“...Wake up, Luan.”
I awoke to the feeling of someone shaking my shoulder.
It was Hector.
He was looking at me as if he was done with me.
“You slept even while in front of me.”
“...Why shouldn’t I have slept here, Elder Brother?”
As I answered with a tired tone, Hector replied, “I’ve been wondering, why do you alternate between polite and regular speech?”
“Because I want to.”
“...!”
I ignored Hector’s shocked face as I left the carriage first.“Heup...”
The cold air touched my lungs.
Although the air at Bednicker‘s main house was very clear, this place was beyond that.
One thing that annoyed me was that this clear air contained faint animal scents.
...Why is it so cold?
It reminded me of my mother’s homeland, Colland, though I had never been there.
It wasn’t anywhere close to this cold back at the main house.
I straightened my collar and took a look around.
The forest surrounded an open area, and there were a few tall buildings present.
The buildings were built along invisible lines separating the left and right sides.
One interesting detail was that the building on the left looked shabby, like it could collapse at any moment, whereas the building on the right looked very clean and sturdy, like it had been constructed recently.
I saw multiple people around my age standing in the middle of the open area, blinking their wide eyes.
If one just looked at their expressions, it looked like they had been kidnapped and brought here.
Maybe their danger senses were dull or they were good at adapting, but I saw a few people standing together with others they were friendly with.
It wasn’t difficult to pick out Sellen from among the group. She possessed a rather unique appearance, after all.
As I stared at her, she seemed to notice me as well as she looked back at me.
It was good to see her again, so I waved at her.
Sellen looked at me before rubbing her eyes and looking at me again.
“You—!”
Her eyes went wide.
“ATTEN–TION!”
A thunderous voice echoed through the area.
It was a shout imbued with mana.
The one who had let out that shout was a man with dark skin and a scar that covered more than half of his face.
His eyes stood out to me. In them, I saw the look of a veteran who had survived for at least a decade in the grueling life of a mercenary.
Isn’t he a grand master?
Was he the Instructor of the Hunt?
I couldn’t remember his name.
In any case, the young heroes who were stuck in a daze because of his voice quickly regained their wits and scurried to the open field.
The Instructor of the Hunt looked at us with cold eyes.
“Welcome, young heroes. I am Tanko. A few of you here might know me as a guest of Bednicker and a grand master, but it would be wise for you to forget that while you’re here. Also, be aware that the only other people you’ll meet in the training camp shall be your instructors, so watch your manners.” ℞
Most of the kids spaced out when they heard his words.
The ones who were slow on the uptake were like that.
A few of them seemed offended by what they’d heard.
Even though this was House Bednicker, they were still nobles who had lived like kings back in their own homes.
The Instructor of the Hunt looked at our reactions and smirked.
“Those are good looks. Even if you didn’t make those faces, I was still going to drill you like dogs later. Before that...”
A few knights walked up from behind the instructor and handed a piece of paper to each of the young heroes.
I took one at it and saw that it was a waiver.
“Sign it.”
One young hero bravely spoke up.
“Wh-what is this waiver?”
Tanko seemed to have been waiting for this as he fiercely twisted his lips.
“What do you think it is? It’s a waiver to say that you forfeit any blame you would place upon Bednicker for any injuries you might sustain, even if you are left crippled forever.”
Murmur.
I realized why this man had been chosen from among the many grand masters to go on stage.
Beyond his appearance, the way he spoke was very effective at gaining everyone’s attention.
Back when I’d worked as a mercenary, most of the mercenaries who had given instructions to the new kids had been like him.
“I will give you this one and final warning. The training camp of House Bednicker is merciless. Any random knight training center will say the same of themself, but this training camp is on a different level. Our training camp has a mortality rate of 20 percent.”
The Instructor of the Hunt lifted his two fingers.
“Twenty percent. Do you think that number isn’t that high? If you’re a noble who only looks at numbers as pure numbers, you might think that. However, that means that among those present, at least seven of you won’t make it out of here alive.”
One of the young heroes standing next to me gulped loudly.
“You may want to ask why it is so brutal, but it is only natural. For a young hero to be recognized as an official hero, they need to spend one to five years on probation. But here, depending on your performance, you can reduce that period down to only six weeks. It would be unfair if the camp wasn’t brutal.”
“...”
“You are free to not sign the waiver, but once you do, that will be it. No matter how much you cry and struggle and beg, you will not be able to leave until six weeks have passed, at which point you will leave here alive... or dead.”
He wasn’t just putting on airs. The Instructor of the Hunt was showing the importance of this choice.
Just listening to him, leaving here alive or dead—didn’t it seem like there was a 50 percent chance?
The ones with weak hearts would be affected the most.
“I-I’ll go back.”
“Me too...”
As expected, a few people gave up.
At a glance, there seemed to be four people.
Was that a lot? I had no idea.
The Instructor of the Hunt, who probably knew the answer to that question, nodded as he pointed to one of the carriages.
“Those who are dropping out, get on the carriage and you will be escorted away by the knights.”
The four of them walked dejectedly to the carriage.
A few young heroes couldn’t take their eyes off them.
They were the ones still hesitating to make a choice.
However, just like what the Instructor of the Hunt had said, this was their last chance.
Boom!
The sound of the carriage door closing was louder than usual.
“All right. The final carriage leading out to heaven has left. You fools left in hell, I truly welcome you here, and I will give you your first command. Roll.”
A moment of silence passed.
When one person with vacant eyes stupidly asked, “...Pardon?”
The Instructor of the Hunt roared, “Roll, you dog bastards!”
***
On the continent, the name “Bednicker” usually caused fear.
This was true for the Church of Darkness, but also for many ordinary people within The Empire.
The House had an isolationist tendency. The rumors surrounding the House were very dark, and the people of the house were usually quite brutal.
However, that did not mean that people didn’t respect Bednicker.
The incredible achievements the members of the House produced in their lives were undeniable.
—A fallen house of the past had revived itself and reclaimed its past glory.
The story of their revival ignited the hearts of those who listened.
Similarly, House Helvin’s honor had fallen to less than half of what it had once been.
This was the reason that Evan Helvin, the third son of this declining House, had elected to join the training camp of House Bednicker.
Hoping that if he was to receive the excellent education of Bednicker, he would be able to revive his House... Such thoughts were on his mind.
And if he became a direct disciple of one of the grand masters, or perhaps was noticed by the Lord of Blood and Iron...
“Roll, you dog bastards—!”
“...”
When he heard that, Evan froze.
Roll?
Roll what?
No, he was told to roll himself, not roll something else.
Is he telling me to roll?
On the dirty ground?
“The five slowest to roll will have their points deducted! Ah. I forgot to explain this. All young heroes who join the training camp start with 10 points. The lower your points drop, the more exciting your life here will become.”
Hearing that, one person standing next to him immediately started rolling.
Evan looked at him in total surprise.
He looked like an ordinary noble boy.
He was currently rolling on the ground like it was his bed, looking like an insect as he did so.
In the time Evan had spent thinking that, the other young heroes had started to roll on the ground as well.
Among them, the young daughter of Goodspring, who looked like she would never do something like this, was rolling as well.
Helvin tried to quickly follow this insane situation, but the moment he ducked his body...
“Everyone stop,” the Instructor of the Hunt said with a calm voice.
His frightening eye looked toward the five people who still had clean bodies.
“Evan Helvin, Hans Bender, Sho Greenwood, Bruno Hammer, Laura Rosi. One point deducted.”
“...!”
“Resume.”
As the five stood there in a daze, the instructor shouted at them. “What are you doing! Start rolling!”
At that, the faces of the five went pale as they started to roll on the ground.
The damp mud got on their clothes and skin and dirtied their hair as well.
It-it’s so dirty...!
Of course, as the son of a martial house, this wasn’t the first time Evan had been covered in mud, but it was his first time willingly rolling around in the stuff.
The Instructor of the Hunt looked to the one next to Evan.
“And... you, what’s your name?”
It was the boy with golden hair who had started rolling faster than anyone else.
“Yes! My name is Luan Bednicker!”
Helvin was shocked.
Bednicker? It took him a moment to realize due to the hair color.
If it’s Luan, it’s that one.
The crazy kid who had sold the sword of House Bednicker.
I see. Since he’s crazy, he was able to act crazy faster than anyone else?
“Your answers are sharp, and your actions were faster than anyone else.”
“Thank you!”
“Luan Bednicker, you will receive one point.”
“Thank you!”
“Hm.”
The Instructor of the Hunt looked at Luan with narrowed eyes before raising his head.
“Everyone, get up!”
Scurry. This time, the thirty or so young heroes got up at nearly the same time.
“The official lessons will start tomorrow. Your rooms will be assigned to you today, so you can rest in your rooms if you don’t hear any other orders.”
He let out a chilling laugh.
“...Be sure to rest your minds and bodies properly. You’ll only have today, so rest to your heart’s content.”
Evan spaced out as he heard this, and he had a thought.
He should’ve left with the four earlier.
* * * * *
* * * * *
After stepping foot into his lodging, Evan’s face became even more pale.
This... is my lodging?
Dust covered every corner, the stairs creaked every time he walked, and the roof seemed to just barely be holding.
Had he accidentally been sent to a pig pen?
“Wait! You over there, it seems I was sent to the wrong place.”
As he was thinking that, another young hero seemed to have the same thought as he spoke to the knight who had guided them here.
The knight responded with a tilt to his head.
“Wrong place?”
“This isn’t a lodging but a storage vault!”
“This is your lodging.”
“What?”
“I said it is your lodging. This is the place you will stay for the duration of the training camp.”
“What...!”
“And Bruno Hammer, speaking impolitely to your instructor is a point deduction. One point deducted from you.”
He was the one who had called out earlier.
At the knight’s dry reply, Bruno’s face became red.
Evan quietly gulped.
He’d nearly had a point deducted again.
Though, Evan didn’t have any idea what the points meant.
L-let’s just play it safe for now.
Ignoring that, he wanted to wash his body before going to his room.
After rolling around on the dirty ground, it felt like the dirt had invaded his body.
“Excuse me. Could I ask where I can wash myself...” another person asked the knight.
Their tone was polite, probably because of what had just happened.
Evan paid close attention to their conversation.
“The bath will only be opened twice a day: when you wake up and before you go to sleep. That means you can’t wash yourself right now.”
“Th-that’s...”
Then was he supposed to stay like this until nightfall?
Evan shuddered.
Of course, that didn’t mean he had the confidence to directly complain to the instructor.
In the end, he trudged into his room.
It was a room with the number “3” on the door. After opening the door and going in, he saw two beds and two desks.
One peculiar thing of note was that the beds and desks seemed to have been combined.
The desk had a roof, and the bed was on that roof... and he had no idea why it had been designed that way.
...Ah.
But after looking at the state of the room, Evan realized something.
To fit both the desks and the beds in such a cramped room, this was the only possible arrangement.
No way... I’m supposed to live here?
Even Dux, the dog back at Evan’s home, lived in a larger room than this!
Although it made him feel dizzy just thinking about it, he didn’t have the confidence to argue with the knight like Bruno had not too long ago.
He didn’t know why, but he didn’t want to lose his points.
Evan didn’t even have any luggage, so he just flopped onto the bed on the left side.
Clack.
Suddenly, the door opened and someone walked through.
“Ah...”
It was the person who had been standing next to him before: Luan Bednicker.
Evan quickly gave a polite greeting.
“H-hello. I am Evan of House Helvin. You’re the young master of Bednicker, right?”
Even if the other party was a crazy person who had sold the sword of their house, House Helvin was practically a fallen noble house; he needed to be polite no matter who they were.
Luan just looked into the room before turning to Evan and smiling.
“Evan Helvin. You’re pretty famous.”
“Eh? M-me?”
Luan tilted his head as he spoke. “Maybe not yet? Anyway, I’ll be in your care. I’ll use the right side, okay?”
“Ah, yes.”
“And you can speak comfortably to me. We’ll be both eating dirt and living like dogs from now on.”
“What do you...”
Luan didn’t answer as he jumped onto his bed while giggling.
He doesn’t seem like a noble.
Honestly, Evan wasn’t a model noble either, so he couldn’t really complain, but he was a little taken aback since he couldn’t figure out what kind of person his roommate for the training camp was.
[Ah, ah.]
“Huek!”
Evan was surprised at the sudden voice he could hear.
[A message to all young heroes. Those who wish to eat, come to the cafeteria between the 18th and 19th hour. That is all.]
“Wh-what was that?”
“It’s communication magic.”
Luan didn’t seem particularly bothered.
“They probably already set up communication marbles in the rooms. Ah, it’s over there.”
Luan pointed to where the marble was.
“It’s both a communication tool and the lamp. Looks like everything in the room has a purpose.”
“...Ha, haha.”
“Wake up and let’s go eat something.”
“Ah, okay.”
Evan followed behind Luan with a tilt of his head.
Why does it feel like he’s already used to this?
The answer came to him quickly.
Luan was a Bednicker.
Maybe he had already heard a few things about the training camp?
Evan felt slightly betrayed.
Finding the cafeteria was easy; they just followed where the smell of food was coming from.
Evan had skipped out on lunch today, so he was starving at this point.
I don’t think the food will be that tasty...
He had at least prepared himself for that much.
Even if it tasted disgusting, it wouldn’t matter to him so long as it was edible and had enough nutrients.
However, in the end, Evan didn’t learn what food was being served.
“Evan Helvin, you are barred from entering the cafeteria.”
“Wh-why is that... sir?”
He had nearly slipped up.
At that, the knight standing in front of the cafeteria responded with a dry voice.
“Young heroes with less than 10 points cannot set foot into the cafeteria in the afternoon.”