Episode 34
I felt like I owed a lot to my father.
“Of course. I was already planning to ask my father to make vests for the knights. The wool is as strong as steel, so it can protect the body just by wearing it under the clothes.”
“Oh!”
It was estimated that the wool shorn by the knights and slave soldiers could be used to make more than ten vests.
“But it’s a little dirty. I’ll wash it well and make it.”
“This wool is weak to fire. When making a vest, please use a material that is fire-resistant for the outer fabric.”
“Don’t worry. The masterpiece the Baron created, I will create a masterpiece in the name of Hebron.”
My father hummed as he gathered the wool. Although weaving the hard material into cloth would not be an easy task, he was busy thinking about how to make the wool.
After my father left, Ambrod came to see me.
Unlike yesterday, when he was stern, today his expression was somewhat relaxed. Ambrod bowed to me and knelt before me.
“What does this mean?”
“Please teach me swordsmanship.”
It was disappointing that Ambrod’s conclusion was only this much. Even a knight with healthy limbs would have difficulty reaching a high level with a half-hearted determination.
Let alone a knight without one leg. He would have to be prepared to die before he could go beyond an ordinary life.
My opinion of Ambrod had fallen. I used to think that even a cripple would be worth using if he were mine, but now I didn’t want to bother with him.
“I don’t like it.”
“I will do as many cases as you want!”
I laughed. I calculated the time and effort that went into creating a sword technique just for him.
He noticed my cold expression. He guessed that something was wrong. His pupils were dizzy.
“That’s a good offer. So how much did Viscount Jailson give you? Since it’s a matter of your brother’s fate, maybe 10,000 gold?”
“… … 1,400 gold.”
Viscount Zielson would have offered one thousand gold. The four hundred gold that followed would likely have been Ambrod’s personal fortune.
The Viscount Zielson family was in the midst of preparing for war. While everyone was sweating and shedding blood, Ambrose was left behind in the front lines. He barely managed to persuade the Viscount to give him the position of drill instructor, but strictly speaking, he was not even a knight.
“Ambrod, I only care about my own.”
“If I swear allegiance to you, Baron, can I become a knight of the House of Hebron? Can I lead soldiers on the front lines?”
Ambrod’s tone became slightly more polite.
“Can you really be satisfied with that?”
He was a man who had accomplished greater things. If the chief of the jaeger’s knights were to take a few soldiers with him, it would only feel like playing soldier.
“… …I wanted to become a guardian angel who protects Zyleson.”
“It was a weak dream.”
“I wanted to become the most famous knight in the Kingdom of Zenon.”
“If it’s just about making a name for yourself, it’s not hard even now. You could write a song about ‘Ambrod the One-Legged Knight’ and have it resonate throughout the capital.”
“I am…….”
Ambrod hesitated, reluctant to reveal his true feelings.
I was not a very patient person. I especially hated spending a lot of time on worthless things. That was the mark that Brayo’s life left on me.
I gestured for him to leave.
Only then did Ambrod reveal his true feelings.
“I will become the Knight Commander of the House of Hebron.”
It was an arrogant answer.
He didn’t just state his goals, he judged me to be the man who would become a count.
“Is that your opinion of me?”
“Yes.”
Some might say that Ambrose had a high opinion of the country. Except in times of war, it was extremely rare for a baron to rise to the rank of count. There were only three in the history of Zeno. Two were promoted by marrying children of the dukedom, and one caught the king’s eye and was called to the royal court, but in his later years he became a count without lands.
“Then I guess I have no choice but to take you in.”
“Oh, my God, Ambrose. I swear allegiance to Baron Louis de Hebron!”
I put my hand on Ambrod’s head.
I brought my face close to his and spoke softly.
“Come and see how wrong your eyes are.”
Ambrod’s eyes wavered.
He had no idea what he had set foot in.
I handed Ambrod the contract I had prepared in advance.
“Sign it.”
“This, this is… … !”
Ambrod’s face turned red and blue.
He was experiencing extremes of joy and sorrow here.
“It’s a slave contract.”
“Are you trying to humiliate me now?”
Ambrose was the second son of a baron, and was once a knight who had risen to a position higher than that of a baron. The document declaring that his status would be reduced to that of a slave, lower than a commoner, was the ‘Slave Contract’.
Of course, it was different from the typical slave contract. It was renewed every year, and he was to be used only as a slave by me. To everyone else, he would be called ‘Ambrod de Zyleson’.
I sent a servant to call the slave soldier Bernie.
“Did you call, Baron?”
“Both of you, follow me.”
I took Bunny and Ambrod to the personal training facility.
It was a secret training space, out of sight of others.
“Ambrod, I will give you a chance. If you defeat Bernie, I will tear up that contract. And I promise you the position of Commander of the Knights of Hebron. Until the day you die.”
Ambrod’s eyes widened.
He glared at Bernie, but in Ambrod’s mind the game was already decided.
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“Forget about romantic thoughts. Bunny has been working hard under me for a month. He has never learned swordsmanship before, but as a slave, he has excellent physical strength.”
I gave Bernie and Ambrod training swords.
Bernie took up a stance, holding his sword in both hands. As his momentum sharpened, Ambrod’s confident expression changed.
Ambrod asked me.
“You said that slave has never learned swordsmanship?”
“I taught you. I taught you swordsmanship and Aura training. The time you really learned martial arts was about a month. Instead, you worked day and night, as befitting your status as a slave.”
Bernie was one of the best trained slaves.
“That’s amazing. But… … .”
Ambrod’s momentum changed. He was like a well-forged sword. Any sword that came close would cut him.
‘If I confront you head on… … .’
I pictured a fight with Ambrod in my head. I fought him several times, but I never lost.
It was his prosthetic leg’s fault.
‘Ambrod before he got hurt… … .’
I was confident that I wouldn’t lose. It was because I wasn’t who I used to be.
Having advanced through the teachings of Hebron, I have surpassed the Ambrod of old.
‘You studied the
Ambrod’s swordplay was different than before. He stood on one foot, relying on his own leg instead of the prosthetic leg. He slightly twisted his upper body to maintain balance.
The biggest difference from before was the breathing method. Ambrod abandoned Zielson’s aura training method and followed the method I had instructed him.
‘Even though he lost his leg, is he still a knight of the bard family?’
Ambrod seemed to have studied the
‘Bernie wins.’
I took my eyes off Ambrod. The judgment was over.
“Bernie, don’t waste time. Just give it your all from the beginning.”
“Yes, Baron.”
Bernie ran straight at Ambrod. If he had just kept his distance and circled around, Bernie would have won easily. It was understandable for Ambrod to get angry at Bernie for abandoning that simple method and instead going for an all-out war.
“This… … is so cheeky!”
Phew!
Ambrod’s sword cut through the air. He may have been excited, but his sword was not unsharp.
Sardia’s maneuver technique.
Bernie dug into Ambrod’s square and tried to slash at his flank.
‘The sword’s trajectory has changed!’
Ambrod changed the trajectory of his sword as he swung it with all his might. Like a bolt of lightning, his sword aimed for the back of Bernie’s head.
For a moment, Bernie’s posture lowered. Although his swordsmanship skills were inferior to Ambrod’s, his survival instinct was superior to that of any knight.
Phew!
Ambrose’s black sword cut through the air.
It was a close call, but the important thing was that Bernie avoided it.
Bunny balanced himself on the floor with one hand, and at the same time swung his sword, striking Ambrod in the leg.
Taaaaah!
The wooden sword and the prosthetic leg clashed.
Baryan’s legs were not made for combat. They were not durable enough to withstand Bunny’s full-force strikes.
A crack developed in the prosthetic limb that Varyan had painstakingly created. It did not break, but it did restrict Ambrod’s range of motion.
“Inooooooohh!”
Ambrod limped toward Bernie, his prosthetic leg creaking uncomfortably as if it were about to break.
If he stalled, it would have been Bernie’s victory. But Bernie had been ordered by me to ‘go all out.’ He charged at Ambrod in an old-fashioned manner. That was the slave way.
Hot! Bam!
A pair of wooden swords were combined.
Ambrod’s eyes widened as he confirmed Bunny’s swordsmanship. The skill of the young boy who had only been learning swordsmanship for a little over a month was beyond imagination.
Above all, the swordsmanship that Bernie displayed was excellent. Although Sardia swordsmanship is inferior to Braio swordsmanship, it is classified as a martial art of elevation compared to Zyleson’s swordsmanship.
Woohoo.
Ambrod’s wooden sword glowed. It was covered with an aura.
‘That crazy guy… … !’
Bunny also showed signs of confusion for the first time.
It was a wooden sword, not an iron one. It was too weak to accept the strong aura.
‘No, I can do that too.’
It was not an easy task. It was a technique that only skilled knights who could handle the aura skillfully could use.
Ambrod was also concerned about this, so he released only a small amount of aura.
Bunny backed away nervously. Ambrod’s upper body tilted forward for a moment. Ambrod, who had come close to falling, regained his balance by pressing down on the ground with his prosthetic leg.
Swaaaah!
Ambrod’s sword drew a smooth line.
Bunny’s wooden sword was split in two. At the same time, a line of blood appeared on Bunny’s neck and blood flowed out.
If he hadn’t pulled his head back at that moment, Bunny’s head would have fallen to the floor.
Ambrod was confident of victory.
He looked arrogant and aimed his sword at Bernie’s neck.
“Huh!”
Ambrod let out a dumbfounded noise. It was because Bunny, contrary to his expectations, didn’t give up.
Bunny ignored the wooden sword pointed at his neck. It was even surrounded by an aura.
Stab!
Another vein appeared on Bunny’s neck. It was deeper than before, but did not sever the carotid artery.
Ambrod tried to swing his sword. It was the only way to stop Bernie’s sword.
Woozikkun!
Ambrod’s prosthetic leg broke as he tried to shift his center of gravity too much. As his body tilted, Bernie’s sword cut through the air. Ambrod lost his grip on the sword.
A little of Ambrod’s black hair was cut off by Bunny’s half-cut. Ambrod fell on his butt, and Bunny did not lose his balance.
