"There have been many times when my sneaky little lord managed to get away from and do what he wanted."
"But his teenage years were not one of those times."
"To ensure he was ready for the harsh world, I trained him diligently from a young age so both his mind and body were ready for the bloody wars ahead."
"Without any distractions, I kept him on a tight leash, never letting him slip away from my grasp."
Leon Mantelon, Grand Commander of the Pelican Guards, Regent to Railius and Grandmaster of Loyalty.
….
Railius was frantically running away from the devil-like man who was casually chasing him ahead of him ran Jordis as fear etched itself into both boys' expressions.
While panting heavily from all the exercise he was forced to endure, he looked at his recently received quests with hatred while running, ironically helping his brain work while under great physical strain.
….
A Young Lord's Training: (Main Quest)
Description: As the future lord of a martial noble house, it is essential that you know how to fight and lead troops on the battlefield. As a result, the Grand Commander of the Pelican Guards and your loyal regent, Leon Mantalon, have taken personal control of your training in all areas related to the military.
Thankfully, your regent is the best friend to your father and absolutely loyal to you and your house, or they may try not to teach you much to make you a puppet to secure their own power so when you come of age he will happily hand you over the power that is rightfully your by blood.
Quest Clear Conditions: Pass Leon's training.
Quest Clear Reward: An increase in 1 physical attribute of your choice
Quest Failure Penalty: More hellish training
….
Escape The Devilish Training (Player Quest)
Description: As your regent, Leon Mantelon has decided that you need to learn about combat and military affairs and is training your body to make it stronger so you have a better chance of surviving in the harsh world of Dynasties Online.
Unfortunately, in an act of childish rebellion, you do not want to do this training and so have made it your goal to get out of it by any means necessary.
Escape from Leon Mantelon's training and live out your teenage days in relaxed bliss!
Quest Clear Conditions: Hide from Leon and escape his training.
Quest Clear Reward: An increase of 1 point in a mental attribute of your choice and automatic completion of the main quest, 'A Young Lord's Training.'
Quest Failure Penalty: If caught trying to escape training, the physical training will only get harder.
….
'Fuck! I don't want a loyal regent! It would be better if he just left me alone to be lazy because when I come of age, I'll be beset with endless problems!'
Railius complained to himself. Only someone as eccentric as him would be annoyed about a loyal regent who is only trying to do what's best for his young lord. If anyone else heard this thought, then they would cause a riot. Thankfully, even the Friend System had assigned the game administration to a few of his deputies so he could take the day off and enjoy his beloved anime, meaning that even he did not hear it.
Who would not want a loyal regent who does his best to teach you governance and military affairs, yet the young lord of Aurellion actually dared complain about it?
Leon Mantelon is also no ordinary person. He is a grandmaster and creator of the Pelican Guards. No matter how loyal they were to their lord and his house, if the organisation's creator wanted to rebel, few could stop him, especially after the number of Pelican Guards around Railius had been lowered to 100. Even a master fighter may be able to kill them all if no formations were used, though he would be injured somewhat. It would be likely that Railius would be killed and his house overthrown!
Yet despite having such a loyal regent and general, Railius was complaining? Was he mad? How bloody lazy is he that he would rather have a corrupt regent than one who wants what is best for him?
Currently, Railius was sprinting as fast as he could, doing the same movement training he did back in the second dynasty history event behind them. Running at a casual jog, Leon shot arrow after arrow at them, forcing them to run and dodge as fast as they could, sweat pouring in rivers over their exhausted bodies while Leon didn't even seem to have any signs of laboured breathing despite his great age.
"Ouch!"
Railius shouted in pain as an arrow hit him on the small part of his back. The paintball-like arrow left a small bruise there before clattering harmlessly to the ground. For three hours, this has been happening with only short breaks in between. Of course, these arrows were not real but were still meant to hurt because if they did not, then the lazy young lord of Aurellion would have no reason to run.
'I didn't sign up to play paintball with no weapon!'
Railius complained indignantly to himself as he massaged the place where he was hit.
Unlike before, when they were running around a courtyard, they were in grass fields this time, which should make it easier to escape and hide, but no matter how much Railius tried, he could never escape from Leon's watchful eyes. He had even tried to go in the opposite direction to Jordis, but who would have expected that instead of training his son, he would be more interested in teaching Railius, well aware that while his son was obedient, his lord was much less so and the cunning young lord of Aurellion would take any opportunity to slip away get out of training.
Leon could not count the number of times during their journey to the Duchy of Detarnor that Railius had slipped away to do his own thing, giving his loyal protector a heart attack each time. His son, ever Railius' faithful servant, always went along with the young lord's antics because if he did not, then even he may be left behind by the eccentric young master, so at least the lord would have one person by his side at all times.
Now that he could spend all his time watching over this lazy, troublesome fellow, how could he just let him do what he wants?
He is the future lord of House Aurellion! Who knows how many battlefields he will find himself on in the future?
House Aurellion is a noble house of generals. As such, they all need to have a basic understanding and skill at warfare because it is likely that each lord of Aurellion will find themselves in a war in one capacity or another, so knowing how to defend yourself and command troops is a priority! After all, only by doing this can they secure the loyalty of the muscleheads in the military and ensure no rebellions occur in the future.
Generals can be stubborn, but when faced with a lord skilled at war, it is surprising how obedient they suddenly become! After all, it was due to Lucius Aurellion's integrity and martial prowess that led to him having such loyal subordinates that they would betray their own country to protect his young son.
While Leon may not be the most politically astute person, he still understood this basic concept, and so wanted to ensure that he gave his young lord the best education in military matters as he could.
For the whole day, Railius had to endure this hellish training from swinging a sword until blisters appeared on his once soft and beautiful hands to practising spearsmenship and riding; there seemed never to be a moment when he was not practising one thing or another. It was only after the day was done and the sun was near set that he was dismissed, and he dragged himself to his bed, collapsing on it in a heap while breathing heavily, his clothes drenched from head to toe in sweat, that the system finally deigned to give him the background around this event.
[Winter 3999 ASA (after species awakening)]
[4 months have passed since you convinced The Free Brothers to help you get to Nathia 500 of the 600 men you had under the command of Aldorus and Myrdin stayed with Duke Ancel to fulfil House Aurellion's part of the agreement.]
[Disguised as guards for one of Duke Ancel's trading caravans, your dynasty managed to infiltrate into Nathia without anyone knowing, wanting to keep a low profile for safety because if the emperor ever found out where he was Railius would be peppered with assassination attempts even if Leon could stave many of them off. As far as they are concerned, you and your house seemed to have disappeared since your last known public appearance to the world was when you broke through the Chavarian border.]
[Unlike Chavaria, which usually has to deal with snow and cold winds coming in from the east of the continent, The Kingdom of Nathia is protected from such weather by the Presfall Peaks, a dense mountain range which makes it perfect for agriculture as the cold winds and snows do not damage any of the crops.]
[It is also for this reason that the kingdom, despite being landlocked with only the Narth River leading to the sea for trade, that many people salivate over its rich farmlands, which allow it to support a large population and has been the basis of their power for generations.]
[You are currently in exile in the Duchy of Detarnor, a vital trading and agricultural hub in the centre of The Kingdom of Nathia, and living in a small camp with your 100 Pelican Guards, you have only gotten to the duchy around 1 month ago and have yet to build any foundation here though thanks to your small numbers it has been possible to survive with the money you have brought with you from Chavaria and your troops doing a few odd jobs here and there for a bit of money.]
[In the next few days, you are expecting to be joined by Darius, the second commander of the Pelican Guards, alongside 900 men who have survived the journey to Nathia. Over the next few months, their families will be transferred to join them.]
[These teenage years in your character's life could profoundly impact what you start with once the game begins. Even though your dynasty is no longer in danger of being destroyed, please use your time wisely and plan for the future!]
Railius's exhausted brain barely acknowledged this introduction before shutting down, making the lazy young lord of Aurellion fall into a deep slumber.
The sun had barely raised a few meters into the sky when a small black-cloaked figure started skulking about dodging the vigilant sentries as he headed towards the camp's exit and the freedom the plains promised.
But that freedom was destined to be snatched away just when it was within his grasp as a familiar voice made the hairs on the back of the young man's head stand up.
"My lord, I never knew you took training so seriously and would get up early in the morning to practice."
A playful, gleeful voice said as Railius, clad in a black cloak, stood still like a statue when he heard it. In an attempt to escape training, he didn't even take Jordis with him and instead felt a gust of wind pass him by as light spread across the land to reveal Leon with a vicious smile on his face.
How could Leon not know what was on his young lord's mind after protecting him for the entirety of the boy's life?
Not even Railius' mother knew more about the young lord's temperament than Leon, who had taught and protected him every day of his life. Every single time that Railius thought that he had escaped from Leon, it was actually Leon who allowed him to do as he wished because no one would dare offend the boy's father, who controlled half of the imperial army at the time.
But now it was different. They were in a foreign land with assassins after them, so how could Leon allow Railius to be so carefree? Leon is a grandmaster; no matter how quietly his young master breathed or how sneaky he was, it was easy for the Loyal Protector of Aurellion to find him, detect him leaving, and stop it. The loyal regent was determined that whether the young master wanted to or not, he would be trained and learn about military affairs. No longer could he afford to slack off as he had been doing back in his mansion in the Chavarian capital as his eyes flashed with a slight reddish light.
Any regent who wanted to seize power would be happy to have such a reckless child in their charge, but for a loyal one like Leon, a brash and eccentric lord was the last thing he wanted.
Railius felt cold fear as he looked at his loyal protector smile, for it was one that he knew condemned him to what he considered a fate worse than death, that of hard work and effort.
"O-of course, I came out to t-train. I wouldn't dream of trying to escape from my duties."
Railius stuttered out nervously as his body shook slightly. Who the hell would believe him? It was obvious what he wanted to do, and he resigned himself to his fate.
"Good, now come along. We have much training to do!"
Leon said with a devilish smile. Now that he had caught his young master trying to escape, he would train the hell out of him. From Railius' point of view, his loyal guardian angel had suddenly grown horns and turned into a devil as he grabbed the scruff of the young player's clothes and dragged the reluctant Railius towards his makeshift training ground. The young player did not resist in the slightest, knowing that it was impossible to escape now that he was in the Grandmaster of Loyalties' firm hands, his one chance to escape being ruthlessly blocked off.
[Player-made quest 'Escape The Devilish Training' failed! You will now go through a few days of training with Leon.]
Looking at the system notification, Railius let out a resigned sigh because of his storm of emotions and a strong desire to escape training. He forgot that quests could be created from players' desires and, just like that, had failed his first quest, being caught by a grandmaster who could only catch him because of a quest reward he chose at the end of his first dynasty history event.
After vowing never to allow such a quest to be created ever again, he mentally prepared for the physical trails ahead.