Battle Race in the Fantasy World

EP.137 Ah Monsters! What an Excellent Evaluation Tool!

Starting with a minister, then the princess, and now it’s the crown prince.

It’s incredible. When we say crown prince, it means the future emperor, doesn’t it?

Such a figure suddenly appeared at the academy. And without any fanfare.

‘At this rate, shouldn’t I be given at least an honorary civil service position?’

It’s something unimaginable for a mere noble family’s child.

Ministers, the princess, and now even the crown prince. This level of connection surely warrants treatment on par with a minister.

‘But it was too quiet for the crown prince’s arrival. Which means it’s an unofficial visit.’

There’s absolutely no reason for someone of the crown prince’s stature to make an unofficial visit.

It’s not like the succession to the throne hasn’t been decided yet.

He would have been careful about every action before, but now there’s no need for that.

He could have simply said he came to encourage the students.

Yet, the fact that he came in secretly means there must be a reason for it.

What could it be? What matter could bring someone of the crown prince’s status here?

“Everyone, please step outside for a moment.”

At the crown prince’s command, the academy’s headmaster and the guard knights all disappear outside.

“Please, sit comfortably, Kyle.”

Seated, Kyle quietly scans the crown prince once.

While others might have checked his appearance first, Kyle was different.

‘For a royal, he seems to work out quite a bit. He should be able to handle basic weights without trouble. Looking closely, his core seems pretty well-developed, but his upper body is a bit lacking. Doesn’t he do more upper body exercises?’

Kyle’s, or rather Jonathan’s, area of interest is solely that.

How strong is this person? How much does he work out? How much weight can he lift?

Everything else is secondary. Not something to pay much attention to.

“You really are an unmistakable Jonathan, aren’t you?”

“Pardon?”

“That look in your eyes. Your brother and sister had the same look. Always that same gaze.”

As expected of a Jonathan. Blood doesn’t lie, indeed.

“Your sister even went as far as to ask directly. If I work out, and if so, what kind of exercises I do.”

“Is that so?”

“She said if you don’t keep at it consistently, you’ll suddenly kick the bucket. Hahaha.”

“…”

To say ‘kick the bucket’ in front of the crown prince. There’s no braver soul than that.

If it were any other noble, they would have been cursed out on the spot.

“How was your academy life? Did you enjoy it? Was it worth coming all this way?”

“Yes. I can see why this place is considered the empire’s, no, the continent’s top educational institution.”

“To think a Jonathan would say such things. It’s unexpected. Your brother and sister weren’t like that.”

“What did my brother and sister say to make you say that?”

“There’s too little to exercise with. And the space is too cramped. The weights are too light to be of any use. Among other things.”

Hmm. They said the obvious things. Honestly, these were points I felt too.

That’s why I wholeheartedly welcomed the talk of expanding the gym.

“I hear they’re expanding the indoor training grounds to five times its current size. I’m sure your brother and sister would be thrilled if they heard. They might say it would have been better if it happened when they were here.”

“That’s probably true. No, that’s definitely true.”

Having answered thus, Kyle quietly waited for the crown prince’s next words.

He had already roughly guessed why this man suddenly came to the academy.

Predicting the reason for the secret visit wasn’t too difficult.

The topics the crown prince kept mentioning were the decisive hint.

‘People tend to unconsciously let slip parts related to what they’re thinking about.’

He’s been bringing up the Jonathan part quite frequently for a while now.

It could be a simple guess, but considering that he called for me, the possibility is quite high.

“Looking at your eyes, it seems you want to move past the small talk and get to the main point.”

“Did it appear that way?”

He doesn’t deny it. Because it’s not untrue.

He wants to hear the main point quickly. Whether it’s words or actions, beating around the bush is tiring.

“The truth is, just yesterday, a report came in. Specifically, from the north.”

Somehow, it feels like his prediction is coming true.

“They say the Jonathan people are suddenly on the move.”

“If it’s about that, it’s probably because of the Hunting Festival. It’s a day when we hunt monsters for a month, or two at most, to check on our training progress.”

“I’ve heard about it. So I know roughly. But as far as I know, isn’t that Hunting Festival ultimately conducted within Jonathan territory? Am I mistaken?”

“No, you’re exactly right.”

“That’s precisely why. According to the news we received, the Jonathans are leaving their territory.”

“…Pardon?”

The moment I heard those words, only one thought came to mind.

‘No way. It must be a mistake. Why would they leave Jonathan? They’re the type to worry about muscle loss.’

Even when coming for the drug dealer incident, Lear and Lea were worried about muscle loss.

Other people didn’t come because of muscle loss, even though they said they should judge the drug dealers.

If there’s even a hint of muscle loss, these kind and gentle people suddenly turn into demons.

Could it be that even during the war with the Empire, they didn’t leave Jonathan because of muscle loss?

“What do you think?”

“Is this information accurate? It’s completely out of character for them.”

Jonathan is located at the northern edge.

It’s not uninhabitable, but it is quite barren.

Naturally, it’s a place where monsters would say, “This is paradise!” and settle down.

This means there’s no need to move for the Hunting Festival.

“Surely they’re not making a fuss just because they’re moving around that area?”

“The Empire isn’t that narrow-minded. It’s because Jonathan is showing unusual behavior.”

“I’m curious how much they’ve moved to cause such a reaction.”

“They say they’ve left the north entirely and headed west. Especially…”

The Crown Prince takes a breath and carefully continues.

“Your father. The Baron of Jonathan. I hear he’s moving with them.”

“…Huh… Huh? What? What did you just say?”

At that moment, I understood the Empire’s reaction.

It was fortunate they hadn’t declared a state of emergency.

‘He’s absolutely not the type to do that. He left Jonathan?’

Dagon Jonathan, the head of the baronial family and the leader of Jonathan.

A figure who has far surpassed the word ‘strong’ befitting his position.

Though Jonathan is full of strong individuals, no one has yet surpassed him.

And according to the people of Jonathan, such a person will never appear in the future.

Even though he’s older now, they say he’s even stronger than when he was young.

I guarantee, even if all of the Empire’s Top 10 attacked together, it would be difficult.

You’d need to gather all the strongest people on the continent to have a proper fight.

‘Father knows this well too. That’s why he said he wouldn’t move, to avoid startling the kids. He’s so addicted to exercise that he sleeps with dumbbells in his hands. And he left his post?’

It made no sense at all. It’s not even just a brief tour of the territory.

Suddenly heading west? Why on earth would he go there?

“Your Highness, do you know the reason? Has anything been reported?”

“That’s why I came. I was wondering if anything had been passed on to you.”

“I don’t know anything about this either. He’s not the type to leave his post in the first place.”

“Hmm… That’s right…”

The Crown Prince taps the table with his finger, deep in thought.

Then, he cautiously begins, “Perhaps…”

“Do you know about the news from the west?”

“I don’t know the details. Not since I last visited.”

“Tell me what you do know.”

At those words, Kyle briefly summarized what he knew.

The berserk potion and amplifier made by the Alliance. The extradition of their developers to the Empire.

The order to destroy all berserk potions and amplifiers currently held by the Alliance.

And the clear warning against forces that disrupt peace between the two countries.

“That’s the extent of what I know.”

“What about the reinforcement of Imperial troops on the western border?”

“Ah. That part too. I heard about it at the Imperial Palace last time. Those damn drug dealers from the Alliance… Ahem. I apologize. Those disrespectful ones did something strange to the monsters, and because of that…”

…Huh?

“I think that might be the reason. What do you think? Isn’t that enough?”

“…Yes. As Your Highness says… there is a possibility.”

To tell the truth, it’s not just a possibility. It’s a very high probability.

The Hunting Festival is a day to prove the results of training by catching monsters with bare hands.

Naturally, the surrounding monsters are completely wiped out.

Especially the strong ones are swept away instantly, rather than the weak ones.

The north is a place where weak monsters can’t survive. They’re all tough ones.

Even so, the people of Jonathan would say, ‘It would be better if they were more ferocious.’

‘But in that situation, if they hear news that the monsters in the west have suddenly become several times more ferocious…’

If you go sideways from the north, you naturally reach the west.

Because they’re adjacent, the Alliance’s envoys could reach Jonathan.

This means that Jonathan could go there anytime if they wanted.

“From my perspective, no matter how I think about it, that’s the only reason. Why the Baron of Jonathan suddenly moved.”

“…”

“Perhaps they’ve really spotted some enjoyable prey.”

The Crown Prince lets out a low sigh and leans back in his chair.

While some can’t handle the monsters and are sending even the Top 10 to reinforce the Imperial army,

Others are rushing towards better prey. It seems quite absurd.

While the Crown Prince was lost in such thoughts, Kyle was immersed in different ones.

‘Father has moved. Father has moved. Father has…’

Ah. Thinking about it this way suddenly makes me very curious.

Just how strong have the monsters become for Father to move personally?

This makes me so curious, I can’t bear not checking it out.

This won’t do. This, this is something I absolutely must go and see.

It’s a bit disappointing that it’s not people, not strong individuals, but instead powered-up monsters.

It’s almost like a rare 10x experience event. Can’t miss this.

“Your Highness. If you’re worried, I could go myself.”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you concerned about how far my father might go?”

“…Ahem. Well, that’s… true.”

“I’ll stay by his side and tell him to restrain himself.”

“You can do that?”

“I’m really enjoying my time at the academy. Plus, the perception of Jonathan has improved. It wouldn’t be very pleasant to see that regress back to square one.”

While in reality, all he wanted was to beat up some strong monsters once.

Kyle was acting like a Jonathan person who had been influenced by the Empire.

“It’s a kind offer. But, as far as I know, you have final exams next week…”

“Are final exams important?”

That’s right. Who cares about final exams?

When there’s a place so good that Father would go there.

With such a place existing, who cares about exams!