This speech of his…wasn’t he meant to deliver it to Abel? They overcome a bunch of trials together or something, I think, and Polpon ends up king… Wasn’t that how this story was supposed to go? Actually, I’m positive about this. That’s definitely how it was meant to go.
Indeed, it could not be. Luke was a villain aristocrat, after all—it was bizarre to think that Polpon, second prince of the kingdom, would ever lower his head to someone like him.
Jeez, I guess that just shows how crazy things have gotten now…
In the original story, Abel was meant to have a duel against Polpon’s older brother. They signed some kind of magical contract agreeing that if Abel won, Polpon would get to become king, and if he lost, then both Polpon and Abel would have to leave the academy.
That’s not what happened, huh?
Luke’s instruction of Mia and the rapid improvement of her abilities in such a short span of time had caught Polpon’s eye instead. Then came his duel against Luke. He felt that raw power against his skin firsthand, and that was what had made everything go insane.
“Right, enough. Your presence is an eyesore. Get out.”
“…”
Polpon’s really got a lot of what it takes to be king. If he does ascend to the throne, and the influential aristocrats band together to work for the good of this country, the Kingdom of Milestia is really going to become a much better place than it is right now—I’m sure of that. But heck, regardless of how talented he is, Polpon’s still just sixteen years old. I guess being young and inexperienced can lead you to make some bad decisions, especially if you let your emotions take the wheel.
“Luke only taught me because I became his pawn, so I think you should just become one of his pawns too, Prince Polpon.”
Just as he was about to give up, Polpon remembered the words that Mia had said. They were all that he had left to cling to.
“If…if I become your pawn, will you help me then?”
“…Huh?”
Polpon desperately clutched at his last remaining hope as panic set in. He was the lowest-ranked student in the school, aside from the first years, and he felt a huge amount of pressure to close the gap between him and his magically talented older brother. Then he met Luke…or rather, encountered him. He had stumbled upon a monster whose spells were so powerful that they put him on a completely different level than everyone else. To Polpon, Luke was a single speck of light in the darkness, his best chance at a breakthrough. He convinced himself that the only way he would be able to improve his present situation would be to have Luke teach him.
I’ll become his pawn, even if that means signing a magical contract with him. Luke…I don’t think he’s truly evil to the core, despite the way he acts. I can only hope I haven’t misjudged him too badly, or else I could end up a puppet king…but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. If it means forging my path toward the throne, I’ll gladly prioritize Luke’s happiness for however long it takes. I’d prefer that so much more than never becoming king and standing helpless on the sidelines!
Polpon made up his mind. Perhaps if he’d been able to calm himself down a little, he would have taken a moment to reflect and realize that he wasn’t making the right call. In that moment, however, that just wasn’t possible for him to do.
“I’ll become your pawn, Luke!” he declared. “I’m royalty, so I know I’ll be able to do something that can make you happy. So…please! Please teach me magic!”
Polpon bowed his head yet again, and Luke felt his stomach twist into an anxious knot.
Luke had no way of knowing the thought process that had driven Polpon into such an insane decision. The sight of the prince begging him like this disturbed him terribly.
“…Just, give me a second…my head hurts… My stomach hurts too…”
“A-are you okay, Luke?!” cried Mia.
He had one hand on his forehead and the other on his stomach, but that did nothing to stop the downward spiral. In turn, the sight of Luke in such terrible pain disturbed Mia terribly. She immediately came to his rescue with her Healing magic.
“Heal.”
She repeated the process. Then repeated the process. Then repeated it some more.
“Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal, Heal.”
“Stop. That’s enough…” Luke muttered miserably.
“S-sure.”
“…That was way too much.”
Not even Mia’s fervent over-Healing did anything to ease the pain in Luke’s heart.
3
THE GRAY WOLF’S CLAW MARKS WAS NOT JUST any run-of-the-mill adventurer party. Not only had the four-member party achieved A rank, but in fact, they were closer to hitting S rank than any other adventurer party in the entire kingdom. They were led by a swordsman named Zack, and then there was the heavily armored warrior Sippel, a bandit named Sufsasa, and an archer called Qui Gong. Together, they had worked hard to climb to these heights.
Ironic stuff…seriously.
Once, not too terribly long ago, Zack had been a broken man. After an encounter with a true monster, one of the chosen people, he’d been ready to throw in the towel. It was Alfred’s scheming that got him back on his feet, and he resolved to keep working as an adventurer for just a little longer.