Ch.7Prologue (7)

The flow of time doesn’t always go as one wishes; even while I stand still, the world continues to move.

As ancient scholars said, time is relative—and there was nothing incorrect about that statement.

Ever since I found my purpose (the elimination of enemies), time flew by incredibly fast as I devoted myself wholeheartedly to that goal.

Four years had already passed since that shocking first outing, and before I knew it, I had turned eight years old.

During these four years, I underwent numerous changes.

First, after that day’s experience, I sought out the librarian who seemed to know a great deal and requested more in-depth instruction from him. To my surprise, he accepted my request even more readily than I expected and shared some shocking information with me.

“What? My father’s… friend?”

“That’s right, young master.”

According to the librarian, he was a former colleague and friend who had traveled with my father, and had originally planned to teach me the refinements of nobility and current affairs as per an agreement with my father.

“Are you ready then, young master?”

“Yes. No, I mean… Yes. I understand.”

“Well done. For the only son of the lord to speak formally to a mere employee, even if I am your father’s friend.”

“…Sigh. I suppose it can’t be helped?”

“Indeed, young master. One must maintain strict boundaries between public and private matters.”

Of course, that was that and this was this—the librarian taught me while firmly accepting his position as a mere employee and subordinate…

Naturally, even with formal education beginning, there wasn’t much that a four-year-old like me could learn at the time.

However, as time passed and I grew older, the librarian noticed that my intellectual development was remarkably faster compared to my peers. Consequently, he began proper, full-scale education shortly after I turned five…

Thanks to this, by the time I reached eight years old, I had already completely mastered the basic knowledge and refinement expected of an ordinary noble.

Despite showing such rapid mental growth and precocity, no one seemed particularly impressed. The reason, apparently, was that there were far more extreme cases abundant in this world.

According to the librarian, during his time at the magic tower, there were frequent appearances of extraordinary geniuses who possessed adult-level intellect by age five, or even those who seemed to have some kind of learning engine in their heads. By comparison, merely mastering noble education by age eight wasn’t considered particularly outstanding.

It was quite a peculiar feeling when I was told that compared to the extraordinary geniuses occasionally born due to this world’s “mysteries” and “magical power,” my abilities were merely average.

But more noticeable than these mental changes was, naturally, my physical growth during this critical developmental period.

Considering my young age—not yet ten—it would be natural to grow visibly day by day, but even so, my physical development was particularly rapid.

At first, I wondered if humans in this world might be a different species that merely resembled Earth humans in appearance, but that thought changed when I happened to see the children of servants whom my father had assigned as my playmates.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly treat those children as “friends” and sent them away with various excuses, but what’s important is that even children from middle-class families with superior nutrition compared to their peers were smaller than me.

While I couldn’t determine the exact circumstances, I could at least tell that I had a clear advantage in growth compared to others. The decisive moment probably came around when I turned eight.

Among the employees hired at the baron’s castle were maids who handled various menial tasks.

Surprisingly, these maids—typically between 16 and 20 years old, with a considerable number coming from commoner or poor backgrounds—were barely taller than eight-year-old me.

No matter how poor their nutrition might have been in childhood, how could there be almost no height difference between them and me, who was just elementary school age?

Had I merely heard about this, I would have thought it nonsense, but experiencing this growth firsthand, I couldn’t deny it.

Anyway, after developing a physique incomparable to my peers, I naturally began formal sword training—or more precisely, knight training.

※ ※ ※

In truth, according to the original plan, eight-year-old me should have been studying under a private tutor.

However, variables were added—I had acquired the necessary knowledge ahead of schedule, and my physical development had reached a level almost equivalent to that of a ten-year-old, when knight training was originally supposed to begin.

“Young master, I am Leon, and from today I will be in charge of your basic martial arts training. I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, likewise.”

Thus, I began formal knight training in the courtyard of the baron’s castle under this Leon, an instructor from the lord’s guard whom my father had assigned to me.

Of course, I had previously wondered why someone of my high noble status needed professional knight training, but through my education, I learned that in this world, the power of nobility stems from military might.

While Earth’s ancient nobles also typically held power based on military strength in the form of armies, once they established a certain level of influence, they didn’t necessarily need to possess that military power themselves.

But in this world, the military might of nobles is the force that exercises their political legitimacy.

Since the noble class itself was formed by demanding submission in exchange for protection from external threats, military power is the most fundamental force supporting the legitimacy and political authority of territorial nobles.

Knights with superhuman strength capable of defeating armies single-handedly are the foundation of the Frankish Kingdom’s nobility, and these principles still apply even in this era of developed gunpowder weapons.

In short, if I wanted to inherit the territory, I needed to be at least at the level of an ordinary knight, which is why I was receiving training with this professional instructor appointed by my father.

Anyway, after the basic introductions between instructor Leon and myself:

“Now then, let’s start with a simple aptitude test.”

“Aptitude test? What do you mean?”

While I expressed my confusion at Leon’s puzzling words, he brought over a box containing what looked like wooden sticks from one corner of the courtyard.

“While the knight training you’ll receive will teach you to handle most weapons adequately, you’ll still need one main weapon that you excel at, wouldn’t you agree?”

“…I suppose so?”

“Yes. That’s why we’re taking this time to try various weapons. You should at least try handling weapons once, shouldn’t you?”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll check them out.”

As soon as I answered, Leon set the box down in front of me and began taking out wooden training weapons.

Perhaps as a precaution against potential accidents? The weapons were essentially identical to ordinary cold weapons except for their blunt edges to prevent injury, and they were somewhat smaller to match my body size.

There were various bladed weapons like daggers and longswords, axes of different head sizes and shapes, pole arms with various blades attached to long shafts, hollow blunt weapons, javelins, and even what looked like difficult-to-handle whips.

After briefly looking at this box that seemed to contain literally every conceivable melee weapon, I reached for the one that particularly caught my eye.

“A longsword? Is that your choice?”

“Yes. I like this one for now.”

As I fiddled with the wooden longsword made to fit my build, Leon also picked up what appeared to be a practice longsword from among the training weapons leaning nearby.

While I was adjusting my grip on the leather-wrapped handle of the wooden longsword to find a comfortable position, Leon lowered his arms and raised the tip of his sword diagonally upward, assuming a stance before speaking.

“Young master. Would you… try attacking me?”

“…Huh? Now? Suddenly?”

“Yes. Just think of it as a simple talent test.”

“…Alright then. I’ll give it a try.”

The suggestion to charge at him without any prior training felt strange to me, someone who had no connection with cold weapons, but he was the expert (a guard instructor) after all.

So despite feeling no confidence whatsoever, I raised my wooden longsword and was about to charge at him with determination to do my best when…

-THWACK!

“—Guhk! Haa…”

“…Huh?”

The next moment, when I regained my senses, I had somehow burrowed into the martial arts instructor’s embrace and was striking his stomach with the wooden sword with all my might.