Chapter 5: Stats

Chapter 5: Stats

As the conversation continued on neutral topics, the tension in the room seemed to ease slightly.

Just then, a maid entered, carrying a tray of snacks with a polite smile. Her focus was solely on her task, and she moved carefully to avoid disrupting the conversation.

However, as she approached the center of the room, her foot caught on the edge of Prince Croh's outstretched sword. With a gasp, she stumbled and fell.

As the maid stumbled and fell, the tray of snacks tipped over, spilling its contents directly onto Prince Croh.

His face flushed with fury as pastries scattered across his fine clothing.

"Are you out of your mind?" Croh roared, his voice echoing through the room.

"This is unacceptable!"

"I-I'm sorry, your highness!!"

'Oh, this is too good,' Sevi thought, struggling to suppress a smirk. 

'He can't even keep his own sword out of the way. Serves him right. Maybe next time he'll learn to keep his temper and his weapon in check.'

Sevi maintained his outward composure, his mind still reveling in the prince's misfortune.

'Anyways, I need to help the maid.'

The atmosphere grew tense once more, with the maid stammering apologies and scrambling to clean up the mess. Sevi, seizing the moment, approached Croh with a calm and composed demeanor.

"Prince Croh," Sevi said, his voice steady, "Allow me to assist in cleaning up and ensuring this does not happen again. It's important that we handle such situations with grace."

Croh, still fuming, glared at Sevi but saw the opportunity to vent his anger in a more productive way. He nodded curtly, allowing Sevi to take over.

As Sevi helped the maid clean up, he made sure to maintain a respectful and considerate attitude towards Croh, subtly positioning himself as the calm and helpful figure in contrast to the prince's rage.

Princess Cressida's intrigue turned into mild concern as she looked over at the commotion. Prince Carion, still observing from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow.

As Sevi continued to assist the maid, he noticed Croh's growing bewilderment at his calm demeanor. Croh's anger seemed to mix with confusion as he watched Sevi handle the situation with surprising composure.

Princess Cressida, observing the scene with increasing concern, stepped forward.

"Please, someone fetch new clothing for Prince Croh immediately," she said, her voice firm yet empathetic.

The maid, still flustered, nodded quickly and hurried off to find a suitable attire for the prince. Croh shot a final, irritated glance at Sevi.

Ting!

[Time-limited Mission Completed]

[Princess Cressida's favorability: +5, Personal feature unlocked]

[Current Favorability: -45/100]

'Oohh, nice.' Sevi, noticing the prompt that his mission was complete, allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

Cressida's eyes softened slightly as she observed Sevi's efforts, while Prince Carion's skepticism remained, though it was now with a touch of curiosity.

The situation, though tense, seemed to be shifting in ways Sevi hoped would align with his mission.

As the maid returned with a fresh set of clothes for Prince Croh, Cressida made a gesture of reassurance. "Please, take your time to change. We'll resume our discussion shortly."

"...Great." Croh, still visibly irritated but resigned, accepted the new clothing and retreated to change.

As Prince Croh retreated to change into his fresh clothing, the room fell into an awkward silence. The tension from the earlier incident still hung in the air, and no one seemed inclined to break the silence.

'...alone with the protagonist and a capture target... what should i do? ohh how about a joke?'

Sevi, feeling the weight of the room's discomfort, decided to lighten the mood. He cleared his throat and attempted a joke, hoping to ease the atmosphere.

"...I guess the snacks wanted to make sure Prince Croh's outfit had a little extra 'texture' to it."

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the comment. No one reacted outwardly, and the room remained quiet.

'Fvck, I embarrassed myself.' Sevi thought, feeling his cheeks warm.

However, Princess Cressida, though she maintained her composure, found the joke amusing in her mind.

Ting!

[Princess Cressida's favorability increased]

[Favorability: -45/100 --> -43/100]

"...oh?"

Sevi, noticing the notification, accidentally blurted out.

His eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected increase.

He quickly recovered, adding with a nervous chuckle, "Oh, it's nothing," he said, trying to downplay his surprise.

Just then, Prince Croh returned, still visibly annoyed. He glanced around the room, his expression a mix of irritation and frustration.

The conversation resumed, though it was clear that Croh's irritation lingered. The discussion was brief.

Once the discussion concluded, the royals prepared to leave. Princess Cressida addressed Sevi with a nod.

Prince Croh, still visibly irritated, fixed Sevi with a pointed look.

"Just a heads-up," he said sharply, "make sure your maid is more careful in the future. An incident like this, especially with someone of your position, can reflect poorly."

"I understand, Prince Croh." Sevi said without a thought.

Prince Carion, observing the exchange, gave Sevi a polite bow.

With that, the royals left.

Sevi let out a sigh of relief. "Huuuu... Finally," he muttered to himself.

A new notification then popped up:

[Personal Feature Unlocked: Stats Overview]

Curious, Sevi opened the feature, which revealed his personal stats.

_________________________________

Sevi Bladesworth (Human...?)

● Strength: F-

● Intellect: A-

● Charm: F

● Conversation Skills: D+

● Flirting Ability: F-

● Beginner Swordsmanship: C+

● Beginner Magic: F-

_________________________________

Sevi's eyes widened as he examined the stats on his screen.

'Sevi Bladesworth (Human...?)' he thought.

"Why does it question if I'm human? What does that even mean?" He scratched his head, trying to make sense of the cryptic notation.

'It didn't show like that before. Is this part of the game's storyline? Or maybe it's a glitch?'

When he reached his flirting ability, he chuckled to himself. "Flirting Ability: F-? Well, that's understandable," he said with a shrug.

"I haven't really been in a relationship before. Guess I've got a lot to learn in that area, for the sake of completing missions."

He then scrolled down to his swordsmanship rating.

"Beginner Swordsmanship: C+? That's surprisingly high for someone who hasn't really trained much," he muttered.

"Guess I've got some hidden skills I wasn't aware of."

'Since my swordsmanship is pretty high, might as well improve it.'

Sevi headed to the Bladesworth family's training grounds. As he approached, he could see knights engaged in various drills, their movements precise and disciplined.

When he arrived, a few of the knights glanced up from their training, their eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. Whispers and murmurs spread among them.

Despite their initial surprise, they greeted him with a mix of curiosity and guarded politeness.

"young master Sevi Bladesworth, isn't it?"  An old knight called out, walking over to him. "What brings you here today?"

His hair was a steely gray, and his eyes, though aged, were sharp. His armor was well-maintained, and the insignia of the Bladesworth family adorned his chest.

Sevi's mind raced as he searched his memories, trying to recall the name of the knight. 

'What was his name again?'  

Then it clicked. 

'Sir Garef, the captain of the knights.'

"Ohh, Sir Garef," Sevi said, meeting his gaze confidently. "I would like to train here."

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