Chapter 78
No one stepped forward after witnessing the overwhelming gap in skill displayed in a single clash.
If even a top-rank gladiator had been defeated in a single strike, they knew it would be useless to challenge him.
Thus, Seron was officially appointed as the commander of the newly formed unit.
After that—
With wooden swords in hand, the remaining gladiators continued their battles.
Only one vice-commander position remained.
Perhaps because I had promised significant benefits to those in higher positions, the fights were brutally intense, despite using only wooden weapons.
The final match was quickly decided.
Hans versus James.
The two top-rank gladiators were the last ones standing, preparing for the final showdown.
Both were skilled, but Hans had the upper hand.
Whoosh!
As James’ wooden sword barely missed his head, Hans threw away his own weapon and charged straight at him.
He was shifting the fight to close combat, his specialty.
Thud!
With a powerful punch, Hans’ fist slammed into James’ face, deciding the match.
“Seron is the commander, and Hans is the vice-commander.”
With the duel concluded, we immediately headed toward the annex.
Inside the dining hall, a feast had already been laid out.
It was like a buffet.
The gladiators’ eyes widened in shock at the lavish spread.
“Take a seat. You’ve had a rough journey getting here, so eat properly.”
At my words, the hesitant men found their seats one by one.
“Enjoy your meal.”
As soon as I spoke—
“Thank you for the meal!”
Their booming voices echoed in unison.
…That startled me.
What are they, a gang or something?
Soon, they eagerly dug into their food.
At first, they were hesitant, but as they tasted the food, they quickly relaxed.
Despite the large amount of food prepared, it was gone in an instant.
Now that they were full, the next step was assigning sleeping quarters.
‘Lodging is easy enough.’
The annex was a two-story building with plenty of empty rooms.
“This will be your living quarters.”
I showed them several vacant rooms on the first floor.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
Even though these rooms weren’t as luxurious as the ones on the second floor,
They were still far better than any inn they had ever seen.
Compared to the nights they had spent sleeping under the open sky, this was practically a palace.
“Each room will house four people. Vice-commander?”
“Yes!”
“Since you have a rank, you get your own room.”
Hans’ face lit up with joy.
“…Thank you!”
“The rest of you—if you prove your skill and loyalty in the future, you’ll receive rewards accordingly. For now, settle into your rooms. If you need anything, ask the servants wandering around. Seron?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Watch over them for now.”
“Understood.”
After assigning the rooms, I turned to Leonhardt.
“Can you train them?”
“Training…?”
“Oh, not swordsmanship or aura techniques like Seron’s. Just the basic knight candidate training—building stamina, getting familiar with swords, that kind of thing.”
“In that case, it’s possible.”
“Then have them train for one hour a day.”
“…Young Master.”
“Hm?”
“Are you really planning to accept them?”
“For now.”
“This could be dangerous.”
I could already guess his concerns.
After all, the only thing I knew about these gladiators was that they had been forcibly taken to the arena.
Their identities were unclear.
“You’re worried about betrayal?”
“…Not exactly. It just seems like you’re accepting strangers too easily.”
“You’re not wrong. But if I want to truly understand someone, wouldn’t it be better to keep them close and observe?”
“Young Master, you could recruit better people.”
“They’re not suited to be personal subordinates, but they’re still valuable. They’ve survived countless real battles in the arena. Besides…”
I looked into Leonhardt’s eyes and smirked.
“Look at them—they have nowhere else to go. If they had families or a home, they wouldn’t have come here after escaping.”
“…That’s true.”
“In a way, that makes them more trustworthy. They’re not spies—after all, why would prisoners from an illegal gladiator arena be spies?”
Leonhardt flinched at my pointed words.
“…You already knew?”
“The spies in the annex?”
“…Yes.”
“I figured it out.”
Heart Eye helped, of course.
Leonhardt stared at me silently before whispering.
“They were highly discreet.”
Of course.
Adolf.
A meticulous man like him would ensure that his informants communicated secretly, always prepared to cut them off if necessary.
And considering my personal knight was an Expert-rank swordsman,
‘He must have been even more cautious.’
I smirked at Leonhardt.
“Leave them be.”
“You have a plan?”
“They’ve been around for a long time, and they’re not even that skilled. If I suddenly eliminate them, the person who sent them will become suspicious. It’s better to let them think I haven’t noticed.”
“…Understood. Should I investigate them further?”
“No, don’t bother. I already have a good idea of who sent them.”
“…Who is it?”
It seemed Leonhardt still hadn’t fully grasped the situation.
The spies planted near me had been around for a long time.
He must have been considering who had the power and motive to place spies near me from the very beginning.
It was about time I told him the identity of the villain behind all this.
“Adolf.”
At my words, Leonhardt’s eyes widened in shock.
“…The Second Young Master? You mean him? But why…? Those servants have been by your side for years.”
“He’s a meticulous man. He dislikes uncontrolled variables.”
“…….”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Honestly, I only confirmed the spies recently. If it weren’t for my tingling instincts, I might not have noticed. Anyway, I investigated them, and… I found a connection to Baron Louis.”
“…Baron Louis?”
Louis.
He was a high-rank knight, just like Baron Jerome, the man I sent across the River of Death.
Of course, I hadn’t actually investigated him.
But the culprit was already obvious, so all I needed to do was provide a plausible story.
“Isn’t he one of Adolf’s closest aides? He was caught communicating with the spies.”
“Weren’t you discovered?”
“If I hide, even you have trouble finding me, don’t you?”
Hide.
After mastering that magic, I had applied in-game formulas to enhance it.
Even Leonhardt struggled to find me back when I was only a 1st-circle mage.
Now that I had reached 2nd-circle, it was even easier to remain undetected.
“He had no idea. So, don’t worry about that.”
It sounded convincing enough.
Leonhardt stared at me in silence.
“…That was dangerous. If the Second Young Master is truly that meticulous, he wouldn’t have let you off easily if you were caught.”
“Adolf can’t touch me right now. He wants me too much. Even if he had discovered me, he would have just brushed it off and apologized. He needs me for what comes next.”
“…What comes next?”
“The Succession Ceremony. That’s when he’ll make his move.”
Leonhardt cautiously scanned our surroundings before speaking again.
“…Young Master. Are you absolutely sure? This is extremely dangerous.”
“Yeah. I’d bet on it.”
“…Are you sensing it again?”
I had planned to claim it was just my instincts,
but I no longer needed to.
I had a solid piece of evidence to back my claim.
“I wasn’t completely sure before. But after talking to Erciel, everything became clear. You know what spirit she has, right?”
“Yes.”
“As her spirit power grew, she became able to converse directly with it. And it told her something. It said this place is overflowing with evil energy.”
“…Evil energy?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what it said. And according to that ancient spirit, this was something it had only felt long ago.”
Leonhardt’s expression hardened.
A Spirit of Light had sensed an evil presence.
Spies.
Rebellion.
Adolf.
All the keywords I dropped were falling into place,
forming a coherent picture—a very realistic, very imminent scenario.
“Then… You believe the source of that evil energy is the Second Young Master?”
“Exactly. I always wondered why I felt uneasy whenever I met him. But now, it all makes sense. What if Adolf has been dabbling in dark forces to secure the position of family head?”
“…Even if he starts a rebellion, would the knights really follow him so easily? He can’t do it alone, can he?”
“Adolf. You know he’s changed a lot over the years, right? It started around ten years ago.”
“…Yes.”
“That’s also when he handpicked certain soldiers and knights to form a new division—the Fifth Legion.”
Leonhardt fell silent.
“If he’s been pursuing this power for years… I don’t know exactly what this evil energy is, but it’s clearly not some minor trick. If he’s been gathering followers in secret using that power, starting a rebellion wouldn’t be impossible.”
“…If this is true, shouldn’t we inform the Lord?”
“Impossible.bThere’s no concrete evidence. Even though Father is a Sword Master, he never noticed this energy. That means it’s being hidden extremely well.”
I spoke firmly, making sure he understood.
“If I go to Father right now and tell him all this, do you think he’ll believe me?”
“…That would be difficult.”
“Exactly. And even if he did, it would be a problem. The moment his attitude changes, Adolf will sense it immediately. And if he decides to play dumb, we’d have no way to expose him.”
“If it’s dark energy, couldn’t the priests detect it?”
“…Hah. If it were that easy, don’t you think they would have already noticed by now? How many priests have visited the family over the years?”
“……”
“There’s no way to expose him yet. And if we start talking too much, I might end up dead before we get the chance. Adolf has been preparing for years. He wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate obstacles.”
Leonhardt fell silent for a moment before asking quietly.
“…Then what do you plan to do?”
“Fortunately, I have a way. Big Brother has also sensed something off about Adolf.”
“…The First Young Master?bCould it be that he also has an… unusual ability?”
“I think so. I need to talk to him.”
Even though Adolf’s surveillance had reached its peak,
I had always kept in touch with Abel.
Meeting him wouldn’t raise suspicion.
And if Adolf questioned it,
I could simply say Abel called for me as usual.
I needed to prepare and move carefully so Adolf wouldn’t suspect anything.
“We’re heading to the inner castle. I need to meet Big Brother.”
“…Understood. Are we leaving immediately?”
“Wait a moment.”
Before meeting him,
I needed to bring evidence.
And my key witness was, of course,
my personal maid.
I immediately summoned Erciel to join us.
Then, the three of us set out for the inner castle.
—
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