Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 526

"R-Ridd, are you really going to do this? I've never had this kind of experience before..."

Kiel's face stiffened with confusion.

"Yeah, I thought so. Everyone is scared at first, but once you get used to it, it's surprisingly fine."

"No, but, this is really..."

"Don't worry. I'll be right by your side, okay?"

Whispering gently, I moved behind Kiel and slowly slid my hand up his back.

He gulped, took a deep breath, and then nodded.

"O-okay. Then, please go ahead."

"That's my Kiel. I'm glad you've made up your mind."

Smiling, I slipped my hand from his back to his side.

"Now, Father."

"Hmm. Ridd, keep Kiel pinned and don't move an inch from that spot."

"Understood."

Hearing my response, Father drew the sword from his waist and slowly assumed a proper stance, fixing his gaze on Kiel in front of him.

The air around us grew heavy, and Father's killing intent pierced through both Kiel and me.

"...Ridd. I think this training is still too early for me. Can we stop now, even at this point?"

Seemingly trembling from the killing intent, the color drained from Kiel's face.

"No way. I told you, right? It's scary at first, but once you get used to it, it's surprisingly fine. Don't worry, I went through the same thing. Since Kiel is going to be a part of the Baldia family, you need to train your 'courage' properly."

I deliberately smiled at him, and he resigned himself, facing forward.

"P-please go easy on me, Lord Riner."

"Hmm, if you don't move, you won't get hurt. As I explained earlier, keep your eyes wide open and focus on my sword."

"Y-yes."

As Kiel nodded, Father's killing intent grew even sharper.

Cold sweat began to trickle down my skin as well. Father muttered, "Here I go," and swung his sword with the same killing intent.

However, the tip of the sword only cut through the air just in front of Kiel, who was trembling in fear, without even grazing his clothes.

"This is the last one."

"...⁉"

The final swing was a 'sharp thrust,' and the tip of the sword stopped right in front of Kiel's eyes and nose.

But the wind from the swung sword blew away the sweat on both his and my faces.

"Haaah..."

Kiel, who had been desperately keeping his eyes open, finally understood that it was over and resumed his held breath.

He trembled and collapsed on the spot.

"Impressive, Kiel. When Ridd first went through this training, he was so scared he fell on his butt."

"Hmph. Well, that's true, but there's no need to bring it up now, is there?"

I puffed out my cheeks in protest, and Father shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile, shaking his head.

It had been a few days since Kiel arrived in the Baldia territory.

I had shown him around the new mansion, the Second Knight Order's barracks, the workshop, the research facility, and the library.

He was impressed by all the facilities, but he was especially moved by the library.

"Ridd, this library is amazing. There are so many documents I've never seen before. When I have time, can I use this place?"

I was a bit surprised when Kiel, with shining eyes, pressed me about it, but I laughed, thinking it was just like him.

As expected, Kiel hit it off with Sandra and Ellen.

Especially with Sandra, he had heated discussions about the lag in magical studies in the empire.

If Kiel and Sandra had met in the imperial capital, she might not have come to Baldia.

If that had happened, I wonder what would have become of Baldia.

Just imagining it sent a chill down my spine.

By the way, the 'documents I've never seen before' that Kiel was so impressed with were mostly foreign literature collected by the Christy Trading Company and materials compiled by researchers, including Sandra.

I heard that the imperial library mostly contains domestic documents, with few from other countries.

It's only natural, but it's necessary to consider things from various perspectives.

Having a rich collection of documents, both domestic and foreign, is undoubtedly beneficial.

But, collecting documents also costs money, you know.

After finishing the tour of the important facilities in the Baldia household, it was finally time to make Kiel, Mer's fiancé—or rather, a worthy member of the frontier Baldia territory—into a suitable person. That's why we were now at the training ground in the new mansion.

By the way, I had already performed the forced mana conversion awakening on him.

During the procedure, he had tears in his eyes, looking resentful.

"Still, doing this training every day? I think I understand why Ridd isn't intimidated by anyone."

Kiel took my offered hand and stood up.

"Well, I guess I've lost the feeling of being 'scared' or 'intimidated' by most opponents. But I don't do 'this training' every day."

"Eh, really? Then what kind of training do you do?"

As he tilted his head, I waved to Diana, who was waiting a short distance away.

"Lord Ridd, I've brought it."

"Thank you, Diana."

Taking the sword, I immediately drew it.

As the blade gleamed in the sunlight, Kiel's eyes widened, and he gasped.

"Ridd, is that... a real sword?"

"Oh, you noticed. When Father and I practice, we use real swords now. Of course, we use body strengthening and magic barriers to avoid getting hurt, so we're very careful."

Since before the battle at the Narrow Fortress, Father and I have been using real swords in our training.

With body strengthening and magic barriers combined, you won't die unless something extreme happens.

Well, even though he holds back, getting a few scratches from Father's sharp slashes is just part of the deal.

"N-no, but there's still a 'what if.' Isn't this too extreme?"

"Indeed, to those who don't know battle, it might seem extreme."

Father answered firmly to Kiel, who had turned pale.

"But Baldia is a frontier territory bordering other nations. We must always think about real combat. Training with the tension of 'what if' and overcoming that fear is necessary."

"W-what do you mean?"

As Kiel asked back, Father nodded.

"You must have practiced some swordsmanship in the imperial capital. But when faced with my real sword and killing intent, you froze in fear, didn't you?"

"Y-yes. It's embarrassing, but that's true."

"There's no need to be embarrassed."

Father shook his head.

"No matter how much you've trained, when you face a real sword for the first time, everyone trembles with the fear of death and freezes. Real combat, where death is always close, is that terrifying. That's why we need to train to overcome fear, to build 'courage.'"

"S-so, you're saying that with real combat in mind, you deliberately do such extreme training?"

"Exactly. To an outsider, it might seem extreme, but the survival rate of new recruits who undergo this training in their first battle is very high."

"But, Lord Riner. Not everyone can keep up with this kind of training, right?"

To Kiel, who still seemed unconvinced, Father put on a serious expression.

"Of course, everyone is scared at first. But with continued training, anyone can eventually overcome that fear. On the other hand, if you can't overcome the fear of death, in real combat, sooner or later, you or your comrades will get seriously hurt. At worst, it could lead to death."

As Kiel gulped, Father's expression softened.

"People have their strengths and weaknesses. As Kiel worried, there are some who simply can't overcome their fear. For those, we transfer them to internal duties within the knight order, away from the front lines. Well, overcoming fear is a sensory thing. It's hard to understand just by thinking about it."

As Father gently explained, I leaned closer to Kiel, who was making a difficult face.

"Why don't you, Kiel, experience 'overcoming fear' firsthand and document it?"

"Me?"

He tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah. It's rare for officials or researchers to undergo training like real combat. If you document your experience, I'm sure it will be useful for the empire's future management."

"I see, that sounds interesting. Alright, my wife Meldii also told me to 'try it first.' I'll give it my best shot."

As soon as he said 'my wife Merdi,' Father's eyebrow twitched.

"Kiel. You and Mer are in a 'temporary engagement.' To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or speculation, you should refrain from calling her 'wife.'"

"Yeah, Father's right. Save calling Mel your wife for after you're married, Kiel."

As Father and I deliberately smiled, Kiel flinched but quickly cleared his throat and smiled back.

"I understand your concerns, but even though it's temporary, my parents—the emperor and empress at the empire's pinnacle—have decided this, and you, Lord Riner, have approved it. Unless something extreme happens, it's unlikely to remain 'temporary.' Therefore, I believe there's no harm in me calling Meldi 'my wife.'"

"Wow, you're quite the talker, Kiel."

As I smiled and nodded, he also smiled and shook his head.

"No, no. These kinds of things come naturally when you've lived in the imperial capital."

As we both stood our ground, smiling without backing down, a voice called out to Father and me from the training ground.

Turning around, I saw Garun there.

"Everyone, I apologize for interrupting your training. The people who called for Lord Riner and Lord Ridd have arrived. They are currently waiting in the reception room."

"Understood, we'll be right there. Ridd, can you come too?"

"Yes, of course."

After replying, I handed the real sword I was holding to Diana.

"Well, Kiel, that's it for today's training. I've already informed 'Nels' over there about what comes next."

Looking towards the back of the training ground, a waiting knight nodded.

Nels is a childhood friend and fellow knight of Rubens and Diana.

This time, Father selected him from the elite First Knight Order to be Kiel's personal guard.

Though he seems laid-back and hard to read, I've heard that Nels is just as skilled as Rubens, if not more.

Choosing the easygoing yet capable Nels as Kiel's personal guard was likely Father's way of showing consideration.

In fact, I often see Kiel and Nels chatting happily.

"Understood. Then, see you later."

"Yep. See you."

I bid farewell to Kiel and followed Father and Garun, leaving the training ground with Diana.