Chapter 2 – Father and Son Oooooooh, my Gooooood, you make me siiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!!
…… I can"t do it though! It might have made me feel a lot better to yell it out, but I can"t.
Actually, I want to straighten out the princess who is speaking ill of me, but no matter what I say, I would only come off as vindictive, and that is worse.
So all I could do was pretend I didn"t hear a word and leave the place.
“It"s a shame, Earth. But don"t quit, keep pushing yourself again and again and become stronger.”
As I was about to leave, Taek, the instructor who officiated the mock battle between me and the princess put his hand on my shoulder and gave me some ale for the heat.
“Okay? Your father “Hiro” also suffered as many defeats as you from “Solja” who was the strongest in the academy when he was the prince. But at the end of the day… he earned a spectacular victory in their [Graduation Commemorative Match]. So keep it up!"[S1]
The instructor gives a thumbs up and encourages me. Following his lead, my cla.s.smates send encouragement after encouragement one after another.
“Yes, Earth. Reveal the awakening of the hero"s genes at the last minute!"
“Oh yes, Earth is the son of hero [Hiro]!"
“Will he show the talent that could defeat even the Demon King?”
Every time I receive such encouragement, I"m moved by my friends" consideration. But what about you guys? I mean, you"re worse than I am in the rankings, so first you should do "your" best! And enough with the "Hero"s genes" already!
However, I do not say any such thing.
I just walked away from everyone and returned only one word.
"…… W-Well…”
In general, the first place is occupied by a genius who is called a prodigy even though she is a nuisance. My efforts are probably pointless. I admit it.
So it"s not a shame if you don"t win. In this country, there are not that many of a same age that can beat that woman.
They"re losing to that princess. But they don"t look frustrated at all, and they don"t feel like winning in the first place.
So, well, it"s vexing, but I"m starting to think that I can"t win anymore.
However, it"s okay, and it"s better if I avoid such pitfalls instead.
That is……
“How many consecutive wins does the princess have over Hiro"s son?”
“No matter how much of a prodigy the princess is, it"s pathetic that the son of a hero can"t win even once.”
I heard voices from the corner of the pa.s.sage way of the training ground.
Adult voices. Perhaps the Imperial Knights are chatting.
They were talking about me without knowing I was listening.
“Well, the child of the hero is not a hero.”
“The princess is exceptional, but… After all, the level of the generation below us is lacking. Well, it"s also evidence that we"re in peaceful times."
“This year"s Academy Graduation Match will be watched by royalty from other countries. I"m worried that they will be disappointed when they see the incompetence of Hiro"s son.”
“Even though he is the son of Sir Hiro, his writing and practical skills put him in second place. It"s pathetic that he can"t get first place even once.”
"That"s true. And the second place is also a problem. It"s because “those two aren"t there.”
“Oh, them. “Those two” who are currently studying abroad have already fully demonstrated their talents and were awarded medals by kings of other countries the other day, right?"
“Yes, it is. In other words, Sir Hiro"s son being second in the absence of “those two”…… actually places him in fourth, so I"m disappointed.”
I heard this story in many places.
When I was a child, I was able to get perfect scores on tests and show better magic than others, hence they would always say “as expected of the Son of the hero, Hiro.”
Then, at 13 years old, I joined the Academy and competed with others for the ranking.
As a result, I always kept the Academy"s Top Cla.s.s ranking.
But, second place was my highest and I never took first place.
However, the Academy is a warrior training inst.i.tution where excellent children from all over the empire and aristocrats gather and can pa.s.s difficult exams and enter the school.
In other words, a gathering place for the empire"s elites.
That"s why I think it"s great to be second place there.
But, people around here don"t believe so it seems.
"…..I"m sorry…."
“"Huh!!??"
Hearing my words, two men who seem to be in their thirties look back.
Adorning armor engraved with the symbol of the empire.
“I"ve showed something pitiful to the Imperial Knights…”
They appear slightly anxious with my appearance, but they talked to me in a familiar fashion as if they made a mistake.
“No, no, no, no, No, I can"t be helped with the princess. The princess already has the power of the 【Advanced Warrior】 cla.s.s at the moment.”
“But you can"t be too lazy, can you? Your father acquired the 【Advanced Warrior】 at the age of 16, just a year after graduating from the Academy, and he defeated the Demon King when he was 18.”
“After graduating from the Academy, the 【Aspiring Warrior】 is, of course, recruited as an 【Imperial Knight】, right? The current academy standard is quite rudimentary, so your training will be restarted from scratch.”
“That"s why as the son of a hero, you have to do your best.”
And…… that"s what I was told by the people I was most familiar with.
Instructors, cla.s.smates, and even people I just met say things like this.
Of course, to my real parents…
“That"s it! By all means, please treat me when my dumb son graduates!"
“””eehh!!??”""
Uugh!…. He"s here……
“S- Sir Hiro!?"
"Hey, don"t be like that. Training hard? You got an advanced promotion exam soon, right? Do your best.”[S2]
“Oh, thank you!”
“You boys have kids too? Gotta show em how strong Daddy is!"
“How did you know that? I"m humbled…."
Blue eyes with blue hair same as mine. He always has a cheerful laugh and a friendly demeanor and is loved by everyone. I heard he has a fan club in the Imperial City, the members are mostly women in their early twenties.
His sword skill and magic power have been cla.s.sed strongest in the world, and if you combine the two, his [Magic Sword] makes him the strongest hero in the world.
As a kid I admired and respected such a father with eyes shining… But now…
“Hey, Earth. I had some work to do and came to the training ground, but… you lost to the princess again.”
“Guh…”
The father who taunts me with a nasty smile. So annoying.
“Her father Solja and I were in the academy together. I never won a match against His Majesty other than the [Graduation Commemorative Match]. But your opponent is a girl, right? Isn"t losing every match pathetic?"
"…… Hmmm…”
“Well, unlike you, your dad was in a pinch before graduation because of the written exams, so you might be better off. In the end, what truly makes a man is this.”
Saying that, my father gently hit my jaw with his fist.
Is the man trying to say, “Power is what makes a man”?
"…… Well, then again my dad could help me with sword training. If you gave me the sword the Heroes used to defeat the Great Demon King… Could I beat the princess?"
Half serious and half in jest, a little, I asked father.
But my father laughed.
“I don"t know… I"d like to guide you, but I"m too busy with work. So, diligently follow your training instructor or Sadiz. Besides, you can"t use [That Sword] yet. So, obviously.”
Again, it"s as usual.
“Well, you"re the type to grow slowly. Don"t be impatient, hang in there.”
I"m my father"s son. Yet, I have never been taught swords, magic, etc. by my father.
I am compared with father even though he has never pa.s.sed on his skills and teachings to me.
At the end of the day, when he was my age, he was inferior to me as a student, but I"m the one being looked down on.
Really……
“Tch… I…… already….. aren"t I working hard enough?"
"……Earth?"
“Type that grows slowly……? Such an unreliable thing to say.”
It"s annoying. That"s why I want to shout like a kid.
“Why… Why am I being disappointed? I"m content! I"m second in the Academy ranking! Isn"t that great!? Praise my efforts a little more than you console me! Were you in second place? Yet you"re disappointed? Can"t I be in second place? Do I have to be in first place?"
A pitiful kid… I can"t control it even though I"m aware of it myself, but I"m still a kid and I"m self-loathing.
“Earth…”
"…… tsk… I"m fine…”
Before I knew it, I pushed past my father and ran away.
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Author"s Note:
Thank you very much for appearing on the day.
Since there is a stock to write 200,000 characters in Golden Week, Post every day for a while, so I will continue to post more than one day to see the situation, thank you in the future.
[S1]So, remember those naming conventions I said to look out for? The Hero is actually called "Hiiro" and the emperor name sounds like "Soldier".
[S2]Enter the man himself. From the description I opted to give Hiro a super casual speech pattern, regardless of who he speaks with. Unless the mood calls for a more serious atmosphere.