‘What? When?’
-A little while ago, two beggar-looking bastards were talking while tethering their horses. Those are the horses they tied up.
Igrit raised a foreleg and pointed at two black horses eating fodder.
Leo had been wondering how he could learn more about the Tantra Tribe.
-Shall I try talking to them?
It was an unexpected suggestion from Igrit.
‘......You can communicate with them?’
-Of course. I’m a horse. A horse that speaks the human language. Just wait.
NEEEEIGH-
The cries of three horses echoed through the stable for quite some time.
When the conversation ended, Igrit looked at Leo and spoke.
‘A Tantra Tribe slave is coming to a place called Kongd Village. Those merchant bastards are planning to head there at the same time. It looks like they intend to buy the slave.’
Leo’s eyes gleamed as soon as Igrit finished speaking.
‘Really?’
-Yeah. But why do you care about them? Do they have lots of carrots?
‘Carrots again...... They don’t, but they’re friends who’ll become a great source of strength for me in the future.’
-Friends!? Even if they don’t have carrots, we’ve got to go rescue them right now!
‘No.’
Leo answered firmly and sank into thought.
‘I expected it to happen around this time, but I didn’t think the timing would line up this perfectly.’
In Leo’s previous life, the destruction of House Valantes had begun with the disappearance of Kongd Village.
Kongd Village.
It was located about two days from Rutoa, near the Alaman Mountain Range.
The village had originally formed when mercenaries participating in monster subjugations began using the area as a gathering point.
Perhaps because of that, it had developed a rough culture rife with lawlessness, including drugs, alcohol, prostitution, slavery, and gladiatorial matches.
‘Kongd Village disappeared because the Tantra Tribe attacked it.’
The slave they had just discussed was the reason for that attack.
The slave must have been an extremely important person, as the Tantra Tribe launched its first full-scale offensive and ultimately wiped out the village.
The fierce conflict between House Valantes and the Tantra Tribe began afterward.
That conflict continued for an entire year.
But in the end....
‘Father was the first to propose negotiations.’
Following the Kongd Village incident, both sides had been greatly weakened by their relentless battles.
Unable to bear watching it continue, Magenta extended his hand first and proposed negotiations. He was killed on his way to the meeting.
At first, everyone thought the barbarians had attacked him.
But looking back, there had been more than one or two strange details.
‘Why? Why would they?’
The reason they had tormented House Valantes for a year wasn’t revenge.
After all, the slave taken to Kongd Village had eventually been rescued.
Of course, the incident had driven the Tantra Tribe even more berserk than usual, putting House Valantes through tremendous hardship....
Regardless, they had only fought to obtain the one thing they had always wanted: land where they could live in peace.
So why would they kill his father, the man capable of giving it to them?
After Father’s death, Leo’s wastrel brother raised an army and died fighting the Tantra Tribe.
The Tantra Tribe was destroyed as well.
With its Head of House gone, Valantes Castle was then seized by the warrior house that stood second only to House Valantes in the south.
Looking back now, everything had proceeded as smoothly as flowing water, almost as if it had all been planned.
At the time, Leo had been too busy defending the fortress to pay it much attention. More importantly, his mother had died before that, and he had effectively lost all interest in House Valantes.
But things had to be different now.
‘The Tantra Tribe slave. This is where the destruction of my house begins.’
Leo was deep in thought when Igrit’s gruff voice snapped him out of it.
-Aren’t we going?
‘We are. But it looks like we’ll have to change our destination to Kongd Village.’
-Why?
‘Because there are some bastards there I need to beat the living shit out of.’
***
The next day arrived.
“Do not get arrogant just because you defeated the Death Knight.”
Magenta tossed Leo a remark that could have been concern, advice, or mockery, then departed Rutoa.
As Leo watched his father leave, Fortress Commander Rekton Tigero approached and quietly spoke to him.
“He asked me to take good care of you, Young Master.”
“......I see.”
“If you wish to survive at the fortress for long, you will need to heed my advice.”
Leo furrowed one eyebrow and glanced at Rekton.
“You’re telling me to behave?”
“Well...... if you wish to survive for long.”
‘Does he still see me as nothing but a young illegitimate son?’
Leo realized that might indeed be the case. He smiled at Rekton and spoke.
“Let’s go to the training ground.”
“Now, Young Master?”
“Didn’t we agree that I would begin learning weapon techniques from you today?”
“Ah...... Yes, we did.”
Leo turned away first as he watched Rekton nod.
In truth, Rekton’s behavior just now had been rude enough to warrant a slap across the face.
Of course, Leo knew perfectly well that the soldiers of the fortress trusted and followed Rekton, which was the basis of his behavior.
‘The soldiers are following Rekton while he wears the mask of “Fortress Commander.” This time, I’ll strip that stifling mask off you quickly.’
In his previous life, the moment Leo secured Rekton’s loyalty, he had also gained the loyalty of everyone else.
Rekton maintained that masked persona precisely because so many people trusted him.
That was also why he was so demanding of a new leader.
But he was also a man loyal enough to lay down his life for a worthy leader.
“This is the training ground of Rutoa Fortress.”
Leo had been walking for some time when Rekton’s voice from behind him pulled him out of his thoughts.
“It needs reinforcement.”
Rekton nodded at Leo’s first remark.
“Yes. It certainly does.”
The place had practically fallen apart.
There was no real boundary around it, and soldiers trained with wooden swords in a broad clearing behind the inner castle.
‘Hmm...... All the soldiers are in excellent condition.’
They were so focused on their training that they hadn’t even noticed Leo and Rekton’s arrival.
“But...... have you ever been here before, by any chance?”
As they watched the soldiers train and headed toward the platform, Rekton cautiously posed the question.
“Why?”
“Ah...... You found your way here without asking for directions even once....”
“I simply followed the smell of the soldiers’ sweat.”
Leo had spent far longer here than at Valantes Castle in his previous life, making it no different from his hometown.
He had walked here so naturally that it appeared strange to Rekton.
“First, I will introduce you to the soldiers.”
Leo nodded at Rekton’s words after they climbed onto the platform.
Rekton inhaled deeply, then bellowed loudly enough for his voice to reverberate throughout the training ground.
“Attention, everyone!”
The soldiers in the middle of training immediately turned toward him.
‘That powerful voice hasn’t changed.’
It was the same voice that had always carried to every corner of the battlefield, even amid the most chaotic battles.
“This is Second Young Master Leonard! He is the hero of House Valantes who defeated the Death Knight!”
The soldiers gazed at Leo with admiration after hearing Rekton’s words.
“He will soon take up his post in Rutoa, and he wishes to use this opportunity to learn about Rutoa! Soldiers!”
“WOOO!”
The soldiers’ response seethed with tremendous fervor.
“What is Rutoa Fortress?”
“Strength!”
“What do you need to survive for a long time?”
“Strength!”
“What does the person who leads us need?”
“Strength!”
The corners of Leo’s lips rose as he listened to Rekton’s questions.
‘So that’s how you’re going to play this?’
After hearing the soldiers’ answers, Rekton slowly turned to Leo.
“That concludes the introduction. Is there anything you would like to....”
Before Rekton could finish, Leo stepped forward and drew a deep breath.
Then he shouted.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Leonard Valantes! It’s good to see all of you training so hard!”
“WAAAAAH!”
“Long live the Young Master!”
“Long live the Young Master!”
The soldiers cheered in response to Leo’s words.
Leo watched them with satisfaction before continuing.
“Rekton Tigero is an excellent commander. To be excellent is to possess strength. I possess that strength as well! I defeated the Death Knight, and I will use that strength to protect Rutoa Fortress!”
“WAAAAAAAH!”
As the soldiers cheered, Leo brought his index finger to his lips.
That small gesture instantly silenced the training ground.
Then he spoke.
“But I still believe I fall short compared to Commander Rekton. That is why I have decided to learn weapon techniques from him here today.”
The soldiers looked puzzled by Leo’s words, while Rekton’s shoulders rose with pride.
“Rekton! Step forward.”
At Leo’s command, Rekton slowly walked forward.
“Someone give me an axe.”
The adjutant standing nearby handed Leo his axe.
It was a small hand axe, not a two-handed axe meant for battle.
“I’ll now learn how to wield an axe from Rekton. The rest of you should focus on your training.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
The soldiers answered and immediately resumed whatever training they had been doing.
Some exercised individually, some paired off for sparring, and others practiced their swordsmanship alone.
Even so, they couldn’t stop glancing at the platform.
After watching them, Leo held the axe out to Rekton.
“Can you show me how to use it?”
Rekton gave an awkward smile at Leo’s request.
Leo’s unexpected behavior had left him somewhat flustered, but he had no intention of backing down.
Demonstrating his strength.
That was undoubtedly what Rekton himself wanted from Leo right now.
Of course, Leo thought differently.
‘I could beat every one of them even if I sparred with them all. But....’
That would merely waste his strength.
By defeating the Death Knight, he had already earned a place in their hearts.
Now he only needed to expand that place.
With a single decisive blow.
And Rekton was the perfect sacrifice for that decisive blow.
“An axe is a weapon with tremendous destructive power. Of course, that is only true if you have the necessary strength.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. For example....”
Rekton trailed off and signaled to the adjutant with his eyes. Grunting with effort, the adjutant carried over a thick tree stump.
It reached Leo’s knees in height and was as wide as a wagon wheel.
“When you swing downward, if you concentrate your strength into a single point and strike with force....”
WHOOOM!
Blue light shimmered around Rekton’s axe.
It was only an extremely faint glow, but it was still quite remarkable for an ordinary soldier rather than a noble to be capable of wielding mana.
CRRRAACK!
The tree stump, which looked several times larger than the hand axe, split cleanly in half.
“Even a tiny hand axe can produce this kind of result.”
“YEEEEEAH!”
“That’s Commander Rekton for you!”
“Wow! You’ve still got it!”
“Rekton’s axe!”
The soldiers in the middle of training erupted in cheers.
Leo smiled at the sight.
“Impressive.”
“Haha. This is merely the foundation. To wield an axe more proficiently, you must concentrate your strength into a single point....”
Leo took the axe from Rekton’s hand while he was still speaking.
Then he slowly descended from the platform.
The training ground fell silent at Leo’s actions.
“I’ve seen how it’s done. I’m certainly weaker than you, but I’ll try to imitate it.”
Leo poured every trace of mana in his Mana Circle into the hand axe.
At that moment—
WHOOOOOM!
Dark blue mana, on a completely different level from Rekton’s, enveloped the axe.
‘Rekton...... About this training....’
In his previous life, Leo had done this exercise for nearly half a year after first arriving at the fortress.
Chopping firewood.
It was an exercise with the advantages of building muscle, gathering one’s strength, improving concentration, and supplying the fortress with firewood.
“Hup!”
Leo held his breath and slammed the axe in his one hand straight into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
“Aaaaah!”
“Wh-What is this?! Aaaaah!”
The soldiers toppled over as though an earthquake had struck.
The people on the platform were no exception.
Then—
RRRRUMBLE!
Starting from the point where Leo had struck, the ground gradually began splitting in two.
The fissure extended all the way to the platform where Rekton stood.
KABOOOOOM!
The people standing dumbfounded on the platform jolted in alarm at the enormous cloud of dirt and hurried away from the fissure.
After cleaving the ground and splitting the platform in half, Leo slowly pulled the axe free.
Then he smiled.
“Was that right?”
Rekton nodded at Leo’s question.
Behind him, the stunned adjutant slowly opened his mouth.
“Y-Young Master...... Didn’t you say you were weaker than Commander Rekton......?”
Those words snapped Rekton back to his senses. He looked at Leo and spoke.
“Young Master...... You possess tremendous skill...... I am most impressed. But....”
“My father once told me that when the word ‘but’ comes out, everything said before it is bullshit.”
“N-No! That is absolutely not true!”
Leo smiled as Rekton frantically waved his hands in denial.
“I know what you’re trying to say. What was the first thing I said when I saw this place?”
After thinking briefly, Rekton slowly answered.
“You said it looked like it needed repairs....”
“Exactly. Now that I’ve wrecked it this badly, don’t you think Father will have it repaired?”
The corners of Rekton’s mouth twitched at Leo’s words.
The other soldiers and adjutants also smiled.
“Oh, and...... everyone needs to be issued new weapons. What kind of weapons are these for soldiers preparing for war?”
Leo spoke while looking at the axe in his hand.
At that moment—
“WAAAAAAAH!”
“Young Master! Long live the Young Master!”
“Long live the Young Master!”
The tremendous roar of the soldiers, who had been standing dumbfounded until then, sent a tingle through Leo’s entire body.
Leo listened to their cheers with a satisfied smile, then looked at the still-stunned Rekton.
“I’d say I’ve gotten a little closer to the soldiers now, wouldn’t you?”
To Rekton, he looked just a little infuriating.