Amivy’s sudden request caught Ian off guard.
“Highness, this…”
Ian tried to explain.
“The purpose of our training is to foster teamwork between the three of you. If we swap positions…”
‘Wouldn’t that just turn into training the rapport between the female leads and me?
You’re the protagonist!
Are you really going to cuckold yourself?’
“My meaning is that you and the two young ladies should try to coordinate as a demonstration for me to learn from.”
Amivy stated her reasoning with such a straight face that Ian couldn’t even find a way to refute her.
As Ian hesitated, Otillia and Sherivelle shared a glance and stepped forward together.
“If… if Excellency Chaoslanna coordinates with us, maybe… we could do even better?”
Sherivelle looked at Ian, her eyes clear and innocent.
“Based on universal logic, having a demonstration would be beneficial.”
Otillia also nodded solemnly.
Three to one.
Ian had no choice but to agree helplessly.
“…Fine. Then, Highness, please act as the ‘enemy.’ I will coordinate with Miss Shirleyveil and Lady Otillia.”
Ian moved to the primary attacking position where Amivy had originally stood.
“Umu.”
Amivy nodded with satisfaction and moved to face the three of them.
‘Hehe, it’s finally my turn to “receive.” Just you wait, masked man! I’ll prove that only the “Hero” is the ultimate destination for these two beautiful ladies!’
“Come at me! I’m ready!”
Amivy even spread her arms wide, prepared to welcome the two female leads’ “embrace”!
However, the scene that followed vividly illustrated the definition of taking a finishing move to the face.
Ian, Otillia, and Sherivelle acted as if they were a “Trinity” or using “Zexal.”
In an instant, Ian’s fist teleported right in front of Amivy’s face.
By the time she instinctively tried to dodge, she realized her feet had been frozen to the ground at some unknown point.
Thus, the protagonist took a full-force Haymaker from Ian.
There were even a Light Explosion Technique and an Ice Spike waiting for Amivy as she fell.
Fortunately, Ian realized something felt wrong and noticed that Amivy wasn’t even defending.
He hurried to tell Sherivelle and Otillia to dispel their spells.
If she had taken the full brunt of those attacks, Amivy would have been crippled, if not dead.
Upon hearing Ian’s request, Otillia and Sherivelle reluctantly withdrew their “finishing” magic.
‘Tsk…’
Both girls curled their lips in disappointment.
Their chance to have some alone time with Ian after disposing of her was gone.
Ian, who had rushed over to check on Amivy, and the protagonist, who was currently questioning the meaning of life, didn’t notice the looks of disdain on the two female leads’ faces.
“Prince Arthur, are you alright?”
Approaching Amivy, who was staring blankly at the sky, Ian realized that the protagonist was indeed the protagonist.
After taking a direct Haymaker to the face, her cheek was only slightly swollen.
Ian breathed a sigh of relief.
He couldn’t help but notice that the protagonist’s face felt quite nice—very soft.
“Highness, why didn’t you defend or dodge…?”
“Kevin, what do you think is the meaning of life? Is it truly impossible for people to understand one another…?”
“Uh…”
The sudden philosophical question left Ian unsure of how to respond.
‘What can I say?’
‘Really, buddy? How am I supposed to answer that?’
But the protagonist was still the protagonist.
When the two female leads approached with “worried and apologetic” expressions, Amivy pulled herself together.
‘Is this the “passionate” bond between the male and female leads? I love to see it.’
This was merely a small interlude during the Hero party’s initial training.
—
For the next month, training continued as usual.
Amivy stubbornly insisted on continuing the pattern where Ian coordinated with the two girls while she acted as the enemy, attempting to learn the “correct” way to cooperate from them.
However, the results were negligible.
The rapport between Ian and the two girls remained perfect.
In fact, as they practiced more, it became increasingly fluid and natural.
Meanwhile, during the sessions where Amivy practiced with the girls, even though Ian tried his best to coordinate, instruct, and create opportunities, the progress was despairingly slow.
Whenever Sherivelle and Otillia needed to coordinate with Amivy, they always seemed out of it.
Their reactions were half a beat slow, and their magic was cast haphazardly, never reaching the precision and vitality they showed when working with Ian.
Ian watched this bizarre “man-versus-machine” coordination with a face full of worry.
‘Why is it so hard to foster the bonds of the Hero’s party?’
‘When will I be able to claim my System rewards? Do I have to run away again? That old woman already gave me the authority to take leave whenever I want.’
‘But with the dog Emperor’s decree, I can’t really escape.’
‘Should I try another method? I don’t want to think; it’s so troublesome…’
‘Forget it, I’m cooked!’
‘I’ll just suffer through it.’
Just as Ian began to doubt his life and consider a different plan to “push the plot,” Amivy suddenly announced some news after a day of training.
“Everyone, listen up. I’ve signed us up for the Academy’s Doubles Tournament.”
Amivy spoke with a smug tone.
Ian froze for a moment upon hearing this, then his eyes lit up!
A Doubles Tournament?
That was a great idea!
The pressure of a real competition was the best way to promote trust and rapport among teammates!
‘It wasn’t easy! This protagonist finally figured it out and is using a competition to advance the relationships!’
“Brilliant, Highness!”
Ian offered a rare word of praise.
“Using a real competition to polish the team is indeed a good method! However…”
A question occurred to him.
“There are three of us. How will we play a doubles match? Will we rotate combinations?”
Amivy glanced at him, then at the silent Otillia and Sherivelle.
A triumphant smile curled on her lips.
“Well, naturally, that includes you too, Excellency Chaoslanna.”
Ian gasped, “Huh?”
Amivy said as if it were obvious, “You are our instructor, so of course you should participate. With the four of us, we can form exactly two teams to enter the doubles match.”
Her eyes burned with intensity as she looked at Otillia and Sherivelle, her heart rate slightly accelerating.
‘This is the perfect opportunity! I can form a team with one of these beauties, fight side-by-side on the field, and nurture our feelings!’
Whether it was the ice genius Otillia or the mysterious Sherivelle with her Spatial Magic, both were exciting prospects!
She could already see the beautiful scene of herself coordinating perfectly with one of them on the field, dominating the competition, and receiving the other’s admiring or even enamored gaze afterward.
The gloom of being a “loner” for the past month while watching these two beautiful ladies be all “lovey-dovey” with this annoying masked man seemed to vanish instantly.
‘Even though one of the beautiful ladies has to temporarily suffer with this damn masked man…’
‘But don’t worry! Once I’ve achieved fame and glory, I will rescue her from those “dire straits”!’
As for what exactly those “dire straits” entailed, that was beside the point.