After receiving the second technique for the Supreme Black Sword from Theo.
The next day dawned bright and early.
I immediately set out for Chasers, which was still in full development.
A six-seater wagon drawn by two horses, with my units riding alongside.
Zitri, Elena, Mei, and Rona....
I was a little surprised to see Rona, the maid of honor here, accompany me on my personal business, but it didn't take long to understand.
She feels guilty about my mother and is worried about me. I told her it was okay, but it wasn't.
From what I heard, she even took a vacation, and I can tell by the way she's following me around.
Anyway, Nox, this is a bad topic, but I'm fine with it.
While I'm thinking about such trivialities, Rona, who seems to be in better shape than yesterday, looks enviously at me and Zitri.
"Haha, Carl… I wonder when I'll be able to ride on that sturdy back of yours...."
Luckily, she seems to have come to her senses after yesterday.
In many ways, I can't help but be relieved.
It's quite a hassle for me to have to deal with her being low energy all the time.
It must be quite a chilling factor for the other units to see her in such a state. In many ways, it is my contention that Rona is best left to be herself.
… Of course, it would be nice if people would put up with the gossip about women's pilgrimage.
'Anyway, it's a good thing, because it's not exactly pleasant to see Rona feeling guilty about Nox's mother, whom I don't even know.'
I ride in the lead, lost in thought.
Surrounding me are a number of knights assigned by the family. They're here for escort, but I'm the one who's actually leading the way. They're just for show, since no big guy has ever dared to touch House Reinhafer.
It's just that the son of such a great family is moving, so can you get out of the way in moderation?
It would be convenient to see that it contains only the meaning.
"By the way, Young Master. Are you sure you don't mind not attending Professor Lars' publication? He's come to me several times and even asked me to convince him to attend...."{1}
Zitri asked, but I shook my head.
"It's not like I've done much anyway. It's not my achievement. He got what he deserved."
I say, "Patent fees," but Zitri looks a little touched that I meant something else.
I don't bother to ask why.
"Seo Bang-nim… stir… I have a question… ...."
"If you want to ask questions, you can wait until you've gotten over your hangover. Mei"
"Understood, Nox-nim. Come on, Elena, open your mouth!"
"Shh, shh!"
Elena's meaningless protests ensued, but to no avail.
Soon enough, Elena had consumed her "homemade" hangover cure and was awake.
Looking back, I can't believe it. What the hell did she put in to make it work so quickly, and I don't feel embarrassed about using my talents in that way.
She's a fun character, though.
"Sir?"
"Master."
"Master, I wanted to ask you something...."
Even when she was sober, Elena never looked at me.
She kept calling me that even after I corrected her.
I decided to let it go, out of annoyance.
"Why do you want to go back to the Chasers…? I heard you bought that land...."
"Because I'm going to develop it."
"Ha, but it's not even farmed! The land is rotten… and no matter how much you develop it, it won't be as much as you hoped...."
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
At this, Elena suddenly leaned against the back of the carriage and muttered.
"I love the stubborn…! I love the stubborn…! I love the stubborn…!"
"A little too much today."
Mei kept me quiet, and I was able to ride in silence after that. Soon, the view of the Chasers came into view.
But instead of being a barren wasteland of nothingness, something is slowly changing.
First of all, the crumbling shantytowns are slowly coming back to life.
Several huge houses have been built to house quite a few people, and a new orphanage has been constructed nearby to care for the boys and girls.
The place where Elena and Mei had been living together had already had problems with the recruitment of boys, so they immediately changed the water from the top and disposed of it.
To put it simply, they either cut their throats or threw them in a cell.
But that was after the fact, and I'm sure Grine would have handled it appropriately.
'He's an asshole, but a timid one. He can't have done much.'
I didn't clear the land. It's mainly demon hunting we'll be doing here anyway.
That's why I've left some of Grine's men here, as well as some of Theo's private soldiers.
In addition, I have my own personal forces that could be quite useful this time around.
For example.
I have created a force that can only be loyal to Nox von Reinhafer.
Some time ago, I posted a notice within the family estate.
After getting Theo's approval, I raised a small force. I was authorized to raise a small force of about 300 men.
Of course, there was a lot of talk of rebellion, but I had no such intentions, so when I pleaded desperately, the talk fell on deaf ears.
It didn't matter how hard the vassals tried, Theo, the lord of the house, said yes.
We are not all Reinhafers, even if we share the same blood.
If there were two more stars in the night sky, one of them would be brighter. If there are three, there will always be one that is the brightest.
In that sense, Theo is the highest, most awe-inspiring star, hovering just out of reach.
In any case, it's good to see that there's an army of misfits for Nox.
…Of course, that's not the real name, that's just the nickname.
The real name is The Great Demon Slaying Unit.
It simply means that the organization was formed to slay demons for the good of the family.
When asked if the process of assembling these 300 people was without trial and error.
'I'd say definitely not.'
I thought back for a moment to the time when I first posted my recruitment notice in the manor.
Damn, I can feel my fists clenching as I recall the ridiculousness of it all.
* * *
A few days ago,
a tidbit of news traveled through the lands of Reinhafer.
A scion of the Reinhafer family, and an up-and-coming knightly candidate who, strangely enough, has been garnering attention at the Academy of Eldain.
Nox von Reinhafer had returned home.
By all accounts, Nox's resume was nothing short of spectacular, including a stellar run at the head of the fierce Academy of Eldain.
Ashen, Paracelsus, 'loser of the East'. The 'Black Lion', Leon von Marvas, the 'Fox of Gold', Eleanor, and the 'Cold-blooded Princess', Penelope.
Chief of this particularly fierce group?
On the subject of the rotten wretch of House Reinhafer?
These are the men of the house, the servants. Not even the lords and ladies of the manor, because it was so unbelievable that no one really cared.
So the conclusion tended to be.
-He must be lying.
-I'm sure it is, isn't it? Alan, you're up to something, just like Master Hartz.
-Yes, I'm sure of it. A person suddenly turning into a phantom… Is that even possible?
The bar on the first floor below the inn was filled with such voices.
As men are wont to do, they turn into children whenever they talk about martial arts. The only problem is that they sometimes cross the line.
Meanwhile.
The wallpaper that accompanied the breaking news added fuel to the fire.
It read
[In the name of Reinhaber.
I, Nox von Reinhafer, a member of the honorable House of Reinhafer, have been granted permission by my lord to recruit private soldiers to form an anti-demon militia.
If there are any who will follow me, we will gather at the Octagonal Ballroom one afternoon in a week's time for a trial. If you are victorious, or if you are recognized by me, I will pay you a monthly stipend in imperial silver].
-What do you mean?
-The youngest master of House Reinhafer has been up to something interesting!
-Why would anyone apply for a job here? It's ridiculous.
-Why, the money is worth it, isn't it? Who can't beat the youngest master here in the first place? Haha, even my four-year-old daughter could do it.
-Hahaha!
"Everyone's talking about something interesting. How about you make a bet with me?"
Then.
A man in a robe strode in, his face hidden from view.
All eyes immediately focused on him.
He was unperturbed.
"I can assure you," he said, "that the number of people who can pass Nox von Reinhafer's test will be few and far between. I'll take a wager on it if I have to."
"What do you mean, I've never seen you before… and if I bet on the family name, I'll only lose money."
They said, "No, I don't think so," even though it was a chance to win money.
The man wore expensive robes and looked like he'd traveled a long way, and the townspeople weren't too proud to tell him to bet on the youngest member of the family.
But the man was undeterred.
"I doubt it."
It was then.
The robed man jumped to his feet, gulped down the drink in front of him, and set it down. Then he grinned.
-What's so funny?
-We're genuinely worried about you!
-Yes, we are. You seem to come from a wealthy family by the looks of it, haven't you heard the rumors about the youngest master of the Reinhafer Family?
"Hahaha!"
The man didn't stop laughing. The men looked weak, even to him, because it was hilarious to see them huddled together, talking about Nox.
It was.
The man was one of the men who knew Nox better than anyone else.
"You know. Funny."
The robed man's tone changed abruptly.
The bewildered voices of the townsmen in the tavern could be heard as they scratched their heads in confusion. The man began to do something unexpected.
He pulled off his robes, his eyes triumphant, and lightly caught the gazes of those who were cursing Nox. And then he revealed a head of white hair with a distinctive glow.
-Huh, huh!
-He, Master Grine…!
-How did you get here....
-I heard you were training in the Chasers....
The townspeople, suddenly recognizing Grine, back away in horror.
Sure enough, it was Grine, Nox's second brother, who was present.
He'd been traveling the land, listening to rumors to improve his brother's reputation. The stories weren't good, perhaps because he was still a wretch.
For the record, this was the last thing Grine needed.
Hadn't he already given up on getting Garen the First to step aside and switched sides?
Now he was forced to make a move for Nox.
As such, he needed to escalate this situation and make it interesting.
"I'll keep everything we talked about here a secret. But I'll keep my bets. For your information, I'm...."
Grine dropped fifty clinking gold coins into the tavern.
More than enough money to keep a few villagers alive for months. Grine smirked, raising the stakes of the game to a new high.
"I think I'll bet this much on my brother."
{1} : Publication for paper makes more sense than dissertation.