Noble Stinger

"Hey!" Momo cried as she ran up to Roko one morning, "I've been meaning to talk to you! Your underwater training was seriously helpful! My body has never felt lighter!"

"That's good news." Roko said, "I've been doing some research myself and I think I have enough to make some conclusions."

"So what does it look like?!" Momo asked impatiently, "What do my stats look like?!"

"Pretty good overall." Roko replied as he consulted his notes, "Your strength and intelligence is well balanced which is good for a magical knight. There really isn't any stat that you are lacking in. If anything, you're the third strongest person I've seen."

"Third?" Momo looked disappointed, "Who are the others?"

"First is Edea. She's a bit of a special case. Despite having the highest level I've seen and an astronomical intelligence stat she...well I'll keep that to myself for now. Rest assured, she's an exception."

"What's a level?" Momo asked.

"No idea."

"Hm. I didn't think Ms. Edea was that accomplished a mage..." Momo mused, "Maybe I should go to her for some lessons."

"You have my recommendation." Roko shrugged, "Then again, I don't know that much about magic in this world so any knowledge is impressive to me."

"Nonsense." Momo smiled, "You're a very intelligent person yourself. And you have the determination to see through anything you set out to do."

"Might be giving me a bit too much credit there."

"Not at all." Momo chuckled, "Ah, then who is the second most powerful?"

"There isn't much difference between you and the second strongest." Roko began as he turned the page on his notebook, "He's a magical knight just like you, he's just a higher level so he just probably has more experience than you."

"Who is it?"

"Varis."

"The Black Knight." Momo thought over this piece of information seriously, "Hmmm...that man has many secrets but his strength is no myth. I'm...not surprised but I am a bit disappointed."

"If it makes you feel any better, the growth average between the two of you are extremely close."

"G-Growth average?"

"Take the total of your stats and divide it by your level and we can find how much your stats grow per level. Varis' average is 3.49 and yours is 3.47. You're only 0.02 behind in your growth."

"That sounds super close." Momo gulped, "But...how can I catch up? Can I catch up? It...sounds like this is just a difference in how quickly we learn. Can that...change? It might just be a matter of nature that we can't control."

"Hm." Roko raised an eyebrow, "If you ask me, you two were raised in entirely different worlds. You were born as a princess and given the most prestigious training possible. I don't know a lot about Varis but I hear he used to be an adventurer so his experience is more varied. It could be a matter of natural evolution...or you could just need more practical experience." Roko shut his notebook, "In any case, you might just be taking my numbers too seriously."

"No, I think your insight is very valuable." Momo said, "And I hope you will help me again in the future."

"Well, I'll see what I can do."

Momo smiled warmly, "Ah, I just remembered. We're doing field practices again today. What are you going to do?"

"Field practice?" Roko frowned, "I think I'll pass."

"No no, you should come along!"

"I don't have any capacity to protect myself." Roko looked away, "I'd be of no use on a hunt. Nor do I have a knight to do all the hunting for me."

"I'll do it!" Momo grinned, "I'm basically my own knight and princess so I can afford a tag-along!"

"No...we're going back to that weird forest again aren't we? I'd really rather-"

"It'll be fine! Just so long as we don't get lost!"

"'Just so long as we don't get lost!' she said." Roko muttered, "Then she goes running off after a carbuncle she saw."

Roko sighed and sat down. This was his first time back in the Paramnesia Wildwood and it still didn't look any different from any other forests he has seen. Supposedly there are supposed to be a variety of magical creatures living in these woods and they were supposed to capture or kill at least one. Naturally, Roko had no intention to take part until Momo dragged him along, asking for him to provide real-time analysis for her training. Momo wore her heart on her sleeve but she was dedicated to her training, almost to any exclusion. Helena was not too dissimilar though Roko couldn't shake the idea that Helena was more cunning than she acted. Corissa was too nervous to be hiding anything but like Momo, she was only friends with him for a purpose; unraveling Varis. Close to a week since Roko arrived in this world and he hadn't met anybody he could comfortably call a friend. Not that he knew what it was like to have friends. He hadn't made any friends since he was in elementary school and he didn't even know how to contact all his elementary school friends if he even wanted to do that.

Roko took a deep breath before he removed his backpack that he had taken specifically for today's endeavors.

"When you're lost, it's probably best to stay in one place."

Roko untied a pair of wrapped objects from the side of his backpack and unraveled them. He held up the swords he had borrowed from the armory, one wooden and another steel. He couldn't decide which was better to practice with so Roko had decided to take both.

"We're just wasting time so it's not a good idea to waste my energies with the real sword." Roko explained to himself, "I'm too inexperienced so basic drills with the wooden sword should do for now. Plus, it's a good idea to save the steel sword for any actual dangers that show up."

Satisfied with his logic, Roko set aside the steel sword and took the wooden one in his hands. He began copying the drills he'd seen the knights do during their practice, mindlessly swinging his sword up and down in a straight forward slash. Roko really didn't feel like this exercise would do anything for him but he also had no idea how to use a sword properly so it could go either way really. He continued his questionable practice until he heard a rustling from the nearby bushes. Roko stopped and watched the bushes, wary of anything that may pop out. In a flash, something pounced from the shrubbery and Roko barely had enough time to bring his wooden sword up in defense. The monster pushed against Roko's sword as it jabbed its many legs at the young man.

"A spider?" Roko grunted as he pushed back against the giant beast, "Not exactly what I'd think of when it comes to magical creatures but I suppose this counts."

With a grunt, Roko shoved the spider away from him before running back to grab his steel sword, quickly drawing it and turning back to his enemy. The spider snarled and hissed as it raised its foremost legs up in a threatening manner.

My first fight. Roko thought. Can't be that hard right?

The spider lunged forward, swinging its sharp legs forward. Roko blocked the attacks and swiftly made a cut, lopping off one of the legs. The spider roared in pain as it retreated slightly.

"Whoops." Roko said, "Meant to do this before I managed to do any damage but...Scan."

The spider's data appeared in Roko's mind. Comparing it to the numbers that Roko could remember, he concluded that the spider wasn't stronger than Roland or any of the trained knights in Memoria Auspice. But none of those people were fighting it and the only one left to defend him was himself. And Roko still didn't know what his own stats would be.

"Weak to Earth and Lightning?" Roko sighed, "But I still haven't learned as single spell. Not for lack of trying..."

Roko went on the offensive, slashing at the arthropod wildly. The spider hissed but backed away from his attacks. It made a snarling gurgling noise and spat out a venomous glob at Roko who blocked it with his sword. As the venom impacted the steel sword, the steel melted and the sword began to disfigure.

"Since when can a spider spit poison?" Roko growled as he threw away the steel sword. With no other option, he readied the wooden sword though he felt it would be ineffective. The spider hissed and lobbed two more venom shots at Roko who decided to dodge them this time. In one last attempt, the spider lunged forward at Roko who met it head on, stepping forward and stabbing the wooden sword into the spider's mouth. The spider's shrieks echoed around the sword's wooden blade as it began to thrash about but Roko pushed hard, embedding the sword deeper and deeper through the spider's body until it's legs went limp and it collapsed on the ground. As Roko dropped the now useless wooden sword, he felt a sharp pain from his shoulder. The spider had managed to dig its last remaining foreleg into the back of his shoulder. With a grimace, Roko pulled out the leg and quickly covered the wound. Stumbling back to his backpack, he pulled out a roll of bandages but he wasn't sure how he'd apply it by himself.

"Would you like some help with that?"

Roko looked up as a familiar woman rode into the clearing on a horse with her knight walking right beside her.

"You're...the woman that saved me before." Roko realized, "When I first got here."

"I'm glad to see you well." The woman said, "Though I suppose you could be better off."

She nodded to her knight who bowed and walked up to Roko. Letting the stranger take the bandages, the knight began to wrap up his injury.

"That should do it." The knight said as he tightened the bandages around Roko's shoulder and tied a sturdy knot.

"Thanks." Roko winced, "That's twice you've saved me now."

"Nonsense." The woman said, "Your wound wasn't nearly bad enough to take your life. We just helped you this time."

"Though that doesn't change the fact that you saved me before." Roko said, "Can I ask for your names?"

"I am Princess Kaguya." The woman introduced herself, "This is my knight, Mikado."

Mikado bowed.

"What are you doing here by your lonesome?" Kaguya asked.

"Well I was supposed to be hunting with Momo." Roko sighed as he picked up the ruined steel sword again, "But she ran after a carbuncle."

"I see." Kaguya said, "Princess Momo can be troublesome to handle."

Kaguya turned off to the side of her horse and Mikado rushed to help her down. Roko chucked the sword off to the side as Kaguya walked up to him.

"You fight well for someone who has no training or swordsmanship." Kaguya smiled gently.

"If you can call ruining two perfectly good swords 'well'."

"There is no need to be so hard on yourself. You are a novice. There is no reason to expect so much of yourself right now."

"At least you're not telling me I'll get better with time." Roko scoffed.

"...Your name is Roko, correct?"

"Yeah."

"I hear you possess some unique magic."

"You can call it that."

"May I ask what you see if you cast it on me?"

Roko raised an eyebrow as he turned to the stoic princess, "You want me to use my spell on you?"

"If it's no bother."

"...I could. On one condition." Roko reached into his pocked and pulled out a small notebook and pen, "If you let me record the results."

"That is acceptable."

"You're too kind, your majesty." Roko chuckled, "...Scan."

Kaguya waited patiently as Roko studied the data before he began writing in his notebook.

"What does it look like?" She asked.

"You're the perfect model of what the standard princess in this school should be like." Roko replied as he continued writing, "Your intelligence, wisdom and charisma are all pretty high. Your charisma is particularly high which I assume is because you're more focused on matters of country rather than conflict. Despite that your intelligence is above average though you only have one spell to capitalize off of. All in all, you're a woman who knows what she wants to do despite having hidden talents underneath the surface."

"How flattering." Kaguya smiled, "I was expecting a much harsher review."

"You're just pretty exceptional." Roko said as he shut his notebook, "You're the most well put together princess I've come across. And that's not based off your stats."

"Hmmm...then can I ask you to scan Mikado?"

"Is he okay with that?" Roko turned to face Mikado.

"Whatever my princess wishes." Mikado bowed.

"If you say so. Scan."

After receiving the data, Roko opened his notebook back up and began writing again.

"Well?"

"His stats are very high as well. In pure numbers, he beats out Momo in the strength and constitution department. Though he doesn't have any spells, he's clearly a very competent knight and a force to be reckoned with even without magic to aid him. The two of you make for a very competently put together pair that can realize anything you set out to do."

"I'm honored." Mikada bowed again.

"You're not as obsessed with numbers as I imagined." Kaguya noted.

"I've learned that most people don't care about numbers that much. That's why I make my conclusions easy to understand."

"I heard you spend hours sorting those numbers and making charts though."

"That's more of a personal thing."

"I see, I see." Kaguya nodded, "Well, I'm glad to see the man I saved was such an understanding individual."

"I'm glad you were kind enough to save me when I first got here. I just want you to know how grateful I am to you for that."

"Oh you." Kaguya made a small smile, "Then let me ask you this. What is our weaknesses if any?"

"Aside from the magical weaknesses and the obvious flaws in your stat distributions? You are capable enough to achieve what you want but your own competence might make you hard to compromise with. It also leaves you vulnerable if you ever find yourselves in a situation you are not prepared for. And on a personal note, I'm worried about your knight's autonomy."

"Heh. I'll keep your words in mind."

"Well, now that our business is concluded." Roko sighed, "I suppose you should be going on your way then? You don't seem to have captured or killed your share of magical creatures yet."

"We can't leave you well alone now can we?" Kaguya smiled, "Come. You can travel with us until you find your friend."

"I'm not too honorable to refuse that offer." Roko said as he stood up and slung his backpack over his healthy shoulder, "Thanks."