Brothers, Employer, And Wife

“Haah, haah… Why do I have to do this?”

Chlust glared at Rudel, who was supervising him, while doing push-ups. If he argued back, he had to do push-ups. If he slacked off, he had to do push-ups… Faced with this hellish routine that continued through both long vacations and ordinary weekdays, Chlust could do nothing but obey while complaining. He had repeatedly tried to ambush his older brother Rudel and had even sent letters home asking to be rescued.

However, the only reply he received from home was, “Keep going.” Chlust was deeply dejected when they even told him that he did not need to come home during the long vacation. Meanwhile, changes had also occurred within the Arses Family itself. Rudel caused plenty of problems too, but the problems Chlust had caused directly affected the family’s reputation.

There was the matter of abandoning the princess, followed by the fact that he had lost to a commoner and shut himself away… His parents had abandoned Chlust and decided to prioritize Rudel instead, now that Rudel had gained the king’s favor. Their attitude toward Rudel had completely reversed from everything they had done before.

If Rudel asked for something, they accepted it, while rejecting Chlust’s pleas for help. Rudel himself had wondered whether his family might forcibly come to take Chlust back, but their enthusiastic approval exceeded his expectations to such a degree that he found it unsettling.

“There isn’t much time left until the match, Chlust. Once that’s over, next…”

Chlust had a match with Fritz scheduled after the third-term interclass competition. Merely thinking about it terrified him.

“…There’s no way I can win.”

Those words were not directed at Rudel, but muttered to himself… Hearing them, Rudel made a difficult expression. He had been training Chlust, but while his body had grown stronger, his broken spirit had remained unchanged. Rudel had shouted at him and forced him through harsh training over and over, yet the moment Fritz was mentioned, Chlust immediately became frightened.

“Are you satisfied staying defeated?”

Chlust did not answer Rudel’s question.

“I’m not telling you to win. But don’t run away… I absolutely will not allow you to run.”

Chlust gave no answer to that either and simply continued doing push-ups in silence.

The second term ended, and as the long vacation approached its end… Basil told Rudel that she wanted to quit working for him. Rudel tried to stop her, but after hearing her reason, he understood.

“I don’t have anything left to teach you. And… Bargas confessed to me. We’re planning to marry after graduation. So I think I’ll leave this job at the end of the year.”

“I-I see! Then we need to celebrate. I’ll have to think of a gift too…”

Rudel was surprised by the sudden development, but as her employer, he wanted to celebrate properly. Basil had been an enormous help when it came to magic, while Bargas had been the first older-brother figure and friend Rudel had made after enrolling. As Rudel sank into thought, Basil made a request.

“In that case, I have one request. I’d like you to give my husband a ‘shield,’ since it’s an essential tool of his trade. He hasn’t owned one of his own since the one he had broke last year.”

Basil knew Rudel would insist on giving them a congratulatory gift no matter what she said, so she took the initiative and asked for a shield for Bargas. That way, she thought, he could give them a single gift for both of them.

“That’s fine, but what about your gift, Basil?”

“Rudel-sama, a Shield Knight’s shield is expensive. Please consider that enough for both of us…”

Basil said it with a smile. Rudel thought it over for a while… then nodded. He immediately wanted to arrange for a shield to be made, but Rudel did not have a personal weapons merchant or blacksmith. More precisely, it never occurred to him to use his family’s connections. So the person he decided to consult was…

“You’re asking me instead of Unias? …It is true that the Halbades Family has some excellent craftsmen, but a shield…”

Rudel consulted Luecke, who had just returned to the academy. However, while it would not be impossible for the Halbades Family, which valued knowledge more than martial renown, to prepare a shield for a Shield Knight, Luecke could not recommend it. Whenever they commissioned weapons, they tended to become elaborate ornamental pieces.

Still, Luecke wanted to fulfill his friend’s request somehow. Then something occurred to him.

“I do know an excellent blacksmith. He is not employed directly by my family, but I have commissioned him to make several magical tools, so I can vouch for his skill.”

“Do you think he makes shields too?”

“He was originally a blacksmith, so there should be no concern there. And is the shield for you? Or for Chlust?”

Luecke immediately prepared to write a letter commissioning the blacksmith.

“No, it’s for Bargas. He’s going to marry Basil soon, so I want to give it to him as a wedding gift. Bargas is being assigned to the frontier, so I suppose Basil will go with him.”

Luecke’s hand stopped as he wrote the letter, and after hearing that, he thought for a moment. He considered Bargas’s personality and quick judgment, as well as the fact that Basil, a specialist in magic, would become his wife…

“I see… Then I will contribute money toward the gift as well.”

“That would be asking too much of you, Luecke.”

“No, it is not a problem. Because I will be Bargas’s employer.”

Rudel tilted his head in confusion while Luecke began writing another letter, this one addressed to his family. He wrote that he wanted to employ a capable Shield Knight. Meanwhile, in his mind, he was already combining his magical theories with the existence of Shield Knights. He had long been considering spells that used complex magic circles, and he had realized that it would be much easier if someone carried tools with the circles engraved on them in advance and positioned them as needed.

“Shield Knights are rare to begin with. They are inconspicuous and have difficulty earning achievements… yet they are necessary. But from the employer’s perspective, simply having one around is not enough. If they cannot contribute, then there is no point in employing them.”

“That’s true.”

“But if we give them shields engraved with magic circles and have them use magic… and if they possess enough discipline to change formations instantly… Rudel, the day has come when the value of Shield Knights will change!”

“R-Right!”

Rudel more or less understood what Luecke wanted to do, but in reality he began to feel sorry for Bargas, who was about to become Luecke’s test subject for magical experiments. Knowing Luecke, he probably would not do anything that could get Bargas killed, but Rudel could easily imagine the experiments and training becoming brutal.

When comparing an assignment to the frontier with entering the service of a grand ducal house, the latter was obviously far more advantageous. Thinking about that, Rudel wondered which path would actually be better for Bargas.

Around the same time, Basil had gone into town to prepare a gift for Rudel. Rudel had lost his sword during the previous year’s incident and still did not own a personal weapon. It was not a problem while he remained inside the academy, but thinking about the future, Basil decided he ought to have one and planned to give him a sword.

She went to consult the elderly shopkeeper who dealt in purchases, but…

“A sword? Once you’re talking about fine blades, the price jumps to an entirely different level. You’ve never used a sword yourself, so you probably don’t know, but the current standard is to forge iron together with ore containing magical power or the bones of monsters. Naturally, that makes the price skyrocket… What’s your budget?”

Basil indicated an amount with her fingers, but the old man sighed.

“You think you can buy a sword suitable for the future grand duke with that pocket change?”

“Please, can’t you do something?”

“I’d like to help you out as a wedding favor, but with that amount… Just settle for an ordinary sword.”

While they were having that exchange, a man entered the shop. The bell above the door rang through the store as a black-haired man from the East asked the old man in halting language.

“I heard this shop has a rare monster fang… Could I see it?”

“Yeah, I’ve got one. Are you from another country? I’ve had trouble finding a buyer for it. If you’re willing to take it, I’ll give you a discount.”

As he said that, the old man glanced at Basil. From his reaction, Basil realized that he meant ‘the fang from that time’—the one she had sold him.

“That’s right. I’m a blacksmith in a town near the border. Before opening my shop, I’ve been working with my companions to create a weapon impressive enough to serve as our signature piece. I’ve been searching for some interesting material and ended up coming all the way here.”

Hearing that gave Basil an idea. If he was about to open a shop, then he probably was not famous yet. In that case, he would want prestige… With that in mind, Basil made a proposal to the blacksmith.

“Hey, Mr. Blacksmith, I have something I’d like to discuss…”

And so, Rudel’s sword came to be forged using ‘the fang from that time.’ It had belonged to the first black monster Rudel ever encountered, a creature that would become deeply connected to him.