Chapter 17
✠
"Kehehet! Die! Yapyap!"
"M-My lord! Huaaak!"
It was after his master changed that Romdio, the scoundrel of House Gillet, began taking an interest in swordsmanship sparring.
The new master advocated a combat-oriented training policy. Thanks to this, Romdio was in the middle of a "training session" where he thoroughly beat the servants with a wooden sword.
The feeling of defeating the lined-up fellows one by one made him feel as if he had already become the strongest knight on the continent.
"Hehehehe! This is my sword! Try receiving this!"
"Oh my, my lord! Please spare me! Oh my, oh my!"
"You good-for-nothing! You're no match for me either! Next, next!"
"Sigh, it's over..."
The young servants jumped up from their death-acting and ran away.
Under the name of fairness, the boys were given wooden swords too, but how could servants dare attack a noble young master.
They just convincingly played the role of losers to boost the young master's ego and quickly finish their turn.
Romdio panted heavily and looked for something to drink.
On the makeshift table, instead of water, various types of medicinal potions were displayed.
"Ptooey, ugh, it's bitter!"
Romdio wanted to relieve his stress again.
"Next... what, it's you?"
"M-My lord. Please go easy on me."
Frintz Rodelain. The moment he saw the hesitant pink-haired boy, power surged into Romdio's wooden sword.
Romdio had never liked Frintz from the start.
How dare a lowly beaten servant be smarter and better-looking than him.
Even his name was Frintz! It sounded more premium than his own title of young count.
"Here I come!"
"M-My lord! Ah!"
Filled with malice, Romdio swung the wooden sword with all his might.
Frintz dodged instinctively.
Crack!
Perhaps because he had just drunk a potion, the destructive power was tremendous.
'If I get hit by this, it's going to be bad!'
The plan to take the hits moderately like the other servants was revoked.
Since he couldn't attack either, Frintz only passively blocked or dodged.
Agitated, Romdio swung the wooden sword even more threateningly, not even considering his own feeble arm muscles.
It was enough to make the watching servants gulp nervously.
The new master who should have intervened was shirking his duty and messing around.
Romdio fumed nervously.
"You rat-like bastard! Is dodging all you know how to do?"
"Huh? W-Well, I can't attack my lord..."
"Hey! Who told you to attack me? You're supposed to get hit! Why aren't you getting hit? You have to get hit for this to end!"
Judging from the murderous intent in his eyes, Frintz thought he might die if he got hit.
"This bastard... So that's how you're going to play it?"
"M-My lord."
At that moment, Romdio's baseness shone brilliantly.
"Gasp! Hey, your sister is at the railing!"
"Huh? Where...!"
"Kihihit! Gotcha!"
"Gasp!"
Thud thud! Wham! Thud thud thud!
Before the lowly trick, innocent Frintz collapsed.
Once he started getting hit, the pain paralyzed his body, and the vicious cycle repeated where he couldn't dodge and got hit again.
"U, ugh..."
Even while being beaten mercilessly, Frintz held tightly onto his sword and didn't let go.
The servants grew anxious and cast meaningful glances at the master. However, the master still had no interest.
Instead, another figure appeared.
"Kihit! Die! Just die...!"
"What kind of undignified behavior is this, brother!"
"Hiek! B-Bianca!"
The wooden sword slipped from Romdio's hand and flew away, sticking into the ground.
It was at Ailet's feet.
Ailet carefully reached out to Frintz, who was curled up and barely breathing.
"Oppa, are you okay?"
"...A-Ai?"
"Sorry for being late."
"...."
I should ask why you're apologizing, but startled by my sister's voice that seemed to suppress her welling emotions, Frintz missed the timing.
Meanwhile, Bianca stood protectively in front of the Rodelain siblings and confronted Romdio and the swordsmaster.
"How long is brother going to act like a child who can't tell right from wrong?"
"W-What about me! This is all swordsmanship training!"
"Training? New swordsmaster, please explain. Is making someone use one-sided violence against a servant when the hierarchy is clear your educational policy?"
"W-Well, miss, this is... to help the young master develop an interest in swordsmanship...!"
"It's better not to develop an interest in swordsmanship that hurts people. I will report this matter to mother."
"Hey, Bianca!"
"M-Miss!"
Romdio and the swordsmaster looked ready to grab the hem of Bianca's dress and cling on.
"Ai, take Frintz and get him treated first."
"Yes, miss. ...Oppa, can you walk?"
"Y-Yeah."
Though his legs trembled, Frintz somehow managed to move them.
Supporting Frintz, Ailet walked past and glared sharply at Romdio.
When their eyes met, Romdio panicked then flared up in anger.
"W-What! It was a fair match! What did I do wrong?!"
"...."
"Hey, why are you just leaving without a word! Hey! Sheesh, I was going to make you my subordinate but it's canceled!"
Ailet ignored the bullshit and moved away from the scene with Frintz.
✠
I was angry. It was violence beyond the level of a children's fight.
As expected, a scoundrel was a menace to society.
"A-Ai."
"What?"
"I, I think I can walk by myself now. I'm surprisingly tough, so it doesn't hurt much... ow."
"Let's just walk like this, oppa."
"Yeah..."
"...."
"Y-You're not mad at me, are you?"
"What?"
"You haven't said anything since earlier..."
"...I'm not mad at you, oppa."
So don't try so hard to talk to me. If I answer, I'll well up with tears again.
The place I took Frintz while supporting him was Dad's laboratory. It was close, and an alchemist was a medical practitioner comparable to any decent personal physician.
However.
'No, where did he go when his kid is hurt!'
I found out later, but Dad was apparently out on fieldwork because the incompetent herbal merchant guild had caused trouble again.
"Dad's not here? It's a good thing we're not worrying him. Hehe."
"...."
Seeing him smile so brightly with an injured face made my stomach boil with rage.
"Wait here."
I immediately started alchemy of fury. Prescribing something like a slow-acting ointment to Frintz, whose whole body was covered in blue bruises, wasn't satisfying.
Fortunately, I had herbs harvested from the dungeon farm, so potion ingredients were sufficient.
"Are you making medicine to drink? I don't like bitter stuff..."
"You have to take medicine to get better quickly. Let's not grumble, oppa."
"Okay..."
With my skill, I could make a standard healing potion as easily as boiling ramen.
After roasting, steaming, and squeezing without sparing ingredients, a flask filled to the brim with liquid was completed.
[
I put in too many ingredients and refined it, causing a slight side effect.
[
I even leveled up in the meantime. Creative Inspiration? What's this now?
'First, I should make Frintz drink the potion and then examine it slowly... No, wait.'
Suddenly, the candy glass jar on Dad's desk caught my eye.
Instead of just giving the potion to Frintz who said he couldn't eat bitter things, I wanted to take some measures and then have him drink it.
Following the idea that popped into my head, I took out a few candies and also brought some dried herbs that were practically weeds rolling around the laboratory.
I mixed the purple liquid created through repeated double boiling and distillation into the potion.
Pop!
"Ai! Are you okay?!"
"Cough, cough, I'm fine. More importantly, it's done, so drink."
"I-Is this medicine? It's black and looks suspicious..."
"It's the fruit of my hard work, so don't refuse and drink."
"Uwup!"
Frintz, who had kissed the mouth of the flask, was on the verge of tears. Seeing him hold his breath and gulp it down, he must really hate bitter things.
But around the time he had swallowed half the potion, the situation changed.
"Huh? This is delicious!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! It tastes like grapes! Like juice!"
Judging by how the bruises and swelling were subsiding and the wounds were healing, the original function of the potion was also excellent without any deficiency.
"Wow, delicious medicine—this would sell incredibly well if you put it up for sale!"
"Really? With this, we could cover oppa's military academy tuition."
"Huh?"
I grabbed the head-tilting Frintz's hand.
"Oppa, I thought about it carefully while making the potion."
"Y-Yeah?"
"I think revenge is definitely something you have to do yourself."
"...Revenge?"
At the chilling word, Frintz flinched and looked at me.
However, I wasn't looking at Frintz's face.
What I was looking at was the inverted triangle icon floating above Frintz's head.
[
Possesses swordsmanship potential capable of awakening Aura. A future where he will be active as a Sword Master revered by the continent depends on your decision. A guaranteed investment for just 11 million cash!
Use 11,000,000 cash to
There was nothing to hesitate over.
A privilege for the Possessor