Chapter 79 : Chapter 79

Chapter 079: Endless Learning (2)

“I’m thinking it’d be troublesome if we split up again like last time. How about this: you two bring the army from Theodore and meet me here, then we’ll join Viscount Mosfield together. Since one of the Four Wings is coming, I’ll stay here in the meantime to keep an eye on things.”

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Three days had passed since I sent Bonnie and Clyde to Theodore.

…Yes, a full four days.

“Careful when emptying the water bucket. The foals sometimes kick when they’re playing.”

During that time, I’d been helping with chores at the stable.

It was payment for room and board.

I’d assumed there wouldn’t be much to do since there were no horses, but that was a huge mistake.

There were quite a few foals—ones too young to ride, barely weaned.

Cleaning their dung, changing the hay, emptying and scrubbing the water buckets took up an entire day.

“Haha, I still can’t believe it. The Sword Fiend Bihen Benkou, cleaning horse dung in our stable! By the way, your hands are quite skilled. Have you ever worked as a stablehand before?”

…Of course.

Back in my Imperial Army days, I spent as much time tending horses as I did swinging a sword.

When I first enlisted, I practically lived in the stables, eating and sleeping there.

I’d gotten the hang of most tasks. The smells in this stable brought back those days.

“It feels strange. First Lady Adeline, now Bihen Benkou… Meeting people you’d be lucky to see once in a lifetime, back-to-back like this. What greater honor could there be? Haha!”

Whether I responded or not, the owner kept talking incessantly.

He seemed to relish the chance to converse with someone after so long.

“…But, are you really planning to fight here?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take extra care to ensure Ludglen doesn’t suffer.”

I’d once turned this village into a wasteland alongside Yeats.

I couldn’t afford to owe them again.

“No, no. I mean, will you be alright on your own, Bihen Benkou?”

“If Theodore’s reinforcements are late, I’ll have no choice. I need to strike before they fully set up their defenses. That’s why I stayed.”

“I’ve been running this stable in a border village for a long time, so I hear all sorts of news. Word is, Lord Theodore will side with Lady Adeline. That’s why the Archduke is sending a sizable force here. It might be too much for you to handle alone…”

“If I take down the enemy commander first, the fight won’t escalate to a full-scale battle.”

“What? Oh… You mean a one-on-one duel?”

“Exactly. If it’s one of the Archduke’s Four Wings, they won’t shy away from a life-or-death duel with me.”

That’s how wars work in this world.

A one-on-one duel between leaders—a so-called commander’s battle—is often everything.

The death of a commander directly impacts the morale of the entire unit, leading to a collapse in fighting spirit.

This isn’t a war between nations, nor even a territorial conflict. It’s a civil war.

A total war breaking out?

‘No chance.’

To begin with, the soldiers forming these units aren’t disciplined troops.

They’re conscripted serfs, far removed from slaughter.

These people, barely qualifying as “soldiers,” have no reason to risk their lives in a fight unrelated to their survival.

Moreover, after the battle, each of them will return to their daily lives, tilling the land as the backbone of the territory.

Any commander who knows this wouldn’t dare demand a fight to the death.

‘It all comes down to a fight between leaders.’

In front of everyone, you decide the outcome in a single strike, inspiring awe in both friend and foe.

That’s the burden a swordsman must bear on the battlefield.

It’s not for nothing that a supreme master is called a one-man army.

“A life-or-death duel… I can’t even imagine it.”

The owner shook his head.

I didn’t say much, just filled the feed trough with hay.

There was no need to offer hollow reassurances that nothing major would happen to the villagers.

* * *

Another day drew to a close.

The owner and I sat side by side on chairs under the eaves at the stable’s entrance, drinking ale.

Of course, I only pretended to drink, barely wetting my lips.

Enduring the smell was ordeal enough for me.

“It’s so quiet, it’s almost unsettling…”

While we chatted over trivial matters, the owner looked up at the night sky and muttered.

Indeed, under the bright moonlight, the occasional chirping of crickets in the distance created a serene atmosphere.

“If the Archduke’s men don’t show up, that’s all the better.”

“That won’t happen. You don’t know what kind of man the Archduke is.”

Intrigued, I glanced at the owner.

His gaze remained fixed on the night sky.

“There are all sorts of rumors. They say if you even slightly upset him, he’ll crush you so thoroughly you won’t even leave bones. Even his closest aides, the Four Wings, are constantly on edge trying to please him. Regardless of status, if he’s in a bad mood, he beats people mercilessly.”

“Sounds like quite a temper.”

“A temper? If only that were the extent of it. His grudges are legendary. There’s a famous story about how, as a child, he held a grudge against his private tutor, tracked him down as an adult, and beat him to death.”

Having never met Archduke Callence in person, I couldn’t help but think of Adeline.

It’s absurd.

From what I’ve heard, it’s hard to believe they share the same blood.

“The heads of Conwell have always been fierce warriors. They expanded their territory through relentless territorial wars. In fact, Ludglen itself was an independent territory long ago. Well, it’s been under their rule for so long that it doesn’t mean much to our generation. Anyway, the Archduke inherited only the brutal nature of the previous lord. He was born with the temperament of a tyrant.”

It made sense why neighboring lords were so tense about Conwell’s civil war.

Their own safety depended on who took power.

“What… was she like? Lady Adeline, up close.”

When I turned to the owner, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Haha, what would someone like me know? It’s just, well, with all the talk going around… I was curious if she’s really as they say. You know, haha.”

“Hard to answer when I don’t know what you’re imagining.”

“Everyone says the same thing. Despite her young age, she has an exceptional sense for governance, with the qualities of a wise ruler. She’s brilliant, overflowing with elegant grace. Above all, they say she’s a peerless beauty…”

“Didn’t you say you met her?”

“I was too distracted back then. Blinded by money…”

Come to think of it, I’d only ever observed Adeline as an ally, not as a potential ruler.

I hadn’t seriously considered her qualities as a lord.

I wanted to ask.

Was there a reason she had to risk her life to claim the succession?

‘…What a stupid question, even for me.’

Her desperate struggle was painful to watch.

I was helping Adeline because she could be a reliable ally for the Empire’s exiles, but from her perspective, with her life on the line, she could’ve chosen to yield the title to her brother and find a way to survive.

If she had, the Archduke might have entrusted governance to her.

The fact that things had escalated to this civil war made me question, just a little, what it was all for.

“She’s as the rumors say. Lady Adeline will surely be a good ruler.”

That should suffice.

It wasn’t a lie, nor was it false.

“Haha, as expected. I sincerely hope Lady Adeline takes power. It’s a thorny path, though. The Archduke is one thing, but that Second Son isn’t someone to underestimate either. If either of them becomes lord… ugh, just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.”

“Second Son?”

“You don’t know?”

“Oh, I heard she has another brother. Come to think of it, I don’t know much about him.”

The owner waved his hand dismissively.

“Don’t even get me started. He’s a notorious bas— ahem. Maybe it’s natural you don’t know. He doesn’t engage in any public activities. All he knows is how to party and waste money.”

“A wastrel, then.”

“Exactly. A filthy wastrel. Harassing village maidens is just the start. He deliberately targets married women, and when their husbands protest, he brings them in and cripples them for fun. Thanks to him, there are more than a few widows.”

I clicked my tongue. Why are Adeline’s brothers all lunatics?

Speaking of married women, someone came to mind.

Hermann Brian.

Come to think of it, that guy’s far from normal too.

“If anyone but one person is to vanish into the shadows of history, it’ll be the Archduke and the Second Son. I’ll make sure Lady Adeline becomes lord, so don’t worry, stablemaster.”

I stood to head to bed.

I’m not the type to patiently listen to someone’s complaints, given my prickly nature.

“You…”

“…?”

“Why do you fight so fiercely, risking your life?”

Turning back, I saw the owner looking up at me, his eyes like those of a dog desperate to relieve itself.

This question again.

I've heard it several times since arriving here.

My actions must seem puzzling to them.

“No particular reason.”

In the past, such questions would’ve reminded me of the Old Knight from my previous life.

A sense of debt to him used to make my face flush.

It’s different now.

“There’s a path, so I walk it.”

“A path…?”

“Yes. I know the path I walked before ended at a cliff, so this time, no matter how hard it is, I plan to see this one through to the end.”

The owner blinked, then said,“…I don’t quite get it, but I’ll cheer you on. In times like these, just knowing someone like you exists is a comfort to people like us.”

“What kind of person are you, then?”

“Haha, well… as you can see. The kind who topples over if the wind blows too hard, like a frail reed.”

“Not a good look. They say there’s no such thing as a trivial person, only trivial lives. Don’t put yourself down. That’s a habit too.”

At any rate, I’m seventeen now.

It’s absurd for a kid to lecture a man well into his forties.

Just as I turned to leave—

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—

A faint tremor in the ground.

‘Warhorses?’

The owner was still muttering my words to himself, head bowed.

“Stablemaster, get up.”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden…”

“They’re coming.”

I’d been extending my senses widely around Ludglen.

It's been over five days now.

The mental strain was considerable, and the noise often made me dizzy, but it was the only way to respond immediately.

“Them…?”

The owner’s gaze shifted.

The horizon was calm.

It looked that way, at least.

“They’ll arrive before dawn.”

“…!”

“Move quickly.”

We’d planned ahead.

Before they arrived, the stablemaster would lead the villagers to take refuge in Firefield Village.

Fortunately, as a local fixture, he found it easy to organize.

I armed myself and stood alone in a wide clearing.

This was the path they’d take.

The night was nearing its end.

A blue mist began to spread from the horizon, like smoke rising.

The outlines buried in the darkness started to reveal themselves one by one.

Thud-thud—thud-thud—thud-thud—

Finally, black dots lined up along the horizon.

The formation slowly encircled Ludglen as it approached.

“…”

I steadied my breathing.

Feeling the pressure closing in from all sides, I quietly placed my hand on the hilt of the bastard sword on my back.

My mind was clear.

The wounds from the Blood Devil had long healed.

“…Come.”

I muttered quietly, as if steeling myself.

As if answering my call, the Archduke’s lackeys drew closer.

There were more than I’d expected. Among them, I felt the gaze of the vanguard locked onto me.

Thud-thud! Thud-thud!

The vanguard broke away from the formation, charging toward me at a ferocious pace.

It wasn’t my imagination.

Swish.

I assumed my stance in response.

I’d start with the bastard sword.

The basic stance of Kingdom swordsmanship, Vom Tag.

Thud-thud! Thud-thud!

The distance between us narrowed.

I could feel my hair starting to flutter.

The wind the enemy brought seemed to sweep away the calm morning air surrounding me.

“Bihen Benkou—!”

At the shout, I curled one corner of my mouth.

It was the pink-haired one.

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