The next morning, I woke up and headed out to the gazebo in the garden.
As the name implied, the gazebo was an open pavilion—a simple structure made of four pillars supporting a roof, with no walls to block the view.
A cool breeze drifted through the open space while my maid, Zoe, attended to me at my side. Before us, I had Leviathan and Lutye locked in battle.
Using the Ring of Armor's link, I manifested avatars for both and had them spar.
A Magic Sword of Water versus a Ring of Fire—both possessed tremendous power, so to prevent any collateral damage to the estate, I had moved our session outdoors to the garden gazebo rather than staying inside the mansion.
They fought ten rounds, and Leviathan won every single one.
While both were exceptionally capable, Leviathan was simply overwhelming.
Setting that aside...
"It went up."
I murmured, shifting my gaze from the two avatars post-battle to the status display in the corner of my vision.
――――――――――――
Name: Noah Ararat
Imperial Prince Minister of Justice
Gender: Male
Level: 3 / ∞
HP: E+F Fire: F+C
MP: F+F Water: E+S
Strength: E+E Wind: F
Stamina: F+F Earth: F
Intelligence: F+E Light: F
Spirit: F+F Darkness: F
Speed: F+F
Dexterity: F+F
Luck: F+F
―――――――――――
My level had risen by one again.
Just like yesterday, it went up from pitting Leviathan and Lutye against each other.
This time, my Strength increased by a full rank to E.
"Zoe."
"Right away, Master."
Standing attentively beside me, Zoe nodded, closed her eyes, and cast a status appraisal spell on me.
It had been over six years since she first joined my household.
Grateful for what I had done for her and determined to repay the debt, she had learned a variety of useful skills.
The appraisal spell was one of them.
Under the influence of her magic, my status window immediately materialized before us.
――――――――――――
Name: Noah Ararat
Imperial Prince Minister of Justice
Gender: Male
Level: 3 / ∞
HP: E Fire: C
MP: F Water: SS
Strength: D Wind: F
Stamina: F Earth: F
Intelligence: E Light: F
Spirit: F Darkness: F
Speed: F
Dexterity: F
Luck: F
―――――――――――
As always, it looked completely different from what I saw. There were no plus signs—only what appeared to be combined totals.
"Incredible... You truly leveled up without fighting yourself. I've never heard of such a thing."
"It's the result of these avatars fighting."
"Th-Then... if you keep them fighting continuously, will your level keep rising indefinitely?"
"It's not that simple. The experience points required to level up diminish the more you fight the same opponent. Going from level one to two took only one match, but going from two to three required ten."
"Ah..."
"At this rate, even if I have Leviathan and Lutye spar endlessly, reaching level four will probably take over a hundred bouts. It's an option if I'm patient enough, but still."
"I see... That's unfortunate."
"Well, this did teach me something else."
"What would that be?"
"That I just need to collect more entities like Leviathan and Lutye. Even if I need a hundred bouts, having two hundred avatars—a hundred separate matchups—would get it done in an instant."
"Of course!"
Once Zoe grasped the concept, I set Leviathan and Lutye against each other once more.
The gains were practically negligible by now, but I let them continue anyway.
It was remarkably educational.
Watching the two of them clash, that is.
I already knew both of their capabilities by heart, but observing how those powers manifested in actual combat—and from a third-person perspective—provided invaluable insight.
So, as Zoe tended to my needs, I watched them battle on.
Up to this point, Leviathan held an unbroken winning streak.
Judging by its movements, Lutye was by no means weak, but compared to Leviathan, it was easily a tier or two below.
That was why it was constantly being overwhelmed.
At the same time, I managed to get a read on Lutye's personality.
Unlike Leviathan, who was loyal like a faithful hound, Lutye was a fierce competitor who despised losing.
Even though it served as my subordinate, every time it was defeated, it would immediately project a fiery plea to me: Let me go again!
And so, I let them keep at it.
"Ah."
I spotted an opening in Leviathan's guard just after it deflected an attack.
A split-second stiffness right after parrying.
Because I could use Leviathan's techniques myself, the gap was blatantly obvious to me.
At the same time, because I also understood Lutye's capabilities, I knew Lutye wouldn't be able to capitalize on it to break through.
A pity, but Leviathan would weather the moment and claim victory once again.
The very next instant, however, Lutye's movements changed.
Thrust completely off-balance after its strike was parried, Lutye vented a burst of flames to arrest its momentum and right itself.
Then, with a flame-wreathed gauntlet, it drove a full-force hammer punch directly into Leviathan.
Leviathan's body was sheared in two before erupting into flames.
Lutye had won.
A surge of raw, competitive emotion resonated directly into my mind: How's that?! I did it!
"Splendid, Lutye. That move just now showed real breakthrough."
A wave of pure delight flowed from Lutye into me.
At that exact moment, the status display in the corner of my vision updated.
――――――――――――
Name: Noah Ararat
Imperial Prince Minister of Justice
Gender: Male
Level: 3 / ∞
HP: E+F Fire: F+B
MP: F+F Water: E+S
Strength: E+E Wind: F
Stamina: F+F Earth: F
Intelligence: F+E Light: F
Spirit: F+F Darkness: F
Speed: F+F
Dexterity: F+F
Luck: F+F
―――――――――――
My level and base stats remained unchanged, but the plus value for Fire had increased.
"So you were the one who grew, huh?"
Clap, clap, clap.
Suddenly, the sound of applause came from behind me.
Turning around, I saw Brother Henry approaching, escorted by my new reception maid—Evelyn's successor.
"Brother."
"Impressive as always, Noah. Sentient or not, to think you could foster growth in a mere ring."
"How long have you been watching?"
I offered a wry smile.
"Just a short while. You were up to something interesting, so I couldn't help myself."
"I see."
Chuckling softly, Brother stepped into the gazebo and took a seat across from me.
"Setting that aside, did you have business with me, Brother?"
"Yes. In fact, a monster nest managed by the Ministry of Military Affairs has matured."
A nest has matured.
It was an expression foreign to the memories of my previous life, one I had only learned after being born into the imperial family as an imperial prince.
To prevent premature deaths, imperial princes were strictly forbidden from engaging in actual combat without the Emperor's explicit permission.
That was why I had remained at level one until yesterday.
To prevent fatal accidents in real combat—during a prince's maiden battle—a modified, relatively safe hunting ground, or monster nest, was often prepared in advance.
Managing those fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Military Affairs.
In other words, the preparations for mine were finally complete.
"I have secured His Majesty's permission as well. Thus, we shall divine the requirements for your maiden battle."
"Divination?"
"With this."
Saying so, Brother drew out a seamless box and handed it across the table.
"What is this?"
"A box crafted by a renowned diviner. Upon being opened, it reveals whatever answer is sought. This particular one is enchanted to divine the exact military force required for the opener's maiden battle."
"Such an item exists?"
"This is a matter that demands absolute precision, after all."
Brother's expression turned solemn.
"If you bring too many soldiers on your maiden battle, it will remain a stain on your record for years to come. On the other hand, if you bring too few, you invite needless danger and defeat the entire purpose. That is why we divine the optimal number beforehand."
"I see."
"By the way..."
Brother's demeanor shifted in an instant, his lips curling into a mischievous grin.
"A single one of those costs ten thousand Rien."
"That's quite steep."
Though my sense of money had adapted to match my status as an imperial prince, the figure still took me aback.
Had it come from a merchant, I would have laughed it off as a scam, but the man presenting it was Brother Henry—the Fourth Imperial Prince and Imperial Prince Minister of Military Affairs.
It had to be an item truly worthy of that ten-thousand-Rien price tag.
"What should I do to open it?"
"Anything works. Just force it open, and the answer will be inside."
"Understood."
I applied pressure to the box, pushing and twisting its surface.
The seamless exterior unraveled like loose threads.
Those strands dissolved cleanly into thin air, leaving behind a single slip of paper.
I picked it up and read the character inscribed upon it—hm?
"What is it...? Hm?"
Brother stood up, leaning over to peer at the paper, his eyes widening in surprise.
On the paper, there was only a single number: "1."
"Does this mean... a single person is sufficient?"
"That is precisely what it means....Remarkable, Noah."
Perhaps because he was the one who brought the box, Brother remained utterly convinced that the divination's result was a pure reflection of my true strength.