Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Traitor Can Be Useful - Chapter 40
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"Hmph! Hah! Your skill… exceeds my expectations!"
'Ah, so this speed is acceptable.'
"To have this level of wisdom and such martial prowess! Truly enviable! Ha!"
'But he's perceptive too. Further lowering my level might be difficult now.'
In the training room, where only the clashing of steel and Baron Zelkerd's exclamations could be heard, Beonald carefully continued his offensive, using various techniques to gauge the Baron's level.
However, Baron Zelkerd was also a veteran soldier and a knight hardened on the battlefield. Sensing that Beonald's attacks were becoming easier to block, and noticing that the young man showed no signs of fatigue or strain, he quickly realized he was being tested.
'A natural knight… Does his skill surpass mine?'
'Hmm, I seem to be blocking up to this point….'
'Truly astonishing… I, too, made a name for myself with rapid growth and strength!'
Baron Zelkerd had reached mid-rank knighthood in his late teens. Back then, the world's assessment of him was not just "genius" as a given, but also predictions that he would reach the pinnacle of humanity—the realm of high-rank knights. He received both admiration and envy from many.
But after spending over twenty years stuck at the mid-rank, he had come to accept that hovering before the wall to the high rank was natural. So, to see a youth who had just come of age standing at a place that seemed far, far above him was a shock.
Namely, the realm of a high-rank knight. It would be stranger not to be shocked by someone looking down on him from a height he couldn't reach in twenty years.
"Ha, hahaha. So, in the end, I was just an ordinary man? No, I should say I became ordinary."
"Why the sudden change?"
"It's nothing, Young Master. It's just… I think I'm happy that against someone of your caliber, I can finally go all out. Haaaah!"
'Huh? What's with this sudden….'
As Baron Zelkerd began taking deep mana breaths, the flow of blue aura surrounding his body thickened.
Beonald felt something was off, but wary of the declaration of "going all out" and the unusual energy, he parried the Baron's fierce, pressing attacks.
'This guy! He figured out I'm stronger than him! That's why he's making such a fuss!'
"Having an opponent against whom I can go all out! Truly a joyous thing! Ha! The only one stronger than me around here was Sir Maldrov!"
"Kuh! No!"
Baron Zelkerd, fighting with all his might, was exhilarated, but Beonald was having a hellish time.
He wasn't fighting; he was in the position of one-sidedly receiving attacks. Moreover, he hadn't yet mastered proper control of his strength, making it awkward to engage fully, so he could only manage timid counterattacks—which Baron Zelkerd absolutely loved.
"Ooh… Indeed, before this divine miracle of creation, how futile is man!"
'He's probably thinking about my talent! That's not it! This swordsmanship! This sword style! They were all created by human will!'
It was a statement born from the Baron's misunderstanding of him as a natural knight and his lack of proper counterattacks, meaning the Baron was unaware of the "sword style." Still, Beonald couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.
This swordsmanship, this mana breathing method—they were all legacies created by the upward striving of the Neumel family he belonged to. To have them treated as a one-sided divine miracle…
Of course, he knew it was a reaction born of admiration for capabilities a fifteen-year-old shouldn't possess, so he let it go at that.
"By the way! Baron! How long must this spar continue?"
"Until one of us is exhausted and collapses, of course! Hahah!"
"…No, you must consider the stamina of those at the knight rank…."
"I paid a hefty sum, so I should get my money's worth, shouldn't I? Young Master! Hmph!"
Clang!
Blocking the powerful thrusting attack, Beonald continued to serve as the Baron's sparring partner until he was exhausted.
Partly because Beonald also thought that a spar costing 700 gold coins should provide its worth, he had to receive the Baron's swordsmanship for about two hours, until the man finally collapsed from fatigue.
"Haa… haa……."
"It's been so long since I sweated like this. Hahahahah!"
'What's so enjoyable about hardship? An adrenaline addict? Seriously, I trained too, but I can never understand muscle-brains!'
The stamina of "knights," whose bodies were enhanced by mana, differed from ordinary people. Baron Zelkerd was truly enjoying himself, feeling the pleasant sweat and bodily fatigue for the first time in ages.
Beonald, who also had to carefully control his strength while dealing with the Baron, was similarly collapsed in exhaustion.
He was fundamentally not of the sweat-and-muscle athletic type but a brainiac who valued efficiency and rationality, so he absolutely could not understand the Baron's joy in a tired state.
"…Haa… haa… Are you satisfied now?"
"Yes, truly satisfying. Hahaha. By the way, Young Master Beonald, with this level of ability, you are fully qualified… to become the heir of the Callermain Earldom, are you not? A lineage that combines both wisdom and martial prowess."
"With half-dirty mercenary blood… that's absurd."
"What's so important about that vaunted bloodline in this day and age?"
"It's far more important than you think, Baron. That thing called bloodline."
In response to Baron Zelkerd's typical meritocratic view, Beonald recalled a time when he had thought similarly.
When he became a Count at the far end of the royal faction, in those vigorous days when it seemed everything was possible with just his alchemical wisdom and power. Naturally, memories surfaced of when he independently launched various ventures and got his nose bloodied.
'Thinking back on that time, I was foolish too. I thought mindlessly engaging in commerce or development would all go well… but that wasn't the case.'
It was something only possible if one had the power to check the fierce political arena among nobles and protect one's own interests—a lesson Beonald had barely managed to learn.
Of course, now with a mature body, he wouldn't make such mistakes driven by that fervor.
"These are turbulent times. An era perfect for heroes like you, Young Master Beonald, to shine. In this reality where six nations vie for supremacy, ultimately, power and ability are everything, are they not?"
"Yes. Well, that's true, but the Callermain Earldom is still not a place worth taking. They are a family that still values bloodline and tradition, you see."
"…Even if I helped you, you wouldn't take it?"
"Even if I took it, the backlash from people like Viscount Delmain would lead to at least a decade lost to civil war, and neighboring nobles would swarm like parasites, creating a mess. Is there any need to take such a place? I'd spend my whole life just re-establishing the Callermain Earldom's order and then die. After that, expanding would be difficult no matter what I wanted! It's better not to take it. That kind of territory!"
"Then what do you intend to take with that power and wisdom, Young Master?"
"This continent."
"Ha! Hahahahahah!"
Baron Zelkerd couldn't help but burst into laughter at Beonald's outrageous statement.
To have the ambition to take this vast continent divided into six nations, instead of the Callermain Earldom—it was only natural to find it preposterous.
Likewise, Beonald also found the Baron's reaction, treating the words of a former High Noble who had once held the continent, as a joke, to be absurd.
Of course, he had started as a Count with considerable influence and won the Emperor's trust at once to seize power, but he was confident enough in his own political skill and state management ability, having maintained that power for decades afterward.
'Is this man looking down on me? Sigh~ To him, I probably just look like a naive fifteen-year-old who doesn't know the ways of the world……. Besides, I came here with a mission from the Goddess!'
Ultimately, to aid the Hero as commanded by the Goddess, he needed to grasp the political situation of this continent, which aligned with divine will—there was nothing to deny about it.
But then, Beonald realized Baron Zelkerd's laughter had stopped at some point and stood up.
'What's he doing?'
What he saw upon standing was the figure of Baron Zelkerd kneeling before him, bowing his head to the ground.
"…Um, Baron? What is the meaning of this sudden gesture?"
"I am deeply moved by the dream Young Master Beonald is pursuing. Please grant this humble one permission to follow in your footsteps. I offer my body and my family to aid you in your endeavors."
'This is a real headache. He seems to have formed a rather deep misunderstanding about me… Our dispositions would clash terribly….'
Strictly speaking, Beonald, whose disposition was closer to that of a traditional High Noble, found it very awkward to accept a meritocratic talent like Baron Zelkerd.
If he were to have subordinates, someone like Viscount Delmain, whose thoughts were easy to read and who moved according to calculations, would be more comfortable for him.
Therefore, he didn't want to accept the proposal from Baron Zelkerd, whose actions had been a continuous series of surprises…
'But in the end, I have to manage the 700 gold coins. It's awkward, but better than having nothing. Also, if I refuse, who knows where he might jump to….'
"Young Master?"
"I can accept your proposal, Baron. But I am still lacking in too many areas. I must see more, learn more, experiment more. So, I would like to place a moratorium on any final decision until I am at least twenty years old."
"Hmmm……."
"Also, by that time, your own thoughts might have changed."
"Very well. Let it be so."
Baron Zelkerd found Beonald's explanation understandable and thus agreed. However, separate from understanding, he had already begun treating Beonald as his lord, acting like a vassal.
He took the lead in putting away the swords and equipment, opened the training room door ahead of Beonald—the rightful master of this territory—as if he were a butler, and even pushed Beonald into the bath once it was prepared.
'This damn knight, he's impossible to talk to!'
"Hahaha, Young Master, how is it? Is the water temperature to your liking?"
"…Yes. It's fine."
Clearly, gaining someone who could secretly supply funds and various materials, and having the head of a faction under the Callermain Earldom as a subordinate, was a great harvest.
But thinking that disposition would be troublesome to handle, Beonald finished his bath while earnestly calculating whether today's gains were truly a profit or a loss.
He ended up spending the night at Baron Zelkerd's mansion, where he had originally planned to depart today. From the dinner table onward, it was no easy task to humor the Baron, who kept talking incessantly, trying to win his favor.
"Is the meal to your liking? Speaking of which, you'll need someone to continuously convey your intentions and assist with your affairs."
"Ah, I suppose so. Carrying around 700 gold coins again is also problematic…."
"I happen to have the perfect person for that job. Moreover, they can also lend a hand with labor. Hey! Come in."
Thud! Thud!
As Baron Zelkerd clapped his hands, the heavy sound of metal and footsteps echoed from a distance.
Thinking someone wearing heavy armor had appeared, Beonald shifted his gaze to the figure emerging. There, a "knight" in full plate armor was approaching.
Their distinguishing feature was a giant frame and tall stature, even larger than Beonald, with a height that seemed easily around 190 centimeters.
"A bit large for a messenger… And judging by what I see… I can sense mana, so they seem like a real 'knight'… Wouldn't that make them a key military asset of the territory?"
"A proof of my loyalty. Hahahah! Now, remove your helmet and greet him. Heidi."
"Yes, Father."
Startled by the oddly high-pitched voice coming from inside the helmet, Beonald watched as the figure before him removed their helmet.
And what was revealed upon removing the helmet was a woman with soft golden hair and an elegant appearance that didn't match her giant frame.
It was surprising enough that she was a knight, but the fact that she was a woman made Beonald even more astonished as he stared at her.