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chapter 11
Three days had passed since the day of the wooden sword sparring. Yet, no one had managed to break a wooden sword during the practice.
“Noel might be the first to succeed.”
But there was hope—Noel was practicing day and night without pause. Noah was certain that Noel would break a wooden sword within five days.
“What a remarkable kid.”
Noah recalled the first time he sparred with Noel. Back then, he had thought him just an overconfident fool. But seeing Noel practicing like a madman just to break a wooden sword changed his perspective.
“…Since when have the family knights been so dedicated to practice?”
At that moment, Elin, sitting across from him, spoke in wonder. Noah was in the sitting room with her.
The reason was simple.
“Don’t just watch—hand over the magical artifact.”
It was to claim the magical artifact that had been wagered in their previous bet.
“They said they’d send someone… why did she come herself?”
However, Noah couldn’t understand why Elin had come in person. She hadn’t brought any knights with her, and her insistence on seeing him personally made even less sense.
“…Do you dislike me?”
Elin frowned as she asked after Noah demanded the artifact. Noah sighed and continued speaking.
“There’s no reason to treat you with special hospitality. Our first meeting wasn’t exactly pleasant, was it?”
Elin nodded at Noah’s answer. He crossed his arms and pressed her further.
“Then just hand over the artifact and explain what it can do.”
“Alright.”
Elin placed her right hand on the table and removed a ring from her left pinky finger.
“This is the magical artifact I’m giving you.”
“Hmm…”
Noah nodded and carefully examined the ring she handed him. At first glance, it looked more like a simple ring than a magical artifact.
A plain gold ring with no adornments.
“Try it on.”
Elin urged Noah to wear it. He placed the ring on his right index finger, but nothing significant seemed to happen.
“…What’s its ability?”
“It calms the mind and heals bodily wounds quickly.”
“I see.”
Noah nodded at her explanation, though he felt disappointed inside. It fell far short of the magical artifact he had imagined.
“Maybe I was asking for too much…”
Not all magical artifacts possess overwhelming power. But the one Elin gave him was almost useless for someone like Noah.
“I’ll have to modify it later.”
Magical artifacts with weak abilities could be upgraded, but that required a significant amount of money—far more than Noah currently had.
“…You don’t like it?”
Elin worried about Noah’s indifferent reaction. He shook his head at her concern. From Elin’s perspective, even this artifact must have been precious.
“Still, it’s better than having nothing.”
The difference between having a magical artifact and not having one was surprisingly significant. But this one offered very few useful abilities. Noah wasn’t the type of person who could easily get hurt by others.
“I’ve checked the item.”
Noah didn’t intend to use that as leverage to pressure her. He answered her calmly and stood up.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“…”
“You’re not going to invite me to a meal or anything, right?”
Elin frowned at his words. She got up roughly and glared at him.
“I’ll beat you within a year and take back the magical artifact you’ve taken!”
Noah shrugged at her statement, making Elin bite her lip.
Then, with a loud bang, she slammed the door of the sitting room and left.
“She’s quite the character.”
Noah found Elin’s behavior peculiar.
By evening, Noah had placed the magical artifact in his leather pouch. There was no need to wear it and risk misunderstandings.
“I’ll see Father.”
“Sit down.”
Noah appeared in the dining room, the artifact safely in his pouch. Sitting across from him was Baron Veratan.
“You don’t look well.”
Noah said as he took a seat. The baron sighed weakly.
“Thieves are running rampant.”
He explained why he looked so unwell.
“Thieves?”
Noah’s eyes widened. In the Empire, thieves appearing like this was unthinkable.
‘Now that I think about it… this is a border kingdom.’
He quickly understood why thieves could appear. Unlike the Empire, nothing here seemed properly managed.
“It seems the kingdom is in a chaotic period. The king is gravely ill, and the princes are fighting for the throne.”
“I see.”
“At times like this, being on the borders is a blessing. If we were in the center, our family would likely be in danger too.”
Noah nodded at Baron Veratan’s words. At this level, the family couldn’t defend itself effectively.
‘That’s why the knights need to grow even more.’
There were limits to becoming strong alone. Noah knew all too well that one person couldn’t protect everything—like when Calshpul betrayed him.
‘Then I can take the resources needed for the monster forest expedition from these thieves.’
A plan struck him. He could acquire supplies and equipment needed to hunt monsters by confiscating the thieves’ wealth.
‘Borrowing from the family isn’t an option.’
They had no credit, and their valuables were worthless. Even Noah couldn’t profit from such a family. But obtaining it externally was possible.
“Where do these thieves usually appear?”
Noah asked naturally. Baron Veratan sighed.
“They set up along the main road toward the kingdom. But they’re clever—at the sight of knights, they flee immediately.”
“Our citizens must have suffered considerably.”
“Exactly… that’s what makes it a problem.”
The baron shook his head. He looked darker, as if saddened by his own powerlessness.
“I’ll get up first.”
Baron Veratan rose weakly, his shoulders slumped. Noah felt sympathy for him.
‘It must be hard to handle the damages from the previous heads of the family.’
The fortunate thing was that the baron’s spirit wasn’t broken. If even he had given up on the family, Noah might be sleeping on the cold streets now.
“Then… the task is decided.”
Noah began eating his food, fully realizing what he needed to do.
That was to bring in wealth to this nearly destitute family, enabling him to achieve his goals.
And the first step:
‘The thieves.’
He would defeat the bandits harassing his territory.
‘But I can’t do it officially. Too many people would notice.’
He had no intention of leading knights. If news spread that the Veratan family had defeated the thieves, everyone would gossip.
So Noah decided:
‘I’ll do it alone.’
He would solve this without anyone knowing.
Early the next morning:
-Clatter-
Noah climbed into a cart, dressed in shabby clothes, and began driving it himself.
‘I’ll be back before sunrise.’
The plan was simple: pose as a defenseless driver, lure the bandits, swiftly deal with them, seize their wealth, load it into the cart, and return.
‘Then there’ll be no problem.’
He had prepared the horses and cart through his personal maid, Hansel. Fortunately, she didn’t ask what he intended to do.
‘Maybe she already knows.’
Noah trusted that Hansel wasn’t oblivious. And that made him trust her even more—she wouldn’t blab to the neighborhood that he borrowed a cart and horses.
-Clatter!
Two horses pulled the empty cart at a good speed. With no cargo, it moved quickly, allowing Noah to reach the alley toward the kingdom in under an hour.
‘The bandits are out… and there are no guards for the merchants? The kingdom must be in serious trouble.’
Only torches lit the alley; no one was there to protect people from the bandits.
‘There they are.’
Noah immediately spotted the bandits between the trees on either side. Yet he didn’t retreat.
Instead, he slowed the horses and moved deeper into the alley.
‘They’ll be suspicious, but once they confirm there’s no one around, they’ll strike.’
-Clatter-
Noah guided the empty cart further in. When he was far enough from the entrance:
“Stop right there!”
The bandits blocked the cart, surrounding Noah from all sides.
