I was utterly taken aback.
My mouth hung open slightly.
"Because you, the prince, are the biggest troublemaker in the Empire!"
Evangeline's response to why she had become a fan of mine left me speechless.
"..."
Was she pulling my leg?
Unsure of the audacious teenager's true intentions and feeling perplexed, Evangeline waved her hands in denial,
"No, I'm not pulling your leg! I genuinely admired you for being such a notorious rule-breaker."
"Uh... what? Why?"
"I... wanted to defy my father."
Evangeline awkwardly shrugged.
"I yearned to rile up my father as much as possible. Stir up trouble, create a fuss, tarnish the family name. I wanted to lead a life like that."
Untangling the complex psyche of a teenager was no easy task.
"But, how should I put it... Going off the rails was harder than I'd imagined. Initially, it worked because my father detests knights from the royal academy, so as soon as I fled, I enrolled there."
"And then?"
"But then, once I joined the academy, all they had me do was train day in and day out. Far from going astray, I was molded into a model student."
Model student was putting it mildly.
Evangeline had completed the six-year royal academy curriculum in just three years and graduated at the top of her class. She was a prodigy who would be remembered in the annals of the academy's history.
"The only act of defiance I could manage was to cut off all communication with my father."
"That's quite a charming rebellion..."
"While I was living such a timid life, I heard about you, Prince Ash."
Evangeline's gaze turned to me, her eyes gleaming.
"Your audacity to defy the emperor, the ultimate authority of the empire, even though he's your own father! Your inventive ways of stirring up trouble week after week! Even the wild extravagance of constructing a fountain from gold coins and shattering a barrier with precious gems!"
"..."
"They say even the Emperor keeled over from rage because of you, didn't they? That's truly remarkable! Absolutely legendary!"
I got the feeling she was poking fun at me. Was she? Or was she not?
"Each time I heard of your latest escapades, I felt a thrill by proxy. You're my role model and my idol!"
"I, I see..."
Who would have thought that my reckless lifestyle would inspire someone to idolize me? Life is full of surprises.
'Congratulations, Ash. Your wayward life wasn't all for naught.'
I let out a forced, hollow chuckle, and asked tentatively,
"You really despise your father, don't you, Evangeline?"
"Well..."
Evangeline paused for a moment before finally giving a nod.
"Yes. I really... despise him."
"Why so much?"
"Well, there are various reasons..."
A complicated expression passed over her face, but she quickly brushed it off, stretched her neck, and looked around.
"So, where exactly is my dear father? Even if he detests his runaway daughter, he should at least meet and speak to me upon my return after three years, right?"
"..."
"I plan to enact each of the 100 methods of the Fireworks Approach I've devised while observing you over the years. Did he go into hiding anticipating this?"
I swallowed quietly.
"Really, you didn't come here after hearing the news, Evangeline?"
"Eh? What news? I just finished school and came home."
"..."
"What? What happened...?"
"..."
My words stuck in my throat, and observing my silence, Evangeline's face began to set into a serious expression.
Perhaps she had a feeling that something was off.
I couldn't hold her gaze anymore and slowly lowered my head.
The sensation was uncanny.
To be the bearer of such tragic news about her father.
"I regret to have to tell you this, Miss Evangeline."
A hot, uncomfortable sensation, like I'd swallowed a hot piece of metal, twisted in my stomach.
Stifling the impulse to bolt right there, I forced out the fateful words.
"Your father has passed away."
"..."
"A few days ago, in a skirmish with a monster. He sacrificed himself to save everyone in the town. His death was heroic."
I thoroughly narrated the final battle of Charles, the Margrave of Crossroad. Evangeline listened with an expressionless face.
"I have chronicled his actions and reported them to the royal family. Given his bravery, he may be posthumously awarded the Royal Medal of Military Merit."
"..."
"The funeral will be held in three days, and I intend to give it the highest level of respect."
Evangeline sat frozen on the bed, rigid as stone.
I decided it wasn't the time to relay the Margrave's last wishes, so I kept quiet, just sitting next to her.
She had returned home to learn her estranged father was dead.
I could not begin to imagine what the young girl before me was feeling.
"...ha ha."
After a few tense minutes of silence, a dry chuckle escaped from Evangeline.
"I was just about to start playing the role of the rebellious daughter in earnest. But he beat me to the punch."
"..."
"He always said he would die fighting monsters. I didn't think he would actually do it."
Evangeline's face was ashen as she gave a hollow laugh.
"He left without facing the brunt of my resentment..."
"I'm sorry."
Evangeline looked at me, confusion etched on her face.
"Why is the prince apologizing?"
"As it stands, I am the lord of this place, and I command the frontline. Your father's death falls on my shoulders."
I bowed deeply to Evangeline.
"So, you can blame me."
"..."
"I'm sorry."
Evangeline, who had been quietly observing me, slowly found her voice.
"...Sir, are you really Prince Ash?"
"What?"
"No, it's just... The Prince Ash I've heard of was, let's say, much more..."
Evangeline rolled her eyes momentarily, seeking the right word, then blurted it out.
"He was a self-absorbed, reckless brute who treated those around him poorly. But you, you seem far too considerate."
"Quit calling me a madman to my face..."
"But it's true, right? Remember what you did in the capital?"
"Even if it is true, I'm still the prince, for heaven's sake! Ever heard of the crime of disrespecting royalty? Keep this up, and there'll be consequences."
"Well, it's somewhat ironic hearing that from someone who's been banished to this backwater..."
Damn, she has a point.
The young girl in front of me was the successor of the Cross family, who had governed this region for many generations.
Meanwhile, I was virtually banished from the royal family and landed here.
In a nutshell, in this southernmost part of the Empire, Evangeline might wield more power than me...
"Anyway, thanks for your consideration, Prince."
Evangeline nestled under the covers.
"But, it doesn't feel real. It all feels fake, like a dream."
"..."
"I need some alone time."
I slowly rose from my chair.
"A servant will be standing by outside the door. If you need anything, just ask."
"..."
"Get some rest."
Evangeline, who'd drawn the blanket up to her nose, wasn't looking in my direction anymore.
After one final glance at the young girl consumed in her tangled thoughts, I left the room.
***
The Evangeline I encountered in the game was a grown woman of impressive height, but the Evangeline I met this time was clearly a teenager.
When I asked Aider why there was such a disparity, he explained with a grin.
"First, you need to know Evangeline's age. She's turning sixteen this year."
"Well, I'll be..."
The youngest member of our party, Damien, is eighteen. She's even two years his junior.
'Just judging by appearances, she doesn't even look fifteen.'
I shook my head in disbelief.
"I didn't expect the Cross Margrave's daughter to be so young, considering his age..."
"The Margrave of Cross didn't marry until his mid-forties. He was over fifty when his daughter was born."
Aider suppressed a chuckle.
"By the way, there's a fifteen-year age difference between the Margrave and his wife. He caught a lot of flak when they got hitched."
"How old are you to remember all of this?"
"A man's age is a well-kept secret."
Aider dodged the question with a light-hearted chuckle. What a formidable director.
"Anyway, as you know, Evangeline doesn't appear in the game until the latter half of the second year, or the beginning of the third year."
"Ah!"
The realization dawned on me.
That is, the time when Evangeline makes her appearance in the game is about two years from now.
It's not surprising for that young girl to blossom into a woman in two years. Kids grow up quickly these days...
"However, due to various circumstances in 'this' game, she made her entrance much earlier than expected."
"I see."
I pulled up the system window. Evangeline's data appeared.
[Evangeline(SSR)]
- Level: 35
- Title: Inexperienced Successor
- Profession: Advanced Spear Knight
- Strength: 35 Agility: 30 Intelligence: 20 Stamina: 35 Magic Power: 20
Wow, an SSR...
Just a quick glance at these stats sends waves of exhilaration through me.
A pure tank, a shield and spear knight, boasting such impressive agility—it's simply astounding. She's fit to tank through evasion.
Yet, what truly sets Evangeline apart as the greatest tank in this game is not solely her stats, but her synergistic blend of skills.
[Possessed Skills]
> Passive: Roar of the Battlefield
> Skill 1: Damage Save
> Skill 2: Damage Payback
> Ultimate: ??? (Unlocked after 3rd job advancement)
The passive skill, Roar of the Battlefield, is the very essence of shield knights. It agitates enemies and bolsters allies.
Such common skills can greatly vary in their impact depending on the character's rank and level. Given that Evangeline is of SSR grade, her skill effectiveness should be exceptional.
A single roar on the battlefield, and the entire situation shifts.
'However, the true game-changers are the active skills.'
Skill 1: Damage Save.
Skill 2: Damage Payback.
Their effects are astonishingly straightforward. Damage Save accumulates the damage absorbed by the shield.
And Damage Payback repels the amassed damage back onto the enemy.
The real kicker is, even when damage is dealt, she doesn't suffer the blow, she just 'stores' it.
And then 'reflects' the banked damage to the enemy.
'Sure, the storage capacity has its limits, and the second skill can't be used at whim.'
If the damage exceeds the storage capacity, the blow has to be taken directly.
Like my barrage of 777 punches yesterday. If a potent attack lands all at once, the hit has to be taken.
And the second skill can only be triggered when the storage capacity is filled up to a certain extent.
If the enemy's attacks aren't potent, there's no damage storage, rendering the second skill essentially useless.
'Despite these minor caveats, it doesn't diminish the fact that she's outrageously powerful.'
The best part is that while being a pure tank, she can contribute to attacks more than an average dealer.
If she's part of a team, she'll manage both tanking and dealing damage solo.
She's nearly the epitome of a self-contained offense and defense tank, so players in the game were clamoring to recruit her.
'That's not all there is.'
Evangeline's equipped traits are also on another level.
- Equipped Traits (2/3)
> Unstoppable
> Error-prone (Cannot be removed)
Unstoppable.
It's exactly what the word implies. Evangeline is 'Unstoppable'. She has 100% resistance to mobility impairing states such as binding, slowing, freezing.
Regardless of what hindrance the enemy attempts, she can disregard it all, navigating like a tank, smashing everything in her path.
This is an incredibly subtly powerful passive. It's rare for a tank to have such an effective passive.
'She's indeed a cheat character, a cheat character... Wait, what?'
But the second trait is something I've never encountered before.
'Error-prone?'
Did Evangeline always have this trait?
To investigate further, I called up the description.
[Error-prone]
- Given her youthful inexperience, she is prone to occasional errors. The likelihood of her committing both major and minor mistakes on the battlefield is elevated.
(This trait dissipates once a specific amount of experience is gained.)
This explanation popped up.
"Blast it!"
I thwacked my forehead.
Sure, her earlier-than-expected appearance was a boon, but it came accompanied by this detrimental trait.
'Well, she's still quite young...'
At sixteen, she's merely a child.
This is not her battlefield, but rather an age to be filled with laughter and carefree chatter with friends in a more ordinary setting.
"Brother!"
"..."
An unexpected tremor coursed through my fingertips.
Aider came closer to me as I stayed silent.
"My Lord, you plan on recruiting Miss Evangeline to our team, correct?"
"Huh? Well..."
I found myself unable to respond immediately.
It was akin to having a nugget of gold tumbling before my eyes.
Evangeline was, without a doubt, the preeminent tank in this game. It was a must to recruit her.
However.
'Just promise me one thing, Prince Ash.'
The echo of the Margrave's final plea, whispered into my ear mere days ago as he perished in my arms, still resonated vividly in my mind.
Incapable of providing an immediate response to Aider's query, I merely pursed my lips tightly together.