Chapter 56
Episode 56
Clang!
"Huff, huff... S-sorry!"
Victor's frantic voice spilled from his lips, his breathing still ragged and uneven.
"No, no. Try again."
"...Huh?"
"I said try again."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Logan grinned faintly as he picked up the sword that had clattered to the ground and handed it back to the boy.
'He really is ridiculously talented.'
It wasn't empty praise.
At just sixteen years old, with only a single year of swordsmanship training under his belt, Victor had already internalized the most fundamental techniques of the Grandia Kingdom's swordsmanship. Even when swinging wildly, his stance unconsciously reverted to textbook-perfect form. His footwork remained steady despite his erratic slashes, and his eyes never wavered from their imaginary target.
'The basics are ingrained in his body.'
What's more, the sheer ferocity of his wild swings far surpassed the power of his textbook-perfect techniques. It was clear—this was the fighting style that suited Victor best.
Perhaps the nature of the "Noble Slayer" had changed, but when it came to martial arts, Victor was still meant to be fierce and brutal.
'To think I can even recognize talent in swordsmanship now...'
Just as Victor had changed, so too had Logan.
The realization brought a wry smile to his lips.
But there was one problem...
"Haaah!"
Swish—slash!
Whoosh!
Such a savage, unrestrained swordsmanship style could never be perfected through solo training.
'He needs a sparring partner now.'
Not someone overwhelmingly stronger like himself, but opponents on his level—those who weren't quite Force Users but were close.
In other words, he needed real combat experience, sparring with A-rank mercenaries or elite soldiers.
"Feeling stifled?"
"......"
Victor, who had been swinging his sword with all his might, silently nodded.
If this were the usual Victor, he would've stubbornly denied it and kept swinging his sword diligently.
'Which means he's aware of it too.'
A future Aura User.
His talent once again left Logan in awe.
Fortunately, the solution to Victor's current frustration was simple.
"Tomorrow, I'll be leaving MacLaine Castle to train soldiers in Tesron. Likely for the entire winter."
"...Huh?"
"Come with me. Just make sure you explain things properly to your sister."
But then—
"...Can't Ria come with us?"
This damn sister-con had the audacity to spout nonsense.
"You want to bring a little girl into a military training camp full of men?"
"Is it not allowed?"
"Do you genuinely think that's what's best for your sister?"
"I want her to come with me!"
Honestly, this kid was beyond comprehension.
Normally, he seemed mature beyond his years, but the moment his sister was involved, he reverted to a child.
Bringing a young girl into a camp filled with adolescent boys brimming with hormones—what kind of disaster was he trying to create?
'Hmm... Wait a second.'
A sudden thought flashed through Logan's mind, and contrary to his initial reaction, he nodded.
"...Fine. Bring her."
"Thank you!"
Logan suppressed a sigh as he watched Victor practically bounce with joy.
'Haah... This kid, seriously.'
It was good that Victoria acted as Victor's moral compass, but his obsession was too extreme.
'If this keeps up, no matter what task I give him later, he'll prioritize his sister first.'
It might be better to temper that obsession a little while he had the chance.
If things went according to plan, then surely...
"But if any problems arise, know that it'll be entirely your responsibility. You brought this on yourself."
"Yes! I'll take good care of her!"
"That's not the point! I'll assign Victoria separate duties, so keep work and personal matters distinct. If you can't function without your sister, then you're useless to me."
"...I'm sorry."
Though his reply was dutiful, Victor's eyes wavered.
"Victoria. Come here."
The small girl, who had been fidgeting nervously on the sidelines since Logan's arrival, scurried over.
"I'm sorry! I don't know what my brother did wrong, but please forgive him just this once!"
Logan rubbed his temples as the tiny child bowed repeatedly, her face pale.
"Tch. It's nothing like that."
Even when shown kindness, wariness came first—both siblings were the same.
'Come to think of it, maybe the reason he wants to bring his sister along is...'
Logan couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh at the hollow realization.
Children who had lived hard lives, with no one to rely on but each other.
He had hoped that a year of comfort would have eased their hearts, but perhaps that had been too optimistic.
"We'll be staying at Tesron Castle for the winter. Your brother will be training with the soldiers, so you'll accompany the servants in charge of rations. Understood?"
"Yes!"
At least her responses were more straightforward than her brother's.
After Ria disappeared to pack her belongings—
"You care that much about your sister?"
Logan asked out of sudden curiosity.
In his past life, he had spent his days drowning in regret, burdened by guilt toward his family.
Now, he strived to never leave such regrets again.
But Victor's devotion to his sister seemed different—more instinctive.
"She's my only family."
The answer came so easily that it made Logan's own struggles feel almost foolish.
Was it simply the instinctive bond of blood?
"Hmm. That's all?"
At Logan's prodding, Victor hesitated before speaking again.
"...My parents died because of me."
The unexpected reply stole Logan's words.
"Ria lost her parents because of me. I have to protect her—she's the only family I have left."
Victor bit his lip and lowered his head.
Not wanting to see the boy's expression, Logan deliberately looked up at the distant sky.
'I'll do anything to atone for my sins.'
'I'll stake everything to protect my family—my sister.'
No—I have to.
Who else could understand that tangled mess of affection and regret as well as Logan himself?
The sudden question had revealed a bitter truth, but it also renewed his resolve.
"Right. Let's do our best."
'Both of us.'
All Logan could do was pat the shoulder of this younger version of himself.
The journey to Tesron was slow but steady, guarded by fifty soldiers and three hundred mercenaries escorting five hundred volunteers—now trainees.
The tents and camping gear prepared by the mercenaries and soldiers weren't anything special, but to those experiencing outdoor life for the first time, everything seemed wondrous.
Logan personally ladled warm stew into bowls, meeting the eyes of each trainee as he did.
"I value ability over status. So work hard. Become someone capable. If you prove yourselves, I'll make you knights—no matter your background."
Perhaps it was just cheap food and empty words.
But to these young, still-innocent recruits, even the smallest kindness from their lord moved them deeply.
And though most would never become knights, the fact that Victor—standing proudly at Logan's side—was once a slave worse off than a tenant farmer only fueled their determination.
-Let's become knights.
That resolve burned fiercely in their hearts.
Especially among those from the poorest of MacLaine's farming families—the smallest, most ragged of them all.
The children Logan had handpicked for their potential carried an even fiercer determination.
-Absolutely...
"Th-thank you."
"I'll do my best."
Small voices filled with resolve, tiny fists clenched tight.
The wooden bowls filled with stew still seemed too heavy for their small hands, but the fire in their eyes burned brighter than ever.
Most of those gazes were fixed on Victor, and that fact alone brought Logan a quiet satisfaction.
This was precisely one of the reasons he'd insisted on bringing Victor along.
'Perhaps the probability is higher than I estimated.'
With another crisis looming on the horizon,
the thought of gaining another pillar to support his house's future naturally drew a smile to his lips.
Opinions about Logan within Tesron Castle were sharply divided.
To some, he was the butcher who slaughtered their former lord and his heirs before massacring conscripted peasants by the thousands.
To others, he was the miracle worker who fed the starving during the spring famine and made grass grow on barren wasteland.
Yet regardless of which version they believed, those who actually encountered Logan shared one reaction:
keeping a respectful distance while avoiding him entirely.
From the villages outside Tesron's walls to the castle's interior—twice as large as MacLaine's—
every subject averted their eyes and hurried away at the sight of the flame-crested banners and Logan's face.
It was in this atmosphere that Vector greeted him at the inner gate with an attitude wholly unlike his past self.
"Welcome back after your long journey, Grand Prince. Would you prefer to dine first or receive your reports?"
The ninety-degree bow remained unchanged, as did the serpentine eyes darting restlessly beneath narrowed lids. Yet not a trace of hostility remained.
"...Vector. You've changed quite a bit."
Logan couldn't help the bewildered tone that escaped him.
"Hahaha. It's only natural for subordinates to serve their superiors."
"And before?"
"I merely followed Her Ladyship's will. She was the master of my life."
"Oh? So you're blaming my stepmother now."
"If you still hold resentment, take my head. I'll bear no grudge."
"Really? You mean that?"
Shhhk—
When Logan drew his sword without hesitation, Vector's forehead glistened with cold sweat despite his resolute voice, hands trembling visibly.
Yet for the first time, those perpetually scheming eyes remained perfectly still, locked onto Logan without wavering.
"J-just...don't let this trouble Her Ladyship. Let my death be the end of it."
Logan chuckled and sheathed his blade upon seeing this display.
Whatever past grudges remained, Vector's loyalty to his stepmother was undeniably genuine.
"Keep acting like that from now on."
Instead of a blade, a friendly clap landed on Vector's shoulder as Logan passed by.
The middle-aged man with graying hair staggered as if struck, yet his expression brightened instantly.
"Tch. Stand straight. People might think I actually hit you hard."
"M-my apologies. The tension left me..."
"Tsk. You'll get indigestion if we eat like this. Reports first."
"Understood."
Fortunately, Vector proved more competent than expected.
"The financial situation—"
"The subjects' conditions—"
"And all preparations for soldier recruitment are complete."
Thanks to Vector's proactive cooperation, the selection of Tesron's trainees concluded swiftly the next day.
Sigh. Only about 250 here show real talent. Well, we need crossbow cavalry immediately anyway...
The Empire had merely found a method with higher success rates—they hadn't fully unraveled the mechanics of Aura awakening.
Even those appearing untalented now might become Aura Users.
With this self-reassurance, Logan selected 500 trainees from Tesron.
Thus gathered, the 1,000 recruits.
Fortunately, Tesron's barracks—designed to accommodate nearly 1,500 including existing troops—had ample space.
Unfamiliar with communal living and mostly young, the recruits' moods varied wildly.
Some formed quick bonds:
"I'm Rom. Let's do well together."
"Tes here. Yeah, good luck."
While others clashed:
"Hey! What's your problem? Not gonna apologize?"
"You blocked the way first."
"The hell you say?!"
"B-break it up!"
In this alien environment, none found sleep easily.
"Everyone shut up!"
"Sleep or I'll knock you out!"
Despite veteran soldiers and instructors patrolling, the barracks remained restless throughout the night.
Next morning.
The wake-up trumpet sent bleary-eyed recruits stumbling onto the training grounds, over half sporting bloodshot eyes from sleeplessness.
Seeing this pitiful display, Chief Instructor Kai ignored their sloppy formation and issued his first order from the podium:
"Five laps around the inner wall. Slowest hundred get two extra."
Bewildered expressions spread through the huddled mass.
"Huh?"
"Run!"
"Suddenly—"
"G-go!"
Though confused, when one recruit began running, reactions came swiftly.
The mob surged forward along the nearly 5km inner wall perimeter.
None considered that five laps bordered on impossible for ordinary people.
Within an hour, as the first lap concluded, staggering figures began appearing—an entirely predictable outcome.
"Huff...huff..."
"Haah...haah..."
"Uuugh!"
Most "running" had degraded to stumbling walks, with some recruits' eyes rolling back as their legs gave out.
Yet among them, one boy with blue hair and heterochromatic red-blue eyes ran effortlessly at the front.
"What's...with that kid?"
"That...slave..."
"Grand Prince's...?"
As others faltered, the gap widened steadily.
Victor's performance ignited something in those trailing behind.
'If that slave can do it...'
'Why can't I?'
'Can't lose!'
Light returned to glazed eyes; trembling legs found renewed strength.
Though they'd suffer for this overexertion later, the entire group began chasing Victor as if spellbound.
'The Victor Effect... Just as Lord Logan said.'
Kai, running alongside to supervise, smiled at the sight.
Neither Logan nor he cared about physical endurance right now—
they only wanted to see unbroken willpower.
Thus, the first training ended abruptly during the fourth lap when a hundred recruits collapsed.
"Quitters and fainters get two extra laps once they recover. Fail again and go home. Understood?"
Pale faces appeared among the fallen, while those barely standing sighed in relief.
"Haah...haah...alive..."
"Don't...talk..."
"Hurk...gasp...haaa..."
"That...monster..."
As everyone sat heaving, only one boy calmly stretched his muscles.
They all knew cooldowns prevented soreness, but executing them after pushing limits was another matter.
In other words, this supposedly grueling test barely challenged Victor.
From his distant office overlooking the grounds, Logan observed everything.
Golden eyes scrutinized Victor's expression and physical condition across the distance,
until satisfaction curved his lips.
'Definitely absorbing Aura. Won't be long now.'
When Victor awakened during training, every soldier would witness it—
proof that even a slave could become a knight.
No motivation could prove more powerful.
'His slave status has overshadowed Victor's genius long enough.'
Just as that approaching recruit was about to discover.