“I ask you. Why did you do such a thing on your own?”
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
In the office of the Dark King’s Lord aka royal guards commander.
Belkan narrowed his eyes at Jin, who stood in front of him.
“You should have asked ‘how,’ not ‘why,’ my lord.”
“…What?”
He looked as if he had just heard complete nonsense.
Should he be angry or ask for a reason?
To help him decide, Jin added an explanation.
“I’ve only been holding a sword for less than two months.”
“That… right.”
Belkan, who had lost the timing to respond, nodded awkwardly.
“Though the monsters were the weakest of their kind, I grew enough to defeat hundreds of them alone in just two months.”
“Is your point just self-praise? Should I applaud you?”
“Well, I didn’t expect praise, but I think reprimanding me is a bit excessive.”
Belkan’s mouth dropped open at Jin’s incredibly brazen attitude.
“You…”
His thick, iron-like beard trembled. More than anger, he felt sheer astonishment.
Regardless, Jin simply continued with what he had prepared to say.
“I haven’t done anything deserving of reprimand. In fact, I’ve done something worthy of reward.”
“You, a mere soldier, left the castle without permission and slaughtered the monsters without a commander’s approval. If that’s not a crime, then what is?”
“Though I was expelled here due to my crimes, I am still a member of the Meteor Sword Clan.”
“So, because you aren’t just a lowly soldier, you think you can ignore the rules?”
“Have you forgotten that for those who bear the name of Meteor, exterminating monsters is more important than rules?”
It was a valid argument.
For those affiliated with the Meteor Sword Clan, eliminating monsters was the top priority.
Belkan, who found himself at a loss for words, glared silently at Jin for a moment, then lowered his voice as he remembered something.
“…What do you want?”
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘want.'”
Jin shrugged his shoulders with a shameless grin.
“You made such a show of slaughtering the monsters in front of everyone. Surely you have something you want.”
Realizing Jin’s intention, Belkan slumped into his chair.
Then, Jin, who had been sitting opposite him, spoke with a sly smile.
“Since you put it that way, I’ll be honest. Please open the third-level armory of the Dark King Knights for me. Just once.”
“Not the first-level, but the third-level armory?”
Belkan asked in surprise at the relatively modest request.
The third-level armory stored items of lesser value among their spoils.
He couldn’t understand why Jin specifically wanted access to that place as a reward.
“If you need weapons, I can give you a decent one. On the condition that you return the sword I gave you.”
“No, thank you.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to receive a good sword?”
“I suspect you’d give me some flashy sword just to humiliate me. A lowly soldier like me carrying something like that would only invite trouble.”
“…I’ll issue a pass.”
Seeing that his intentions had been seen through, Belkan averted his eyes, while Jin smirked and stood up.
“I’ll take that as your approval, and I’ll take my leave now. Oh, and one more thing.”
Jin added as he stopped at the door.
“I hope today’s events don’t spread. It would be quite bothersome.”
“I’ll let Ged know. Do as you wish. Damn it.”
Belkan waved his hand weakly, and Jin left the office without hesitation.
Soon after, Belkan felt a presence behind him as he leaned back in his chair.
“You were completely played. I almost died laughing watching the whole thing.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No way.”
It was Violet, who had been watching the situation from the beginning.
Belkan scoffed at her smiling face.
“Hmph, you would have done the same in my place. Anyway, that brat fulfilled his duty as a Meteor. Damn it… as arrogant as he is, he’s technically right.”
“True, that’s correct. It seems like his time in the unit has been quite effective, seeing how he’s grown some backbone.”
“Hmph. He’s still a brat.”
“What do you think about using the second son instead of the first one as I suggested? He seems pretty capable.”
“Leaving the affairs of the Zerfelt estate to Jin?”
“That’s my thought. Even if his skills are still lacking, the second son has potential. This could be a good opportunity for him to gain some experience. Besides, it wouldn’t look good for you to step in personally, right?”
She had a point.
Whatever method he used, Jin had achieved remarkable growth in just two months since he first took up the sword.
And this was without even training in mana, a feat that far surpassed the speed of Pierre, the eldest son, who was hailed as a prodigy.
“Also, I really don’t like the first son. Despite his handsome face, he has a dark heart.”
“You’re saying dangerous things so casually.”
“People criticize the king when he’s not around. Anyway, think it over. It’s much better than wasting away in this damned place.”
With a shrug, Violet’s figure began to dissolve into black mist.
“Oh, and make sure you read this. It’s something the Vice Lord insisted you get.”
With these words, Violet vanished from the office, leaving behind a thick bundle of documents.
[An Investigation Report on the Recent Increase in Demons and Their Movements]
Seeing the Vice Lord’s seal on the document, Belkan muttered to himself.
“…I need to think this over.”
That night, a commotion broke out at Whissen Castle.
“Ugh! What’s all that?”
The soldiers of the 3rd squad shouted in shock as they saw a mountain of monster corpses beyond the eastern gate.
“Which madman slaughtered these monsters….”
“How are we supposed to clean this up!”
“Ugh… they’ve been sliced up so finely.”
Leaving them there was not an option.
Unlike higher-ranked monsters like Lemut, the corpses of the lowest-ranked monsters, like these, weren’t even scavenged by their kind.
And leaving them to rot would result in an unbearable stench.
Since the knights wouldn’t bother with it, the 3rd squad’s soldiers were left to clean up the mountain of filth.
“Damn it… It’s clear that either the lord or some high-ranking knight did this. Ugh, it’s disgusting.”
“What possessed them to do this?”
“Exactly. They usually find these monsters too bothersome to even look at… Hey, Moose! Your team was on wall duty last night. Know anything?”
A soldier called out, and a soldier near the gate, moving a monster’s body, averted his gaze.
“I don’t know anything, idiot. I didn’t see a thing.”
“Like hell you didn’t! Tell us the truth. We need to know who….”
“I did it. Any complaints?”
“…Huh, Captain Ged!”
A chilling voice cut through the air, causing the soldiers to turn pale as they slowly looked back.
“I did it. Are you going to complain?”
“N-No, sir! We’ll clean it up immediately!”
The soldiers scampered away like startled animals.
As soon as they left, the stern expression on Ged’s face melted away like a snowflake on a spring day.
“Hehe… How was that? Do you think I did a good job, as the lord instructed?”
“Perfect. You might have a future as an actor.”
Jin, who had been watching from behind, clapped lightly, and Ged scratched his head.
“Jeez, don’t joke like that… By the way, can you tell me something?”
“What is it?”
“Your background. Hm?”
Ged lowered his voice and put a hand on Jin’s shoulder. It was the same hand that Violet had once severed.
“What’s your true identity that even the medical lord and the lord himself are looking out for you? You don’t seem like someone from the main family since I don’t recognize you… Are you a scion of a martial clan hiding your identity to gain experience? But why join the soldiers instead of the knights?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Geez… You’re frustrating. Are we not that close? Hm? This captain is starting to feel hurt.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, no. No need to apologize! I just wanted to get closer to you. My mouth is the problem, the problem.”
Ged slapped his own mouth with exaggerated motions.
Ged, who was usually arrogant and oppressive, had been acting like this towards Jin for the past few days.
Not only had Jin proven his connection to Violet, but he had also left the castle in front of Belkan and returned without any punishment.
Moreover, Belkan had personally instructed Ged to cover up the incident.
“That’s one thing, but the skill and courage to slaughter the ogres without batting an eye…”
Though they may be nothing more than the lowest-tier demons, once their numbers exceed a hundred, the story changes.
Even Ged, who has wielded a sword for half his life, cannot guarantee victory without using mana.
No matter how you look at it, it means that ordinary physical and mental strength can’t handle it.
“So, it means that this guy learned something systematically before coming here.”
Considering this situation as a whole, Ged’s conclusion was clear.
“He’s undoubtedly a disciple of the Mu clan.”
And not just any Mu clan, but a rather powerful one.
“Why did such a person come here?”
He racked his brains, but he couldn’t find a more definitive answer.
The only thing certain was that as a low-ranking knight, he didn’t hurt to show off to Jin.
“When he returns home… maybe…”
If the story of his treatment here were to be passed on to Jin’s parents, who are high-ranking nobles, they might attach Ged as Jin’s personal guard.
“Then, goodbye to this cold, hungry, and tedious Order of the Royal Knights. Perhaps I’ll even have a chance to marry into a wealthy family. This is my chance in life.”
Ged’s rosy future was shattered by Jin’s bewildered gaze.
“May I join in now? It’s my mess, so I should help clean it up, right?”
“Oh! What nonsense! It’ll be hard work, so leave the cleanup to the lower ranks and rest here.”
“But…”
“Come on! It’s the order of the commander!”
Ged pushed Jin’s back forcibly. If he refused, he would even use mana to send him away.
“Then, I’ll rest gratefully.”
“Yeah, yeah! You thought well!”
As Jin turned away as if he couldn’t win, Ged’s face finally turned pale.
“It’s chilly out here. Be careful not to catch a cold!”
Leaving behind Ged, who waved his hand constantly, Jin frowned.
“There’s no need to go this far. Tsk.”
He thought it would suffice to just be considerate to a certain extent, but it seemed a bit excessive. Apparently, he was stubbornly sticking to his position.
“Well, it doesn’t matter to me.”
In any case, what’s important now is not Ged’s change, but the future.
More precisely, it’s the decision Belkan will make.
“By now, he probably would have been rejected by his brother once, so he’ll have to come find me soon.”
The bait has been thrown.
If Belkan takes it, it won’t be long before he becomes a free man.
“But before that…”
Jin, standing on the castle wall, gazed into the distance at the 3rd armory. “I should recover the treasures lost in the battleground first.”
