I Was Reincarnated as a Villain Prince’s Follower, but I Refuse to Be Ruined—Turns Out the Prince Is Surprisingly Competent - Chapter 17

Special training began that day.

Every day after school, I headed to the royal palace with Rufus.

There was about one month until the Hunting Festival.

In that time, he didn’t just need to learn how to use magic; he had to become good enough to compete with nobles who had practiced it their whole lives.

When I thought about it that way, I got scared that a month wouldn’t be enough, but we had no choice but to try.

Our training spot was deep in the courtyard, away from prying eyes.

“Your Highness, shall we begin…?”

“Jeremy.”

“Oh, right. Rufus, let’s start.”

“What should I do?”

“Concentrate your mind and feel the surge of mana flowing inside you.”

Those were lines from a scene in the book where Chris awakens his inner power to defeat a berserk Rufus who had been brainwashed by a magic tome.

“The mana inside me…”

Rufus took several deep breaths and closed his eyes.

I wonder how much time passed like that.

(His focus is incredible.)

Suddenly, Rufus covered his mouth and slumped down to the ground.

I rushed to his side and rubbed his back.

“Are you okay!?”

“…S-sorry.”

“What happened?”

Rufus let out a small retch. His forehead was soaked with a greasy sweat.

His body was trembling uncontrollably.

(Is he sick? But he was fine just a moment ago.)

“I’m… I’m okay now. Let’s continue.”

Despite his words, Rufus’s face was deathly pale.

“But don’t push yourself.”

“There’s no time until the festival. If I can’t use magic, it’s all for nothing.”

Rufus closed his eyes again to concentrate. But halfway through, his face contorted in pain again, and he collapsed just like before.

“That’s it, we’re finishing for today.”

“But—”

“Pushing yourself in this state won’t make it work!”

“…I’m sorry. Even though you carved out time for me.”

“It’s fine. Really. Hurrying won’t make things go better.”

We cut the practice short, and I left the palace.

(Rufus was acting strange.)

When I got back to my manor, I decided to look through my diary.

Rufus appeared there as well during his magic training—back when he was twelve.

As I scanned the text, my eyes stopped at a certain entry.

‘Lately, Ru-kun is always covered in scratches. When I ask if he’s okay, he just laughs and says it’s nothing, that the wounds aren’t as bad as they look. But why won’t he get them healed? There are people in the palace who can use healing magic. I’m worried.’

(Covered in scratches…)

I remembered what happened yesterday.

When the King suggested calling in a top-tier, experienced teacher, Rufus refused. At the time, I thought it was just because he felt more comfortable with me, but what if that wasn’t the only reason?

Scratches can be fixed instantly with healing magic. But someone would ask how he got them.

If they were caused by a teacher and caused because he couldn’t use magic, would Rufus ever ask for help?

He probably thought it was his own fault for failing to meet the expectations of “elite” teachers, so he kept quiet.

Even back then, Rufus must have desperately wanted to use magic, and he would have known that an elite teacher was essential.

(He was given a deep, horrible trauma…)

The next day at school, I peeked into Rufus’s classroom during lunch break to talk to him, but he wasn’t there.

“If you’re looking for Rufus, he isn’t here.”

Reinhard called out to me.

“Do you know where he is?”

“He’s resting today.”

“What!?”

“What’s this? He didn’t say anything to you?” Reinhard asked, looking a bit surprised.

“N-no. Not really…”

“Well, that’s how it is.”

“Thank you.”

I bowed and went back to my own classroom.

After what happened yesterday, I couldn’t help but connect the dots. As soon as school ended, I rushed to the royal palace.

(…I’ve come all this way, but how do I get inside?)

I felt lost in front of the heavy security.

Before, I was always in a carriage with Rufus or with his messenger, so I passed the gates easily. Normally, the second son of a lowly Baron has no business entering the palace.

The royal palace is the heart of the country. It’s not a place you can just walk into like a convenience store.

Maybe he’ll show up at school tomorrow. But what if he doesn’t?

I couldn’t stop thinking about Rufus’s pale face from yesterday.

I was worried. I wanted to see him, even if just for a moment.

“How can I…?”

“…Lord Jeremy?”

I looked toward the voice and saw one of the knights who had accompanied us on the inspection trip.

“Ah, thank you for your help back then.”

“Don’t mention it,” the knight laughed. “I heard a report that a suspicious person was loitering by the gate and came to check, but it was just you.”

“Eh?” I let out a strange sound. It seems my pacing back and forth like a bear in a zoo had been fully spotted.

“S-sorry… I heard His Highness was sick and missed school, so I came because I was worried. But I didn’t know how to get in. If possible, could you tell him I’m here?”

“Understood. Please wait at the knight’s station until permission is granted.”

After a while, I was allowed into Rufus’s room.

The knight led me to the door. A servant bowed and left, likely following prior instructions.

“Rufus…?”

When I entered the bedroom, Rufus was lying in bed. He wasn’t asleep; he seemed to be reading a thick book.

“You came all this way to visit? Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’ll tell the guards to let you in from tomorrow onwards.”

I pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat down.

“You’re still lying down today, didn’t the healing magic work?”

“…They told me it’s psychological. They can heal physical wounds, but mental ones are difficult.”

Rufus let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“…You remembered the horrible things the teacher did to you when you were a child, didn’t you?”

Rufus’s eyes snapped open in shock.

“How do you know that?”

“I remembered reading about it in my diary. Back then, you were always getting hurt… so I wondered if that was why.”

Rufus looked away awkwardly.

“I see…”

“You should have said something.”

“How could I? The ‘me’ you know is a brave man who doesn’t flinch even against larger opponents. I couldn’t bring myself to say that, behind the scenes, I was being whipped and insulted by a decrepit old man for not using magic—crying and unable to sleep from the pain. You were the one person I didn’t want to disappoint.”

“I would never be disappointed in you.”

I grabbed Rufus’s hand. He looked startled for a second, but then he squeezed my hand back.

“Cheeky brat. The role of protector belongs to me.”

I felt relieved that he could laugh. If he can laugh, he’ll be okay.

“What were you reading?”

“A technical book on magic. I thought I might find a hint.”

“I remembered that for magic, the ‘image’ is what matters most.”

“The image?”

“The spell is just there to reinforce that image. The royal family’s attribute is fire, right?”

“It should be.”

“You can practice imagining things even while lying in bed.”

“I understand. I’ll try it.”

“…Well, I should go. See you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see you out.”

I hurriedly stopped Rufus as he tried to get out of bed.

“You need to rest. I’ll be fine on my own. See you tomorrow.”

“…Alright. Be careful.”

“I’m not a child.”

“True.”

On my way to the gate, guided by a servant Rufus had called, someone shouted, “Hey!”

I only knew one person rude enough to call out to someone like that.

Just as I thought, it was the Crown Prince. Unusually, his followers weren’t with him.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

I showed him a basic level of respect.

“Sounds like you’re wasting your time on useless things,” Raven sneered. “If you apologize now, I’ll act like it never happened. Of course, you’ll have to get on your knees.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you were just caught up in the moment back then. He has ‘lowly’ blood in him. Someone like that can’t use magic. It’s a waste of time… is what I’m saying.”

“His Highness the Second Prince can use magic. Much better than you, in fact.”

“Ha! You talk big. What do you plan to do if he fails?”

“I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”

“Interesting. Don’t forget those words.”

“I won’t. And what about you, Your Highness? If he can use magic… no, what will you do if the Second Prince wins the Hunting Festival?”

“I’ll do whatever you say, then.”

“Please don’t forget those words.”

“I am the Crown Prince, the future King! As if I would forget!”

Raven walked away looking satisfied.

(He really is a genius at making people angry.)

Now, we really can’t afford to lose.