Episode 35
It was only natural that Bernie’s sword would be aimed at Ambrod’s neck.
“stop.”
Stand tall!
Bernie’s sword, which was about to stab Ambrod’s neck, stopped. Ambrod looked down at the sharp wooden sword pressing against his neck.
“You lose, Ambrose.”
Ambrod did not answer. He dropped his sword and let his arms and legs hang down. He looked relieved.
Ambrod lifted his head slightly and looked up at Bernie.
“… … I lost. It was a good fight, Bernie.”
Bunny didn’t answer. He just looked at me with empty eyes.
Ambrod smiled bitterly at the dry reaction. He raised his upper body and asked me.
“Am I going to end up like this too?”
“It would be better to restrain the mind as well. You will be treated terribly.”
Slaves were brainwashed to obey their masters’ orders without question. Drugs were used to clarify the master-slave relationship, and emotions were restricted.
This was also why slave soldiers trained without giving up even in extreme situations.
“I will endure, as your knight.”
Ambrod said he would keep his knightly spirit while being used as a slave. I liked that answer very much. It seemed like I was finally getting back to the Ambrod-like appearance I wanted to have.
“I will push you beyond your limits. No matter what you imagine, you will realize at every moment that it was not your limits.”
“It’s what I was hoping for.”
Ambrod stood up, using his wooden sword as a cane. He hopped on one leg. I instructed Bernie to support Ambrod.
“I’ll come back tomorrow and sign the contract. I have to convince my brother.”
“Don’t wait long.”
“I’ll hurry.”
* * *
The next morning, Ambrod returned as promised and signed the slave contract.
He also wore a restraint device that would apply shock if he did not respond to his master’s commands.
It was a magical item used to enslave orc-like alien races.
Word reached the castle walls that the Count Jailson’s fury had spread beyond the castle walls.
But what arrived in front of me that afternoon was not the angry warning of Count Jailson.
It was a large box containing one thousand gold.
There was a small note in the box.
-Please take good care of my younger brother.
-Broy.
There are many things you lose when you become a head of a household, and one of them is your name. Just as I became Baron Hebron, Broy de Jailson was simply Viscount Jailson.
Zyleson asked me as Ambrose’s older brother Broy, not as a viscount.
‘After all, weak blood is a burden.’
The Duke of Breyo’s claim was correct.
And yet I envied Ambrod.
‘A brother who cares for his younger sibling? There are things like that outside of novels, too.’
Suddenly, I thought of my younger sibling who will be born soon.
I imagined what kind of blood relative I could be to him, and at the same time, I pictured my brother pointing a sword at my neck.
‘Can I kill you?’
* * *
Sir Brown looked up at me. The neatly shaved mutant sheep had a gangly look to it because of its muscular build. When he walked and shook his shoulders, he looked like a punk sheep, no doubt about it.
I also rode a saddle in the castle. The hallways of the castle were wide and sturdy enough for this big guy to walk around in.
“Are you really going to ride that?”
“Because he’s fast. And he’s strong. You saw him hit the rock, Sir Brown.”
Two days ago, Syang broke a rock with his horn. It was part of his efforts to change his timid personality, but he ran to the solid rock without hesitation and hit it with his head. He didn’t hesitate at all when dealing with inanimate objects.
“No matter what, I’m not used to seeing a lord riding a sheep. I’m worried that the nobles of other territories might laugh at me.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Baryan will make Syang’s armor soon.”
“Huh? You’re putting armor on sheep?”
“It’s like putting armor on a war horse. Even though Syang’s fur is thick enough to not need armor, he decided to put on the most splendid armor possible to save face as a noble.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t care at all about the honor of being a noble family. Even though I had left the Duke of Breyo and become the Baron of Hebron, it was hard to shake off stereotypes.
I saw the potential of the Syang. This thing could display speed and strength beyond that of a warhorse, and it periodically plucked out its thick, warm fur.
A single sheep is worth more than a goose that lays golden eggs.
‘Father also cherishes Syang.’
Father washed the sheep’s fur clean and made it into a vest. It was a light garment that could protect the vital organs, and eleven sets were to be made.
The first vest made was sent to Viscount Zailson, in return for the use of his hunting grounds and the one thousand gold he had given him.
‘I never thought Viscount Jailson would do such a foolish thing.’
The vest that was sent to Viscount Zailson was later delivered to Marquis Silverberg, a renowned northern powerhouse. The wool vest of Syang was a suitable piece of armor for the cool northern climate.
The Marquis of Silverberg sent a man to ask for additional ‘Vests of Winter’, offering the princely sum of 200 gold per set, but it seemed that Hebron’s Vests were preferable to steel armor.
‘Well, if you wear iron armor and go out into the snowy plains, you’ll probably get frostbite and have to have your limbs amputated.’
I decided to keep only three vests and sell the rest to Marquis Silverberg. Even after deducting this and that, it was a good deal with over 1,300 gold left.
“I understand. Since that is your will, Baron, I will follow it.”
Sir Browne backed down meekly. In Hebron, I was the law.
“I’ll be back after training, so if you don’t have work to do, you can leave work early.”
“No. I will finish my personal training and then leave work.”
“You can just go home and train.”
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There was no news of a pregnancy for the Browns.
The two thought this was the last time and were doing their best.
“Then I will look around at the soldiers and then leave work.”
“Did you promote those who awakened their auras?”
“Yes, I promoted him and gave him a reward.”
“Yeah, if there’s something like that, I can try harder.”
Hebron’s soldiers mastered the Monolith spear technique.
Some of them began to build up aura in their dantian, and they were promoted to the positions of sergeants and centurions.
The Hebron army was organized. Nurha’s troops were incorporated into Hebron, and the knights who once served Baron Nurha also became loyal to me.
‘It’s time to move on to the next step.’
After Nurha, it was time to absorb the Baronship of Delgain. They had already increased their forces to guard against Hebron, but they could not reach Hebron, which was the combined force of the two territories.
I called Amy in front of the office where she worked.
“Amy!”
“You called, my lord?”
Amy looked up at me with burdensome eyes as I climbed onto Syang’s back.
“Is the investigation into Delgaine over?”
“Shall we brief you?”
“Do it as you go.”
“Oh, where?”
“Nurha border.”
“Right now?”
He reached out to Amy.
She grabbed my hand in a panic and, guided by my strength, climbed onto Syang’s back.
“It’ll be there soon. Hold on tight.”
When I kicked Syang in the side, he ran away crying, “Meeeee!”
At first, he walked lightly as if he was taking a walk, but then he gradually accelerated and ran furiously.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
* * *
Thanks to the Suyang, it took only two and a half hours to travel from the Hebron lordship to the Nurha border. This was because the road connecting the two lordships had been improved.
When they reached the high ground overlooking Delgain’s walls, Amy slid down from Syang’s back.
She lay sprawled on the floor, gasping for breath.
After dealing with only physically fit soldiers for a while, Amy, who was as weak as a paper doll, seemed particularly weak.
“Learn horsemanship. You’ll be riding a lot in the future.”
“I learned horsemanship. But this… … is ridiculous.”
Amy looked like she was going to vomit. She puffed out her cheeks several times as she retched. When Syang tried to comfort Amy while crying, “Meeeeeee,” Amy forced a smile and stroked Syang’s nose.
“Explain. What happened to the bloodline of Nurha that was sent to Delgain?”
“The second son of the former Baron Nurha, Rustic, has had his admission to the Royal Academy revoked.”
“Rustic is finished.”
Rustic was to enter the Royal Academy. It was extremely rare for a second son of a baron to enter the Royal Academy. Because of the prohibitive tuition fees, it was standard practice to send a child who was certain of succession to the title to the Royal Academy.
However, Baron Nurha valued the education of his children and wanted to send his second son to the royal academy as well as his eldest son.
In a situation where one has been stripped of the title of Baron, one must be recognized for one’s talent to enter the Royal Academy, but Rustic’s talent did not seem to be enough to impress the Academy’s faculty.
“There are rumors that Baron Delgain is considering adopting Rustic as his son.”
“Is the rumor true?”
“Judging by the fact that they sent someone to the capital, it seems like they are trying to push for Rustic’s admission at an early date. At the same time, it seems like they are also looking into admission to Cyrus Academy.”
Cyrus Academy was a prestigious school, second only to the Royal Academy. It was run by the Cyrus Duke family, also known as the Hermit Duke, and had a reputation for producing outstanding graduates.
“How can that be our justification?”
“None. I received 400 gold in exchange for sending Baroness Nurhah and Rustic to Baron Delgain. If we fall for this, we will have to return the money.”
Hebron needed money. It was customary to collect excessive taxes from the newly conquered Nurha fiefdoms, but Hebron did not raise taxes at all. Instead, it invested in the Nurha market and improved facilities. This was for the development of Hebron.
“How do you clean up after pressing with force?”
“It’s a second-best option. We might lose our justification. Then, the surrounding lords who are stimulated can join forces to resist Hebron. And I heard that Delgain has a brilliant advisor.”
“If you can say that, then you must be a pretty good person.”
“Spiel, a man shrouded in mystery. There are rumors that he is the real ruler of Delgain, but his background has not been revealed. He suddenly appeared in Delgain one day and became the Baron’s aide. There are rumors that he is an orphan, and that he was born a slave, but the truth has not been revealed.”
“… … You’re bringing in an orphan who isn’t even an academy graduate and making him your staff member? Isn’t that suspicious?”
Amy shrugged, implying that she couldn’t find out more.
The opponent was a baron. It meant that the power was too low to hide secrets or conceal power. It was not right to be overly cautious when dealing with such people.
“What is Delgain’s main source of income?”
