Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Virility Herb
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"Heir candidate? That's too much for me. I just want to live quietly, studying history and doing research."
It was sincere.
One hundred percent sincere.
"Huhu, your humility is excessive. Though you're probably laughing on the inside."
But it apparently didn't come across that way.
Someone might say it.
With your level of talent, don't you think you could go up against Ernst?
But that's the kind of talk that only knows one side and not the other.
Behind Ernst stands the Mueller Count family.
Demoted to counts, but a great house that was the hegemon of the North up until just twenty years ago. Most northerners thought the next duke would be the blood of the Mueller eldest daughter anyway, so nothing much would change.
And me, by comparison?
My mother wasn't the duke's official wife.
A concubine.
One from nameless commoner stock, at that.
Maternal family's support?
None.
Political foundation?
None.
All I have is the fact that the duke's blood runs through me.
What good is talent without a backing?
So I gritted my teeth and said it.
"I have no intention whatsoever of threatening Brother's position. It would only stir up needless strife. Besides, Brother's maternal family, the Mueller Counts, aren't to be trifled with. If I were put forward as a candidate, they wouldn't sit idly by. It would only create unnecessary conflict within the ducal house..."
"That family? It doesn't matter what becomes of them now."
'That family'? Calling the Mueller Counts 'that family'?
I looked at the man before me again.
Ah, right.
The past two months.
Father had crushed the southern rebellion.
The rebellion that the capital army had lost to repeatedly, in a mere two months.
The empire's strongest warlord at present.
A man who might even surpass... the emperor in power.
To him, the Mueller Counts were now just an annoying backdrop.
* * *
I stepped out of the reception room.
My mind was in turmoil.
My life plan was falling apart.
All I wanted this lifetime was to live peacefully and uneventfully as a rich, idle layabout pursuing my hobbies. Now I was on the verge of getting dragged into power struggles I never asked for.
"Haa..."
Unlike my sigh, someone was delighted.
Sir Heinrich.
"Sighing on such a fine day. As expected of Young Master."
"What?"
"You're surely thinking about future plans."
Yeah, think whatever you want.
"Something like that."
"More importantly, there are some people I'd like to introduce you to."
"Introduce me to some people?"
"Yes. My brothers."
"Brothers? Your siblings?"
"Not blood brothers. Comrades from my mercenary days."
"Ah..."
The duke's longtime subordinates known as 'Walter's Disciples'.
Sir Heinrich intended to introduce them to me.
"Right now?"
"Yes. They came here with His Grace the Duke. It's rare for them all to be together like this."
I thought for a moment.
Honestly, it was daunting. The duke's core retainers. What could a ten-year-old even do in front of such heavyweights?
But I couldn't refuse.
Now that I'd been made a heir candidate, I'd have to face them eventually anyway.
"Alright. Let's go."
"A wise decision."
Sir Heinrich turned.
As I moved to follow, something occurred to me.
"Lize."
"Yesss?"
"You come too."
"M-meee? To a place like thaaat?"
Lize's eyes went wide.
Her single red eye seemed three times larger.
"Wh-why meee?"
"Why? Don't want to?"
"It's not that I don't want to... but is it okay for meee to go?"
"No reason it wouldn't be."
Sir Heinrich nodded too.
"It'd be good for Lize to come along. My brothers know a lot."
"Know a loooot?"
"They might know ways to overcome surgery side effects or restore an eye."
Lize's hand unconsciously rose to her eyepatch.
The eye lost to enhanced human surgery side effects.
Her expression shifted subtly. Surprise, anticipation, and a touch of fear mixed together.
"...Reaaally?"
Sir Heinrich added,
"No guarantees. But worth asking about, I think."
Lize looked at me.
I nodded.
"Let's go."
"...Okaaaay."
Lize bowed her head.
Truth be told, I was a bit scared to go alone.
The duke's retainers would all be monster-like figures. Even Sir Heinrich was half a step from Swordmaster, so what level would his 'brothers' be?
Having Lize there would at least ease my mind a little.
Of course, I had no intention of saying that out loud.
* * *
The outdoor banquet hall.
It wasn't anything grand, calling it a hall.
Just a wide clearing with logs laid out for seating and a bonfire in the center.
But the people gathered around it were impressive.
Ten of them.
All big men. Broad shoulders, thick forearms, sharp eyes.
Casual clothes instead of armor, but the scars peeking out served as their resumes.
Less knights, more mercenaries.
The so-called 'Walter's Disciples'.
Men of such caliber they could've been barons or higher long ago.
But they stayed.
Loyalty, they said. Though in truth, it was probably more profitable to stick together.
"Oh, who's this."
As I approached, one looked up.
"The little legion commander we've heard about."
"Brother, he's still Young Master."
Sir Heinrich chided, but without real force.
"Young Master, schmoung Master—sit down first. My neck hurts looking up."
Another knight jerked his chin at a log.
I sat without protest. Lize cautiously took a seat beside me.
Then something caught my eye.
A massive hunk of meat roasting over the bonfire.
Wild boar.
No joke, it was calf-sized. Tusks as thick as my forearm. Fantasy world scale.
"Caught this earlier. Try it. Freshly killed."
I took a bite.
Juices burst out. Crispy outside, juicy inside. Pretty good.
"How is it?"
"Delicious."
"Right? I caught it."
"Bull. When did you catch it? You just flushed it out."
"Flushing's part of the hunt."
"Then dogs are hunters too."
Laughter erupted among the knights.
The mood wasn't bad.
No formalities. Just old war buddies grilling meat and drinking. With one kid tagging along.
I kept quiet and listened.
Naturally, talk turned to the southern rebellion.
"This one was kinda anticlimactic, though."
The red-bearded knight said, chewing meat.
"Anticlimactic?"
"Yeah. Called 'em rebels, but when we clashed, they were nothing special."
"City walls?"
"Smashed 'em."
"Ambushes?"
"Broke through."
"Sieges?"
"Counter-sieged. Whatever."
Casual tone.
Not boasting. Just stating facts.
"Once His Grace stepped in personally, it was over."
Another knight chimed in.
"Oh, that time. When we smashed the gate?"
"Yeah. His Grace swings his sword once, and the gate flies off. Entire thing."
"Half the rebels bolted right there."
"The runners?"
"Chased 'em down and nabbed 'em. Whatever."
Laughter again.
I quietly chewed my meat.
Beside me, Lize perked up her ears. Eyes glued to the war stories. But her expression subtly shifted.
Not what she'd expected.
"How'd you break the sieeege?"
"Siege?"
"Yesss. When the enemy had you surrounded."
"Busted out."
"Just like thaaat?"
"Yup. Picked the weakest spot and charged. Done."
Lize blinked.
"No feints or diversions...?"
"Why complicate when we win head-on? Tactics are for the weak."
The knights chuckled.
Lize glanced at me.
Whispered softly.
"Different from our wars."
I nodded.
"When power is overwhelming, the direct approach is the ultimate strategy."
I didn't lower my voice.
The knights' eyes turned our way.
"In that case, you stick to the direct approach while eliminating variables to prevent enemy tactics. That's the strategy."
A brief silence fell.
The red-bearded knight narrowed his eyes.
"...What're you, little Young Master? You can talk."
"Nah, but he's not wrong."
"That's why the big boss... er, lord picked him as heir. Even Heinrich's smitten."
Another knight snickered.
Meanwhile, one knight who'd been quietly listening spoke up.
"We don't always just brute force it."
A small murmur rose among the others.
"Oh, here we go."
"Chatty Wolfram as usual."
Chuckles.
I looked at the speaking knight.
Smaller build than the others. But solid.
Thick muscles. Stocky frame. And a gleaming bald head.
What stood out was the eyepatch.
Black cloth over his left eye.
Same side as Lize.
Sir Heinrich's words about eye recovery methods came to mind. Probably this knight knew something.
Sir Wolfram.
One of Father's more peculiar retainers.
Famous for his axe skills, but valued more as 'the one who at least knows how to plan strategy.' Rumored to scour everywhere for ways to fix his eye and baldness.
No success on either front yet, apparently.
"During this southern rebellion, the routed enemy fled into the mountains. Straub Mountain."
"How many?"
"Five thousand."
"F-five thousaaand?"
Lize's eyes widened.
"Yeah. Five thousand holed up at the peak. Rugged terrain, narrow paths. Charging straight up would've cost us dearly."
Sir Wolfram paused.
"So, know what our lord did?"
"Set it on fiiiire."
Lize answered instantly.
Sir Wolfram's eye widened.
"Oho? You knew?"
"Common sense. Enemy on a mountain, hard to climb? Fiiiire."
"Common sense, she says."
The other knights chuckled.
"Hey, Wolfram. Schooled on common sense by a ten-year-old?"
"Shut it."
Sir Wolfram gruffly shot back, then looked at Lize again.
"Right, common sense. Kids with one eye really are sharp."
Lize flinched slightly.
Black humor from a fellow sufferer? Or just rough speech?
Probably both.
Sir Wolfram continued undeterred.
"Anyway, Straub Mountain went up in flames. Five thousand stragglers turned into roast."
Casual tone.
Wait.
Straub Mountain?
"Isn't that the famous blue-red herb habitat?"
I asked.
Silence descended.
The knights exchanged glances.
"What? Blue-red herb habitat?"
"Was that it?"
"No wonder the price spiked a few days ago."
"How much?"
"Doubled, I heard."
"Damn, should've bought some."
Blue-red herb.
This world's famed virility herb.
Boosted not just potency but pregnancy chances dramatically.
Two-thirds of the empire's supply came from Straub Mountain and vicinity.
And they'd burned the whole thing.
Prices would skyrocket.
Duke Walter von Krushtein.
The great hero with over a hundred children wouldn't owe it all to Swordmaster virility alone.
The biggest beneficiary had torched the prime source.
History's irony.
Then, a tug on my sleeve.
Lize.
I turned, and she whispered low.
"Young Master."
"Yeah?"
"This could be a money-making opportunity."
"Money?"
"There's a similar herb in the north toooo."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Where?"
"Kuman Tribe territory."
The red-bearded knight snorted.
"Kuman Tribe? Virility herb in those barbarians' land?"
"Yeaaah."
"Hmph. Even if, how much could you make? If it was that lucrative, those savages would've been rich already."
Lize turned.
Looked the red-bearded knight straight in the eye.
And spoke slowly, like teaching letters to an illiterate child.
"Straub Mountain buuurned."
"So?"
"Two-thirds of the empire's supply came from there."
"......"
"Takes at least five years for it to regrow. Supply drops to one-third meanwhile. But we know a new source."
The red-bearded knight's jaw dropped.
Lize delivered the clincher.
"Monopoly."