Chapter 370

And so, life in Landenburg began.

It wasn’t anything particularly grand.

Sure, I was technically the successor of Landenburg, but that didn’t mean I had any specific role to fulfill here.

The official duties of the castle were handled by Ludwig himself, Shane, and the administrative staff, while maintaining order outside the city was the job of Landenburg’s knights.

If I stepped in, it would just take away their chance to grow stronger without any real benefit to me. It’s not like I’d become stronger by doing that.

There was no reason to visit the barrier until Ka`har’s army began their advance.

Ludwig suggested I receive some education on managing the territory as a successor, but I declined.

It wasn’t something I could learn in a month, and I wasn’t exactly the type to excel in that kind of field.

People have roles that suit their talents, after all.

At the very least, management was far from my forte. My talents were ultimately specialized in combat.

That said, I had no intention of wasting the month idly.

So.

—

– **Kwaaaang!**

A deafening explosion. Steel scattered like flower petals.

The sand, caught in the shockwave of the clash, whipped up a dust storm.

Nigel, his breastplate shattered, flew like a kicked ball and slammed into the wall.

“Kuhak!”

Gasping, Nigel slid down the wall and slumped to the ground.

I had controlled my strength to avoid damaging his organs, but the impact was enough to shatter steel armor, so getting up immediately would’ve been tough.

I tossed aside the broken training sword and grabbed a new one from the wall.

“Brings back memories. We fought here until we were half-dead, remember?”

“Cough, cough…! How could I forget that…?”

Yeah. I was now sparring with Nigel again in the same place where we’d fought before.

—

After a month of pondering what to do, I concluded that I needed to train myself and my allies as much as possible.

It was an obvious conclusion, but there really wasn’t anything else to do.

So, I went to Ludwig and suggested summoning Landenburg’s swordsmen to the lord’s castle for sparring sessions.

I persuaded him that fighting against a superior opponent was a great opportunity for warriors to grow.

Plus, it’d give me a chance to refine my own skills.

Landenburg did have Blake, but I was more suited for this kind of thing than someone who had just become a hero.

After all, didn’t he accidentally destroy a training hall because he couldn’t control his strength?

Ludwig agreed readily, saying it was a good idea.

He’d call in the masters stationed at the barrier in shifts and asked me to spar with all of them.

Of course, as I mentioned yesterday, sparring with Blake was out of the question. I didn’t particularly want to either.

We couldn’t risk clashing with a key ally right before a war.

But against the masters, I was confident we could end things without serious injuries.

Heinrich, being from Dane, was a bit of a concern, but as a knight of Landenburg, he should know better than to cross the line.

“How many can you call at once?”

“Considering time, distance, and fatigue, three every three days would be ideal.”

Three, huh? That’s a decent number.

More than four, and it’d be tricky for me to control my strength while fighting.

—

Once Ludwig gave his approval, things moved quickly.

Though the knights’ training hall was destroyed, the family training hall for Landenburg’s direct line was still intact, so the sparring took place there.

Since this was just decided today, only Nigel, Ja-han, Rana, and I were in the training hall.

“Can I just leave…? If I stay here, I feel like I’ll die from the shrapnel….”

Oh, Minea was here too.

She’d made up her mind and came this morning, bowing deeply and asking for guidance.

I brought her in to watch, but… the sight of a hero and masters fighting was more terrifying than inspiring for her, a low-ranking squire.

Her face was pale as a sheet.

*”With this much fear….”*

Ja-han, who was guarding Rana and Minea, clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.

Minea didn’t understand Eastern language, and Ja-han didn’t know Empire language, so they couldn’t communicate.

I couldn’t leave her like that, so I’d have to lend her a translation magic necklace later.

I don’t remember where I stashed it, but once I give it to her, I’ll order her to learn Empire language.

Shane could probably find a language tutor for her.

“…So, you’re not planning to end this after just one hit, right, Nigel?”

“Of course not. I haven’t even shed a drop of blood yet.”

Uh, you’re bleeding profusely. The wall you slammed into is red now?

Your back’s all scraped and raw, isn’t it?

Well, whatever.

Having a strong will is a good thing.

“Good. That’s the kind of spirit you need to grow stronger. Then, I’ll put in a bit more effort!”

“Huh? Wait, no, there’s no need for that…!”

I charged at Nigel, my Life Force surging around me.

I wasn’t planning to go all out like I did against Ryu-rik, but this much power should be fine.

“Here I come!”

A crimson aura wrapped around the steel sword like a veil.

It was a technique derived from Hersela’s art of slicing enemies into pieces with a net of blades, but without the sharpness.

The training sword was just an ordinary steel weapon, but using it like this protected the blade with Life Force, making it harder to break.

Though it would still break after a few swings.

“Tch…!”

Nigel hastily rolled to the side.

Choosing to dodge instead of parrying—wise decision.

– **Pwoooosh!**

The Life Force-infused blade, missing its target, slammed into the ground, and the resulting explosion sent shrapnel flying like buckshot.

The thick layer of sand on the floor split like the Red Sea before Moses.

“…If I got hit by that, even I’d die instantly—.”

“It’s not over yet.”

I swung my left arm at Nigel, who was trying to protest.

I wasn’t using Ice Blade, but my fist, reinforced with Life Force, was a weapon in itself, like a cannonball.

Nigel barely managed to deflect it with his spear and was pushed back.

“You’re not as good as before, huh? You fought well back then, but now….”

“Kuh…! It’s just that you’ve gotten too strong, Princess Ha-shal-leur!”

Nigel protested, sounding aggrieved.

In truth, she was right.

Nigel had definitely grown stronger. Her strength, speed, and reflexes had all improved.

If she were still at her previous level, that punch would’ve killed her… no, knocked her out cold.

The reason she was being overwhelmed now was simply because I had grown far stronger than her. To the point where close combat wasn’t even feasible.

I was also more familiar with her fighting style now.

Nigel’s fighting style relied on acrobatic movements using her spear and dagger, exploiting gaps in her opponent’s defense. To fully utilize it, she needed to fight in tight spaces or engage in extreme close combat… but trying that against me now was practically suicide.

Even if she tried to stab me with her dagger like before, it’d just bounce off. If she jumped into the air, my Life Force chains would grab her legs and slam her into the ground.

Realistically, there was no way for Nigel to beat me now. Even if I wasn’t going all out.

The only way she could possibly injure me was by charging straight at me with all her strength…

“Haaaah!”

Yeah, like now.

Maybe she noticed I was lost in thought for a moment.

Nigel charged at me with all her might, thrusting her spear.

A lightning-fast stab.

It was a strike with enough force to pierce even steel armor like paper.

This is pretty good.

The Life Force chains I’d sent to bind her limbs were torn apart by the force of her charge.

Since this was just a training match, I hadn’t put much power into them, so their restraining force was weaker than expected.

Nigel’s spear tip aimed straight for my chest.

Even though I was wearing armor made by Asha, a direct hit would still pierce right through.

But a predictable attack isn’t a threat.

Just before the spear tip reached me, I twisted my body to the side and aimed the hilt of my longsword at Nigel.

– **Crack!**

The armor scraped, sending sparks flying. The spear tip grazed past, piercing through empty air.

Nigel’s expression was one of clear frustration.

– **Thud!**

A sound like meat being hammered.

The hilt of my sword, gripped in my right hand, slammed into Nigel’s stomach.

“Kuhak!”

Her body bent like a shrimp.

Without giving her a chance to counter, I grabbed her right arm and pulled her in, then reached out with my left hand to grip her neck.

“Your unconventional attacks are fine, but you need to work on your straightforward techniques. They’re too predictable, so faster opponents will see through them easily.”

“I’ll keep that in mind….”

It’s strange how I, who once received swordsmanship lessons from Nigel, am now giving her advice.

The world really does change when you grow stronger.

After releasing Nigel’s neck, I called Ja-han over for the second sparring match.

It didn’t take long.

Ja-han was knocked back, his Crescent Moon Blade shattered.