“I am not sure this was the right thing to do.”
Glen muttered to himself as he made his way back.
He had taught her because he felt that he should give her something, but….
The Offensive Parry he had just shown Erdin was a dangerous technique.
Parrying itself was dangerous by nature.
If performed poorly, it was the perfect way to expose oneself to a fatal injury.
An Offensive Parry was even more difficult, so it was not truly a technique one should recommend to others.
‘Besides, people probably do not think very highly of it in this era….’
Parrying was a technique used primarily by Wandering Knights.
Its foundations originated among the foreign tribes of the North and the South.
Among them, it was also known as “Shulak,” but ordinary knights did not recognize it as a legitimate technique.
They regarded it as an inferior trick practiced by low-class swordsmen who cared only about appearances.
Its reputation was poor, and the technique itself was both difficult and dangerous.
When viewed that way, it was strange for anyone to learn it at all.
‘Yet it is surprisingly useful against Orcs.’
Erdin, who had taught Glen the technique in his Previous Life, had also awakened to it naturally during fierce battles against Orcs.
The brutal environment, with death lurking on every side, had mercilessly demanded that she grow stronger.
The tough hide of an Orc was not easily cut.
It was possible with Aura.
However, Erdin had not yet reached the level of a Sword Master who could continuously pour Aura from her blade.
Thus, she had used the Offensive Parry.
In a sense, it was the most efficient way for a knight who had not become a Sword Master to use Aura.
Furthermore, since Erdin had already understood Parrying, it had not been an especially difficult technique for her to learn.
Of course, that was entirely because Erdin possessed a genius-level talent for swordsmanship.
‘I barely managed to learn it myself.’
He had struggled to master it for the sake of survival while enduring Erdin’s relentless criticism.
Glen had later adapted the technique for use with Blood Magic, but it was honestly not something he could readily recommend to another person.
***
“Why can you not perform something this simple?”
“…You are the only person who thinks this is simple, Dame Erdin.”
“Tsk. For a man, you are certainly good at talking.”
“No—you have not even taught me properly. Why am I the one being insulted?”
“What do you mean I never taught you? I deliberately demonstrated it during every battle. You would have seen it if you had eyes.”
“You call that teaching?”
“Was that not enough? You kept claiming that you were a genius in your youth, so I expected more. Good grief.”
“…When did I ever say that?”
“Enough talking. Try it again. I cannot afford to die because of you, Young Master.”
“You may be talented with a sword, but you possess no talent for teaching.”
“You talk too much.”
***
Recalling the memories of his Previous Life caused an unexpected surge of emotion within him.
“Well, she will manage somehow.”
It was a technique she had taught him in the first place, was it not?
It was also true that she had frequently used it back then.
By the time she learned Parrying, she would probably come to understand the technique naturally on her own.
Whether she found it useful or not… was ultimately for her to decide.
He had shown it to her.
That was enough.
Glen continued walking wearily as he thought about it.
In any case—
‘Brunel should be returning soon.’
***
After dawn broke and noon approached, Brunel and his men returned.
“So, did you learn anything?”
Glen had previously ordered Brunel and his subordinates to gather information.
He needed intelligence regarding the location of the Red Hood’s main base.
That was one of the reasons he had brought Brunel along in the first place.
“Yes, sir. Rumors have been spreading around the area, so gathering information was easier than expected.”
“Good. Then immediately… No, rather than discussing it here, it would be better to gather everyone.”
“…Pardon?”
“We will convene a meeting. You can deliver the full report there yourself.”
His expression clearly asked whether Glen truly expected him to attend such a meeting.
Glen merely grinned in response.
***
Everyone summoned to the meeting entered the conference room.
Brunel opened his mouth with a stiff expression, and the meeting began.
He presented the information gathered through local rumors, House Northshine’s investigations, and inquiries made among merchants.
Based on that intelligence, they had identified their final destination—
“S-So, the location we identified is the Toldran Abandoned Mine in the northwestern mountains.”
“If it is northwest of here, it must be at the edge of the Haiark Mountain Range.”
“That is correct, sir.”
Glen chuckled as he watched Brunel standing rigidly in the conference room with a tense expression.
Of course, there was no reason he would have attended a gathering like this before.
“Did you discover anything else?”
“Quite a few merchants travel through the mountain passes. They said that attacks have become more frequent recently. Because of that, groups of three to six merchants now travel together with large escorts.
“According to my investigation, they appear to be attacking not only merchants but also the smaller villages nearby. I encountered several residents who had fled to escape the raids.”
“How could this have happened…?”
Count Northshine sighed after Brunel finished speaking.
The region in question was indisputably part of the domain under the Count’s rule.
Erdin, who had been watching him, spoke.
“We have already received similar reports from the east. That is why the Count dispatched a large portion of the knight order and our troops. He has done everything within his power.”
“The reported bandit forces must be quite large.”
Glen had noticed it after arriving at Sharn Castle on the first day, but very few troops were currently stationed there.
He estimated that approximately half of them had been deployed for the aforementioned bandit suppression campaign.
That was certainly a considerable number.
Had they not also sent the eldest and second sons, along with the core forces of the knight order?
“Based on the combined reports, we believe that at least several hundred bandits are currently active.”
“Surely that many are not moving together?”
“No. The estimate was calculated by combining reports of attacks across a vast area, from the plains in the east to the lower reaches of the Rems River and the border of the Kingdom of Arian. There have also been reports of bandit groups fighting one another, so they appear to belong to separate factions.”
“…It is because of the Civil War.”
Erdin nodded as well.
Bandit groups were running rampant throughout the Duchy of Repen.
The reason for their sudden increase was quite simple.
The Empire’s Civil War had dragged on for too long.
Defeated soldiers from various battles, refugees fleeing the war, and disreputable mercenaries were all pouring into the North.
This problem was not limited to House Northshine’s territory.
It was also occurring in Repen City.
His father, the Duke of Repent, had recently been overwhelmed by problems both large and small throughout the domain.
Perhaps the only consolation was that the monsters had become somewhat less active.
“To be honest, our house cannot dispatch another large force. We must maintain at least a minimal garrison.”
“I expected as much. Do you have any spare supplies?”
“Fortunately, we have some stockpiled. How much will you require?”
“There are approximately thirty members of the Lion Knights, so we will need roughly….”
Erdin calmly exchanged opinions with Glen.
Strangely enough, the two of them seemed somehow more familiar with each other than before.
Count Northshine, who was observing them from the head of the table, looked at Erdin with renewed interest.
Even in his eyes, the sparring matches between the two had been shocking.
Knowing how fiercely competitive his daughter usually was, he had expected her disappointment to be severe.
He had thought that it would last at least a week, but for some reason, she had recovered in less than a day.
She was even behaving perfectly normally around the person who had defeated her.
It was certainly admirable, but it was quite different from the daughter he knew.
“…Count? You are not considering withdrawing troops from the garrison and sending them, are you?”
Noticing his gaze, she looked at the Count with an expression of alarm.
“…Hm? No, that is not what I was considering.”
He then looked cautiously toward Glen.
“I apologize for this, Young Master Glen.”
“There is no need. I understand completely. How many men can you spare?”
When Glen waved away his apology and asked the question, Erdin answered once again.
“We can provide only three infantry units and one or two knights to command them.”
Three infantry units amounted to thirty-six men.
Considering that the escort force under Glen’s command numbered approximately thirty, it was hardly a significant addition.
However, Glen did not particularly mind.
“That will be more than sufficient. I originally intended to handle this with the Lion Knights alone, so please do not concern yourself too much, Count. May I ask you to provide us with supplies?”
“That much is only natural. These bandits appeared within my domain, after all.”
When the Count readily agreed, Glen nodded.
Erdin was feeling a strange sense of incongruity as she watched him.
“…Will you be going personally, Young Master?”
Her question was directed at both Glen and Nedain.
A quiet sigh followed.
“Haa. I tried to dissuade him as well, but….”
“There is a saying that the one who tied the knot must untie it. Since I was the one who set this in motion, it is only right that I personally see it through.”
“…Will it not be dangerous?”
“Had I intended to worry about such things, I would never have come here in the first place.”
He waved his hand dismissively, making it clear that he would accept no objections.
Erdin bit her lip slightly at the sight.
“Then… I will go as well.”
“Hm? Why would you?”
“What?”
The Count and Glen questioned her in confusion, but Erdin’s gaze remained fixed solely on her father.
“Count, this is a matter involving the honor of our house. We cannot rely entirely upon another house to resolve an incident that occurred within our own domain.”
“That does not mean you must go personally.”
“Why not?”
“Do you truly have to ask? You are the eldest daughter of this house and my daughter.”
“Young Master Glen is in a similar position. If he is going, then there is no reason I should be forbidden from doing the same, Count.”
“Haa. Even so….”
“I am also a knight and a member of this house. Please remember that the honor of our house is also my honor.”
The Count sighed at her stubborn response.
He contemplated the matter for a moment.
When their gazes met again, his daughter was still looking at him with eyes that seemed to burn.
When he turned his head slightly, he saw Young Master Glen staring at her in bewilderment.
The Count looked back and forth between the young man and woman, feeling a peculiar emotion.
Could it be…?
The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Instead, he casually asked Glen a question.
“Would she be of assistance to you?”
“…Hmm.”
Glen began contemplating whether he should refuse or accept.
Then his gaze suddenly met Erdin’s.
Her blue eyes were blazing.
Her lips moved slightly, as though she had something she wished to say.
…If he refused to take her in that state, she was the sort of woman who would follow them in secret.
Glen exhaled briefly through his nose before answering.
“She would be more than sufficient.”
“…Then I entrust my daughter to your care.”
The Count’s answer left Glen with a strangely complicated feeling, but he nodded.
At the same time, Erdin’s expression visibly brightened.
The meeting concluded, and one day later—
The Red Hood Suppression Operation began.