Chapter 44: Greed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: Greed
It wasn't enough. Merely piquing the baron's interest wouldn't get me the results I wanted. I had to make him greedy. And for that, I needed to show him something overwhelming.
That was why I was about to invest my bonus points, even though I still had room to raise my stats through training.
The question was, which stat should I raise?
[Strength] [Sense] [Stamina]
Stamina wasn't particularly helpful in a short duel. It was an even less attractive option since I could raise it slowly not just through training, but also through sex.
Sense, which improved things like kinetic vision and reflexes, was an appealing stat that could evolve into a sixth sense once it surpassed a certain level.
However, I could already compensate for it with my eyes, so I was hesitant to choose it.
Moreover, Stamina and Sense were difficult stats to show off. Strength, on the other hand, was easy to evaluate visually.
"You cur! Are you getting scared now?" the knight called Adrian urged me on.
I stopped deliberating. I poured all my bonus points into Strength and drew my sword. In that instant, an unprecedented power flowed into me. A sense of exhilaration washed over me, as if I had become an absolute being.
I knew instinctively that if I didn't control my strength, I could crush the hilt of the sword in my hand. The effect of dumping a double-digit number of bonus points into Strength was greater than I had expected.
I raised my head with an arrogant smile.
"I was merely pondering for a moment. Sir Horn, I killed under the misunderstanding that he was an impersonator, but I cannot do the same to you, can I?"
"What? How dare you...!"
Thoroughly insulted, Adrian appealed to the baron with his eyes, begging him to start the duel at once. The baron glanced at me and nodded. Adrian's face brightened.
"I don't know what tricks you used, but they won't work on me! I will kill you and avenge Sir Horn!"
Adrian kicked off the ground. The sword strike aimed at my neck was as fast as lightning, as if he were unleashing all his pent-up fury. Yet, the blade didn't waver in the slightest. His confidence was indeed well-founded.
However, he was still lacking when compared to true talents like Piole, Andrei, Roland, and Jude Horn.
From the moment the muscles in his sword arm tensed, I knew where and how he would attack. The only reason my reaction was slow was due to the unexpectedly potent effect of my new stats.
If I handle this wrong, it'll break.
A flicker of regret crossed my mind—I should have tested this out beforehand.
Seeing my delayed reaction, Adrian's eyes glinted with contempt. The smile of a victor was already playing on his lips.
How dare this insignificant creature mock me? I put my concerns aside for a moment. Defense? Evasion? Such thoughts didn't even cross my mind. Trusting in my newfound power, I simply swung my sword down from above.
With absolute power, there is no need to rely on technique. Superhuman strength translated directly into speed. Though I had moved later, my sword rushed toward him faster than his could reach me.
"...!"
Startled, Adrian changed the direction of his sword. It seemed he planned to block my attack first and then figure out his next move, but I wasn't so sure about that—
CRACK!
An unbelievable crash, far too loud for two clashing swords, shook the great hall.
Sparks flew in a brilliant shower, followed by shards of metal that had, until a moment ago, been a sword. Beyond the shower of steel, I could see Adrian's astonished face.
My sword hadn't escaped unscathed either. It was cracked and looked as if it could shatter at any moment.
But surely it could hold out for one more strike? For the sake of an overwhelming display, I put more force into my faltering blade.
"N-No...!"
Adrian belatedly tried to pull back, but before he could, a diagonal line was drawn across his body. Having served its purpose, my sword shattered into pieces. At the same instant, Adrian's body split in two.
A literal fountain of blood erupted, painting the surroundings red. Blood and viscera spilled from the gaping wound, looking as if they were trying to stitch his bisected body back together.
For a moment, the great hall fell silent, as if time had stopped. Everyone stared in shock at the corpse that had once been Adrian. But only for a moment.
"Sir Adrian!!"
"G-Good heavens! He cut a man in half, armor and all!"
"That's not human strength! That's not human!"
Adrian had been wearing a thick cloth tunic under a layer of chainmail, yet he had been bisected. It was a feat no ordinary human could accomplish.
Gazes mixed with shock and awe poured onto me. In an age where the inexplicable was interpreted as the will of the gods, my monstrous strength was no different to them.
Even the baron, who had seemed unflappably composed, had his eyes wide open and was halfway out of his chair.
Clang.
I dropped the broken sword. The harsh noise drew everyone's attention from the corpse back to me. I gave the baron an arrogant smile and spoke.
"He was far too weak an opponent to gauge my true skill."
Then, I turned to the speechless vassals and continued.
"Surely, not all of the baron's knights are this pathetic, are they?"
"Insolent and arrogant! I'll crush that ego of yours!"
"No! I will be your opponent!"
Those who took the bait stepped forward one after another. They were the same useless lot who had no idea when their turn would come, the same ones who had handed my father, their comrade, over to the baron.
Perhaps killing one or two more of them for my own experience points would be more beneficial to the world.
"Enough—!"
The baron's voice instantly quelled the commotion. His glittering eyes scanned me from head to toe.
"Indeed, I see now that the rumors of you felling Sir Horn in a single blow were true. However, it is a shame that the circumstances were not ideal for confirming your precise skill."
The baron's gaze fell upon the broken sword lying on the ground.
I knelt on one knee and said, "It seems your loyal knights are also burning with anticipation. Why not take this opportunity to provide a suitable stage for them?"
The baron would want to know my exact capabilities. And now, instead of my manor, he needed land to offer the enemy lord he was at war with.
Besides, this was the same baron who had tried to reclaim the manor he gave to my father, his right-hand man, because he couldn't bear to part with it. It was impossible that he held no dissatisfaction toward his vassals, who were less capable than my father yet coveted land all the same.
The baron would not miss this chance to dispose of his vassals using someone else's hands, just as he had done with my father.
The baron's eyes widened slightly before curving into a smile. He stroked his chin and muttered as if to himself, "Come to think of it, it has been quite some time since we held a joust. Very well. A formal tournament would be difficult while we're still at war, but a few duels among ourselves should be fine."
A sly smile was visible on the baron's lips through his fingers.
I smiled back. I imagined my own smile was quite similar to his.
*
The stage was set up quickly. The knights' training grounds were cleared, and spectator seats were erected at the corners. The seats, which overlooked the training grounds, were filled with people who had heard the news and were chattering away.
In the training grounds, knights were being helped into their armor by their squires, while others warmed up. Even after losing my father, Roland, and Jude Horn, there were still three knights left.
It was a testament to the baron's power, who collected enormous tolls thanks to his domain's position as a crossroads of traffic in the southeastern part of the continent.
In a corner, I was being pestered by Zaenbold, who had come as soon as he heard the news.
"Do you have any idea how much I've been hassled because of you? 'Did you know he was this skilled?' 'If you knew, why didn't you report it?' They kept grilling me. Ugh, I thought my ears were going to bleed."
"You could have just told them what you knew."
I held the sword Zaenbold had brought up to the sunlight. The smooth, straight blade reflected my face like a mirror.
The center of balance was perfect, and when I gripped the hilt, it felt solid. It seemed like it could withstand my strength for a while.
He must have high expectations of me.
There had to be a reason for the stingy baron to provide such a fine sword. Therefore, I had to not only meet his heightened expectations but exceed them.
I had to make him extend his hand to me, forgetting all the awkwardness and unpleasantness of the past.
"The only thing I knew was that you were a scoundrel."
"Just add one more thing to that. A 'skilled' scoundrel. And therefore, a useful one."
Zaenbold's eyes narrowed as he looked at me.
"What are you scheming?"
"Scheming? Isn't that the me you've always known?"
Sophia's letter would have described me in much the same way. The only difference would be my skill. Wouldn't that be enough for them to think that Sophia, distracted by her little affair, had simply neglected her duties?
"Were you serious?"
He was talking about my decision to oppose the baron. I glanced at the baron, who was seated in the center of the stands.
"The baron started it."
"Haa. The baron has already ordered Sir Joang to investigate. The man he commands will soon be heading to your manor."
"It won't be easy for him. And even if they find out, it doesn't matter. The baron will turn a blind eye."
"What...?"
Piole remained at the manor. With the cunning Mari to help her, any ordinary spy would be discovered before they could do anything.
Besides, as long as I proved I was more valuable than those two lovers, the greedy baron would simply cover up the truth, even if he knew.
At least, until I was no longer useful.
"Haa. I don't know anything about this. I haven't heard a thing. This meeting was ordered by Sir Joang. From now on, I won't be meeting you privately."
Zaenbold suppressed his curiosity and waved his hands dismissively. Despite his words, he was the kind of friend who would come running if something happened. And the baron and Joang Conrad wouldn't just leave me be, either.
"Then I'd better get my money's worth now."
"What? Haa, do whatever you want. So, what is it you want?"
I gestured toward the stands with my eyes.
"How about you introduce me to the people I should know?"
"Ugh. I'll give you a quick rundown of the key figures. See the two men sitting on the tier below the baron? The one with a belly like a mountain is Segerik, the baron's eldest son and heir. The skinny one next to him is Eilgar, the baron's second son and also Sir Conrad's son-in-law."
"They don't get along?"
The two men were sitting right next to each other, yet they weren't speaking, let alone looking at one another.
"How could they? Eilgar was born just one year later, and now he's set to be kicked out without a penny. The reason he's still leeching off the castle at his age is because the baron hasn't helped him find his own way."
It was common practice to pass the title and fief to the eldest son while helping the other children establish their own lives, but it seemed the baron's stinginess extended even to his own children.
"A disgruntled second son, and the baron's key vassal who took him as a son-in-law."
"You think the eldest son doesn't have his own complaints? He's an heir who hasn't been given any real power even at his age. And the baron, despite being over fifty, is still hale and hearty. Heh, it's no wonder there are rumors that Segerik prays for his father's well-being every night."
It wasn't particularly strange. An aging heir was bound to wait for his father's death.
"The ones I'm curious about are the women."
"Right. Now this is the Allen I know."
Zaenbold, who had been explaining with spittle flying, looked deflated.
"The woman sitting to the baron's left is Baroness Adeleade, the youngest daughter of Count Dresden. She's a truly benevolent person. The only reason complaints don't explode despite the baron's stinginess is all thanks to her."
"She is a beautiful woman."
She was a beauty with a face as white as snow and eyes as large as a deer's. A benevolent smile never left her face.
To have two grown sons, she must have been of a considerable age, yet she looked no older than her early thirties.
Unlike Sophia, who adorned herself with jewels and trinkets, she wore only a pair of earrings and a single brooch, yet she exuded the grace of a noblewoman. It was as if her very existence was on a different level.
"I trust even you won't act like a scoundrel here."
"And the one next to the baroness?"
Zaenbold continued his explanation, his gaze full of suspicion.
"Lady Eusebia? She's a bit of a pitiful soul. She's missed her chance at marriage because of the baron and is still single. I mean, you have to see the target to hit it with an arrow, but she's forbidden from attending parties, and none are ever hosted here, so how could any marriage proposals come in!"
She resembled the baroness, with skin as white as snow and eyes as bright as a deer's. If they stood side by side, they could pass for sisters with a large age gap.
It was noticeable that despite being at an age to adorn herself, she wore no decent jewelry. It was likely due to the baron's stinginess. Still, she had a good figure, and even the plain clothes suited her well.
"Is that so..."
"Don't get any ideas. The reason she's still unmarried is also because the baron is looking for a better match."
I chuckled and walked toward the stands. As the main character, so to speak, all eyes slowly turned to me. The same was true for Eusebia. I didn't miss the chance when our eyes met and spoke to her.
"I earnestly beseech you for a token of your support, Lady Eusebia."
"Ah..."
Eusebia was clearly flustered. She clasped her hands over her chest, her deer-like eyes trembling. She then glanced at the baron, whose expression was not pleased.
I got the distinct impression that she was a naive young lady. Just then, Baroness Adeleade discreetly handed her daughter a handkerchief. Only then did Eusebia, slightly calmed, extend her arm over the railing.
"I-I'll pray for your good fortune, Sir Knight."
As I took the handkerchief, I gently squeezed Eusebia's hand. It was soft and supple. I grinned as I watched her already large eyes grow even wider.
"I will fight for your honor, my lady, and bring you victory."
The touch was fleeting, but the blush that bloomed on Eusebia's face did not fade for a long time. The one thing I learned from Roland was proving to be quite effective.
I turned my back on the baron's piercing gaze. A faint floral scent, whether it belonged to Eusebia or Baroness Adeleade, wafted from the handkerchief.