The Road to Houston

Luden had been about to answer Storm Sword with Storm Sword, matching form for form — but he was forced to change his mind.

Too slow.

Kevin's blade was faster. And the aura radiating from it was far stronger than he'd anticipated.

In that case.

Crack!

In an instant, Luden's sword shot out like a bolt of lightning and cleaved through the oncoming whirlwind. It was as if a thunderbolt had surged skyward to sever a storm in two.

"What the—?!"

Wide eyes held nothing but shock and confusion. Luden didn't let the opening slip away. Closing the distance until they were nearly chest to chest, he drove his knee up into the exposed belly.

"Guhk—!"

"Figured you'd be short on experience in this sort of thing."

Watching Kevin crumple to the ground, Luden tilted his head. His talent was undeniable, but he was still young — and it showed in his lack of experience.

Nothing for it, then.

Having made up his mind, Luden spoke down at the fallen Kevin, almost tauntingly.

"Done already?"

"Ngh..."

"Sigh. I wonder who you get that temper from."

The resentful glare Kevin shot up at him carried the clear will to keep fighting. That stubborn, can't-lose attitude of his hadn't changed one bit from before. It had to come from the Count. Luden himself was no different, after all.

But right now, Kevin needed to cool his head — and Luden knew exactly which words would calm him down.

"I get the gist of it. Viscount Felix reached out to you, didn't he?"

"?! How did you—"

Figures.

Just as he'd suspected, the man had made contact with Kevin.

That man's thinking is obvious.

He was a born merchant to the marrow. If a man like that wanted to take a territory, there was only one way he'd go about it: make his own grandson Kevin the rightful heir, then slowly sink his claws into Kaisar.

Kaisar's already short on money as it is. Once he exploits that, there's no stopping him.

The problem here was Kevin's position. What mattered to him was his mother and the Kaisar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠territory — not Viscount Felix. No matter that the man was his maternal grandfather, he couldn't just stand by and watch the territory pass into someone else's hands.

But Kevin couldn't defy the Viscount's will either. Becoming the heir was the only way to protect himself and his mother, Mayran.

"If you don't become the heir, your mother gets thrown away by Viscount Felix. And if you do become the heir, you're terrified the family will be stolen. That about sums it up, doesn't it?"

"..."

No answer came, but anyone could tell it was the truth. His little brother really was a handful.

"You know, I've been thinking — you're way too young to be carrying this much on your mind."

"What?"

"If something's bothering you, you should talk about it. Doesn't it wear you out, agonizing all alone like that?"

"S-shut up! What would you know? Stop butting in."

"Of course I'm going to butt in. I'm your older brother, after all."

Really, Kevin needed to learn to lean on someone once in a while.

Look who's talking.

A wry smile crossed his face. In his past life, hadn't he been far more reckless and wild than Kevin ever was? Compared to that, Kevin's problem was that he was too mature for his own good.

"Even if you can't count on me, you've got Father. Instead of wasting time worrying all by yourself, go whine at him and ask for help."

"W-whining? Do I look like a child to you?"

"You're fourteen. That's a child."

Snorting, Luden hauled Kevin to his feet.

"Father and the retainers aren't pushovers either. You don't need to worry — the Kaisar territory won't fall into anyone else's hands."

"How can you be so sure? I'm telling you, Grandfather is not a man to be taken lightly."

"Maybe not. But honestly? I don't think Viscount Felix is worth worrying about."

"Huh?"

Before the Great Famine began, the merchant house run by Viscount Felix would be utterly ruined for trafficking in goods the kingdom had outlawed. The Viscount himself would be stripped of his title and thrown in prison. There was no need to spare him a thought.

He couldn't say any of that out loud, of course. Instead, Luden spoke as if to reassure him.

"Just don't worry about it. Focus on becoming the heir. You've wanted that for a long time, haven't you?"

"You're a real piece of work. So in the end, you weren't thinking about anything at all."

For all his grumbling, Kevin's face looked lighter than it had before. The worry hadn't vanished entirely, but it no longer weighed on him. In his past life too, Kevin had never given up to the very end, striving to protect the territory and the family.

"Leaving the family — you meant that?"

"Yeah. Decided a while ago."

"Tch. Dumping the hassle on everyone else while you run off to enjoy yourself. Typical."

"If you're jealous, you could run away from home too."

"Forget it. Just come back soon."

Laughter rose in him unbidden. Come back soon.

When he'd run away before, he had sworn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never to return. He'd disappointed his father, been humiliated by Kevin — he hadn't wanted to stay in that place a moment longer. That was why the words sounded so strange in his mouth.

That's right. This is a place I'll come back to.

Leden turned the words over in his mind, as if sealing a new resolve.

"Oh, right — I won our duel, didn't I? I expect your skills to improve by next time. Don't slack on your training just because you're the heir."

"Don't make me laugh! You won one measly match and now you're strutting around!"

And so Luden left the house — on the very same day he turned fifteen, just as in his past life.

It had happened not long after his past self left the territory.

Shaken by having the heir's seat snatched away by his younger brother, Luden had stolen the family's wealth and run — and on the road to Houston City, he ran into them.

"Oho. What a windfall."

"Heh heh heh heh. Looks like he's all alone, too."

"Puh-huh."

The vulgarity oozed from their appearance, their manner of speech, the way their eyes sized him up like a mark. That they were bandits was plain at a glance.

For a moment, Luden froze in fear.

"W-who are you?"

"Oh dear, oh dear. There are still people who don't know us — the Rex Three Brothers?"

"Definitely some country bumpkin, boss. Cut him some slack."

"Puh-huh. And what a pathetic-looking face on this one."

Luden drew his sword. But his body trembled so pitifully that it posed no threat whatsoever.

"Heh heh. Don't be scared. We're kind-hearted — hand over everything you've got and we won't kill you."

"D-do you know who I am?! Uwaaaaaah!"

That day, Luden lost every last piece of the family fortune he'd carried off to the Rex brothers and was left penniless. It was the kind of incident that would go down as the second black mark on his life's record.

And now, history repeats.

"Scored ourselves a windfall. You alone?"

"That I am."

"Keheheheh. Then that's a problem. Wandering around alone in times as dangerous as these — tsk tsk. Guess we'll have to teach the young master a lesson about the world."

"Puh-huh-huh. And of course, the lesson comes with a fee."

Luden regarded the three men blocking his road with an odd look in his eyes.

Come to think of it, these guys were here too.

The Rex Three Brothers. The dogs who had robbed him blind in his past life. Because of them, Luden had gone hungry for days and lived like a beggar.

"We'll teach you all right. We're the famous Rex—"

"You're the Rex Three Brothers. Pleasure to meet you."

"Huh?"

Rex, mid-introduction with all his swagger, couldn't help making a foolish face. Every victim they'd ambushed before had taken one look at his face, frozen in terror, and handed over everything they owned — then begged for their lives. But this young whelp showed not the slightest trace of fear.

No, worse than that — he seemed delighted to see them.

Was the boy out of his mind? Or perhaps so terrified that fear itself had abandoned him? That was what Rex and his brothers concluded.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Well, this works out. We were actually on our way to find you."

"What did you say?"

"How should I put this... meeting you again after all this time, even guys like you feel like old friends."

"You little punk! What the hell have you been babbling about?!"

Naturally, the Rex Three Brothers had never laid eyes on this insolent brat before. So when he carried on as if he knew them, they took it as mockery. In the end, the youngest, Barrel, lost his temper and swung his axe.

CLANG!

"M-my sword?!"

Barrel's axe was stopped dead by Luden's blade. The three men's eyes went wide — they had confirmed only moments ago that he carried no weapon.

"Still a pack of trash, I see."

Luden smiled coldly. That incident was ancient history to him by now. He'd endured all manner of hardships since, so it hardly weighed on his mind — but the moment he laid eyes on the Rex trio's faces again, the humiliation of that day came flooding back, rekindling a hot emotion that blazed in his chest.

For the Rex trio, this was an unfortunate turn of events. After all, they hadn't actually done anything to Luden yet.

"G-guhk!!"

Struck by Luden's fist, Barrel collapsed where he stood, his entire body paralyzed by the shock, unable to move so much as a finger. The other two brothers were stunned.

With bounties on their heads and no one having caught them yet, the three brothers had a certain confidence in their skills. It wasn't as if they could stand up to a proper knight, but their quick wits and caution had kept them alive until now. And yet Barrel — the youngest of the Rex Three Brothers — had gone down.

In a single blow.

"You bastard!!"

"You son of a bitch."

Shock gave way to fury in an instant, and Rex and Cracker charged in together.

Luden's form slid forward like smoke. With his presence erased and his footsteps silenced, he had already circled behind the two men before they knew it — like a ghost passing through. Though he brushed right past them, neither Rex nor Cracker reacted. When they finally came to their senses and spun around, Luden had already delivered Stun Smash to them both.

"Guhk!"

"Kehk!"

Barely a few minutes had passed before all three of the Rex Brothers were subdued. Even with their notorious reputation in Houston, they posed no threat whatsoever to the Luden of today.

"Now, then."

Having tidied up the situation to his satisfaction, Luden approached Barrel, the first to fall. The man looked unconscious, but he would be awake. Stun Smash was a skill that briefly paralyzed the body — its raw power was nothing remarkable.

"Hey. Hey. Get up. I know perfectly well you're not asleep."

"..."

He prodded him with his toe, but Barrel didn't stir so much as a muscle. Without a closer look, anyone would think he'd genuinely blacked out.

"Hah. What a pathetic bit of acting."

Of course, such theatrics would never fool Luden. Without hesitation, he planted his blade in the ground right beside the sleeping face — and Barrel's eyes snapped open, his whole body groveling in the dirt with lightning speed.

"Hiiiiek! S-spare me, please! I—I didn't recognize you, sir knight!"

"Hey."

"I'll never do anything bad again, I swear! On our parents' names, I promise!"

"Hey."

Barrel, trembling pitifully, stole a glance upward — and found himself face to face with a devil's visage glaring down at him, ice-cold.

"Hiiiek?!"

"You lot. You've racked up quite a haul robbing people all this time, haven't you?"

"W-well, that's..."

"Take me to it. Whether I let you live or not depends on how much there is."

Looking up at the boy's beaming smile, Barrel could think only one thing: they had crossed a devil they should never, ever have touched.

That day, the Rex Three Brothers — who had done nothing but cause trouble — were retired from the bandit business for good.

Luden handed the Rex brothers over to the guard force in Houston. They already had bounties on their heads, so the moment he dragged them in, they were thrown straight into a cell.

"Thank you for capturing the Rex brothers. You've taken a great weight off our shoulders."

"Haha, think nothing of it. It's only what anyone should do."

Luden waved off the guard's repeated thanks as if it were nothing — but a pleased smile played across his face.

Hohoho. That turned out sweeter than I expected.

What he'd shaken loose from the Rex Three Brothers, plus the bounty he'd just collected — even after returning the stolen goods to the guards, a tidy sum had found its way into his pockets. Best of all was the sheer satisfaction of finally paying back the brothers who had fleeced him in his past life.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"A good start. Now then — first things first. Time to register as a mercenary."

Luden walked the streets of Houston with the ease of a man retracing familiar steps.