“Ahem… In any case, I was surprised.”
‘Look at him changing the subject.’
“I had no idea the young master was hiding such skill.”
“Hey. Are you listening to me?”
“I will not be careless from now on.”
"Huh?"
“Now, let's begin again.”
And Brian retook his stance. As if what had just happened was nothing. Seeing Brian like this, Patrick jeered.
"His mental strength is truly seven-star."
“Ahem-hem.”
“Well, fine. Anyway, you want to go again, is that it?”
“I was careless just now.”
“Oh. Right. I see. You were careless.”
In that moment, a bright smile formed on Patrick's face.
"Yes. Right. You can be careless. How can a person live without ever being careless? Right?"
“Ahem….”
“Then let’s go again. Don’t be careless this time. Got it?”
With every word Patrick spoke, Brian’s face turned as red as a ripe apple. He knew it made no sense. How could he not?
But no matter what, his pride would not allow him to admit defeat just like this.
‘I, a two-star knight, a man far too good for this rural fief. There's no way I could lose to a mere ten-year-old brat.’
This is often called baseless confidence. In any case, he shamelessly insisted. Without knowing what consequences it would bring.
Patrick let his hands hang naturally and spoke.
"Alright, here I come."
His voice was no different from before. Faced with that voice, which even held a hint of playfulness, Brian’s response was different this time. With his entire body tense and his mind focused, he spoke.
“Come.”
And…
A loud clang resounded! The same result occurred. No, it wasn’t exactly the same.
This time, it wasn't horizontal, but vertical. Patrick's strike snapped Brian's head to the side. And another thing that was different was…
“Keuuk….”
Unlike before, Brian did not fall and managed to endure it. Patrick spoke with a smile on his lips.
"It's bearable, right? I hit you softly, so it should be bearable."
“Haaat!”
Brian fought back, trying to swing his wooden sword. But his diagonal slash was lightly blocked by Patrick's wooden sword before it could even complete its swing. A sharp crack echoed!
“Ugh….”
It was an attack Brian had swung with all his might, putting his entire weight behind it with both hands. But Patrick had blocked it lightly with just one hand. No matter how hard Brian tried to press down with his strength, Patrick’s wooden sword did not budge an inch.
And Patrick swung the wooden sword held in his other hand.
"Ankle."
Thwack!
“... ... ... ... ... ... !”
It was the first time Brian had experienced a pain that didn't even allow for a scream. And Patrick spoke with a sly grin.
“Not yet. Head-, shoulders, knees, feet, knees, feet, knees!”
Ta-tadatada-tadak-tadak-tak!
A noise like a woodpecker pecking a tree echoed through the training grounds in a strange rhythm. Baron Schneider realized for the first time. That beating a knight with a wooden sword could make such a sound.
Brian was now curled up on the ground, beginning to take a one-sided beating. The two wooden swords, flying without a moment's rest, struck his entire body evenly. The intensity was exquisitely calibrated to be terribly painful upon impact, yet not enough to make him collapse or lose consciousness right away.
In other words, it was exceedingly painful and agonizing.
“Ack! Aaargh! Y-Young master...
Gaaah!"
“Hm? Don't worry. You haven't lost yet, have you? Right? I acknowledge your grit and fighting spirit, so I'll do my best to tenderize you.”
“W-Wait… a moment... Keuk....”
“Hm? Did I just hear the blasphemous words ‘a’ and ‘moment’ spoken one after the other? No, right? It can't be? How dare a knight utter such profanity during a duel? Isn't that right?”
"I was... wrong...."
“Wrong? Huh? You're saying you weren't wrong? Keeeuh… As expected of our Sir Erickson. His grit is truly something else.”
“……”
“Yes. Yes. If a person has no skill, a dirty personality, and no manners, at least their grit should be good. Of course, it should be.”
Fear began to creep into Brian’s eyes. Proportional to that, madness began to creep into Patrick's eyes.
“The thirty-seventh thing I hate the most is a bastard who loses and then insists he didn't. You son of a bitch!”
A true festival of violence had begun. And in the midst of this, Brian, the one being beaten, thought. This bastard sure hates a lot of things.
That was what he thought. Patrick's hands and words did not stop, only accelerating. As if he were finally unleashing all the anger he had been holding back.
“A bastard who claims to live by the sword has gone completely mad… A moment? Sorry? Careleeess?”
“I'm sorr... Keeeeuh....”
“You should know shame, you bastard!”
“Gwaaaaargh!”
The two wooden swords in Patrick’s hands danced brilliantly, tenderizing Erickson until he was soft.
“St-Stop! That's enough!”
The cruel scene of tenderizing only stopped when Baron Schneider, who came to his senses a beat too late, finally snapped out of it.
And then…
“Hoooo... It's been a while since I used violence. My mind and body feel refreshed.”
Patrick, having stopped his wooden swords, wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke with a refreshed expression. He looked like someone satisfied after having spent a very rewarding day. If only there wasn't a person writhing in pain and groaning at his feet.
‘Is my son a demon?’
He was his own son, but how could he wear such a refreshed expression after crushing a person so brutally? Baron Schneider spoke, his face full of anger.
“You rascal, Patrick Schneiderrrr!”
“Yes. Father, did you call for me?”
Patrick replied politely to the enraged Baron Schneider. His attitude was very polite and well-mannered, his voice calm. As if he hadn't just trampled a man into a pulp a moment ago.
“P-Patrick you… you… you….”
Baron Schneider was at a loss for words. The current result was completely different from what he had imagined. Brian would shatter his son's arrogance, and afterwards, his son, having come to his senses, would diligently devote himself to training.
That was the picture he had hoped for. But what was this situation now? His son, who must be only ten years old, had just one-sidedly beaten Brian, a two-star knight.
“How do you possess such power? I have never once seen you train.”
Patrick had expected this question from Baron Schneider. And he had already thought about how to answer.
The result...
"Just because."
"What?"
"Because I'm a genius, I just get strong without training."
That's right.
What else could there be? There was no fantastic excuse that could come out of this situation. In the end, Patrick decided to insist.
He shamelessly adopted an ‘I'm a genius, what are you going to do about it?’ attitude. Baron Schneider’s jaw dropped, unable to continue speaking, before he forced the words out.
“Does that even make sense?”
"Why shouldn't it? Haven't I shown you the results right here?"
Baron Schneider was speechless. He wasn't wrong. Hadn't his own ten-year-old son overwhelmed Brian, the fief's only knight?
The result couldn't be clearer. To Baron Schneider, who still wore a look of disbelief, Patrick spoke.
“Father. What does the world usually call those who reveal outstanding skills at an early age like me?”
“They are called geniuses.”
“Then what is your son?”
“...a ge...nius?”
“That's right. He is a genius.”
It seemed to make sense, and yet it didn't…
Right.
Looking at the situation, his son was a genius. And from time immemorial, geniuses were beings difficult to understand with conventional common sense. Therefore, let's assume this result was possible.
But now another problem arose.
“I understand that you are stronger than Sir Erickson. But, what in the world is this behavior?”
“Ah, why?”
“Wh-Why? Why… Keuk….”
Seeing his son pick his ear and reply as if annoyed, Baron Schneider beat his chest with his fist to calm his indignation and spoke.
“You beat a man into that state and you can ask 'why?'”
“Yes. It comes out just fine?”
“This… this rascal… Keuk….”
Baron Schneider grabbed the back of his neck, about to collapse. Seeing this, Patrick sighed and spoke.
“Father, you may have thought that I was on bad terms with Brian and opposed him at every turn simply because I have no manners.”
“Are you not?”
“I am not.”
Whether that was true was debatable, but moving on from that… Patrick pointed at the fallen Brian and spoke.
“Father, the reason I disliked that man is because he used his position to embezzle the property of the fief's people and siphon off the fief's budget.”
“What!?”
For a moment, Baron Schneider shouted in great surprise, and the fallen Brian forced his head up and cried out.
“It's… a lie! My lord. That is a blatant lie… Keuk.”
“This one still has a lively mouth.”
Patrick unhesitatingly stomped on Brian’s head before looking at Baron Schneider and speaking.
“Father, you trusted this man and entrusted almost the entire military budget to him, didn't you?" "From the money for purchasing weapons to the soldiers’ salaries and the purchase of reserve food supplies, everything.”
“That's right. He is our fief's only knight. So it is only natural to entrust him with the fief's military-related budget, is it not?”
“Did you check on it after entrusting it to him?”
“I did a few times.”
“When was the last time you did?”
“It seems to have been about six years ago.”
“Fatherrrr...”
To Patrick, who was letting out a sigh, Baron Schneider spoke with a serious expression.
“Son, in the relationship between people, trust is more important than anything.”
“If I can't even trust my own knight and must doubt his every action, how can I call myself the lord of this fief?”
“Haaa... So that's what you think, is it?”
Patrick let out a deep sigh. What Baron Schneider had just said was a preposterous statement that only sounded good. It was something a person who governs a group should never say.
Because in terms of consequences, it is entirely possible for good intentions to bring harm to the world. Patrick shook his head and said.
“As a result of you entrusting him with work based on one-sided trust, Brian personally embezzled the budget.”
“What?”
“He purchased cheap weapons for the soldiers and pocketed the difference, and he made all sorts of excuses and found fault to cut the soldiers' pay and pocketed that difference as well.”
Baron Schneider was genuinely, greatly shocked. As if he had never even imagined such a thing, he looked at Brian, who cried out in desperation.
“A lie! It’s a lie, my lord. The young master is slandering me.”
Patrick cleanly ignored Brian’s words and continued.
“That's not all. That man even intercepted the consolation money that was supposed to go to the families of soldiers who died fighting monsters.”
Hearing Patrick’s words, Baron Schneider was so shocked he momentarily staggered. His legs seemed to give out as he swayed, but he barely regained his balance and spoke to Brian.
“Sir Erickson, is this truly the truth? Did you do such a thing?”
“Didn't I say it's a lie? Do you not trust me? I am your knight.”
To Brian who was shouting as if in a last-ditch effort, Patrick spoke mockingly.
“Trust, trust… It certainly is a nice-sounding word.”
And just as nice as it sounds, it's an easy word to exploit. Patrick knew well the type of person Baron Schneider was.
‘How can he be so much like my Master?’
A good-natured man. To say so makes him sound like a very good person. But the world is overflowing with trash who aim to stab such good-natured people in the back.
If one doesn't know how to stand against them and merely shows goodwill, how can one lead a group? Indiscriminate goodwill breeds weakness, and weakness dulls decisiveness. Just like Baron Schneider right now.