"Thank you!"
After turning the bishop into a eunuch, I went to visit the Young-ji-min family, who had been harmed this time.
The girl, who had been on the verge of death when we first met, smiled brightly at me.
Her sister was the same.
But I could sense a subtle unease within them.
Perhaps they were afraid that there would be problems with the temple.
"You don't need to worry."
I need to cleanly resolve those worries.
"I have definitely resolved the issue with the temple. The bishop who caused the problem has been punished and will never be able to rise again as a clergyman."
"Ah, thank you…"
"If the temple tries to cause trouble again, whether through the guards or by coming directly to the mansion, deal with it."
Of course, such a thing would never happen.
I'm just telling them so that this family can feel a little more relieved.
"T-Thank you, my lord!"
The man who seemed to be the father of the two siblings bowed his head with a moved expression.
It was a situation where a child raised with blood and sweat almost lost to pigs. Well, they must be grateful.
"…Though, I'm not sure if I deserve their gratitude."
Perhaps it was my tacit approval that allowed the bishop to act so recklessly in the first place.
If I had been diligent in my duties as a lord, this situation might never have occurred.
But I just nodded lightly without showing any remorse.
If I blamed myself unnecessarily, they might feel even more burdened.
Anyway, the family of the victims in this incident has been liberated.
To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, I should also instruct the guards.
"At least one thing is resolved."
As I leisurely stepped outside, Lepentier , who had been waiting, approached me.
"Thank you for your hard work, your highness ."
"You too. It's just getting rid of one piece of trash that should have been dealt with sooner."
"Even in the Empire, there are many lords who wouldn't do even that."
Lepentier said with a bitter smile.
"But no matter what, your highness , you wanted to change yourself. That's enough."
"Is that so."
Lepentier always speaks favorably to me.
Regardless, my incompetence as a young lord in the past has not disappeared, and it cannot be glorified.
But I shouldn't keep blaming myself.
Regret alone cannot move me forward. I need to think positively towards a better future.
With that in mind, I nodded and smiled at Lepentier 's words.
"A good lord…"
Yes, maybe I can indulge in that thought for now.
With that thought, I walked towards the mansion.
***
"Thank you, young lord!"
As soon as we arrived at the mansion, a loud voice pierced my ears.
The owner of the voice was Einherjar.
I had sent him to the mansion immediately to avoid causing any more trouble, but he was not a calm guy.
"You don't need to thank me. I helped you because I had business with you."
"Hmm, was one of the reasons you punished that bishop to help me?"
As Einherjar muttered, he soon grinned.
"But it's strange. How do you know about me? Did you hear it from Denver?"
"Something like that."
"Does Denver care about me? She isn't the god I believe in…"
"Even if she's not a god, she might be necessary. It's not like there haven't been such cases in history, right?"
"That's true."
Einherjar easily agreed with my words and bowed his head.
"I express my gratitude once again, Duke."
"It's nothing."
"Even if it was for a purpose, I've escaped from danger thanks to the Duke, so to speak."
"Even if you could have escaped on your own, you would have been chased continuously. I know how persistent and malicious the orthodox priests are towards heretics."
Einherjar chuckled.
"But all those problems were solved thanks to the Duke's help. It's definitely a favor received."
"Well, if you think so, the story is simple."
I looked straight at Einherjar and said.
"Help me for a year."
"Hmm, a year…"
"It's not a bad offer. I know why you came out into the world."
"I see."
Einherjar looked at me with interest.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Einherjar. Aren't you a warrior of the forgotten gods, serving the wise Odin?"
"Well, you seem to know."
With a nod and a smile, he acknowledged my words.
"Although there may not be any records left about the one I serve, it seems you know about that…"
"Well, you don't need to know all that. What's important is that I need your strength now."
"That's fine. If I can receive the Duke's help, I can move more comfortably."
"Then it's settled."
Since our opinions matched, we could move on to the main point.
Einherjar reached out his hand to me.
"Kadakh. I am the fifth Einherjar, serving the wise Odin and adorned with his blessings."
"…Fifth?"
"There are a total of five existing Einherjars. I am the youngest among them."
"I see."
So, even excluding Kadakh, there are four more Einherjars.
"What about the other four?"
"They guard the holy grounds. I am the only one who has ventured out into the world."
"I see. Then let's proceed with the contract."
I shook Kadakh's outstretched hand.
There was no need for a grand contract.
The 'contract' of an Einherjar is formed by shaking hands like this.
And as if affirming that idea, Kadakh's hand sparkled for a moment, then the light tangled like a thread, forming a single rune that clung to both me and Kadakh.
"Good."
After confirming that the contract was attached to him, Kadakh nodded.
"The contract is complete. From now on, I will follow the Duke's orders for a year. However, even if I follow them, if the orders are not honorable…"
"I know. Your honor as an Einherjar is above the contract. I have no intention of forcing that."
Kadakh looked at me with eyes that seemed quite surprised at my words.
"…You knew that too?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have come to you to propose a contract."
"I suppose so."
Kadakh said so and closed his eyes for a moment. After some time, he opened his eyes and looked at me as if amazed.
"But… hmm, it's strange."
"What is?"
"It seems that Odin quite likes the Duke. That's the feeling I get."
"Is that so."
Well, that's why I moved like this.
I hope that's what he thinks.
"By the way, Duke."
"Yes?"
"I understand that I have to follow the Duke for a year, but what exactly do I have to do?"
"Once I understood that I should follow the plan for a year, but what exactly should I do?"
"What should I do…?"
Einherjar, said to possess a power similar to that of the Sword Master, the greatest tactical weapon of humanity.
How to make use of such tremendous power for a year.
"If you continue straight ahead from here and turn to the side, you will see the training ground. There, you will find proud knights guarding my territory."
"So?"
"Overthrow them as they are."
"...What?"
At my words, Kadakh looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Just attack them head-on. They'll come to their senses if they get beaten up a bit."
"Why…?"
"Because they're weak."
Let's forget for a moment that I was the reason the knights' attitude became like that.
That's not the important part.
"Captain Setarim is an outstanding knight. However, the knights below him are not."
It's not like i couldn't use the knight division because they were behind in the magic division.
Of course, I don't intend to leave it as it is. Even if I don't completely overthrow them like the magic division, I need to raise their capabilities somehow.
"Just beat them to the point where they lose their spirit. As long as you don't kill them, they'll be fine once they recover."
"No, but… I don't really know the rules of the outside world, but isn't the Duke the lord of those knights… Well, isn't it something like that?"
"That's right."
"But why would you do something like that…?"
"Because it's fun?"
"It seems weird."
Actually, rather than saying it's fun, it's more like they need a reason to be desperate.
Captain Setarim was an excellent knight, but he was terrible at teaching.
As a result, the average level of the knight division was embarrassing compared to the Duke's knight division.
After hearing about that, Kadrakhh smirked and nodded.
"I see. It's real combat experience."
"You're naturally forced to do something when you're in a life-threatening situation. Besides, it's Einherjar, right? You must be familiar with teaching through real combat."
Kadrakh nodded.
"completing what the Duke has ordered isn't difficult. Can I see the textbook by any chance?"
"It's not difficult."
I immediately had the knight swordsmanship textbook brought out.
Kadrakh accepted it and read it for a while, nodding with interest.
"Hmm, hmm, I see. Is this what the basics feel like? I'm not sure about the higher-level swordsmanship, but… I think I've roughly grasped the feeling."
"Is it possible right away?"
"Well, it seems possible. Then…"
Kadrakh put on the mask that he had been hanging on his waist and started sticking grass from the surroundings onto the mask.
"I think this should do."
Then.
Bang!
"Yeehaw!"
Suddenly, with such a loud shout, he kicked the ground and charged towards the training ground with great force.
Followed by voices.
– It's an attack!
– W-What is it. That pervert! The attacker is half-naked!
– What's with that perverted mask? W-What, ugh, aaaaaah!
Followed by loud noises.
Thud! Crash! Thump!
Leaving me and Lepentier quietly enjoying the sound, we exchanged stories.
"You'll probably hear this sound often in the future. How about it?"
"It's a good thing. It's perfect for injecting tension into the relaxed atmosphere, Your Excellency."
Lepentier chuckled and looked at the training ground with a deep gaze, then looked at me.
And then.
"Haha."
"Hahaha!"
"Hohohohoho!"
We laughed at each other like that for a while.
And then a moment later.
"Haha, Captain."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
"Don't laugh and just run and participate in the battle. Where are you trying to go alone?"
"..."
"What are you doing? Aren't you going to run?"
"..."
At my words, Lepentier moved his legs with a sulky expression.
After that, for a while, the screams echoing from the knight division showed no signs of stopping…
'Good.'
This is the classic way.