The byproducts from the monsters the Orcs hunted and captured were purchased by the Red Merchant Group, who came personally to the Schneider Fief. And each time the Red Merchant Group arrived, they brought with them food and various daily necessities the fief required.

“Here you are, we've brought the fabrics, shoes, and even farming tools. The butler has already confirmed the goods, so please sign for them now.”

"…"

“Young master. I need your signature, you see?”

“Hey.”

“Yes, my cute young master. What is it?”

“Wanna die?”

“My, how cruel. Such harsh words to a delicate woman?”

“That does it. You’re dead.”

As Patrick moved to draw his sword, Red, who was disguised as a beautiful female merchant, spoke hastily.

“Ah, come on… It’s a disguise, isn’t it? A disguise.”

“Why cross-dressing?”

“Hehehe. Who would ever imagine that the master of the thieves' guild, the one who rules the back alleys of the Atronia Kingdom's eastern region, would be dressed as a woman?”

“That’s…”

“Besides, I have good looks. When I cross-dress like this, I can use my beauty to be active in various fields of espionage and information gathering. So why wouldn't I make use of this advantage?”

It made sense. It made sense, but…

“Ah, my eye makeup is smudged.”

For some reason, watching him take a small mirror from his hand and fix his makeup just rubbed Patrick the wrong way.

“Fine. Just do your job properly. Got it?”

“Of course. The young master and we are in the same boat now. We will also dispose of the Ogre hides you provided this time with certainty.”

“You know you have to get rid of them secretly, right?”

“Of course. Releasing such a large quantity at once would cause an uproar in the market.”

Ogre hide was a precious commodity. Armor made from it was ten times more expensive than full plate armor, and even just covering a small round shield with it made the item incredibly expensive.

If such a product were released in large quantities, it would not only create problems in the market but also cause merchants to trace the origin of the goods.

‘The Schneider Fief is not yet ready to attract outside attention.’

Patrick was well aware of this fact. Even in the martial world, did they not say that those who obtained treasures beyond their station had their lives shortened? That was why he had only given half of the Ogre hides to Red, and had not shown him the King Ogre's hide at all.

“I look forward to our continued cooperation, young master.”

Watching Red lift his skirt slightly and give an elegant curtsy, Patrick wanted to punch him, but he endured it with a sour expression.

After his meeting with Red, Patrick let out a sigh. In any case, the foundation was now laid. By relocating the Orc tribe to clear the surrounding area, the fief's safety was now guaranteed.

Through steady trade with the Red Merchant Group, the fief's finances would also greatly improve.

‘Ten years since I was reborn… I don't know if it was long or short, but I've finally sorted out the surroundings.’

At any rate, the miscellaneous problems were now dealt with.

That meant…

“It’s time to begin the training in earnest.”

Patrick immediately gathered all the soldiers of the fief. The training grounds of the Schneider Fief. The soldiers gathered there, at Patrick’s summons, were lined up in perfect, sharp formation.

“You have come, young master.”

“You have come!”

Upon Patrick’s arrival, all the soldiers, led by Sanson, greeted him in unison. Their attitude was not merely a formal gesture toward a superior. It was imbued with a sense of awe, the kind one shows when looking at an object of aspiration and respect.

‘To think he took down a King Ogre?’

‘He displayed a seven-star Aura Blade.’

‘Seven-star at only ten years old? For the young master, even the legendary ten-star level might not be impossible.’

‘To think such a person will be teaching us.’

The soldiers who had witnessed what Patrick did against the King Ogre had returned and relayed the story to the other soldiers. The doubtful soldiers had no choice but to believe it when, on Patrick's orders, they moved the King Ogre's corpse to the warehouse.

How could they not believe it after seeing the corpse of the King Ogre, which exuded an immense pressure even when quartered? The one standing before them now was no ordinary, run-of-the-mill genius. They were living in the same era as a man who might one day be spoken of as a legend.

There was no one here who did not feel a sense of admiration. Just then, Patrick spoke to the soldiers.

“For the next three years, you are all exempt from all duties as soldiers.”

At those words, a great stir went through the soldiers. And Patrick’s words continued.

“I told you I would make you into knights. However, there were matters that needed to be resolved, so I could not focus on your training. For that, I first apologize.”

As Patrick spoke, he lowered his head and apologized to the soldiers. At this, it was the soldiers who were flustered. Though he was still a boy, this great man was bowing his head to them, who were nothing more than common soldiers?

Feeling the sincerity in that gesture, the soldiers trembled where they stood. In truth, what did Patrick have to apologize for? He trained the soldiers, patrolled the area around the fief to clear out monsters, went all the way to the Parmas County to earn a huge sum of money, and even secured regular trade with a merchant group.

Any one of these would have been a splendid achievement, yet Patrick had accomplished them all. So how could being neglectful of the soldiers' training be considered something to be blamed for?

“Young master, please raise your head.”

“It is our own inadequacy. It is not your fault, young master.”

“That's right, young master. Please raise your head. We cannot bear it.”

At the soldiers’ words, Patrick slowly raised his head. With a calm expression, he spoke to them.

“The Orcs have begun patrolling the area around the fief, so we will no longer be troubled by monsters. Therefore, you can now enter intensive training. And I, too, will be focusing on you for a while.”

Hearing that Patrick would be focusing on them, the soldiers were deeply moved. A swordsman who had reached the seven-star level would be personally instructing them? This was an opportunity that could not be bought even with gold.

‘I will trust and follow this man for the rest of my life.’

‘From now on, if anyone speaks ill of the young master, I’ll beat them up.’

‘No, I’ll kill them.’

To the deeply moved soldiers, Patrick spoke.

“You all have probably hated me quite a bit until now.”

At Patrick's words, the soldiers could not bring themselves to deny it. Hadn't they called Patrick a devil, a monster, behind his back? But that was in the past.

Now they knew the young master's true heart. From now on…

“From now on, you’re going to want to kill me.”

"…!"

"…"

Patrick's following words sent a chill through the training grounds. And on Patrick's face, the familiar expression of a devil began to appear.

“Honestly, up until now, I’ve been taking it easy. I couldn't oversee your training one by one, so I made it as safe and comfortable as possible. Frankly, it was so easy I feel guilty even calling it training, you know?”

‘That hell was…?’

‘Is it possible to be pushed even harder than that?’

‘Wait, what’s happening right now? This is like…’

The corners of Patrick's mouth curled up into a smirk as he said.

“From now on, I'm going to pay close attention to you all. Therefore…”

"…"

“Welcome to hell. Either get stronger or die! It's one or the other, so be prepared, you bastards!”

“Wa… wait a moment, young master.”

“This isn’t right. This isn’t right.”

“I quit being a sol… Aaaaaah!”

“We'll start with sparring, right now!”

And without further ado, Patrick drew his twin swords and charged into the soldiers. Patrick Schneider, age 10. This was the image of the man who would one day remain in the continent’s legends.

Five years later.

“Here I come!”

“Bring it on!”

With powerful shouts, two soldiers clashed against each other. Both wielded longswords in each hand, and at the moment they fiercely collided…

Boom! Craang!

Boom boom boom! With an explosion of aura and a deafening roar, a fierce clash unfolded. The two men's swords danced brilliantly in the air, and their feet never stayed still for a moment, moving with agility.

This was a clash between two soldiers. Not knights, but soldiers. And what’s more…

“You can do it, Karon.”

“Dorian, if you lose this time, it’ll be embarrassing.”

The other soldiers watching this scene observed it calmly, as if it were nothing surprising. As if the sight of common soldiers of a barony clashing with aura-clad swords was nothing special to them. Before long, after a fierce struggle, the match was decided.

“Haaaap!”

“Ugh…”

Unable to withstand a powerful blow, the soldier named Karon fell backward. Dorian then brought his sword to the fallen Karon's neck and said.

“Alright, it's settled.”

“Dammit…”

“Hehehe. Any other challengers? This was hardly a warm-up…”

To Dorian, who was basking in the glory of victory, the surrounding soldiers commented.

“Look at him getting all cocky.”

“Should we mess him up?”

“I'll do it. Step aside.”

“No. I’ll kill him.”

“It’s me. I’m going to do it.”

Watching the soldiers bickering over who would fight next, Dorian raised his chin high and said.

“Anyone can come. It doesn't matter, you're all about the same anyway.”

“Hooo. Then how about a round with me?”

“Sure. Let’s go a… huh? Commander?”

When Dorian turned around, Sanson was there. Like the other soldiers, Sanson also had two longswords strapped to his hips. Proof that he had been training in the art of twin swords for the past five years.

But even if they spent the same amount of time, the result is not always the same for a creature called human.

“Looks like you've improved a lot. Shall we have a go?”

“No, Commander, when did you get here? Weren’t you looking for the lord?”

“Draw your swords first.”

“…Damn.”

The soldier grumbled as if he were being forced to eat mustard with his tears, but he did not back down, drawing his two swords and taking a stance.

“Be careful. I’m not the same Dorian I used to be.”

“I know.”

Sanson unfolded his arms, took a sword in each hand, and let them hang naturally. Then, in a posture overflowing with leisure, he extended one hand forward and beckoned with his finger. And then, a little awkwardly, he said…

“Bring it on.”

A moment of silence fell.

“Wow… did you see that?”

“Looks like he's a little embarrassed after saying it himself?”

“It was a bit awkward, to be honest.”

“Tsk, tsk, the young master should have seen that.”

“I’m telling him later.”

As the soldiers muttered among themselves, Sanson glared at them, causing them to whistle and pretend to look at a distant mountain.

“Rotten bastards…”

The moment Sanson uttered that one word…

“An opening!”

Seizing the opportunity, Dorian rushed at Sanson. He unleashed an incredibly fast and deadly attack on his opponent whose attention was divided. The swords in his two hands multiplied into four or five images, targeting Sanson from all directions.

But…

“Too sloppy.”

Sanson’s two swords moved with far greater speed, erasing all the sword images Dorian had created.

Kaaang!

The moment their swords clashed, Dorian couldn’t withstand the impact and was pushed back slightly.

“Keuk…”

He tried to retreat further to create distance, but…

“Too slow.”

Sanson, who had closed the distance in an instant, placed his two swords in an X against Dorian's neck. At the cool, sharp sensation, Dorian’s entire body froze. He raised his hands and said.

“I surrender.”

It was a perfect takedown. Sanson smiled as he held the swords, offering advice to Dorian.

“Don’t just back away recklessly when you're in a pinch. The young master told you over a hundred times that predictable movements are dangerous.”

“Yes… I understand.”

Though it was just a single clash, Sanson had easily subdued Dorian. This was the skill the soldiers of the Schneider Fief had obtained in exchange for witnessing hell over the past five years. All the soldiers had reached the three-star level, and the guard captain, Sanson, had surpassed four-star and was recently approaching five-star.

Sanson continued to conduct training matches with the other soldiers, leading their training proactively. And from the roof of the distant mansion, one person was watching the scene.

“Kuhuhu. They're all grown up. All grown up.”

A young man, casually admiring the scene with a bottle of liquor by his side. Though he was a boy of 15 who had not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony, his appearance was so robust that one would believe him to be a fully grown adult. This boy was Patrick Schneider.

Watching the soldiers spar as he tilted the liquor bottle, Patrick shed tears of emotion and said.

“Seeing those guys finally acting like proper men brings a tear to my eye.”