if it was absurd, Jing opened his eyes wide.

"How can you say you won't go outside the village when you have that much talent."

"......."

Ria opened and closed her mouth for a moment at Jing's answer filled with conviction.

"......I have talent?"

As she asked back as if she couldn't believe the words she just heard, Jing crumpled his brow.

"Why did you think I was holding onto you and not Lan-nim?"

"That's...... I thought it was because you didn't want Lan to get hurt."

"Well, that is not wrong either."

At my agreement, Jing coughed.

"It is not necessarily just that. It is because the probability of success is higher than teaching Lan-nim. Lan-nim also stayed still because he knew that. Isn't that right?"

Jing suddenly turned the arrow to me.

"Does Lan really think so too?"

Following Jing's gaze, Ria asked, looking at me.

"It is not my thought but it is really so. Ria is born with fate and skill where you have no choice but to get involved in fights."

My thoughts were not important.

Because her settings were like that.

At the explanation without addition or subtraction, Ria's face flushed.

This time it probably isn't because of shame.

Ria slowly raised her hands and took the stance with her legs.

It was in a shape distinctly stable compared to two days ago.

It was a good thing for her, but for me, it was a slightly wearying change.

Ratel hid his body in the shadow created where the window and wall met and looked down at the shop's backyard.

His pupils moved following the two silhouettes continuing training with awkward gestures.

To be exact, he was moving following the one whose movements were more terrible among the two.

The black-haired prince was following Jing's training better than he thought, but it wasn't enough to knock down Idan in the match two days later.

It was obvious that both power and speed would fall far short compared to Idan.

Ratel knew that that prince might be suspicious, but he was not a foolish person.

He himself would know better than anyone that it was a fight with no chance of winning.

But he still showed no sign of coming to find him.

Is he saying the secret he hid is worth risking his life for?

While saying he is helping him to live, he seemed not to have noticed that risking his life to keep a secret is a contradiction in itself.

What is it that he wants to protect more than his life?

Ratel's gaze chasing Ria and Ria's movements did not last long.

Because someone else showing quiet movement using the darkness as cover disturbed his contemplation.

Furthermore, the opponent seemed not as used to concealment as Ratel.

Ratel, who observed the direction the opponent's steps were heading, soon moved his steps quietly.