At that moment….
"Ugh.... Arghhh!"
"Aaaah!"
The soldiers screamed as if having a seizure and rushed at Patrick. And at the same time, for the first time, Patrick began to swing his wooden swords. Until now, even when he struck the soldiers, he had only used his fists, feet, and the pommels of his swords.
But now.
For the first time, Patrick began to swing his two wooden swords. And they saw it. The sight of two wooden swords spreading in all directions like a storm.
"Uh.... uh uh uh?"
"Ughaaaaah!"
"What is this-aaack!"
It did not take long for admiration to turn into horror, and horror into pain. The wooden swords in Patrick's hands created countless sword forms, beginning to thrash the surrounding soldiers.
Tatatatatatatatatatata……
How many consecutive strikes were landing per second? It was impossible to even count the number of times the swords were swung. Simply, countless sword forms were being drawn with Patrick at the center, and these forms relentlessly beat down the soldiers.
Even the soldiers who had shown fighting spirit could only stand with their mouths agape before the overwhelming sight. The area around Patrick was like a small typhoon made of sword strikes.
"... To think I charged at a monster like that."
Watching the scene from a step back, Brian realized just how insane his actions had been.
"Oo...ooo..."
"Keeeeuk...."
"Damn it..."
They were not corpses, but laid out like them were two hundred soldiers, and looking down on them with a bored expression was a single ten-year-old child. It was a truly surreal scene, but it was one that had actually happened.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. For grown men, you have no grit. Aren't you making too much of a fuss after being beaten by a ten-year-old?"
His words were true. If you were to go and say those exact words to someone who didn't know the circumstances, they would say, "That's right. How much can it hurt to be hit by a ten-year-old?
Why make such a fuss?" That's what made it all the more sorrowful. 'What a monster.'
'What a demon.' 'He's worse than a monster...' Until just a few days ago, to the soldiers, Patrick had been the young master, the heir to their respected lord.
But in an instant, that assessment had plummeted to monster, demon, a being worse than a monster. Regardless, Patrick spoke to the soldiers.
"Well, don't worry too much. From now on, I'll properly train both your skills and your grit."
"Young... young master, you will teach us?"
"That's what I said. Don't tell me you're still going to say I'm too weak to train you? Is that it?"
"No, sir."
"Right. You're not. Tsk."
Why does he look disappointed? Seeing him look as though he'd failed to find a pretext, the soldiers' bodies trembled. And at the same time, they thought.
How are we supposed to endure training from a monstrous person like that? 'I bet he's going to drill us like mad.' 'Should I quit being a soldier and just become a farmer?'
'Or just leave for another fief?' While the soldiers were having these thoughts, Patrick spoke.
"Well, it can't be helped that your skills are lacking right now. It's because the one who trained you until now was a mess."
As he said this, he glanced at Brian, who hastily bowed his head. Patrick clicked his tongue and continued.
"Tsk, but things will be different from now on. If you receive systematic training from me, all of you will become much stronger than that youngest one over there."
The 'youngest one' Patrick was referring to was Brian, who until recently had been strutting around the fief as a two-star knight. The moment they heard those words, the fief's soldiers' eyes began to sparkle. 'We can become stronger than a two-star knight?'
'Could that be true? If it is...' 'It might be possible with the monstrous young master.'
'Does that mean I can become a knight too?' The moment he saw the desire in the soldiers' eyes, Patrick grinned and said.
"As you all know, our fief has no knights right now."
Everyone's head nodded naturally. And Patrick continued.
"Usually in this situation, it's common to invite knights from outside or request a commission from a newly graduated knight from an academy, but I don't want to do that."
"Because it costs money."
Patrick spoke while hiding his inner thoughts.
"With so many hidden gems right here in our fief, why would I recruit outsiders?"
'It's a waste of money.' It seemed best to keep his inner thoughts hidden to the end. Patrick's way of promising a sweet reward after imprinting a clear difference in skill through cruel violence was so proficient, it was hard to believe he was only ten.
It was actually effective. After all, the eyes of the soldiers who heard Patrick's words began to fill with longing and emotion.
"Young master, do you mean to say you will raise us as knights?"
"That is correct. You have all striven and shed blood and sweat to protect this fief. You are more than worthy of my teachings."
These words were sincere. Patrick had already experienced it once. What was important when teaching people was not talent, but the question of "how much loyalty and dedication can one offer?"
'Agh... thinking back on it, I was so naive and ignorant of the world.' The Twin Dragon Sect. It was originally a dreadfully insignificant, third-rate sect in the countryside.
That is, until the appearance of a once-in-a-generation genius named Jin Cheon. But after Jin Cheon appeared and began to make a name for himself, the status of the Twin Dragon Sect changed. People came from all directions seeking to learn martial arts from the Twin Dragon Sect.
They ranged from martial prodigies with considerable talent to the children of influential families who came with sacks of money. It was a time when he truly felt, 'So this is why you need a master to make a sect flourish.' His good-natured Master was also overjoyed, and Jin Cheon taught the new disciples quite diligently.
But did that bring good results? Not at all. The War between the Righteous and Unorthodox twisted the fate of the burgeoning Twin Dragon Sect.
When the war broke out, a giant of the unorthodox alliance invaded the Twin Dragon Sect's territory with his disciples. It just so happened that Jin Cheon was away at the time.
If things continued, it was obvious that the common people would suffer immense damage, and Jin Cheon's Master, the leader of the Twin Dragon Sect, did not stand idly by.
[You will not spill the blood of the common folk unless it is over my dead body!]
Shouting thus, he firmly gripped his twin swords and led his disciples out to stop the unorthodox giant. But the result was disastrous. 'Most of those who had just joined as disciples ran away.'
Among the three hundred new disciples at the time, fewer than ten had said they would follow their Master and fight to the end. Realizing their chances of victory were slim without Jin Cheon, they chose to flee and save their own lives rather than die with their Master.
Fortunately, Jin Cheon heard the news late and came rushing back, lopping off the unorthodox giant's head. The incident was a great shock to Jin Cheon as well. The new disciples, those bastards, all ran away.
Then they had the gall to sneak back later and say, 'We were wrong. Please take us back.' And the Master was about to forgive them and take them back.
'Ah, just thinking about it pisses me off again. And what was with the bastard who asked for a training fee refund in the middle of all that?' All in all, it was a complete spectacle.
Of course, Jin Cheon personally smashed the shameless bastards who returned until their thick faces broke. But the emotional wound his Master received from it was quite deep. Afterward, Jin Cheon thought deeply.
Even within the same righteous path, the situation was different for prestigious sects with long histories. If the sect leader said, "Let's go fight," most of the disciples would follow, no matter how reckless the battle. But at the Twin Dragon Sect, despite the sect leader's command, most of the disciples fled.
Why was there such a difference? To that question, one of Jin Cheon's few friends, Jegal Hyeon, had an answer.
[It's because they have no sense of belonging.]
The man with an ugly appearance that didn't suit his neatly worn scholar's robes spoke cynically. The Ugly Dragon Scholar, Jegal Hyeon. The heretic of the Jegal Clan.
One of the Five Great Vicious Dragons, known as the troublemakers of the Five Great Families. But he and Jin Cheon got along rather well, so they would often drink together, and he would offer advice. What he said back then was...
[Remember the grace the sect has shown you, and do your best to repay that grace. This is the teaching of most prestigious righteous sects.]
[Are we any different? We taught them martial arts, didn't we? So didn't they receive grace from the Twin Dragon Sect? It's no different from what you guys do.]
[Well, in a broad sense, yes... but a sense of belonging isn't created just by learning skills. The educational process of instilling a 'we' consciousness and making them prioritize the group over the individual is important.]
[What kind of bullshit is that?]
[It's something they teach persistently from a young age. Remember the family's grace. Repay the family's grace. Do not tarnish the family's honor. They drill it into them like brainwashing before they can even walk, you know?]
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a way to treat kids.]
[My point exactly.]
[But my friend.]
[What?]
[Why aren't you like that?]
[Ah, I was insulted for being ugly since I was a child. Thanks to that, the brainwashing was somewhat less effective.]
[...]
Thinking back, he was a truly pitiful friend. Jegal Hyeon was one of the most talented individuals in the Jegal Clan, and his ability with formations, in particular, was among the top five in the entire world.
But because his appearance was unsightly, he was discriminated against as he grew up, and after he was grown, he was even abandoned by his fiancée, which made him go astray.
Thanks to that, he got along with a few rebels of the righteous path, including Jin Cheon, but for the Jegal Clan, it was a case of losing a precious talent. The fact that he gave himself the title 'Ugly Dragon' even after growing up must mean the wounds he received from his clan were considerable.
'My friend.
Still, of all titles, why Ugly Dragon?
Ugly Dragon?'
This, coming from the man who was the Mad Dragon... In any case, he realized it then. To create true comrades who could eat from the same pot and share hardships and joys, one had to look at a person's character and loyalty, not just their aptitude or background.
And in that sense... 'Our soldiers are more than qualified.' Was it an ordinary thing to serve as a soldier in this land teeming with monsters?
In the midst of the crisis of not knowing when or where they might be killed by a monster, they received a meager salary, and even a part of that money was embezzled by Brian. The reason they served with all their might as soldiers in such a situation was because they had a genuine will to protect the fief.
Ten years since being born in this world. Patrick may have seemed to be watching nonchalantly, but inwardly, he had been observing and evaluating the people within the fief. Father = Pushover Mother = Difficult Brian = Son of a bitch Butler Lawrence = Trustworthy Soldiers = Loyalty is top-notch, skills are trash ...and so on were his evaluations.
That was why he had approached his father about training the soldiers himself as soon as he had dealt with Brian. Patrick spoke with a serious expression.
"Trust me. Before my eyes now are two hundred soldiers. But if you trust and follow me, I will turn you into two hundred knights."
At those words, the soldiers also thought seriously, and Sanson was the first to kneel and speak.
"I, Sanson, pledge my loyalty to Young Master Patrick Schneider, the heir of this fief."
Once one person stepped forward, the others looked at each other and nodded. And they too knelt and bowed their heads.
"I, Paulo, also pledge."
"It is Kenessy. I will follow you to the end."
"It is Alex. I pledge my loyalty."
Two hundred soldiers all knelt and pledged their loyalty to Patrick. Seeing the sight, Patrick smiled with satisfaction and said.
"I thank you for your loyalty. I promise that I, too, will do my utmost to repay that loyalty."
In the future, the soldiers would say. 'Ah, we shouldn't have done that back then.'