Game Master 029: Royal Capital Elesina (3)

The royal decree to maintain the noble council's investigation team until Calix reached Class 4 had reached Szczecin County as well.

No sooner had the royal messenger departed than Russell came looking for Calix.

"Young master, have you heard? The news that you must ascend to the User stage as quickly as possible."

Calix waved his hand dismissively, as if wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Don't worry about it. I've got a plan."

He'd already been scanning his minimap for a suitable dungeon or ruin.

For Calix, who was intimately familiar with the game, the path to strength meant acquiring experience points through adventures, plain and simple.

To his regret, Russell's thinking was entirely different.

"There are no plans when it comes to growing stronger. The fastest way is to take one stubborn step after another. You don't need to think about it, young master. I'll get you there as quickly as possible."

"W-Wait a second!"

"I refuse your refusal, young master."

"Gahk!"

Russell grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to the training grounds.

He shoved a wooden sword into Calix's hand and started beating him without warning.

Thwack!

"Gyaak!"

"Spread your legs wider."

Thud!

"Kek!"

"Straighten your back and keep your eyes forward."

"W-Wai……!"

Crack!

"Gyaak!"

"Regulate your breathing. From now on, no talking."

"What the……"

Smack!

"Kyak!"

It was the beginning of hellish training.

Only then did Calix realize why the Blue Lion Knights recoiled in horror at the mere mention of "Russell's special training."

Whenever his stance even slightly faltered, a wooden sword came flying without fail.

Curiously, the struck area would feel refreshingly cool, somehow making him endure.

Of course, the pain of being pummeled remained all too real.

What the hell is this? Why am I putting up with this? Is he Sergeant Hartmann or something?

Calix's eyes shook wildly.

And every time, without fail, the wooden sword flew in.

Thwack!

"Guek!"

"No stray thoughts. Focus your entire mind on a single point."

The grueling training continued day after day, so intense it felt like his heart would leap out of his throat.

A few days later, Calix finally seized a chance to speak and clung to Russell's pant leg, pleading.

"Ru-Russell, sir. Huff, huff!"

"Yes, young master. You still have breath left to talk. I'll have to increase the intensity tomorrow."

"I-I'm not talented enough yet. I'll die like this. Die, I tell you!"

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't understand what you mean by 'not talented enough yet.' Becoming a Sword Owner requires no talent. With steadfast training, anyone can reach Class 5. I am proof of that—believe me."

"Isn't the intensity too much? Overdoing it isn't good for the body. Look at me. This isn't a body that can handle this. I've wasted away!"

"This much recovers with the lowest-grade potions alone."

"Bu-But we need to save money……"

"The county's finances are abundant, all thanks to you, young master. Hm? You've rested too long. Time for training."

"Gwaaaah!"

On a certain day when the endless training dragged on, Calix soothed his screaming muscles and thought.

I need to raise my potential fast. This won't do. No way!

He desperately scoured his minimap for options.

Think! A perfect excuse—no, justification—to shut Russell up!

Suddenly, she came to mind—the staunch supporter of the first prince.

This was still before they would meet in the game.

Oh ho? If I play this right, I might snag her for myself?

When it came to money, she was more capable than any talent in the game.

And if her disposition was as he remembered, recruiting her wouldn't be hard.

He had a powerful lure right now, after all.

The next day, as expected, Russell arrived before dawn.

Calix wore a weary expression as he asked,

"Aren't you neglecting county affairs?"

"No need to worry. Just sleep less. Once you reach the User stage, young master, you'll learn that three hours a day is plenty. So, let's begin training."

"No sleeeeep!"

"Trying to slack off again?"

"I have something really important to say."

"I'll hear it, but if it's an excuse, training time increases tenfold."

"Ahem! As you know, Russell, we've got over 100,000 gold in silver ingots just sitting there, going to waste."

"They're practically stolen goods—what can we do? It's not a small sum. And smelting gold and silver without drawing eyes isn't easy."

"Exactly. We need an accomplice to launder…… er, legitimize the source."

"Hmmm……"

Russell suspected his young lord was slacking off.

But the argument for utilizing the ingots was hard to refute.

"Must it be now?"

"Lend it out, and a year's interest alone is 20,000 gold. Don't you know about compound interest? Gold isn't for hoarding—it's for rolling."

"Is compound interest a spell incantation? Never heard of it……"

"Hey! Who fixed the county's finances?"

"Grr. Understood. How long will it take?"

"To the capital…… hmm, three months?"

"……I'll assign Krout daily tasks."

"What? Sir Russell, that's not necessary……"

"It is."

He was a great master.

A few days later, in the midst of preparations to head to the capital, Krout came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by.

"Young master. The first prince is coming here."

"What? Why's that guy suddenly coming here?"

"A full succession struggle has begun between the first prince and the fifth prince. He's coming to win over our territory. I heard it at the knight assembly this morning."

Calix's movements suddenly quickened.

"Why the sudden rush?"

"Krout. We haven't heard about any prince coming. And prepare horses, not a carriage. We leave in two hours."

"Pardon? You've never learned to ride."

"I'll pick it up on the way. Quit yapping and prepare. Or I'll go ahead—you follow."

"You don't want to run into the prince? You've never even met him, why……"

Of course, they'd never met in person.

But after playing Heroes Destiny for over ten years, not knowing Gail Lock Ra-Clibuo Krakuf, the first prince, would mean suspecting dementia.

He was one of the game's rare hero-tier characters.

His starting stats were so overpowered that Calix still remembered them perfectly.

The first prince was infamous for his insatiable talent-hoarding.

One wrong move, and you'd be forcibly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recruited as his subordinate—or meet an untimely "accident."

One or the other.

He never left potential rivals alive.

The biggest reason Calix had sent Gerard to the first prince was to dodge Viscount Servio's diplomatic pressure without catching Gail's eye.

But things didn't always go as planned.

Apparently, Gerard hadn't fully diverted the prince's interest from him.

Lingering now would waste all that effort.

Calix had no intention of slaving away like an ox under the first prince for life—or dying to an assassin.

"Shut up and prepare. If you're late, I'll leave without you."

"W-Wait just a moment."

Realizing it was no joke, Krout hurried as well.

Letting his young lord bolt off alone might earn him "Russell's special training."

Leaving busy Krout behind, Calix headed to the annex where Laila stayed.

Unexpectedly, she was loading luggage onto a carriage.

"What are you doing?"

"Thanks to how well you've treated me, young master, my pursuers must not have time for me. The shadow unit's nearly disbanded, and plenty have deserted besides me."

"Where to?"

"No idea. I longed for freedom so much, but now that it's real, my mind's blank. For now, wherever my feet take me."

Calix gazed at her, pondering. Truth be told, he wasn't particularly sorry to see her go.

She wasn't a top-tier talent like Krout.

Yet something nagged at him.

"Hmmm. Any plans to come back?"

"……Maybe someday."

Laila gave a wistful smile.

Calix had a strong gut feeling that if he let her go now, he'd never see her again.

In truth, he was a man of thorough calculations, not hunches.

But this once, he indulged a whim.

Think of it as insurance.

"Laila."

"Yes?"

"If you get the chance, head to the Granada Holy Empire……"

Calix told her about a small dungeon with a decent artifact and a women's mana breathing method.

It was too far for him to bother with personally, and the rewards weren't outstanding, but it would help Laila greatly now.

Having heard him out, Laila looked skeptical.

"Is there really such a place?"

"Don't believe me? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fine. It's useless to me anyway—boil it, roast it, whatever."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then let out a soft laugh.

"Hee hee. Anyway, thank you. If fate allows…… we'll meet again."

She pulled the hood of her thick cloak low and slowly drove the carriage away from the county seat.

Regrettable, but there was nothing more Calix could do.

No reason to do more, either.

She wasn't an irreplaceable talent or one-of-a-kind.

Well, as she said, if it's fate, we'll meet again.

Calix turned and headed to the garden behind the annex.

There lay the grave of the young soldier who died saving him.

He lingered there briefly before turning away. His mind was a mess.

Have I been too calculating? That young soldier gave his life for me. Yet I let Laila go just because her status window showed a low max level.

Maybe he still saw people as game characters.

Back on Earth, he hadn't forged relationships by coldly weighing pros and cons.

Calix held up his open palm.

The sensation from the young soldier's cold corpse lingered.

Next time…… next time we meet, treat her more humanely. That'll do it.

With that resolve, Calix quickened his pace.

Linger any longer, and he might run into that damn golden boy.