Towards Breitenfeld

After traveling for quite some time, we finally arrived at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the village of Wiesental only after the sun had completely set. As soon as we arrived, I asked the village chief if there was a doctor in town, but the answer I got back was that there was no such thing. "Sigh." I looked at Anastasia and let out a sigh, and she tilted her head in confusion. Poor thing. She's so young, yet she has bipolar disorder. To think she wasn't just a crazy girl acting out for attention, but actually, genuinely crazy. I promised myself, I will find a doctor to cure you. That was my resolution.

For lodging, we decided to pick an empty house left behind by a departing merchant caravan. I paid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a reasonable fee, received some ingredients, and started cooking. Or rather, I tried to start.

Elena approached me and said, "...I am certain I told you yesterday that I would be the one cooking today."

"Ah... it's a habit. Sorry. I forgot."

"You have worked hard again today, so please, go and rest well. I will serve you a delicious meal shortly."

"Right. Thanks."

I left the kitchen. I had intended to organize my thoughts while cooking, but now I had a chunk of free time. I decided to go outside and have a smoke.

"Hoo."

I packed tobacco leaves into my long pipe, lit it, and took a puff. As I smoked, I fell into deep thought. The Demon King might still be alive, huh. It might be good news for me, but for everyone else, it would be a horrific tragedy. Just look at Georg. While I might be an anomaly, to most citizens of the Empire, the existence of the Demon King is nothing short of a nightmare. To prevent creating more people like Georg, I have to crush any sprout of the Demon King the moment it appears. Because the Demon King's army grows stronger with every human they devour. No matter how much I crave a fight with a strong opponent, I have no interest in fighting things that have grown that powerful.

I recalled the original story. The Northern Wall fell, and the entire North and half of the Empire's mainland were occupied by the Demon King's army. The result was a death toll in the tens of millions. In a way, that's also the number of people I've managed to protect. The conclusion is that the Demon King is a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠being that must never be resurrected. Regardless of that, I decided to keep it a secret from my companions. Everyone except Anastasia is working their hardest to find their own path.

"Hoo."

I exhaled the last puff and tapped out the ash. Right. There's no need to speak of it and unnecessarily increase their anxiety. I shook off the thoughts and was about to head back into the lodging when a strange smell wafted over. It seemed to be the smell of ingredients, but it was... wrong.

"Wait, you said you were cooking."

I opened the kitchen door and found a disaster. Cooking utensils were scattered everywhere without a hint of organization, food waste was the norm, and the food itself was a complete mess. There was burnt meat and a soup that had turned the color of poison. The rye bread, which had been perfectly fine when I received it from the chief, was soaked in the toxic-colored soup, becoming just as poisonous in appearance.

Elena looked at me, standing in the kitchen, with a bewildered expression.

"No, this, that is..."

"...Sigh."

I quickly sorted out what couldn't even be called a meal as trash and cleaned up the kitchen. Elena just stood there, wiggling her fingers, watching me. She must have been quite flustered, as she had even stopped her mana cultivation.

Hearing the commotion, Elizabeth appeared and had a word to say.

"I could cook better than this even if I tried!"

"Kuh... !!"

Elena couldn't offer a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single rebuttal to Elizabeth's words and just stood there silently. ...I should have realized it the moment I saw the color of that potion.

I sighed again, walked up to Elena, and said, "The person in charge of cooking for this party is me. No complaints, right?"

"...Yes."

It was good that she accepted it so quickly. I clapped my hands once and asked Elena, "Please, use ventilation magic!"

"Yes."

She calmly ventilated the kitchen. Anastasia approached Elena and whispered, "Lady Weisswaltz. Cooking is not alchemy... !!"

"What would Lady Tashkievich know about alchemy!"

"Hmm... I probably know better than Lady Weisswaltz?"

That was a bit intriguing. I hadn't remembered it well since it was barely mentioned in the original work, but she definitely held the title of the Empire's greatest alchemist. I had finally discovered Anastasia's use! She was the Empire's greatest alchemist (real) (suffering from bipolar disorder).

Since everyone was gathered in the kitchen, I solemnly declared, "Dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow will be beef jerky and water."

"Ehh?!"

Elizabeth shrieked and glared at Elena. But if this was the only way to make them realize the value of food, there was nothing I wouldn't do. And so, dinner ended with everyone happily chewing on beef jerky.

As soon as the meal ended, Elena and Anastasia began arguing about alchemy knowledge. I took Elizabeth outside and entered the nearby forest.

"You asked me to teach you swordsmanship, didn't you?"

"Yes, Count."

"Why the sword?"

That was the first thing I asked. One must be careful when choosing a weapon. Truth be told, what I like best are warhammers and axes. They're heavy and cool, aren't they? And regardless of such preferences, there is definitely a weapon that suits each person. In my case, I am clearly aware that for me, it is the sword.

"Umm..."

She fell into thought and soon answered, "Because the sword is the coolest!"

Flick—

I gave her a sharp flick to the forehead. I felt no guilt about laying a hand on a princess. I'm the master, and you're the disciple! If you're a master, you're allowed to do this. That's how I understand it.

"Ouch..."

Whether Elizabeth knew that fact or not, she held her forehead, groaned for a moment, and asked, "Then how do I choose a weapon?"

"You just have to try them one by one."

"...Where do I get the weapons?"

"I can pull them out with my ability."

"Ah! So that's why swords were popping out of thin air—it was the Count's ability!"

I shrugged my shoulders at her admiration. I don't know how I came to possess this ability. I'm just living, assuming it's a perk for being sent to another world.

"Hey, Weapon Warehouse."

"All weapons used for close-quarters combat. At the most basic specs."

Then, a cluster of light appeared between Elizabeth and me, and weapons began to reveal themselves. From sword types like longswords, gladii, zweihänders, bastard swords, rapiers, scimitars, falchions, and claymores, to spear types like spears, halberds, glaives, pikes, and tridents. Blunt weapons like maces, morning stars, warhammers, mauls, flails, and quarterstaffs. Finally, everything that could possibly come out, including axe types like battle axes, great axes, and poleaxes, appeared.

"Wow..."

I declared to Elizabeth, who was looking at the weapons with shining eyes, "Now, let's use one of these a day. I will be the one to judge which weapon you have an aptitude for."

"Yes! Count!"

"Let's start with the gladius."

I picked up a gladius and handed it to her. It was a short sword that wasn't very heavy. Maybe 1kg at most. After she lifted it lightly, she asked brightly, "What should I do now?"

"Try swinging it in the air about 30 times."

"Yes!"

At first, she swung it well. But once she passed 10, I could see her speed slowing down. On top of that, she was sweating buckets, and her wrists were buckling in every direction.

"Stop."

I shook my head and made my judgment. "Weapon training is canceled for the time being. Weapon Warehouse, withdraw the weapons."

The weapons vanished into light. Elizabeth looked at me blankly.

"Do you know what the problem is?"

"...Yes."

"Starting today, let's begin with basic physical training."

I said it with a bright smile, but for some reason, Elizabeth wore a look of despair.

"First..."

I pulled a suitable dagger from the Weapon Warehouse and cut down a small tree of appropriate size. Then, I made a wooden sword out of that tree.

"You just need to hold this and endure for one hour every day."

"Do I just have to hold it?"

"Yes."

"Starting today?"

"Yes. However, the forest can be dangerous, so let's do it at the lodging."

"Yes!"

And so, we returned to the lodging. We went to our respective rooms and lay down, but I focused most of my hearing toward Elizabeth's room to check if she was properly engaging in training. Thinking that she was at least trying hard, she held it for the full hour, and when the wooden sword fell to the floor along with her sigh, I finally allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

The next morning. I woke up earlier than Elizabeth, removed the carriage's automatic driving artifact, and put it in the cargo hold.

"W-what is this all about?!"

"This is also part of the training. Driving a carriage is hard work. It will be a great help in improving your Highness's basic muscle strength."

Elizabeth fell into despair. Anastasia, who had somehow become close to Elena, linked arms with her and asked me, "Wow, wow! Count, then can I ride alone?"

"You, get lost to the cargo hold."

"Uu... yes..."

As if a princess would be allowed to ride in a carriage where the coachman is a princess. Elizabeth sat in the driver's seat with a tearful face and took the reins. Elena chuckled at the sight. In any case, it was a pleasant morning.

"Departure! Take care of us, Brownie."

Puhuu... Brownie let out a weak snort as if he had given up, and began to move his feet. As soon as we entered the bumpy unpaved road, Elizabeth's complaining began.

"Ugh... my hands feel like they're going to blister..."

"Hands blistering! That is the mark of a great warrior. Very good!"

"That's not the answer I was hoping for..."

I smiled with a sense of satisfaction and gave Brownie's belly a gentle kick. Let's go, to the next destination.