Leo announced his intention to participate in the giant hunt.
Naturally, there was no way that the Duke and Verdict would accept Leo’s participation.
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Your uncle is right. Where the hell do you want to come from!”
Verdict was even so startled that he jumped up on his wobbly legs.
Leo shrugged.
“As you may have noticed, Lord Verdict, I am a 5th-class mage.”
“I know that degradation is great. But never go together.”
“Why not?”
Leo stared at him.
Verdict let out a slight sigh at the sight of him not wanting to back down unless there was a logical reason.
“The reason I’m trying to hunt Uranus this time isn’t simply because I want fame or its by-products.”
“So what?”
“Revenge.”
revenge?
Leo put on a puzzled expression.
It was the duke who continued the conversation from here.
“Your uncle has no family. There was, to be sure, but not now.”
“… Is that what Uranus did?”
“Yes.”
Verdict and Duke Lyant made bitter faces.
Verdict had been wandering the West since he was young, and that was even after he got married.
I hardly ever went home, so my little son was growing up a lot every time I saw him.
“I wasn’t a very good father. However, I think my son wanted to be acknowledged by me. From the moment I became a sword expert, I set out to catch monsters in the west. He must have thought that his father would come back and praise him.”
If you catch a stronger monster, you will receive greater praise.
It was a typical knightly idea.
In addition, Verdict’s wife was a top-notch sword expert, so she followed him as his son’s guardian.
Verdict’s older brother, the former duke, sent a squad of knights along with them to protect them.
“But no matter how much I wanted to catch a stronger monster, it seemed like I was continuing to go deep into the west. Then finally… I have stepped into the realm of Uranus.”
If the soldier who barely came back alive hadn’t delivered the news, he wouldn’t have known how his family had died.
“Actually, it’s as if Uranus didn’t kill my wife and son. Because I neglected my family.”
Verdict said calmly.
However, his voice as he spoke was filled with emotions so concentrated that he immediately realized how much he had been struggling with this problem.
For a while, the atmosphere calmed down.
The duke cleared his throat for no reason and said.
“greatness. Anyway, your uncle is one of the best among the 6th class mages. It’s been almost 30 years since you reached the level of the 6th class. The reason I came here is because I wanted to make sure I met you before I went hunting for giants.”
Leo also noticed why the duke didn’t say anything.
It was judged that Verdict could die during this hunt, so he thought there was no other chance to show him now.
“Do you understand what I mean? Neither I nor my uncle know what will happen, and I cannot take you to such a place. You never know what His Highness will say later.”
The Duke’s words were logical.
Leo also understood well.
But he had reasons why he couldn’t back down.
‘If possible, the treasure of the giants is an item I must have.’
Originally, Leo never intended to touch him.
It’s not like the orc that the ruler of the west meets along the way.
Even the court mage of the Empire, who is said to be the strongest among humans, is an opponent whose victory cannot be predicted.
‘Besides, even if I remove the penalty with the giant’s heart, there’s no guarantee that it will get rid of what I want.’
Currently, Leo has a total of 7 penalties.
[Low physical ability] [Lower physical recovery] [Body] [Weakness] [Sick constitution] [Chronic lack of physical strength] [God-sent talent]
Among these, the problematic one is ‘talented from the sky’, a trait that inevitably dies at the age of 20.
The rest is just a little inconvenient, but manageable.
If you take the medicine made from the treasure of the giants, one of them will be removed randomly, not at will.
‘1 in 7 odds. Roughly 14%.’
Even if you risked your life to succeed in the hunt, that was the only chance that the drug would remove the desired trait.
Even when you’re close to 20 years old later, if you can’t break through the realm of a great mage on your own, then it’s worth trying, it’s not worth risking your life from now on.
However, things are slightly different now.
Logan to Duke of Lyont to Verdict.
If you join forces with these three people, it might be worth trying.
‘If it’s necessary, I can just run away.’
Since she had a fairy walk, she was confident that she would not die.
“Anyway, I think you understand now.”
As Leo was still in his thoughts, the duke let out a sigh of relief, as if he thought his persuasion worked well.
“Your uncle will be staying for at least a month, so stay with us in the meantime… .”
“no. I think I will go again.”
“… Lowering!”
“I also think the duke’s words make sense. But I must go anyway.”
Leo wasn’t just a stubborn child.
Of course, judging by her age, she was a child, but she knew that in order to achieve her goals, there had to be an appropriate price.
“Instead, I will help convince Celise to become the Duke’s apprentice.”
“… Yes?”
The duke wondered what kind of absurd condition this was.
To offer these conditions to a life-and-death hunt.
But the funny thing was that the duke was drawn to it.
The gazes of the duke and Leo collided in the air.
He read Leo’s will to never back down easily.
The duke shook his head as if he had a headache.
“… Whoa. Let’s talk about this again later.”
I decided to postpone it for a while.
* * *
After the 1st Uranus hunting joining meeting is over.
Duke Lyont called Sellies to the gymnasium separately.
It was in the name of light sparring.
The Duke was delighted to see her following her, but maintained a cold attitude on the outside.
“You say you don’t want to be my disciple, so let’s play sparring, so are you coming right away?”
“I am sorry if I have offended you. I will go back.”
“no no. I’m not saying go.”
Seeing Selize say hello right away, the duke licked his lips.
Said Celise with a face of disdain.
“I am also honored by the proposal of the Duke. However, if I officially become a disciple, shouldn’t I join the ducal family?”
The swordsmen and wizards of this era did not carelessly disclose their visions.
You have to either belong to the same mage tower or join a family to learn the secret.
Leo had found and learned arcane magic himself, but that was generally not possible.
Selize also learned the arcane mana practice and swordsmanship provided to members of the Royal Knights, but it was true that it was lacking compared to the things each family cherished.
“Eh tsk tsk. Even if only those who came to ask me to take me in were lined up, I would go around the castle wall. Are you going to kick this opportunity?”
“… … .”
Celise didn’t answer.
The duke clicked his tongue on the outside, but the likability in his eyes rather deepened.
Even that loyalty towards Leo looked pretty.
It is said that the virtue of a knight is to keep faith in his master, pursue honor, and protect the weak, but how many knights keep all of them?
However, as the duke saw her, she was much better than most knights in terms of attitude.
“You know what? Viscount Heindere also once learned the sword from me.”
“… Are you the father?”
“yes. I once came to the Ryan’s Knights as a dispatch. He was a talented guy.”
Duke Lyant laughed happily as if he remembered that time.
For some reason, Celise imagined him fighting against her father.
When I imagined my blunt father being beaten and rolling around, I tried to laugh a little.
“Is it funny?”
“Big. no.”
“Anyway, I happened to hear about you while asking about the degradation. How many years later did you decide to fight your father?”
“… … .”
Instead of answering, Celise nodded with a firm expression.
Duke Ryant laughed and said.
“Can I help you?”
“… It is an honor to be taught by the Duke.”
“hehehe. But it can be a bit difficult. Your father also shed tears afterward.”
“I am prepared for anything.”
Celise gripped the handle of her sword with burning eyes.
The reason she had to work hard now was not just sparring with her father.
Leo wants to participate in the giant hunt, but she, as an escort, can’t just watch.
Sword Expert Advanced.
For her, who had only been holding the sword for a few years, it was unbelievable.
However, it is still far from being together by Leo’s side.
‘Not enough.’
Even if the ship gets stronger faster than this, I’m afraid to follow the heels of the decline.
That’s why, as long as you can become stronger, you can endure hardships as much as you like.
‘The pain that doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger.’
“Ha ha ha ha! Your eyes are good! OK. Let’s do a sword dance all day starting today!”
At the same time Duke Lyant drew his sword, Selise also raised her sword.
The shimmering sword energy flowed out like waves from the two swords.
A battle that uses even mana in a real sword showdown!
– Kwaaang!
It was a sparring that took place in an environment almost similar to the real battle.
* * *
Meanwhile at that time.
Leo was with Verdict in the large indoor training hall.
It was a private training room given to the duke, and it felt like a gym of hundreds of pyeong located in the basement.
It was hard to find a better place than this, as it was neatly organized, dust-free, and comfortable.
The duke said he liked swinging his sword while looking at the sky, so he rarely used it, so Leo came instead.
“Lowering. Compared to the poor, my talents are mediocre, but I have lived experience, so there are a few things I can tell you.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Ball.”
Leo answered Verdict’s words.
In fact, he looked very excited.
Among the 6th class mages, it was definitely Verdict who was at the top.
In addition, while dealing with the thunder attribute with the highest interpersonal destructive power, it is even called the ‘ruler of thunderbolt’ because it is the highest peak in that field.
What can we learn from him!
“Cluck. It would be better to show it than to tell it in words.”
It was the moment when Verdict’s words ended.
“!!”
From Verdict’s dwarf body, a gigantic momentum began to rise.
He seemed to be knocked down if hit just a moment ago, but now he seemed to dominate this vast underground training ground.
-Pajijijik!
In addition, pure white lightning bolts flowed from Verdict.
After a while, his figure, wrapped in pure white lightning, became so bright that it could not be seen with the naked eye.
Leo swallowed his saliva.
‘… What do you want to tell me?’
For a moment, I felt terrifying.
no way… You’re not going to shoot that scary-looking bundle of lightning here, are you?
Leo hurriedly shook his head.
‘… That’s not going to happen. For sure.’
Unlike Duke Lyant, Verdict believed that he was a person with common sense and concepts.