Reincarnated as the Descendant of a Fallen Noble

Chapter 54: Back to Basics

A few days later, during sunset at the training grounds.

“Ninety-ninety-hooohp! Bweeegh!”

“Heeegh, heeegh...”

The knights and mercenaries were repeatedly sitting down and standing up, all while carrying boulders the size of a human torso on their backs.

‘I... I'm going to dieee.’

‘Why is this so heavyyyyy...’

Amidst everyone groaning in pain.

“Grrrrrrrrgh!”

Hardin, too, was gritting his teeth and enduring the boulder training.

Veins bulged along his arms and legs, and his entire body trembled, yet Hardin’s eyes carefully observed the knights and mercenaries training ahead of him.

He studied their body balance, muscle size, and even their breathing.

Not missing a single detail, he etched it all meticulously into his mind.

And soon, he reached a conclusion.

‘As I thought, I need to build the foundation first.’

If the goal was simply to make them strong right away, he could just teach them a few useful techniques and have them drill them to death.

But that was far from the direction he intended to take.

The family now was no longer as abundant in people, money, or land as it once was.

Sure, they could grow over time, but that was a story for the distant future.

So the rational choice was clear.

‘I need to train them to be worth a hundred men each.’

Because there were few people, and the resources were limited.

That’s why the groundwork needed to be even more solid.

A building needed strong pillars if it was to rise high.

If he was going to make something anyway, he might as well make a vessel strong enough to hold molten lava without breaking... then filling it later would be the easy part.

And—

‘Those guys have to succeed first, so that the ones who come after can watch and learn.’

Whatever you start, getting the first step right is always the most important.

No matter how much you go on about how the basics are important, how fundamental skills matter, people won’t believe it unless they see it with their own eyes.

If those guys laid down a solid foundation and rose up to success, then a positive cycle could be established afterward.

Anyway... training would focus on the basics from now on.

‘Aside from that, what else should I be doing?’

He’d spent a lifetime raising knight orders, so he could do it with his eyes closed.

But a family didn’t grow just by swinging swords.

Although they’d greatly expanded their influence and gained some financial breathing room thanks to acquiring Calpion’s land... the house still had a long way to go.

If they were content to live quietly, tucked away in a corner, this would’ve been more than enough.

“Urrrrrrgh!”

Hardin clenched his teeth even harder and hoisted the stone.

‘With the Seven Great Houses watching with their eyes wide open, how could I possibly be satisfied?’

Those bastards who struck us from behind, now living in arrogance as if nothing happened.

Just thinking about them made his insides churn and his head boil with rage.

No way. As long as I’m watching with both eyes wide open, I’ll never let that happen.

‘I need to push forward. As fast as possible.’

Simply swinging a sword wouldn’t cut it.

Economy, production, culture, territory... I would surpass those bastards in every domain.

I didn’t just want to reclaim the old glory of Daphne. I wanted to achieve something far greater.

For those who died for the family, and for myself.

And... to do that, the first step was already clear.

 First, I want the family port to be restored.

The words left behind by my eldest brother’s vision echoed in Hardin’s mind.

Hard to say whether he had foreseen the current situation, but coincidentally, Daphne’s current territory bordered the sea to the east.

Which meant—

‘It’s perfect for running a port.’

Even if we were stronger than before the war with Calpion, the strength and influence of our family right now was no more than that of an ant.

He had no intention of foolishly starting another territorial war with neighboring families, making enemies in the process.

If he kept doing things like that, the family would collapse before it could become what he envisioned.

So he needed a way to expand his influence externally while minimizing political complications, and for that, nothing beat a port.

‘Back then, the founding of the port city had a similar reason too.’

He had heard from his eldest brother that the founding of the port city Venetus stemmed from an ancestor’s wisdom—an attempt to overcome geographic limitations and grow the family.

Of course, it would bring in money through trade, but beyond that, the influx of people would open up endless new opportunities.

‘A port... This is the best option.’

Good, good.

KWAANG!

“Hiiik! Wh-what was that?!”

As Hardin nodded to himself and dropped the boulder onto the ground, everyone jumped back in shock.

“Wrap up your training and head in when you're done.”

“...Sir?”

“Where are you going?”

“I have important business to attend to.”

Dropping out of training, just like that? All of a sudden?

Confusion spread across everyone’s faces.

---

Inside the Lord’s chamber.

The Third Young Master Malion and Viscount Cobalt sat across from each other, reading a stack of parchment laid out on the desk.

“The wall restoration project is nearly complete, and all the seedlings for this season’s farming have been secured.”

“Ooh, is that so? How’s the timber gathering going?”

Malion adjusted his glasses and answered with a pleased smile.

“Smoothly. We increased efficiency by shortening the camp routes, so our output went up. We’ll fulfill this month’s quota and still have surplus left to sell externally.”

“Hohoho, really? Excellent work. Then... what do you plan to do with the surplus funds?”

“I plan to save it for now. Until there's either a necessary task or a definite investment opportunity.”

“That’s a good idea. It’s wise to steadily save when times are favorable.”

“Yes, sir.”

Just as the two exchanged satisfied smiles—

KWAANG!

“Father, I’ve got something to say!”

Hardin suddenly kicked open the door with a loud bang and marched in with a confident look on his face.

“Wh-what is it, Hardin?”

“Brother?”

The two in the room were startled, their eyes fixed on him.

Then Hardin slammed the desk with a loud thud and declared loudly,

“Let’s build a port. A port!”

“Huh?”

“Excuse me?”

A port? As in, where ships dock?

The two turned to each other almost at the same time.

“A port?”

“You mean a port?”

When they asked again, Hardin quickly took a seat and hurriedly continued.

“Yes, a port. The war is over, and things are stable internally. That’s why we should build a port now.”

“......”

A brief silence.

The two blinked and asked,

“Brother, you do know what a port is, right?”

“Are you serious, Hardin?”

“Yes, of course.”

Seriously?

Cobalt scratched his forehead before asking again.

“Why all of a sudden? The territory has been stabilized, and the copper mine is running well. Why push for a port now...?”

SLAP!

Hardin struck the desk with his palm and said with a solemn, serious expression,

“Because a port is the foundation of our family.”

“Foundation?”

“Yes. You all know why our family symbol is the wave, right?”

The Third Young Master pushed up his glasses and asked,

“Are you talking about Venetus, by any chance?”

“That’s right.”

Venetus—the place that had been the Daphne stronghold until about forty years ago.

A port city where hundreds, thousands of ships came and went, people from all over the world gathered, and a city that once thrived with cuisine, wealth, and prosperity.

Anyone descended from Daphne would know of it.

“Our land has a wide and deep coastline, doesn’t it? Isn’t this the perfect condition for building a port?”

As Hardin smiled broadly, the Third Young Master stroked his chin for a long while before cautiously speaking up.

“Well, having a port would certainly bring several advantages. We could increase the fish yield... and it would be convenient for transporting goods outward too.”

“Ha! So we’re on the same page. Right, even you think we need a port?”

“......”

But still...

Cobalt, wearing a troubled look, remained silent. Malion let out a small sigh and continued.

“I fully understand what you’re trying to say, Brother. It’s reasonable, and I think it’s a good direction.”

Huh? What’s with this guy? Since when was he so cooperative?

Hardin beamed and raised his voice.

“Right, right. Then let’s get to planning right away. You’ve got to strike while the iron’s hot...”

“But, we can’t.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“We can’t build a port.”

“...Didn’t you just say it was a good idea?”

“I said it was a good idea. That doesn’t mean it’s something we can actually carry out.”

When Malion firmly replied, Hardin tilted his head and asked again.

“Why not?”

Malion closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them and answered.

“...Don’t tell me you forgot about this too?”

“Forgot what?”

“Why do you think, even though our territory borders the sea, there are no notable fishery resources and no port?”

“How would I know?”

Why ask me that?

Hardin shrugged, and just then Malion’s eyes turned sharp as he spoke in a cold voice.

“Because of the Sahagin.”

Hardin cocked his head again.

“Sahagin? You mean those dumb-looking fish-head things?”

“Yes. Thanks to them, Mudside was completely devastated.”

“Mudside...”

“I’m talking about the eastern coastal village.”

What’s he talking about all of a sudden? A coastal village got wrecked? Just because of some Sahagin?

“Anyway, we can’t build a port. Because of those creatures, we can’t even use the coastline at all.”

Hardin’s eyebrow twitched.

“Are you joking? We can’t use the coast because of Sahagin?”

“This is no joke.”

Sahagin—also known as the goblins of the sea.

They had cute appearances and small builds, were excellent swimmers, but aside from that, there was nothing remarkable about them.

Even their feeding habits were limited to seaweed and shellfish, and they weren’t known to be particularly aggressive.

Sometimes, when they were truly starving, they would raid coastal villages and go after chickens or pigs... but—

They were generally cowardly, and if you just caught and filleted one or two, they wouldn’t dare come near again.

In short, they were so insignificant that it was almost an insult to call their extermination a "subjugation."

And yet, we couldn’t use the entire eastern coast because of them?

“We have our knight order, don’t we? What were they doing if they weren’t getting rid of them?”

Malion shook his head and replied.

“Subjugating them is nearly impossible. We’ve tried multiple times, and all attempts have failed.”

“Failed? Against Sahagin?”

“Yes. These creatures are not like ordinary Sahagin.”

“A Sahagin is a Sahagin. What’s different about them?”

“They’re highly aggressive and not easily frightened. No matter how many we kill, they just keep swarming in. And we’re not in a position to keep fighting them endlessly.”

“...What are you talking about?”

Did the meaning of words change while I wasn’t looking?

There’s no way Sahagin are like that.

While Hardin stood confused, Cobalt let out a deep sigh and stepped in.

“Hardin, everything Malion said is true.”

“...What?”

Wrinkles formed on his face, and a strangely bitter expression appeared.

“I also think building a port is a good idea. But like he said, we simply can’t use the coast.”

“They’re Sahagin. Just drive them out, isn’t that enough?”

“No, that’s...”

They were seriously giving up on a port because of some Sahagin?

As countless question marks floated above Hardin’s head, Malion, who had been watching quietly, spoke up.

“Can’t accept it, Brother?”

“Of course I can’t. Giving up the sea because of some Sahagin?”

“Then how about seeing it for yourself? We were planning to send food supplies to Mudside soon anyway.”

“Food? Why are we sending food?”

“Because the villagers are starving.”

“Starving?”

“Yes. Since the Sahagin appeared, fishing has become impossible. We’ve had to send relief food regularly.”

“......”

What kind of nonsense was this...

The questions filling Hardin’s head only continued to swell without end.