“You…… What are you?”
-I’m Igrit. I hate weak bastards, and I like carrots.
It was unmistakably the horse his father had given him.
Leo knew it came from an excellent bloodline, but he had never imagined it would be able to speak like a human.
Could it be……?
“……Did hitting your head make something go wrong with your mind……?”
At Leo’s words, Igrit snorted and scraped the ground with a forehoof.
-When our heads collided, my soul merely transferred into your horse! And since you killed my former master, I now run only for you. But in return…….
Leo found himself strangely focused on the words spoken in that gravelly voice.
When Leo silently stared, Igrit spoke again.
-You must provide me with a proper supply of carrots.
At Igrit’s words, Leo let out a small sigh and asked.
“What kind of nonsense is that? So you’re not the horse Father gave me. You’re the horse that damn bag of bones was riding, right?”
-Yes. That’s right. So, will you give me plenty of carrots?
“……Why are you so obsessed with carrots?”
-A horse of my caliber has every right to demand carrots. And from now on, you, my master, will give them to me. Right. What’s your name?
The horse the Death Knight had ridden.
For a moment, something Jakus had said flashed through Leo’s mind.
‘He said the horse also had a will of its own…… Did that will transfer into this horse?’
After organizing his thoughts, Leo looked at Igrit and spoke.
“I am Leonard Valantes, the Second Young Master of House Valantes.”
-The second son? Bah…… What a letdown. Then you’re nothing special.
Leo furrowed his brow.
“You look down on second sons? What happens if I refuse to accept you?”
-The contract’s already made.
“What?”
-You killed that pitch-black bastard. The moment you did, I was automatically bound to you, bastard.
“Ah…… Is that so?”
The corners of Leo’s mouth rose as he slowly approached Igrit.
Then he carefully stroked its mane and spoke.
“If I cancel the contract, you’ll have no master, so you’ll simply disappear, right?”
-……That doesn’t mean you could possibly give up a magnificent horse like me!
“Do I really need you?”
-You will. I’ll show you!
FWOOSH!
Leo, who had been stroking its neck, jumped in surprise and backed away from Igrit.
Red flames instantly blazed from the mane along its neck and legs, as well as its tail.
-Hahahaha. Surprised? Don’t worry. This fire never harms my master. It only exerts its power against my master’s enemies. Heh heh.
A vein bulged on Leo’s forehead.
-If you cancel the contract, I’ll disappear. But if you do, you’ll regret it without question.
Igrit’s well-founded confidence was quite amusing.
‘It does look pretty useful.’
For one thing, it was Leo’s first time seeing flames flicker from a horse’s mane.
Moreover, it possessed a will of its own, and the speed, stamina, and strength it had displayed while the Death Knight pursued Leo were on an entirely different level from those of an ordinary horse.
Rather than merely a fine steed, it seemed more like an extraordinary Artifact.
“Can you mantle your body in anything besides fire?”
At Leo’s question, Igrit snorted.
-No. I can’t. Instead, I’ve got skin like armor that can snap things like human spears in an instant. Heh heh.
“I see…… But there’s something I’m curious about. Why fire, of all things?”
There were many other elements, so why did it have to be fire?
When the Death Knight rode it, it had exuded dreadful darkness as though it had just risen from a grave.
But why did it emit the power of flames after entering the white horse his father had given him?
-I’m influenced by the power my Contractor possesses. That pitch-black bastard from earlier was darkness itself, while the power of flames is strongest within you.
“Hm…… I see.”
Leo had heard something like that before.
The power possessed by his house was closer to fire than any of the five elements.
Of course, Leo now used the power of the five elements, but strictly speaking, it was not his own power.
-Not only that, but I can run twice as fast as ordinary horses. Of course, that is if you give me carrots.
“When you traveled with that pitch-black bastard, did you constantly ask it for carrots too?”
At Leo’s question, Igrit snorted with unusual force.
-That bastard was impossible to talk to. All it ever did was hiss, hiss and SCREEEEEECH! I didn’t speak to it because I hated listening to it.
Leo smiled and looked around.
Dawn was already breaking.
‘A great deal of time seems to have passed…….’
Leo gathered his weapons and picked up the knight’s head.
Then he lightly mounted Igrit.
-Shall I run?
“No. Let’s take it slowly.”
-Why? Experience my speed for yourself.
“No. Next time.”
-Tch…… Another master who won’t listen?
Holding Igrit’s reins in one hand, Leo smiled and spoke.
“Let’s go, Igrit.”
Leo had eliminated the greatest obstacle in his way and even gained an unexpected gift.
He was exhausted after expending so much power, but what he had accomplished was why the smile never left his lips.
“Ah, right. Igrit.”
Igrit, which had begun walking slowly, answered curtly.
-What?
“You mustn’t talk in front of people, understood? And you mustn’t create a flaming mane either. You’re just the white horse Father gave me. Remember that.”
-As long as you give me carrots, I can do that much for you.
“Fine. Once we return to the fortress, I’ll feed you until your eyes turn orange.”
-Excellent!
***
“What do you think happened……?”
“I wonder. Did the Count defeat the Death Knight?”
“Wouldn’t that be too much even for the Count……?”
“Huh? But how are you talking? Until yesterday, you were sitting around like a mindless idiot.”
“What about you?”
A wind of change blew through Rutoa Fortress.
The soldiers who had been left mentally crippled after fighting the ‘Death Knight’ and were lying in the infirmary had begun talking to one another.
“Did the Count defeat it?”
“No way…… Even for the Count, wouldn’t that monster be too much? You fought it too.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man with an impressive, beastlike brown beard walked into the infirmary.
“Do you have no faith in the Count?! You idiotic bastards! That is why you bastards lost to that pitch-black bag-of-bones bastard!”
Neatly slicked-back brown hair.
A protruding forehead and charismatic features.
And a beastlike brown beard.
At the thunderous rebuke of Rekton Tigero, the current Fortress Commander of Rutoa Fortress, the soldiers closed their mouths.
“We apologize.”
Looking at the two men bowing their heads, he clicked his tongue twice as if they were pathetic, then swept his gaze around the infirmary.
‘So he defeated it! Just as expected of the Count!’
The eyes of all the soldiers who had been unable to come to their senses were now clear.
Seeing them, Rekton did not doubt for a moment that Magenta had defeated the Death Knight.
“Do not think about guzzling alcohol just because you have recovered! Consider this defeat a humiliation and devote yourselves to training for the coming winter war! Understood?!”
“Yes! Commander!”
Rekton gave a satisfied smile at the soldiers’ thunderous response.
Then.
“Commander! The Count has returned!”
At the urgent report from a soldier who rushed into the infirmary, Rekton immediately ran outside without even looking back.
He ran without stopping for breath and reached the fortress ramparts.
Many soldiers were already watching Magenta’s return.
“Everyone, move aside!”
At Rekton’s command, the soldiers parted to the left and right.
And the first sight Rekton saw when he climbed onto the ramparts was…….
‘What…… Why is he there?’
Leo was proudly leading the way, carrying a spear upon which the Death Knight’s head had been impaled.
Though Leo was an illegitimate son, he was still the son of the Head of House and the man who would become the Fortress Commander, so Rekton at least knew his face.
Rekton stared blankly at Leo’s party as they drew near the gate, then urgently shouted to the soldiers.
“Open the gate!”
After giving the order, Rekton leaped down from the ramparts and headed straight for the gate.
“What happened?”
At Rekton’s question, Magnis gestured toward Leo with his eyes.
“I think a greeting should come first, don’t you?”
When Rekton turned his gaze, he saw the remaining four knights carrying the stretcher on which Magenta lay.
Leo, still mounted, was looking down at him intently.
“I, Rekton Tigero, Fortress Commander of Rutoa Fortress, greet you, Young Master.”
When Rekton bowed his head in greeting, Leo slowly dismounted and ordered the knights supporting Magenta.
“Take him to the infirmary.”
“Yes! Young Master.”
“And you said your name was Rekton?”
At Leo’s call, Rekton sprang upright as if launched from the ground.
“Yes! Young Master!”
“First, summon the priests.”
“……Yes! I will carry out your command.”
“And…….”
When Leo trailed off, Rekton, who had been bowing his head, slowly looked up.
At that moment.
“It’s truly good to meet you, Rekton.”
Leo embraced Rekton with a bright smile.
***
The knights who had accompanied Magenta had merely lost consciousness from the Death Knight’s Fear and had suffered no major physical injuries.
The only injuries they did have were minor bruises from being slammed into trees.
However, Magenta had taken several heavy blows during the fierce battle and lost consciousness.
His condition was so poor that on the way back, he briefly regained consciousness, checked on Leo and the knights, then passed out again from relief.
He needed treatment, and the moment he entered the fortress, the priests immediately surrounded him and began healing him.
Leaving that scene behind, Leo ordered that Igrit be given plenty of carrots, then entered a conference room in the fortress’s inner keep with Rekton.
“How are the soldiers recovering?”
“Aside from those who were physically injured, most have recovered.”
Watching Leo’s calm gaze, Rekton harbored doubts within himself.
‘I do not remember him being that kind of person.’
Traditionally, the illegitimate sons of House Valantes were always appointed Fortress Commander. Rekton had also gathered information about Leo, who would soon take up that post.
He had clearly heard that Leo was gentle by nature and did not know how to wield a sword. He was said to possess a brilliant mind, but his body was weak, making him ill-suited to House Valantes.
But now…….
‘The Second Young Master really defeated the Death Knight?’
He had grown strong enough to defeat the Death Knight.
At least, that was what Magnis Tylo, the knight who had been present, said.
The Second Young Master had suddenly appeared when Magenta was on the verge of death, then lured the Death Knight away and disappeared.
A short while later, he had returned proudly with the creature’s head, which now hung from the ramparts.
The rumor was now on the lips of everyone in the fortress.
“You were originally from the Valantes Domain too, weren’t you?”
Rekton, who had been lost in thought, quickly came to his senses and bowed his head.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“And you volunteered for the standing army.”
“…….”
“Then you caught my father’s eye, were assigned to the fortress, and rose to commander in only five years.”
“You know more than I expected.”
Leo smiled at Rekton’s surprise.
“Of course. We’re going to be eating from the same pot from now on. Shouldn’t I know at least this much?”
At Leo’s answer, Rekton slightly bowed his head, his expression stony.
‘You haven’t changed, Rekton.’
The corners of Leo’s mouth rose faintly as he watched him.
When they first met at the gate, Leo had unconsciously embraced him tightly.
He had been so delighted to see Rekton that he forgot they were meeting for the first time in this life.
But then he had suddenly thought, ‘Oh, right,’ immediately released him, and treated Rekton with needless brusqueness ever since…….
Yet inside, he was still filled with joy at seeing him again.
In truth, he could not help it.
Rekton was as welcome a sight as Hans. No, even more welcome than Hans.
After all, in his previous life, Rekton had been the mentor who taught the cowardly illegitimate son Leonard countless combat techniques and swordsmanship, as well as his adjutant and comrade-in-arms.
Naturally, because they had been so close, Leo knew a great deal about him.
Rekton had volunteered for the standing army out of rage after monsters killed his father, and Magenta later took notice of him and assigned him to the fortress.
When everyone assigned to the fortress wore mournful expressions as though they were being sent to their deaths, Rekton alone had smiled brightly at the thought that he could avenge his father.
Five years later, he rose to the position of Fortress Commander.
Afterward, Rekton became the blunt and prickly man he was now.
He was wearing a mask in order to command his subordinates.
Furthermore, because of the fortress’s isolated environment, those who stayed here for a long time tended to keep their distance even from people of the same kingdom.
“Are the preparations for the winter war going well?”
“Yes. As we have every year, we are handling them well. You need not worry.”
“Then my worry was needless.”
When Leo gave him a subtle sidelong glare, Rekton bowed his head.
“I apologize if it sounded that way. That was not my intention.”
“By the way, you’re a little different from the Fortress Commander Rekton I heard about.”
“Pardon?”
“Well…… I didn’t hear anything bad, so you don’t need to worry.”
Leo recalled his first meeting with Rekton in his previous life.
At the time, Rekton had drilled the frail Leo just as hard as any ordinary soldier. When Leo earned recognition for his abilities and rose to the position of commander, Rekton came to him carrying a sword and spoke.
He asked Leo to cut off his head as punishment for all the disrespect he had shown him.
But Leo told him to seek forgiveness by becoming an excellent adjutant and helping him, and Rekton became a loyal adjutant just as he had promised.
‘Compared to back then, now he is really…….’
Rekton was not showing even a quarter of the bluntness and rudeness he had displayed then.
And Leo knew well that Rekton’s current attitude stemmed from the changes in Leo himself.
‘Let’s become friends a little earlier in this life, Rekton.’
Leo smiled and spoke to Rekton.
“I hear there isn’t a weapon you can’t handle.”
At Leo’s words, the corner of Rekton’s mouth twitched.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Rekton was a master of weapons.
He was a warrior capable of wielding every weapon, including swords, bows, spears, and axes.
Thanks to that talent, he had been able to rise to the position of Fortress Commander in the short span of only five years.
“Surely you aren’t mediocre with every one of them?”
At Leo’s question, Rekton’s brow hardened. He took immense pride in his own strength.
“You may verify that for yourself.”
“Hahaha. You seem confident.”
At Leo’s words, Rekton continued with a resolute expression.
“I am confident that I would not lose to anyone in House Valantes except the Head of House.”
“Even Sir Vector?”
When Leo asked in a subtly probing tone, Rekton slowly nodded.
It was tremendous confidence, and Leo knew that confidence had a firm basis.
“Good. I like it.”
“Thank you.”
“So, about that…….”
When Leo trailed off, Rekton slightly bowed his head.
“Yes. Please speak, Young Master.”
Leo had obtained everything he needed, and now possessed a respectable degree of martial strength.
Now that he had also defeated the ‘Death Knight,’ it was time to begin the next stage of his plan.
“Even after Father returns to the domain, I will remain at Rutoa Fortress.”
And Rutoa Fortress would become the cornerstone of his next move.
That was not all.
‘First, I’ll trample the sprout of our house’s destruction that will grow here.’