-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: The Marquis's Grand Prince (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Marquis's Grand Prince (3)
"Is that you, Grand Prince?"
The man who approached me was a regular knight clad in silver helm and armor. For someone with an all-time low favorability score, he spoke quite normally.
[Name: Rekka Olian]
[Trait: Swift Sword lv1]
"Rekka Olian?"
"It is an honor that you remember me, Grand Prince."
Rekka said, removing his helmet.
"Uh..."
His face, now revealed, was a mass of scars, as if it had been slashed repeatedly with a knife. What would have otherwise been a handsome face was now grotesque enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Heh heh."
As Rekka grinned, the scars on his face seemed to stretch wider, making him even harder to look at.
Despite hating me enough to want me dead, he showed no outward negativity. If I couldn't see his favorability, I would have thought our relationship was perfectly normal.
I moved away from him and approached Arin.
"Hey, Arin."
"Yes."
"The scars on that knight's face..."
"Do you not remember?"
"Well..."
Of course I don't remember. I'm not Yuren.
"You did that yourself, Grand Prince, when he was a knight-in-training."
"Wow..."
Yuren, you really were a piece of trash.
While I was busy narrating from the protagonist's point of view, it seems Yuren was diligently and thoroughly living the life of a scoundrel.
Rekka was looking this way with emotionless eyes, but I could tell. I could see the murderous intent for me hidden within them.
"What exactly happened back then?"
"Do you truly not remember?"
"No."
"You were dragged to the training grounds against your will because of the Marquis. Angry, you summoned that knight, who was training alone, and slashed his face with your sword."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
"Just like that?"
"Yes."
A sigh escaped from the depths of my lungs.
"Haaah..."
It was no wonder that knight, Rekka, wanted to kill me. Honestly, if I were him, I would have charged forward and swung my sword right then and there.
"Arin."
"Yes."
"Let's run—no, let's go back."
I couldn't stay here any longer, not with Rekka looking like he could draw his sword and attack at any moment.
"Understood."
Without another word, Arin began preparing to return to the mansion.
"Arin."
"Yes."
"How about Training Ground 4?"
"Training Ground 4 is the farthest and has the least equipment, so it's rarely used. It likely won't be used unless all the other training grounds are full."
Perfect. Right now, I wasn't planning on doing anything serious, just moving my body to lose weight and activate the Sichuan Tang Clan.
"From tomorrow on, let's go to Training Ground 4."
"You're going tomorrow as well?"
"Once you start something, you have to see it through."
"I see."
I couldn't see Arin's expression since she was in front of me, but she was probably finding this strange. Or maybe she wasn't saying anything because she figured my resolve would only last three days.
She might think my personality changed too quickly, but now—when everyone thinks I've come to my senses after being beaten by my fiancée—is the best time to change.
"Hmm..."
The back of my head tingled, and when I turned around, I saw Rekka in the distance, standing perfectly still and staring at me.
"Arin! Let's go, quickly."
"Understood."
As I hurried Arin out of the training grounds, the tingling sensation vanished.
"Whew, is this what killing intent feels like?"
"Pardon?"
"The back of my head was tingling when that guy Rekka was staring at me earlier."
"He was just looking at you. If he had projected his killing intent, I would have known and blocked it. If you were directly exposed to killing intent in your current state, you would find it hard to even breathe."
"Urk..."
To think that was just him *looking* at me. The thought that his feelings for me alone could cause such a tingling sensation gave me goosebumps.
"Arin."
"Yes."
"When I'm around that guy, don't you dare leave my side."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'm telling you not to leave because he might try to kill me."
"That's impossible. He is a knight sworn to the Marquis. No matter his grudge, he would never harm you, Grand Prince."
"I doubt that..."
I returned while groveling, repeatedly asking Arin to protect me. The walk back was long, but I was so worried about Rekka that we were back at the mansion before I knew it.
After washing up in a bathtub the size of a swimming pool, I came out to find Arin had already prepared a meal. The food she brought looked like a soup or stew, filled with chunks of meat and vegetables, and it appeared nutritious.
But it wasn't what I wanted. In a rich household where I could eat several steaks without a problem, I had no desire for soup.
"What's this?"
"It's Chirein soup, a dish that knights and swordsmen eat after training. If you eat this after your workout, it will increase your stamina and muscle mass while burning fat."
"Hmm..."
Hearing the name, I recognized it. No, it was impossible not to. It was a portmanteau I'd cobbled together while browsing food delivery apps. Of course, the "Chi" at the beginning stood for chicken.
Just in case, I activated the Creator's Eye and looked at the soup Arin had brought.
[Chirein Soup]
Despite the creator's crude naming sense, it is a highly nutritious stamina food that slowly restores stamina and mana, and accelerates the regeneration of torn muscle fibers. The more strenuous the training, the more effective it is.
The fact that it could show information about food meant this was no ordinary eye.
"Grand Prince. Are you not going to eat?"
I was just glaring at the soup without any intention of eating it, and Arin looked at me as if asking what I was doing.
Honestly, I was craving steak and other meats, but it seemed I'd have to stick with this until I got in shape.
"Ah, I'll eat."
The Chirein soup was incredibly smooth and savory. It was like eating a premium bone broth soup filled with hearty ingredients.
"That was good."
The soup had so many hearty ingredients that it was filling enough without any rice, but Yuren's stomach, accustomed to overeating, kept demanding more food.
"It would be best for you to sleep early tonight."
Just as I finally managed to quiet the beggar in my stomach, Arin spoke as she cleared the bowl. She probably said that because Chirein soup is more effective with adequate sleep.
"Alright."
"Then I will see you tomorrow."
Arin gave a slight nod and left the room.
"Haaah, another day has somehow passed."
I turned off the light by the window and lay down on the bed.
Honestly, it still feels like a dream. It felt as if I would wake up to the old, dusty things in my room welcoming me again.
**
"Sigh..."
The next morning, I didn't see the faded ceiling of my studio apartment. I had woken up in the novel once again.
"Ugh!"
The moment I tried to get out of bed, I could hear the screams of muscles all over my body.
"Eek!"
"That is muscle soreness. It's the pain that comes from using muscles you haven't used before. It will disappear if you rest for a few days, or if you continue to use them and get accustomed to it."
"I know..."
Arin must have been waiting for me to wake up, as she explained muscle soreness to me the moment I got up.
"Ughh..."
Voices in my head were whispering things like, 'Let's start tomorrow,' 'Who's going to notice if I do this anyway?' and 'Let's work out again after the soreness is gone.'
"I don't know."
In the end, I gave in to the voices in my head and was about to pull the covers over myself when I saw Arin's eyes. She was still just watching me, her expression blank.
It seemed she wouldn't care whether I went back to sleep or got up. Seeing that annoyed me a little.
I wanted to shatter that icy expression.
"To hell with it! Ugh!"
So I kicked off the covers and shot out of bed. The sudden movement sent another wave of pain through my entire body.
Through the blankets settling down through the air, I saw Arin's stoic expression crack.
"Arin, bring me my food!"
"Yes."
Arin placed a washbasin on the table in the middle of the room and went back outside.
Hmm? Just now. I think I saw a change in Arin's information window when I looked with the Creator's Eye.
Arin left too quickly for me to confirm it.
"Hoo..."
Just like the saying, "Well begun is half done," the beginning is always the hardest. There's also the concept of inertia. Since I got up today, I'll be able to get up and exercise tomorrow, too.
"This again?"
"Yes. If you wish to lose weight, you must continue to eat Chirein soup. The more consistently you eat it and the more you exercise, the more effective it will be."
"Ugh..."
After eating the Chirein soup Arin brought, I immediately set off for Training Ground 4.
"Yipe!"
"Ugh!"
"Agh!"
As soon as I started walking, the muscle soreness intensified. It was as if Yuren's body had never experienced pain before; it felt even more intense than it would have in my original body.
Whether it was out of consideration for my severe muscle soreness or because she heard my groans, Arin was moving more slowly than yesterday. I was truly grateful for her consideration.
As I watched Arin's back, I remembered the change I thought I saw in her status window earlier. I narrowed my eyes, deciding to take a look.
[Activating the Creator's Eye.]