Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Only Revealed After Collapse (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Four hundred years ago, I scattered countless seeds across this barren land so that humans could take root here.
To those with exceptional talent and character, I passed down the Upper Grade Mana Heart, and to those who fell short, I granted Mana Hearts suited to their vessels.
And they grew far beyond my expectations.
They were the ones who parted the hordes of monsters to carve a path against the Light Dragon, and they were the ones who repeatedly repelled the empire's armies that eyed the kingdom covetously.
Because of them, I could sleep without a care in the world.
But when I awoke after four hundred years...
No one was left.
So I thought they had all perished. I thought those who revered the Epic of Martial Prowess had all fallen before the Ring Mana, leaving not even a trace behind.
I was certain they had utterly collapsed.
"But they hadn't."
Their descendants had come to the fortress.
While wandering the castle to avoid Vincent, who kept piling on tasks, I arrived at the open space in front of the gates and unwittingly stopped in my tracks.
In the distance, a ragged group huddled around a bonfire, warming themselves.
Now that they realized the lords could no longer protect them, more northerners were volunteering for enlistment than ever. These folks were among them.
And among them was a pair of man and woman that halted my steps.
Their clothes were shabby, their arms pitiful. Even blended in with the beggar-like volunteers, they didn't stand out at all in their wretched state.
Yet I was certain they were descendants of the ancient knights who had vanished. I didn't even need to use my authority to confirm it.
A familiar, nostalgic scent wafted from them.
"Loyalty!"
The ranger, spotting me late, snapped a crisp salute.
He was an acquaintance.
One of the few veteran rangers left, someone I'd often patrolled with.
"It's a cold night—what brings you here, sir?"
"On inspection."
"The Count's been looking for you since earlier."
"Volunteers? Don't mind me—carry on."
As I changed the subject, the ranger grinned knowingly.
But that lasted only a moment. Soon, his face turned wolfish as he started barking at the recruits.
"Anyone who can't handle this much cold won't climb the walls! And soldiers who can't climb the walls have no place in this castle!"
The volunteers just stared blankly at the ranger.
"You thick-headed lot! Quit hogging the fire and line up here!"
How one word led to another, I had no idea. It was utterly unreasonable nitpicking.
But instead of objecting, I plopped down by the fire in place of the recruits scrambling to line up.
And leisurely watched the appraisal unfold.
"Fail! Next!"
"Fail!"
The enlistment screening was ruthlessly strict—bordering on excessive. They didn't even ask for origins or names. They just checked talents and skills, and if they fell short of standards, out they went without mercy.
It was a bit harsh, but understandable.
In sheer numbers, Ballerhard's forces had expanded beyond pre-Warlord war levels. The territory's finances couldn't sustain further growth.
There were hefty reparations squeezed from the central lords, sure, but looking ahead, it was time to refine elites rather than recruit more.
So unless someone had truly outstanding talent, there was no reason to take them on.
Pity the long journeys wasted for those clueless out-of-towners.
Thanks to that, though, I saved some time.
"Next!"
The line shrank quickly, reaching the man and woman I'd eyed. The man stepped up first.
The ranger, looking bored with words, jerked his chin.
The man gripped his spear.
"Hah!"
With a mighty shout, a thick mana scent spread everywhere.
I deeply inhaled that rich mana aroma.
Bzzz.
The spear trembled faintly, emitting light.
The ranger, who'd been watching apathetically, froze solid.
"K-Knight?"
The man shook his head, introducing himself as a wandering mercenary.
Knight or mercenary, wielding aura marked him as skilled either way.
The ranger, who'd bullied him like any recruit, turned pale and glanced my way.
"Name."
I dusted off and stood, asking his name.
"Gallahan."
He replied in an arrogant tone.
"Do you know who this is..."
I waved off the ranger belatedly trying to get serious. He swallowed his anger and shut up at my gesture.
"Family name?"
Gallahan, who'd named himself, shook his head at my question.
"Commoner—no family name."
The ranger's warning must've sunk in; he was polite enough. But his tone dripped arrogance.
He was mighty confident in his skills.
And a lie, at that.
Gallahan claimed no family name as a commoner. That was false.
Others might not know, but I did.
In the past, I'd selected twelve knights of outstanding character and talent, passing them the Upper Grade Mana Heart.
Of them, five suited for defense were sent to the southern border as shields against the empire's armies, while seven suited for advance became swords cleaving northern monster hordes.
The shields were called the "Silver Solitary (銀獨子)," the swords the "Blood Solitary (血獨子)."
Even now, Silver Solitary remained an honored title for swordmasters weaving four rings. But the Blood Solitary's name had vanished without trace.
The man before me was undoubtedly a blood heir to those forgotten seven.
I discreetly checked Gallahan's status window with my authority.
As expected—aptitudes and traits matching perfectly.
I ordered Gallahan to stand by for now.
"I'll handle the next screening."
The ranger bowed and stepped back. At my glance, the woman with him hefted a longbow as tall as herself and advanced.
"Boris. No family name."
Unprompted introduction—and another lie. But I knew the truth.
No need to check her mana's qualities this time. That massive longbow she carried—I knew it well.
Plain-looking, but it was the "Divine Bow" used by a Blood Solitary.
A bow exclusive to the Divine Bow that most knights couldn't even half-draw. Seeing her fully draw it properly, I immediately shouted pass.
Boris, just releasing the string, frowned deeply at me.
"Problem?"
She didn't answer. But passing before fully showing her skills clearly irked her.
"Finish up then. I'm heading out."
I told the ranger that, then pulled Gallahan and Boris aside separately.
"Alright. Tell me the truth."
In an empty warehouse, I urged them to come clean.
"What truth?"
They played dumb, faces blank as if clueless.
Infuriating impudence. But I didn't snap at them.
I knew why they'd hidden even their family names to live in hiding.
After the Light Dragon war, Blood Solitary freed from the northern front were deployed south.
But they didn't stop at guarding borders like dutiful kingdom swords—they invaded the empire proper.
Before swordmasters—nay, superhumans bearing [Heroic Epic]—leading elite forces, the imperial army crumbled helplessly. The empire even suffered the humiliation of relocating its eastern-skewed capital far west.
Small wonder the empire hated Blood Solitary more than Silver Solitary.
When the kingdom stood firm, that hatred couldn't breach border forts and walls. But today's kingdom wasn't even a fence.
For Blood Solitary descendants to bury themselves in obscurity without revealing lineage was wise.
If blame lay, it was with feeble lords and a feeble kingdom—not them.
"But who might you be..."
Boris asked warily.
Instead of answering, I drew up my mana.
As their guards sharpened at the sudden move, I asked,
"Hiding your family name means you know the origin of your power, right?"
Their Mana Hearts stemmed from me, the sword.
And the [Heroic Epic] they'd inherited derived from passages of the Dragon Slayer's [Myth].
If they'd fully inherited heart and epic, they couldn't mistake my aura for any other house.
The Dragon Slayer's heart was the Leonberger house's unique forging method.
"Gallahan greets Your Highness, Prince of the Kingdom!"
"Boris greets Your Highness, Prince of the Kingdom!"
As expected, Boris and Gallahan dropped to their knees, bowing deeply.
I gazed at them with immense satisfaction. It felt like treasure walking right into my arms.
Now, how to mold them into something useful.
Boris and Gallahan recognized me but never revealed their house to the end. Even royal blood wasn't enough to earn their trust.
A lord whose own nation's talents distrusted him and his kin.
The kingdom was a total mess.
At least they'd resolved to step forward now, thanks to me wiping out the empire's eyes and ears in the recent war.
I decided to earn their trust over time and assigned them where they'd grow best.
Truth be told, Gallahan's talent didn't match Adelia's—let alone Arwen's.
No need for disappointment. His ancestor, the Charging Knight, ranked lowest in martial skill among Blood Solitary anyway.
But he had a unique talent none other Blood Solitary possessed.
Godlike horsemanship—even bow-wielding Blood Solitary lost to him once mounted, as he trampled comrades.
That gift passed to descendant Gallahan—his true talent was S-rank horsemanship.
Winter Castle luckily had a perfect fit.
"The Black Spear Cavalry short on men lately? Take this guy and train him up. He's got potential."
I handed Gallahan to the Black Spear Cavalry captain, hero of the Warlord battle.
I added to work him harshly, sensing his cockiness.
Days later, rumors flew that Quean—overinterpreting my request—was drilling Gallahan mercilessly. I ignored it.
Hardship tempers men; work makes people sharp.
That creed applied to Boris too.
Like her ancestor, she was a born sniper, born ranger. I shoved her into mountain patrol and spun her dizzy with tasks.
If anything, I pushed her harder than Gallahan.
It was only natural from my view.
Mana Heart shatters only against Ring Mana in direct clash. As an archer, she never faced ring knights.
She was talented anywhere—even in this ring-dominated world.
She lacked her ancestor's ability to snipe knights from hiding, but that was from lacking faith in [Heroic Epic], not talent deficiency.
And epics form naturally battling monsters in mountains, even if low-grade.
"Arwen, Bernard. Hunt large mountain monsters with her."
Arwen assented; Bernard Ilai grumbled. I naturally ignored Bernard's complaints.
Thus Boris joined knights hunting large mountain monsters.
It wouldn't be easy.
Ogres and trolls were no pushovers.
But doable. Her inherited Martial Epics were born hunting Light Dragon-subjugated monsters.
With luck, she'd gain usable epics short of [Heroic Epic].
Gallahan too—once Black Spear Cavalry readied, he'd patrol mountain foothills for real combat.
In a year, both would be unrecognizable in strength.
Winter Castle was ideal for piling up karma.
"Your Highness. A royal messenger has arrived."
As I rolled these windfall blessings hard, a royal envoy reached Winter Castle.
"Again?"
Obviously a recall order.
I'd rejected it multiple times, yet the king clung tenaciously.
Determined to settle it properly this time, I met the envoy.
"Your Highness, His Majesty the King, well aware of your labors in the north, conveys his desire to proclaim your merits widely, bestow fitting rewards, and urges your swift return to the capital."
The message, via envoy, was milder than before.
"Yeah, right."
I wasn't fooled.
Return now, and I'd lose everything gained in the north, wings clipped. The king, hating me excessively, was capable of it.
No intentions of sweet-talking my way back.
"Tell him I'll return when the time's right—stop nagging."
The envoy paled at my blunt words.
Anyone'd think I'd sentenced him to death.
Of course, as duty-bound envoy, relaying verbatim might incense the king.
"Tch."
Pitying the poor guy, I softened it politely—same conclusion: no return.
"Long journey—go rest."
As the dejected envoy slumped, one man who'd stood mute swept back his hood and stepped forward.
The revealed face belonged to someone I wanted nothing to do with.
"Your Highness. It's been too long."
His voice grated as much as his mug, wrinkling my brow instinctively.
"Seeing you hale and hearty with my own eyes brings such relief."
He beamed falsely gentle, like the empire's cur.