Chapter 69: Endless Training [1]

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Louis gazed at the Corrupted Field from beyond the Spiritual Barrier. Because of the incident and the Grievance’s presence, he had chosen to pull back and avoid risking his subordinates’ lives any further. It was the logical decision, yet it still filled him with frustration, one he accepted without hesitation for the sake of his people. What stunned him even more, however, was the devastation he had unleashed with that single attack.

What he had thought was merely part of his Imagination had temporarily become reality. That heaven-splitting technique had erupted as he awoke, washing over his friends to purge the miasma poisoning while simultaneously obliterating half the remaining Corrupted Field in one devastating surge. No matter how desperately he tried, Louis could not summon that power again.

It was utterly absurd. He was still struggling to process it, yet the event haunted him more than even the Grievance’s invasion of his Fantasy Heart. He considered various possibilities, perhaps the attack drew from Niflheim’s strength rather than his own, but Niflheim insisted her Soul Fragment lacked the capacity for such a feat.

This left Louis deeply intrigued by the true potential locked within his Fantasy Heart, and above all by the Spiral of the Ashen Wyrm, an unseen force harboring a silent, slumbering Entity that was undeniably present.

“Could that attack have drawn power from the Entity? But if it did, wouldn’t it have reacted? It could have attacked me or at least protested… yet it remained completely still.”

As Louis sighed, torn between whether the power was truly his or merely borrowed, uncertain of his own limits after unleashing something so immense, he turned and walked back toward Agustina’s mansion.

“How’s everyone?”

A couple of hours had passed since they returned. All his subordinates were resting after Handy exhausted herself healing them until the next day.

“They’re alright, sir—just resting,” Robert replied.

“I believe they’ll wake tomorrow feeling fine,” Juliette added with a nod. “Sinners are remarkably resilient, and both Anastasia and Catrise are exceptionally strong as well.”

“I see…” Louis sighed, clenching his fists tightly as he stared at the setting sun.

“My lord… you don’t have to blame yourself for what happened,” Robert said, stepping closer. “It was an accident. You had no way to foresee or stop a Grievance like that…”

“No. I did have the power.” Louis pressed a hand to his chest, irritation and self-loathing surging through him. “I always had it… Did you see what I did out there? I… had it.”

“…Even so,” Robert cleared his throat. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. No one knew a Grievance lurked in that Corrupted Field. My lord, you broke free and defeated it. You did everything possible. Everyone is alive… I think that’s enough.”

“…If I grow complacent with so little, how do you expect me to keep growing, Robert?” Louis asked, his eyes flashing with golden light. “I’ll be outside. Please don’t disturb me…”

“…My lord.” Robert felt the raw pain radiating from him and sighed, watching through the window. “Even now you’re training?”

Louis had already discarded his shirt and begun swinging his sword, desperately chasing the sensation he had felt when that power erupted from the depths of his Fantasy Heart.

“He’s training even now? What’s wrong with him?” Agustina asked, peering out the window.

“Prince Louis is the most hardworking person alive!” Melisa declared suddenly; she was sharing cookies with her friend. “Maybe he feels guilty… and he wants to grow stronger so it never happens again.”

“But no matter how much you prepare, you can never be fully ready for a Grievance,” Robert shook his head. “Each one is unique, wielding power capable of destroying entire nations… It’s simply beyond… beyond human limits.”

“Well, Prince Louis is a dragon, isn’t he?” Juliette smiled warmly. “I believe he can do it. I believe he can keep growing strong enough to defeat any Grievance!”

“…What?” Robert blinked, caught off guard. “Juliette, you’ve only been with us a month. Where does all that confidence come from?”

“…Mirai holds very deep feelings for Lord Louis,” Juliette said quietly. “It’s obvious how much that girl loves him. And she believes in him—more than anyone else. So I want to believe in my young lady… and in Lord Louis too.”

Robert was momentarily stunned, but he understood. He nodded with a faint smile as he watched the young prince train without pause, relentless and unyielding.

He wasn’t merely swinging a sword.

Selene’s keen, glowing eyes perceived what no one else in the room could: the constant refinement and forging of spiritual energies, mana, and ki reshaping his body into something even stronger.

Fire Ki, Water Ki, Earth Ki, Wood Ki, and Metal Ki surged in vibrant colors, exerting tremendous pressure as they slowly reinforced his Five Elemental Spiritual Roots.

His scarred, battle-worn frame now resembled that of a seasoned warrior—though he had only begun taking his life seriously a few months earlier.

“Haa… Haa…”

Sweat poured from his chiseled body, transformed through relentless training. He looked almost unrecognizable compared to the man he had been before he started pushing himself so fiercely.

Agustina watched his determined swings and the multicolored aura swirling around him. Her heart raced as she realized how tirelessly he strove to improve, every day, every hour, every minute, every second.

No one worked harder than him… and she knew it.

“Prince Louis…”

After observing him for hours, she approached and offered a special tonic brewed from spiritual herbs.

“I know you don’t want food or water, but I thought this might help. It’s a Spiritual Tonic made from herbs in my garden.”

“Ah, this is perfect. Thank you, Agustina.”

Louis downed the tonic in one swift motion and immediately resumed training. She stood close, feeling the violent fluctuations of his energy, it was as though he deliberately inflicted harm on himself, only for his body to regenerate slowly, growing stronger with each cycle.

She could scarcely imagine the agony of such a regimen or the iron discipline required to endure it.

Though she admired him deeply, she also ached for him.

“Lord Louis… wouldn’t you like to rest for a moment? Is this really necessary?”

“…It is.”

“But doesn’t it hurt?”

“It does.”

“Then why do you keep doing it over and over?”

“Because… it’s all I can do right now.”

“…Eh?”

“I am powerless. Weak. Pathetic. This is all I can offer—this is all I can devote my life to. Training.”

“…!”

“Until I finally gain the strength to prevent these tragedies from striking my people and my kingdom… I will not stop. I cannot.”

“But…”

“Every day, every hour, every minute, every second is precious. I cannot waste a single one. Four hundred people died, Agustina. Do you think I can simply sit and relax when they give their lives to protect me and this kingdom? Wouldn’t that insult their sacrifice? Their cause?”

“…Of course not.”

“To me, it would. I refuse to let their deaths be meaningless. Even if others see them that way, I never will. I will give their lives meaning. I will make them matter.”

Agustina smiled bitterly, struck by the unyielding, almost mad determination of the so-called Mad Prince.

His obsession—his madness—had now fused entirely into this singular goal: to become strong enough to end the tragedies once and for all.

“This world, Agustina, is overflowing with suffering and pain, with tragedies and monsters lurking in every shadow… The only undeniable truth is strength.”

His words ignited something deep inside her. She had lived in sorrow and quiet depression, yet also in complacency, hating the state of the world, her country, her territory, but doing nothing to change it, content to simply earn more and preserve her family’s status.

Now she saw how foolish she had been.

“D-Do… Do you think I could become like that too?”

“…?”

“I mean fighting… do you think I could fight?”

Louis paused, turning to her with faint surprise in his eyes.

Then he smiled.

“Yes. I do.”

As the sun sank lower and a gentle wind lifted his long white hair, Agustina felt utterly shaken by his quiet certainty.

“I believe everyone can fight. Everyone has potential.”

“…”

Her lips trembled. All her life she had felt helpless against the world and fate, drifting along like so many others.

“I don’t know what trick you pulled, but you’ve inspired me, Your Majesty…”

“Is that so? Then what do you want?”

“I… want to fight too. I want to make a difference, but… I’m so afraid. Afraid of pain. Afraid of dying… I…”

“Who isn’t?”

“…Eh?”

“I’m afraid of pain too. I’m afraid of dying.”

“…!”

“We’re no different in that. Every morning I wake up dreading the training ahead. There’s nothing I hate more than suffering. Yet… I know it’s necessary, so I do it anyway.”

“What? But how can you push past the fear?”

“I… Haha… maybe because I’m crazy, who knows?”

Agustina’s mouth fell open as Louis laughed.

It was the most radiant laugh she had ever witnessed, his eyes shining brightly, sweat gleaming on his sculpted form beneath the dying sunset.

“Do you want me to train you? I don’t mind while I’m here.”

“…What could I possibly train for anyway? I…”

“You’re half-elf, half-dwarf. That alone grants incredible potential. Dwarves are renowned for their unbreakable, diamond-hard bodies. Elves possess extraordinary magical talent. As their daughter, you inherit the combined gifts of both lineages.”

“Oh…”

“What are you hesitating for? Just say the word and I’ll train you. It will hurt. You might even come to hate me for it. But… I promise you, once you grow strong, it will all feel worth it.”

Agustina hesitated; perhaps she had spoken too boldly. Part of her feared she wasn’t suited for this world, that she should remain a sheltered noble lady, quietly amassing wealth while others fought to save the realm from its slow collapse.

“I…”

Memories flooded her mind: her father’s gentle smile, her mother’s warm laughter, the precious years they shared, the relentless passage of time since then. Years had slipped by so quickly because she had done nothing to enrich her life or alter its course. Yet among those memories, one stood out clearest, her father, when the moment demanded it, rushing forward to sacrifice himself and shield his workers from a Dimensional Rift.

“Whatever you do, Agustina, always do it with someone in mind. If you only act for yourself, you’ll never surpass your own limits. We grow through the connections we make, however faint. Never forget who you’re working for, who you’re trying to protect.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Father?”

“Haha, you’re still too young. One day you’ll remember my words and finally understand.”

That day had arrived. As a noble lady ruling a territory, hundreds of lives now depended on her, people who lived and worked under her protection, even if she had never truly acknowledged it before.

The concept of “noblesse oblige” had never truly touched her. Agustina had always been too afraid of everything, especially the outside world.

But now she realized how empty her existence had been… and she wanted to change it.

Not just for herself.

For the many lives now in her care.

And above all, for her mother, who had nearly died from an illness that would have claimed her if Prince Louis had not miraculously intervened.

But what if he hadn’t come? What if he had refused to help? Would Agustina have simply watched her mother fade away?

Especially after her father had already given his life to protect them?

A fierce wave of self-loathing crashed over her.

“Agustina, what the hell have you been doing all this time? You’re such a stupid girl… Thinking you could coast through this world? Are you delusional?” she muttered, shaking her head. “Yes. Let’s do it, Prince Louis… Please train me. I don’t want to be useless anymore. I don’t want to be helpless against fate!”

With a resolute step forward, Agustina committed herself to training, no matter how torturous the regimen might become. Just as Louis had said, she refused to let her father’s sacrifice become meaningless. If she continued living selfishly and indifferently, wouldn’t that dishonor everything he died for?

“Very well. This is your first trial. Endure.”

“Endure wha—Aaaaaahhh!”

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