Chapter 50

-Emma, trapped in an isolation room, couldn’t sleep despite the late hour.

Exactly, she couldn’t sleep at all.

Because of what happened in the evening.

-Recent rumors about embezzlement in the Duke House of Bargrand were circulating.

-That’s absurd. Rumors that money from the territory was embezzled by the Duke House? And then there’s someone who just happened to have a lot of money recently?

-Why, I heard Emma bought some expensive clothes lately. It’s quite suspicious, isn’t it?

Suddenly, Carsein barged in and brought up the issue of embezzlement directly.

Of course, there was no way it could be true.

How could Carsein know?

After all, as a commoner stuck in a room eating garbage food, it’s not like his words would reach her ears.

So, she couldn’t understand how Carsein knew anything, or how he gathered such information.

Confused, Emma held her head in pain.

If they knew about the missing money, they would have reported it to the Duchess long ago, right? They would have also noticed the financial discrepancies.

But that didn’t happen.

Carsein must not have reported this fact…

-Oh? There are some knights in the Duke’s House who suddenly changed their equipment recently. Coincidence, huh?

-Shit. The money assigned to me for your salary is being used to supplement their pay. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?

-Finance is Arina’s responsibility. But, managing accounts and allocations is the Head Maid’s right. It’s easy to tamper with records.

He knew everything so accurately.

Carsein Bargrand knew exactly where the money allocated to him was flowing.

Damn it…! How did he find out?!

Carsein’s last sentence made Emma tremble.

-The previous month, when we urgently had to use funds from the territory. You surely left holes in the accounts.

I did take money out in a hurry.

But to leave a flaw in the accounts that were supposed to be perfect. Even if the opponent was Carsein, this can’t simply be brushed off as a mistake by the Head Maid.

It’s clear that Carsein has direct evidence regarding the embezzlement in the Duke House.

She needs to escape this isolation room soon.

But by then, it might be too late.

-Gotta do something…!

Bang bang.

“Hey, guard, can we talk for a moment?”

“Huh?”

When Emma knocked on the bars, a guard appeared.

As expected, one of the guards recognized her among the close protectors.

“Can you bring me the people from the 1st Knight Order?”

“Bring people? You’re under detention. Only interrogations allow private meetings, don’t you remember?”

“I know. But, something urgent could happen back home.”

Smiling slyly, Emma took out a gold coin from her pocket.

“As the Head Maid, I’m asking you. Take this and look the other way.”

“Huh? Uh… This kind of thing…”

“Don’t worry. I just want you to deliver a message. It’s better to ask people I know for this kind of favor. That’s why I need those people.”

“Hmm… If it’s like that…”

The guard, drooling over the gold coin, looked between the Head Maid and the coin, took the coin, and brought the person.

When the guard left, a knight appeared shortly after.

“What’s going on? Why are you here at this hour?”

“There’s no one around, right?”

“Yes. Of course. We’re not going to advertise our meeting, are we?”

Hearing this, Emma swallowed hard and got to the point.

“How’s Carsein doing?”

Something seemed off after he went out.

Noticing that the letter from his fiancée was still missing, he needed to know how things were.

“He came to the Training Hall. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Hearing that, Emma’s heart sank.

“C-Carsein came to the Training Hall?!”

“Surprise. Why are you yelling?”

“…”

Emma clenched the bars tightly and shook.

‘Could it be… Could he really know something?’

He thought he had covered everything perfectly.

There was no way he would be found out.

For the embezzlement, for mentioning the contact with the knights, and even for coming to the Training Hall.

Suddenly, a sense of foreboding rose in Emma’s mind.

Now, there’s no time.

“…Get rid of him.”

“Huh?”

“Whatever it takes, get rid of him. If I get out of this isolation room, I’ll cover for you! Just report to me every day about what you’re doing!”

At that, the knight smirked and made a circle with his thumb and index finger.

“More than a shield, this is what we need, Head Maid.”

“You…!”

“Harassing fellow knights is easy enough if you manipulate public opinion. But reporting every day requires more effort. Eh?”

Despite taking the money, the knight still had greed in his eyes.

Seeing the knight, who was also a knight, greedily eyeing the money, Emma gritted her teeth.

But, since it was an emergency, she had no choice.

“Fine. I’ll double your usual payment.”

“Triple it and we have a deal. Double is a bit low.”

Facing the knight, who acted as if he was scratching his ear and looked relaxed, Emma yelled.

“Alright! Alright! I’ll give you triple, but make sure that guy is out of the Training Hall. Got it?!”

“Confirmed. Don’t go back on your word later. ~”

The knight smiled, pleased with himself.

‘This will do. As long as I can get rid of the one who knows the truth.’

Once bitten, twice shy.

Even if there are repercussions, he must be eliminated.

Carsein Bargrand.

To Emma, he was no longer someone who should remain in the Duke House.

***

Winter had come.

With the cold wind, Emma’s body shivered, and she didn’t want to go outside, wrapped in a warm blanket.

Despite the season, the boy’s entire body was hot with excitement.

In the center of the field, he ran with both legs, drenched in sweat, continuously running in the Training Hall.

“From the start, he couldn’t keep up, and he’s still running? Does anyone know how many laps are left?”

“Five laps, I guess. When he finishes this lap, he’ll have four left.”

“At this speed… Hmmm. He’ll probably keep going for a few more minutes.”

The knights watched and talked about Carsein.

“…”

Mark, the deputy commander, watched Carsein closely as he finished his laps first.

Originally, it was impossible.

For regular knights and probationary knights, it was routine. For apprentice knights, it might be a bit challenging, but they were trained from a young age.

Due to this, they could become full-fledged knights after completing their training period.

But for a noble young master, it was extremely difficult.

Especially for nobles who had never used their bodies or had long periods of inactivity.

‘Technically, we should reduce the intensity to avoid burdening the body, but…’

Carsein didn’t give up.

Despite his untrained body lagging behind the knights, he was enduring intense physical training.

‘It’s not just that.’

Mark glanced slightly to the left.

With four laps remaining, Carsein stopped briefly at the starting line to catch his breath. A group of people mocked him.

“Hehe. What a sight. Let him suffer a little!”

“He seems to have endured because he was on the ground before.”

“How much can he endure? Trying to challenge the knights’ daily routine so lightly. He wasn’t with us when he first arrived.”

“That’s right. That’s why even today, his legs were shaking. After only two days, he looks ready to fall.”

It was merely a matter of the body not keeping up with the intensity of the training, but they were subtly retaliating against Carsein during the training.

They would hit him on the shoulder as they passed by,

deliberately swing their arms to hit his side,

or push him aside as an excuse to go ahead.

The pressure wasn’t just physical; it was mental as well. By the third day.

“Mark, where did you put the rag?”

One of the fellow knights approached Mark with a betting board in hand, wagering on how long Carsein could last.

“Doing something like this.”

“Come on, it’s fun. Everyone who goes through the induction process is rough.”

Precisely, they were betting on whether Carsein could survive the one-week induction period.

While it was an unhealthy custom, even the deputy commander Mark couldn’t stop it.

“Actually, maybe it’s better not to stop it.”

In a situation where the knights were filled with resentment, if the young master could survive a week,

it would prove that what was impossible could become possible.

At least, it would dispel any doubts.

The odds were heavily in favor of failure. Since there was no success rate for passing the induction, they bet on the duration of the failure.

The most popular bet was for the next day.

Seeing the miserable odds, Mark turned his attention back to Carsein.

“Gah, gah… Gah!”

All he could see was the struggling boy still gasping for breath. Yet…

“Whoa, you’re really tough. You’ve finally made it to the end.”

“Yay. Let’s celebrate with the money we won from today’s bets.”

“I was going to bet a little less… Sigh. Why does he have to be so stubborn.”

“In the end, it doesn’t help.”

In the end, he endured the three-day training.

Gasping for air, he lay sprawled on the playground.

‘It’s worth it.’

Only then would it be worthwhile to ask questions.

Only with that level of determination could he ask why.

Why did Radiel defend him?

What happened that day?

***

“Gah, hah.”

After finishing the final ten laps, I lay sprawled on the Training Hall floor, gasping for breath.

My mouth wouldn’t close. Something flowed out, thick like saliva, making me wonder if it was spit or water.

‘I’m going to die from exhaustion!’

I had expected some hardship, but applying the knights’ training methods to trainees was brutal.

Truly, every day, my body felt full of tension and soreness. I started to worry about what kind of backlash I would face in the morning.

‘But… this is right.’

■Carsein Bargrand■ – Age 18

Lv. 7 (SP: 0.15)

▶Strength 2.59

▶Agility 3.35

▶Stamina 4.01

▶Health 2.00

▶Immunity 1.03

▶??? 0.20

The status window now includes additional symptoms like shortness of breath and guidelines, but they aren’t major threats. The stats are noticeably increasing.

Carsein’s weak body is growing stronger. The most important thing is that he’s moving away from a bad ending due to deteriorating health.

Of course, this isn’t the end.

▶Successfully completed the 3-day training!◀

▶Affinity with Mark Redeltain increases!◀

[Current value: -6%]

If Carsein fails to endure more than half of the seven-day induction period, Mark Redeltain’s affinity will drop permanently.

Currently, he is one of the few knights with less hostility towards Carsein. If he fails to win their support, he won’t be able to enter the Training Hall.

So, surviving the third day means he can breathe a sigh of relief, but…

▶Rewards increase in proportion to the number of days completed!◀

The rewards increase based on the days survived. This cannot be given up.

Even though it’s hard, it’s better than giving up and continuing.

Since the rewards from the Training Hall shouldn’t be taken lightly,

especially since they connect to the Dead Trigger.

Just that reason alone is enough to complete the training period.

However, as feared, issues began occurring from the moment he entered the Training Hall.

‘Crap. Why does my HP decrease so much each time I get hit in this mini-game?’

His side still ached from being hit, even though he hadn’t dodged properly yet.

In the game, Carsein could easily avoid hits by analyzing them, but in reality, he couldn’t move like that.

Emma’s orders were expected, but the knights who openly disliked Carsein joining the public opinion made it feel worse.

Understanding why the HP bar decreased drastically in the game each time Carsein was hit.

Of course, he couldn’t endure this much longer.

Even if it was regular training, he would have continued by combining work and studies. However, the physical torment was beyond what he could handle.

Pain accompanied the strain, and no matter how much he tried to hold on with his willpower, he might not last the remaining four days and fall first.

Then, naturally, it would be game over.

A bad ending.

But, that won’t happen.

“Huh? Someone else is coming?”

“Wait, could it be…?”

“Gah!”

Laughing knights noticed someone approaching from the main gate and quickly took their positions.

“Everyone, stand at attention!”

Not only probationary or trainee knights, but even regular knights weren’t exempt.

They all had to be members of the Bargrand Duke House at this moment.

“Salute!”

Following the deputy commander Mark’s command, the knights lined up.

*Ding!

▶Isabella came to the Training Hall!◀

…

‘Here she comes.’

With sufficient affinity, today’s harassment would stop after this training.

But, it should only go this far.

I raised myself up, catching my breath, and stood up from the ground.

Meanwhile, the woman walked past the knights and approached me.

Isabella, who had approached, was shocked.

Of course, she would be.

The son of the Bargrand Duke House, who had undergone such grueling training and collapsed in such disarray.

“Did you train him to this state?”

With a distorted face, Isabella instilled tension in the knights.

The knights immediately sensed that the Duchess was furious and closed their eyes tightly.

No matter what, they would receive heavy punishment along with criticism.

This was the perfect opportunity for me.

“Knights, how could you train someone improperly—”

“It was my wish.”

“…What did you say?”

“This training is what I specified and chose to undergo.”

[4. It’s what I wanted, Mother.]

Choosing this option, Isabella’s shocked face turned into one of confusion.

▶Affinity with Mark increases!◀

[Current value: 0%]

The status window finally showed that Mark’s affinity had returned to its white box form.