episode_0003

After feeding the creatures around me, I immediately returned to the mansion.

Usually, when I go out somewhere like this, people pay attention and show interest.

In addition to being treated as a foreigner, the Northern Command is thinking of me as a stepping stone to enter the Southern political arena.

Everyone avoided me, considering me a living disaster.

So, no matter what I did or what I did, they didn’t pay attention to me, so no matter what I did, I didn’t really feel any restrictions.

Thanks to that, I was able to do what I wanted quite comfortably.

‘Anyway, what I have to do is do close-quarters training until the elixir arrives.’

By the way, the reason for doing close-quarters training is that Damian’s family is famous for swordsmanship.

Furthermore, close combat has become an essential element for survival in the North.

‘It’s safe now, though.’

If you think about the cracks that will open someday, it is not only better to prepare in advance.

In order to help Elysia, it was better to have basic combat skills, so I decided to devote all my time to training.

‘And for now, I gave the car to the escort knight.’

Of course, even if I hadn’t given it to him, he would have helped with his training, but since he had received something, he opened his mouth thinking that there was a higher chance that he would do it with more sincerity.

“Lorraine, give me some training.”

“Huh?… Oh, yes. Yes? ”

The escort knight looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if he didn’t know I would ask him for something like this.

I decided to ignore it and prepare the things I would take to the training ground.

‘Tea, potion, bandage.’

If you have these three, theoretically you can repeat the training indefinitely.

I decided to take as many as I could, and while I was picking them up, Lorraine asked me if I wanted to try them again.

“Excuse me, my lord, do you have any leftover tea?”

The tea seems to suit my taste quite well.

Since it wasn’t that difficult to make anyway, Lorain nodded slightly and told me with the corners of her lips raised.

“I will definitely make you a human being!”

“… People?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Lorraine looked away and avoided me, and I shook my head and finished preparing everything.

*

As we head to the training ground, we see a lot of people training.

After looking around, I headed to a relatively quiet place and relayed my request to Lorraine.

“I want to learn close combat.”

Damian is the youngest son of a family famous for swordsmanship, but the reason he calls it close combat rather than swordsmanship is…

In the North, unlike in the South, there were many instances of prolonged battles, so not only swords but also other close-range weapons were often used.

‘If my goal was to be recognized by my family or to become the strongest using the sword, I might have just used the sword.’

The reason I learned close combat in the first place was not to grow, but to help Elysia.

It doesn’t really matter what you learn, as long as you grow enough to be helpful.

Lorraine seemed to hesitate for a moment at my words, then asked me a question.

“You want to learn close combat, not swordsmanship, right? ”

Lorain nodded and asked me the reason with a somewhat serious expression.

When I briefly explained the reason, Lorraine looked thoughtful for a moment and then spoke briefly.

“If you are training for long-term combat, a blunt weapon might be better. The moment the black blade becomes dull, its performance as a weapon deteriorates rapidly. ”

However, he said that since blunt weapons consume a lot of stamina, if you don’t build up stamina, you may end up tiring out more than a sword.

“Of course, all of these can be dealt with with mana. But in the case of the young master, since he can’t use mana yet, let’s try out a few and see what suits him best.”

After hearing that, I looked through the weapons lying around, and first picked up a wooden sword, a wooden hammer, and a wooden mace, and placed them nearby.

The moment I took up the practice wooden weapon, the northern soldiers’ eyes were instantly drawn to it.

He turns his head away with a scholarly smile on his face when he sees Damien’s frail body.

Since those gazes were meaningless anyway, I ignored them and brought them to Lorraine, so Lorraine picked up a nearby wooden sword and spoke.

“So, please try your best. I will let you know if there are any mistakes. ”

I nodded, sweeping my hair up.

*

Modern people have a common sense that the body is a consumable item, so the more you overdo it, the worse it is.

In this world, there is no such thing as common sense, and since there are even items that can restore the body to its original state, I was able to roll around with complete peace of mind.

“Okay, it’s time for the little master to do it.”

If your skin is torn, just apply a potion. If your finger is broken, just drink a potion.

Of course, since potions aren’t omnipotent, it’s impossible to completely remove wounds.

In the case of ‘high value potions’, since they contain divine power, these minor issues could be easily chewed over.

“It’ll be okay if you drink the potion.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m not feeling well.”

As if the surroundings were covered in blood, my clothes were completely dyed red, so from the perspective of the escort knight, I thought there was no greater fear than this.

Since you can’t grow in a short period of time by doing things normally, it would be better to grow even if it means putting some effort into it.

‘In addition to Damian’s unique talent, the potion has no side effects other than pain.’

I thought to myself, “It can’t get any better than this,” and smiled as I picked up the hammer with one hand.

‘That’s true, but the blunt weapon feels good in your hand.’

It has a sense of weight, so I like the impact every time I swing it.

Of course, I haven’t been able to feel the real feel of it yet, since I’m hitting against Lorraine’s weapon and not a human body.

Just clashing weapons is quite satisfying and I enjoy it, so Lorraine speaks quickly.

“No, little master, since you are so talented, if you don’t push yourself too hard and just keep practicing, you can grow in a short period of time, right?”

“… … ”

“Why on earth do you do that? Even if it’s for your fiancé, I don’t understand why you train like this. ”

Of course, since no one ever explained the reason, it’s natural that you don’t know the reason.

Instead of answering, I spoke while striking the hammer.

“There is something like that.”

In a reality where there was only despair, if someone could become a milestone and give us a reason to live, I would love that person, so I pushed Lorraine.

*****

-Elysia, the word ‘best’ is just a word used by worthless people to prove themselves.

-The world will remember only your results, not your process. Furthermore, it will only remember your failures.

-So please don’t fail. That’s the last thing the ear can say.

Elysia Wintraven.

The daughter of the Duke of the North, who is known for being harsh and harsh.

Growing up in a place where even the slightest mistake could lead to someone’s death, she was taught from a young age to choose reason over emotion.

It was an education that was too cruel for a child to receive.

She had to grow up without even being able to show her childishness because so many things were placed on her shoulders.

Having grown up learning only reason, I was given the task of reading someone’s death in numbers.

[Death Report]

A lovely child who grew up receiving love from his parents.

The wise old man who led everyone.

A kind woman who shared food with the hungry.

And the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for everyone.

Because in the report, everything was omitted and only changed to the number ‘1’.

They were just repeating mechanical calculations, judging things by non-human values.

-Your Majesty, the children are starving. Please help them just this once!

That’s why I became numb to death.

-My… son died. He gave up his share to his younger brother…

I knew that if I let my emotions get the better of me, more people would die and the situation would get worse, so I pretended to be numb even though I didn’t.

-My wife and daughter died. It must be all my fault for having a bad father.

Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to endure all this.

—

[Death Report]

-Adult male, presumed to have committed suicide.

—

“Ah.”

Reason should take precedence over emotion.

It was the only way for everyone to survive in the harsh north.

That’s why… That’s why… We have to make rational decisions, so that everyone can survive…

“… … ”

Hallucinations that make it seem like you see ghosts in front of your eyes

A hallucination where everyone blames themselves.

From the moment I accepted the number death, I couldn’t close my eyes for even a moment.

It was painful at every moment, but it was better than seeing the hallucinations and auditory hallucinations of those I had killed by my own choice… I closed my eyes and took a sip of my drink to stay awake even a little.

“… … ?”

It tastes different from the tea I usually drink.

It was a taste that gave me a warm and cozy feeling, reminiscent of a spring day after winter, but I opened my eyes not knowing what it was.

Damien came into the bulletin board holding the car he had left behind.

I know.

Common sense tells me that it would be impossible for a noblewoman, not even an ordinary one, to give me a drink mixed with something strange.

The reason he refused was because he wanted to make him sick of him and leave.

So I put down the teacup again and tried to clear the mess.

The benefits of tea were so good that it was hard to give it up.

I don’t know what the difference is, but not only did my head feel clearer, but it also blew away all the fatigue that felt like it was being stabbed with a knife.

The hallucinations and auditory hallucinations that had been tormenting him so much had also faintly changed, so his gaze moved more and more to the car that Damian had given him.

‘…You shouldn’t drink it.’

Damien’s favor should not be accepted in any way.

If you become close to him, your position will be reduced to a mere discarded card for entering central politics.

At that moment, all the promises made to those who were dying would become meaningless, so it was important not to make an emotional choice rather than a rational one.

My body, exhausted beyond belief, refused all commands from my head and made me pick up the teacup and bring it to my lips again and again.

It tastes like a warm spring day.

It was similar to the feeling of comfort that I had not felt since my mother passed away.