Super Spark of Duper Pride [OB] - Act I: Motivation

2-M: Till the End of the Line (Hero 2 & Shielder 1)

Hero 2:

It's the castle's training yard.

Two boys are sparing with wooden swords.

One of them is me, Julius, the newly appointed Hero.

The other is Hyrince, my best friend.

I trick Hyrince into blocking high with a faint before quickly redirecting my strike to hit low.

And with that little bit of trickery, I have successfully knocked Hyrince down for the first time in all of our sparring matches so far.

Hyrince: "Ha ha. Nice one, you finally beat me."

"Well, yes, but it was mostly thanks to the boost in Stats becoming the Hero has granted me."

I wouldn't be fast enough to redirect my strike like that before Hyrince can reposition to block it.

Hyrince: "Maybe, but a boost in Stats wouldn't have helped you come up with a strategy around my defence."

"I...No, I suppose you are right, thanks."

Hyrince is always quick to point out the logical faults in my self doubt.

We met during my Appraisal ceremony.

He is the second son of a duke in the kingdom, and much like other second and third sons, he is treated like a back up in case anything happens to the first.

However, in his case, his older brother is already married and has a son of his own, so Hyrince is even more redundant to his family.

I myself, as the second son of the king, and child to one of his princess consort no less, is in a similar position, as I highly doubt anything can ever happen to Cylis, the first son of the king and true queen.

We bonded over that we got the chance to talk and now he regularly comes to the castle to spend time with me.

We sit down to drink some water we have prepared beforehand.

Hyrince: "So...how are you holding up with you know what?"

He is either talking about My Mother's death or me becoming the Hero, or both.

He is tactful enough not to say it too directly, something I probably would have done in his position and ended up hurting someone's feelings.

I really admire Hyrince for being far more mature than his years would indicate.

"Can someone like me really be a Hero? If anything, you are more suited to the role than me."

Hyrince: "Maybe, maybe not. Either way, you were chosen so like it or not, you are apparently the most qualified for the role."

"I suppose so..."

Hyrince: "But hey, just because I am not the Hero doesn't mean I can't help you, Julius."

"Huh?"

Hyrince: "A Hero is just someone who is really good at helping others, right? I don't see why I can't help you help people."

"Um, what are you getting at?"

Hyrince: "Those Heroes in those stories you love so much are often accompanied by allies he can count on to help where they fall short. So don't worry about not being a perfect Hero or whatever, just know that you can count on me till the end of the line. We second sons got to stick together after all."

"...Heh heh, you are right, thank you Hyrince, I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Hyrince: "Damn straight I am."

"Watch your tongue, you still have the honour of a duke's family to uphold y'know?"

Hyrince: "Eh, you worry too much."

Shielder 1:

From time to time, I would split part of my Soul to have it reincarnate as a Mortal so that I may experience life alongside them.

This time, I put my piece of my Soul into a body without one, that would have died from stillbirth otherwise.

I have experienced many kinds of life doing this, from farmers living uneventful lives to knights living and dying by battle.

Meeting all sorts of people in the process, from the simple and kind-hearted to the cunning and evil ones.

As the second son of a duke, I met this prince called Julius that is unusually pure for someone of his position.

Having taken an interest in him, I decided to befriend him.

And not long after, he became the Hero, much to my surprise.

Right now, we are sparring in the castle court.

He faints an attack towards my upper body, I prepare to block it and as expected, he redirects his wooden sword for his real attack towards my lower body.

I take the hit and fall down.

"Ha ha. Nice one, you finally beat me."

Julius: "Well, yes, but it was mostly thanks to the boost in Stats becoming the Hero has granted me."

There he goes, doubting himself again.

"Maybe, but a boost in Stats wouldn't have helped you come up with a strategy around my defence."

Julius: "I...No, I suppose you are right, thanks."

This idiot thinks too little of himself, so he needs someone to put things into perspective for him to realise his true worth.

He helped me up and we then drank some water on one of the benches in the court.

"So...how are you holding up with you know what?"

Julius is dealing with his mother's death and the sudden responsibility of being the Hero placed on him.

I will let him decide what to talk about and how much.

Julius: "Can someone like me really be a Hero? If anything, you are more suited to the role than me."

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, you were chosen so like it or not, you are apparently the most qualified for the role."

Julius: "I suppose so..."

He thinks he needs to uphold it all by himself, doesn't he?

"But hey, just because I am not the Hero doesn't mean I can't help you, Julius."

Julius: "Huh?"

"A Hero is just someone who is really good at helping others, right? I don't see why I can't help you help people."

Julius: "Um, what are you getting at?"

Sigh...I suppose he is still a kid.

"Those Heroes in those stories you love so much are often accompanied by allies he can count on to help where they fall short. So don't worry about not being a perfect Hero or whatever, just know that you can count on me till the end of the line. We second sons got to stick together after all."

Julius: "...Heh heh, you are right, thank you Hyrince, I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Damn straight I am."

Julius: "Watch your tongue, you still have the honour of a duke's family to uphold y'know?"

"Eh, you worry too much."