[WN] Hidden Reincarnated Hero : Chapter 114

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114 Repelling Bandits... But...

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Translator : PolterGlast

When I left Kerniff, I said goodbye to the Duke.

 

When I entered the royal capital, I said goodbye to the Princess.

 

Since I'm a famous person, it would be troublesome if I didn't leave a record of my entering and exiting cities.

 

And today, I'm departing for Triange.

 

Anneliese and I are in the same carriage.

 

I invited Marhaleta-san to join us, but she's with Itsukushima-san in a different carriage because she gets nervous when she's with me.

 

Gandarvan and the other knights, including those from the first generation who were freed and became knights, are on horses. The first-generation members who were freed and became soldiers are traveling in carts. No one is on foot. Speed is the priority.

 

Of the 22 first-generation slaves who were freed after reaching Level 40, five became knights and 17 became soldiers.

 

Among the knights are explorers and transporters.

 

I've always said that being capable isn't just about fighting. That's why explorers and transporters can also become knights. Conversely, those with only brute force can't become knights.

 

If you want to boast about your strength, you need to have leadership skills.

 

That said, most of the first-generation members who have reached Level 40 have changed to higher-tier jobs.

 

If they can demonstrate their abilities to the fullest, they'll be able to become knights.

 

Even those who haven't reached Level 40 yet are mostly in their late 30s, so it won't take much longer.

 

We left the royal capital and proceeded along the bumpy road.

 

"My butt hurts..."

 

I had forgotten how uncomfortable carriage rides are.

 

"Riding a horse also makes my inner thighs hurt, but it's still better."

 

"Sir Gandarvan said that your inner thighs hurt because you're using unnecessary force."

 

"I'm still not used to riding horses. I'll get there eventually."

 

Anneliese giggled. I don't think that's something to laugh at.

 

On the third day after leaving the capital, we encountered bandits.

 

"I'll just—"

 

"You must not."

 

I was about to jump out of the carriage but was stopped by Anneliese.

 

"It's best to leave these things to Sir Gandarvan."

 

"But..."

 

"You don’t trust your retainers, Toi-sama?"

 

"It's not like that..."

 

In the end, the bandits were annihilated in less than ten minutes.

 

Of course. All the soldiers are Level 40 or higher. The bandits had no chance.

 

"A total of 56 bandits. 49 were killed, and 7 were captured."

 

Oh, seven of them are still alive. Gandarvan is soft. I thought he would kill them all.

 

"..."

 

Are you serious?

 

All seven of the captured bandits are children. They're not even 15 yet.

 

So that's why Gandarvan and the others didn't kill them.

 

"My lord. Shall we kill them?"

 

At Gandarvan's words, the children shrieked in fear.

 

If I were to order it now, it would be as if I had killed them myself...

 

"Wait, Gandarvan. Edward, check their criminal records."

 

"Yes. Leave it to me."

 

This Edward Samdahl is one of the appraisers who went into a frenzy appraising the items we brought back from the 10th floor of the royal capital dungeon. His father is that workaholic appraiser.

 

Afterward, he was so insistent on working for me that I accepted him on the condition that he sign a magical confidentiality contract.

 

His father and older brother cried tears of blood in frustration, but I couldn't possibly accept the two of them. I have no idea what the Princess would say about that.

 

Edward chanted fluently and pulled out the seven's record cards.

 

"Alright... First, those four will become 5th-grade slaves. Their sentence is six months."

 

Even though they were bandits, those four haven't done much. They only became bandits by repeatedly petty thieving to survive, and this was their first time attacking a merchant caravan or noble.

 

Considering their background, I'm reluctant to make them slaves. But doing this properly will also be for their own good.

 

If you genuinely reflect on your actions, I'll hire you. So do your best.

 

"Those two will be 4th-grade slaves. Their sentence is one year and three months."

 

These two have attacked merchant caravans several times as bandits. Still, they haven't injured or killed anyone. Their actions were limited to carrying off stolen goods.

 

Like the first four, these two fell into this life because they were struggling to eat. There's room for extenuating circumstances. If they work hard, I might free them early or even hire them.

 

"That one over there will be a 1st-grade slave. Their sentence is indefinite."

 

This one person is no good. He has already killed 15 people. Despite being 14 years old, he has also committed rape, and his job has changed from Bandit to Murderer.

 

No matter how lenient I am, there's no room for extenuating circumstances. He'll either be executed here or be a slave for life. He's so rotten that I can't imagine a future where he's freed from slavery.

 

"Why am I a 1st-grade slave!?"

 

To be precise, a 1st-grade controlled slave.

 

"Do you remember how many people you've killed?"

 

"...I haven't killed anyone!"

 

"I see. That's enough of this one. Behead him."

 

"Why!?"

 

"You have no intention of repenting, do you? You can be freed from slavery if you repent, but I have no intention of asking that of you."

 

"No! I don't want to die! Please forgive me!"

 

Gandarvan, with a demonic expression, approached the crying boy.

 

"Oh, um... please spare this child's life..."

 

Marhaleta-san stepped forward to shield the boy.

 

"Mother. That child has killed too many people."

 

"But, there might have been unavoidable circumstances, right?"

 

My mother-in-law desperately defended him.

 

He might have started as a bandit due to unavoidable circumstances, but he started to enjoy killing people. He probably doesn't feel any guilt now. I think the possibility of him repenting is close to zero.

 

"I don't want to see a child like this die. Please, I beg you."

 

Marhaleta-san pleaded with me tearfully. Perhaps she was thinking of her two sons who passed away from the epidemic...

 

I don't know what it feels like to lose a child, but I believe I can understand that it's a tragic thing.

 

"Alright. I'll call off the execution. However, he will be a 1st-grade slave with an indefinite sentence. Is that clear?"

 

"Thank you! And I apologize for being so forward, Toi-sama."

 

"Mother. Please don't do this again."

 

"I understand, Anneliese."

 

Thanks to my mother-in-law's intervention, the boy was spared the death penalty, but he'll have to face his victims for the rest of his life.

 

He might have stones thrown at him by their bereaved families, but he'll have to accept that.

 

We decided to take the bandit children with us to Triange.

 

We could have sold them to a slave merchant in a town along the way, but since Marhaleta-san said she'd look after them, we decided to observe them for a while.

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[WN] Jitsuwa 3-Domedatta : Chapter 120

Chapter 120

(Kyle Calendar Year 508: Age 15)

Royal Capital Kylar ② - A New Base

Translator : PolterGlast

After greeting the Headmaster, I returned to my brother's residence, where Anne and the others staying in Kylar with me were already preparing our new living arrangements. This was possible because my brother's attendants and servants had already moved out, preparing the residence for our immediate occupancy.

 

The personnel staying here with me had been slightly adjusted from the initial selection made at the beginning of the year:

 

<Knight Training Course>

Takuhir

Sigurd (recommended by Margrave Hastburg)

Carla (recommended by Viscount Gorman)

 

<Civil Official Training Course>

Mary (Earth Mage)

Sasha (Water Mage)

 

<Mage Combat Training Course>

Mars (Fire Mage)

Lilia (Wind Mage)

Astor (Earth Mage)

 

<Medical School>

Rosa (Holy Mage)

 

<Attendants>

Anne

Gold (Wind Mage)

Danke (Fire Mage)

Walrus (Water Mage)

Alar (Wind Mage)

 

Sigurd and Carla, who would be entering the same Knight Training Course as me, received enthusiastic approval for their academy recommendations from Margrave Hastburg and Viscount Gorman, respectively, and were granted admission under their recommendations. For the time being, they would conceal their connection to me and live in the student dormitory. Well, they'd eventually join my circle as friends.

 

Sigurd is 16 years old. He came to Teigun as a migrant laborer from a rural village in the territory. He has a simple, honest demeanor with short, dark brown hair, but he is well-built and possesses great strength. Hearing about the allowance, he volunteered for the self-defense force from its early days, and during the recent defense battle, he volunteered and fought against the Imperial army. In the early days of the self-defense force, he was assigned to the same unit as Raphael and looked up to him as an older brother. Raphael also took an interest in this simple, earnest young man, looking after him. Hearing from Raphael that there were no issues with his character and that he aspired to become a regular soldier in the future, Sigurd was an ideal candidate for recruitment.

 

Carla is 15 years old. She was also an immigrant's daughter who apparently started learning crossbows, inspired by Carleen. On the eve of the Teigun defense battle, she was moved by Yoltia's words and by Claire's resolute stance against spies. Although not a formal self-defense force member at the time, she volunteered to participate in the battle and later officially joined the self-defense force. With her short, reddish hair, she somehow reminded me of Anne from a while ago. Apparently, when she officially joined the self-defense force, she impulsively cut her long hair because it got in the way of training. She initially aspired to be an archer, handling crossbows, but during training, she happened to see Anne's swordsmanship and apparently became interested in the way of the sword as well. She respected Anne, Claire, Yoltia, and Carleen, calling them "Elder Sisters," and seemed to admire them.

 

These two, despite their backgrounds, faced the biggest challenge in their basic education. As they had not received formal schooling, they underwent intensive, accelerated basic education during breaks from Commander (demon)'s special training. And thanks to Commander (demon)'s rigorous training, their talent for swordsmanship blossomed, and both rapidly developed into [Sword Masters]. Carla will likely improve even further.

 

※

 

Mary and Sasha, when their names were brought up as reserves, strongly expressed their desire to take this opportunity to study urban planning professionally at the academy in the Royal Capital, since they were going there anyway, to contribute to future development. In the end, with the shortage of female helpers other than Anne at our residence in the Royal Capital, they were granted admission to the Royal Capital academy, recommended by the Solis Viscount as attendants and students.

 

Rosa was granted admission to the medical school because Father Grace recommended her to a Bishop in the Royal Capital. She will be looking for clues for epidemic countermeasures on a different track from us. She has been a comrade since I established the shooting range in the territory and is one of the companions I feel close to. In the future, I hope she can become an exclusive physician for the Solis family.

 

Gold, Danke, Walrus, and Alar are accompanying me to the Royal Capital as attendants, security personnel, and candidates for the Mage Combat Training Course next year.

 

Additionally, it has been decided that we will continue to locally hire cooks, cleaners, and security personnel whom my brother had previously relied on. Thus, our base and personnel in the Royal Capital were established.

 

※

 

The next day, after meeting with all the civil official candidates recommended by my brother, I took everyone who had accompanied me from the territory on a tour of the academy and the entire Royal Capital, like excited tourists.

 

"It's like a dream to be able to come to the Royal Capital!"

 

"Touring Kylar leisurely like this makes me truly realize it all again."

 

"Somehow... I feel out of place."

 

Mary, Sasha, and Rosa, the trio of women, were happily enjoying their tour of the Royal Capital. Mary's braided brown hair bounced as she walked, Sasha's bright brown hair was in a ponytail, and Rosa's platinum blonde hair fluttered in the wind as they eagerly walked a little ahead of me.

 

Anne, having accompanied me to the Royal Capital before, was in her usual mode, acting as my bodyguard by my side and keeping an eye on our surroundings.

 

"The sheer volume and variety of goods are incomparable to Teigun. But still, prices are high, aren't they?"

 

Lilia, having worked at Teigun's trade exchange, seemed interested in the goods on sale, especially food items. Her strong-willed expression, with neatly defined almond-shaped eyes, was fixed on the products in the shops on both sides of the street.

 

The other male Mages were uniformly tense. They were accustomed to operating as soldiers on a daily basis, and following Anne's example, they seemed to be constantly scanning their surroundings for suspicious individuals rather than enjoying the sights. I felt that their relationship with me was very clearly defined as lord and subordinate soldier. I decided I should make an effort to interact more closely with them, at least during our stay in the Royal Capital, as we rarely get to act together in our daily lives. Incidentally, they had all come to the Royal Capital once before for commendations, so it wasn't their first time here. They seemed to have some familiarity with the area.

 

The stiffest of them were Sigurd and Carla.

 

"Are we... really allowed to be here?"

 

"I... no, I'm also just overwhelmed..."

 

They muttered this as they followed at the very end of the group. Since they would be living separately for a while after entering the academy, I wouldn't be able to provide much support. I wanted them to get used to it as quickly as possible.

 

After touring District 4, I took everyone to District 3 and entered a clothing store recommended by my brother. The first order of business was to buy everyone clothes. I personally prepared three outfits for each: two sets of casual clothes suitable for walking through the noble district of District 3 without looking out of place, and one formal outfit.

 

Incidentally, on our way to the Royal Capital, when we stopped in Est, Mother had given all the women evening gowns as gifts. "My son (him) probably wouldn't think of such things," she said, covering for my shortcomings. I was grateful to Mother and gladly accepted her kindness.

 

※

 

After touring the city, we all went to check the academy we would be attending. Even those who wouldn't be attending for the time being might have opportunities to visit the academy if they wanted to contact us. Furthermore, there was a possibility they might enroll as Mages in subsequent years, so it was necessary to give them a tour of the academy. Incidentally, only students themselves and their attendants (typically one) are allowed into the academy. However, even excluding Sigurd and Carla, since there were six students, everyone was able to enter under the pretext of being individual attendants. They were first astonished by the academy's vast grounds.

 

Furthermore, the total number of students across all three grades easily exceeded several thousand, meaning the academy was already on par with a Japanese university in scale. Everyone except Anne and I was surprised by this.

 

Thus began the first step of our academy life.

 

※

 

The Royal Capital Academy, formally known as the Royal Academy for Noble Children, is said to have been established in the early days of Kyle Kingdom's founding, and its history and prestige are unmatched by other schools. Today, the academy has three main courses:

 

Knight Training Course: As its name suggests, students in this course primarily aim to join the Royal Capital Knights in the future. In a Knight Order with a capacity of 30,000, approximately 500 members retire annually even in peacetime. This number is significantly higher during wartime. Basically, talented individuals selected from noble families annually join the Order. On the other hand, the academy serves as a gateway to the Knight Order, and many commoners and quasi-nobles aspire to it as one of the few paths to becoming an officer. This course allows unconditional admission for recommended candidates, but general applicants must pass a combat ability test. Over 90% of students are male, but some female students are present, typically as bodyguards for high-ranking noblewomen.

 

Civil Official Training Course: This course serves as a gateway for those aspiring to be civil officials in the Royal Capital or for various noble lords. Sons of nobles, from the second son downwards, often enroll here aiming to become royal bureaucrats, while commoners and quasi-nobles come to study with the goal of being hired by local lords' administrative offices. There are recommendation slots for nobles and general slots entered via examination. Besides civil officials, there are also specializations for training professionals (engineers). This course has several specializations, with administrative management, commercial finance, and urban development being representative. Sasha and Mary are attending the urban development specialization of this course.

 

Steward/Maid Training Course: This course is primarily for noble daughters to learn etiquette or to become maids serving higher-ranking nobles. The majority of students are female and fill recommendation slots. Many students are daughters of lower-ranking nobles from around the Royal Capital, making it the most uncomfortable place for commoners. The only exception in this course is the steward specialization, where the doors are open even to commoners, but it requires a high level of education even before admission and a passing grade on a rigorous selection exam.

 

Mage Combat Training Course (Newly Established): A department newly established under His Majesty the King's initiative, with the first year's students gathered after some prior consultation. Its purpose is to utilize magic in mass combat on the battlefield. Due to a shortage of instructors, the number of students is significantly smaller compared to other courses. Takuhir, who commands a large number of Mages and actively deploys them in combat, was requested to select and enroll three or more individuals. However, this was rather an exception; most lower-ranking noble families were unable to send even a single student. Perhaps to compensate for this, not only those who became Mages after aptitude confirmation but also those who wield their family's unique skill, bloodline magic, were added to the recruitment targets for this course.

 

All my comrades, while excited and anxious about their new life in the Royal Capital, also braced themselves for the heavy responsibility of protecting their lord. I, too, was filled with anxiety, which I could never show them, now thrown into a vortex of schemes without the benefit of historical cheats.

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