A trip that would’ve taken at least ten days by carriage was covered by the airship within a mere thirty minutes.
Flying over mountains and impassable terrain had made this journey very smooth, and yet, the moment Alex saw the Arowana River, he couldn’t help but shudder.
’I don’t think anything bad is going to happen since the Royal Knights are here,’ Alex thought, trying to stop himself from overthinking. ’They won’t turn a blind eye if the son of a Duke is in danger, right?’
Chuck’s mother might not be from a noble lineage, but it didn’t change the fact that he was still a son that the Duke recognized.
The Duke’s other son, Caspian, might treat Chuck like he wasn’t part of their family, but the latter was still important enough to the kingdom that he had been engaged to the fourth princess of Avalon.
Alex hadn’t known much about Chuck’s back story since he wasn’t a playable character in the game.
The young man didn’t want to admit it, but he had thought of his roommate as a nuisance, only meant to cause chaos and destruction.
But after spending time with him, Alex had learned more about Chuck and came to his own conclusion.
The main reason why Chuck was such a troublemaker was probably because he was lonely.
His family didn’t want to give him any love or pay him any heed, so he decided to just play pranks on people, hoping to catch their attention.
Of course, this was only Alex’s assumption. It might not be the real reason why Chuck had become the most notorious troublemaker in Frieden Academy.
Regardless, since he now considered the teenage boy his friend, he decided to look out for him in this outing, since it was possibly life-threatening despite being a date of sorts.
As the airship descended from the sky, Alex gave the princess a brief glance.
She was looking at the river with a determined expression.
As to what she was determined about, the young man had no idea.
However, there was one thing he noticed.
Near the banks of the river was a ship at least fifty meters long.
Alex had thought that they would just be fishing by the riverside, but seeing the boat made him wonder if the princess planned to board it.
Despite being called a river, the Arowana River was actually pretty wide.
In the game, it was said to be the widest and longest river in the Kingdom of Avalon.
Seven miles wide and four thousand miles long, it crossed over three kingdoms before finally reaching the sea.
Because of this, travel between the Kingdom of Avalon, the Solara Kingdom, and the Elven Kingdom of Faelarun was possible even without an airship.
"Are we going to be fishing on the ship, Your Highness?" Alex took pains to sound polite and deferent because he didn’t want to be seen as rude by the princess’s retainers.
"Yes," Princess Xenia replied. "We will take that ship to go fishing."
Alex wanted to ask more questions but decided to hold back for the time being.
’It doesn’t matter,’ Alex thought. ’I’ll see what she’s planning once we get on that ship.’
Fishing on the river by boat is more dangerous than fishing by the riverside.
Rank 3 and Rank 5 Monsters were very common in the river.
On rare instances, Rank 6 monsters do appear.
But aside from them, the Arowana River hosted a few more powerful beings—three Rank 7 Overlords and the strongest of them all, a Rank 8 Golden-Eyed Electric Eel, which was a nightmare to fight in its own backyard.
With the knights protecting the princess, fighting against a Rank 5 Monster was fine.
Fighting a Rank 6 was still manageable.
As for Rank 7 Monsters? Alex didn’t want to touch any of them with a hundred-meter pole.
"Alex, I have a question for you," Chuck said with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"Go ahead," Alex replied.
"That’s good to hear because I can’t swim."
Alex blinked once then twice as he stared at Chuck, who looked a little pale.
"I understand." Alex patted his friend’s shoulder. "If you fall into the river, I’ll go save you."
Chuck let out a long and deep sigh because this had indeed been one of his worries.
If not for the fact that his fiancee was the one asking him to come, he would have decisively rejected an invitation to fish at the Arowana River.
A few minutes later, they disembarked from the airship and were escorted towards the boat that also belonged to Princess Xenia.
’She has put considerable effort into this fishing trip,’ Alex realized as he observed the layout of the boat, which was built for long-distance traveling.
"Have you prepared everything?" Princess Xenia asked one of her subordinates who had been waiting for their arrival.
"Yes, Your Highness," a pretty lady in a knight’s uniform replied. "Everything has been prepared as per your wishes."
"Good." Princess Xenia smiled. "Now, please, tell the captain to depart."
"As you command, your Highness." The pretty lady bowed before leaving to execute the princess’s order.
After that short discussion, Princess Xenia approached Chuck and Alex, who were admiring the river while leaning against the taffrail.
"Since we are going fishing, how about a little competition between us?" Princess Xenia proposed.
"A fishing competition?" Chuck flipped his hair. "Are you sure about this, Princess? I have been called Master Baiter by my friends because I am able to catch any fish due to how amazing I am."
The princess smirked as if she were already used to Chuck’s boastful attitude.
"Then that settles it." Princess Xenia nodded. "We will have a competition. For two hours, we will catch as many fish as we can, and the ones who catch the biggest and rarest fish will win."
"I’m fine with that." Chuck patted his chest with confidence. "What is the prize for winning? Also, will Alex be included in this competition?"
The princess gave Alex a sidelong glance before smiling faintly.
"Why not?" Princess Xenia answered. "Two of you will form a team, while Mary and I will form another. As for the prizes, if your team wins, then you can ask me for anything. As long as I am able to do it, I will agree to your request."
"And what if you win?" Chuck inquired. "What prize will you ask of me?"
"If I win, we cancel our betrothal," Princess Xenia stated. "We’ll start the competition in half an hour."
The princess then walked away, not even bothering to ask Chuck if he was fine with the conditions of the competition.
Clearly, she had already decided that her engagement with Chuck must, by hook or by crook, be severed.
Chuck watched her go with a complicated look on his face while Alex only sighed internally.
"I guess she really hates me, huh?" Chuck said softly as he looked at the river that spanned miles.
"Chuck, I know that I’m just a bystander, but I think she doesn’t deserve someone like you," Alex said. "I’m not saying this because I think you are inferior to her or because you’re annoying. But do you really want to spend your life with someone who doesn’t love you?"
The young man then rubbed his friend’s shoulder a little.
"There are many fish in the sea," Alex added. "I’m sure that you will find someone who will accept you for who you are."
Chuck shook his head. "Alex, I know you mean well. But I cannot break off my engagement with her. I do like her, but that’s not the reason why I’m her fiance. It’s because of my mother.
"My father has promised that as long as I stay engaged to the princess, he will help find the cure for my mother. I am unable to do anything by myself. But as long as I remain the princess’s future consort, my mother will be able to again regain her health and vitality."
Alex frowned after hearing his friend’s confession.
But since it was a family matter, he decided that it would be rude if he kept on prying for details.
"So, what will you wish for if you win?" Alex asked in order to change the topic.
"I haven’t thought of it." Chuck pursed his lips. "But I can’t lose, Alex. Even if I don’t get anything if I win, I can’t lose no matter what."
"Understood. We won’t lose even if they use tricks in this competition," Alex assured.
"I’m really glad I brought you with me!" Chuck regained his light-heartedness and chuckled. "Now I feel more confident about winning. Or not drowning."
Alex smiled faintly before glancing at Sir Alphonse, who was looking in their direction.
He was certain that the middle-aged man, being a Rank 5 Knight, had overheard his talk with Chuck.
Whether Sir Alphonse planned to do anything about it, Alex couldn’t tell. For now, he simply observed them as if this was a task assigned to him by the princess, who was already confident of her victory over her clueless fiance.