episode_0053

“Pant, pant…!”

The training started as usual for another day.

On the 4th day, my weak body couldn’t keep up.

Just like always, I was falling behind.

But.

“Bruce, are you trying to catch up with me?”

“What…! How did you get here!”

“Haha! Run faster before I catch up.”

“That’s nonsense. I was just running slowly!”

Lv. 7 (SP: 0.15)

▶ Strength 2.68

▶ Agility 3.50

▶ Endurance 4.11

▶ Stamina 2.10

▶ Immunity 1.05

▶??? 0.20

Slowly increasing my stats allowed me to catch up with the slowest trainee knight, who I couldn’t keep up with before, even if only for a brief moment.

Despite the difficulty of their training and my breathlessness, there was a sense of getting healthier.

It seemed necessary to maintain this phenomenon, as the stats would prove useful in the future.

“Still too early. I may have obtained the key, but it’s not time to use it yet…”

While running through the training ground, I realized that even if I obtained the key at this moment in the game, I couldn’t use it.

I never thought about the reason why, but training carefully with them made me understand.

It shouldn’t be used now.

It was a hundred times wiser to wait patiently.

“…Tsk!”

A knight moved ahead.

No, a group moved ahead.

The sound of their tongues clicking was probably dissatisfaction towards me.

Some of them deliberately brushed past me as they passed by.

-Ding!

“This won’t end well.”

As soon as I collided with them, a choice appeared.

The content was predictable.

From why they bumped into me to asking for an insincere apology.

It was best to ignore and move on.

Even if it was shown in the game.

[ 5. (Approaching Arina) Nuna, did you see that guy bump into me? ]

“I would never say something like that unless I was crazy.”

Isabella came on the 3rd day, and Arina came on the 4th day.

Thanks to their watchful eyes, the knights’ actions couldn’t become more audacious.

After the group morning drill ended.

As Arina walked towards me, the choice window disappeared.

Arina walked towards me.

Ignoring her, I slipped away towards the water fountain.

As my pace quickened, the sound of her footsteps following me also hastened.

The choice window kept appearing, urging me to look back at Arina, but I continued to ignore it.

Arina finally caught up to me as I pretended not to notice her and asked, “The training seems too intense. Why are you running so much?”

-Ding!

At this point, the original window disappeared, and new choices appeared.

[ 1. (Pushing her hand away) I’m sweating a lot right now. ]

[ 2. (Casually) What’s the problem? ]

[ 3. I’m currently a trainee in the 1st Knight Division. ]

As I turned my head, Arina seemed displeased with my actions.

But, I felt the same way.

None of these choices seemed right.

Option 1 was too direct in showing concern for Arina.

Option 2 was somewhat dismissive, but it didn’t seem enough to make up for the suspicion I had caused. Ultimately, it would only make things worse.

Option 3 seemed like the best choice…

“I don’t feel like talking. Should I bow down?”

“What?”

“Do you have any orders for me?”

“Orders? You…?”

Arina raised her eyebrows in surprise.

She knew very well the position I was in.

“I am currently a trainee undergoing the initiation period in the 1st Knight Division.”

I changed my stance from attention to salute.

Very blatantly.

Arina grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

“Trainees must follow the rules of the training ground.”

“Karcein.”

Arina’s grip tightened, clearly showing her displeasure.

“Don’t push your luck. I’m not trying to stop you from going through the trainee process, but don’t use the knights’ etiquette in this way.”

Arina emphasized that she was here to meet Karcein Bargrand, not the trainee Karcein.

I wanted to draw a line, but it seemed impossible at the moment.

“Let’s leave it at that.”

If I pushed further, there was a possibility that if I angered her, the knights could drag me away as a troublemaker.

A few more words could lower our intimacy level, and I didn’t want that.

“So, why did you come here?”

I casually responded while washing my sweaty face at the water fountain.

I already knew the answer, but among the choices presented, this seemed like the best one.

“…Just checking if you’re doing well in training.”

“You didn’t come to monitor me because you think I might cause trouble, did you?”

Arina’s expression changed for a moment.

It was because of that incident.

“That’s not it. There are some bad customs among the knights, so I came to observe.”

“I see.”

“Here.”

I wiped my face with a towel from my pouch, ignoring the towel Arina offered.

Arina sighed lightly as she watched me.

“I told you before, the training is too intense. Tell Mark to ease up a bit.”

“It’s not necessary.”

Before the notification sound rang, I replied, “Don’t come looking for me if you care about me. It’s the same with that.”

Arina couldn’t bear it and her brows furrowed again.

As expected.

“Karcein. Do you not remember why I got mad at you?”

She took the bait and asked.

Second choice.

[ 3. Not necessary. ] This was the choice that seemed to suit me the best.

“I clearly told you back then. I don’t like my sincerity being trampled on like this. I may have been wrong to doubt you, but this is not the way.”

Arina’s expression changed once again.

Facing her like this, I had to use the third choice.

▶Arina is upset and angry. How will you respond?

▶Warning! This is an irreversible choice!◀

[ 1. Do you want a taste of your own medicine? I said to make you feel bad as much as I did. That’s fair, right? ]

[ 2. Don’t you realize that it’s more disruptive from my perspective? ]

[ 3. Seriously, do you expect me to remember that? Do you have no conscience? ]

[ 4. That’s favoritism. Are you deliberately trying to hinder me? ]

On the 4th day, a new choice emerged from the meeting with Arina, which was meant to increase our intimacy.

Here, I chose…

“Hah. Here we go again.”

“What?”

“From my perspective, it’s more difficult because of you. Have you already forgotten?”

I deliberately chose the worst option.

***

Arina had put a lot of thought into this plan, focusing on getting under Karcein’s skin.

After seeing the torn certificate, she had started to doubt him, and it had made her uneasy.

She had started with suspicion and it had not left her mind, making her feel uncomfortable.

So I tried to do better.

She tried to recall the time when she enjoyed going to the training ground and decided to support and help out with what was needed to lighten the mood.

“Ha. Here we go again.”

But when she heard such words,

“On the contrary, from my perspective, it’s even harder because of you. Have you already forgotten?”

Even though she tried to help, when she heard that it was making things harder, anger started to well up inside her.

“You…!”

Ariana stopped herself there.

“Yeah. I was stupid. I didn’t need to consider someone who wanted to undergo rigorous training. I should have known better.”

-Flutter.

The towel slipped from Ariana’s hand and fell to the ground as if it were flapping.

“I’ve experienced the hardships of knights’ training myself, so I know how tough it can be. I wonder how much you can endure. Go get a proper scolding and come back.”

Just a moment ago, she was about to make a snide remark towards her younger sister, whom she had come to take care of, but now she turned her back abruptly.

Her red ponytail was swaying heavily due to the unexpected brisk footsteps.

Karceine, who was left behind, was looking at Ariana through the status window, but.

“Wow. Look at this? This guy is getting all this support from the first lady?”

But that was short-lived. Soon, an unwelcome guest arrived.

‘Here he comes.’

Karceine quickly confirmed the appearance of the man in front of him.

The orange fringe that stuck out like a spike.

Freckles densely packed on both sides of his face.

The fidgety movement of his body and his very thuggish behavior.

Listing the prominent features seen in the game, he figured out who he was.

‘Is this guy Bruce?’

Among the trainee knights, he was the most lazy and idle, a waste who had entered the Bagrandt Duke’s knight order by paying money.

That character was Bruce, as seen in the game.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Hey. Do you know how many ranks apart you and I are?”

The words coming out of his mouth were as cheap as his fidgety movements.

Such people were everywhere.

Why. If it was a crowded place, wouldn’t you see them often?

‘If Ariana were here, she wouldn’t even dare to say a word and would just leave.’

As a result, he had no choice but to reluctantly choose the bad option and send her away.

Well, there was no need to be afraid.

These people always boast a lot and only pick on those weaker than themselves, so it was obvious.

Karceine responded confidently without being intimidated by the shabby mind games.

“What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter? This guy. Don’t you have any respect for your seniors?”

Bruce pushed Karceine’s shoulder with his hand.

“You’re the only one enjoying this kind of favor. During the admission period, you’re supposed to take the test fairly, but if you borrow external power like this, what will happen? This is an illegal admission. It’s a prohibited act in the knight order. Right?”

Once, twice, and then three times, Bruce pushed Karceine, pointing out the situation.

“Others must be feeling unfairly treated to the point of going crazy, right? Some easily get admitted from behind, while others compete fiercely from the entrance exam. It’s so unfair, don’t you know that?”

Then Bruce picked up the dropped towel and neatly folded it.

“So, is this a confiscation? I’ll turn a blind eye to your misconduct.”

Although his words seemed to be pointing out misconduct, his actions were too obvious.

He just wanted those expensive-looking items, right?

Suddenly, an old memory came to mind.

In school, the eldest year unexpectedly showed up that day and offered me a pen.

-Write neatly when you’re taking notes. What’s wrong with that?

And then, he put down everything that seemed necessary for school and left.

I don’t know where he heard that from.

But just because I received all of this that day, I got into a fight.

‘Ha. There’s a guy with a greedy personality who’s fixated on bribes. The situation is similar, isn’t it?’

Once again, a cold feeling ran through me.

In this situation, which showed an uncanny resemblance to a bad memory, Karceine couldn’t help but smile.

“Kuk, kuk kuk.”

Laughter suddenly burst out.

His laughter grew louder little by little.

His voice reached Bruce’s ears, who was enjoying the luxurious and expensive towel, and in the meantime, Karceine changed his plan.

‘Yeah. I should teach them properly.’

Whether it’s a greedy thug or a family member who provokes greed and starts a fight, they both deserve to be exposed.