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“Hm……”

Thunk.

Suddenly, I looked down at something I had kicked.

“Snore……”

It was someone from Verdant Vale, snoring loudly in their sleep. Just like him, the others were sprawled all over the place after passing out from drinking.

My mood soured, but I decided to suppress my irritation for now.

‘……Sigh. I’ll let you off for today.’

It wasn’t because I found them endearing. It was because the two leaders had allowed it.

Especially since it was Marquis Foltaine who had ordered the drinks to flow. How could I repay his kindness by making a scene?

“Y-Your Highness!?”

Of course, not everyone was completely passed out. Even among the ones sprawled out, there were those who quickly scrambled to a sitting position when I approached.

“Please, continue sleeping. We’ll all be busier starting tomorrow. Since we’re all knights, there’s no need for formalities.”

“H-Have a good night.”

The marquis’ knights lay back down. Despite the heavy smell of alcohol lingering in the air, they remained on edge.

‘That means Marquis Foltaine must have kept them in check quite strictly.’

When they’re told to drink, they drink. When told to relax, they relax. And yet, they never fully lower their guard.

Well… Considering that the marquis killed his own child without hesitation, how could his subordinates not be tense?

Thunk. Snore.

“……”

Lost in thought, I had kicked another Verdant Vale soldier.

“……But just how much did Trevor pamper and raise these guys for them to be like this?”

I frowned.

Breathe.

I had to hold back. These men weren’t just strangers—they were ones I would have to lead from now on.

“Don’t take your frustration out on innocent people. Come over here.”

Right on cue, a voice came from inside the tent.

“Between running from the Emperor, being chased by those damn masked bastards, and walking on eggshells around the dwarves, this is the first drink they’ve had in years. Of course they’d let their guard down.”

The voice belonged to Marquis Foltaine.

“But why is there no roof here?”

As I stepped into the tent, I tilted my head upwards. I noticed the ceiling had been completely removed.

“If there were a roof, how would we see the sky?”

“……”

If I had been my old self, I would’ve asked him right then and there.

‘Do you dream of reaching higher? Is that why you gaze up so longingly?’

But.

‘……Not anymore.’

My expression softened.

I had already seen his true self. The way he genuinely treated me was no different from how a father would.

‘He’s mourning his dead child, in his own way.’

I decided to join his quiet memorial. There was even a bottle of alcohol sitting on a small table.

“Why are you drinking alone? You should have called for Milon, at least.”

“Being surrounded by others can be nice, but sometimes it’s comforting to be alone, don’t you think?”

“I’ll pour you a drink.”

Trickle.

I politely picked up the bottle.

“……How nice.”

Marquis Foltaine smiled contentedly after downing the drink.

Then.

“……?”

He looked curiously at my outstretched hand.

“What is it?”

“It’s only right that if you receive, you also give something in return, isn’t it?”

“……You want a drink too?”

“My arm’s going numb.”

For a moment, the marquis just stared at my outstretched hand, then chuckled softly.

“Well, you wouldn’t listen even if I told you not to, right? Rather than sneaking drinks behind my back, better you learn properly from an adult.”

Oho.

Our marquis is always straightforward. Before my annoying fiancée could show up, I quickly accepted the drink.

But.

Trickle.

Before I knew it, the alcohol was dribbling from my mouth.

“Huh……?”

Marquis Foltaine, equally surprised, widened his eyes.

“Wh-Why is this so bitter?”

“……What……?”

Then, he laughed heartily at my reaction, loud enough to fill the tent with the sound of his guffaw.

“Ah, you really are still a kid. Maybe I should’ve bought some candy for you.”

“N-No, it wasn’t like this before! What is this……?”

“Must’ve been fruit wine you drank before. Haha! This stuff’s pretty strong. We carry it around at night camps to keep warm. There’s no way it’d be weak, is there?”

No way.

Is it really that strong? Now that I think about it, the alcohol did seem pretty potent. Maybe my developing body couldn’t handle the strong stuff?

“……Now, I’m determined.”

“Stop that.”

Marquis Foltaine quickly snatched the bottle from my hand.

“Now you finally seem like a kid.”

“……Haa……”

I sighed at the marquis’s firm decision. How did things end up like this?

“Well, I guess there’s no helping it. Either way, thank you, Marquis.”

“Finally, you understand my sincerity.”

“I’ve always understood. You even forgave your son’s death because of me.”

Flinch.

Marquis Foltaine paused mid-drink.

“……Hmph. There was no grudge to begin with. My foolish son brought it on himself. Who would I blame?”

“It’s impossible for a parent to think like that. Would your finger not hurt if you bit it?”

“……”

Marquis Foltaine fell silent. For a long while, he stared at me without saying a word.

“……”

In that quiet night, interrupted only by owls’ hoots, who knows how much time had passed?

“……I……”

“……?”

“……Should be the one thanking you. For reminding me of something I had forgotten.”

His voice was smaller than an ant’s. A faint smile spread across my lips. After that, we spent a long time, just gazing up at the wide-open night sky in silence.

By now, I’m sure Marquis Foltaine was thinking the same thing as me.

‘Andy, are you watching?’

Unlike you, I have found a wonderful father.

‘……I’m sorry.’

For that, I’m sorry.

I am truly…… so sorry.

The day of the march dawned.

“Gentlemen!”

At the crack of dawn, I gathered the Verdant Veil soldiers. Some of them, still not fully sober from last night’s drinks, were swaying on their feet.

The sight made a smile tug at the corners of my lips.

“At your captain’s request, from today, I will personally be responsible for your training!”

“……!”

In that instant, even those who hadn’t quite gathered their wits yet snapped their eyes wide open.

“Wooooaaaah!”

A roaring cheer erupted in response. I nodded in satisfaction.

However, there were exactly four individuals looking at the cheering crowd from the sidelines with pity in their eyes.

“I noticed you were arm wrestling yesterday, full of energy. I trust you’ll be able to handle this, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

Their loud response echoed far and wide.

“Good. I’m truly moved by your eagerness to learn.”

“Yeeeeaaaahhhh!”

“From now on, you’ll answer only with ‘Yes, sir!’ Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

After showing them a little bit of my strength, their willingness to learn was quite impressive.

“Repeat after me.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Everything starts with the basics.”

“Everything starts with the basics!”

“Skills, techniques, even character. Sticking to these basics is the foundation of life.”

“Skills! Techniques! Even character! Sticking to these basics is the foundation of life!”

“Good. Assistants, to your positions.”

“Good! Assistants! To your posi…… Huh?”

The entire Verdant Veil looked confused for a moment.

“Not you.”

The four individuals who had been watching pityingly stepped forward—Winley, Harun, Kirian, and Jan.

“They are your seniors, and they will assist in your training.”

“……!”

The faces of the Verdant Veil soldiers fell instantly.

“……What’s with those expressions? Are you ashamed to be learning from children?”

“N-No, sir!”

“If we’re going by age, I’m younger than most of you here.”

“Yes, sir!”

Each swordsmanship style relies on different muscles. In other words, your body must be trained according to the style you use.

However, there are some basic elements common to all styles.

“You might even struggle because you’re older. What we’ll be focusing on is ‘flexibility’.”

“……!”

As one ages, muscles and joints naturally stiffen up like stone—a fatal flaw for a swordsman. In contrast, young bodies stretch easily with just a little guidance.

For this training, those four are clearly their seniors and superior in rank.

“Starting today, we’ll train every day, ensuring every single one of you can rotate your calves 90 degrees. After that, we move on.”

“……!”

The training from hell had begun.

***

“Agh…… Agghhhhhh!”

“Stop! I’ll die! I’m going to die!”

“It’s ripping! It’s ripping ‘there’!”

Cries of agony echoed across the training grounds during every break. We marched for three hours at a time and rested for 30 minutes.

During those breaks, the flexibility training continued, since the march couldn’t be delayed for training alone.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t rest at all and just kept going, Captain?”

“We’ve got plenty of energy to spare, sir!”

“I’m terrified that I’ll die before I can leave descendants……”

As expected, the Verdant Veil soldiers were desperately asking for a continuous march. But Ancelot didn’t budge.

“H-How dreadful.”

At this point, the marquis’ knights were sighing in relief. It was, after all, the kind of training that was painful even to those watching.

“Y-Your Highness.”

That’s when Krong approached Ancelot cautiously.

“We’re approaching the territory of the dwarves.”

As he said, the lush green plains were now giving way to rugged rocks and boulders scattered across the landscape.

“Was that giant elephant-shaped rock we passed yesterday a marker for the entrance?”

Ancelot stroked his chin thoughtfully.

True to the dwarves’ nature, the rock formations around here seemed of exceptional quality. In the distance, he could even make out some large mines and rocky mountains.

‘……This terrain reminds me of the eastern front during the Unification War.’

The land is sloping, with the hills becoming steeper as you go deeper. In terrain like this, the most common threat was……

‘……An ambush.’

Instinctively, Ancelot opened his senses wide and immediately raised his hand.

“Stop!”

The moment he gave the command, countless presences could be felt behind the rocks.

Crunch!

Suddenly, creatures emerged from behind the rocks, wielding longbows larger than their bodies.

“D-Dwarves!”

Even the marquis’ knights, who had never seen such a sight before, were visibly shaken. Yet, they swiftly assumed a battle stance.

They were still well over a hundred meters away, far too distant for an ambush, but the dwarves didn’t seem to care.

“You filthy vermin…… Now you’ve even brought other bugs with you!?”

One of the dwarves stepped forward, shouting, while the rest kept their bows trained on us.

‘The terrain is unfavorable, and those are dwarven bows.’

Arrows shot from above, raining down. If they were using those master-crafted bows, even steel armor would be pierced in an instant.

The accuracy?

‘People often think elves are better with bows, but that’s a misconception.’

From what Ancelot knew, no one could match the dwarves when it came to archery.

Elves may have superior eyesight for long-range vision, but the dwarves had unrivaled craftsmanship and precision.

“Still, for old times’ sake, I’ll let you go. Get lost!”

“……I’ll handle this.”

At the right moment, Trevor stepped forward with his frail body.

“Trevor! Because of your request, I even took in your subordinates! But now you bring other humans with you!?”

“Sorry. Let me explain……”

“Shut your mouth!”

The dwarves didn’t hide their hostility.

“I’ve done enough for you! I hid your men, and I even provided you with weapons! If you don’t back down now…… I won’t hesitate to shoot, even at you.”

“Wait. Bolt, please, just hear me out.”

“Trevor!”

Fire sparked in Bolt’s eyes, reflecting his fiery temper.

“Consider yourself lucky I’m leaving it at this. If it were anyone else, they’d already be riddled with arrows. Not only that, but I’d personally cut open their corpses and feed their brains and guts to monsters!”

“……”

At this, the marquis’ knights began to grow visibly uncomfortable. Thankfully, they refrained from any rash actions, likely due to prior orders.

“I don’t understand you at all! Or am I misinformed?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Trevor, didn’t your own comrades betray you?”

Bolt clicked his tongue in disdain.

“This is why humans are called fools. They make the same mistakes over and over, like complete idiots.”

“That’s……”

“Humans are just like chimpanzees. I thought you were different, but…… What a disappointment. You’ve lost more than just your limbs.”

Crack!

At that, Krong bit his lip so hard it started to bleed. Despite everything, weren’t his words too harsh?

‘……Let’s trust him. The captain is holding back, so I’ll trust him and wait.’

Krong took a deep breath to calm himself. Thankfully, the other soldiers were also holding their composure.

Yes.

If they just keep calm and trust in the captain……

“Who’s hiding in the mountains because they got driven out by the ‘chimpanzees’ again?”

“……?”

“And we just want to go through. Are your brains as tiny as your bodies?”

“……!”

Krong’s delayed realization kicked in as he rushed to cover Ancelot’s mouth.

“Wh-What are you doing!? Weren’t we supposed to leave this to the captain?”

“Let me go. Do you hear the crap they’re spewing?”

Ancelot’s voice was anything but quiet. Of course, the murderous intent from the dwarves intensified. Krong quickly bowed his head in apology.

“S-Sorry! Our prince is still young…… H-He doesn’t know better. Please, he’s still just a child, so show him mercy!”

“……Haa. Now even the chimpanzees’ cubs are acting up. Puny little creatures without any sense of manners.”

“I promise that…… this won’t happen again.”

Fortunately, it seemed the dwarves weren’t inclined to lash out at a child.

“Please, Your Highness.”

Krong pleaded, giving Ancelot a desperate look, urging him not to escalate the situation any further.

Of course—

Ancelot didn’t give a shit.

“Manners, my ass. And what? Puny? Who do those midgets think they are? Why, I ought to……”

Smack!

Finally, Krong slapped his forehead in frustration.

‘Oh, gods……’

Inwardly, he even prayed to a deity he didn’t usually believe in.

***