Becoming a Swordmaster by Reading

Chapter 83. Operation Meatball (2)

‘Hehehe. This is great.’

Hansen, the owner of the Strutzen Inn, started his morning in high spirits today as well.

Recently, Hansen’s mood had been consistently good.

It couldn’t be helped, as the Strutzen Inn, which used to be swarmed only by flies, was now filled with customers.

And they weren't just any customers.

They were long-stay guests who had paid for a full month's lodging.

‘Was it the Billem Caravan? I’ve succeeded in landing a proper sucker.’

The Billem Caravan.

It was the name Roden and the Infantry Platoon had come up with in advance while disguising themselves as a merchant caravan.

And Hansen was very fond of the Billem Caravan.

It wasn't simply because they were long-stay guests.

Hansen had already experienced several instances where long-stay guests, unable to tolerate the crappy facilities of the Strutzen Inn, demanded a refund.

Since they brought forth their escort warriors to demand the refund, it was difficult for Hansen to refuse their request.

‘Those sons of bitches. It pisses me off just thinking about it again. Who takes back money they’ve already paid!’

But Roden and the Infantry Platoon were different.

Despite the sub-par facilities, they weren't demanding a refund, but were enduring it without much complaint.

In fact, they weren't just enduring it.

“Hey, Hansen. Where are the cleaning tools? Surely you haven't sold them off to let the dust pile up, have you?”

“What about nails and a hammer? The creaking sound is so annoying that I thought I’d try to fix it myself. I used to be a carpenter in my younger days.”

“The basement is in a terrible mess, would it be alright if I tidied it up a bit? It seems like we could create a pretty large space if we organize things properly.”

They even took the initiative to solve various problems in the inn like this.

‘Why the hell are they fixing the inn themselves? They could just move to another lodging. Fools.’

Hansen considered Roden and the Infantry Platoon to be fools.

He even added his own speculation that they were a merchant caravan from some rural backwater, ignorant of the ways of the world, making their first trip to Vinchih.

Certainly, the face of Roden, the caravan leader, looked very young.

And it wasn't just his face that seemed young.

‘I don't know what he's thinking so much about, but unless he's going out occasionally, he just sits there spacing out in the dining hall all day.’

Because of all this, Hansen couldn't help but find Roden and the Infantry Platoon very comfortable and pleasant.

Above all, Hansen loved that the Billem Caravan cooked their own food.

Every time they took turns making meatballs, chicken balls, fish balls, and the like, a delicious smell would fill the air, and he could get some to eat in exchange for letting them use the kitchen.

For Hansen, who was a bachelor and had to eat his own tasteless food, the round-shaped dishes they made felt like a heavenly cuisine.

In fact, their taste was not inferior compared to what was made in most eateries.

It was on a similar level to the food Hansen had tasted just once in his life at a high-end restaurant.

And this was the result of the efforts of Terne, a former cook, who tried and tried to somehow improve the taste of the elixirs they had to eat every day.

As such, Hansen was extremely satisfied with the Billem Caravan staying at his inn.

So much so that he never wanted to miss this opportunity again.

A while ago.

That was why he had asked Zailo if they were really a merchant caravan and why they weren't selling anything.

He was worried that the Billem Caravan would leave his inn if they ran out of money.

In fact, this was Hansen’s only recent worry.

That the Billem Caravan, completely ignorant of the ways of the world, would one day go bankrupt and leave Vinchih penniless.

‘I must prevent this situation at all costs! My sucker, I will protect him!’

Hansen’s expression, which had been simply cheerful until a moment ago, turned resolute.

This was what happened this morning.

***

Roden had not been simply resting all this time.

The two superior swordsmanship manuals entrusted to him by Olinto and Liviano.

He had been engrossed in studying these swordsmanship manuals.

Of course, the research did not go as smoothly as he thought.

On the journey to Vinchih, he had to move a day ahead to scatter the wooden blocks inscribed with location detection magic, so he had no spare time.

Even after arriving in Vinchih, he had to focus on gathering information for a while while concealing his identity.

But even amidst all this, Roden continued his research in his spare moments.

This led to him being treated as someone ignorant of the world by Hansen, but in any case, he had made some achievements.

‘First, the Colombo Swordsmanship of the Archery Platoon Leader.’

The secret method described in the <Colombo Swordsmanship Manual> was skin breathing.

Skin breathing was literally absorbing aura, which was mostly absorbed through the respiratory system, through the skin as well.

Moreover, the amount of aura absorbed through the skin could be dramatically increased with this secret method.

Upon testing, it was possible to increase the aura absorption rate from the existing 4% to 8%.

‘The secret technique of the Colombo Swordsmanship was also interesting.’

The secret technique of the Colombo Swordsmanship was the sword draw.

Slashing the enemy at high speed at the same time as drawing the sword.

It was a good secret technique that could subdue the enemy at the start of a battle.

Even if it failed to subdue the enemy, it wasn't bad.

It was certain that one could gain an offensive advantage.

‘Next is the Varese Swordsmanship of the Cavalry Platoon Leader.’

The secret method described in the <Varese Swordsmanship Manual> was progressive overload.

This was a secret method that made the aura heavier to quickly overload the body.

Even so, the body did not perceive this as a drastic change.

It accepted the progressive overload as if one had exercised for the usual amount of time.

Upon testing, it was possible to achieve in five hours the results that would normally be obtained from training for ten hours a day, in the morning and afternoon.

However, training wasn't something where simply increasing the intensity yielded good results.

For that reason, even with this secret method, training for exactly five hours was the most efficient.

Training for ten hours would only result in severe muscle fatigue and worse results.

In conclusion, the significance of the Varese Swordsmanship's secret method lay in its ability to dramatically reduce training time.

‘It's a good secret method to use when busy with an operation like now. Above all, the secret technique of the Varese Swordsmanship is decent.’

The secret technique of the Varese Swordsmanship, similar to its secret method, was weight.

It was a secret technique that increased destructive power by momentarily adding weight to the aura.

At Roden’s current level, the destructive power he could increase by adding weight was only about 3 times.

However, this secret technique could be used in all situations where aura was used, making it highly versatile.

It was even a secret technique that could be used after reaching a higher level.

Thus, Roden had currently finished his research on the Colombo and Varese Swordsmanship.

However, the achievement he needed to obtain in Vinchih was not this.

A way to conquer Velia Castle.

He had to find this method.

‘And for that, I need to stay here longer than I have.’

But since money was running out and they were starting to attract suspicion from those around them, they had to start a business.

Thus, Roden spoke his thoughts.

“Since it's come to this, how about we try selling food?”

At Roden's words, Zailo tilted his head and asked.

“Selling food?”

“Yes. Terne’s recipes are good, right? Let's use them to sell food.”

“But if we do that, the existence of the elixirs……”

“Ah. Don't worry about that. I have no intention of selling the elixirs. I'm just saying let's try selling ordinary meatballs, chicken balls, fish balls, and the like.”

“Ah.”

Hearing Roden's words, not only Zailo, but also Chevalier, Nedhab, and Federico, who were sitting at the same 6-person table, fell into thought.

The first among them to speak was Federico.

“Hoho. Terne’s recipes are indeed good. I've eaten various foods during my time as a mercenary, and his are among the best.”

Chevalier picked up on his words.

“I also think it’s a huge improvement considering when we first started making and eating elixirs. But do merchant caravans also cook and sell food?”

“It's a little strange, but what can't a merchant sell if there's money to be made?” Get full chapters from novelꜰire.net

Roden answered, and Nedhab also agreed.

“I also don't think selling food is that strange. There are actually many street food stalls in Vinchih.”

Of course, for a large merchant caravan, selling food like this might be a bit strange.

But the size of the Billem Caravan they were currently disguised as was a bit ambiguous.

So even if they started selling food, people would probably just find it a little strange, but not be overly suspicious.

Zailo seemed to think the same, as he opened his mouth.

“I also don't think it's a bad idea to cook and sell food using Terne's recipes. We have a lot of food supplies among the things we have, and if we cook them into food and sell them, we'll make a much larger profit than just selling the ingredients.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Above all, selling food allows us to continue our business in one place for a long time.

We can just use the profit from selling food to buy more ingredients and sell food again.”

This was also the reason why Roden thought they should sell meatballs.

However, it was surprising that Zailo had grasped this at once.

So he asked.

“Zailo, you know a lot about business. Have you done something similar before?”

“I worked for a small merchant caravan for a while when I had no place to go. It was only for 3 or 4 years.”

“3 or 4 years isn't bad. Since it's come to this, let's have Zailo take charge of this business venture.”

“……Is that really alright?”

Zailo said, glancing at Chevalier.

Certainly, in a normal army, the person in charge of such a matter would be the platoon leader, Chevalier.

But Roden's thoughts were different.

“Of course, it's alright. People are naturally good at different things. Zailo, you take charge of this matter. If you need anything, consult with Antonio, who is good with his hands.”

Antonio was the soldier who had taught Roden carving before.

He was not only good at carving but also had good general handiwork, so he was skilled at making things quickly.

Since they would need to set up a stall to start their business in the market, Antonio’s help was essential.

***

A few days later.

Finally, the sale of meatballs began in earnest in the market of Vinchih.

And until that moment, they didn't know.

What kind of things would happen because of this.