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Chapter 96: Roy’s Preparations

Faced with her friend’s support, Nia felt a whirlwind of emotions.

That delicate little face, like a piece of art, showed no signs of emotion, and for some reason, it made Nia feel a little sad.

“Alice, are you really not forcing yourself?”

“Cough cough, this isn’t the time for such talk. Let’s just get through the Trial first!” Nia patted her shoulder, forcing a bitter smile.

It wasn’t just a diversion; Nia was genuinely worried about the Trial of Blue.

Each Trial had its own focus; for example, the Trial of Red leaned towards testing combat skills, while the Trial of Blue emphasized survival skills.

The specifics of each Trial remained a secret until it began.

Winning, or even surpassing her old man’s achievements from years ago, was no easy feat.

What’s more, there were some pretty troublesome enemies.

The three major factions of the Academy weren’t pushovers; they absolutely wouldn’t tolerate a rookie stealing the spotlight.

Forget the leaders of the three factions; just their army of lackeys was already a huge headache.

At that moment, Alice straightened her chest and looked up with a glint of confidence in her eyes: “It’s okay, the master has prepared everything.”

“You really trust him that much,” Nia raised an eyebrow.

“As a maid, trusting the master is just common sense,” Alice puffed up with pride.

Facing off against the three major factions, and aiming to outshine the staggering results of those two from the past, was perhaps the toughest challenge she’d ever faced.

Yet, just like Alice, thinking of that black-haired boy somehow put Nia at ease.

“Well, who knows, maybe Roy really has a plan……”

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“So, this is your plan?”

“That’s right.”

“You need the power of the Lionheart faction to take on the three major factions?”

“Exactly.”

“All for the Nightingale of the Verdant Council to stay in the Academy?”

“Indeed.”

In a parlor adorned with swords, armor, and beastly heads, Charlotte’s fierce profile was illuminated by the flames of the hearth.

Draped in a red military jacket, Charlotte lounged on the couch, with her delicate legs crossed, and after a brief silence, let out a sigh.

“The Lionheart faction has just found its footing, still leagues behind the second and third years, and now you want me to help a nobody from the Verdant Council…”

“Just think of it as a favor for me, pretty please.” Roy clasped the girl’s delicate fingertips, meeting her eyes with sincerity.

Roy didn’t want to force her, but getting Charlotte’s support would be ideal.

Under the boy’s gaze, Charlotte’s imposing aura faltered a bit; she turned her crimson eyes away, her demeanor softening.

“For your sake, I suppose I could consider it…”

Before Roy could beam with joy, the girl suddenly switched gears, “But this isn’t simple. There must be some sort of compensation, right?”

Roy was prepared for that: “Of course, with Nia’s status, once she wins, the Verdant Council will naturally offer a reward.”

However, Charlotte’s brow furrowed a tad at that, visibly displeased as she huffed.

“Nia, that sounds pretty cozy.”

Roy fell silent for a moment.

“The reward from the Verdant Council? That’s hardly relevant. You said it was for you— a ruler ought to protect her knight, so how will you recompense me?”

As she spoke, Charlotte grabbed Roy’s hand, her gaze filled with increasing heat.

Unlike last time, with just the two of them here, Charlotte’s boldness surged.

Under the girl’s fiery stare, Roy saw through her little minds and leaned closer, sitting next to her on the same couch.

Inhaling the warm scent of gardenias among her crimson locks, Roy chuckled leisurely: “I see, what does Charlotte want in return?”

“You dumb knight, isn’t this something you should figure out yourself…!”

Before Charlotte could finish her boast, Roy swiftly skipped the formalities and brushed a soft kiss across her delicate cheek.

In an instant, her once-imposing expression slackened, and her pale face flushed like the embers.

“You, you, traitor! I haven’t even asked for anything yet!”

The princess was fuming, her silver teeth gritting, but her pouty fist came down lightly—not too hard, not too soft.

Roy chuckled as he took it, barely managing to suppress a laugh: “Sorry, sorry.”

“I won’t demand anything right now; Charlotte can decide what she wants in return.”

Roy sat composed beside her, acting all nonchalant.

Charlotte gazed at the boy right before her, her throat subtly shifting.

Her eyes swept across his dark pupils and handsome features, finally landing on his sturdy chest. She had often felt just how warm and reliable it truly was, despite not being overly muscular.

What a rare opportunity—what should she ask for?

For a moment, various romantic manuscript tropes bubbled to the surface of the princess’s mind, but with her and Roy in those roles instead of the usual leads.

“An interesting woman~” “Just a playful little kitty~” “Princess says no, but her body surprisingly…”

Lost in her thoughts, Charlotte’s cheeks grew even hotter, as if they might ignite at any second.

“Charlotte?”

“Whatever, I’ll let you off this time!”

Seeing through it all, Roy held his tongue, though his lips had long been twitching.

“But once the Trial of Blue ends, I’ll come for my compensation, so you better be ready, my knight.”

With another little pinch to Roy’s cheek, Charlotte declared, puffed up and smug.

Staring at the girl’s cute smile, the boy couldn’t help but admit that he’d really fallen for her tricks this time.

Roy couldn’t wait to wrap up the Trial of Blue and ‘repay’ his princess.

But the Trial of Blue would prove no easy task, and Roy still needed to make final preparations.

After bidding farewell to Charlotte, he returned home and immediately started fiddling with the interface.

Thanks to his previous life’s habit of idly swiping on his phone, Roy was thoroughly accustomed to operating the interface.

The Trial of Blue was going to be tough.

The notes recorded that Rolin and Ain’s batch of Trials saw them use every trick in the book, nabbing second and third place respectively, leaving the entire Academy in shock.

Their names would go down in history, hailed as prodigies—not just because of their standings, but because they had not allied with anyone, relying solely on their skills to outlast everyone.

Impressive, yes, but Roy understood that the times had changed, and their circumstances didn’t apply to the present.

At the time, Rolin and Ain had concealed their identities, and no faction had kept an eye on them. They avoided numerous strong opponents and made it to the finals without significant losses.

But since Rolin’s batch, any faction leader with a brain wouldn’t ignore rogue competitors.

Especially since he and Nia were well-known in the Academy, they would definitely draw the attention of the current three major factions.

Aspiring to match or even surpass Rolin and Ain’s achievements was considerably difficult.

Even with the Lionheart faction’s support, there was still a noticeable gap between them and the three major factions.

And to make matters worse, there existed the potential for reverse fate points.

If nothing unexpected happened, the Trial of Blue could definitely take a turn for the worse.

Perhaps one of the factions was hiding a trump card, or maybe there were extraordinary, powerful monsters lurking in the secret realm—either way, it was essential to regard it as a peril far beyond the usual Academy trials.

 

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