Chapter 29: Snow Pattern Deer

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Snow Pattern Deer

"That kind of power... it’s truly hard to imagine..."

Sopps was lost in the memory of that moment. After a long while, he snapped out of it. "Of course, something like the Knight’s Breathing Technique is only in the hands of the noble lords. We might never have access to it in our entire lives."

As he spoke, a hint of melancholy clearly appeared in Sopps’s eyes.

"Mm..."

Vili nodded. He wasn’t as concerned about this as Sopps, however. ’I have the Title Attribute Panel, which should unlock achievements and grant me generous rewards later on.’

"I have a question. What’s on the assessment for a Knight’s Squire?"

Vili was eager to gauge the gap between his own Constitution and that of a Knight’s Squire.

Upon hearing this, Sopps explained, "Whether it’s for Junior, Middle Level, or Senior, the Knight’s Squire assessment is divided into two categories: a physical fitness test and a Fencing test."

"For the Junior Knight’s Squire assessment I took, for example, the Constitution requirement is to be twice as strong as an ordinary person and to defeat the examiner in a Fencing duel. I was being too frugal before, so my daily nutritional intake wasn’t enough, and my body didn’t meet the standard. If you hadn’t had Father send those Gold Rums, there’s no way I could have raised my Constitution in time for the assessment."

After receiving those seven Gold Rums, Sopps spent five of them on expensive supplements to bring his physical condition up to standard.

Of course, this was only possible because Sopps had a good foundation to begin with. The supplements were just to make up for his prior deficiency. If his foundation had been too poor, no amount of supplements would have helped.

"For a Middle Level Knight’s Squire, the physical requirement is one and a half times that of an ordinary person. For a Senior Knight’s Squire, it’s twice. In terms of Constitution, as long as you have a decent natural foundation and maintain a proper intake of food and nutrients, you can meet the standard with professional training. The hard part is the Fencing combat assessment. That requires not only diligent practice but also a certain amount of talent."

Sopps had a great deal of talent, so he passed the Fencing portion of the Junior Knight’s Squire assessment with ease. He was even confident that with a bit more practice, he could conquer the Fencing trial for the Middle Level Knight’s Squire assessment as well.

Vili listened and nodded silently.

Everything was just as Sopps had said. The physical requirements were all within a reasonable range for a normal person.

"I want to learn Fencing. Can you teach me?"

Vili asked, unsure if Sopps was allowed to teach his Fencing to others.

"No problem."

Sopps replied immediately, without any hesitation. "Actually, Fencing is quite simple. It’s not flashy. It’s just a combination of a few basic movements performed with your body and weapon together. I can teach you all the moves, but that alone isn’t very useful in a real fight. You have to internalize them through constant practical application."

Vili wasn’t worried about that. He was ninety percent sure that once he learned this Fencing style, the Title Attribute Panel would grant him a new title. ’Breakthrough attempts like this are always rewarded by the Title Attribute Panel.’

"It’s getting late. Go back to your room and get some sleep. If you want to learn Fencing, I’ll teach you in the morning."

Even though Sopps hadn’t been home, Mrs. Shaven cleaned his room every day.

Vili nodded. "Sweet dreams, big brother."

「At the same time.」

The northeastern edge of Diamond Town. Baron Kels’s manor.

Inside the study, a middle-aged man in opulent noble attire sat in a large chair, meticulously polishing a jewel-encrusted Cross Sword. A pristine white handkerchief wiped away every last trace of dust from the blade.

He had a lean face and long, slender eyebrows. His eyes held an intimidating light, and he exuded the dignity of an Upper-Ranker.

Kels O’Reilly, the Baron Lord of Diamond Town.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Kels set the handkerchief aside and slowly returned the Cross Sword to its sheath.

A square-faced man in silver armor pushed the door open and entered, addressing Kels, "My Lord, it’s confirmed. The Snow Pattern Deer has fled into Bole Forest. Our plan to recruit Hunters was perfectly timed."

Olay Deshu, Captain of Baron Kels’s Personal Guard Team, was also Kels’s most trusted subordinate. He, like Kels, possessed the power of a Knight.

"Excellent!"

A faint smile touched Kels’s stern face.

Capturing a Magical Beast to be his Pet Beast had long been Kels’s dream. After all, Magical Beasts were exceedingly rare and seldom initiated contact with Humans.

"But this Snow Pattern Deer fled all the way from Blue Whale Town. Baron Enton of Blue Whale Town has been tracking it. If we capture the deer, I fear it will be difficult to explain things to Baron Enton."

Olay voiced his underlying concern.

Kels sneered. "So what? The Snow Pattern Deer was in his territory, and he failed to seize the opportunity. How can he blame me for that? I doubt he’d dare come to Diamond Town looking for trouble, not unless he wants to violate the Solanton Duchy’s Pact of Nobles."

The price for violating the Pact of Nobles was to be targeted for conquest by all other nobles—a certain death sentence.

"If his men arrive, you will handle the negotiations personally. If talks fail, drive them off by force."

Baron Kels ordered.

"Understood. I’ll dispatch some Guards to keep watch. That way, we’ll be ready to respond to any unusual activity."

With that, Olay gave a slight bow, turned, and left the room.

’I must have that Snow Pattern Deer!’

A look of determination filled Baron Kels’s eyes.

「The next morning.」

Vili stepped out of his room to see Sopps already in the courtyard, doing bodyweight exercises to hone his muscles.

"Good morning!"

Seeing Vili, Sopps took a deep breath.

Vili walked over to him. "Up so early to teach me Fencing?"

"It’s just a habit. When I was on the Personal Guard Team, we had to get up early to train every day."

As personal guards serving Baron Kels, they had to undergo more rigorous training.

Seeing that Vili looked energetic, Sopps said, "Are you ready? If you are, I can teach you Fencing right now."

Vili shook his head. "Let’s wait until after breakfast. Mother will have it ready soon."

Originally, the first meal of the day was served between morning and noon, with the second between noon and afternoon. This was due to food shortages; spacing the meals out like that ensured maximum efficiency of food utilization.

Now that the family had plenty of food, they had finally switched from two meals a day to three at Vili’s suggestion.

"Okay."

Mrs. Shaven had already told Sopps about these welcome changes at home during dinner last night.