Chapter 12: Field’s Older Sister

If it were simply a matter of being outmatched by Liacarde in raw combat power, Field might not have been so irritable. But Liacarde happened to be a wielder of the Wind element, and that powerless feeling just now reminded Field of someone he didn’t want to think about—his sister, the kingdom’s second princess, Stem Caldera.

When they were children, Stem had already shown exceptional talent. Whether in academics, magic, or social skills, Stem clearly outshone Field.

Naturally, Stem received more attention and admiration, while Field was somewhat neglected. Some nobles, even to an extreme, would privately speculate that Field’s talent had been completely drained by Stem before he was even born, which explained his mediocrity.

Those harsh words stirred a fierce jealousy within Field toward Stem. Yet Stem seemed indifferent to her brother, ignoring the rumors entirely.

Eventually, Field couldn’t stand it any longer and challenged Stem, determined to prove he was not so inferior.

But reality was brutally cruel. What Field received was nothing but a crushing defeat, just like the one he had suffered against Liacarde today.

Since then, Field had never spoken to Stem again.

And today, facing another Wind element user, Field failed miserably once more. It was as if he hadn’t improved at all over the years, which made him start doubting himself.

He was supposedly a Fire element user, which countered Wind, yet he had lost twice. The first time was to his sister Stem, who had drawn all the family’s attention. The second was to Liacarde, threatening to take away his friendship.

“Don’t be so down. One loss isn’t the end of the world.”

As someone familiar with the original story, Liacarde naturally understood why Field was so upset.

Field had never been able to beat Stem, and the fight with Liacarde only brought back memories of that defeat.

Speaking of Stem, Liacarde remembered that in the original story, Field and Stem had always had a strained relationship. Stem was like a smiling tiger—always wearing a smile, but no one knew what she was really thinking. On the surface, she seemed much like Irina Aoi.

However, after Alice appeared, Field and Stem’s relationship gradually eased. With Alice’s mediation, the sisters finally opened their hearts and later joined the protagonist group. Stem even showed a genuine smile at last.

But since they were still far from Stem’s story arc, Field and Stem remained distant and tense.

“I told you to go away, didn’t I?”

Hearing her opponent, who had just soundly defeated her, come over to comfort her only made Field more irritated.

“Do you think I don’t see through you? You’re obviously so much stronger than me, I don’t need comfort from someone like you!”

“Ahem.” Liacarde cleared her throat. She didn’t really want to get involved, but Alice seemed worried about Field, and seeing her so downhearted, Liacarde couldn’t help but feel sorry.

“Honestly, if we fought a hundred times, you’d probably win seventy, and I’d only win thirty. But I happened to win just now, so in my heart, you’ve already beaten me.”

“Get lost!”

Feeling offended, Field punched the side of Liacarde.

“Whoa!” Liacarde barely had time to react.

“Don’t hit me out of nowhere! It’s dangerous up here on the mountain! I was just joking around. Is this really necessary, Your Highness Field?”

“Anyway, I can’t even land a hit on you!”

Field cursed bitterly.

“That’s true.”

This time, Liacarde admitted it openly.

“You!”

Seeing Liacarde’s frankness made Field furious, but he had no comeback—because he genuinely couldn’t touch her in a fight.

“By the way, so the cold and aloof act you usually put on is fake? You’re actually this emotional?”

Liacarde teased Field’s outburst, hoping to get him to calm down.

“So what if I am? I just… don’t know how to talk to people.”

“Huh?”

Unexpectedly, Field admitted it outright.

You think I’m cold and distant, but actually I have social anxiety.

“Sigh. To put it simply, Your Highness Field, you picked the wrong target.”

Liacarde toned down her teasing and spoke seriously.

“No one else in this class is a match for you besides me. You only lost to me once—do you really need to be this upset?”

After Liacarde’s analysis, Field realized she was right and calmed down a bit. But thinking about his seemingly insurmountable sister, he still couldn’t lift his spirits.

“Beating others, being stronger than others—what good is that? If I can’t defeat that person, it’s meaningless.” Field shook his head and looked down at the scenery below the mountain with a condescending gaze.

“That person is Princess Stem?”

Liacarde asked cautiously.

“How do you know?”

Field turned in surprise to look at Liacarde.

“Well, I heard rumors that you don’t get along with Princess Stem, that you don’t even speak when you meet at the academy. Plus, Stem is also a Wind element user like me. From that, it wasn’t hard to deduce who you meant.”

Liacarde explained confidently.

In truth, it wasn’t deduction at all—just spoilers. She already knew how the story went.

“I see.”

Field sighed. He hadn’t expected many people to know about his strained relationship with Stem. “Since you know Stem, you must understand the gap between us. How could I possibly defeat her?”

“Why do you want to beat Princess Stem, Your Highness? What benefit would you gain from that? Obsessing over beating her will only hold you back.”

Liacarde tried to reason with him.

“You don’t understand.”

Field shook his head in disappointment.

“Only by defeating Stem can I prove myself.”

“Sigh.” Liacarde sighed, thinking Field was really stubborn.

“Your Highness Field, who do you think is stronger, me or Princess Stem?”

“I… don’t really know. Probably about the same.”

Field’s words were honest, not exaggerated. Though he hadn’t fought Stem again, he had secretly watched her train and fight. Judging from the recent contrast with you, they were likely evenly matched.

“In that case, since Stem and I share the same element, why don’t I be your sparring partner? Until you either defeat me or give up on beating Stem, how about that?”

“Eh?”