The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 51. Sparring Partner

Chapter 51: 51. Sparring Partner

"Senior Rin, you have a huge amount of mana inside you," Velmira said. "It’s almost overwhelming."

Rin’s face froze for a moment before she offered an awkward smile. "I... I don’t know what you mean," she said nervously. "You must be mistaken, Miss Velmira. I don’t have any mana."

Leo watched closely, his gaze fixed on Rin. He knows Velmira wasn’t wrong—he knew her divine mana allowed her to sense mana flows, even though she wasn’t a fighter.

But it was clear Rin was lying, her forced smile giving her away. Still, He decided not to get involved as it’s not his problem.

Velmira softened, leaning back slightly. "Oh, I see," she said politely. "It seems I misunderstood. I apologize for that, Senior Rin."

Rin shook her head quickly, her awkward smile widening. "No need to apologize," she said with a cute, nervous laugh.

Lucian clears his throat to break the awkward silence. "Brother," he said, looking at Reo, "I heard you got council approval as Bronze Leader. Congratulations!"

Leo shrugged lightly. "Thanks, but being a leader is heavy work—especially with the election coming up."

"Are you participating in the tournament?" Velmira asked.

He nodded simply. "I have to."

Lucian’s face brightened slightly. "That’s exciting! I’ve wanted to join the tournament too," he said, but his expression faltered as he looked down at the table. "But my section leader probably won’t choose me as a participant."

Leo’s gaze narrowed as he leaned in slightly, his curiosity sparked after meeting with Princess. "Lucian," he called calmly, "why didn’t you aim for section leader? You’re strong enough to beat Darius and take his place."

Lucian hesitated, tracing a finger along the table. "I wasn’t sure, Brother," he admitted softly. "I don’t know if I could handle the responsibility of being a leader. I don’t want a title or power—that’s why I never thought about it."

He paused, then added quietly, "But there was one time I planned to take the position."

Rin tilted her head. "When was that?" she asked gently.

Lucian hesitated again before Velmira spoke. Her tone was soft but direct. "He wanted to take the position when he heard about you being bullied, Brother-in-law."

Leo turned to Lucian, his expression sharpening. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Lucian took a deep breath, finally looking up at Reo. "When I entered the academy, I heard about Prince Cassian and Darius targeting you," he said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. "They didn’t attack you directly, but everyone knew you were their target. I thought if I became the Gold Leader, I could stop it."

Lucian lifted his head higher, meeting Reo’s gaze fully. "But you stood up for yourself, Brother. You didn’t need me to protect you. Watching you fight back and become stronger made me feel... relieved. Proud. And happy."

Leo held Lucian’s gaze. His emotions were clear—love and respect toward his older brother, but also anger and resentment for the bullying he had endured.

______

The dimly lit gym was quiet except for the sound of Leo’s wooden sword hitting the training dummy.

Each swing was strong and precise, his strikes echoing in the large space. Sweat dripped down his face as his breathing came in steady bursts, but he didn’t stop.

He’s wearing some kind of bracelets on both of his hands.

He looked at the stats which Elynn displayed in his vision.

[STATS!]

STRENGTH: 47

ENDURANCE: 39

DEFENSE: 38

SPEED: 46

STAMINA: 41

MANA CAPACITY: 25

INTELLIGENCE: 70

BATTLE INTELLIGENCE: 83

SOUL RESONANCE WEAPON: None]

I’ve gotten stronger, Leo thought.But it wasn’t enough. It never felt like enough for him. He made his final swing.

CRACK!

His wooden sword shattered against the dummy, sending splinters flying.

The dummy wobbled before falling to the side. Reo stepped back, tossing the broken weapon aside as he caught his breath.

"I need to get stronger... faster," he murmured to himself.

Then he heard the faint sound of footsteps.

He turned sharply, his crimson eyes looked towards a silver haired figure walking toward him. As they stepped into the light, he saw Erin. She was dressed for training.

"Good evening, Senior," Erin said with a faint smile.

Leo straightened, his expression unreadable. "Erin. What do you want?"

"I figured you’d be here," she replied, her gaze flicking to the broken dummy and the remains of the wooden sword. "Seems you’ve been pushing yourself pretty hard."

Leo grabbed a towel to wipe his face. "Not your concern." He turned away, ready to leave, but Erin didn’t budge.

Her smile widened slightly. "Maybe it’s not, but I thought you could use a sparring partner."

He paused, glancing back at her over his shoulder. She reached into her bag and pulled out a wooden combat knife, tossing it to him.

He caught it with ease, and spinned it in his hand before he gripped it tightly.

"For your training," Erin said. She took her stance, holding her own wooden knife, her posture firm and precise. She was ready.

He studied her for a moment, his smirk returning. He turned fully to face her, mirroring her stance. "Alright," he said, his voice calm and steady. "Let’s see what you’ve got."

The gym was quiet, with only the faint sounds of Reo and Erin’s breathing breaking the silence. They both stood still, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Leo darted forward, moving quickly toward Erin. Aiming for her shoulder, but she stepped aside parrying his attack. But he grabbed her wrist to trap her.

She swept her leg under his ankle, breaking his grip and knocking him off balance. Leo stumbled backward, his footing lost for a moment. Erin saw her opening and jabbed her knife down toward him, but Reo rolled away just in time. He jumped back to his feet, swinging his knife in a wide arc to keep her from getting close.

Erin smiled rushing at him, her knife aimed for his chest.

He raised his knife, blocking her strike. Their blades clashed briefly before he shoved her back, forcing her to retreat. Erin didn’t miss a beat—she rolled back into a crouch and sprang up quickly, spinning as she kicked toward Reo’s jaw.

He ducked down, the kick barely missing him. He reacted fast, aiming a sharp palm strike at her side. The hit grazed her ribs, but Erin twisted in the air and landed lightly on her feet. "Nice move," she said, her voice playful.

Then She faked a strike with her knife, making Reo flinch, then followed with a quick slash aimed at his leg. Leo blocked the attack with his knife, grabbing her arm to pull her into a lock. Erin moved quickly, hooking his elbow and flipping him over her shoulder. He hit the floor hard but rolled back onto his feet, his knife still in his hand.

He grinned, his breathing even through the heavy back-and-forth. "You’re not so bad. Guess I’ve got a good training partner."

Erin smiled, her stance firm as she readied herself for round two. "Let’s see if you can keep the pace."

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