The distance from the Clayton family’s domain to the academy was quite big.
Therefore, one might normally consider using a teleportation circle to travel to the academy, but there were a few places in this world where teleportation was not allowed.
The Imperial Palace of the Empire was one such place, as was the Coalition formed by the union of five countries.
Since the academy Shane and Klein were headed to was located right in the center of the Coalition, teleportation was impossible.
So, inside the carriage heading towards the academy.
As they were escorted by knights from the Clayton family, Shane was deep in thought.
In five years’ time, they will emerge.
The organization “Nameless” which had led Shane towards corruption, would reveal itself to the world.
Whether Shane fell into corruption or not.
Their plans would remain the same.
For that, he first needed to prepare for the impending storm by strengthening himself.
At the same time, Shane turned his gaze towards his younger brother, Klein.
He was known as humanity’s last hope.
The hero who overcame countless challenges and even defeated Shane himself, who stood as the commander of the First Legion.
Perhaps Klein would have defeated all his enemies in his path just as he had in his previous life, even if he hadn’t intervened.
But how much despair had Klein endured to reach that point?
The organization had made numerous attempts to kill or corrupt Klein, and although he had overcome them all, he had also suffered greatly in the process.
Like the heroes of legends, he walked the path of a hero while losing much along the way.
Shane did not wish for Klein to endure such trials again in this lifetime.
I’ll need to become stronger first.
Even now, Shane has thought of several ways to fight the organization, but with his current abilities, they all seem inadequate.
Fortunately, there were many ways to grow stronger.
He didn’t need to resort to the power of corruption; recalling the information he had during his time with the organization revealed countless ways to enhance his strength.
Among the methods Shane considered was,
Runic characters.
Magical characters known to be used only by selected beings among ancient races unknown to modern humanity.
A notable being that used runic characters was the dragon.
If it was the characters used by the creator of magic, worthy of being called the master of all magic, then the absolute amount of magical power would become irrelevant.
It was said that mastering the runic characters could allow one to wield all forms of magic, regardless of the total amount of magical power…
At the very least, Shane was not at that level yet.
Above all, even with his analytical skills, it was a long way to understand the runic characters.
But the story changes when it comes to application.
Shane briefly thought of someone who might hold the answers to the runic characters and then closed his eyes.
First, there are matters that need to be resolved.
As he continued to watch the setting sun, Shane and Klein’s carriage headed toward a small village on the edge of the mountains.
One of the village’s militia, Alex, looked out from the guard post with a look of boredom on his face.
Always the same scenery, the unchanging smell of the air.
And the relief personnel always arrived at the same time each day.
But today was different from usual.
It was because the people from the famous Clayton Count’s household had come to the usually quiet village.
Of course, as always, they didn’t demand anything special from the village.
They quietly unpacked their bags at the inn, stayed for the night, and would leave the village early the next morning.
A young militia who wasn’t even the village chief could only catch a glimpse of the knights serving the Clayton family from a distance, let alone the direct family members.
“Hey, Alex. I’ve come for the shift change. You lucky bastard.”
“You came?”
When his colleague arrived for the shift change, Alex greeted him with a grin on his face.
“Havoc merchant caravan came by earlier, right? I bet you’re going to drink the place dry.”
“What do you mean ‘drink the place dry’? I can’t even drink a single drop since I have guard duty again tomorrow.”
Despite his colleague’s envious remarks, the smile never left Alex’s face.
His colleague knew it too.
Though Alex couldn’t drink much, the experience alone would be more precious than alcohol.
“Don’t pay too much attention to what those mercenaries say. It’s really tough outside.”
“You need to know something about the outside world to decide whether to go out or not. Don’t worry about it needlessly.”
With that, Alex finished the shift change with his colleague and headed straight for the village’s only tavern.
Originally used as a storeroom for the inn, this building had been erected several years earlier when people from the Clayton family began to visit.
The official reason was that the village had grown considerably, but Alex’s father said that he had simply separated the inn and tavern to prevent any disturbance to the Clayton’s stay.
And Alex thought that reason was more accurate.
When he entered the old tavern, noisy voices were already filling the air.
“Come on, drink up, drink up!”
“Boss! Let’s forget all about it with this!”
“Right, when have we ever lived thinking about tomorrow?! Let’s drink!”
A rough-looking group of about fifteen men occupied all the seats in the small tavern.
And as they happened to spot Alex entering the tavern, they grinned and raised their beer mugs.
“Hey, isn’t that the country bumpkin Alex?!”
“Haha, his face has got a fine tan!”
“He’s finally looking like a man. Hahaha!”
These were a group of mercenaries guarding the Havoc Caravan.
The Havoc Caravan belonged to the Clayton Merchant Guild which was managed by the Clayton family.
They knew that the Clayton family visited this village around this time each year and arrived on the same day at a similar hour.
And the ones who had just greeted Alex were mercenaries guarding such a caravan.
“Mister Wayton. How have you been?”
“Uhahaha! He calls him Mister! Oh, I got goosebumps! Look at my arm!”
“Hey, you bastards. Where in the world do you find such a polite young man these days to tease, you uneducated brutes! You should call me Mister too!”
“No way, boss! Gehehe!”
Like brothers who had known each other for years, they exchanged jokes and laughed together, while Alex sat awkwardly among them.
“So, you’ve come again today. How have you been?”
Alex showed a strained smile at the words of Wayton, the captain of this mercenary group.
“What else could be new in this village? I’ve been living as usual.”
“Heh, that’s right. That’s life for you.”
“But did you come today because of that matter again?”
“Well, I guess so. The upper classes around here are all about keeping an eye on the Claytons.”
“Does it really change anything?”
“That’s hard to say. Life is like gambling, isn’t it? Which Lord is more dominant? How much are the odds tilted in one direction? It’s about considering those things. And then, you bet all in on it.”
Just like Wayton said, what the Havoc Caravan wanted was information about the two brothers of the Clayton family.
Specifically, it was about Shane and Klein, and which of the two was closer to becoming the head of the family.
“So, which one is more likely to succeed? Isn’t it usually the eldest son who inherits?”
“Unlike being a farmer or running a tavern or an inn, where learning by doing is enough, the noble lords’ roles require talent. It’s simple. If the younger son’s talent surpasses that of the eldest, then the younger son inherits the house. That’s the case with this noble family I just mentioned.”
“…”
Now that he thought about it.
There was a time when the village chief had been discussing with the elders, and Alex remembered hearing unfavorable rumors about Clayton’s eldest son.
Wasn’t it during this year’s academy break, when the eldest son had suffered a humiliating defeat at the academy and had tarnished the family name?
“Still, that sounds like a complaint of the well-fed. Even if the eldest son of that great family steps down as the heir, surely he won’t be thrown out penniless?”
Wayton chuckled at the thought. He was aware that even if someone like him worked his entire life, he couldn’t touch the kind of money the ousted heir would receive.
“Burb … Anyway, I wish I could be in such a position myself. At the very least, then I wouldn’t have nearly died like last time.”
In the always-dull village, stories of the outside world were exceptionally entertaining.
To Alex, these stories were far more interesting than the fantastical tales of heroes his grandfather used to tell during his childhood.
And for Alex, whose dream is to go out into the world someday, any information about it was not something he could easily come by.
“Kid, looking at your face reminds me of our Marlon.”
“Oh, by the way, where is he?”
In response to Weighton’s words, Alex checked the faces of the mercenary members and asked that question.
Marlon.
Like Alex, he had been from another rural village and had made a good impression on Wayton, which earned him a place as a mercenary.
Alex vividly remembered how envious he had felt seeing Marlon during the mercenaries’ last visit.
Marlon too seemed to enjoy the attention from Alex and carried himself with an air of heightened arrogance.
But now, he was nowhere to be seen.
“Where do you think he is?”
“……?”
“Tch. We buried him. It’s a common occurrence in a mercenary group.”
“Ah, that bumpkin has gone and soured our boss’s mood again!”
“Boss, do we ever live thinking about tomorrow? Marlon knew that too! We all know it! Isn’t that what you always tell us, Boss?”
“Right, right!”
Alex understood what the mercenaries were saying.
For mercenaries, death was always lurking nearby. Like a plague one lives with.
“Pheww, yeah. So, that’s what happened. Kid, don’t even think about joining us as a mercenary. Just stay and look after your village. Even if you only manage to beat a goblin, you’ll be hailed as a hero here. Got it?”
“Speaking of which… I haven’t seen some of the others I met before…”
“Oh, look here, boss. This kid seems curious about what’s happened to us. That’s why no matter how many mercenaries fall, there’s always a new batch to fill in, goddammit! Geez, this fool. He doesn’t value his life at all.”
“But aren’t we those fools too?”
“That’s a hit, a very true hit!”
Trying to prevent the mood from becoming too somber, the mercenaries increased their bluster and chattered even more, and finally, Alex was able to learn about the events that had transpired among them.
“It was nothing special. Just that a dungeon wave had erupted, and we happened to be nearby, unfortunately. Luckily, the knights from a nearby city were there for training. Otherwise, we all would have been done for.”
“You must have had a hard time.”
“Hard time, my ass. We worked our asses off and didn’t get paid a dime. Sh*t, that’s what you call a real dog’s death, a dog’s death!”
With that, Wayton downed a glass full of alcohol.
“It was just our shitty luck. We were walking along a path on the outskirts of the forest when suddenly, a loud booming sound came from far away. You know what that is? Monster Fear, that’s what it’s called. The big ones, like trolls, they all spew it out. When you hear it, people who can’t use magic, they just freeze up.”
Growww—l!!
“Yeah, just like this sound. Like the world is ending… wait—”
Wayton stopped talking.
At the same time, silence fell all over the tavern.
And then.
Grooouuuwww—!l!
Once more, a monstrous howl echoed from afar.
“Sh*t.”
When a sound that should not have been heard was heard in reality, Wayton’s expression crumpled.
Grrrooowwwl!
A monstrous roar echoed from afar.
It may have been a sound of fear to some and an unfamiliar presence to others.
But for others, it was a sound all too familiar and utterly detestable.
“It has begun.”
Shane muttered under his breath. He then stood up and turned toward the direction of the roar.
A phenomenon known as a dungeon wave where monsters emerge from a neglected dungeon after a certain period.
Soon, these creatures would march toward the village.
Shane briefly recalled the memories from his past life.
At that time, he had forcibly taken command of the knights and led them into battle.
To put it simply, Shane had ultimately failed to protect the village which earned him the wrath of its residents. His incompetence became well-known through the mercenaries here and he was then branded as a haughty and incompetent noble among the local people.
At that time, he had reluctantly taken command out of a desire not to be outdone by Klein, but that did not mean he lacked a sense of duty to protect the village.
However, what returned to him were the villagers holding the bodies of their dead families and looking at him with eyes full of resentment.
The only thing he saw was the disgusted expressions of the knights who had seen him take command forcefully and fail.
Because of this, Shane resolved from that day onward to no longer live for others.
It became the catalyst for his increasingly selfish nature.
“I will not make the same mistake again.”
He was not particularly seeking the admiration or respect of the people anymore.
Even then, Shane had done his best as much as he could on his own, and the disaster was not solely due to his lack of leadership.
Nevertheless, the reason he stepped forward was nothing special.
It was simply a better option than not doing anything.
And above all, to stand against the “Nameless” organization in the future, a certain degree of fame was important.
Listening to the bustling sounds of the village as evening approached, Shane got up and stepped out of his room.
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