Chapter 56

The monster panic had finally subsided, and Leord thought that peaceful days would finally come, but he was busy with the aftermath.

Gathering the scattered monster corpses around Zeato, he disassembled the usable parts and burned the rest. Monsters have magic stones of varying sizes in their bodies.

Magic stones are a source of energy and are highly valued in the world of Fate 48.

Leord didn't need to help, but he was pointed out that the land was devastated by the magic he cast, so he diligently worked on the aftermath.

Incidentally, Baynard, who was watching him, was impressed by Leord's magic.

"Leord, how about a match with me?"

"No way. I can't fight a top swordsman of the kingdom."

"Don't worry. I'll hold back, and you can use magic too."

"No, it's impossible."

"Don't be so stiff. It's not often you get to fight me?"

"That might be true, but I don't find it particularly appealing, so I'll decline."

Baynard, who couldn't give up, persistently pressed Leord. However, Leord refused to nod in agreement. At that moment, Gilbert, who seemed to be sent from heaven, intervened between Baynard and Leord.

"That's enough. Sir Baynard, please don't push it too much."

"Hmm... How about you, Sir Gilbert?"

"Are you kidding? Do you intend to kill this old man?"

"Hahaha. That's a joke. I can sense the aura of a seasoned warrior from you, Sir Gilbert. You are far more formidable than I am..."

Both were laughing, but Leord, who was standing nearby, was on edge. Seeing the aura like heat haze rising from the two, Leord felt his crotch shrink.

Noticing Leord's state, the aura that had risen from the two dissipated, and Leord let out a sigh of relief.

(Scared the hell out of me!

What was that just now!

Is that guy one of the strongest in the kingdom...)

Needless to say, Gilbert is a legendary assassin whose name resounded across the continent, and he is now Leord's butler.

On the other hand, Baynard is a swordsman who holds the title of the leader of the Argabein Kingdom's knight corps. His strength is considered second in the kingdom. Yes, not the strongest. The strongest in the kingdom is someone else.

However, even being called the second, his strength is genuine. He actually cut a basilisk in half with a single stroke. Of course, this was possible because Gilbert and Leord had weakened the basilisk, but even without that, Baynard has the strength to kill a basilisk with one blow.

However, as the leader of the knight corps, he rarely appears on the front lines. This time, due to the monster panic, King Alberion issued a royal order to deploy Baynard.

One might wonder how the capital will be protected if Baynard, the leader of the knight corps, is away. However, there are different knights in the capital who protect the royal family.

While the kingdom's knight corps are the protectors of the kingdom, they are the protectors of the royal family.

Incidentally, in the game, you can fight Baynard, the leader of the knight corps. When Siegfried enters a certain heroine's route, an event battle with Baynard occurs.

Baynard, who is considered the second strongest in the kingdom, is also strong in the game. He only uses body enhancement magic, but his swordsmanship attacks are incredibly strong. The skill he possesses is a common one called "Slash Enhancement," which most swordsmen have.

Slash Enhancement increases the damage from bladed weapons by 1.2 times and the critical hit rate by 10%. A critical hit deals double damage to the opponent and is guaranteed if attacked from behind.

In simple terms, 100 damage becomes 120, and if a critical hit is landed, it becomes 240. However, this is only when Slash Enhancement is at a low level. As it is a skill that improves with proficiency, the maximum values are triple damage and a 100% critical hit rate, meaning it can deal up to six times the damage.

However, only one person can achieve this maximum value. It's not Siegfried. It's one of the strongest swordsmen in Fate 48.

I won't reveal his name here, but the development team of Fate 48 asserts that he is the strongest in close combat.

Officially recognized as strong, he is known to players as a cheat character.

"Hmm... I wanted to fight someone more challenging."

Baynard was probably unsatisfied with the monster panic. Usually confined to the capital and buried in paperwork, Baynard was excited by the rare combat.

That's why he persistently sought battles with Leord and Gilbert to make up for his dissatisfaction.

"Do you really want to fight that much?"

"Uh!? Did you get motivated?"

"No, that's not it."

"Oh... How boring."

"How much do you want to fight..."

Leord, who was exasperated, thought it was amazing how he could manage the knight corps like this, but the deputy leader usually took on the role of managing the corps.

Unfortunately, the deputy leader was not with them this time, and there was no one to control Baynard.

As a result, Leord and Gilbert were in a difficult situation, but since Leord's life had been saved, he couldn't treat Baynard rudely and was quite troubled.

(Should I just fight him once as a practice?

No, but it's scary...

It's a different kind of fear from Barbalot and Gilbert...

But, it's not often you get to fight the leader of the kingdom's knight corps, so he's right...

What should I do...)

Leord started to think that a mock battle might be okay, just a little.

He didn't know what would happen next.