Chapter 90. The Mine (3)

The training ground of the lord's castle is usually empty.

It's not that its use is prohibited.

However, from the soldiers' perspective, the residence of their employer, a Viscount no less, is bound to feel intimidating.

Furthermore, the facilities in the barracks, which have been remodeled by old man Poodle and his wife, are better.

So, for a while, I was the only one using the lord's castle training ground in the evenings.

Not today.

Damas, who had become the 1st Battalion commander, was already there.

He, who had been swinging his sword at a scarecrow enlarged to about 3 meters tall, belatedly noticed me and hastily greeted me.

“My apologies. I thought no one used it at this time.”

“No, why don't we just use it together? The space is wide enough.”

I stopped him as he was about to hurriedly leave.

“Would that be alright? There was no space in the barracks.”

“Even at this hour?”

“Yes, it's been like that ever since the last battle.”

I knew it was crowded during the day.

I didn't know it was like that late into the evening.

It was because I had just moved my residence to the lord's castle after the last battle, so I rarely went to the barracks in the evening.

“It seems the battle that day left a deep impression on everyone. The duels of Battalion Commander Randal and Sir Olif, and above all, the way you swept through the enemy lines has been constantly mentioned.”

Is that so?

It would be fortunate if the actions of the commanders left a good impression.

I stood at a moderate distance from Damas and drew my sword.

What I'm focusing on strengthening these days isn't basic stamina or strength.

I still need more of those traits, but what I'm curious about right now is something else.

I pictured an imaginary enemy at a suitable distance.

I moved my body.

[[Tuivat High Priest's Swift Sword] is deployed.]

Swish-!

As if gliding, I moved over ten meters at once, the tip of my sword violently tearing through the air.

“……”

The swordsmanship has definitely changed.

The turning point was the battle with the beastmen.

That day, in the midst of the melee, the moment I saw the soldier caught by the Minotaur, Randal's words flashed through my mind.

‘Let your heart, not your head, wield the sword.’

I still don't know.

What his intention was in saying that.

However, something has changed.

It was a strange feeling.

A sensation as if someone else's memories were seeping into my mind.

A notification window I had never seen before also popped up.

[[Warrior’s Insight] is deployed.]

[Exploring the origin of [Tuivat High Priest's Swift Sword].]

After that experience, the feeling of using [Tuivat High Priest's Swift Sword] has completely changed.

If before it was about moving my body based on set movements, now it feels like I myself have become the creator of that swordsmanship, expressing enlightenment through my body.

I have no hobby of prying into others' memories, but the important thing is that the fragments of those emotions and memories have explosively enhanced the power of the swordsmanship.

I haven't tested it in a real battle, but for me now, the most powerful swordsmanship is [Tuivat High Priest's Swift Sword].

‘In terms of level, [Swordsmanship of the Red Bud] or [Imperial Green Flowing Sword] are higher-level swordsmanships, though.’

This is precisely why I keep training.

Because besides skill copying and achievement completion, I have found another way to become explosively stronger.

Recalling the sensation from that time, I devoted myself to training whenever I had time.

As a result, a few days ago, I was able to see the same notification window once more.

[[Warrior’s Insight] is deployed.]

[Exploring the origin of [Imperial Infantry Doctrine].]

What changed this time was [Imperial Infantry Doctrine].

It was one of the lowest-level skills I had learned.

Things like the transition of Imperial army tactics, countless actual battles and deaths, and the long process of systematization that compiled the experiences of skilled veteran soldiers came into my head.

However, there is one thing that bothers me.

It's the reason why [Warrior’s Insight] changed.

[Achievement unlocked! You have collected two or more sacred relics of the church.]

[[Warrior’s Insight] regains its original power.]

[You can now explore the origin of skills acquired through [Warrior’s Insight].]

The sacred relics of the church.

An achievement I earned when I defeated the marquis in Berenburg.

Of course, it's an achievement I've never seen before.

Because neither [Warrior’s Insight] nor the sacred relics of the church existed as content before 4.0.

Anyway, if [Warrior’s Insight] is related to the sacred relics, then the existence of the ‘Warrior’ must also be closely related to the church.

The problem is that the church is an enemy to me.

At least until 3.0, it was always like that.

Because the Outer Gods behind them tried to destroy humanity and this world.

‘Slurp, hehehe. How lovely it is to see, my own little candy….’

Well, maybe things have changed now.

‘Hmm? Is something troubling you, master? It must be a feeling. Why don’t you share it with your big brother here?’

I don't know.

Worrying about it now won't provide an answer anyway.

I stopped the sword that I had been swinging furiously at the imaginary enemy.

Catching my breath, I turned my head.

“…Do you have something to say?”

The reason I lowered the tip of my sword even though the training wasn't over was because of the gaze upon me.

Damas was looking at me.

With a gaze filled with complex emotions.

“I apologize. I know it's rude, but…”

“No, it's fine. I'm not the type to keep my swordsmanship a closely guarded secret as if it held some profound mystery.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“If that were the case, I wouldn't have had a public sparring session with Olif back then.”

“Still, isn't it a secret technique that you have worked hard to polish and create, Your Lordship? You have the rights as its creator.”

“I have no intention of claiming such rights.”

Creator?

They’re all just skills I copied.

I have no intention of hiding the subtleties or secrets contained in the techniques in the first place.

As long as it's not the type that would raise suspicions about my actions if revealed, like the vampire school spells or [Imperial Green Flowing Sword].

Anyway, that's not what's important.

“So?”

“Yes?”

“Don't you have something to say?”

The answer did not come immediately.

After opening and closing his mouth for a moment, Damas let out a self-deprecating sigh and hung his head low.

Only after a few breaths did he raise his head and begin to speak.

“I want to become strong like you, Your Lordship.”

He was shedding tears.

“I don't want to lose anyone anymore.”

“Lose?”

“That day. The day I lost my members. Do you know what happened?”

I shook my head.

He lost half of his mercenary band during a reconnaissance mission.

All I know is the simple summary of the battle situation: the Black Helm Mercenary Band, which he led, went on a reconnaissance mission to the southwest of Wolfskrig and happened to encounter the main force of Count Calvenia, which was advancing from that direction.

I'm human too, so it's not that I wasn't curious, but I didn't ask.

Because I didn't want to dig up a story that could be a painful past for someone.

But if he brings it up himself, it's a different story.

“I was incompetent. The death of my members that day was all my fault.”

The reconnaissance mission that changed the fate of a man, the mercenary band he led, and a city at the same time, revealed its full story a year later.

***

It was like any other day.

It was the dry season, so the sun was shining brightly, and the reconnaissance mission was going smoothly.

He was already perfectly familiar with the surrounding terrain.

The reconnaissance mission had already been repeated several times, and one of the mission objectives was to redraw the map of the surrounding area, so he had put effort into understanding the topography.

Although the sunlight was somewhat strong, unlike me who experienced the crisis of fainting during every march, the members of the Black Helm Mercenary Band, who were quite elite among mercenaries, were in good condition.

The only thing to be mindful of was the wandering undead here and there.

Even that, by the time of the last mission, the entire mercenary band was almost always moving together, so they could easily clean up any group of zombies or skeleton soldiers.

However, it is said that crisis comes when you feel safest.

“The members I had sent out as scouts every few hours did not return. The members I sent again also did not return.”

The scouts went missing.

A total of ten people.

Damas also knew.

That the disappearance of a small operation personnel in enemy territory is no different from death.

However, the fact that it was land they had already explored and that nothing had happened for weeks since entering the Vampire Duchy emboldened the Black Helm Mercenary Band.

“We couldn’t leave the members behind. It wasn’t just me; everyone thought so. We guessed that they had gotten caught up with a group of wandering undead and got separated or suffered casualties. We assumed battle formation and quickly pursued the members’ tracks.”

Damas, sitting on a bench on one side of the training ground, let out a deep sigh.

“Looking back, we should have retreated then.”

At the end of the tracks, what the mercenary band encountered was a large group of undead.

However, they were not wandering undead.

A huge undead army led by Count Calvenia himself blocked their path.

They had already found out about the mercenary band's existence by brutally torturing the scouts.

As a master of tactics, Calvenia drew the mercenary band's attention with a small group of zombies, then attacked all at once with ambushed forces.

The area southwest of Wolfskrig is a terrain of continuous low hills, with tall bushes and trees forming loose clusters.

In a terrain advantageous to ambushers, the first attack resulted in over a hundred casualties.

The mercenary band fled without even thinking of resisting.

“I was the first to run away.”

Damas clenched his hands tightly on his knees.

“I thought it couldn't be helped. Who would have known a vampire lord would be ambushing? Who wouldn't run away when the encirclement was closing in? I did my best.”

Tears dripped one by one onto his clenched fists again.

“But after meeting you and your subordinates, Your Lordship, that thought began to waver.”

“……”

“Wouldn't this person have read the vampire's movements in advance? Wouldn't Sir Olif have thrown himself to save the members? At the very least, if it had been Battalion Commander Randal, wouldn't he have broken through the encirclement alone and bought more time for a retreat……”

If I had been stronger.

If my judgment had been wiser.

The same murmurs repeatedly flowed from his lowered head.

1st Battalion Commander Damas.

Honestly, I don't know much about him.

It can't be helped.

He wasn't a named hero in the game, and he wasn't with me from the beginning like Karen or old man Brol.

However, I know that he started from the bottom and built the Black Helm Mercenary Band with a total of 300 members.

I also know that during the Siege of Berenburg, he showed outstanding qualities as a commander, leading the mercenary band alongside old man Brol.

And also that the members followed him sincerely, and that he cared for his members more than a typical mercenary band leader.

In fact, he took a huge loss and spent all his personal fortune to compensate the injured or deceased members and their families.

Perhaps his current form, writhing in guilt, is proof that he was a good commander.

However, I have no talent for consolation.

What I'm good at is solving problems.

I believe that for a commander, solving a problem doesn't necessarily have to be done with one's own abilities.

Solving problems through stockpiled resources, a suitable environment, or competent subordinates is also one of the virtues of a commander.

That is why I directed my gaze towards Randal, who had approached without a single footstep a few minutes ago and was standing by the entrance of the training ground.

“……”

The warrior from the north, who usually just talks about fighting as if a screw is loose.

Since joining the Viscount's army, he has voluntarily guided the soldiers and improved their skills.

He also had a side that displayed sharp insight at unexpected moments.

Looking at him, I gestured with my head towards Damas.

Randal, who had been staring at me silently for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Do you want to become strong, Battalion Commander Damas?”

“R-Randal?”

Damas' shoulders flinched.

He must not have known there was another listener to his gloomy past story.

“Do you want to become strong?”

“…Yes, can you help me?”

“Viscount.”

Randal, having received Damas' request, looked at me.

As if asking for permission.

I was a little surprised.

This guy.

Did he also have a talent for social life?

Without hesitation, I nodded.

“Guide him.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you, Your Lordship…!”

“Be here at sunrise starting tomorrow.”

Randal left the training ground after leaving that one-liner.

Following him, Damas also left after repeatedly thanking me.

I was left alone and raised my sword.

I suddenly thought.

What if I were in Damas' situation?

If I had gone on a reconnaissance mission in the direction he had headed, would I have been able to return safely?

“……”

I don't know.

I think the result would have been similar.

I might have saved my own skin by disguising myself as Tribus, but it would have been difficult to save everyone else.

It's probably safe to say that among the numerous misfortunes, a thread of luck had followed me.

[[Tuivat High Priest's Swift Sword] is deployed.]

Of course, I cannot live expecting only such luck.

I trained for about another hour and then left the training ground.

***

The major changes over the week can be summarized as follows.

First.

Alina joined the Viscount's army.

As I confirmed during the secret mission in Gunterburk, her ability and growth rate as a priestess are unparalleled.

It was a natural procedure for the combat priests and paladins under my command to be assigned under her.

However, her command ability is somewhat lacking, so I placed Tambourine under her as an aide.

Second.

The appearance of undead hordes has become more frequent.

As long as the vampire-contaminated zone is adjacent, there are always wandering undead like zombies or skeletons.

However, according to the reports from the border outposts, the average number of individuals constituting a group has increased.

It could be a temporary phenomenon, but I need to keep an eye on it.

And finally.

“Your Lordship, we succeeded!”

We succeeded in mass-producing the Dwarven-made mining explosive charges, and based on this, the mine began to operate.

That's not all.

I don't know how the RNG rolled, but this mine is no joke.

“It’s a jackpot! O Luark, I thank you!”

To the extent that it made the gunpowder expert who quit being a priest praise God.

We had struck gold.