Chapter 50

After confirming that everyone was dead, Ricardo's anger suddenly cooled.

Then, as he became aware of his surroundings, he felt a chill run through him. Looking around, he saw no witnesses.

For some reason, he remembered the final scenes of mystery shows he had seen on TV, where the culprit was arrested. Despite this country having no proper police force, the image of himself being handcuffed and led away flashed through his mind.

"What should I do with this mess?"

Ricardo gathered the bodies of the outlaws and Fargo to one place and took out the catalyst for the [Mud Bind] spell.

Focusing his mind and releasing a large amount of magic power, he sprinkled the catalyst. The magic power activated, changing color.

A quiet yet powerful incantation flowed from Ricardo's lips.

The ground where the bodies were gathered turned into a quagmire, and the bodies began to sink. This time, the quagmire he created was about three meters deep, and the bodies sank deep underground.

The effect of the magic faded, and the quagmire returned to its original hard ground. Scattering dead leaves over it, all traces of the [Mud Bind] spell were erased.

All signs of the battle at this location were gone, and from then on, Fargo was declared missing.

Ricardo headed to the breeding grounds.

Although killing people had taken a toll on Ricardo's mental state, it was lighter compared to when Intou had taken revenge. His experience of killing many magical beasts seemed to have built up his resistance.

When he showed his face at the breeding grounds, Antonio tilted his head.

"What's wrong, Ricardo? You don't look well."

"It's just that my stomach isn't feeling too good."

"Is that so? If that's the case, you should have stayed home and rested."

Today, he had brought seeds for vegetables to be planted in the eighth plot.

The seeds he had prepared were for radishes, turnips, tomatoes, and cabbages. While they were not exactly the same as those from Earth, their taste and appearance were very similar, and he called them by familiar names in his mind.

"Is the preparation for planting done?"

"Yeah, I just finished plowing the field."

Plowing a large field without agricultural animals or machinery was a difficult task.

"Should I buy some agricultural animals?"

"It's still too early for that. You'll need to provide feed and build a stable, so let's wait until the breeding grounds' income stabilizes."

The breeding grounds had just completed their second harvest, and the sale of Shuram tree fruits had brought in about twenty gold coins.

The grafted apricot demon tree, which had branches from the Shuram tree, bloomed and bore fruit regardless of the season when the amount of feed absorbed exceeded a certain level. So, if fed daily, it seemed to bear fruit two or three times a year.

Currently, the breeding grounds were raising a hundred apricot demon trees, and it was thought that adding another hundred would stabilize the income.

"If you say so, brother... It would be nice to have a tiller at a time like this."

He had inadvertently mentioned a machine that didn't exist in this world, perhaps due to the mental damage from the Fargo incident.

"Huh, what's a tiller?"

"It's a machine for plowing fields..."

"Wow, such a convenient thing exists? But it must be expensive. There's no need to strain yourself to buy one."

After the small talk, Antonio and the others planted the seeds together.

Ricardo was looking forward to the tomatoes. He loved them so much that he would often bite into them as a snack.

After finishing planting, it was nearly evening.

"It's about time to go home."

"Already that late?"

Ricardo and Antonio headed home.

Incidentally, the magical scooter that had been stolen was returned to Antonio, but he wasn't using it.

Antonio had decided to refrain from using it until he could handle an attack. However, news of the incident and its resolution had spread throughout the capital, and it seemed that few people were now considering foolish actions.

Rumors that the Emilia Workshop and Ricardo had the backing of General Samuele and Prince Gaius had spread, serving as a warning to those who thought that nobles could do anything they wanted.

A few days after planting, Antonio's training began.

The first training session involved getting used to new equipment and basic combat techniques.

The new equipment included a protective vest made from the hide of a Nether Wolf, gauntlets made from the beak of a Wind Cutter Bird, and a lightning strike short staff made from the tail of a Lightning Strike Tiger.

In addition, he planned to train with the magic gun he already owned, which was stored in a pendant-type storage amethyst made for Antonio.

The lightning strike short staff, despite its name, was a weapon similar to a blackjack or slapper. It was made by tanning the tail of a Lightning Strike Tiger, filling it with sand, and attaching a wooden handle. It could be used as a striking weapon even when swung normally.

The true value of the lightning strike short staff was revealed when magic power was channeled into it. The tail of the Lightning Strike Tiger seemed to have the effect of converting magic power into lightning, and when struck with magic power, it would send a lightning strike into the opponent, causing them to lose consciousness with a single blow.

Of course, if a large amount of magic power was used, it could be fatal, but with the amount Antonio could release at once, it was difficult.

Ricardo had made three small sandbags and one large sandbag from the tough hide of a magical beast.

First, he hung the small sandbags from the beams of the shed at the breeding grounds using ropes and started training by dodging and attacking them while they were swinging.

Ricardo watched Antonio's movements and pointed out areas of concern.

"No, no. Dodge with minimal movement and step in to throw a hook."

"Don't lower your guard. A straight punch is about transferring the force from your feet and the weight of your body to your fist."

Antonio didn't even know the basics of punching, so Ricardo started from the fundamentals.

However, the only martial art Ricardo knew was kickboxing, which he had learned for three months in college.

He had given up on it, thinking he lacked talent after seeing a high school student who started at the same time quickly surpass him.

Antonio seemed to have a talent for martial arts and quickly mastered the techniques Ricardo taught him. His left hook was particularly powerful, and it seemed that a liver blow from him would cause most men to writhe in agony.

This training also used the [Accelerated Thinking] magic, which made the world around him move slowly, allowing him to check his body's movements while repeatedly attacking and defending. However, the training using [Accelerated Thinking] was limited to forty minutes a day.

Continuing for longer would result in muscle pain so severe that he couldn't move the next day. While muscle pain was a sign of muscle growth, overdoing it would have the opposite effect.

Once he could move to a certain extent, Ricardo taught him knee strikes and low kicks. Antonio practiced diligently and was able to deliver sharp kicks to the sandbags.

Ricardo thought that training alone wouldn't be enough to improve Antonio's skills, so he took him to the upper reaches of the Crem River.

"Have you ever hunted a magical beast?"

Antonio had experience repelling magical beasts but not hunting them.

Ricardo explained the concept of "blessings" and asked which one he wanted.

"I'll go with the one that makes me stronger."

Antonio chose a different path from his brother.

"Let's start by getting you used to magical beasts."

Ricardo equipped Antonio with a magic gun and had him hunt Ghost Rats and Headbutt Rabbits. With the practical experience, Antonio's techniques became sharper.

After a few days of practical training, a wolf-headed Ulfar appeared before them as they were hunting magical beasts in the upper reaches of the Crem River. It was about 160 centimeters long, with a wolf's head on a furry, ape-like body.

It was supposed to live in the "Black Wolf Forest" to the east of the capital, but it seemed that an individual expelled from its pack had come this far.

"Alright, let's try the lightning strike short staff."

Antonio declared, taking out the lightning strike short staff from his waist. He had practiced using it extensively, but he seemed nervous about his first real combat, and his face was tense.

The Ulfar moved first, opening its large mouth with sharp teeth and lunging at Antonio. Antonio stepped aside and struck its abdomen with the lightning strike short staff. It seemed to be a normal strike without magic power, as it didn't cause much damage.

The Ulfar barked and leaped back, starting to growl menacingly.

Ricardo held his magic gun and watched without moving.

As Antonio closed the distance, the Ulfar swept at him with its left hand, which was spread like a rake. The lightning strike short staff struck the rake-like hand. This time, it seemed to be charged with magic power, and the Ulfar stumbled.

The lightning strike short staff showed no visible change when magic power was channeled into it. However, when it struck the opponent, lightning flowed in, causing paralysis.

Antonio delivered a low kick and knee strike to the stumbling Ulfar, which fell to its knees.

The Ulfar tried to stand up, shaking its head, but the paralysis had spread to its legs, and it couldn't get up. Antonio struck the Ulfar's neck with the lightning strike short staff again.

The Ulfar fell to the ground, rolling its eyes.

"Wow, taking down an Ulfar is impressive."

Ricardo was pleased. Checking the fallen Ulfar, it was not dead but unconscious.

"The lightning strike short staff seems to perform as expected. We should thank Bernardo."

Antonio crouched down and stabbed the magical beast's chest with a knife.

After taking down a few more magical beasts, they returned to the city.

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Antonio continued training whenever he had free time, and a month passed.

Thanks to the training, Antonio had become noticeably more robust. It wasn't that he had gained muscle, but his movements had become sharper, and his attitude more confident.

One day, as spring was coming to an end, Antonio was walking through the market to buy food for Dario and the others.

At the butcher's, he found that water buffalo meat was cheap and bought enough for everyone. He also bought some taro and vegetables before heading to the breeding grounds.

On the way, as he passed near the port, he heard shouting. Many rough fishermen lived in this area, and he often heard such sounds, but today it caught his attention, and he approached.

A young girl was arguing with a man dressed like a fisherman.

"Why not? Your father borrowed money from my dad when he was injured before."

The cute girl, about two years younger than Antonio, was desperately pleading with the fisherman.

"Shut up. Show me a written agreement if you have one."

"We don't have something as fancy as that."

"Then there's no need to pay it back."

"Thief!"

"What did you say? Don't say such nasty things."

"Borrowing money and not paying it back is the same as stealing."

"You—"

The fisherman lunged at the girl. She ran towards Antonio and quickly hid behind him.

"Hey, get out of the way!"

The fisherman shouted.

The Antonio of the past might have been too scared to move, but the Antonio who had been trained in real combat with magical beasts spoke calmly.

"Stop acting like a child."

"Tch, you brat. Mind your own business."

The fisherman tried to punch Antonio. It was a threat, not a serious punch.

Antonio quickly dodged, and the fisherman's face turned angry.

"Cheeky brat."

He lunged at Antonio with a serious punch. Antonio delivered a low kick to the approaching fisherman. A small cry of pain rose, and the fisherman fell to the ground. Antonio was surprised at how easily he had been taken down. He hadn't expected the techniques taught by Ricardo, who had never been in a fight, to be so effective.

The fisherman clutched his leg and started complaining.

"It hurts, my leg is broken."

From the feel of it, his leg wasn't broken. Antonio turned to the girl.

"Why are you causing such a commotion?"

The girl, Eleonora, explained the situation. It started when her father fell ill. The doctor diagnosed him with a rare fever, but the medicine to treat it was expensive.

Her mother and the girl ran around to gather money for the medicine, and the girl urged the fisherman, who her father had borrowed money from, to pay it back.

Antonio glared at the fisherman on the ground.

"Hey, if you borrowed money, you should pay it back."

"For the past few days, the sea has been rough, and I couldn't go fishing. I don't have any money. If I did, I would have paid it back."

It seemed that the fisherman had been in a bad mood due to not being able to fish for several days and had lashed out at the girl when she came to demand the money. The girl was disappointed.

"What should I do? I can't buy the purple jade tree fruit crystal."

Hearing this, Antonio was puzzled. The purple jade tree fruit crystal wasn't medicine.

When he asked, he learned that the rare fever her fisherman father had contracted required a medicine made from ground purple jade tree fruit crystals.

"Recently, the price of purple jade tree fruit crystals has gone up, and the money I saved wasn't enough to buy them."

Antonio was startled. He realized that the reason for the increase in the price of purple jade tree fruit crystals was his brother, Ricardo.

Since it was discovered that purple jade tree fruit crystals could be processed into storage amethysts, their value had risen.

At that moment, he remembered that Ricardo had a large number of failed purple jade tree fruit crystals from making storage amethysts. He had given the failed crystals to his sister, Pamela, to play with.

If the failed purple jade tree fruit crystals had the same components, they should have the same medicinal effects. Antonio decided to give the failed crystals to Eleonora.

After getting Ricardo and Pamela's permission, he gave two failed purple jade tree fruit crystals, which had been Pamela's toys, to Eleonora.

Eleonora was hesitant, but since they were just toys for her sister, she accepted them.

Thanks to this, her father's illness was cured, and she thanked him. After that, fish caught by her father, the fisherman, started being delivered to the Unius family, much to Ricardo's delight.

In early summer, as the clothing of people walking through the city changed, the incident occurred.

While Antonio was on his way to Bernardo's shop, he heard a distant scream.

"What's that?"

Trying to figure out what was happening, he listened carefully.

"Magical beasts... Goblins!"

Hearing "goblins," Antonio's body reacted.

Worried about his family, he ran to the shop selling Chinese buns.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

His pale-faced mother and the neighborhood housewives were cowering in the back of the shop.

"It's dangerous here. Let's go home."

The workshop where the shop was located had a wide entrance and windows, making it unsuitable for barricading.

"Are Serge and Pamela okay?"

"They should be fine. Ricardo should be at home."

The housewives in the shop also went with Antonio to the Unius house. In front of the Unius house, three goblins were lying dead. Ricardo must have taken them down.

At that time, it wasn't just goblins that had invaded the capital. In the area where the nobles' mansions were located, a pack of Ulfars had appeared, and in the port area, Horn Wolves were causing chaos.