Around the time I finished my squats and got into a lunge position, Lenox arrived at the training grounds.
The kid, who had changed into comfortable clothes and bounced in, immediately stood next to me as soon as he saw me, then clasped both hands together and assumed the same stance with one foot forward.
“You can’t.”
“Why not? Hyungnim is doing it. I’m going to get strong following Hyungnim too. That way I’ll protect Hyungnim—no, His Grace the Grand Duke!”
“Your courage is commendable, but if you do it without proper form, you’ll hurt your knees.”
The younger the child who doesn’t know how to use their body properly, the more I needed to keep watching them, but right now I had to train, so I couldn’t look after every single thing.
I gestured toward the training ground wall to the kid whose lips were pouting out.
“Run five laps around the training grounds, and I’ll tell you what to do next.”
At those words, Lenox started running around the training grounds at a terrifying speed. The other knights who had taken their positions cheered him on with each lap.
Good thing he’s a popular kid. While the little one was sprinting, I quickly finished the remaining lunges.
“I can’t do this either?!”
After running five laps, Lenox, who came panting like an excited puppy, showed me a sullen expression again when I wouldn’t allow him to touch a sword.
“They said in the imperial palace that you can hold a real sword once you’re over ten……”
What crazy person said they’d put something this dangerous in a child’s hands? It was absurd enough that I wanted to see their face.
“This isn’t the imperial palace. In the north, you can only touch one after you turn fifteen. You’re small for your size, so you can’t even use a wooden sword yet.”
“……”
“Don’t like it? If you don’t like it, this place……”
“No! I like it! I like it, Hyungnim!”
Lenox shouted with a face that didn’t look pleased at all. He didn’t like it one bit, but it seemed he disliked returning to the imperial palace even more.
“Then what should I do while Hyungnim is practicing swordsmanship? Should I run another five laps?”
“No.”
That was enough aerobic exercise. Besides, if I kept making him do the same thing, he’d obviously get bored. It wasn’t like he was going around outside—he was just circling around the training grounds.
I bent down slightly to meet the kid’s eyes, then whispered in a secretive tone.
“From now on, I’m going to pass down a very important technique to you. Are you ready?”
“……A, an important technique?”
“Yes. I’m going to teach you something secret and special that none of those knights over there can do. How about it, can you do it?”
“Yes! Yes! Of course!”
And a moment later, Wieg, who came in to observe my training, looked at one corner of the training grounds and tilted his head.
“Good day, Your Grace the Grand Duke. I will begin today’s training…… Excuse me, I apologize, but…… what is Young His Imperial Majesty doing right now?”
Where his gaze landed, there was Lenox earnestly thrusting forward his tiny fists.
“Hup! Hup! Hiyah!”
“Well……”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“One of the best exercises for kids that age.”
The most popular sport for elementary schoolers would be taekwondo.
***
Five more days passed.
A week since I hadn’t met that pale and pretty kid. My body was updating to its worst state day after day. It was to the point where Billy gave up nagging and followed me around with the attending physician.
The average ‘Chaos Meter’ was in the late 60 percent range, 70 percent if I was lucky. As the number went down, I experienced fainting twice.
I tried my best in my own way to raise this cursed number.
I went out into the snow field without a coat and lay down, and I also put on a performance of ordering them to bring the cheapest teacup in the castle and then throwing it out the window. I showed Lenox a taekwondo demonstration in front of other knights, and I even hummed K-pop hits that no one could understand while passing by.
But my efforts repeatedly ended in failure.
I had to get up within 5 minutes because Lenox tried to lie down next to me when I lay in the snow field, and the teacup I’d thrown out got completely buried in a snowdrift due to the timely news of snow. People were moved by our brotherly affection rather than the taekwondo stances they were seeing for the first time in their lives, and the K-pop hit…… Lenox asked me to teach him the lyrics, so I had to do my best to rewrite them.
‘Ah, life.’
It’s really not easy. I want to coast for just one day, but things just won’t go my way.
Since my body was in such a state, I thought yesterday that I really should rest for just one day.
‘His Imperial Majesty the Emperor says he will send support supplies.’
As compensation for removing the troublesome ten-year-old from before his eyes, the Emperor spent big money, which added more work I had to do.
When I received and examined the list of support items first, most of them were money and jewels, luxury goods, precious fabrics, and the like. There were some food supplies too, but not a single weapon.
‘Is he scared the two His Imperial Majesties might conspire together for a rebellion or something?’
It couldn’t help but be a groundless worry. Because not only I, but Lenox as well, had no interest whatsoever in that imperial throne. Whoever the Emperor is, whoever the Crown Prince is—how would it matter as long as they don’t make our lives miserable?
But cultivating military power was necessary. Because we had opponents we needed to fight. The problems in this land were mostly magic beasts, not people.
As I was lost in thought, tickling my chin with the end of my quill pen, Albert, who was standing across from me organizing documents, asked cautiously.
“Will you be purchasing weapons with the recently secured budget?”
“It’ll invite unnecessary misunderstanding. Besides, it’ll be difficult to obtain quality goods.”
Those who made good weapons were mostly in the southeast. Because good iron came from the mountains located in that area.
Albert nodded, perhaps having had similar thoughts to mine.
“As the lords who control the mines are mostly pro-Emperor faction, I believe there will be various problems in transactions. Because all the manufactured goods are probably being supplied to the lords.”
“There’s not much room for goods to slip out, is that it?”
But a lord is just a lord at most. They can collect goods, but they can’t control everything that happens on their land.
“Then, take the people away.”
“……Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Send suitable people to bring craftsmen who want to relocate. Select those with good dexterity from the north and have them learn the skills. Of course there would naturally be such people originally, but I mean to strengthen the system further. Do you understand what I mean?”
Buying goods with the money we have is only good once or twice. The north also had excellent mines, and produced iron and various ores good enough not to fall behind the south.
So only if the people here made the goods essential for life and survival themselves could we prevent future troubles.
‘Because this world will continue even after I leave.’
I could just go back. I wasn’t going to live here forever anyway.
But the lives of the people left here would continue. If this place wasn’t just a simple fantasy or delusion, then I wanted to gift a better foundation to those who had welcomed me, even if only for a time.
Even after that, I continued the meeting with Albert for quite a while, clutching my throbbing head.
He, who had been glancing at me, took out a round pill from a small box and held it out to me. It was made by compressing medicinal herbs good for headaches.
I chewed and swallowed the bitter pill without water. My face naturally scrunched up at the astringent taste that felt like my tongue would fall off. It was medicine that worked even a little on my condition, but it was hopeless that even this medicine’s effect didn’t last long.
In the end, I had to pull out my trump card.
“The Four Towers.”
“Do you mean the Ice Tower in the perpetual snow region?”
“Yes. I personally have something I need to do, so find out the route there.”
“Pardon? That place, no one has returned alive……”
“You were going to say almost no one. But it’s not that there’s absolutely no one, right?”
If that were the case, its very existence wouldn’t have become known.
“See if there are any commonalities with the Four Towers in the southern desert region, and send people there too.”
Although Albert sent me an anxious look, perhaps thinking I was showing curiosity about dangerous places, he withdrew after saying he understood anyway.
“Will you be going to the training grounds?”
“No.”
When I gestured, Albert opened the office door.
Outside the door stood Lenox wearing a newly made cape coat. His cheeks and ears were tinged pink with excitement.
“Hyungnim!”
“I’m going out with that kid.”
Today was the day to go sightseeing in the village with the curious ten-year-old.
