Ch.67Chapter 67. Exploration, Execution, and…

After leaving Ginor’s mansion, I returned straight home.

There was only one reason I asked for a week’s time.

It was because of what happened during the recent “regular meeting.”

“I sense auspicious energy from Balhart’s territory. It might not be a bad idea to explore the castle and the territory.”

‘My intelligence 100 brain said that was the most reasonable opinion.’

The person who offered that opinion was Ginor.

But the ruler, Yurie, sided with Emma instead of Ginor.

They must be busy preparing for war by now.

So what did that mean?

I, who hadn’t been assigned any mission, could quickly scout the territory in the meantime.

I’d probably either discover talent or treasure. One of the two.

What I was aiming for was treasure.

While some treasures were quite useless, others definitely proved helpful.

If I discovered talent, it might end up benefiting the Aeshus army, which wasn’t my intention—

But considering that even B and C-class generals, not just S-class ones, were considered “talent” when they were hidden from the world, it wasn’t too disappointing.

I’d eventually leave this place anyway, so doing a few good deeds before leaving wouldn’t hurt.

So I conducted my first scouting of the surrounding area since Zeilant Castle.

And shortly after starting, I realized—

“Huff, huff…”

That my strength was ridiculously low.

Right. My first mission at Zeilant Castle had also been reconnaissance.

Back then, I hadn’t walked around much before getting tired and panting.

‘No improvement at all…’

I sat down somewhere suitable and moistened my throat while thinking.

If there was any progress, perhaps I could walk a little longer than before.

Though not visible, my stamina seemed to have improved somewhat from before.

Come to think of it, when I first met Luna, she had carried me on her back.

I remembered she was quite strong despite her appearance.

Even though I was weak, I was still an adult male, yet she carried me effortlessly over that long distance.

Those days already felt like distant memories to me.

‘I hope you’re doing well.’

As I was resting and thinking about the past, I noticed a crying little girl.

‘Hmm…?’

If a child is crying, isn’t it an adult’s duty to approach and ask what’s wrong?

I got up from the rock I was sitting on and approached the child.

And then…

*

“Thank you so much, Sir Swen… truly, truly thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I only did what I should have done.”

I gestured with my hand that it was fine while responding to the woman who kept thanking me.

A crying girl.

The story of how she came alone from her village to this distant Balhart Castle.

The plot of bandits lurking in the area, and the girl’s father who set out alone to thwart their scheme.

The girl who followed out of worry for her father, and finally finding her mother through keywords I obtained while helping the girl…

‘It was nothing short of an incredible epic.’

It was such an epic that it was almost regrettable I couldn’t narrate it all.

“Thank you so much, big brother…!”

I patted the child’s head as she thanked me.

“I’m glad we found your mother before dark. From now on, don’t recklessly get involved in such dangerous situations. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“…I’ll make sure your father returns to the village as soon as his wounds heal. As for the bandits, I’ll personally request the lord to eliminate them, so please don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you so very much. I will never forget the kindness of Sir Swen and Sir Aeshus.”

This would improve the reputation of the Aeshus army.

Regardless of the reason, I should repay them for accepting me and Irene, so this much was fine.

“Ah, right. This…”

I accepted the object the child’s mother handed to me.

“What is this…?”

“It’s a treasured sword passed down in our family for generations. I originally intended to give it to the child’s father, but as I mentioned, it would be better for him to return to the village… I believe you, Sir Swen, can make better use of it than we can.”

I accepted it.

A long, heavy object wrapped in something like a cloth.

‘Was this what Ginor predicted?’

As I expected, I somehow managed to obtain an item.

In the game, you’d just press the ‘Search’ button and discover an item.

I didn’t know how exactly that worked, but I guess it was something like this.

“I accept it with gratitude.”

“Yes, then we’ll take our leave now. We will never forget the kindness you showed today and your concern for my husband. Thank you so much…!”

“See you again, big brother!”

After parting with them, I finally unwrapped the cloth to check the item.

‘This is…!’

A thin rapier with a distinctive green handle.

No doubt about it.

This was definitely the treasure “Green Forest Rapier.”

Its stats weren’t particularly good, but it came with a description saying it looked very stylish.

It was more of a treasure than a sword, and I remembered using it as a gift for relationship-building in the game.

If it had been a good sword, I would have given it to Irene, but… it didn’t seem very useful in actual combat.

Nevertheless.

‘It’s stylish.’

When I saw it as an icon in the game, I didn’t think much of it, but seeing the actual item, it couldn’t be more stylish.

I grabbed the sword and lightly thrust it forward a few times.

Even someone as weak as me could handle it without difficulty.

Considering this, it would probably be ineffective in actual combat, but it was perfect as a decorative piece to wear at the waist.

‘Right. A strategist should carry at least one impressive weapon.’

Having the rapier at my waist made me feel like I was something, which I quite liked.

It might sound silly, but for someone like me who can only predict ‘how I appear to others,’ this was the most powerful weapon.

The only way to safely preserve my life was ‘how impressive I appear.’

‘Good. Now let’s head back.’

Let’s go home and have tea with Irene when she returns from her mission.

Just having someone at home can give a person such a sense of belonging.

I had that thought anew.

*

Time passed.

The first day of training with Reika.

“Now. Focus and feel the sounds of nature. Clear your mind of worries, until you reach a state where you feel you are not yourself… slowly, no rush… good.”

We meditated all day.

After meditation, we lay on our backs looking at the sky, tracking how far the clouds drifted, making good use of our time.

And the next day.

“Do I… do I beat this…?”

“That’s right. By making sound, mana floating in the air gathers. You might not feel the effect now, but if you continue practicing, you’ll definitely be able to detect it.”

We beat drums together.

Since there wasn’t much else to do anyway, drumming helped kill time quite effectively.

Afterward, we did a light Burpee test together.

Just as she collapsed after a few attempts… I too exhausted all my stamina and collapsed.

During my recent scouting, I thought my stamina had improved a bit, so I tried this exercise to help myself while doing this meaningless training, but it was too difficult to endure.

It might help if I persevered, but with this weak body, it was simply too strenuous.

The next day, and the day after that were similar.

We were doing actions that looked impressive to onlookers but were actually quite useless.

“Now! Thrust your fist forward strongly! Think ‘I am cutting through mana’!”

“Y-yes!”

She thrust her fist forward.

“Now, repeat after me! I!”

“I!”

“Am cutting!”

“A-am cutting!”

“Through mana!”

“Th-through mana…!”

What was increasing wasn’t her ability to detect mana but her stamina.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with improving stamina, right?

I’m not being shameless; it’s genuinely true.

After successfully completing today’s training.

“Thank you for your hard work today.”

“N-no…! Sir Swen, you’re the one who worked hard.”

There was no need to add “Sir,” but it didn’t sound bad, so I’ll let it be.

At that moment, Reika asked me in a very cautious tone.

“Um… is this really okay? Somehow, I… I don’t feel any results from the training… I’m not blaming you, Sir Swen, it’s just… that… I mean… m-my talent, um… what I’m saying is, it’s m-my fault… um…”

“Reika. You don’t need to worry.”

With time, she would definitely grow stronger.

I spoke with conviction.

“It took me about 5 years to see the effects of training. You seem to have much more talent than me, so you’ll likely see results sooner. Besides, as we continue training… opportunities to go outside will come, so there’s no need to be impatient.”

“What? We can go outside?!”

Excited by my words, Reika suddenly moved closer to me.

I felt her soft flesh brush against my arm.

She’s quite well-endowed. …I just don’t notice it much because I’m used to seeing an extraordinary size every day.

Soon after, as if realizing she had done something embarrassing, she pulled back her waist with a reddened face and said:

“Ah, um… s-sorry. It’s just, um… I…”

“I understand. You want to go outside, right? I’ll try to persuade Ginor.”

“…B-but… because of me…”

“Not at all. True training should be done in nature. This yard is quite spacious and has decent mana, but compared to the vast mana flowing in nature, it’s child’s play. To maximize your abilities quickly, going outside is the right choice, so please don’t feel burdened.”

“Is… is that so? If you say so, th-thank… you…”

Perhaps still embarrassed about her earlier excitement, she was having trouble speaking properly.

Looking at her like this, she seemed quite cute.

It felt like watching an obedient younger sister.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Huh? Oh… yes, yes…! I’ll do my best!”

Perhaps motivated by the prospect of going outside, she said this with a faint smile directed at me.

It was the first natural smile I had seen since taking charge of her at this mansion.

*

I spent time doing useless activities with Reika in this manner.

After several days had passed, on a rare day off while I was resting, Irene returned home earlier than usual from her mission.

“Lady Irene? You’re finished already?”

I examined Irene’s expression.

She looked much more serious than usual.

“Swen. Our lord has summoned us. We need to go to the royal castle immediately.”

“Has something happened?”

“…An invasion.”

“…!”

When I heard her next words, my first thought was, ‘Here it comes.’

“The Brans army is marching with 50,000 soldiers toward the fortress located west of Balhart Castle.”