Chapter 94

Episode 93

“… “

Vice-captain Mars gritted his teeth, staring at the scattered metal fragments.

He had specifically instructed the blacksmiths to put extra effort into crafting the test ingot, hoping Selendis would fail the first stage.

But the result was disastrous.

“It’s pointless to count the fragments at this point.”

Hylix muttered, concealing his displeasure as he reported to Duke Kalisto.

“Your Grace, Lady Selendis has passed the first stage.”

“Hmm. Very impressive. Hylix, do you know why the metal ingot shattered like that?”

“I believe it’s because of her strong aura.”

“I see. Romero, what are your thoughts?”

Romero, caught off guard by the sudden question, broke out in a cold sweat. His mind raced.

“Um… I agree with my brother. I believe the metal exploded due to the explosive force of her strong aura.”

It was a question that captured everyone’s attention. It seemed like the current Duke was searching for a potential successor.

Who would have the right answer?

As everyone pondered, Duke Kalisto’s unexpected question broke the silence.

“Lucia, what are your thoughts?”

Hylix and Romero’s faces paled.

The unthinkable had happened. Their younger sister had unofficially joined the succession race.

Lucia answered calmly.

“I don’t know much about swordsmanship, but… that wasn’t an ordinary attack. I saw a complex sword path within her aura. I believe Lady Selendis didn’t just swing her sword she used a swordsmanship technique.”

“A swordsmanship technique.”

Murmurs erupted from the crowd.

The Lady, who seemed ignorant about swordsmanship, had given a plausible answer. The two young masters looked dismayed.

It was Lucia who had satisfied the Duke.

“Lucia is correct. Lady Selendis incorporated a swordsmanship technique into that strike. It’s a style I’ve never seen before. It might not be a top-tier style, but it’s definitely high-level.”

Duke Kalisto turned around, his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze fell on Selendis, who was kneeling on one knee.

“Where did you learn swordsmanship?”

“From my father. It was a long time ago.”

“Your father… I had a feeling you weren’t from an ordinary background when I heard about your exploits…”

It was common for nobles to learn swordsmanship from their fathers. But as far as the Duke knew, Selendis was a commoner.

“It seems there’s a story I’m not aware of. When did you start wielding a sword?”

“I started learning when I was four years old.”

The crowd erupted in murmurs once again. Her answer confirmed that Selendis’s background was extraordinary.

I wanted to reveal that she was a direct descendant of the Savion royal family and a potential heir to the throne, but I decided to save it for later.

“I won’t ask about your story. I’ll only comment on your achievement today. It was a very impressive swordsmanship technique. I hope to see it again.”

“I’m humbled by your praise, Your Grace.”

“You have passed the first stage. Prepare for the second stage immediately.”

“Please give me my task.”

“The second stage is a troll hunt. You must defeat a troll over five meters tall and retrieve its heart. You must handle everything alone.”

The surrounding knights gasped.

“A troll? Alone? And a mature one, at that?”

“That’s insane. It’s suicide.”

“But Lady Selendis’s skills have exceeded our expectations, so it’s not impossible.”

The senior knights offered their opinions.

It was a difficult task, even in my opinion. I had expected another ogre hunt, but I was wrong.

‘He probably chose a troll because he has a high opinion of Selendis’s skills.’

Duke Kalisto was the Empire’s Swordmaster. He was capable of recognizing the true value of the swordsmanship technique Selendis had displayed with a single strike.

He must have deemed an ogre hunt too easy for her.

Trolls were tricky monsters.

They were weaker than ogres in terms of strength, but they were more agile and intelligent. And they had the “regeneration” ability, a common trope in all games.

They could regenerate their limbs, even their heads, if they were severed.

Therefore, they were extremely difficult to hunt alone.

You had to sever their limbs one by one and then cauterize the wounds with fire to prevent regeneration. That’s why it usually took a squad of knights to take down a troll.

But Selendis simply bowed her head.

“As you command.”

“You have one week. You must not receive any help. You must not use any special equipment. You must use the sword and armor provided by the knight order. Elite knights will be monitoring you.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The crowd dispersed after the Duke returned to the inner castle. Selendis, now equipped with the sword and armor provided by Mars, approached me.

“That’s hardly armor.”

He was right.

It was made of thin metal plates that looked like they would break easily. The joints were exposed, offering no protection.

The weapon was even worse.

The blade was dull. It needed to be sharpened at a blacksmith’s workshop, but that would result in disqualification.

“It’s alright. This is enough.”

“Don’t be overconfident. Judging from Sir Mars’s expression, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s planning something.”

“Why is that bastard always targeting Lady Selendis? He seems malicious.”

Jericho asked indignantly. I didn’t know the details either, but I decided to drop it for now. There were too many ears listening.

“Lady Selendis, I advised you to hold back earlier, but you didn’t listen. If you had, you would have only had to hunt an ogre.”

“His Grace was present. I thought it was best to show him my true strength.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t because of pride. Selendis was already my subordinate and a potential candidate for the position of captain of the Walker Knight Order. She must have done it for me.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes. I’ll return as soon as possible and dedicate this honor to you, Master.”

“I’ll be satisfied as long as you return safely, regardless of the outcome. So, don’t push yourself too hard.”

Lady Selendis departed.

“It seems we’ll have to transport the holy water to my territory ourselves.”

“Shouldn’t we wait? I believe Lady Selendis will return soon.”

“I can’t give her another mission right after she finishes an important exam. Let’s go to the trading company.”

Jericho and I headed for the trading company headquarters. It had been decorated nicely in the past few days.

The exterior was heavily guarded, but the interior had a cozy, salon-like atmosphere.

Unfamiliar faces were coming and going, indicating that business was booming. I even saw a few nobles.

“Inspector! Welcome!”

“Is the manager inside?”

“Yes, he’s in his office. I’ll inform him immediately.”

“I’ll go see him myself.”

Hassale had been appointed as the “manager” of the Lucius Trading Company. It was the position below the general manager, equivalent to a team leader in my previous life.

He was in charge of the anti-monster equipment business. In other words, he was responsible for the core business of the Lucius Trading Company.

We would need to appoint another manager if we expanded into new businesses, but I planned to keep Hassale in this position if his performance was satisfactory.

I opened the door to his office and saw him buried in a mountain of documents.

“You’re working hard.”

“What brings you here? I heard Lady Selendis has her exam today.”

“The exam went well. Selendis just left the capital to take the second stage.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I’ll handle the holy water transport this time. When will it arrive?”

“It just arrived. The staff is currently checking the quantity. The church said they included about a hundred extra bottles.”

It seemed Inquisitor Godfrey had high expectations for this business. He had given us a hundred bottles as a bonus.

A staff member entered and reported that 1,105 bottles of holy water had been received without any problems.

“Jericho, send a message to Balzac in the Barony. Tell him to dispatch some troops to meet us.”

“Understood.”

“Hassale, I’ll leave the trading company in your hands while we’re gone.”

“Don’t worry. Be careful of monsters. There have been reports of them appearing near the capital lately.”

His casual farewell made me feel good. As long as he did his job well, that was all that mattered.

The next day, we loaded the holy water onto wagons and set off.

Our destination was my territory, the Walker Barony.

***

The Barony, which had been ruled by Baron Roman until recently, was about two days away at a leisurely pace. But since we were pulling multiple wagons, it took us over five days.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead after slaying a clueless monster that had blocked our path.

“There seem to be more monsters than I expected. What do you think?”

“I agree. I don’t sense any demonic energy, but they might be hiding somewhere.”

We had encountered several monsters, big and small, on our way to the Walker Barony. We had been delayed, but thankfully, there were no casualties.

Even if someone had been injured, we had a skilled physician who could treat them immediately.

“Search the surrounding area as soon as we arrive at the territory. There might be a ‘Dark Soul’ lurking nearby.”

“Can’t we rest for a day? What’s the big deal?”

“It’s a big deal. Innocent people could get hurt or even die. How can you even think of resting?”

“Sigh… Young people these days would say, ‘I want to quit.'”

Despite his complaints, Jericho was the most reliable person when it came to detecting “demonic energy.” He was far more sensitive to it than I was.

Moreover, the Walker Barony was under my complete control.

We could investigate freely without any problems.

While the mercenaries from the Lucius Mercenary Company were disposing of the monster corpses, we checked the cargo. None of the holy water bottles were damaged.

“Did the Lady say anything? Even though it’s only two days away, this will affect the Inspection Unit’s operations.”

“She didn’t say anything. Establishing the trading company is the priority right now, so we might not have any missions for a while.”

“Do you think… the Lady might come to the Barony? She’s been making a lot of unconventional moves lately.”

“Stop with the ominous talk. Don’t you know words have power?”

“Why? Wouldn’t it be nice if she came? Are you still practicing dancing? Hahaha!”

Jericho was desperately trying to set me up with the Lady. Just then, we received a report that the preparations for departure were complete.

We set off again and met up with the soldiers from the Walker Barony that afternoon.

There were some familiar faces among them.

The most skilled soldiers from the mansion guard had been knighted. They were now leading the troops.

“Welcome, my lord.”

“Your name is Ferguson, if I remember correctly?”

“Yes, sir! It’s an honor that you remember me!”

“I regret that we couldn’t hold a proper knighting ceremony. I’ll arrange one when we return, so don’t feel slighted.”

“Oh, thank you, sir!”

That night, I entered the Walker Barony, welcomed by the cheers of the people.