Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Chapter 62- Worth

Austin’s heart raced as the battlefield became a blur of movements.

CLANG! CLINK!

Valerie’s spear thrust forward with lightning precision, the air hissing around its tip. Sebastian sidestepped with inhuman speed, his steel baton meeting her weapon in a deafening clash.

“Good observation, lady.” The butler praised.

Valerie spun, her spear sweeping low in a circular motion. Dust exploded as the weapon scraped the ground, aiming for Sebastian’s legs, but he leaped back effortlessly his figure blurring.

WHOOSH.

A sharp jab from his baton grazed her ribs. Valerie staggered slightly, then planted her spear into the ground for balance.

“Fast,” she admitted, her lips curling into a smirk. “But speed means nothing if you can’t land a clean hit.”

Sebastian’s figure flickered, appearing to her left. “Care to test that theory?”

Valerie didn’t answer. Instead, she thrust her spear forward in a feint, pulling back instantly and spinning the weapon above her head. A sharp gust of wind followed, forcing Sebastian to retreat for a fraction of a second—just enough time.

She lunged, her spear glowing faintly as she aimed for his chest.

CLANG!

Sebastian blocked, but the force of the strike sent him sliding back, his feet dragging through the dirt.

“What strength…” Sebastian sighed before his figure dissolved in thin air.

Valerie’s breathing steadied as she scanned the area, her spear raised and ready.

A faint sound came from her right. She turned sharply, thrusting her spear, but it struck nothing. Sebastian appeared behind her, his baton swinging down.

She spun, blocking just in time, and pushed him with enough force to create a gap for her kick to land on his chest.

**DHAK**

Sebastian was forced back, as he finally concluded, “I think this should be it.”

Valerie paused in her tracks as she asked, “Are you fine?”

Sebastian nodded, before he revealed his reason to stop her, “You have been sparring for the past four hours. First with the young master and now me. You should not push yourself this much, Miss Valerie.”

“Yeah, he is right.” Pushing himself up, Austin approached his beloved fiancée and said, “It’s not like we are going to a war tomorrow.”

“But we are, in a few days, no?” Valerie asked, her voice sounding serious this time.

Sebastian exchanged a glance with the Prince before voicing, “It’s not exactly a war, lady. We are going to just gain information about them.” His words held conviction but left a whole lot of room for questioning.

And those questions were directed at Austin.

“Let’s talk about it tonight at my office.”

——–**——-

[Combat: 29.5/100]

{Next reward at 40}

[Romance: 42/100]

{Next reward at 60}

[Durability: 40/100]

{Next reward at 60}

[Trickery: 21/100]

{Next reward at 35}

[Overall Progression: 31.1/100]

[Next Reward at 50]

…

[Ding!]

[You have gained a reward upon breaking into the next stage of Durability.]

[Ding!]

[You have received a reward for reaching the third stage of Overall Progression.]

Coming out of the steam bath, Austin checked the notification of the system.

He has finished the endurance test just now, even though there was a day left.

It was a pain initially, but later, once his body got used to it, Austin felt much more immune to extreme heat and cold. And given the relief he felt in the ice bath, he was thinking of making it a part of his daily life.

“Show me the rewards.” Wiping his body, Austin asked.

[Ding!]

[Aqua Lungs: Allows the host to breathe underwater for thirty minutes without any trouble.]

[Note: The duration of the skill cannot be increased.]

[Limitation: Can be used once in three days.]

Austin hummed in satisfaction. He would be visiting the city situated by the sea, so surely, this skill could prove to be useful.

As he began wearing his clothes, he heard another ‘ding’.

[Prying Eyes: Allows the host to see through any obstacle and spell for thirty seconds.]

[Limitation: Once in 30 hours]

[Note: Can be upgraded using system rewards.]

…

Austin chuckled; this was one of the most desirable skills back on Earth by many men.

‘This system provides quite good reward eh…but the next threshold becomes quite distant with each accomplishment…’ Heaving a sigh, he got up from the bed.

There were no classes today, and he planned on visiting Rudolph today and then meeting the Headmaster.

Valerie was taking it easy and resting in her room. She trained more than usual, so Austin told her to rest as much as she could.

Although his mission was important, it doesn’t mean he would let Valerie get overworked because of it.

There were four days for the tournament to finally begin. If he gets permission from the Headmaster, then he will go to search for the elixir tomorrow and, after giving his trials, leave for Drenovar.

And if the Headmaster denies…well, he has a plan for that as well.

Leaving his dormitory, Austin was headed towards the infirmary.

Many students were roaming around in their casual clothes since today was the weekend.

Entering the main building of the school, he walked through the long corridor. On his left were several storage rooms for medical supplies. And on his right was a beautiful garden where the Protagonist usually spends her time.

Reaching near the end of the corridor Austin turned to his left and entered the infirmary, “I am here to meet Rudolph.”

He informed the nurse at the reception desk.

The nurse looked up from the file she was reading and instantly blushed upon gazing at the handsome Prince.

His aquamarine eyes sparkled like gems under the sunlight, perfectly complementing his long, golden hair that fell in soft layers, framing his face and cascading down his back. The neat parting in the middle revealed his sharp features, while the shorter strands at the front added a touch of elegance and charm to his regal appearance.

“Y-Yes, please come with me.” She got up and urged him to follow her.

With his hands in his pocket, Austin walked for a short distance before the nurse turned to look at him and gestured, “He is there.”

Austin nodded and before the lady could have said anything further, he walked past her.

“Hello, broken mess.” Austin greeted his friend who was eating muffins or something while sitting on the bed.

There were still bandages around his stomach but other than that, he seemed fine.

“Damn…what a way to greet your friend who is suffering from boredom.” Rudolph extended the plate of dessert, but Austin shook his head.

“I am good. And what about you? How long will it take?” The blond one asked as he took the glass of water from a nearby bedside table.

“Dunno man, they say they will release me tomorrow, then someone comes to inspect my wounds and say, just one more day.”

Austin raised his brows, “Is there any serious problem with your wound? Is it not healing?”

Rudolph scoffed, “None can inflict such a wound on me, that I cannot recover from.”

Austin rolled his eyes, “Then why are you still all wrapped up?”

The raven-haired sighed, “The Dark energy was utilized to injure me, so it is taking a lot longer than usual. And since they know I will be participating in the tournament, they are seeking my full recovery before letting me go.” Saying so, he inserted a whole donut in his big mouth, at once.

Austin hummed, as he leaned back in his seat and rested his left leg on the other.

Rudolph set the platter aside, and with his gaze drawn to the ground, he muttered, “Morkel visited me yesterday.”

Austin’s brows were raised, “The third year’s Professor? What did he say?”

He was expecting that bespectacled bastard to approach Rudolph so he wasn’t that surprised.

Rudolph looked serious, but he didn’t hesitate in revealing, “He was accusing you of framing Parkinson.”

Well, he got that right—Austin inwardly muttered.

“Hmm? That’s…something new.”

Rudolph heaved a sigh, “If he had done this before when you were pursuing Rhea, I would have understood since Morkel is the kind of guy who can use such underhanded tactics to remove his competition. However, now that you have finally settled on Valerie…I am completely baffled as to why he is targeting you now.”

Austin chuckled, “Well, old rivalry maybe? Forget about him.”

Rudolph nodded, “Yeah, let’s not talk about him.” With a grin, Rudolph asked, “I heard you defeated a Third-year student yesterday. Once I recover, how about sparring a little? Like the old times?”

Austin chuckled; it’s been a while since they sparred. Rudolph’s Shard made him too strong so training with Austin became a waste of time for him

In just a short while, thanks to the assistance of the system along with Sebastian and Valerie, Austin has regained his worth in other’s eyes.

He was no longer the helpless Prince or the heartbroken loser. He now has an ambition in his mind that he would achieve by hook or by crook.

And that is to create a peaceful world where he could happily live with his Val.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s do that.”