The lord was nicer than Ark expected. He wasn't strict and didn't seem to be bothered by Ark's common lineage.

As expected of Arcadia's two rising stars, they receive a hospitable welcome almost unconditionally.

Holding a favorable impression, the lord entrusted Ark to the task without doubting him. It felt good that no one was trying to obstruct or butt in.

(Silvia did help a bit. As expected, nobles easily bow down to those of higher ranks.)

...Well, he could have said something worse.

(Then again, I am someone a king should bow to. What are mere 'nobles' to me?)

And there it is. As expected of Ark, he knows how to think like a third-rated villain.

“Where should we go to?” Silvia asked as they left the mansion.

“Is there anything you want to buy?”

“Nothing in particular...”

“Then let's just tour around the main district. I don't really need anything, but looking around is fine, too.”

Saying so, the two then walked around, looking at the bustling scenery and the variety of products. Needless to say, they garnered a lot of attention. Well, mostly Silvia. But one was used to it and ignored it, while the other used it to fan his own inflated ego.

“This is nice,” Ark said, enjoying the situation.

The gazes of envy directed at him filled him with a sense of victory. He felt an urge to sneer at someone, but he refrained and only maintained a calm smile.

“It really is nice,” said Silvia, thinking Ark just meant the atmosphere in the city.

“Really, thank you.”

Ark tilted his head in confusion. “What for?”

“You know, for helping me... for rescuing me. I had a serious talk with my dad, and we sorted things out. I don't think the same thing will happen again.”

“That's good to hear. I take payment in cash.”

Silvia laughed at Ark's joke.

(It wasn't a joke, though.)

Having the minimum level of intelligence not to say it, he instead says, “I really struggled, you know. Honestly, Darius isn't that old or talented, but he is the most skilled guy I ever faced.”

Silvia only nodded. It was easy for her to acknowledge herself as inferior after seeing Darius' skills firsthand. Although she didn't think she would lose, she also couldn't see herself winning.

“I'm still lacking. I haven't been able to train in a while now.”

“Although you say that, I somehow got the impression that you have grown stronger than when we last met.”

Ark's lips curve into a smile at her words. “True, I have.” Satisfaction and pride coursed through his veins as he saw how strong he had become. “But... it still feels so far. My ideal. I cannot reach it yet.”

He was talking about the image of power he had envisioned four years ago. Back when he was still considered a child, he came to Arcadia with the goal of reaching that ideal.

It was the complete mastery of the different powers he had. He wanted full control over his sword spirit, the Potentia magic series, and the ancient magic Mind Acceleration. Not to mention, he wanted to sharpen the slash that cuts everything to not lose to any other concept.

Of course, he had far surpassed that ideal. The creation of the Void Spirit alone had put him at the same level, and Mana Drain expanded his limited potential as a mage, alleviating major restricting conditions.

But what he wanted was mastery. In his mind, Ark imagined using Quarda Elementum Potentia without any limits. He craved power that wouldn't act as a double-edged sword. In this regard, he had a long way to go.

“With time, I am sure...”

“Yes. Time is all I ever needed.”

Ark and Silvia both heard the sound of the waves, smelling salt with every breath.

(It's bullshit time!)

Fortunately or unfortunately, Ark was leading this conversation to a weird place instead of enjoying the pleasant atmosphere.

“This world is ridiculous.”

Starting with a vague line that meant absolutely nothing, Ark gazed at the horizon as if contemplating.

“It is flawed to a fault. Death and suffering are common. In this world, everything is stagnant and decaying.”

People die. No way, right? Ark was spinning the obvious and making it sound as if he had comprehended some hidden truth.

He didn't need the truth, as Silvia had no way of confirming his words. Moreover, he was mixing truth and his personal opinion to make his words sound legitimate.

“Stagnant and Decaying?” Silvia looked completely mystified. “What do you mean by that, Ark?”

'What is lying under your gaze?' The question she couldn't ask was conveyed to Ark, who wore a subtle (fake) expression.

This poor girl is being conned.

“The endless wars of humans and demons; the beasts of Calamity trying to destroy the world that created them; the reality we are stuck at and accepted. The reality that I can never come to accept, even if everyone else says that's just how it is, it shouldn't be.”

Again, nothing is really being said. Even in a world that is not ideal, Ark never cared as long as things were going well for him. Even if a Calamity destroyed a country, it wouldn't matter if it were to happen on the other side of the continent. He only wanted to save what he found convenient to save.

“I will rid us of these absurdities that took countless lives through millenia!”

('Rid us of these absurdities!' Pfft. I am not sure if I should feel cringed or crack up on the floor.)

He was talking about the ideals of a better world while hiding the flavor of mockery. Ark was rather cynical about the world, finding the constant strife amusing.

(Implications with implications with implications. Without the demons and Calamities, humans would be fighting among themselves even more. Only morons would dream of a better world.)

It wasn't wrong to dream of a better world. If you can dream and work towards that, you would be better than those who refuse to put in effort, using cynicism as an excuse.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Silvia was one of those Ark would call morons, which is why she listened to his words, feeling awe. She thought he was looking farther than herself.

“You really are something else, Ark,” she said dreamily.

He wordlessly shrugged.

(I know.)

Indeed, not saying anything was the right decision. If only there was a mute button for his thoughts.

Ark was pleased. He started spouting nonsense for the purpose of instilling a sense of awe in Silvia, hoping for the feeling of awe to replace the vague romantic feelings she was starting to have. And it was showing decent results.

(Of course, it works. This isn't my first rodeo. No matter how strong their feelings, women would refrain from approaching someone who was far ahead of them. Unless they are crazy, that is.)

For some reason, Ark found it worth bragging to himself that this was not the first time he had resorted to manipulating a girl's heart. Scubags' minds are truly beyond the comprehension of decent people.

(Keke, everything is according to plan—)

“Hey, Ark, I happened to make sweets. Do you want some?”

(—Is she crazy?!)

Ark looked at Silvia's somewhat flustered face with deep apprehension. The bag of sweets in her reached-out hand didn't look innocent to him.

Why? It was because Ark could sense poison through intent. The malevolent intentions to kill were conveyed through the weapon, in this case, a bag of sweets.

“I actually made this myself... I just do it as a hobby sometimes! It's no big deal!”

“Is that so?”

(There is no fucking way a noble girl would have baking as a hobby! This is obviously your first attempt!)

Ark had seen through Silvia's lies, agitating him as if he was about to die.

Strictly speaking, the intent didn't belong to Silvia. Moreover, she was indeed the one who made the sweets.

The only assumption Ark could make was that it tasted terrible and someone with a grudge was hoping to see him suffer. Under these circumstances, he had no intention to eat the seemingly innocent sweets.

However, a memory of a lesson imparted by his father surfaced.

'Good or bad, you must eat the food you are served and say it was delicious. It's especially when the food is bad.'

(Don't just pop up when I least need it! Why did I have to remember it? Just why, dammit?)

The same day, Ark got food poisoning. He thought he was cursed when he coughed black smoke...

Suppressing his apprehension, Ark grabs one from the bag. It looked like a crystal and had a deep scent of caramel. Having never heard of anything like it, he had no idea what to expect.

Slowly, he placed one in his mouth and started chewing.

“Sweet?”

It had a very sweet taste. Ark couldn't figure out anything wrong with it. The sweet was plain delicious.

“Is it good?” Worry flickered in Silvia's lavender eyes.

“Yeah, it is.” Ark takes another one. “I usually don't eat sweets like that, but maybe once in a while isn't bad. The sugar really stimulates the brain. Can I have another one?”

“Yes, please help yourself.”

Ark was enjoying a rare treat, unable to understand why it gave an ominous impression.

“How?”

Wendy, who watched from afar, couldn't contain her surprise. She was utterly shocked as Ark gulped down the sweets Silvia made as if they were candies.

Technically, it should have been a candy, but the taste was so terrible that it made one's face contort uncontrollably.

Although she was asked to help Silvia make these, Wendy herself only had limited experience, and, as a result, they made a mistake and burned everything. However, as the appearance was identical to when it wasn't burned, and as they didn't taste it themselves, they didn't catch the mistake.

It was only because Wendy secretly took a small chunk for herself that she realized how terrible it was. Thinking that Ark was going to eat it, she wanted to see his expression.

“I thought I would get to comfort Ms. Silvia and bond with her, but how could he say it's good with a straight face and look as if it's really delicious?”

How? It was simple: Ark has terrible taste buds.

Ruined from the food from his childhood that wasn't developed even years after leaving his home, Ark can eat anything edible, no matter what it tastes. His palate was worse than the poorest commoner to find even gross food as delicious.

Thus, such a reality was created, shattering Wendy's plans.

“Damn stalker...”

Ark groaned as he lied on his bed. He was having a terrible headache.

Needless to say, Ark figured it was Wendy, as he felt her intent as she watched them. He was planning to take revenge on her sometime later.

“That was her goal. Damn it, my head hurts like hell.”

He assumed that she wanted to give him this headache, hence the ominous intent. And like many things, he was sorely mistaken.

The headache was a natural result of the large intake of sugar, causing his blood sugar level to rise. Not only were the candies packed with sugar, but Ark himself scarcely ever ate desserts or sweets.

In fact, he was prone to headaches whenever he ate some in childhood, which is why he stopped. He conveniently forgot this fact.

Trying to calm the headache, Ark chants, “Aqua Potentia.”

The power of water eased the throbbing pain and calmed the heart.

A knock on the door disturbs this peace, however, making Ark wish he could punch someone.

“Yes?”

Barkus enters the room in a slightly awkward manner.

He was someone Ark had intended to include from the beginning, as he had great physical strength and endurance. Although his defense was inferior to that of the Knight of Black Darius, he had offensive tendencies that made him into a charging bull, breaking the opponent.

“Sorry, was I interrupting something?” he asked.

“Not really. I am just resting.”

“Is that so?”

Ark didn't cancel Aqua Potentia, and the blue energy visibly shrouded him. From an outsider's point of view, Ark was training, but he denied it and claimed to be doing nothing. This misunderstanding caused an increase in respect from Barkus.

“Did you want anything?”

The blue energy gradually dissipated until it completely disappeared. It wasn't done by his own will but rather because he ran out of magic power.

Barkus spoke with a mixture of fighting spirit and reservation: “I wanted to train with you, if possible.”

“Sure, just let me grab my sword.”

Although he wanted to rest, this was a good opportunity for Ark to test the abilities of his spirit against a strong opponent. In the event, he had defeated Barkus with a single punch, but it wasn't because he was weak.

In fact, the output Ark had used was very high, making him feel dizzy. He had failed to moderate his power at all, but Barkus remained intact. Someone who was less durable would have exploded.

Going down to the yard, the two men wielded their swords against each other.

“I want to fight you on equal terms, so I will adjust my spirit to your level.”

“You casually say something so ridiculous.” Barkus released a hollow laugh.

Except when a technique is used, spirit is a sort of constant force that strengthens the user to a set degree. It was impossible to alter the strength it granted, but Ark spoke of it as if it were obvious.

There was no need to go into details, so Ark didn't give it any attention. Instead, he looked at Barkus as he utilized the techniques of his style.

Gaia style. It was a swordsmanship aimed at the might of the Goddess of Earth. It wasn't just destructive, but also defensive. The basic movements integrated attack and defense into sword swings filled with pressure.

If it were to be ranked, it would be given a high rank. Of course, that is only relative.

“Gaia Style: Quake Strike!”

An attack holding immense pressure. It could shake the target from within and shatter them like glass.

“Void Replica: Fairy Waltz.”

But that was only under the condition in which the attack landed. With light steps, Ark dodged, then countered with Heavenrend.

However, Barkus quickly reacted by spinning and parrying the attack. Stepping in with his own attack, his face was distorted in frustration.

“You use the same annoying techniques. Those are a seriously bad match for me,” he complained.

“Yeah, duh. Why would I use them if not for their advantage?”

Not only was the Clarent Style of higher rank, it was also compatible with Barkus' style. Ark had little experience using these excellent techniques, so he tried using them whenever he could.

Just for reference, it boasted the same performance as the first time he used them. Despite fighting against a Calamity by utilizing these techniques, the output and form were relatively shaky and weak. There were no signs of improvement at all.

“Void Replica: Boulder Crush.”

The transparent spirit trembled, rattling the sword. Even if you consider it to be the first time Ark tried to use this technique, the power was less than a tenth. It was a result that didn't feel good at all.

After crossing swords for several minutes, Ark attempted to use each technique Barkus had shown, but the degree of success was actually worse than when he copied the Clarent Style. Even as he exhausted his stamina, Ark's complexion turned dark as anger slowly accumulated.

“It feels weird to see someone copying your techniques,” Barkus grumbled. “Well, not that I mind it. Actually, let me ask, and my master will surely teach you.”

It was a generous offer, but Ark shook his head.

“There is no need. I already know how to improve from this point.”

Being offered to be taught at this point made him refuse. As no one had taught him before, he didn't need someone to do so now. The notion of a master disturbed him. Ark was already used to training himself, even guiding himself when needed.

The key was visualization. Unlike Silvia's techniques, which Ark had spent over a month replaying in his head, the Gaia Style was less striking, and new techniques he hadn't seen were hard to grasp. As he made it a habit to replay the fights he had engaged in, Ark was constantly reflecting on his performance, trying to find ways to improve.

Naturally, he didn't get that good of results as he severely lacked talent.

Still, the prospect of growth meant he would go as far as possible. In this dungeon exploration, which Ark was confident at even by himself, he planned to practice a lot.

(Wait. Easy?)

Suddenly hearing his own thoughts, Ark started to doubt its content.

He had never had it easy. If he did, then some ridiculous enemy sprung out of nowhere.

It was a dungeon, a controlled environment where there wouldn't be any variables that didn't originate from the dungeon itself. But remembering his last dungeon exploration, Ark felt daunted.

(Nothing is gonna happen.)

For a master of deception, it sounded like a lousy bluff.