Radiant Dragon’s Otherworldly Reincarnation

Chapter 9. You're all dead! You bastards! (1)

Patrick looked at the soldier with an expression as if he were facing his mortal enemy.

“Learn the sword? Who? You? Why? What have you done to deserve it?”

“No, since we also performed the basic tasks you taught us and learned the Aura Blessing, I thought it would be alright to learn the sword now….”

“Hahaha…. Hahaha. Really? You thought so? You did? You did.”

“…….”

A pleased smile hung on Patrick's lips.

If they were the former disciples of the Twin Dragon Sect, the moment they saw that smile, they would have immediately scattered in all directions and fled.

Usually, when that devil smiles like that….

“Right. Our nameless Soldier A wanted to learn the sword.”

“My name is Oliver.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Soldier Oliver. You want to learn the sword? Then you should learn. Hmm. I'll teach you right now.”

And Patrick went to one side of the training ground, grabbed three wooden swords, held two himself, and threw the other one to Oliver.

Oliver caught the wooden sword in a daze.

And then….

“Swordsmanship training be…gin!”

“Yes?”

Tweoong!

The moment the word 'gin!' was finished, Oliver felt a shock as if his eyeballs were about to pop out and collapsed to the ground.

Patrick's wooden sword had accurately struck the crown of his head.

Patrick, looking at the fallen Oliver, said….

“Well done. What? Swordsmaaaanship? You, who can't even react to an obvious attack?”

“Ugh…. ugh….”

To Oliver, who was groaning in pain, Patrick's nagging poured down like a storm.

“A guy who hasn't even mastered the 'ba' of basics already wants to learn the sword? Huh? Even when I make you do the Horse Stance with a pebble-sized stone on your head, your legs tremble like a newborn fawn's, and you want to learn the sword? The swoooord?”

Anyone watching would think that learning swordsmanship was a crime of high treason against the state.

The other soldiers clicked their tongues inwardly at the sight and looked at the victim, Oliver, with pity.

‘Tsk tsk tsk, why did he have to provoke that devil….’

‘Farewell, Oliver. You were a good guy… weren't you?’

‘Yes, I don't have to pay back the money I borrowed from him.’

It seemed he wasn't a very popular person usually.

The surrounding soldiers shook their heads at the sight of the rampaging Patrick and the fallen Oliver.

But they didn't know yet.

That when that devil gets into that state, you can't just watch it like a fire across the river.

You have to run.

You should never have the complacent thought that since you didn't step up, you'll be safe while being within that devil's range of perception.

They didn't know that fact yet.

That is, until Patrick's eyes glinted as he watched them.

“It seems….”

Patrick approached the other soldiers with a murderous smile and continued.

“There seem to be quite a few who hold similar complaints to this Soldier A?”

“Not me.”

“Young Master. I have never once had such a thought.”

“I like the basics, Young Master.”

The soldiers hastily denied it, but it was no use.

Isn't the flower of the military the screw-up's blunder and the resulting collective responsibility?

“Hehehe. Alright, it's practical swordsmanship training. If you land even a single blow on me, you pass. Otherwise, you fail.”

“Y-…. Young Master?”

“Then, be….”

‘No. No.’

‘Don't do it, please.’

‘Damn it….’

Despite the soldiers' desperate pleas, the cursed line came out of Patrick's mouth.

“…gin!”

“Run!”

“Uwooooooh!”

“Somebody help!”

The soldiers, who finally realized the reality, scattered in all directions, but it was too late.

Patrick, holding wooden swords in both hands, began to chase after them.

“You're all dead! You bastards!”

From that day on, group sparring was added to the training regimen.

* * *

Morning basic training.

And finishing with practical sparring.

Then, carrying out duties for patrol and maintaining public order as soldiers of the fiefdom.

In the evening, before eating, basic training again.

And to finish, an inspection to see if they were doing the Aura Blessing properly….

Patrick trained the soldiers meticulously and thoroughly.

“To think that patrol time is the most comfortable time of the day.”

“Knights or whatever, aren't we all going to die at this rate?”

“No joke, if a monster attacks when our bodies are this tired, how are we supposed to fight?”

“…….”

The soldiers became anxious at the word "monster."

In this Schneider fiefdom, crimes between residents did not occur very often.

Since most of the fiefdom's residents were poor farmers, there was little room for crime to occur.

The reason they were forcibly maintaining two hundred soldiers in such a fiefdom was because of the monsters.

The Schneider fiefdom was a remote area on the border of the Kingdom of Atronia, and the forest right next to it was an undeveloped backland.

Military power was absolutely necessary to fight against the hordes of monsters that periodically poured out from there, which was why they had to always maintain these two hundred elite soldiers.

But now, those two hundred elite soldiers were all dying from harsh training.

If monsters were to invade in this situation, would they be able to respond?

‘This might be a more serious problem than I thought….’

‘Shouldn't we reduce the training.’

‘It won't do any good to talk to the Young Master, and is there no way to talk to the Lord?’

While the soldiers were having such thoughts, a fiefdom resident came running out of breath.

“Soldier-nim. It's an emergency. An emergency.”

At that moment, the soldiers intuitively realized that something serious had happened.

“What's the matter?”

“Trolls have invaded the nearby Gelly village. And there are three of them.”

“Damn it.”

Trolls, a large-type monster, are monsters known to be on par with a knight each.

Normally, ordinary soldiers would turn pale and run away at the mere mention of the word "troll," but these were the soldiers of the Schneider fiefdom.

“Immediately contact the entire army and gather at Gelly village. It's trolls. Make sure to bring long spears, crossbows, and iron nets!”

“Yes, sir!”

Although it was a fiefdom without a proper knight, they were veterans in dealing with monsters.

Keep the trolls in check with long spears, restrict their movements with iron nets, and then rain down crossbow bolts to turn them into porcupines.

Then, even if it's hard to kill them, they can be driven away.

The soldiers of the Schneider fiefdom were elite troops who had experienced this several times in actual combat.

Of course, in the process, the soldiers with long spears could die, or the iron nets could be torn, and soldiers could be killed by the rampaging trolls, but….

“Hurry! We have to protect the fiefdom residents!”

“Yes, sir!”

Not a single one of them ran away.

They were all aware that it was their duty to risk their lives to protect the fiefdom.

The communication network was quickly activated, and forty soldiers from the nearby area were dispatched to the scene.

When they arrived at Gelly village with the equipment they had hastily gathered on the way, they gritted their teeth.

“Damn it.”

“Are we a step too late?”

In their eyes, they could see the village's broken wooden fence.

A destroyed wooden fence meant that the trolls had already entered the village.

“Damn it.”

“Rotten bastards….”

“Everyone, run!”

They had hoped that the village's young men would somehow hold off the trolls using the wooden fence before they arrived, but it seemed they had failed.

If the wooden fence had already been broken and the trolls had entered the village, there would have been a significant number of casualties.

“We engage immediately upon entry.”

“Everyone, stay sharp!”

“Yes, sir!”

Two of the squad leaders among the soldiers encouraged their subordinates and quickly ran into the village.

And they shouted in a loud voice.

“You filthy monster bastards! Get away from our fiefdom residents right no-… huh?”

But then, the soldiers' steps all stopped at once.

They had no choice but to stop.

Because the scene before their eyes was completely different from what they had imagined.

A pile of troll corpses, each chopped into dozens of pieces.

A ten-year-old devil with a bored expression in front of it.

And in front of that devil….

“Your butt is coming down, isn't it? Huh?”

“S-…. Sorry.”

“You can't even handle three trolls by yourself, and you're a knight? You've been strutting around calling yourself a knight, huh? Huh?”

“Ughhh…. Originally, trolls require a 3-star knight?”

“What? Huh? What did you say?”

“…It's nothing.”

“You should be ashamed. A former knight can't handle a monster that even a ten-year-old can slice up? Gosh, I should just?”

Brian, who was sweating profusely with his head on the ground and his hands behind his back, flinched.

The words themselves were right, but….

‘Are you an ordinary ten-year-old? Are you? You monster who's worse than a monster!’

The fact that he couldn't say it out loud was a lifelong regret.

Unlike Brian, who couldn't say a word even though he had a mouth, Patrick was saying everything he wanted to say.

“If your character is rock bottom, at least your skills should be decent. But this bastard…. Huh? What are you guys doing? Why did you come?”

Patrick, who had been nagging Brian, noticed the soldiers who had entered the village and spoke to them.

Then, the soldiers said with a bewildered expression.

“Young Master. Did you do this?”

“What? Ah…. this?”

Patrick said, kicking the pile of troll corpses strewn at his feet.

“I guess so. These bastards came into our fiefdom without a shred of fear and tried to eat people, you know?”

“S-… so?”

“What do you mean, so? Then they should die. Isn't that right?”

Ah, yes.

That's right.

They deserve to die.

Even in the soldiers' minds, it was a very righteous statement.

But the reason they hadn't done so until now wasn't that they didn't, but that they couldn't.

‘Oh my goodness….’

‘He really was a monster.’

It was a troll, no less.

Although classified as on the weaker side among large-type monsters, it was a man-eating monster notorious for its strong brute force and ferocious nature.

With brute force capable of tearing a live cow apart and a fearsome regenerative ability that allowed its limbs to grow back even if cut off.

Honestly, to face a troll one-on-one, a 2-star knight would have to risk their life.

To win safely, a 3-star knight would probably be needed.

That's why until now, when the soldiers of the Schneider fiefdom fought under Brian's command, they focused on repelling trolls when they appeared, and never thought of chopping them into pieces like this.

“Good heavens….”

“I knew he was strong, but….”

“You are amazing, Young Master. To catch a troll at the mere age of ten.”

“Young Master, you are truly a genius of the sword.”

The soldiers were purely amazed.

And they praised Patrick with all their hearts.

Usually, they cursed him, calling him a devil, a monster, a demon, a monster worse than a monster, but at this moment, they were sincere.

To such blatant and obvious flattery, Patrick….

“Fuhuhu. Yes. I am something of a genius.”

Was extremely pleased.

What can you do?

The dignity of a master? The demeanor of a hero?

This person never had such things in the first place.

And as Patrick showed his pleasure, the soldiers also stepped up their flattery even more.

“The Young Master is a future 7-star knight.”

“Uhehehe.”

“You will greatly develop the Schneider family.”

“Ehehehehe.”

“You will undoubtedly make a name for yourself as a great swordsman in the continent's history.”

“Mwahahaha. I am quite amazing.”

The soldiers praised and praised Patrick like a trainer who had discovered how to tame a ferocious beast.

In fact, although it was flattery, it was all true.

What else would you call a monster who chops up three trolls at the age of ten if not a genius of the sword?

So it was true.

It was true, but….

‘Let me get up first.’

Brian, with his head on the ground, had tears streaming down his face in sorrow.

He was still a 2-star knight, yet to be treated like this….

Then, a remark from one soldier became the source of the trouble.

“You are truly amazing. If only I could catch a troll single-handedly like you, Young Master, I could earn a lot of money.”

“Kehehe…. Huh? What?”

Patrick's expression, which had been grinning from ear to ear, changed completely.

And as Patrick's expression changed, the soldiers' expressions also hardened.

“What did you just say? Money?”

“Yes…. because trolls are expensive monsters.”

“Does it make money? This thing?”

“Yes. Its blood is an ingredient for potions, and its hide has high value as armor…. You didn't know?”

“How would I know that? I'm only ten years old!”

“…….”

Ah, right. You are ten years old?

I forgot.