How to Live Comfortably as an Abandoned Prince

Chapter 151. The Proposal of the Apprentice Holy Knight Order

‘His skills have improved.’

Shartea thought as she watched Radel. It had not even been that long since she taught him, yet Radel was absorbing the Imperial Swordsmanship at a rapid pace.

SWOOSH!

Radel stepped through his footwork and swung his sword. At a glance, it looked ordinary, but it was a movement that could only come from understanding the fundamentals of Imperial Swordsmanship.

‘He is growing quickly.’

Imperial Swordsmanship. It was the swordsmanship Shartea had learned first.

The sword she took up after awakening her Ability as a child. She learned swordsmanship directly from the commander of the Imperial Knights and became completely engrossed in the blade.

Shartea had talent. As long as she had a single sword, she never grew bored even if an entire day passed. She immersed herself in training so deeply that even the commander of the Imperial Knights had to stop her.

Only when she became so absorbed that she forgot everything else did she finally understand.

The sense of weight she felt when swinging a sword. And the sense of weight she felt when living as a member of the imperial family.

To her, the two were no different. After realizing that, Shartea’s sword had nothing left to fear.

She also achieved outstanding mastery in the secret swordsmanship of her maternal family, the Kudent family. However, the style she used most often in daily life was Imperial Swordsmanship.

Imperial Swordsmanship was created for the imperial family. For Shartea, who had a strong sense of duty as royalty, the meaning this swordsmanship carried was exceptional.

“Let us take a short break.”

Shartea halted Radel’s training. Judging by his progress, it was obvious that he had been practicing on his own.

Excessive training could become poison.

“Yes? We have not been training for very long yet……?”

“I thought you were busy managing the territory, but seeing you today, you have made considerable progress. There is no need to be overly modest.”

Shartea looked at Radel with a knowing gaze.

“I know you have been practicing on your own. Still, training should be done in moderation while checking your condition.”

Had I really been practicing separately? Radel’s expression grew subtle.

He did train every dawn, but that alone could not explain such a sudden improvement in Imperial Swordsmanship. Still, something did come to mind.

‘Is it because of the griffin taming?’

Since he visited the griffin every night to tame it, he had no choice but to use Imperial Swordsmanship.

Imperial Swordsmanship turned out to be better than expected for dealing with a griffin. It looked slow, but it was difficult to evade.

With its excellent eyesight, the griffin followed Radel’s attacks with its eyes as usual, only to get hit again and again. It thought it could dodge, but it could not.

Radel was alternating between carrot and stick, using meat as bait against the griffin.

In the meantime, the griffin had changed a lot. After tasting the harshness of Imperial Swordsmanship several times, it had recently learned to wait patiently in front of the meat.

It seemed about time to move on to the next stage. However, meat and Imperial Swordsmanship alone still felt insufficient.

He needed a decisive trigger for the griffin to acknowledge him as its master.

‘I need something decisive.’

The reason for wanting to tame a flying magical beast like a griffin. While it could help in combat, the greatest reason was that it could be used as a means of transportation.

However, the stronger the magical beast, the less willing it was to carry someone on its back. If Radel wanted to ride on a magical beast, he needed some form of assistance.

Fortunately, there was someone in the territory who could help with that.

***

Knock, knock.

“Senior, may I come in?”

Radel visited a room on the northern side of the Lord’s Castle.

Inside was a Lizardman who had been holed up day and night conducting research. It was Ishan Rau, the second son of the Lizardman Great Chieftain and a research-year student at the academy.

Since asking Radel to lend him a place to use as a laboratory, he had not taken a single step outside the room except at mealtimes. It had also been several days since he requested monster byproducts caught at sea to be delivered on schedule.

“Yes, come in.”

Hearing Ishan Rau’s voice, Radel entered the room. The vacant room on the north side had been reborn as a laboratory.

Various flasks, beakers, and a mana furnace of unknown origin were scattered everywhere, and in a corner, reagents emitting an unknown light were boiling. A large chalkboard covering one wall was densely filled with diagrams of unknown mechanical devices, research dates, and experiment counts.

Ishan Rau stood in front of the board, scribbling something down.

“When did you bring all of this in?”

“Who do you think made your space expansion bag?”

Ishan Rau asked back, glancing sideways at Radel.

Radel smiled awkwardly at his words. If he could make a bag large enough for a person to enter, then surely the one he used could hold far more.

Radel grew curious about the research he was conducting.

“Is your research going well?”

“It could not be better.”

Ishan Rau replied as he removed his glasses. He had originally planned to help with tribal affairs and then return to the academy to focus on research.

However, after seeing the monsters captured in Radel’s territory, he changed his mind. Fresh monster byproducts like these were not something one could obtain just anywhere.

Thanks to the abundant supply of monster byproducts being provided recently, he was enjoying an unplanned but blissful research life. Even his existing research, which had been stalled due to lack of materials, had picked up speed.

“I have something to show you.”

Ishan Rau put down the chalk and rummaged through his desk as if searching for something. He then pulled out a box containing small bottles.

“What is this?”

The bottles were filled with white pills. They seemed to be the product Ishan Rau had been researching all along.

“This is the result of the research topic I pursued until the first half of this year. I even bought wyvern molt from you to make this.”

“Ah, I remember. So that was for this.”

Ishan Rau nodded as he took out a pill from the bottle.

“That is right. Most Lizardmen live in deserts. Tribes that settle in mountains like the Chau tribe are rare. Our Rau tribe is the same. The desert raises strong warriors, but it is difficult to obtain clean water. That is why we have always worried over how to solve this problem.”

This time, Ishan Rau took out a cup filled with muddy water. He dropped the pill into the cup.

SIZZLE.

The pill dissolved like powder, clouding the cup in a pale haze. After a short while, astonishingly, the muddy water turned into clear water.

Radel was honestly impressed.

“A pill that purifies contaminated water.”

“Yes. It is still a prototype, though. We need to take sufficient time to verify whether it is truly safe to consume.”

Ishan Rau spoke lightly, but Radel was inwardly shocked.

A pill that purified water would clearly have many uses. Purification magic existed, but mages were not common.

Not only Lizardmen living in deserts, but anyone in areas lacking water would find it immensely helpful.

Radel was deeply impressed by Ishan Rau’s efforts to worry over the problems of the Lizardmen and find solutions. It even gave him a sense that their future would move in a positive direction because Lizardmen like him existed.

“I will give you a bottle as well. The research conducted here has helped me greatly.”

Radel accepted a bottle of pills from Ishan Rau.

“Is this not too little for rent?”

As Radel opened the conversation, Ishan Rau let out a small chuckle.

“Tell me what you want.”

Ishan Rau had not forgotten that he promised to make magical tools Radel needed. Radel had come to see him because he had a request.

Radel brought out the main point he had prepared.

“I need a sturdy saddle. Something that will never let me fall off, even if I ride a violent magical beast.”

***

In the afternoon, Radel visited the tent where the Apprentice Holy Knight Order was staying.

At first, he had offered to prepare accommodations inside the Lord’s Castle, but they politely declined, saying they needed outdoor training as well.

Instead, they borrowed a rugged piece of land overlooking the Tsar Mountain Range. He wondered how they were managing, but after some adjustments, it had become a fairly decent campsite.

“Oh, is that not His Highness the Prince?”

The Apprentice Holy Knight Order was just returning from training. They greeted him in orderly fashion.

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

Hearing the greetings, Gusto, who had been setting down monsters caught with his peers, noticed Radel and approached. The apprentice holy knights hunted at sea as well, but they also entered the mountains to hunt monsters, saying that mountain hunting could not be neglected.

“Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“I thought I would stop by. I was wondering if you were experiencing any inconvenience.”

“Not at all. We have slept many times without even a roof.”

At that, Gusto’s peers excitedly chimed in.

“That is right, Your Highness. We are very accustomed to environments like this.”

“It is wonderful. The harsher it is, the more we feel the Supreme Deity watching over us.”

“It exceeds our expectations!”

The training captain of the Apprentice Holy Knight Order also approached Radel. A formal holy knight of the Supreme Deity Order who led their training, he wore a highly satisfied expression.

“Your Highness, I was just about to seek you out.”

“Has the training schedule of the Apprentice Holy Knight Order concluded?”

When Radel asked, the training captain grew pale.

“How could that be! Training has only just begun. Are you telling us to leave……?”

“Haha, no. You are welcome to train here as much as you like. I was merely asking whether the schedule had ended.”

“Ah, I see. That is a relief. It is rare to find a training ground like this. This place truly is a naturally blessed fortress filled with blessings.”

The training captain wiped his chest in relief and praised Raviedel. He added that it was the best training ground, where one could simultaneously conduct training such as climbing cliffs barehanded or running across sand while carrying boulders.

‘What kind of training are they even doing……?’

He thought it was ordinary training, but was it actually training to create human weapons……? Radel wondered internally as he observed their condition.

However, the faces of the Apprentice Holy Knight Order were bright. They looked thoroughly satisfied with their training.

“Then the reason you wished to meet me was……?”

“Yes. In truth, there is something we would like to ask, Your Highness. There is not yet a temple of the Supreme Deity Order in Raviedel, is there? Would it be acceptable for us to build a place to stay here?”

A temple of the Supreme Deity Order. Radel was surprised by the unexpected proposal.

It was only natural that such a small territory lacked a proper temple. There were too few people.

If a temple were built, it would be an unconditional benefit from Radel’s perspective. In large cities, temples and priests were plentiful, so injuries could be treated quickly, but in a small territory like this, that was not easy. Just having a formal priest of the Supreme Deity Order who could cast Heal stationed in Raviedel would be a tremendous help.

Radel readily agreed.

“If that is the case, I would be more than happy.”

He had been worrying about how to handle the stone materials produced as the Lizardmen carved roads through the land.

“By any chance, do you need stone materials? The territory can provide support.”

“Really? Thank you, Your Highness!”

The training captain nearly jumped with joy at Radel’s offer. With proper stone materials, they could build a larger and sturdier temple.

And so, temple construction began in Raviedel.