Chapter 77
The sword Seron handed me.
As I accepted it, a deep smile spread across my lips.
‘Good.’
A vow of loyalty.
Normally, this was something knights swore only after being officially knighted. But that didn’t matter.
With Seron’s talent, he would be officially knighted before long anyway.
What mattered was that the gift had been effective enough for Seron to voluntarily pledge his loyalty.
To be honest, I hadn’t intended for this outcome—I had only half-expected it.
But as long as the results were good, that was all that mattered, wasn’t it?
Seron.
His favorability had skyrocketed compared to before.
When I first met him in the illegal gladiator arena, his favorability had been at zero.
And yet, not even a month had passed since bringing him here, and it had already risen to eighty.
I could easily guess why.
That place—an illegal arena, where there was no hope nor future.
I had pulled him out of that hellhole and generously taught him the Seltarion Family’s swordsmanship and Aura Cultivation Technique.
On top of that, I had even gifted him a high-grade artifact without demanding anything in return.
How could a twelve-year-old possibly resist?
He had fallen for me completely.
Loyalty wasn’t something that should be forced—it was best when it was freely given.
“Here.”
I returned the sword to Seron.
He accepted it respectfully and sheathed it.
“…Thank you for accepting my vow, my lord.”
“‘My lord’? Just call me ‘Young Master.’”
At my words, Seron hesitated, looking like a puppy holding in a bathroom emergency. Then, after a brief moment of contemplation, he spoke softly.
“…No. From now on, aren’t you my lord?”
Well, technically, yes.
‘But having someone my age following me around, calling me “my lord” all the time, feels a bit…’
It was just too cringeworthy.
Maybe in three years, I wouldn’t mind.
But for now, “Young Master” felt much more natural.
“It just sounds awkward to me. It makes me uncomfortable, so just call me that for now. If you still want to call me ‘my lord’ after my coming-of-age ceremony, then go ahead.”
“Ah… Understood, Young Master.”
The moment Seron and I stepped into the annex—
Erciel came running toward me.
“Young Master?”
“Hm?”
“There are people here to see you.”
“Me? Who?”
“The gladiators you freed from the arena last time. They’ve come to see you in person.”
They actually came?
I had given them gold and told them to come find me if they wanted a place to belong.
It seemed like some of them had taken up the offer.
“How many?”
“Around fifteen.”
Fifteen.
If you counted all the top-rank, high-rank, and mid-rank gladiators, there had been about fifty in total.
So around thirty percent of them had made their way here.
As for the rest—
‘They’re either dead, still on the road, or just went their own way.’
With gold in their pockets and freedom gained, they had probably gone to find their own paths.
I hadn’t promised them wealth and glory for coming here, after all.
Besides, having served under Viscount Remington, many of them might have developed a distaste for nobles altogether.
But now, I needed to see those gladiators.
“Where are they now?”
“Sir Leonhardt took them to the training grounds personally.”
“Got it. Oh, and—how did they look?”
“They seemed like they had been through a lot.”
I figured as much.
Prinus.
From there, the Trastan Territory was only a day’s distance by mana carriage,
But traveling on foot would have taken much longer.
‘Since I only gave them one gold, they probably couldn’t afford to buy horses.’
They had likely spent many nights sleeping under the open sky.
I could already picture their ragged, exhausted appearances.
“It’s almost lunchtime. Erciel.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Go to the kitchen and ask them to prepare plenty of food.”
“Should I include meals for the gladiators as well?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Understood.”
Leaving the maid to handle the meal preparations, I started making my way to the training grounds with Seron.
Behind the annex, there was a large training ground.
By the time I arrived, Leonhardt and the gladiators were already gathered there.
‘Hooh.’
I activated Heart Eye to assess them.
And sure enough, they were solid talent.
Among them, two top-rank gladiators had come.
And of the remaining thirteen, an impressive ten were high-rank gladiators.
Considering that I had freed twelve high-rank gladiators alongside Seron, that meant only one hadn’t come.
“You’ve arrived, Young Master.”
Seeing me, Leonhardt gave a slight bow.
The gladiators followed suit, bowing their heads in my direction.
I walked toward them and casually scanned the group.
“You actually came.”
“…….”
At my words, a few of them shivered anxiously.
Why had they sought me out?
It was obvious.
Most of them had no family.
Even though they had earned their freedom, they had no idea what to do next.
That was why, after enduring the hardships of the road, they had finally arrived at the Seltarion Family’s mansion.
I looked at the fifteen gladiators and grinned.
“Ah, no need to be nervous. I promised I’d take you in if you came, didn’t I? I wasn’t being reckless when I said that, so don’t worry. I don’t make promises lightly.”
The most important thing was to reassure them first.
At my words, the gladiators visibly relaxed and nodded.
“So, since you came all the way here, that means you’re willing to work under me, right?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Since you made the effort to come, I’ll be hiring all of you.
Seron?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Step forward.”
At my words, Seron tilted his head for a moment before walking toward the gathered gladiators.
Looking at him, I slowly opened my mouth.
“This is Seron. He was one of the gladiators imprisoned in the arena with you. Does anyone here not recognize him? They used to call him Mad Seron, if I remember correctly?”
Silence filled the training grounds.
Mad Seron.
Perhaps because the spectators had treated him like a superstar,
Even the other gladiators nodded as if they knew him.
That included the top-rank gladiators.
“I plan to form a new unit. The structure is simple—I’ll gather the gladiators who escaped from the arena and organize them into a unit. And, of course, we’ll need a leader.”
“…….”
“I’ll be selecting a commander and a vice-commander. The selection criteria? There’s only one—skill. That’s the only thing that matters. And to evaluate your skills, you’ll have to fight. Ah, but before that…”
I glanced at the gladiators and began explaining the details of the unit.
“We’ll decide on a name for the unit later. But since you’ve all come here hoping for a better future, let me explain what kind of treatment you can expect.”
Gulp.
The gladiators all swallowed nervously.
Of course, they wanted good treatment.
Given their level of skill, they were far superior to ordinary soldiers,
So I planned to compensate them accordingly.
“You’ll receive three gold coins per month, Your lodging and meals will be provided. Weapons, too—just tell me what you want, and we’ll have it made for you. And most importantly—those in the unit will be taught the Seltarion Family’s swordsmanship and Aura Cultivation Technique.”
Three gold coins as a monthly salary.
That was a significant sum.
Lodging, meals, and equipment were also appealing benefits.
But none of those compared to my final offer.
The swordsmanship and Aura Cultivation Technique of a prestigious martial family.
The moment I said that, the gladiators who had been quietly nodding widened their eyes in shock.
For most knights, these were invaluable techniques that they were desperate to learn.
“…I-Is that really true?”
“The Seltarion Family’s swordsmanship…?”
“You’re saying we’ll be taught the Aura Cultivation Technique too?”
“That’s right. But not immediately. Even though you all endured hardships to find me, that doesn’t necessarily mean your loyalty to me is strong. Do you know how swordsmanship and aura techniques are usually passed down in our family?”
“…….”
Judging by their expressions, they weren’t entirely sure.
“It’s simple. Every year, over three thousand prospective knight candidates come here. From those, only two hundred are selected to be taught swordsmanship and aura techniques. It’s not easy.”
The gladiators’ jaws dropped.
Knight candidates.
They were people who dreamed of becoming knights and had undergone rigorous training.
Yet, only two hundred out of three thousand were chosen.
Understanding it conceptually was one thing, but hearing the actual numbers made it feel far more daunting.
“So, to be honest, even if I wanted to teach you right away, I can’t. I still have to get my father’s approval.”
It was important to emphasize how difficult it was to obtain.
That way, when I eventually granted it to them, their loyalty would skyrocket.
‘Fortunately… they all seem worth training.’
Checking their traits with Heart Eye,
I didn’t see any undesirable ones among them.
It seemed I had gotten lucky with my recruits.
The ones with useless traits had probably gone elsewhere.
“In my opinion, Seron is the strongest one here… Does anyone want to challenge him? Just so you know, the higher your position, the more and faster you’ll receive benefits.”
Of course, I planned for Seron to be the unit commander.
But if I just appointed him without a proper demonstration, it could cause some friction.
It would be better to set up a public match to establish his strength.
As soon as I finished speaking—
“May I step forward?”
A rough voice rang out as one of the gladiators stepped forward.
[Heart Eye is activating.]
[The target is significantly weaker than you. Their essence is fully revealed.]
[Hans (23)]
[Talents: Martial Arts, Sturdy Physique]
[Traits: Fearless, Bulldozer]
‘Not bad.’
Hans.
A muscular, burly man—one of the top-rank gladiators.
His talents were solid.
Martial arts and a sturdy physique.
With those two, he’d have a clear advantage in close combat.
On top of that, with Fearless and Bulldozer as traits—
I already knew exactly how he would fight.
He would charge straight in, no matter what.
“Of course. We’ll start in twenty minutes, so get ready.”
Twenty minutes later—
At the center of the training grounds,
Seron and Hans stood face-to-face.
Their weapons? Wooden swords.
Perhaps because a wooden sword was still a type of sword—
Seron’s eyes had already sharpened.
“…I’ve wanted to fight you, Seron.”
Hans exhaled heavily as he spoke.
Seron simply nodded.
“Both of you, get ready. Begin.”
As soon as I gave the signal, both men charged at each other.
And then—
CRACK!
“Guh!”
In a single clash,
Hans clutched his head and collapsed to the ground.
A complete and utter defeat.
Seron had overwhelmed him in a single move.
Holding his wooden sword, Seron slowly looked around at the gladiators.
“Next?”
The moment he spoke—
Silence filled the training grounds.
Because no one dared to answer.
**[Note: Heart’s Eye can also be called “Inner Vision” or “Mind’s Eye”]
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