The Turian Kingdom lies beyond the Kingdom of Seiron, where Claude had been. Although it was as small as Seiron, it was renowned as the "Land of Knights" due to its exceptional knights.
It wasn't just the knights who were remarkable; the people of the kingdom as a whole were tough and valued martial prowess.
There was a clear reason for this. An enormous number of monsters lived in the "Shadow Mountains" that ran through the kingdom.
Just as Perdium had fought barbarians for ages, the Turian Kingdom had been locked in an endless battle with monsters for just as long.
However, dealing with the countless monsters descending from the mountains was too much for the kingdom alone. The more they fought, the more resources and manpower the kingdom consumed.
Thus, the Turian Kingdom devised another method.
[Anyone may come here and hunt monsters freely. We will not question status or background, whether you are a criminal, adventurer, or mercenary. If you kill a monster, all rights to the byproducts will be yours.]
When this royal decree was announced, countless people from across the continent flocked to the kingdom. After all, they could make a fortune by paying only a small tax.
It was a strategy that benefited both sides: the kingdom reduced its losses, and others earned money.
The people who specialized in hunting monsters in the Shadow Mountains became known as "Monster Hunters."
Ghislain now planned to go there, hunt monsters, and secure leather.
Claude agreed that Ghislain's plan was the best course of action. However, it wasn't ideal for a lord to leave his territory so frequently.
"How long will you be away this time? I heard that Count Desmond is actively gathering his army and reviewing his forces. It seems like he's planning to settle things with force."
"What about Amelia?"
"She's still engaged in a siege with Baron Valois. But it seems like she's trying to avoid heavy losses, as she's staying defensive and refraining from active attacks."
At that, Ghislain let out a small chuckle.
Amelia had a style of overwhelming her opponents when she struck. If she was acting cautiously, it was clear she had something planned.
And Ghislain had a good idea of what that was.
"Keep monitoring both sides for now. I'll only be gone for a short while."
"Will a short trip be enough to secure leather? It's not like the barbarians, where you can get a large amount of leather in one go. Are you planning to take all the hunters' leather there?"
"I'll guide things at first, then leave it to someone else. I'll bring about 50 knights with me—the least skilled ones."
"Who will you leave in charge?"
Claude tilted his head. The only person capable of managing the knights in the lord's absence was Gillian.
However, Gillian was extremely busy. He was not only overseeing the knights but also training the soldiers.
Leaving someone like that absent for a long time wasn't an option. The lord could take over the training, but he was even busier than Gillian.
And the inexperienced knights couldn't be entrusted with such a dangerous responsibility.
As Claude mulled it over, he quickly came up with an unexpected candidate.
"Aha! That guy who's useless for anything other than fighting and isn't much help with territory development! We can leave it to him."
At Claude's assessment, Ghislain smirked.
"Yeah, I was thinking of leaving it to him."
***
"Damn it! This is so annoying."
Kaor kicked a rock in frustration. Lately, he had been nothing but annoyed.
"Fighting the barbarians was fun. Aren't we going to fight anyone again?"
Muttering to himself, he sat down and scratched his head.
In truth, Kaor had been feeling rather anxious lately.
His rival, Gillian, seemed to grow stronger by the day. When they fought the barbarians, Gillian was on an entirely different level than before. To be honest, Kaor felt he would lose if he fought Gillian now.
It wasn't just Gillian. Belinda was the same. If she backstabbed him like she did during the war, he'd likely fall victim to her.
As if that wasn't enough, even those weaker than him were improving rapidly. Lucas, in particular, was growing at an unbelievable pace.
"Damn it, am I going to end up the weakest? I can't let that happen."
Sure, he had grown stronger thanks to Ghislain's help, and he was still improving bit by bit.
But his progress wasn't as fast as he wanted, and that made him anxious. At this rate, he felt like he might even lose to Alpoi someday.
"Ugh, fighting is the only thing I'm good at."
Even he admitted it—that was his only strength. If he lost that, he'd feel utterly worthless.
He wasn't much help when it came to developing the territory.
While others were busy training or working on development, he spent his time yelling at the "Labor Assault Corps" to get work done. Occasionally, he helped with the watchmen's duties.
Everyone else seemed busy finding their place, but Kaor felt like he was just wandering aimlessly.
The longer this went on, the more isolated he felt.
"I'm bored. Isn't there anything else I can do to help the territory? I want to be useful, too…"
Kaor muttered without realizing it, then quickly shut his mouth in shock.
The self-proclaimed "Mad Dog of the North," known for his wild and cool persona, saying something so mild and sincere? Unacceptable.
Having lived by the motto "bad boys are cool," he refused to become some diligent, earnest person.
"Damn it! I'll just go get a drink."
Kaor stood up and began barking orders at the members of the Labor Assault Corps.
"Hey! Hurry up! Why are you so slow? Especially you three! You've got the muscles, so why are you so damn useless? You idiots!"
The three spies working for Desmond, who had been moving a large rock, tried to slip away, but Kaor was faster. He rushed at them like lightning and started beating them up.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
"Ow! What's your problem this time?!"
"What did we do to piss you off now?!"
"Are you insane?! You can't just attack us like this!"
As the three shouted, Kaor growled at them.
"Something about you guys just pisses me off! I don't like the way you look, your vibes are awful. You're spies, aren't you? Yeah, you must be spies. From now on, you're spies, got it?"
Kaor was simply venting his frustration. The three, feeling a bit guilty, continued to protest their innocence vehemently.
"We're not spies!"
"We're just hardworking people trying to make a living!"
"You're insane! This is too much!"
Kaor pretended not to hear them.
"Shut up! If I say you're spies, then you're spies!"
His frustration only grew with each passing day. His slow progress, fear of falling behind in the competition, and his lack of contribution to the territory all weighed heavily on him.
'Even that idiot Alpoi is getting so much done!'
In any other territory, this wouldn't have been an issue. Knights elsewhere were merely training and practicing daily, consuming resources without producing results.
But in Fenris, capable individuals multitasked constantly.
While the other knights didn't mind, Kaor thought of himself as a key figure in the territory. Naturally, he compared himself to Belinda, Gillian, Vanessa, and Claude.
'Damn it, should I just go ask the lord to teach me something else?'
Having beaten the three spies senseless, Kaor sat back down, lost in thought.
He had already received special treatment. Asking for more would hurt his pride.
But he couldn't bear the idea of falling behind Gillian, who had joined around the same time as him. The younger knights climbing up the ranks also grated on his nerves.
Eventually, Kaor swaggered over to Ghislain's office. Standing there silently, he stared at him like he was protesting.
"..."
"What?"
"..."
"Say something."
"..."
"Looks like you need some special training."
As Ghislain rolled up his sleeves and stood, Kaor finally spoke.
"…Don't you have something for me?"
"What kind of something?"
"You know, something good…"
Despite storming into his office confidently, he struggled to articulate his reasons.
Kaor, who had survived in the North on sheer pride and grit, found it embarrassing and beneath him to ask for "something good."
'It'd be nice if he just figured it out and gave me something like before.'
But Ghislain responded curtly.
"If you're feeling weak, go ask Claude for some mandrake root. Or maybe ask Piote to heal you with holy power. Though you don't look like you need it."
'Damn it…'
Kaor pouted and turned his head.
He felt so frustrated. He didn't want to ask, but the pressure in his chest was driving him insane.
Seeing Kaor sulking like a child, Ghislain smirked.
"Frustrated?"
"…?"
"Are you frustrated because you're not improving as quickly as you'd like? But asking for help hurts your pride?"
"Uh…"
Kaor's eyes widened as he stared at Ghislain. He hadn't even said anything yet—how did he know? Was it that obvious?
Ghislain nodded a few times before continuing.
"It's normal to feel that way. I've been there myself."
'At his age, what hasn't he supposedly experienced?'
The statement felt unconvincing, but Kaor didn't dwell on it. Solving his immediate problem was more important.
"Then teach me something better!"
Once the issue was acknowledged, it became easier to speak. Kaor, emboldened, made his demand.
But Ghislain shook his head.
"In your current state, even if I taught you the world's best mana cultivation technique or swordsmanship, it wouldn't help."
"What? Just say you don't want to teach me!"
Kaor snapped.
It's obvious—if he learned something better, he'd get stronger. Gillian was growing so fast because he had learned better techniques, wasn't he?
He was lagging because he'd been taught something inferior.
Ignoring Kaor's outburst, Ghislain explained calmly.
"Gillian has already paved his own path. He has the foundation from years of steady training, so all he needed was the right direction to advance quickly. But you're not there yet. You're too shallow."
"What do you mean by shallow?"
"You've relied on quick thinking and adaptability without building a proper foundation. The fact that you've survived until now means you have talent, but you haven't spent time creating a solid base. That's why you're stuck and feeling impatient."
Ghislain had been in a similar state in his past life. Consumed by vengeance, he had focused solely on improving his strength.
But the more he chased quick results, the more confused and stagnant he became. He hadn't thought of building his skills step by step, instead seeking shortcuts.
Shortcuts could work, of course. There's no single right answer in life. But impatience often prevents people from finding the right path.
Kaor was in that exact state now.
"The basics are like that. To fix the bad habits you've built and lay a new foundation will take a long time. But once it's complete, you'll be stronger than anyone."
"I want to get stronger now!"
By the time he reached Gillian's age, he might be stronger. No, he was certain he would be.
But what was the point? Kaor didn't care about age.
In a world where death could come at any moment, being strong now was what mattered.
When he first learned what Ghislain had taught him, he grew stronger quickly because it filled gaps in his skills.
But now, all he faced was dull repetition, and his progress had slowed to a crawl.
Having spent his life breaking through small walls, Kaor had finally hit a massive, unyielding wall.
So, Kaor yelled again, his desperation growing.
"There has to be something better!"
"There isn't. Even if there were, it wouldn't help you now. You'd just hit another wall soon. You need to take your time and build step by step."
"Damn it! You're so young, but you're ridiculously strong! How did you get this strong? Did you get extra time or something?"
His rude question made Ghislain click his tongue. Normally, this would be grounds for some "physical therapy," but he decided to let it slide, knowing how frustrated Kaor must feel.
Technically, he had gotten extra time.
But in his past life, when he became one of the continent's Seven strongest, it had been through painstaking effort and years of hard work.
There was, however, one thing—a special method he had used.
"There is a way to shorten the time."
At Ghislain's words, Kaor's face lit up.
"Really? There is? Don't keep it to yourself—teach me!"
"Your life."
"What?"
"If you risk your life and build experience through real combat, you'll grow."
"So… I just need to keep wandering battlefields?"
"Exactly. But just going from one battlefield to another won't be very effective. To improve quickly, you need to fight constantly, every single day."
"Then what should I do?"
"Kill lots of monsters."
At that, Kaor scoffed.
"I've killed plenty of monsters. Didn't I go to the Forest of Demonic Beasts with you before?"
"How many have you killed in your life?"
"Well… probably around a thousand!"
Kaor exaggerated slightly. Counting what he'd killed as a mercenary and in the Forest of Demonic Beasts, it might have been a few hundred.
Ghislain looked at Kaor with an amused smile and said:
"That's far from enough."
"Then how many do I need to kill?"
At his question, Ghislain grinned wickedly and answered.
"Oh… about 100,000."
[T/L: Please support me and read 320 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]