Jilk's POV

I threw a fist at Bartfort's face, and I missed as he easily dodged. My efforts were rewarded with a broken nose moments later. I stumbled back and held my nose as the pain was too great for me to keep fighting. Instead of calling the spar, he swept my legs and pressed his foot on my neck as I lay on the floor.

"That was a dirty move, Bartfort," I groaned.

"It was dumb of you to open yourself up to that from a little pain."

"You broke my nose! The spar should've ended at that!"

"Seems like you have a concussion if you think I would have."

The bastard was relentless. We sparred until one of us (I) was pinned or would have suffered a 'fatal' blow. Worse, Bartfort always used dirty tactics to take me down as efficiently as possible. Nothing was off the table. If a move could inflict more pain, blind, or stun, he would freely use it. A broken nose was tame for him. I damn near lost my eye during our first spar when he tried to blind me two seconds into the fight.

It wasn't as though I didn't get a few in myself. Bartfort sported a few injuries himself. However, they didn't slow him down. They never crippled his performance. He just pushed through the pain. It was a minor annoyance at best.

At first, I didn't even think I was hurting him. I had found the disparity in our abilities disheartening. I wondered if I was so weak that injuring him was impossible for me.

It's only thanks to Olivia that I realized that he was hurt. Olivia had to take a substantial amount of time to heal him. It was far less than what she had to take for me, but his injuries had to be extensive if Olivia had to take as long as she did.

I still didn't take pride in dealing as much damage to Bartfort as I did. His injuries were through the accumulation of ten rounds of sparring. I needed to stop for treatment after every other bout.

"You wouldn't be so cocky if this was a shooting competition instead of fisticuffs. Fist fighting is more of Greg's thing."

"Yeah, but I would have to be a moron to do either. Nah, I'll satisfy myself by picking you apart in something you're bad at."

"You're just doing this to look good in front of Olivia."

"Olivia? She already respects my abilities. I don't need to do anything to get her attention. Nah. I just like punching you in your pretentious face."

"Tch, you are scum."

"Yet here I stand while you are down on the floor and 'dead'. Again. What's the score now? A hundred-twenty-seven to zero?"

"As I said, things would be different if we were competing with my guns."

"True, but can you say the same thing about Chris?"

"What does he have anything to do with this?"

"I know that you have been watching Chris's challenges. For all your skill in firearms, do you think you could stop Chris?"

"..."

If it were a few weeks ago, I would have won decisively. Now though? I stood no chance against Chris at all. After weeks of losing to Bartfort, the man was able to charge a fortified position while deflecting bullets. He only lost to him due to Bartfort's preferred shooting tactics.

I prided myself on my accuracy, not the sheer fire rate that Bartfort demonstrated. I couldn't even fathom carrying the sheer amount of bullets that Bartfort used. Without the ever-present hail of gunfire, Chris would have easily made his way to me, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I knew Chris greatly outmatched me in close-range combat.

"That's what I thought. It doesn't matter how good with guns you are if you are this pathetic in hand-to-hand combat. There will always be someone who can get close to you. Now get up. I know you're just stalling for time to rest."

He offered his hand to me. I wasn't falling for that shit again.

I swept my leg in hopes of throwing his balance off. He just stomped on my leg and broke my ankle.

"Broken ankle? Well shit. We're calling it early for today. Olivia, we're done for today. You can patch him up now."

Bartfort decided to leave without healing. It seems that I performed worse than usual today.

As Olivia began healing my leg, I couldn't help but complain about Bartfort.

"He's such an uncouth barbarian."

"Leon can be a bit rough around the edges, but you are the one who is challenging him."

"You're taking his side? His brutality is beyond the pale for a noble," I asked in a hurt tone.

"But you are getting better. Leon's training methods are tough, but they get results fast. I think you should focus less on how he presents his lesson and more on how much you have improved."

She was justifying Bartfort hurting me. My sweet Olivia abhorred violence and was still taking his side.

A worrying line of thought popped up in my mind.

"He hasn't been hurting you during his lessons, has he?" I asked worriedly.

"Never! There have been training accidents, but I've never felt like he was trying to hurt me! He frets whenever I do get hurt!" Olivia said heatedly. She looked aghast over the mere thought.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. At least Bartfort hadn't been abusing Olivia. Her casual acceptance of my injuries as part of training had me worried. Her acceptance of such brutality was too out of character. She always shied away from conflict.

But then why was she okay with Bartfort regularly breaking me?

"Olivia? You must know that Bartfort's training methods aren't acceptable."

"Then don't train with him. He isn't making you train with him. You are taking up his time whenever you come to ask him for a spar."

"He's just using it as an excuse to hurt me."

"I've finished here," Olivia said in a cold tone before she began walking away.

"How can you accept his methods?" I asked in shock.

"Because I trust Leon," Olivia said without looking back.

I screwed up. Bartfort and Olivia were closer to each other than I would have liked, and I had unwittingly said such disparaging things. No, I knew they were close. I just chose to ignore the signs to soothe my woes. Things were going to be awkward between us for a while.

She probably doesn't see my face for a while. I should probably stop training with Bartfort. I couldn't spar him without needing her to heal me.

The thought that Olivia would be alone with him made my stomach churn. Bartfort's smug face came up in my mind. He was gloating about how weak I was and how Olivia would be in good hands. The very thought of him winning infuriated me.

I refused to allow such an outcome.

Maybe I should think about the situation differently. Olivia probably realized that I would never come to like Bartfort and was upset because of that. Showing her that I trusted her judgment might convince her to forgive me. I wanted to show her that I was willing to set aside my misgivings and wasn't weak-willed enough to quit now. Surely Olivia will forgive me if I showed up and improved in the next spar.

With my plan in mind, I set out to prepare. I would make Bartfort work for the next one.

Julius's POV

Angelica refused to allow me to spar with Leon until I could defeat her. She was treating me as the crown prince again and trying to control my actions. When I tried to subvert her directive and talked to Leon directly, he sided with Angelica. Thus, I found myself fighting a losing battle against Angelica.

My Royal Guard skill shattered under Angelica's Flame Lance assault. Before the attack hit me directly, the flames flowed back towards Angelica. They soon hovered behind her and burned menacingly in the air.

"Since when did you learn how to use Flame Lance," I panted.

"Olivia's quite the prodigy when it comes to magic. Both in learning and teaching. Though I'm not sure if it's so much her natural talent or all the tricks Leon has taught her."

"Yet you and Bartfort are still tutoring her despite her surpassing you two."

My frustration was boiling under my skin. Despite the fact that Olivia didn't need these two anymore, they were still monopolizing her time. Olivia was spending more time with them since the dungeon dive.

Even when Olivia spent time with my friends and me, these two regularly were involved in some way. Angelica and Bartfort were trying to get in the way. It was typical of Angelica. She was always so controlling and resorted to using others to do her dirty work.

"Olivia still needs to learn proper noble etiquette from me. As for Leon, Olivia trusts him a great deal. He pretty much raised her and taught her everything she needed to flourish."

How dare that man? He had hidden his presence for so long, and as a result, he had snuck his way into Olivia's trust. Bartfort was stealing away the one girl who saw me as Julius instead of the crown prince.

"We could have done that," I snarled.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because you took that role. I know that you and Bartfort pulled some strings to make it happen."

"... Julius, you had weeks to do that on your own time. Instead, you spent all of that time playing. You were wasting Olivia's time and prevented her from studying. Leon told me that Olivia was in danger of being expelled. Leon and I are only necessary because you didn't take the initiative to study with her. So yes, we pulled strings. We pulled strings to keep her in school and out of debt," Angelica said in disbelief.

"What debt?"

"Julius, she's a scholarship student. Her tuition is paid for on the condition that she graduates. Failing out violates the terms she agreed to, and this school isn't cheap."

It must have been a lie. Angelica was trying to deflect the blame.

"Olivia never said anything about that."

"Olivia was being considerate to you and your friends. Do you think she would be the type of person who would tell you that you were being a bother?"

"Of course not, but she could have told us she was having problems and we would have helped!"

"Julius... I'm sorry to tell you this. I truly am, but she did not trust you very much back then. She was scared of you and your friends," Angelica said with pitying eyes.

"Why would she not trust us? We were her friends."

"She feared the repercussions of disobeying. The other nobles took exception to her attendance here. According to Leon, it is likely the fear she felt for them bled onto you."

"What? Who did? I want their names!"

Someone had been bullying Olivia? How dare they!

"Does it even matter now? The issue has already been resolved. Olivia is not being bullied anymore, she sees you as a friend now, and she isn't the vengeful type. Going out to find retribution on her behalf will only cause problems for both you and her."

"So you were part of that group. It's the only legitimate reason why you won't tell me. You were part of the group that was tormenting Olivia."

"What? Why would you even think that?" Angelica asked with a hurt expression.

"I know what you think of commoners! I know what you think of propriety! I do not believe it is beyond you to punish a commoner! To show her her proper place!" I said angrily before I could stop myself.

Looking up, I instantly realized I had missed the mark. Angelica had tears falling from her eyes after my response. She never cried.

Suddenly, I began to feel guilty. My frustration had gotten the better of me. I wanted to blame Angelica for anything out of anger and fabricated a plot to do so. After I had finished venting, I realized how idiotic my accusation sounded. Angelica was the daughter of a Duke. If she had taken exception to Olivia, she would have made Olivia disappear. She wouldn't have resorted to petty bullying.

Before I could apologize, Angelica fled the area. I didn't give chase.

Turning around I saw Bartfort walking toward me and glaring at me. Olivia was following morosely behind him. Just what I needed to make my day worse. Olivia was upset with me. I wonder if Bartfort had planned for this.

"You wanted to spar? Fine, you've got a spar," Leon said before electricity sparked between his fingers.

I had lost the spar badly. It felt as though every bone in my body was broken. Breathing was a herculean task as he had been very liberal in striking areas that prevented me from breathing properly. Even with Olivia's magic, the healing process was slow and painful. Despite the pain, I felt that I deserved them after what I had said.

"... She wasn't lying you know. I was in a bad spot before Angelica and Leon took me under their wing. I'm truly grateful to them."

"Was it true? The part about you being scared of us?"

"... Yes. There was more to it than just that, but I was afraid of the five of you."

"Why? We were your friends. Why were you afraid of us?"

"Like I said before. I was in a bad spot. At the time, I was scared of every noble."

"But we were kind to you," I said with a hurt tone.

"You were. I was still scared though. I didn't understand the world I had entered. All I knew was that everyone was so cruel. Even though you and your friends accepted me, I thought you had an ulterior motive. I thought you had taken me in because I was a commoner. A novelty. I thought that you saw me as nothing more than a pet. I was scared that if I had displeased you, I would be disciplined."

"We would never."

"I know. I'm sorry to have doubted you and your friends. It was irrational, but I couldn't help it at the time."

"... But why Bartfort. I know you were scared of Angelica at first. But something tells me that you were fine with Bartfort. He was a noble too. Why were you fine with him."

"There were a lot of reasons. I can't say for certain what allowed me to lower my guard around him. It could be because he's barely a noble. The person who taught me magic also vouched for him. It could also be the circumstances. He and Angelica were chosen to help me. The fact that he said he wanted to use his time to help me also probably convinced me of his intentions. In the end, it just felt right to follow his lead."

"I see... I'm sorry for not noticing."

"Don't be. It was kind of the point, but thank you for the sentiment."

"Just know that you can rely on us."

"I know," she said softly.

She had no intention of doing so. I knew that she would always seek out Bartfort first. He was the person she knew she could rely on. After what I had done, I couldn't blame her. I had shown her such an ugly side. Regardless of my feelings for Angelica, I had done her a disservice. If I could do that to my fiancee, it did not bode well for others. I must have reignited some of Olivia's trauma.

I vowed to be better.

My introspection was interrupted when Olivia quietly said, "You should apologize to Angelica."

"I know. Should I go once I'm healed?"

"No. I don't think today would be a good idea. You should do it soon though. Dawdling will only hurt Angelica worse."

"I don't think she should be alone though. I've never seen her cry since she was a child."

"Leon's already taking care of it," Olivia said with no uncertainty in her eyes.

Of course, he was. He was the reliable one in Olivia's eyes.

I couldn't disagree.

Olivia's POV

Checking the Lost Item Leon had given me, I saw that he had left Angelica. He was heading towards the boys' dorm. The fastest route would take him towards me. After waiting a few minutes, he showed up.

"Olivia? Ah, you must want to know about Angelica. She's... she's doing better, but she's not in the best of places emotionally speaking. You might not want to talk to her right now. She knows it's irrational, but she thinks she'll lash out at you if you were to try to talk to her now."

"There was that, and thanks for telling me ahead of time. But I'm also worried about you. You were supposed to be resting today."

He looked exhausted. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. Ever since the dungeon exploration class, the boys had been hounding him with challenges.

For some odd reason, he had accepted them. Angelica refused to tell me why he did so despite seemingly wanting nothing to do with them.

It was worrying to see the poor relationship between Leon and the other boys. Leon could be rough around the edges at times, but he was never this hostile. I don't even think he was doing it to necessarily motivate the boys. It motivated them, but it felt like there was more unpleasantness than necessary.

"Me? What for?"

"I have eyes, Leon. I've noticed how you seem to be getting more haggard as the days go by. Your restraint is also slipping. You're usually good about not breaking bones."

"I suppose that's true. If only His Highness and friends were half as considerate as you," he said weakly as he sat down on a nearby bench.

I moved next to him and began to use my magic to heal him. Today's damage wasn't that bad. Julius hadn't been able to put up much of a fight since Leon finally let loose (how much I couldn't say). Most of Leon's injuries seemed self-inflicted. Leon must have instinctively used a reduced version of his personal spell. I could see why he didn't want me to learn it.

Leon interrupted my thoughts as he asked, "And what about you? Ever since the boys have decided to train with me, you've had a practical lesson every day."

"It's just healing the boys. Healing magic doesn't take much effort for me."

"I don't know. I read that using too much magic can stop your physical development. You might want to be careful about the amount of magic you use," Leon said in jest.

"Oh my. I would have thought having a young body would be considered a benefit for most women. Does Leon prefer a more developed body?"

"Funny. Though you shouldn't pick up my sense of humor. It'll get you into a lot of trouble," Leon said with a weak chuckle.

"Who said I was joking? I am curious about your preferences."

"How come?" he asked with a less playful tone.

"Well... Angelica told me that the school was meant to find a marriage partner, but you only ever seem to spend time with either Angelica or me. So I was wondering what kind of girl would interest you."

I was starting to feel bad for Leon. He may not say it out loud, but I pieced together that my tutoring sessions had and were causing him problems. Leon had to spend all his time taking care of me. He only ever talked to Angelica or me because I had to take priority. I was preventing him from finding a wife, and now, the situation has gotten worse for him.

Before he had free time and would occasionally send out tea invitations (even if they were rejected), but now, Julius and his friends were occupying more of his time to the point I don't recall hearing him planning to invite anyone anymore. While Julius and his friends were causing Leon problems, I knew that I was the source. I knew that they were challenging Leon over me.

I had tried to help Leon by telling the boys to get along with him, but for some reason, they seemed to be more insistent about challenging Leon. While Leon could benefit by acting more cordial, I doubt it would have changed the situation much. It was a vicious cycle in which one side would antagonize the other and the other side would escalate. The boys were much too hardheaded. I blamed their noble upbringing since they seemed to always think that they were in the right.

In any case, I didn't want to always be such a burden for Leon. He was doing so much for me. If I could find out what kind of girls he liked, I might be able to find someone to match with him. It would be difficult since most of the girls here didn't want to associate with a commoner, but I wanted to ease his burdens if even it was only a little bit.

The idea felt oddly unpleasant. I was probably feeling prejudiced. I didn't have a favorable opinion of most of the people at this school. The idea of matching Leon with them didn't feel right.

"Not like anyone would be interested in a rural Baron when the crown prince and his royal entourage are here. Even if the boys are taken, the girls here yearn for them still. They would never look my way. I'm just the side note in their story," Leon said with a dismissive wave.

Somehow his answer hurt. Did he think so lowly of himself? He seemed so at peace with the thought. How long had this been going on?

"Ignore those girls. They were never going to be good marriage partners if they were going to fawn over unattainable men instead of taking an honest look at you. Surely there must be someone that piques your interest," I said to ignore the pain I was feeling for him.

"I suppose, but I'm sure anyone that I would find attractive would be far beyond my reach. That only leaves the leftover Baronesses and Viscountesses, and I'm not interested after seeing their cruelty."

"So you want a kind woman?"

"That's what you picked up from my complaint?"

Of course, I would. I didn't want to hear Leon putting himself down. I had to latch onto his dislike to escape his self-loathing.

Omake: Luxion's Master Plan

As predicted, Master has screwed up his scenario. He has unwittingly seduced the protagonist. He should have considered the possibility that Olivia would see him as a route. I must thank his mob mentality for leaving such an oversight. Playing the role of 'staff/tutor/function mob' would not disqualify him as a potential partner for Olivia.

Step one of the plan has succeeded.

For step two, I shall need to slowly convince Master to procreate with Olivia. His Old Human DNA will be needed to bring back the former glory of humanity. It may be required to find more mates to accelerate the return of Old Humanity.

Step two-A has been added to the list. I shall scout out potential mates for Master.

Step three shall proceed as scheduled. According to Master, New Humanity shall fall since Olivia hasn't chosen any of the canon routes.

AN:

1) Tone of this set of POVs was exceedingly different compared to the first set. Was the first set or second set better?

2) Jilk's main issue (other than being the scum king) is that he's a coward who runs from his problems. As such, I felt it worked if he had to confront this issue by getting punched in the face repeatedly.

3) Julius isn't noted to have a weakness other than his communication and mental development issues. Trying to find a way to obviously show his combat improvement wasn't going to work so I opted to have him deal with his social issues. Hence why his section is more about him not trying to understand anything and lashing out. Due to his immaturity, he is forced to see the harm he inflicted on not only Angelica but also Olivia.

4) No, Leon did not plan for Julius to lash out at Angelica as he did.

5) Unlike the previous chapter where Olivia spent a more typical affection event, these two went in the opposite direction. This is because of the five, we canonically see how self-centered these two are. They're all self-centered, but these two are particularly bad (probably because they had actual character arcs).

6) Olivia's section isn't specifically on her training and how she improves. She has already shown up a lot in the boys' section in regards to that. I wanted to focus on how she felt about her tutoring sessions.

7) Leon comes off as brutal from the boys' perspective because they already hate him. If you pay attention to some throwaway lines, you can kind of glimpse that he does realize that he sometimes goes too far. Such as stopping his spar with Jilk immediately after breaking a leg. In the context of a world with healing, fighting until someone has a broken bone seems reasonable. Even in real life, some matches go on even if the competitor has a broken nose.

8) As for breaking Julius's body, rage can make you do a lot of things.

9) As for why Olivia is seemingly okay with Leon's behavior, she's gotten used to it. It's physical training. A broken nose here and a broken bone there is normal. More so when the boys are learning to fight dirty. She may not like it but realizes that it's training that the boys want. Also remember, this type of training had been going on for weeks. It just doesn't seem that way because I decided to write sometime in the middle of their training. The only time Leon does anything remotely horrifying is when he loses it on Julius, who he had not been planning on training directly. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing and canonically he has done worse to someone else though in the Alzer Arc.

10) I didn't write Olivia reacting to Leon's brutality because it would add more to an inflated chapter and because the time when she would react was during Julius's POV, and he was more interested in figuring out why Olivia was scared of him initially. Plus, Olivia has other concerns such as healing the prince and wondering about Angelica.

11) These are informal training sessions so there is no faculty to stop him. Leon wouldn't be crazy enough to beat down the five in front of actual officials.

12) The Luxion plotting is not part of the story. It was just something weird I thought of since the chapter felt too heavy for my liking.