Around the time I arrived at the training grounds and was lightly warming up, I heard signs of someone at the doorway.
“Greetings, Your Grace the Grand Duke Betius. I came because you were looking for me…”
A perplexed emotion settled into the unfamiliar voice.
“Pardon me, but what are you doing?”
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
I let out a groaning sound and flopped face-down on the floor.
“Only 1 minute. To think I’ve been living while dragging around such trash.”
“Why were you… doing planks?”
“Because all training must have fundamentals as its foundation.”
What’s needed to survive in harsh land is a strong body. To build that strong body, stable stamina is needed, and the foundation of that stamina is…
‘Core.’
Core is the beginning and end of strength. Without core, there is no body. So right now, this body is as good as nonexistent, just a prettily shaped sugar confection.
Even struggling with all my might, only 1 minute.
At this humiliating result that wouldn’t happen twice in a lifetime, I let out deep sighs and stood up. I was somewhat staggering because of the leather armor I was wearing for the first time.
“You’re doing the work of commanding the guard unit, I hear.”
“That’s correct.”
Captain of the Guard, Wieg.
He, who had appeared several times in <Pavane for a Dead Princess>, was a power player of the north with tremendous vision and a cool-headed temperament.
As a member of one of the few established families in this region full of refugees and immigrants, there was a setting that his family had produced talented individuals with exceptional abilities in security for generations.
‘In the original work, I remember he clashed with Achille at every turn.’
Perhaps it was natural. Achille, who had been exiled here after causing all sorts of trouble, couldn’t have shown affection for his place of exile.
Naturally, he couldn’t abandon his nature even here and would have acted selfishly, and in the eyes of Wieg, who took pride in his homeland, such an Achille would have been disagreeable. Probably the impression of an unprecedented lunatic who came to ruin his homeland.
But fortunately, the current Wieg only showed wariness toward me at most. Though he seemed suspicious because of the abundant rumors, it didn’t seem to be to the degree of showing hostility yet.
So I intended to carefully button the first button for a good relationship with him. In addition to that…
“There’s something I’d like you to cooperate with. About two things?”
Wieg answered while standing upright.
“I have not received knight ordination. Such a title is too much for a mere soldier.”
“You just haven’t received it yet, have you? I’m not delicate enough to change titles at the right time, so you adapt on your own.”
“…Yet?”
I extended one finger and spoke calmly.
“I’m going to establish a knight order to protect the Grand Duchy of Betius. You’ll take on the position of knight commander.”
I intended to bestow a knight title befitting the position of knight commander. As a result of picking Albert’s pocket of common knowledge, anyway, since imperial blood flows in me, I have sufficient qualifications to ordain.
To Wieg, who was dazed at the unexpected statement, I extended another finger.
“And teach me swordsmanship. Of course, I’ll provide compensation. An amount you’ll think of at least once even in your sleep.”
Wieg blinked and looked at me. Perhaps because of the black iris with strong contrast against his scarlet eyes, he looked even more flustered.
“May I ask the reason?”
“No, you may not.”
It’s bothersome to explain in detail.
“Since it’s not something to do while holding onto someone unwilling, refuse now if you’re going to. If you grumble later about how it was bothersome or you followed helplessly because you were forced, I’ll throw you out onto the snowy plains.”
“…Very well.”
Of course it would be good. Even calling it a knight order, the work wouldn’t be very different from the guard unit, and the best position has just dropped from the sky.
Moreover, he was an excellent swordsman to the point of being armed even now. For someone like him, teaching one person would be easy enough to do with his eyes closed.
From what I could tell, it seemed he thought he just needed to moderately accommodate the Grand Duke’s whims.
‘Just wait and see.’
There’s a reason for paying lots of money. I’ll squeeze you dry to the bone marrow.
“Just come to the training grounds at this time every day and watch over me. You don’t need to be able to slash ten magical beasts with one gesture. But it would be troublesome to die without being able to swing a sword once when problems arise.”
I was trying to learn just in case, since you never know what will happen with human affairs. No matter how much I want to live safely, the magical beasts won’t cooperate with that.
“Half a day will do. During the remaining time, you can handle other matters. Since you’re here, let’s start from today.”
Wieg, having put away his flustered appearance, pondered carefully over what I said. Then, perhaps judging there was no need to refuse, he nodded.
“If you wish, I’ll do so. Should I help with physical training first?”
“No. I’ll handle that myself.”
Calculating how to work this trash of a body to make it function as a human is dizzying, but still, it’s not that I don’t know the method.
“You just need to teach me how to handle blades.”
“Blades…”
“When I’m in a hurry, my feet tend to go first.”
Can’t help it. It’s a kind of occupational disease.
Wieg’s dubious gaze stealthily swept over me. Despite his quite insolent eyes, seeing that no questions flew over, it seemed he realized I had no intention of properly answering whatever he asked.
“Understood. Then, will you use a wooden practice sword while you’re adapting?”
“Let’s do that.”
Wieg, having unbuckled his sword, brought two wooden practice swords hanging on the wall.
“I’ll teach you the basic stance and show you a demonstration of overhead strikes first.”
“Overhead strikes, good.”
Answering seriously, I gripped the wooden sword with both hands.
It was the moment the first button was perfectly fastened.
***
They were frantically busy days.
In the morning, I took care of basic paperwork. I had to distribute the supplies I brought to the people, and to prepare for winter, I had to process work until my eyes fell out and process it again.
Fortunately, Albert, who was the best choice among my moving luggage, helped me and thoroughly fulfilled his role as an aide. Life on this side is much more rewarding than a life buried in the library doing cleaning. At those words, I decided to use him generously without reserve.
As planned, I also organized the Betius Knight Order. I incorporated the existing guard unit personnel as they were, and through a simplified knight ordination, Wieg took on the position of knight commander.
The northern people, who had hoped the existing system wouldn’t collapse, were very pleased with this choice. Especially the guard members were so delighted at the fact that they were becoming official knights beyond mere soldiers that my ‘Chaos Meter’ was shaved down at a terrifying rate.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to be absent from the touching scene of knight ordination. Because Wieg, whom I thought was calm, secretly admired me, and I lost as much as 15 percent of that cursed ‘Chaos Meter’ all at once. With a headache flaring up, Billy diligently placed wet towels on my head as I lay down in secret.
After finishing lunch simply, I headed to the training grounds. Sometimes when the timing became ambiguous, I would demolish bread together with other soldiers at the training grounds.
At the sight of me in armor sitting on the floor and tearing into dry bread that contained nothing but flour, the knights reacted as if they were seeing a lightning bolt strike from a clear sky. But perhaps they adapt even to lightning if struck enough, because now they don’t spit out the bread they’re eating. It was a fortunate thing.
Somehow coaxing this trash of a body to build stamina, doing overhead strikes. Doing planks again while increasing by 30 seconds each time, and doing overhead strikes.
‘Did you originally exercise? You’re learning incredibly fast.’
‘Knight Commander Wieg also says strange things. What kind of exercise would His Imperial Majesty have done? Perhaps social horseback riding at most.’
‘Ah, so that’s why you said your feet go first when you’re in a hurry.’
‘That’s not quite it… Don’t nitpick. It’s bothersome to explain.’
After spending half a day like that, when evening comes, I finish the day by reading overdue reports near the fireplace and dozing off drowsily.
Before falling asleep, I check the ‘Chaos Meter,’ and on days when I think it’s dropped quite a bit.
―Hello, Your Grace the Grand Duke. Did you bring it today?
Without fail, I cross over into the pure white world in my dreams and meet the existence asking me to give it a name.
