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"Impressive."

I couldn\'t help but preen at the intimidating Emperor\'s words. I did hit a clean shot, after all. Still-

"However, that is something any marksman worth their salt can do."

And just like that, my confidence came back down to healthy levels as I let the excitement leave my body. Cause of course shooting something down that wasn\'t even a few dozen meters away from me wouldn\'t constitute some semblance of supernatural skill. Then again, now that I thought about it, why even ask me to do it in the first place?

I could only nod in the Emperor\'s direction as I gazed directly into his scrutinizing eyes. He had the same golden irises as his daughter, but his was of a duller sort as it seemingly bore straight into my soul.

"Your name is Moriya, correct?"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty," I stuttered, almost buckling under the pressure that his gaze was giving me.

"Tell me, how long have you been fighting?"

Oh dear.... Was that a trick question? In terms of real-life application, I haven\'t fought even a single fistfight in my life. I had some experience with paintball battles, but other than that, I was pretty much a pacifist. However, I did somehow manage myself in whatever fights I got into in this world. We did kill that big wolf and those Vestygian units, so that counted for something, right?

"Not very long, Your Majesty," I admitted. "But I\'m a fast learner."

There. Not a lie, but certainly not selling myself too short in terms of my potential. Cause god knows this man might just think I\'m useless if I was easily replaceable by some run-off-the-mill archer from somewhere.

"You claim yourself a prodigy?"

I blinked. I didn\'t mean to go that far! "Actually-"

"Then let us see just how fast you can adapt on the battlefield."

Eh...

"I shall see to your combat capabilities myself," the Emperor neutrally declared, his massive form standing up from his throne as he looked down on me. "Whether we fight a duel or you fight alongside your chosen companions matters not. Meet me at the palace courtyard once you\'ve decided."

The entire room got shocked into utter silence, the Emperor\'s footsteps being the only thing filling the air as he made his way to the door. By the time he was gone, the throne room exploded into a frenzy.

"What?!"

"The Emperor is fighting?"

"Just what did he see in them?!"

[CHIME!]

[mAimn qUesT10 ACCEPTED: Prove Yourself]

[I1mpreszzz///DDea34feat Empror vAr1s]

Oh dear.... The system is that broken, huh... Guidance did say that we probably skipped a few levels\' worth of quests-

"Moriya. You have to take it easy, okay?"

I was shaken from my own worrying thoughts as I felt a pair of hands land on my shoulder. In front of me, Shizu was pleading at me with her eyes, her lips trembling as she seemingly waited for me to speak.

"Take it easy? Shouldn\'t I be giving my all?"

"He- Ehermm... Father isn\'t as strong as he thinks he is anymore," the princess explained, her hands returning to her sides as she returned to her more elegant behavior. "I suppose you already know what would happen if something... untoward would happen to my father, yes?"

"W-woah... Hey now, Sh-Princess..."

A shiver actually ran down my spine as Shizu stared me down, her eyes shining with a malicious glint that just looked so foreign to her usual demeanor. It was unsettling as it was unnatural.

"I\'m just making myself clear, Moriya," she warned, a small smirk appearing on the side of her lips. "Do not injure the Emperor more than what is necessary."

"Okay, okay. Geez..." I shook my head, turning my gaze away from the menacing princess. "Not like I can do enough damage anyway. How about you and Guidance?"

At the sound of her name being called, the dev turned to me with a pensive smirk, "Despite his words, this is supposed to be a solo instance. So you\'re on your own."

Eh?! "Isn\'t that unfair?"

"I don\'t like my games easy, Moriya," Guidance scoffed. "Besides, what am I supposed to do with just a keyboard? I can\'t fight like this. Not yet, at least."

Looking to Shizu for support, the pitiful-slash-menacing look she gave me only cemented the fact that I was gonna have to do this alone. Taking in the fact that this was supposed to be done at a higher level, how much of a deficit would I be working with? Did I even hope to stand a chance against this guy?

"You should go," Shizu pointed out. "You don\'t want to keep my father waiting."

"R-right," I stammered. "Any other tips, at least?"

The princess immediately looked to Guidance, the dev raising an eyebrow as she shrugged. "I honestly don\'t remember if he has any mechanics that you might have to look out for. Either way, it\'s a story quest. You\'ll be fine."

Huh?! "How would you know?"

"Even I know not to make solo instances unbeatable," Guidance chuckled. "Just play it right. Either way, we\'ll be by the sidelines cheering you on. Right, Sh- Princess?"

The aforementioned princess only let off a strained smile as she nodded, "I\'ll be right with you. I still have a court to deal with before joining you."

Oh... I guess the peanut gallery was still clamoring for some sort of explanation. "Okay. See you in a bit then."

Nodding to Guidance, the two of us left the throne room and made our way back to the front of the palace. Beside me, Guidance seemed to be in deep thought as we walked through the large hallways of the palace.

"Remembered something?"

"Just thinking about how to make myself useful," she muttered out. "As much as I know it could be dangerous, I still want to be able to fight. And we\'ll need to form a functioning party soon anyway."

"You seem to have adjusted to this world faster than I thought," I scoffed, before realizing what she just said. "Wait, a party? Does that mean-"

"Later, Moriya," the dev cut me off. "For now, focus on the fight."

I closed my mouth. Okay... I guess that was a pressing concern for me at the moment. Better make sure I survive the next encounter then.

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AN: Kindly vote so that I can get back to 2 chaps per day ^^

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