Wait wait wait?
This didn't seem right.
Why was I currently bruised and blooded on the ground while Damien stood afar, looking amused?
Was I... Incorrect in my assessment of his character? Did Damien only save Wendy because he found her appearance pleasing? Was he not the upstanding man he was thought to be in the game?
That couldn't be right, throughout every route of the story, Damien's character stayed consistent. He was always kind, upright and righteous, even helping those with no connection to Wendy. Whenever the POV switched to him, there was never any suggestion that his actions were a facade.
So why was he currently sadistically smiling at my misfortune? Was it that his personality was rotten before his amnesia, could it be that his kind character was a persona only up until he met Wendy and lost his memories? But even then, there were many affirmations of Damien being a good man and helping the unfortunate. Wendy's rival in the story, was one such character, a person who was helped by Damien during her childhood and fell in love with his kindness! So what exactly was happening?!
Let's calm down, perhaps I was misunderstanding what was happening. I did just suffer a good blow to my head, maybe I was misseeing his smile. I could have fallen too quickly for Damien to help me, I should just wait and see what Damien does now that I've tumbled to the end of the stairs.
'Whew...'
Thankfully, Damien began his descent quickly, making his way towards me. It seemed as though I was correct, once he arrived at the end of the stairs he should try to help me, I was quite blooded at the moment so he might even bring me to a hospital himself...
He kept walking, even as he passed me, I only saw a slight glance and amused eyes...
"Heh."
Did he just laugh?!
This guy just just laughed at me didn't he???
"Umm, excuse me?"
My words came out weakly, it was difficult to speak but at this point, I didn't even care about forming a bond, this guy just laughed at seeing me getting severely injured!
Damien halted his steps before looking around a moment, finally pointing at himself.
"Huh? You mean me?"
Was he... always so irritating in the game?
"Yes, I meant you. Isn't it normal to help someone you just saw fall down a flight of stairs?"
Damien blinked, as though my words came in a foreign language.
"Really? Hmm, I guess so. But how should I have helped you? I don't have the means to."
The means to? Call an ambulance! Offer me a hand up! You're the prince! I'm betting there were a million ways you could've helped me!
At this point, I had crawled my way out of the embarrassing position I had been in, sitting on the floor, my molars grinding against each other.
The prince tilted his head for a moment widening his eyes, his slight smile growing larger.
"Ah! I remember where I had seen you before, you're that knave that attempted to course that young lady before are you not! Hahaha! That was quite a sight!"
I felt his words pierce into me like daggers, making me literally spit out blood.
"C'mon, I'm already in so much physical pain, why do you have to make me feel emotional pain too..."
At this point, my affinity with the prince had plummeted into the negatives. If Damien had a system of his own, he would surely be receiving a mass influx of notifications that [-1] at the moment.
"Hahaha, don't be too down. You may have failed spectacularly but it was immensely entertaining. I had quite the laugh."
Had? You're still laughing.
Damien placed his hands on his chin, seemingly in thought.
"Hmm... You did amuse me quite a bit. Here, have this as a reward."
Ruffling through his jacket, Damien took out a small red vial and tossed it towards me.
I fumbled for a moment before catching it in my hands, looking closely, I realised it was a rare-grade potion.
Items in this world were divided into degrees of rarity, rare being the third lowest grade after common and uncommon.
Only being the third lowest grade didn't mean that the potion was cheap though. What Damien had given me should be worth at least 1000 Bel, the currency of our kingdom. An amount of money the original Lucas would have never been able to spend in a single setting, especially so casually.
"Oh, uh, t-thanks."
I was caught off guard, how do you go from laughing at a person's injuries to tossing them a rare potion? It was certainly in line with my preconceived notion of Damiens's personality, but he had already proved his character to be completely different to what I once believed.
Damien waved his hands at my words of gratitude.
"Pay it no mind, I won't. It's nothing too noteworthy, for myself at least."
I sat and stared at the red gleam coming from the glass of the potion as Damien began to walk off. I sighed, while he had definitely made a horrible impression on me, he was one of the most powerful characters in the game, and I needed to assert myself as more than just a passing amusement to him.
I forced myself off the ground and brushed off the dirt on my clothes.
"Hey, you just took the test for the academy right?"
Damien turned his head to look at me, not stopping his steps.
"The test? Yes, you're correct, I just completed it."
"Then remember my name, you'll see me again at the academy. It's Lucas Retier."
He paused for a moment, before once again starting to roar in laughter.
"Hahaha! How brazen! If you are truly able to be admitted to the academy with such a weak body then I'll certainly remember your name. Lucas Retier."
Having his word, I fell back to the floor in pain, watching as the unfamiliar Damien Belmond leisurely strolled away.
---
"It's sweet..."
I sat on a bench, sipping on the potion Damien had tossed my way. I could already feel its effects, the aching pain over my body had begun to fade and the gashes on my skin had begun to close. Only now did I truly realise I was inhabiting another world other than my own, with such magical items and artifacts thought only as myths on earth being real. I also had the realisation that potions tasted like strawberry milk, an amusing answer to a question I never had.
[+1 Stamina!]
...
Why did this stat gain feel so bitter?
I chugged down the rest of the potion quickly, it was time to leave, I had completed everything I wanted to do here, though not everything went as planned...
It was time to go to the second possible location where I could find Wendy, which was also the second most likely place I thought she could be.
A certain pink-haired woman would appear in Belmond today, and if Wendy chose the route of revenge, she would certainly be making an appearance there.
I boarded a train that was heading to one of the weather residential districts in the city, where one could find people of Baron or Vassel rank living, as well as the largest chapel in the city.
Every year as the academy opened its doors to new applicants in October, Belmond would invite talented applicants from various other countries to partake in the tests for the academy, as well as send out their own young ones to attend the academies of the other countries.
In return, these applicants would spend their free time touring the country, showing off their respective cultures and talents in grand shows. Not only as a show of gratitude to Belmond but also to display the power of their country's youth.
The Island of Shu Lao may demonstrate their famous swordsmanship, the country known for its powerful martial arts.
The Tornost Empire, famed for its advanced magic, had done a spectacular visual display this year, conjuring mythical creatures and having them battle in the air, the show almost akin to fireworks in the air.
Just recently in the city, the Berina Republic had its applicant show off a massive mechanised dragon, displaying their remarkable technological advancements.
And today, at the chapel of the Holy Kingdom, their applicant, who was rumoured to be the next oracle of their Kingdom, would be telling a prophecy for the people of Belmond. Though, most citizens would only go for the sake of seeing a famous figure, since she had been giving the same prophecy since she came to the country. The future didn't change too often after all.
The reason I was going was that the oracle of the Holy Kingdom, Charlotte Starseer, was the very same woman that betrayed Wendy before her regression, the "Pink-Haired Bitch".