Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Usefulness of a Treacherous Subject
-----------------------------------------------------------------
However, even if this time was spent as a young baby, Beonald did not want to pass it by simply eating and sleeping.
Though he had lived a long life in the past, having spent each day diligently, he had pondered what he could do even as a young child.
‘Hmm, in this state, there’s only one thing I can do, isn’t there? The path of martial arts I never walked in my previous life, and the mana training method.’
Being a baby who couldn’t even hold a pen, let alone read a book, in a reality where he could do little more than breathe, he had found the only possible activity.
Truthfully, he had not walked the path of a martial artist in his past life.
From the beginning, the Neumel Family itself was stronger in strategy, administration, and politics rather than martial arts, so children with martial talent were typically sent to the Imperial Knight Order or the Royal Guard.
However, knowing that to rise as a top family, one must possess military might, the Neumel ancestors had already attempted to recruit those who failed out of the Imperial Knight Order or acquire their techniques.
But progress was extremely difficult, and at best, they could only create something like the stolen technique called the ‘Neumel Family Sword Style.’
By Beonald’s generation, after curing the sickly Emperor, allowing Beonald to reign as the second-in-command and wield political power, he finally managed to obtain the mana training method, passed down only within the Imperial Knight Order and the Imperial Family, by bribing various former Imperial Knights and Imperial Family members.
‘Of course, I never practiced it myself, but as the family head, I still knew it. But hoo~ Trying to walk a path I’ve never taken is frustrating… Given the family’s weak foundation now, what’s needed first is the martial power to protect oneself, so I’ll start training right away.’
As a baby, even when awake, if he was quiet, he was left alone, making it perfect for practicing the training method. Furthermore, in this suddenly elevated frontier rural family, there were almost no people who could detect him gathering mana.
The only possible issue was his father, who, unlike his predecessors, worked as a mercenary and knight, but since he was often busy outside, encounters were few and could be ignored.
‘Now that I’ve decided what to do, there’s only one thing left. Hoo~’
Beonald immediately began the mana training method.
However, it wasn’t easy. Even knowing all the mantras and methods, he was someone whose past life was far from honing martial power, and with a baby’s body, he couldn’t even assume postures, so it inevitably took a long time to get a feel for it.
But he was someone who had achieved greatness in one field as an alchemist, and thanks to having some aptitude for magic, he had experience sensing mana.
Also, thanks to having nothing else to do, he exerted incredible concentration, continuously practicing the mana training method. As a result, after about another month, he finally began to sense mana.
‘Hmm… Something seems to be working? I’m not sure if this is going well.’
Not being a martial artist or knight in his past life, Beonald was uncertain even while practicing the mana training method.
Fundamentally, theory and practice were vastly different, and not having personally walked the martial path, it was natural not to know.
Moreover, he had received reports about knights, trainees, and children of the Imperial Knight Order, but had no direct knowledge of the training process itself.
‘It can’t be helped. The only thing I can do now is to continue…’
And so, Beonald steadily practiced the mana training method while growing up from infancy.
Five years later, Beonald had grown into a little boy with shiny black hair and bright blue eyes.
‘Hmm, this is finally better.’
Perhaps due to good physical activation from the mana training method, at five years old, he had grown quickly enough to look seven or eight. He had formally begun receiving basic education like writing and arithmetic from his governess.
But to Beonald, who had possessed exceptional knowledge and intellect enough to rise to Duke in his past life, her lessons were utterly boring.
Still, to maintain the act of a child, Beonald made an effort.
‘The merits of being a child are numerous… I can’t throw that away myself. The genius gimmick isn’t bad either, but that could actually breed envy and wariness.’
“Hmm… Young Master, I think you need to try a little harder.”
“But it’s boring~ I wanna play sword-fighting outside~”
“To govern a territory, swordsmanship is important, but knowledge is also important. Young Master, as the legitimate heir…”
“Yeaah~ I’ll try hard.”
Thus, Beonald deliberately got some questions wrong, acted cute like an innocent five-year-old, whined, and thoroughly tried to hide himself.
‘Kgh! …I feel a sense of self-loathing. That I, Beonald, who was revered as the Serpent of the Empire! ‘It’s boring~’… Ugh. But this is the answer.’
Of course, to imprint this image on his parents as well, he acted like a child, being cute and throwing tantrums, pretending to be a child as much as possible.
Meanwhile, what troubled him was how to naturally utilize his original ability—the knowledge of an ‘Alchemist’—as he gradually got serious.
‘The first thing I need to know is the state of affairs on this continent… In this backwater with no foundation, there’s no way to know anything, darn it.’
First, this countryside, barely worthy of being called a territory ruled by the Dustycloak Family… It was so small it should be called a village, and it was on the frontier.
How small was it? It was a place where not even an inn for travelers operated, and the main sources of income were farming and processing hides and bones from game hunted in the mountains.
As such, the influx of people from outside was extremely limited, making it impossible to grasp information.
‘I thought it was a backwater, but knowing more, it’s a seriously deep backwater. Sigh~’
“Oh? Young Master Beonald, is something wrong?”
In a frustrating situation with no way to get external information, a maid from inside the mansion suddenly spoke to him.
She was a plain-looking girl with braided hair and freckles all over, a maid working in this house.
Startled for a moment, Beonald quickly changed to an innocent expression and blurted out an excuse he just thought of.
“I was thinking about how to do the homework given in today’s study time!”
“I see. But you must work hard. You are destined to become the master of this territory, Master Beonald.”
“Eh~ Everyone always says the same thing as the governess… Anyway, I’m going~”
“Yes, Young Master. Do your best~!”
Thus, somehow leaving behind a childlike impression, Beonald began diligently roaming inside the mansion.
For now, he could move alone, but as a noble young master, going outside alone was still not permitted. Unlike when he was a baby, with people constantly around, it was difficult to practice the mana training method freely.
“Young Master, where are you going?”
“Exploring the house! I won’t go outside, so don’t worry!”
“Yes, Young Master. But be careful.”
“Mhm!”
His own secret place… Right, as a child, Beonald ran around the mansion, playing hard to find a secret base.
He wished he would grow up quickly to secure a personal room or his own space, but without being a noble of some authority, there was no way rooms would be plentiful.
In reality, this house was a very small mansion, barely two stories with fewer than ten rooms, so he couldn’t ask for a private training room to be made.
‘It’s all because we’re nouveau riche nobles! It’s the fault of the family head who didn’t build a secret practice room or training room to protect training processes or family secrets. Well, if there’s nothing to steal, there’s no need to build one…! Hoo~ The future really looks dark.’
The only thing he could do was use the excuse of studying quietly in his room to practice mana training.
But even that wasn’t easy because his parents frequently came and went, or told him to sleep in his own room, etc., overflowing with affection.
‘Training is something that must be done consistently… Kgh! The day before yesterday, I went out to play with Father and slept in his room, yesterday Mother said she was lonely after separating rooms and took me to sleep with her… Haaa~’
His parents in this life, the master of this territory Baron Leon Dustycloak and his wife, were people who truly loved their son.
Of course, he was their only precious son, so how could they not? But fundamentally, they seemed like good-natured people.
Because in his past life, Beonald had lived without knowing any parental love at all.
‘Thinking about it again, it’s such a stark contrast to old memories.’
‘A potter creates failures repeatedly until they make one masterpiece. I will save only the best one among you to establish the family’s glory. As for the rest, even if I have to smash them all to pieces and kill them! Understood? My children?’
Even recalling it, compared to the worst parents, Felix von Neumel, these two were like angels. Yet, knowing they were the worst parents, the result that followed was Beonald, who ultimately became the family head and elevated the Neumel Earldom to a Duchy, so regardless of the method, the result had to be acknowledged.
‘Hehehehe… Beonald, my greatest masterpiece. Hehehe… Please, our family… to the highest position in the Empire… I entrust it to you. Hehehehehe…….’
‘Until death… there was not a single feeling of family… But in the end, I proved it… Really annoying and… tsk…….’
They were the worst parents, but thanks to that brutal, unmatched competition and madness, Duke Beonald von Neumel was born, so it couldn’t be denied. Thus, he couldn’t bring himself to say that his current parents were really good.
“Oho! It’s Beonald! Are you done studying? Father just finished his patrol. Hahaha! Up we go!”
‘Yikes! Sweat smell! Again?’
Baron Leon, the family head of the Dustycloak Family and master of the territory, armed in leather armor, saw Beonald and ran over just as he was from outside, hugging him.
The strong smell of sweat, the unique body odor of a middle-aged man, and the long beard scratching his baby face made Beonald miserable, but his eyes were filled with happiness and love.
“Oh my~ So cute. Our son~ Are you hungry? Daddy caught a wild boar in a trap while patrolling. I’ll roast it right away, so wait. Hahahaha!”
‘What on earth is so good about it. Tsk… It was fine as an infant, but now I’m five… hmm, still a child.’
Looking at Baron Leon, whose face was full of a happy smile, Beonald made a subtle expression as if he still couldn’t understand parental love.
In his past life, he had also had children.
‘To be honest, I changed those who weren’t…’
Of course, he didn’t follow the previous family head’s insane policy and legitimately(?) increased his wives and concubines using his power and wealth to have children, but he sympathized with the idea that a child of a noble family was ultimately a ‘tool’ of the family, like his past father, so he hadn’t experienced much love for his children.
‘Come to think of it… that bastard Alterio, what happened to him after ousting me?’
Thinking about fathers and sons, the betraying son who watched his execution suddenly came to mind.
Now, 500 years later, he would already be deceased, but he suddenly wondered how he had lived and died.
He didn’t know well since this was the countryside, but Beonald thought he would look into news about his son later when he went to the city.
Anyway, since even practicing the mana training method was difficult in this environment, swordsmanship training was out of the question. He had to solve this problem somehow, so Beonald frowned and sank into thought.
He wanted to start swordsmanship training in earnest now that he could move his hands and feet, and he needed to start anything quickly.
‘Hmm, the natural place would be the training grounds… After observing for a few days, it seems empty for about 2-3 hours during the day, so I might be able to avoid attention…’
Though a small territory, there was a training ground. After observing people’s movements for several days, he found it empty for quite a while. So, Beonald went to the training ground alone, swung a wooden sword, secretly started swordsmanship, and concurrently practiced the mana training method.
Before that, he started basic swings and running to warm up, and while doing so, Beonald felt something was wrong.
‘This… why isn’t it hard? Is it because of the mana training method?’
Not only was his physical growth fast, but even after running hard and swinging the wooden sword, his body didn’t tire.
Already three hours in. It was almost dinner time… Not only was his breathing not labored, he was still full of energy.
No matter how good children’s recovery is, this stamina and strength were definitely abnormal.
‘Hmm… This won’t do for training? Before strength and stamina! I need to build resistance to exhaustion and hardship! Ah…! So that’s why those muscle-brained guys trained with chains on their bodies and attached iron weights!’
Without any load on his body, even if he trained, it didn’t feel like anything.
Having lived one life already, Beonald knew well why soldiers and knights created difficult training and hardships, so he thought it was a disaster.
‘…Damn it! I need a private training room! Ultimately, the method a child can use…’
Thinking he needed to devise some other means, as evening came, Beonald quickly washed up and joined his parents for dinner.
Meanwhile, planning to at least try, he cautiously brought up the topic of a training room to his father.
“Um, Dad… by any chance, is there no training room in our mansion?”
“Training room? Beonald, you’re already thinking about training at such a young age? That can be done after you grow older, your body gets bigger, and you gain muscle.”
His father, Baron Leon, looked at Beonald with a surprised face. A five-year-old already wanting a private room for training was such an absurd demand that he asked in bewilderment.
Then, pretending to shrink back timidly, Beonald gave the answer he had prepared.
“Yes, well… Studying is studying, but I want to start training soon. I want to move my body. I want to swing a sword too. But around here… I mean… I don’t want to show others my unskilled appearance…”
“Hmm, seeing you like to move your body, you really can’t hide your grandfather’s blood. But then, you could use the training grounds, why specifically a training room…”
“No. Honey, actually, Beonald’s words make sense. Even if we’re nouveau riche nobles, we are still nobles. Unlike you, Beonald was born a noble, so he knows he must hide his immature and weak appearance as much as possible.”
When his mother’s support came at the perfect timing, Beonald’s face brightened.
“Moreover, this family is only in its second generation, so it’s even weaker. Also, if it’s discovered that he has no talent, it would be troublesome.”
Still, his mother, being from a decent noble family, intervening suddenly was effective.
Whether out of love for her son or because she had common sense of noble families, it didn’t matter, but he was grateful for the supporting fire.
“Beonald is the heir of this family. This is a very important matter beyond a child asking for a toy.”
“Grrr… but suddenly a training room… You know our territory’s situation better, don’t you?”
“If building something new is difficult, then empty one room in the mansion and renovate it. Reinforce the interior, and issue strict orders not to enter carelessly. No, put a double lock on it.”
“Well, if we do that, there should be no problem. Let’s do as you say. Your words are rarely wrong. Besides, where would we have to refuse if Beonald wants it? Hahaha!”
Fortunately, thanks to his mother, Beonald could secure a training room and smiled broadly with joy.
‘Ah, if this hadn’t worked, I was going to make a secret base outside… It worked out well.’
For now, having his own private space where others couldn’t enter, Beonald thought that not only could he practice swordsmanship and the mana training method there, but if he brought tools and used the spare space, he could secretly practice alchemy.
‘Phew~ Still, it’s fortunate to have a real mother. With this level of wisdom, surely… before getting her burns, she must have been quite renowned as a talented woman.’
“Huh? Beonald, are you that happy?”
“Yes! Mom. I’m so happy. I’ll train hard!”
While internally judging his mother from a noble’s perspective, externally acting the part of a cute son, Beonald felt relieved, expecting he could finally practice swordsmanship with peace of mind.