Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Not long after the count sat down, a few cooking soldiers hesitantly brought out the food.
"My lord Count, are you really alright with this again today?"
The faces of the soldiers who brought the food were filled with concern.
Hard bread without sugar, a meat soup where the meat seemed to have just brushed past the thin broth, and a mysterious meat that was not just tough but stubbornly chewy.
The food on the table was hard to be considered the food of a count's family.
The count's family had traditionally eaten the same diet as the soldiers, but wasn't today a special day?
The soldier, worried that the count might be insulted at the dinner table, carefully opened his mouth.
"I heard someone came from the central command, shouldn't we serve some delicious food for once……."
"Stop it, what's so great about them.
They're the kind of bastards who'll reduce the rations if we feed them well, saying the front lines have a surplus, and complain that we're ignoring them if we feed them as usual."
There was no way the on-site investigation team sent from the central command would actually go to the front lines.
Instead of an on-site investigation, they might just get a few meals and use that as an excuse to reduce supplies.
"Those bastards who only wielded pens at the central command should try a combat ration at least once.
Hehehe, it would be great if they broke their jaw chewing on some wild boar meat."
As Vergil snapped at the soldier's concern, Sven, who had been watching quietly, frowned.
"Vergil, how can you be so irritable every time you open your mouth."
It was a relief that he could at least wield a sword.
Sven sighed, thinking that if he couldn't even do that, it would be difficult for him to be treated like a person anywhere.
"The problem is that the bastards who live off the sacrifice of Front Hold don't know how to be grateful."
At Vergil's sharp reply, Sven quietly closed his eyes.
After the Regent had begun to rule the domain, it had gradually become separated from the central command, and before he knew it, everyone here had come to think of Central Hold and Front Hold as separate territories.
'Can I really change this…….'
No matter how much he ordered them to be loyal to the ducal family, those who had fought while clutching their festering stomachs and eating bread mixed with dirt would not obediently follow orders.
Because before any order, there had to be loyalty to follow that order.
'I wish the young lord was a wise man.'
He knew it was too heavy an expectation to place on a man who had been pickled in madness, but if he delayed any longer, Front Hold might break away from the central command, just as a festering wound would burst.
That was something he, the count, could not change, no matter how hard he tried.
How could he move the hearts of heroes who had risen to protect their land, sacrificing their lives, with mere orders?
"My lord Count, the investigation team from the central command has arrived."
Just as his thoughts deepened, a soldier at the door announced the arrival of the investigation team.
"Let them in."
With his words, Ian and Reina entered the dining room.
* * *
"...Y-Young Lord?
How did you get here……?!"
Ian lightly ignored the surprised Vergil and bowed his head slightly to Sven.
"I greet the hero who protects the front lines."
"Hah, I never thought you would come in person, Young Lord.
If you had told me, I would have gone out myself."
"The soldier here guided me excellently, so I was able to come with pleasure."
After finishing his greetings, Ian glanced at the table and continued.
"My lord Count, I know this is rude, but I haven't eaten properly for a few days… may I have a meal first?"
"Ah……!
The count's family always eats the same food as the soldiers on the battlefield.
I'm sorry if it's not to your liking."
Unlike the count's worries, Ian, who had sat down, emptied the table as if he were possessed.
-Gobble gobble.
In the first place, this was a body that had only chewed on medicinal herbs until it was detoxified.
With a moderate amount of salt, he could force himself to swallow most foods.
In fact, to Ian, who had chewed on tough jerky instead of rice in the carriage to save time, the count's family's meal was quite satisfactory.
No matter how bad it tasted, at least it wasn't poisonous.
"That……."
The count, who had been watching Ian ravenously emptying the plates on the table, asked Vergil in a troubled voice.
"Is that really the young lord you were talking about?"
"Yes… yes, it is."
Vergil stared at the young lord who was eating greedily for a long time.
The arrogant figure who had spoken of his own private war in the meeting room was nowhere to be seen.
Could the situation in Central Hold have gotten that bad?
To the point where the duke had to starve?
The complicated gazes of the father and son followed the busily moving spoon.
* * *
Ian, who had roughly put out the urgent fire, put down his spoon and opened his mouth.
"I'm sorry, I haven't had a proper meal while coming here……."
"Hehe!
Not at all, it's good to see you eating well."
The count, who had been looking at Ian, asked with shining eyes.
"So what brings the young lord, who must be busy managing the domain now, to this remote place?
As you can see, there's nothing to eat or see here."
The young lord his son had told him about was interesting, but that was all.
"There's no reward to give to the central command that has neglected the front lines for so many years.
If there was anything to eat, we would have fed it to our soldiers first."
The situation at the front lines was obvious.
Although they sold monster byproducts, they sold them at a price that was beaten down by the five magic towers, so after paying the soldiers' salaries, there was nothing left.
In the first place, if there had been anything left, the diet of the soldiers and the count's family would have been better than this.
"I don't know what you came to see, but just look around quietly and go back.
Don't get killed by a stray stone."
Even at the count's cold attitude, Ian was calm.
He had never expected a welcome, so there was no reason to be disappointed.
"I have a request for you, my lord Count."
"A request?"
"I would like to train with the knightly order of the front lines."
* * *
The count's demeanor changed in an instant.
"Denied."
The somewhat simple-minded appearance from a moment ago disappeared, and the count declared with a face that looked like he was about to draw his sword at any moment.
"I beg of you."
"There's no way you can keep up with the training of the knightly order, and the training on the battlefield is no joke."
"If I can't keep up, you can kick me out then."
"That is, if you're still alive.
What do you think the knightly order of the front lines trains in?
This is not a place where you can swing at the air and play immortal.
It's a place where soldiers die and knights get injured every day."
The count's voice was firm, as if to give no room for compromise.
"If you want to die, look elsewhere.
With that little mana, the knightly order, tsk."
If I were to give up at just this, I wouldn't have come this far.
"I want to learn my father's swordsmanship."
I couldn't just keep messing around with a dagger forever.
If I was still just throwing daggers on the battlefield 10 years from now, I might actually die of frustration.
At the very least, to not be ashamed, I had to learn the sword before the heroes appeared.
The Struggle Desire of the Giant King would increase all weapon proficiency, so I would learn faster than others.
"I have inherited the blood of the Moner family, so I want to protect the Demonic Beast forest."
The count, who had frowned deeply as if reacting to the family's swordsmanship and the blood of the Moner family, looked at him with a serious face.
"I do not know the secret arts of the ducal family.
The swordsmanship of the knightly order is just a degraded version of the secret arts."
The count, who had been tapping the table with his index finger, opened his mouth as if he had made a decision.
"If you want to train with the knightly order, you must at least have the skills of an apprentice knight or higher.
If you defeat an apprentice knight, I will do as you wish."
Vergil, who was sitting to the count's left, glared at him with burning eyes, but he ignored him.
The negotiation right in front of him was more important than the worthless brat.
"If I defeat an apprentice knight, will you give me the opportunity to train with the elite knightly order of Front Hold?"
"If you are worthy of holding a sword, then of course you should."
The count did not seem to have high expectations.
The elite knightly order of Front Hold was the core of the Moner family, so even an apprentice knight would be beyond the 4-star level.
"Give me a month."
"Do you think a mere month will be enough?"
I met the count's cold gaze.
Of course, a month was not needed to fight an apprentice knight.
I was confident I could win right now if it was a life-or-death battle.
'With the Desire for Blood and the Dark Emperor at their limits, an apprentice knight is nothing.'
Now that the stage was set, I became greedy.
The forces of Front Hold were the same as the forces of the Moner family.
I was thinking of starting from the bottom and gradually winning the hearts of the soldiers and knights, but was there a need for that?
"In a month, I will defeat a knight of the commander's level.
Give me the position of commander then."
"Hah!
You'll fight a commander?
I can't tell if you're bold or foolish!
Fine.
Do as you please!"
The count laughed as if it were amusing and gave his permission.
He was probably certain that I couldn't possibly win, but unfortunately for him, I had three of those precious traits.
I stood up for a moment as the count was laughing and said.
"My lord Count, I need someone to help me while I stay in the castle for a month.
May I ask a soldier of my choosing to guide me?"
"Hmm?
Go ahead."
At the count's permission, I smiled broadly and expressed my gratitude.
* * *
A month was a short time to learn something.
It was far too short a time to even build up a body, so it was impossible to achieve incredible results in just one month.
Of course, the story changed if you had overflowing money, time, and knowledge.
"Uuuugh!"
In the same training ground as the soldiers, I lifted a mana stone filled with mana with all my might.
The mana stone, which became heavier with the amount of mana it contained, was an excellent piece of training equipment.
The problem was that the other soldiers looked at me like I was a madman for struggling with a fist-sized stone, but that was no worry either.
"One more!"
"O-one!"
"One!"
Because Hoodwock and Reina were training alongside me, gasping for breath.
All weapons depended on the strength and elasticity of the muscles.
A bow shot as far as one's strength, and a spear was as fast as one's strength.
The technique of a weapon started with strength and ended with strength.
Even the blood vessels that were strengthened with mana were proportional to the size of the muscles, so it could be said that when it came to muscles, the more the better , no, the bigger the better.
How could I build up my strength in just one month?
"One more set and then we'll take the medicine!"
All I had to do was rely on the power of medicine.
With a stimpack that maximized the body's natural healing ability, I could achieve more than a month's worth of results in a single day.
All I had to do was tear and heal, tear and heal the muscles repeatedly.
"N-no!
My lord Duke, please!"
Although there was the disadvantage of receiving all the pain of muscle recovery in one lump sum.
"This is all part of the training.
Open your mouth, the medicine is coming in!"
"Kuaaaah!"
This was also an excellent pain tolerance training.
* * *
The soldiers of Front Hold, called the pride of the Moner family, were strong and wild.
They were known as cruel hunters who made the monsters they faced cower in fear, and they were said not to even scream.
"Kyaaaaak!"
The training ground of Front Hold was filled with soldiers training with mana stones.
Those who had seen the changing bodies of Ian and Hoodwock every day had started to follow their training one by one.
Coincidentally, in Front Hold, which was overflowing with mana stones, the cores of monsters, weight training using mana stones suddenly became popular.
Although those without stimpacks could not see immediate effects like Ian's party, the new training method that could train muscles to their limit using mana spread as widely as the shrill screams that filled the training ground.