How the Prince Makes Friends Chapter 148

Frustrated at having his chance to spar snatched away, Evan was about to demand an explanation when Nihil, still holding Rianus in his arms, pointed at several of the knights gathered around them.

Adolf, the bastard who had picked a fight with their adorable little kitty, was not among those selected.

Evan scanned the chosen knights and frowned. They were sturdier than ordinary people, but relatively slender compared to the other knights.

Is he deliberately picking the ones who look weaker because I haven’t sparred in a while?

That didn’t quite explain why the deputy captain, who had been standing there blankly, had also been selected.

The current deputy captain had been appointed after Evan was chosen as the prince’s escort knight, so Evan didn’t know much about him. However, the wildcat had once told His Highness to keep a close eye on the deputy captain, so Evan doubted his skills were poor.

While Evan was wondering what to do, the wildcat approached each of the knights he had selected, tugged at their collars, and pointed toward Evan.

The knights tilted their heads in bewilderment at Nihil’s bizarre behavior. Just then, Adolf roared at Evan.

“Pick up your sword, brat. I’ll grind that green face of yours into the dirt today.”

Evan curled his lips into a mocking smile at the pathetic provocation.

“Sounds like you’re advertising how old you are.”

Even as he spoke, Evan was secretly grateful that the man had picked a fight. He eagerly reached for his sword.

But the wildcat hurried over again and shook his head.

“Ah, why not?!”

When Evan snapped in frustration, Nihil didn’t answer. Instead, he took the pocket watch out of his pocket and tapped it lightly.

“There’s no time?”

Nod.

“It’s still the crack of dawn!”

Shake, shake.

Nihil shook his head again, then deliberately approached one of the knights he’d selected earlier and tugged firmly at his collar.

“…You want me to spar with that knight?”

Nod, nod.

“What about that bastard?”

Shake, shake.

When Evan jerked his chin toward Adolf, Nihil shook his head without fail. Sparring was fine, but he wanted Evan to fight the knights he had chosen.

Evan narrowed his eyes and glared at Nihil before turning to Adolf and curling his lip.

“Ha… Apparently, you’re too old for this.”

“W-What…!”

“Sir, if you don’t mind, would you spar with me?”

Leaving Adolf sputtering behind him, Evan approached the knight whose collar Nihil had been tugging and politely asked for a match.

The knight, caught off guard, nodded and began preparing for the spar.

Walter, who had been watching the situation, decided to let things proceed for now. It didn’t look as though an actual fight was about to break out. Besides, it was individual training time anyway, so there was no reason to stop the knights from sparring among themselves.

At the mention of a sparring match, the knights training farther away began gathering one by one. After all, what could be more entertaining than watching a fire or a good fight?

The knight who had been selected couldn’t understand why he’d been chosen, but he considered it a good opportunity. He had been curious about the abilities of the Second Prince’s escort knight, whose reputation was the subject of so many rumors.

He’d assumed that calling him a commoner brat was merely an insult. But in person, despite his large build, Evan looked surprisingly young. He couldn’t be much older than twenty. Five years ago, he must have been little more than a child.

Still, considering that people continued talking about him even though he hadn’t shown his face at the Knights Order in five years, his skills must have been quite impressive.

Just then, a few knights chuckled nearby. They were Evan’s former comrades who had trained alongside him, if only briefly.

“Hey, Evan. Don’t go biting people like a dog again.”

“……”

At those words, the young knight’s ears turned slightly red. He glanced discreetly toward the prince, apparently not wanting his master to learn about this embarrassing part of his past.

But the prince himself merely glanced at the knight who had made the remark and casually spoke up.

“Sir Evan, you should’ve bitten him even harder. Would you like me to bite him for you?”

As he spoke, Rianus deliberately clicked his teeth together. He seemed quite serious, and Evan let out a quiet chuckle.

“No, Your Highness. That one doesn’t wash properly, so he’s filthy. You might catch something.”

“Ah! That’s right. Neil told me not to put just anything in my mouth, either.”

Rianus nodded solemnly at Evan’s sarcastic advice. Nihil nodded along as well and gently stroked the clever little seaweed’s head.

The knights exchanged strange looks as they glanced between Rianus and Nihil. But the oblivious little kitty simply raised his head and asked,

“So when are you starting?”

At the innocent question, the knight reflexively went to choose a practice sword.

The training grounds had separate, interchangeable blades and hilts that could be assembled into swords. This was not only to provide an environment where knights could make the most of their abilities, since Aura users were rare, but also to allow young apprentice knights who hadn’t yet received custom-made weapons to familiarize themselves with weapons suited to their builds.

So he’s a dual-sword user.

Evan narrowed his eyes as he watched the knight assemble two swords of different lengths.

That wildcat recommended dual swords to His Highness, and now…

It seemed he hadn’t arranged these matches for Evan’s benefit at all. He wanted the prince to watch and learn.

Of course, from the perspective of someone who wielded a sword, dual swords weren’t exactly a recommended weapon. They were highly vulnerable when it came to defense, and required delicate control, meaning that mastering them took considerably more time.

Evan had even suggested learning shield techniques instead of dual swords. But against an Aura user, unless the shield itself was coated in Aura, it would be cut apart all the same. So it was apparently better to learn evasion techniques, land as many hits as possible, and then get away.

After recalling all that, Evan narrowed his eyes at Nihil and assembled a true two-hander. It was an enormous greatsword that severely restricted his movements, making it unsuitable for escort duty. However, it was the type of sword he’d always used when hunting monsters.

He was a little concerned since he’d never used it in a one-on-one sparring match. But he figured this might be his only chance to wield it again, so he willingly accepted the handicap.

As he swung the sword through the air to warm up, it made a whooshing sound as it tore through the air. Evan usually wielded even a longsword with one hand, so he was delighted to feel the familiar weight of the true two-hander again.

However, contrary to his excitement at finally getting to spar after so long, Evan soon found himself getting beaten up.

Thwack! Thwack!

By the wildcat, no less.

“…I said I was sorry…”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Evan, looking rather dejected, humbly accepted the wildcat’s jelly-paw punches.

Of course, he had won the sparring match. Considering that he had agreed to fight with a handicap, it had ended rather anticlimactically after just a few exchanges, with his opponent dropping his sword.

The problem was that the sword he’d knocked away had flown straight toward the prince.

The wildcat beside him had hurriedly shielded His Highness, so he hadn’t been injured. But their squashed little kitty had let out a little “Oof!” The wildcat’s robe had also been slightly torn.

It was an outcome neither of the participants had anticipated. Everything had happened so quickly that the knights nearby hadn’t been able to react in time. If not for the wildcat, their little kitty could have been seriously hurt.

Yet the little kitty, who had nearly been injured, seemed unconcerned. With dirt on the front of his clothes, he simply stared blankly before subtly asking whether they were going to spar again. Apparently, he was disappointed that the match had ended so quickly.

The opposing knight also expressed a desire for another match, but perhaps he’d already fallen out of the wildcat’s favor. Nihil approached another knight and tugged at his sleeve.

The knight selected by the wildcat was brought over before he knew it and began preparing for the next match. He was about to assemble a longsword, but the wildcat immediately stopped him, leaving him grumbling.

“…I don’t know how you figured it out when I’ve only ever used a longsword in front of the other knights…”

The next match began with the opponent taking the initiative, and the exchange was considerably more intense. Of course, Evan was holding back to give the little kitty a chance to learn, but this opponent was undoubtedly more skilled than the first.

Nevertheless, Evan was still the victor. His overwhelming strength and physical advantage played a part, but he was also skilled in hand-to-hand combat, allowing him to maintain the upper hand even in close quarters, where he was relatively disadvantaged.

Whenever his opponent closed in to land a clean hit, Evan didn’t recklessly swing his sword. Instead, he let go of it, boldly moved even closer, and threw a punch. At times, he used the sword planted in the ground as a shield to counterattack, or as a support to propel himself into the air.

A few knights watching the match belittled Evan’s fighting style, calling it a ‘street brawl’ or ‘cheap tricks.’ Yet none of them actually left. It was a fighting style rarely seen among the Knights Order, where knights were accustomed to wielding their swords in a straightforward manner.

“Sir Evan, you’re amazing!”

Seeing his knight win, Rianus jumped up and down with delight. Even without Aura, the match had been so impressive that his heart swelled with excitement. If he kept training, perhaps he would be able to put on such an amazing display himself someday.

Walter, who had been watching, also gave a small nod before approaching Evan.

“Sir, I’d like you to spar with the knights here from time to time. Your fighting style is unusual, and it would be a good opportunity for the other knights to gain experience.”

“Ah… Well, that’s…”

Evan was at a loss for words, embarrassed by Walter’s sincere praise. Just then, something tugged at the hem of his clothes.

It was the wildcat, pretending not to be a wildcat by hiding his ears and tail beneath his robe.

Wondering if he’d done something wrong again, Evan asked timidly,

“…What is it now?”

“……”

Nihil took out his pocket watch and tapped it lightly before leading Evan back to the center of the training grounds. Then he selected another knight and brought him over.

“…You want me to do it again?”

Nod, nod.

Evan raised an eyebrow at being made to spar again without even a break. Still, he had enough stamina to handle one more opponent, so he picked up his sword again without complaint.

But that one became two, two became three, and then four. Even Evan, with his monstrous stamina, couldn’t help panting for breath.

“Hey! Hah, hah…! You little…! Haaah…! Give me a chance to catch my breath!”

Evan shouted in frustration at the wildcat, who was already selecting and bringing over his next opponent. And the next opponent was none other than the deputy captain.

Watching the puppy whine, Nihil raised one eyebrow, stood with one leg cocked to the side, and crossed his arms. Then he took out his pocket watch again and tapped it impatiently.

It meant they were running out of time.

“Argh! You’re so annoying!”

Evan angrily plunged his true two-hander into the ground. Then he strapped a targe—a small shield—to his forearm and picked up a longsword. With his stamina running low, insisting on using the heavy true two-hander would have been foolish.

More importantly, the wildcat had been selecting progressively stronger opponents. Having gone through several consecutive matches, Evan couldn’t ignore the fact that his stamina was dwindling. But he could also clearly feel that each successive opponent was stronger than the last.

It wasn’t simply a matter of physical strength. Their experience was on an entirely different level.

The composure unique to a strong fighter, the unpredictable attacks tailored to each situation, and the steady sword tip that never wavered even when an attack landed all made that clear.

Evan shot Nihil another dissatisfied look. Nihil lifted his chin as if challenging him, asking whether he was going to give up.

Evan gritted his teeth. Honestly, no one would think it strange if he admitted he was exhausted.

But…

“Sir Evan, you can do it!”

How could he back down when their adorable little kitty was watching him with such sparkling eyes?!