I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake. Chapter 52

I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake.

Chapter 52

Caesar decided to be brazen.

“That doesn’t mean I can live in your mansion, does it? I said I would teach her, but it takes 4 hours round trip between Sapientia and my home. It would be difficult for me to spend that time every day, as I’m quite busy myself.”

“How can our unmarried daughter enter the house of a strange man?!”

“Man? I’m her teacher.”

“But…!”

“If you don’t accept this, I can’t teach her.”

You see, the nobles of this era are real old-fashioned prudes who consider it promiscuous for an unmarried woman to live with a man.

Even if it’s a teacher-student relationship.

Gloria opened her mouth.

“I’ll do it. I’ve already decided to become a knight anyway. I’ve heard that on the battlefield, men and women sleep mixed together without distinction. This is nothing compared to that.”

Viscount Bellum shouted angrily.

“No! If this gets out, our daughter’s marriage prospects will be ruined!”

“Then come find me when this problem is solved. This is something I absolutely can’t give up on either.”

“Ugh…”

I wish he would just say it’s not possible and leave it at that.

But as always, humans will find a way.

In a completely unexpected direction.

***

“I’ve moved in.”

Caesar lit a cigar while watching many carriages coming and going in front of his house.

“That was quite fast.”

Viscount Bellum’s method was very simple.

He bought the house next to Caesar’s by throwing money at it.

Mr. Aaron, who used to live next door, must feel like he won the lottery.

I’m envious.

I wish I could make money that easily too.

Two unfamiliar men approached Caesar.

“Are you Sir Caesar?”

“That’s right, but?”

“Please take good care of our youngest sister.”

Look at those laser beams shooting from their eyes.

Their love for Gloria seems so hot it might burst into flames.

They look ready to come after me with a double-barreled shotgun if I so much as touch Gloria’s fingertip.

Come to think of it, they seem quite a bit older than Gloria.

At least 10 years older?

Well, that’s why they came to help with Gloria’s move themselves.

Whether she knows their feelings or not, Gloria smiled brightly and said,

“So when do we start training?”

“Come to my house as soon as you finish unpacking. Don’t bring any swords or anything, just come as you are.”

“Understood. Oh, and you can speak comfortably to me now. I’m your disciple after all.”

“Really? Then I’ll speak comfortably.”

“Thank you!”

The two older brothers spoke to Caesar.

“Then, can we observe today’s training?”

“Well, I don’t mind, but are you sure?”

“What do you mean, are we sure?”

“It’ll be painful.”

“Hm? Painful?”

Caesar pointed to the hearts of the two sister-obsessed brothers.

“Your hearts will be in a lot of pain.”

***

Gloria had actually been a little excited.

She imagined Caesar gently approaching her from behind as she held a sword, softly taking her hand.

Caesar’s warm breath tickling the back of her neck as they trained in a sweet, heart-fluttering manner.

She had just a tiny bit of expectation.

But…

Beep.

“One!”

Beep.

“Two!”

Beep.

“Three!”

“Ughhhh!”

“Owl Number 1 who told you to throw up?! Start over from the beginning!”

“Aaaaargh!”

Caesar, wearing a red cap and sunglasses from who knows where, blew a whistle and made her do something called Burpees.

A movement that combines a squat, push-up, and jump in one motion, timed to the whistle.

It looked like nothing at first glance, but once she tried it, it was unbelievably hard.

“This instructor doesn’t lie. If you do 50 burpees accurately to the beat, we’ll end today’s afternoon training. One minute break!”

Gloria leaned against a tree to catch her breath.

Lying down made it harder to breathe evenly.

Her brothers approached.

“Wh-why is he making her do this? Isn’t he going to teach swordsmanship?”

“We need to build basic physical fitness before swordsmanship. It’s the same as learning to read numbers before learning arithmetic.”

“But this is…”

The two swallowed hard at the red glow emitting from Caesar’s dark sunglasses.

“Didn’t I tell you it would be painful?”

They were at a loss for words.

Caesar spoke to Gloria.

“Good. Owl Number 1! If it’s too hard, you can give up today. But don’t forget that the sweat you shed today is equal to the amount of blood you’ll shed on the battlefield. Are you going to give up?”

Gloria gritted her teeth.

“No, sir!”

“Then get up and start again!”

“Ugh!”

“Your voice is too weak! Again!”

“UGH!!!”

That’s right.

This is the hell you chose.

I’m a former commando training instructor.

I’ll make you have a fit just from seeing a red cap.

***

[September 27, 232 Eileen Calendar]

For some reason, Sir Caesar started calling me Owl.

He says if I want to be treated like a human, I need to earn recognition, but I have no idea what kind of recognition I need to earn.

[September 29, 232 Eileen Calendar]

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

I feel like I’m going to develop a neurosis just from hearing the whistle.

Sir Caesar watches over me from 7 AM to 10 AM.

After that, it’s time for individual training according to the schedule Caesar made.

But because of those 3 hours or so, I really hate waking up in the morning.

But if I give up, Sir Caesar will definitely be disappointed.

I will never give up.

[October 3, 232 Eileen Calendar]

My hand is shaking so much I can barely write.

This morning I overslept just once, and Caesar came to my house and forcibly dragged me out.

After that, Sir Caesar tormented me until sunset.

I’ll never oversleep again.

[October 15, 232 Eileen Calendar]

When I become a knight, I’m going to destroy all the whistles in the world.

And that damned red cap too.

I don’t know how long I have to endure this hellish basic physical training.

There’s only pain in front of that red cap and whistle.

Did I choose the wrong master?

[November 1, 232 Eileen Calendar]

Die Caesar.

Die.

Die.

Die.

Die.

***

Caesar looked at Gloria, who had developed a fierce look in her eyes, with a rather satisfied expression.

‘She’s following along better than I expected.‘

Gloria, being both a noble and a woman, had never received any training in her life.

But Gloria kept up surprisingly well, even though Caesar had pushed her quite hard in various ways.

Putting aside her physical abilities, her mental strength must be extraordinary.

Well, without that kind of tenacity, she couldn’t have been a mafia boss in the harsh Homigraph.

I’m very pleased with her.

“Gloria.”

“Ugh!”

“You can answer ‘yes’ now.”

“Finally…!”

Tears well up in Gloria’s eyes.

She seems happy to finally be treated like a person, not an owl.

Yeah.

I’ve been there too.

Must feel good.

“There are three classifications of knights. What are they?”

“Classic, Tanker, and Technique, three types in total.”

“Among them, there’s one type of knight you absolutely can’t become.”

“…What is it?”

“Technique.”

Caesar waved his hand.

A gust of wind split a falling leaf in two.

“For the Technique type, it’s important to start in a knight family from at least 10 years old and learn slowly. It’s that demanding and difficult, with a stark difference between the low and high points.”

“But isn’t the Path of the Wind you’re using not a technique of the Sylvatil family? How were you able to learn it?”

“Because I’m special.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m saying I’m an exception. Geniuses are born in this world from time to time. The genius right in front of your eyes is me.”

“Ah… I see…”

Come on.

It’s also very important to be objective about oneself.

If a genius underestimates themselves, they can’t do what they’re capable of, and if an idiot overestimates themselves, they’ll break and die.

Caesar acknowledged that he was a genius while mastering the Path of the Wind.

Of course, not as much as Yan.

“You’re a genius too, of course.”

“What? I’m a genius?”

“Yes. You said you were 17 when you first used aura, right? On average, knights can feel and use aura at the age of 20-24. So you can be called a genius.”

“Then can I become a Technique type knight too?”

“No. You’ve wasted too much time. Although God gave you talent, you let it rot for a whole 4 years.”

At those words, Gloria clicked her tongue.

“…Yes. That’s right.”

-If only I hadn’t created the Clown Family, I might have become a knight long ago.

-But I had no choice back then.

“Nevertheless, if you want to be a Technique type knight, you’ll need to find a family that can teach you the body strengthening technique that matches the swordsmanship you want to learn. Even though you’re late, if you invest enough time, you might be able to achieve some results. If you want, I can write you a letter of recommendation.”

“No. I didn’t want to be a Technique Knight anyway.”

“Really? Then what do you want?”

“Have you ever heard of the Blue Angel?”

Blue Angel?

Feels like I’ve heard that somewhere before.

“Ah, you mean ‘Sir Bell’ from the Wolf Knight Order.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Gloria’s eyes sparkled like a fangirl idolizing her favorite star.

“Sir Bell is a woman like me, and even though she had an accident where her left arm was cut off, she’s still active in service using an artificial arm artifact. I’m going to become a wonderful female knight just like Sir Bell!”

“So you want to cut off your left arm too?”

“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant…”

“I’m joking.”

“Ah… I see… But have you ever seen the Blue Angel in person?”

Caesar stroked his chin as he recalled the ‘Blue Angel’.

While he hadn’t seen her in ‘Caesar’s’ body, he had fought alongside Bell during his ‘Barre’ days.

She liked to rampage across the battlefield with her eternal friend and wolf mount, ‘Blue’.

– Die, you damn orc bastards!!!

– Laser cannon!!!

– Blue! Go and bite them!

– It’s an ogre! Barre! That head is mine! Don’t touch it!

The reason she was called the ‘Blue Angel’ wasn’t because of her rough and childish way of speaking, but because she saved many isolated soldiers while sweeping across the battlefield with her ‘Blue Wolf’.

Of course, she didn’t intentionally set out to save them, it just happened naturally as she rampaged across the battlefield…

Well, saving them is what matters, right?

“I haven’t seen her in person. But there were many rumors about her being a skilled female knight on the battlefield. So, you want to be a Classic type knight?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

What symbolizes the Blue Angel is her sturdy blue armor.

I’m not sure exactly what it’s made of, but if it can survive being hit by an ogre’s club, it must be incredibly durable.

“You’ll excel at that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You have the conditions that make it impossible not to excel.”

“What’s that?”

“Your parents are rich.”

“…Pardon?”

Caesar crossed his arms and said:

“The biggest obstacle for Classic type knights isn’t talent or the amount of aura, it’s money.”

“Why?”

“Because the price of armor is unimaginably expensive. Even just solid iron armor easily exceeds 50,000 del. If you mix in cold iron or magic gold, the price skyrockets. If terra is involved, it’s beyond words.”

That’s why most people aiming to be Classic type knights end up becoming holy knights.

Most lords can’t afford to have armor custom-made for their knights.

So usually, knights have to use their own earnings to have armor and swords made.

On the other hand, the Dre Order gifts better quality armor to holy knights as they achieve more.

In fact, the armor Joseph wears contains terra alloy.

Of course, it’s only 0.5%, but even that makes it incredibly expensive.

The technology to make armor is far more advanced than making weapons.

It’s probably slightly cheaper than or similar to the price of Thunder.

“If you want to become a classic magic swordsman type knight like the Blue Angel, using artifacts and weapons, the money spent will be beyond your imagination. Of course, your potential will be even higher.”

“But asking dad for money is a bit…”

“Being able to make the most of what you have is also a virtue of a knight. Other knights don’t wear cheap armor because they’re stupid. It’s because that’s their best option.”

Classic type knights only have armor to protect their bodies.

That’s why they pour all the money they earn on the battlefield into their armor.

If they delay investment even a little, they could die.

“What about the Tanker type knight?”

“Of course, that’s attractive too. But unless you can absorb various potions in a short time like me, or practice body strengthening techniques for a long time, it’s not easy to aim for the high end.”

Gloria let out a small sigh.

“Nothing is easy, is it?”

“Did you think making a living with your body would be that easy?”

“I just didn’t know it would be this hard. But now my eyes are opening a bit.”

“So, do you want to become a Classic type knight?”

“Yes. I’m definitely going to wear armor.”

Well, not bad.

If she’s aiming for a Classic type knight, there is one body strengthening technique that Caesar can teach.

“Then from now on, I’ll teach you a Classic type body strengthening technique. There’s one that’s perfect for you.”

“Really? What’s its name?”

“Great Mountain (太山).”

“Great Mountain… I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

“It’s one of the 10 types of body strengthening techniques that the first Emperor distributed to all knight families.”

Great Mountain is an old body strengthening technique that’s over 200 years old, but it’s still used almost unchanged.

This means that Great Mountain is a highly complete technique on its own.

How does Caesar know this technique?

It was the body strengthening technique that Caesar was learning when he was living as ‘Mill’, the Knight of the Sky.

“Of course, even among Classic type techniques, it’s considered one of the more difficult ones. You need quite good aura sensitivity.”

“Will I be able to learn it?”

“We’ll have to see.”

“Ah, I guess so.”

“Then I’ll teach you the basics of the body strengthening technique. Don’t try to learn it too quickly, or you might harm your body. Take it easy.”

“But how do you know a Classic type body strengthening technique, Sir Caesar?”

“I told you. I’m a genius. I know all sorts of things.”

“Ah… I see.”

I can tell what she’s thinking even without using psychometry.

She probably thinks I’m insufferably arrogant.

“Stop talking and sit in a cross-legged position to prepare. I’ll teach you.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Her voice gets cheerful at times like this.

***

It seems Gloria is indeed a genius.

Not only is her aura sensitivity impressive, but her concentration is also excellent.

Even though it’s been only an hour since Caesar taught her the basics of body strengthening techniques, Gloria was already circulating her aura and stimulating various parts of her muscles.

Caesar carefully stood up so as not to break Gloria’s concentration.

‘Now I need to train.’

Despite having practiced the Path of the Wind for about 2-3 months, the more he studied it, the more complex it became.

He could use the Path of the Wind well even when his body balance was distorted, when he couldn’t use his left hand, or even when he was floating in the air.

But Caesar had not yet reached that level.

‘I wish I could have just one proper battle.’

Is it because he dealt with those mafia guys too quickly?

It’s really a shame that there are no worthy opponents to have practical training with.

‘By the way, it should be about time for those smugglers to start moving.’

Caesar’s mind contained all of Viscount Duken’s smuggling routes.

Some were obtained from copies of Viscount Duken’s contracts, and some information was extracted from his knight.

But whenever Caesar went to patrol those smuggling routes, there wasn’t even a single mouse.

He doesn’t know if Viscount Duken is being extremely cautious or if he has abandoned those routes.

But what’s important is that the Viscount’s money should be running out soon, and there will surely come a time when he’ll have to take a big risk.

“Sir Caesar!”

Just as he was about to start training in earnest, Harrison called out to Caesar.

Beside him were Gregory and Miles, and even Viscount Bellum.

“Viscount Bellum, it’s been a while. You two as well, it’s been some time.”

Viscount Bellum opened his mouth.

“How is Gloria doing?”

“She’s following along quite well. Let’s have the parent-teacher conference later. What brings you here?”

The atmosphere suggests that the three have become quite close.

The reason for this is undoubtedly thanks to Caesar.

When Caesar introduced Viscount Bellum to those two and gave him a bit of praise, they naturally became friendly.

He plans to remember this and use it later when he needs to persuade those two.

Gregory handed Caesar a document.

“What’s this? Special Security Officer?”

“It’s a special law for Sir Caesar that will be passed in the Wizard Province assembly tomorrow.”

Caesar read through the Special Security Officer law.

The Special Security Officer is an investigator position completely independent from the police, assembly, and governor.

There are no limitations on the scope of investigation, and it’s essentially a problem-solver position that handles all tasks requested by various institutions within the Wizard Province, including the assembly, governor, police, and Province defense force.

“I wonder if this isn’t giving me too much power. Do you trust me this much?”

“You can be impeached if more than half of the Wizard Province assembly and the governor agree, so you shouldn’t abuse your power recklessly. Oh, and of course, the same goes for orders from His Majesty the Emperor.”

Well, that level of restriction is manageable enough.

“More importantly, what about my salary?”

“200,000 Del annually, plus incentives determined by the city council of the relevant city for each problem solved.”

That’s not bad either.

Even without using psychometry, he can roughly sense how hard Gregory and Miles have thought about this bill.

“More importantly, as soon as the bill passes tomorrow and you become the Special Security Officer, there’s a problem you need to solve.”

“Already a client? What is it?”

“There’s evidence that smuggling has recently resumed. The type is drugs. Currently, drugs are spreading centered around the Homigraph slums.”

“What makes you certain it’s smuggling?”

Gregory handed Caesar some documents and photos.

“This is an investigation request sent by Inquisitor Tina. There, it says they’ve caught evidence that drugs are being distributed to Homigraph through the Kingdom of Dior.”

If it’s a report from Sister Tina, it must be certain.

After all, it’s information heard from the mouths of heretics.

Caesar used psychometry.

-It’s certain that Viscount Duken’s funds have run out.

-And it seems almost everyone who would help Viscount Duken has left.

-After ‘King’ crossed over to the Kingdom of Dior, it seems difficult to find someone to handle artifact smuggling instead.

-Instead, he’s reached out to drugs, which are relatively easier to find people for.

-Drug distribution is a serious crime among serious crimes.

-If Caesar stirs things up, gaps will surely appear.

-Let’s work with Caesar to drive a stake into Viscount Duken’s anus.

-Hohohoho!

Tina’s unpleasant laughter echoes in Caesar’s ears.

Caesar neatly folded the documents and put them in his pocket.

“I was just in need of some heads to crack.”

Caesar smiled slightly.

“I’ll start as soon as the security officer badge arrives. Make sure to prepare a generous reward.”

TL NOTE:

Schedule: Every {Wed-Sat}

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