Ch.134134. Richard Henry Infractus

Ian was silently following Fresia’s grueling training schedule once again today. Even for him, keeping up with her murderous regimen, which didn’t waste a single minute or second, was overwhelming.

However, Fresia’s training, which concentrated all the technological prowess of ancient Atlantica, was incredibly efficient. His skills, which had seemed to hit a wall when training alone, were now growing noticeably day by day.

It was all thanks to Fresia calculating exactly what level he could endure and pushing him to his limits.

[One more time!]

“I’ve… been saying that over and over!”

Shouting in frustration, Ian completed the final set and immediately collapsed. He barely managed to catch his breath, which had risen all the way to his chin.

[It’s not time to rest yet!]

With a deep sigh at Fresia’s insistence that he should immediately stretch, Ian forced his unresponsive body to rise. Fresia had taught him that while building strength was important, muscle flexibility was equally crucial.

She had added that in swordsmanship, the power of the same technique could vary dramatically depending on how flexible and elastic one’s muscles and tendons were.

Though Ian had been skeptical at first, with each stretching session, his joint mobility increased. His movements gradually became as fluid as flowing water, and linking sword forms became easier than before.

Having experienced all this firsthand, Ian now followed Fresia’s instructions without question, regardless of what they were.

He slowly relaxed his body, stiff from strength training, exactly as Fresia had taught him. As his tense muscles loosened, his breathing gradually returned to normal.

“This amazes me every time.”

[See? Nothing bad comes from listening to me, right?]

“You’re right. Fresia is the best.”

[You can praise me more!]

Ian chuckled at Fresia’s childishly proud voice. Although Fresia existed only as an artificial spirit core, he could somehow picture her face.

“Ian! Here’s a towel!”

“Oh… thanks.”

A female cadet who had been waiting at a distance for Ian’s training to finish handed him a towel and a drink with a shy face. Caught off guard, he accepted them with an awkward smile.

“Um… are you done with your training for today?”

Fidgeting with her fingers, she asked Ian a question that had been repeated several times since he began his intensive training.

“The training is done, but I have some student council work.”

“Oh, I see. That’s so like you, Ian. Working hard for the student council even after such intense training.”

“It’s nothing special. Just doing what needs to be done. I might be a bit late, so is it okay if you go ahead?”

“Of course! Let’s talk next time when you’re free!”

“Sure, sounds good.”

Ian waved his hand lightly and wiped his flowing sweat with the towel she had given him. Being popular was truly exhausting.

[It’s nothing special~ Just doing what needs to be done~]

“Fresia?”

As Ian watched his dejected classmate return to her friends, he felt a chill down his spine at Fresia’s mocking voice.

[Someone’s sooo lucky. Popular with the girls. Looking at your expression, you seem absolutely thrilled about it.]

I’m in trouble.

Ian immediately realized that Fresia was upset.

It was inevitable. This kind of thing had been happening frequently lately, and each time, Fresia would become furious and take it out on him.

Once Fresia got upset, it was incredibly difficult to improve her mood, so he quickly added:

“Fresia, that’s not what—”

[What do you mean that’s not it!]

Ian swallowed the sigh that was about to escape as the artificial spirit core buzzed painfully in his ear. The last time this happened, he had sighed and had to listen to her nagging all day.

Priding himself on his learning ability, Ian didn’t repeat the same mistake. He felt his mind would be in tatters if he had to endure her again today.

[Ian. Didn’t you say you wanted to become the greatest knight? Didn’t you say you wanted to defeat the rogue Gilbert? Didn’t you say you were the protagonist of this world?]

“Yes, that’s right…”

[Then can you afford to be distracted by women? Is that supposed to be easy?]

“No, it’s not. Everything you say is right, Fresia.”

[What exactly is right?]

Why is this starting again…

Ian found himself trapped in an endless cycle once more.

If he said he was wrong, she would ask what exactly he did wrong.

If he said everything she said was right, she would ask what exactly was right.

Ian couldn’t help but wonder if this was what married men experienced when nagged by their wives.

[Sigh. I’ll let it go this time, but next time there won’t be any mercy.]

“Thank you, Fresia.”

After enduring another 30 minutes of scolding, Ian felt completely drained by Fresia’s venting. He barely had any motivation left, especially since he needed to head straight to the student council.

After taking a clean shower, he put on his neatly pressed cadet uniform and headed to the student council room. He needed to organize the report materials for the field study that had recently been conducted for all grades.

“Good day.”

“Ian, perfect timing.”

Courtney greeted Ian warmly as he opened the door to the student council room. He had been considering going to find Ian, but now that he had arrived, that effort was spared.

“Senior Courtney?”

“The president is urgently summoning all student council executives. We’re probably the last ones, so let’s hurry.”

“The president? Understood.”

Ian felt puzzled but followed him to the conference room where everyone else had gathered.

As Courtney had said, all the other student council executives were already assembled in the conference room. At the head seat, as always, sat Seraphina, the president of Demeia Academy, in a dignified posture.

Ian greeted her along with Courtney and quickly took his assigned seat.

She really is…

Ian glanced sideways at Princess Seraphina. He had always thought she was a beautiful person even before joining the student council, and working closely with her as a council member had only reinforced that belief.

Fresia would probably lecture him for a week if she knew, but this was something anyone would objectively acknowledge.

Her long hair that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight and her jewel-like red eyes had a captivating power.

Especially the naturally elegant atmosphere she exuded made her seem like a mysterious being different from others.

“Everyone is here now.”

“Yes. Has something happened? I don’t recall you ever summoning all members so urgently before.”

Vice President Talisman asked, pushing up his slipping glasses. This was the first emergency assembly since Seraphina had become president. It was unusual for someone who typically observed matters leisurely.

“First Prince Richard will be inspecting Demeia Academy.”

“The Prince?”

Talisman showed concern at the sudden news.

Richard Henry Infractus.

The empire’s second in line to the throne and Seraphina’s older brother.

Evaluated as superior to Princess Seraphina in battlefield command, he was an undefeated commander who had achieved remarkable accomplishments in countless battles.

Even Seraphina, who displayed outstanding talent in all areas, tacitly acknowledged that she couldn’t match his extraordinary military prowess.

“For some reason, he who has been keeping to himself has suddenly decided to visit the academy.”

Seraphina questioned why her brother had suddenly decided to visit the academy.

The succession to the throne was already leaning in her favor. Although many ministers supported him, those supporting Seraphina were not few in number either.

Especially with her desire for talent being greater than Prince Richard’s, she didn’t hesitate to bring people into her faction regardless of their social status.

Some high nobles viewed this behavior unfavorably, but due to the sheer size of Seraphina’s faction, no one was bold enough to express their discontent directly.

Moreover, she was the first princess with the strongest claim to be the next emperor. Although the current emperor had not yet officially declared her as the crown princess, it was generally accepted as a foregone conclusion. In such a situation, openly opposing her was something only fools would do.

And weren’t they the high nobility of the great Infractus Empire?

As politically savvy as they were, they weren’t fools.

Such fools had already fallen from grace.

Her brother, the First Prince, surely knew this.

Did he still have some hidden strength?

Seraphina felt a bit perplexed.

“Whatever the reason, this is an official inspection from the imperial family. I don’t distrust any of you, but as the student council president of Demeia Academy, I must ensure we receive the First Prince without any shortcomings.”

“We will operate the student council under emergency response protocols for the time being. It would be good to inform all student council members of this as well.”

Vice President Talisman had accurately understood why Seraphina had gathered them. Though he was a devotee of imperial supremacist ideology, he was not a dull person.

His political beliefs might be hardline, but as someone educated in a high noble family, he had an eye for understanding the current of events.

“Then, we will prioritize organizing the documents related to the recent field study. Given the sudden schedule, there are many administrative aspects that remain inadequate.”

Courtney outlined the tasks they needed to address first. The recent field study, not being an official academic schedule, had many documentation issues scattered throughout.

Such matters fell under the student council’s jurisdiction, so he argued that organizing the field study documents should be their first priority.

Seraphina also agreed and nodded readily.

“Well said. Ian was in charge of this, wasn’t he?”

“Yes. I was planning to organize the documents and submit them today.”

“Excellent. However, speed is not everything. It must be done as perfectly as possible.”

“Understood.”

After giving a few more instructions, Seraphina adjourned the meeting. Since they didn’t know when the First Prince would arrive at the academy, they couldn’t waste time.

Ian also returned to his desk immediately to handle his assigned task. After requesting a cup of herb tea from the maid assigned to the student council, he began his work.

Having received thorough education from the Rainbarrel family, Ian didn’t find document preparation particularly challenging. However, his talents lay more in martial rather than administrative areas.

He inevitably had some deficiencies in handling such tasks.

But he always had the best advisor by his side.

[Ian, it would be better to remove the fourth line on page 30.]

“You mean this part?”

[Yes, that explanation is unnecessary. It just makes the report longer. A good document isn’t about being verbose.]

What made Fresia remarkable was her high level of self-awareness and knowledge that allowed for such advice. Although magical engineering had advanced and the level of artificial spirits had improved, they still couldn’t compare to the magnificence of Fresia, created in ancient times.

Ian’s family owned dozens of next-generation giant spirit machines and artificial spirits, but he had never seen an artificial spirit like Fresia.

Her performance was unparalleled, to the point where he thought obtaining her might have been the opportunity of a lifetime.

With Fresia’s help, Ian completed the field study report and went to find Seraphina.

– Knock knock

Ian knocked on the door of the student council president’s office. Soon, Seraphina’s voice was heard.

“It’s Ian.”

“Enter.”

As he opened the door and entered, he saw Seraphina writing something with an ornate feather pen, apparently having been attending to official duties.

Ian momentarily lost his words. Seraphina, focused on her work while bathed in sunlight streaming through the wide sliding windows, was like a painting, captivating enough to make one lose oneself in the sight.

Newly realizing how beautiful Seraphina was, Ian quickly regained his composure and handed her the prepared report.

“Here is the report on the field study.”

“You finished it faster than I expected.”

As Seraphina flipped through the report, her eyes gleamed with interest. The report submitted by Ian, whom she had thought more distinguished in martial rather than literary matters, was flawless.

Even for nobles educated from childhood, they were still young aristocrats who hadn’t experienced actual governance. It was difficult to meet the standards of someone like her, who had been handling imperial affairs to some extent since childhood.

However, the report Ian presented was the finest she had received at the academy.

Seeing this report, Seraphina made a decision she had been postponing.

“Excellent. This is the only report that has pleased me among all those I’ve received at the academy.”

“You flatter me.”

“Ian, I have a proposal for you.”

“A proposal, Your Highness?”

Ian tensed at the princess’s suddenly changed demeanor. Somehow, he seemed to know what she was about to say.

“I favor talented individuals. You are the ones who will work tirelessly for the empire in the future. That’s why I prefer to keep you by my side. Some say it’s an excessive desire for talent, but my principle remains unchanged. The more talented individuals, the better.”

Here it comes!

Ian realized she was asking him to join her faction.

As expected, I suppose.

He had been wondering why she hadn’t approached him yet, given her well-known desire for talent. After all, his family, the Rainbarrel, was known to be possibly the wealthiest in the empire.

Moreover, Ian himself ranked among the top students in the academy. Although Gilbert, whom he so desperately wanted to surpass, was above him, Ian believed that with Fresia’s help, it would happen soon.

For someone like him, still neutral without any imperial faction, he was an irresistible target for Seraphina. Ian had always kept this in mind, and today was the day.

But having thought about it extensively, he wasn’t ready to answer easily.

“I am honored. However, I fear I am still inadequate to receive Your Highness’s favor and might disturb your peace of mind.”

Writing collections of famous sayings had been helpful for moments like this. Ian, who had thought using archaic expressions was stylish, had compiled dozens of volumes of famous sayings before obtaining Fresia.

Although he had deleted them all to avoid Fresia’s teasing, the memories of his writing days remained in his mind. That’s why he could speak so naturally now.

“Are you thinking of declining my offer?”

“Please grant me time to consider.”

“I am quite patient. However, I do not have the habit of letting others take what I have set my eyes on. Therefore, I will not grant you a long time.”

Seraphina’s eyes were once again tinged with possessiveness. It was a distorted gaze born from her craving for talent.

Ian didn’t dislike that gaze. If Seraphina had a desire for talent and possession, he had a desire for recognition.

And at this moment, Ian felt immense satisfaction. The situation where one of the most revered people in the empire, the First Princess, wanted him gave him an exhilarating feeling.

Simultaneously, an indefinable, strange emotion blossomed deep in his heart.

“Then, Ian, I hope you will make a wise choice regarding my proposal.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“You may leave now.”

“I take my leave.”

Ian respectfully bowed to Seraphina and left the student council president’s office.

[Ian.]

“What?”

Fresia, who had been quiet during his audience with Seraphina, called him in a deeply subdued voice.

[Don’t get distracted.]

“What? Are you jealous?”

[…I don’t like it.]

Ian smiled wryly at Fresia’s sulky voice.

This was why being popular was exhausting.

He had to spend the entire day coaxing and comforting the upset Fresia.