412

Episode 412: There's not much time left. (3)

Kaang!

The two swords clashed, sparks flying, and then fell apart.

Jiselle smiled and said to Arel.

"Let's try again."

"All right."

Even though she was busy with her studies, Giselle did not neglect teaching Arel.

Arel has now grown into a handsome young man who makes many women's hearts flutter.

But what was more famous than his looks was his skills. Arel endured hellish training and grew faster than anyone else.

Even the mercenary knights who had followed Giselle since the beginning were astonished at how viciously she trained.

That's not all. Giselle didn't let Arel focus solely on military force like the knights under her command. She assigned her scholars from all over the territory, including military science, to help her learn.

It was a difficult schedule for an ordinary person to carry out. However, Arel faithfully carried out that life without complaint.

- It's exclusive, exclusive.

- Where did the lord pick up that huge guy?

- But why do they work so hard?

People started gossiping when they saw Arel. Arel seemed great, but they were also curious about Jisel's intentions in teaching academics in addition to swordsmanship.

Jiselle also knows how such people react.

'No one knows yet. What kind of person this guy was in his past life.'

Commander of the Northern Fortress, Kaipillar.

A man known as the Ill-fated Genius, the Barbarian Slayer, the Terror of the North, and the Sacred Man of the Realm.

Baron Arel Highden.

Arelle, who caught the eye of Harold Desmond, who had become a Duke, and joined his subordinates, was recognized for his talent and hard work, and was promoted very quickly.

Thus, he was given the task of guarding the northern fortress in place of the destroyed Ferdium.

Arel's name was also mentioned in the Forest of Demons journal.

When the Grex left the Forest of Demons and devastated the North, Arel, who was guarding the Northern Fortress, had no choice but to lead the army down.

'He had quite a reputation here.'

Arel swept through the North with vengeance and talent, successfully defending it from the barbarians.

It was so bad that the barbarians would grind their teeth and curse at the mere mention of Arel's name.

Of course, unlike the old Ferdium, it was possible because it received full support from the kingdom.

'I never saw your face in my past life, you know.'

Before the One Year War began, Arel had vehemently opposed the kingdom's attempts to negotiate with the barbarians for the development of the Forest of the Demons. However, the tide could not be turned.

Of course, even after negotiating, the barbarians would pillage small villages for fun, and the kingdom would turn a blind eye to that.

But Arel was not. Furious, he led an army out on a campaign and wiped out the tribe.

This causes tensions between the barbarians and the kingdom to return. The kingdom, which prioritizes the development of the Demon Forest, frames Arel for disobedience and imprisons him.

After that, the kingdom, which had expended a huge number of troops in the Forest of Demons, pushed more than half of the troops of the Northern Fortress back into the Forest of Demons.

Since negotiations with the barbarians were going well anyway, there was no need to deploy many troops to the northern fortress.

'That was the end of the record.'

So, even Giselle didn't know what happened to Arel after that.

However, through various records, the name was remembered and Arel was able to be harvested.

Anyway, Jiselle was happy that Arel was following her intentions. So she taught him and supported him even more diligently.

Arel's driving force that keeps him moving is his loyalty to his territory and his hatred for the barbarians who annihilated his family and village.

Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!

As the master was the master, Arel's sword was very fierce. However, it was not something that could be achieved simply by learning from Giselle.

In order to master Giselle's swordsmanship perfectly, emotions that go beyond technique are needed. That's why Arel absorbed Giselle's sword faster than anyone else.

Because he too had suffered the same pain as Giselle.

Kaaaaang!

Jiselle asked as they faced each other. She was curious about the state of mind of Arel, who had been imprisoned for even opposing negotiations with barbarians in his previous life.

"Are you still upset?"

"Yes."

"But why don't you suggest that we hit the barbarians?"

"… …because we made a pact with the spirits."

"At the time, I ended it there to minimize the damage and get what I wanted. But if you want, the barbarians can attack again as much as you want. I'm not such a poor master that I can't even grant the wish of my only disciple."

As Giselle spoke with a smile, Arel answered without hesitation.

"Revenge is important, but the land where you live is more important."

"Are you worried that you might cause trouble?"

"No. Because the territory and its people are more important than my revenge. And I believe that protecting them is my life's mission."

Jiselle smiled at the straightforward answer without any hesitation.

Arel was a little different from his previous life. He prioritized protecting what was precious over revenge.

If the legendary warrior really existed, wouldn't he have had a personality similar to Arel's right now?

He values the cause more than his personal feelings. He knows how to distinguish between public and private matters and knows what justice is.

So he endures his own suffering for everyone.

Arel was a person similar to Giselle, yet completely different from her.

Jiselle was secretly impressed.

'To grow up so well in such a place.'

To be honest, there were too many people in the Fenris Territory who could have a negative influence on Arel.

Claude, Alfoy, Kaor, Ascon, Cain, and even knights like Gordon and Lucas. There are plenty of guys who will only teach you bad things.

But Arel always resisted their temptations and focused only on progress.

Even though I grew up properly, I grew up too properly.

Jiselle smiled, put away her sword, and continued speaking.

"That's it for today. If you're going to practice alone, do a little more and then go to the evening class."

"All right."

"And we will soon be fighting the barbarians again."

Arel's eyes widened at those words. Currently, Fenris, Ferdium, and the barbarians have a treaty to trade food and horses. Fighting the barbarians means breaking the treaty.

"That means… … ."

But now that the kingdom, no, the entire continent, is in turmoil, isn't it dangerous to focus your efforts on dealing with the barbarians?

Jiselle said with a bitter smile.

"Even if I don't hit them, they'll move anyway."

"Really?"

"Yes, Waroka is a very greedy man. If a civil war breaks out, he will definitely move. Maybe he will move before then. He knows that if things continue this way, he will live forever begging for food."

In my previous life, when Jiselle invaded the kingdom, he was the one who tried to sneak in and take over the land.

But this time, the scale of the civil war will grow even bigger with the involvement of the four major religious groups and the Salvation Church. The kingdom will be in utter chaos, and it is obvious that Woroka will try to take advantage of the chaos somehow to get in.

So, from now on, we had to prepare in advance.

Of course, Jisel had no idea how Waroka would attack. But he was certain that he would move.

"So, wait until then. I will definitely make you the main character of that war."

"All right!"

Arel answered forcefully. I definitely wanted to participate in that war and make a contribution.

It was not for a sense of pride, but for revenge. And only by winning could he protect his territory.

Arel continued to train with all his might even after Jiselle left. He had the goal and the determination to do so.

Arel, who was on his way to class after finishing his personal training, met Alpoy, who had crawled out during a brief gap.

"Hey, Arel! I told you not to just go today and do a double take? I'll give in a little bit at first."

In front of Alfoy, Fiote was sobbing. It seemed like he had been ripped off again.

Arel bowed his head to Alpoy and greeted him politely, then said:

"I have to go to military science class."

"I said let's just play a few rounds. It's an odd-even game so it'll be over quickly. Are you always going to be so tight-fisted?"

"sorry."

"Are you ignoring me?"

"no."

"Or is your life in the realm over?"

"… … ."

"I think you're secretly ignoring me because you're the Lord's disciple. Do you want to try some 5-circle magic?"

"… … ."

"Let's have a go today. You probably saved a lot of money since you didn't spend any. The priest here has no money anymore."

"sorry."

"Hey! I told you to do it now… … ."

As Alfoy was about to give up, a sharp sound was heard from behind.

"Alpoy! You said you were going to rest for a bit, but you're out again?!"

There was a flash of light and Vanessa appeared in front of Alfoy.

"Oh, no, that's not it… … ."

"Why are you stopping people from going to study! You should be studying hard like Arel! And when did you bring Piote back again?"

Alfoy stammered and made a poor excuse.

"So that's… … I met Fiote by chance, and I met Arel by chance… … . But I think she's living a very boring life… … . Oh, I told you she doesn't have any friends? It's like seeing you from the past, and my heart aches… … ."

While Alfoy was making his excuses, Arel bowed his head politely to Vanessa, a gesture that was full of respect for the greatest wizard and hard worker in the realm.

Vanessa also bowed her head to Arel. They were two very polite people.

"Arel, don't worry about it and go to class quickly. Piote, you should also hurry up and do your business."

"Yes, thank you, Vanessa."

In this way, Alfoy was forcibly taken away by Vanessa, and Arel and Fiote were able to be released.

Arel, who was heading back to class, encountered Kaor and the knights who had just finished training and were heading out for a drink.

"Hey, Arel. Are you done with your training? We're done too. Do you want to go for a drink together?"

"It's okay, Kaoru."

"Hey, are you going to lose weight like that every day? You're all grown up now, so you should drink some alcohol! Huh? Shouldn't you be a man and have some fun?"

"no."

"Or is my life as a knight over?"

"… … ."

"This won't work. I have to make Arel a real man today. You can't miss out today. Do you understand? The lord must have gone on an inspection tour somewhere else. The angle is perfect. You."

The knights also laughed heartily after hearing Kaor's words.

"Okay! If the assault leader tells you to go, you should go!"

"It would be a shame if the lord's disciple were to be left out of the gathering of knights of the territory!"

"Come on, let's drink all night long!"

Kaor is a very high-ranking person in the territory. There are only a handful of people in the entire territory who can stop him.

Areldo also had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to get out easily today.

Just before Arel was forcibly taken away by Kaor, Gillian, who had also finished his military training, appeared.

Kaoru muttered, turning her head away for no reason.

"Hey, when did inspiration end?"

Gillian recognized the situation as soon as he saw it and motioned for Arel to go see it.

Arel quickly greeted them and ran away. Kaor and the knights left, licking their lips in regret.

After that, whenever Arel moved within the territory, he suffered from those who tried to corrupt him.

There were many people who couldn't stand people behaving too well and wanted to ruin them.

In particular, Kane, the lord's cousin, was very persistent in asserting his background as a blood relative of Giselle, and in such cases, Belinda appeared and helped him.

Even though Claude met Arel, he couldn't do anything.

"Hey, Arel, you want to make a deal with me… … Ouch! Don't push me! My legs hurt!"

That's because whenever he tried to do something, Wendy would forcefully push Claude away and make him leave.

If the people above had not shown up and helped him appropriately, Arel would have been dragged away and corrupted long ago.

'Phew, I arrived at class safely today.'

It wasn't just about swordsmanship and military studies. Arel also did mental training like this every day.

So his patience and mental strength could only grow stronger with each passing day.

The scholars who taught Arel liked him very much. He was quick to understand and always studied diligently. He was a student who was fun to teach.

Arel, who had been faithfully spending her day as usual, had difficulty falling asleep as usual.

'Fighting the barbarians again… … .'

I've been hoping that day would come, but it might come sooner than I thought.

I must work harder and build up my strength so that I can avenge my dead family and villagers.

And I will pacify the North and make this North stable forever. The people of the North will not have to worry about the invasion of barbarians.

'I must… … .'

certainly.

I will definitely do that.

So that no one else will have to suffer the same pain as you.

* * *

"A bunch of thieves? All of a sudden?"

"Yes, that's right."

After returning from her inspection of the territory, Jiselle tilted her head after receiving a report from Lowell.

The kingdom is in turmoil, so bandits may run rampant. This is because the lords have gathered all their troops and stationed them in key strongholds.

Comparatively, the surrounding areas of towns and cities were bound to have weaker security.

However, the locations where the bandits appeared were a bit subtle. Other places were understandable, but they also appeared on the route leading to the northern and western borders.

It was also suspicious that the thieves who had been quiet until then were suddenly running wild.

Lowell said, pointing at various places on the map.

"With Marquis Rodrique gone and the West still unstable, bandits themselves may appear. However, it is somewhat suspicious that they have appeared near our territory."

The bandits of the West tremble at the mere mention of the name Fenris. After the defeat of Marquis Rodrik, many of them surrendered.

The mobility of the Fenris Army is now known throughout the kingdom. Wherever a band of bandits appears, they can go and annihilate them in an instant.

But then he showed up near Fenris? It was like he was begging me to subdue him. He must be that stupid to even be able to commit robbery properly.

Jiselle thought for a moment and then said.

"Are they a force trying to turn away attention?"

"I think that's highly likely. The only ones who would try to divert our attention would be the Duke and the Salvation Church."

"Hmm, that means… … ."

"Yes, they are trying to hide something. And that is… … ."

Lowell continued, chuckling.

"It's most likely the 'crack' we missed."

Jiselle also smiled and asked.

"What is the predicted location?"

"If you look at the movements and areas of activity of the thieves, they are cleverly blocking the paths to three territories."

"Where is the most likely place?"

Lowell answered, pointing to a spot on the map.

"If I had to pick one place, it would be the Barondom of Pinros, the lord of the Dukes. And there is a small city on this road."

Jiselle immediately got up from her seat.

"I had to go to the West anyway, so this is good. It's not that far. I'll stop by and check on the way. I'll get going right away."

"How should I prepare?"

"We need to move quickly, so prepare only 200 knights."

"All right."

"Oh, are you sending the 'medicines'?"

"Yes, we are sending it to the royal family and Ferdium as soon as we produce it. We have also provided them with the recipe and requested additional production. The Marquis of Branford has agreed to deliver it to other kingdoms."

"Yeah, there's not much time left."

Jiselle looked out the darkened window.

A few meteors were falling in the distance.