“Then… begin!”
Commander Drake’s signal marked the start of the sparring match with the Guardsman.
Well… naturally, I only have a shield, so I’ll just focus on receiving the opponent’s attacks. Until they make a move, I’ll just wait patiently like a turtle.
Of course.
“What’s wrong? It won’t start unless you attack. I don’t mind just waiting, though.”
“Tch!”
That’s right. I’m a shield role, so I need to build up aggro like this.
Thanks to that, the Guardsman is glaring at me with all their might.
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Already impatient and irritated, the Guardsman couldn’t take it anymore after being provoked by me, and charged with their sword raised high.
Honestly, it’s full of openings, so I could easily handle the attack.
“What an idiot…”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Commander Drake shaking his head and lamenting.
Losing your cool on the battlefield can be fatal.
“!?”
“Too naive.”
I didn’t really intend to attack, but their movements were so slow and full of openings that I just whacked them with my shield as hard as I could.
But sadly, Harold’s physical attack power is the weakest, so it doesn’t seem to have had any effect at all.
“Come on, come on, what’s wrong? To be affected by an attack from a shield, are you really a Guardsman?”
“Guh, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”
Losing their composure even more, the Guardsman attacks wildly, but I just receive, dodge, and deflect them like it’s just a job.
Perhaps this is the limit for the Guardsman, who lack combat experience due to the absence of war.
On the other hand, I’ve fought against large Demon Beasts like Henwen, Gigantospriggan, and Gargoyle, along with my partner Caz.
Mob enemies like the Guardsman are no match for me.
However.
“Wow… I’ve gotten this strong…”
My Special Training partner is Sandra, and the other opponents I’ve fought have been quite something, so I never imagined there would be such a difference between me and mob enemies.
Moreover, in “EnHaza,” combat with mob enemies usually involves fighting multiple opponents at once, so the difference is obvious in a one-on-one fight like this.
Even if it’s on Very Hard difficulty.
“Damn… Damn it all!”
The Guardsman, with an expression that looks like they’re about to cry, screams and swings their sword, as their attacks have no effect at all.
I’m starting to feel a little sorry for them, but I can’t afford to lose either, so it can’t be helped.
And then.
“That’s enough! This match… is Lord Harold’s win!”
The Guardsman’s spirit finally broke, and Commander Drake declared my victory.
◇
“Wahahaha! To think that Prince Harold was such a capable individual, this Bradley Drake is impressed!”
“Ah, haha…”
For some reason, a drinking party started after the sparring match with the Guardsman.
Moreover.
“Prince Harold! Next, fight me!”
“Hey! Don’t cut in line!”
Well, I’m being challenged to matches one after another by the other Guardsmen.
However, it’s clear that this isn’t a revenge match for their defeated comrade, but a genuine desire to fight me.
It might be rude to say this, but I’ve realized that the Royal Guard, including Commander Drake, are just muscleheads.
Because if they acknowledge your strength, they’ll treat you casually, even if you’re the “Incompetent Rascal Prince.”
“Fufu… I’m so glad that there are more people here who understand Lord Hal.”
“Yeah…”
Sandra, sitting next to me, smiles happily as she watches the Guardsmen frolic.
But you were the first to understand me, Sandra, and you’re the one who has always believed in me.
I can’t express how much that supports me.
“By the way… of course, I came here to observe, but I also wanted to know what everyone thinks about Wilfred becoming the person in charge of the Royal Guard.”
“Hmm…”
Although I’m speaking a bit casually, I switched back to using polite language and asked Commander Drake.
I came here to see for myself what everyone thought about this abnormal situation where there are two lines of command.
“Prince Harold! There’s no way we’d accept that!”
“That’s right! No matter how much of a royal order it is, we can’t possibly allow him to disregard the Commander!”
As expected, not a single Guardsman welcomed Wilfred.
Commander Drake, who silently drinks the poured sake, probably feels the same way.
“What’s more! Prince Wilfred hasn’t even shown his face here once since being appointed to oversee the Royal Guard! In the end, he probably just sees us as tools!”
“Ehh…”
Come on, you’re the top of the organization, so at least show your face…
Although, thanks to that, I was able to become close to the Royal Guard.
As I was thinking about that while watching everyone get angry.
“What is all this commotion!”
…Of all times, Wilfred showed up at this moment.
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