Chapter 88

"Hey, Gorge, it's been exactly a year since I became a viscount..."

Sora stood half-turned, tightening his grip on the wooden sword.

"Why do I have to get covered in mud?"

"I think it's better than being covered in blood in an emergency."

Gorge deflected Sora's wooden sword and quickly bent his waist to sweep his legs.

Without time to cry out, Sora lost his balance and fell onto the lawn.

"Breakfall!"

"I know, don't yell!"

While getting up before Gorge could point it out, Sora retorted.

"Seriously, it's been a year? I think it's a pretty important anniversary..."

As Sora said, it had been a year since the viscount's domain was established.

The economy around Crossport, where Sora resided, had rapidly recovered.

One of the key factors was the trade with the Belze侯爵領 through the Wooddora Chamber of Commerce.

The smoked birch wood was sold like hotcakes as soon as it was imported into the Belze侯爵領, thanks to the Belze侯爵's groundwork among the craftsmen who were already suffering from a wood shortage.

The Belze侯爵 probably didn't want the craftsmen to disperse.

In addition to birch, rye and other grains were imported from the Belze侯爵領.

Due to financial constraints, most of the stored grain was from the previous year, but the residents' nutritional status was steadily improving.

The adjustment of tax rates also had a significant impact, and the economy was gradually improving.

If Sora glanced down at the sprawling Crossport, he could see new houses and commercial buildings being constructed everywhere.

"We've made it through the year safely. It's a joyous occasion. However, you, Sora, spend every day buried in paperwork and should play with us a little more!"

"Gorge, you're showing your true feelings."

"Oops, that's not good. ...Anyway, Sora has many enemies. You could be attacked at any time. You should train while you can."

Gorge's words were reasonable.

However, after his true feelings had leaked out, his persuasiveness was somewhat diminished.

Still, Sora decided to accompany Gorge to alleviate his lack of exercise.

"Fine. I'll take you down and make you eat dirt!"

Holding the wooden sword at his side, Sora ran forward.

While watching Sora and his companions laugh and swing their wooden swords, even after being thrown to the ground, Chaff was practicing with a wooden sword.

The judo techniques he learned from Sora were not something he could use frequently on the battlefield.

As expected, the beastman Sanya had rapidly improved and could now throw a Flame Corps soldier in a one-on-one match, thanks to her physical abilities.

Therefore, Chaff silently swung his longsword.

He practiced to make the sword techniques he had been familiar with since childhood more practical and suited to himself, being conscious of every movement and confirming what he could do.

This kind of training usually required a great deal of concentration, but for the past year, he couldn't focus.

His thoughts would drift to comparing himself with Sora at random moments, and he couldn't maintain his concentration.

Even now, he was following Sora's movements with his eyes, and his sword technique was off.

Disappointed with himself, Chaff sighed.

Sheathing his longsword, Chaff looked around and frowned.

"Hey, Flame Corps, have you seen my subordinates?"

Chaff asked a Flame Corps soldier who was drinking water in the shade of a Mizunara tree.

"Huh? Now that you mention it, I haven't seen them today. Hey, does anyone know?"

The Flame Corps soldier called out to a colleague who was practicing nearby.

"One, for Sora-sama. Two, for the people. Three, for Luly--"

"No good, this is."

The Flame Corps soldier bowed his head in apology for not being of help.

Chaff thanked him and turned away.

While searching for his subordinates, he went around to the back of the mansion and found men relaxing with bottles of alcohol in hand.

One of the men, who had been checking the contents of his bottle, noticed Chaff and spoke, swinging the bottle from side to side.

"Master, what about your training?"

"Felix, that's my line. What do you mean by skipping training? Get out to the courtyard and start training right now!"

Felix, who was called out, clicked his tongue after glancing at Chaff, who pointed to the courtyard with a stern tone.

Felix drained the bottle in one go and glared at Chaff from head to toe with a flushed face.

"Master, we're disappointed in you. We can't see you as someone worth following all the way to this seaside town. Still, we're here because Lord Trynen, the general himself, ordered us to stay."

Felix spat out that he couldn't even play along with Sora's games.

They were among the best in the Trynen army, and the training Chaff had been doing for the past year, unable to concentrate, seemed like "child's play" to them.

Chaff, who was aware of this, pressed his lips into a thin line and suppressed the urge to retort.

"...That's a different matter. I want you to train. I'll be in trouble if you're weak when I return you to my father."

"–What's that supposed to mean?"

Felix glared at Chaff with an unpleasant voice.

He must have been offended by being called weak.

Felix stood up with the empty bottle in hand.

"If you say so, try taking me down while I'm weak."

As he spoke, he held the bottle like a small sword.

Despite being drunk, he showed no openings.

Chaff narrowed his eyes in discomfort and looked at Felix and the others.

"...If I take down Felix, will everyone start training?"

"If you take me down, we'll follow your orders. But only if you take me down."

After securing the promise, Chaff went to retrieve his wooden sword.

Felix called out to him, looking bothered.

"Let's do it like this. A bottle is enough for you, Master. You can use the sword at your waist."

"...Alright. I'll do it with the scabbard on."

Chaff drew his sword with the scabbard and held it in a ready position.

"Whenever you're ready?"

Felix shook the bottle in his hand provocatively.

He was stronger, but being drunk would inevitably dull his judgment.

Chaff tightened his grip on the hilt and took a step forward. He feinted as if to strike from above, then took another step diagonally to throw off the timing – a feint.

It was a good move to exploit the gap in dulled judgment.

However, a feint is a technique that fails if it's seen through.

Felix easily saw through Chaff's feint.

He stepped in with the feint, closed the distance, and at the moment Chaff's arm was about to strike, he slapped it away with one hand.

Without even looking at Chaff's arm being deflected, Felix kicked him in the stomach without mercy.

Looking down at Chaff, who fell to the ground in agony, Felix rolled the bottle to the side.

"You don't even need a bottle. If you want to do it again, just let me know."

Felix walked away with the other guards, looking bored.

"...!"

Chaff gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the ground.