311

Your Majesty, time is up."

Claude nodded at Wendy's words.

"Okay, let's go."

The day of the final battle has finally arrived. Today is the day of the mock battle.

The experimental subjects must be very hungry and exhausted by now, since they were only given water and that strange powder at each meal.

Claude moved with a confident expression.

The place he headed to was the large gladiator arena in Desmond's estate.

The gladiator arena, where gladiator slaves fought, was one of the few facilities that could be found anywhere except in a large estate like Desmond's.

Giselle, who had arrived first, waved when Claude arrived.

"What's with that expression? It's so relaxed."

"Haha, is there any need to be nervous in a game where victory is certain?"

"Didn't that happen to you last time too?"

"No, that's not it."

"...."

Certainly… … someone like Claude who has nothing left to lose cannot help but be so relaxed.

The key figures of the territory began to gather one by one in the stands. When a certain number of people had gathered, Claude waved his hand.

Kuung!

Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! Chuck!

One door of the arena opened and 200 soldiers walked out in an orderly manner.

The soldiers were all carrying wooden shields and clubs made of woven straw.

They prepared a weapon that would not be lethal, as they did not want to cause casualties. Although it was made of straw, it would still hurt quite a bit if it hit them.

These were the soldiers that Claude had prepared for a month.

Jiselle smiled subtly at the sight of the soldiers.

"What? You said you were going to send some extra soldiers, but you prepared well?"

"Yes, I took special care of it."

Among the soldiers, only those with particularly good physique and strength were selected. They were provided with only the best diet and their bodies were maintained through proper training and rest.

He used his divine powers to keep Piote in top condition at all times.

Claude is not a man who emphasizes only spirit and tenacity. He made the most of his knowledge and created an excellent elite in a short period of time.

Jiselle nodded at the soldiers.

'I told you, he's a capable guy. He's just stupid in strange places.'

He was busy with his work at the estate, but he raised the soldiers like that in just one month. Claude's determination to win the bet was clearly felt by the soldiers.

Claude also smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the soldiers he had prepared.

'Haha, this bet is completely different from the previous ones.'

In the old bets, you could only watch the results. You couldn't do anything yourself.

But now, he can turn the tables with the soldiers he has raised. The bet this time was about which side would win.

I don't think that guys who have starved for a month will be able to exert their full strength, but he still did not let his guard down and prepared thoroughly.

He also strongly urged his soldiers to beat up the opposing soldiers.

When all the soldiers Claude had prepared came out and formed up, this time it was Giselle who made a gesture.

Creak… … .

The door on the other side opened slowly.

After a long time, no one came out. Everyone craned their necks to look inside, but the inside of the door was covered in thick darkness.

"Ugh… … ."

After a long time, those who had only eaten water and powder appeared, screaming.

There were only 10 knights, 20 elves, and 20 soldiers. The number was much smaller than the soldiers Claude had prepared. The number was reduced because the knights were included.

They all appeared, staggering about, carrying only straw clubs. They had also thrown away their shields, saying they were too heavy.

Claude smiled, confident of victory.

'Kuuuu, you've completely turned into a zombie? Well then, there's no way you'd be fine after starving for a month.'

Everyone was noticeably thinner than before. Their eyes were sunken and their gait seemed weak.

Especially in the case of Gordon, his muscles, which were once so large that they were shocking, were reduced to the point where he actually looked cool.

Unlike Claude, who was smiling, Belinda's eyes sparkled with slight surprise.

'Your muscles haven't shrunk as much as I thought? Your eyes are still alive.'

As an assassin, she had a keen eye for detail and was able to quickly determine people's conditions.

Although he certainly looked tired and weak, he had lost a lot of fat. I thought that if I deliberately ate less, exercised, and lost weight, I would end up looking like that.

The eyes were really alive. Something was burning and they looked full of anger.

Gillian shouted loudly as Giselle gestured again.

"Get started!"

Kuung!

The soldiers chosen by Claude held their shields forward. They only had to defend themselves so that the experimental participants could not penetrate them.

And the contestants just have to fight their way through the soldiers and eat the delicious food behind them.

"Ehhhhhhh… … ."

Gordon and Lucas, who were in the lead, walked forward unsteadily. The elves and soldiers followed behind them, stumbling.

It really was no different from seeing zombies walking towards us.

Thump, thump, thump… … .

The participants who had been walking slowly gradually got faster and faster. At one point, they started running like crazy.

"Coming!"

The soldiers braced their shields. They said they would just block until they were exhausted and buy time. Although there were knights, they were all said to have not eaten properly, so they thought they could hold out long enough.

But that was their mistake.

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"Get out of the way!"

Gordon shouted loudly and swung his straw club.

Kwaaang!

"Huh?"

The soldier blocking in front was hit once and fell to the ground.

Lucas and the knights who came in afterward also swung their clubs indiscriminately.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was not the sound of flying by swinging straw. Surprisingly, the knights' straw clubs were emitting a bluish light.

Claude jumped up from his seat.

'What, what? Why are you still so energetic? How are you using mana?'

It is true that those who can handle mana can last longer than those who cannot, even if they starve the same amount. This is because the mana sustains their vitality.

However, since they hadn't eaten properly for a month, it would have been normal for even knights to have significantly reduced their mana. That was the case, but they didn't seem to have starved at all.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With ten knights running wild, it was difficult for even the most physically fit soldiers to withstand them.

Of course, these were also elite soldiers who had received training and fought with the same swings of their clubs, but their opponents were not just knights.

"Hey, you shills!"

Ascon flew towards the soldiers with an angry expression. His eyes were spinning around.

"이 XXX, XXXX, 느금X, XXXXX, XXX!"

A torrent of unpleasant curses poured out without stopping. The soldiers who had even cursed at their parents for no reason became angry and swung their clubs hard.

"Just die!"

"Give me some food!"

"Eww!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The two sides exchanged blows with each other.

Although the knights' skills were far superior, the soldiers they faced were no joke. They were not easily pushed back because they were stronger and bigger, and had more numbers.

If they had fought with swords, it would not have been easy for the soldiers to stop the knights who used mana.

However, even if mana was injected into the straw, it was nothing more or less than a slightly harder club. Furthermore, the soldiers were all heavily armed, so it was not easy for the knights to kill them even with all their might.

Eventually, the two sides had no choice but to engage in a fierce fight.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Eww!"

Screams echoed throughout the chaotic arena.

Even though there were many soldiers, the knights advanced, taking them down one by one. The elves and soldiers following them also attracted attention and contributed their own strength.

Claude looked at the sight with an indifferent expression.

"...."

Although they haven't fully broken through the display yet, it can already be considered verified. If the knights had been properly armed and used mana instead of straw, half of the soldiers would have already died.

Giselle looked at Claude and smiled.

"I think it's been verified to this extent?"

"...."

Claude, who had been silent for a moment, jumped up from his seat and shouted.

"Hey! Stop it! Stop it! Don't let them go!"

If they could fight at that level, there was no other way but to give up. No matter how well they fought, if they couldn't break through the soldiers, it meant their fighting power had declined.

Anyway, the bet isn't about whether you can fight or not, but whether you can get through all the soldiers and eat the food or not.

A force of 40 men, including 10 knights, should have been able to penetrate 200 soldiers.

The soldiers that Claude had prepared gritted their teeth and tried to hold on. They were promised a pretty good reward if they could stop them.

Alfoy and the wizards, Max and the troubleshooters watched the fight with anxious eyes.

They were already covered in cold sweat and their faces were pale. No matter how you looked at them, it seemed like the soldiers would break through.

In the end, Alfoy, the 'man who defeated God', closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and shouted.

"Goddess! Please! Please! Help me!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Eww!"

Gordon and Lucas' strength was outstanding. They were letting out all the stress they had built up.

Anyway, they were able to withstand being hit with straw.

"Hey! F*ck! XXX! Slow X! XXXXXX!"

Ascon had already been beaten to the ground for a long time. Even as he covered his head while lying down, he continued to curse at the other party's parents.

Most of the elves and soldiers also fell. Regardless of whether they were full or not, they were not able to deal with 200 elite soldiers on their own.

However, thanks to them grabbing their ankles and drawing their attention, the knights were able to knock down more than half of the opposing soldiers.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

So the knights continued to advance, beating the soldiers with straw bales. To them, who had followed Giselle and experienced countless battles, this was nothing more than child's play.

Later, he covered his body with mana and tried to break through fiercely. Since the opponent would hit him with straw anyway, he only had to endure a little pain.

Phew!

Lucas, who was swinging his club and getting hit while moving forward without thinking, suddenly realized that there was no one in front of him.

"It broke through."

All the soldiers around them had fallen. There were still some left, but the moment they broke through the formation, the mock battle was over.

The knights who followed Lucas shouted, throwing straw bales.

"I won!"

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"That food is ours!"

The knights ran straight to the food. There was a variety of meats, fruits, and even alcohol, as if to comfort them for their hardships.

Claude muttered as he watched the knights eating like madmen.

"Hey, what's weird? I was clearly hungry when I tried it."

If you were hungry after eating just one day, how could you survive on just that for a month? And even after that, you could fight like that.

Giselle chuckled to herself as she watched Claude panicking.

Scholars and magicians of the previous life focused only on reducing the size to increase portability and maintaining stamina for a long time when eaten, so it was inevitable that they would feel a little hungry.

If you keep eating the same thing without chewing or tasting it, you can't help but get sick of it. However, it was an excellent nutritious food on the battlefield.

In fact, on the battlefield, it is not important to feel full. It is important to provide a constant supply of nutrients so that you can keep moving while maintaining extreme tension.

Claude, who had never been on the battlefield himself and was unaware of these facts, made the mistake of judging them by human standards.

Even if I had known, I wouldn't have been confident that I could live off of that for a month anyway.

Giselle said, tapping Claude, who was dazed.

"How is it? It seems like the match is over?"

Claude looked around with trembling eyes. Everyone around him was staring at him, as if waiting for him to declare defeat.

"under...."

Claude looked up at the sky for a moment and sighed, then let out a self-deprecating laugh again.

"Well, I can't help it. I never thought the Lord would succeed again. Where on earth did you learn all this?"

Whatever the reason, I had to accept defeat.

Because that's… …a 'game-changer'.

"Okay, I lost."

But since I had nothing to lose, I felt really refreshed this time.

"Ah, ah, uh uh… … ."

On the other hand, Alfoy and the wizards, Max and the fixers were just shaking and making strange noises.

Max and the troubleshooters walked for 30 years. The wizards became slaves for 60 years, including the previous bet. They were old and weak, but they were lucky if they didn't die within 60 years.

They all just stared at Claude with their mouths open.

Claude, whose eyes met mine, shook his head with a bitter smile as if he really had no choice.

He said, slightly extending his fist towards Alfoy.

"We lost, but we fought well. Still, it was a really great fight. Wasn't it, bro?"

"Ah, uh… … ."

Alfoy also raised his hand as he looked at the smiling Claude. He wanted to cast magic like before, but his hands kept shaking and he couldn't concentrate.

"Uh, euuuuuuu… … ."

I need to shoot a fireball at that smiling face.

"Dog, bird… … ."

dump.

Alpoy fainted without even finishing his sentence.

* * *

The new combat rations proved effective.

Having the means to survive when supplies were cut off or delayed would have been a tremendous advantage in times of war.

Everyone praised Giselle until their mouths were dry.

"Wow! As expected, you are my lord!"

"The operational radius in war will increase enormously."

"It's also good enough to use as emergency food in an emergency situation!"

Jiselle nodded and said.

"Establish combat ration factories throughout the territory. When enough is produced, distribute some to the territory residents and tell them to keep them as emergency food. Also, research the shelf life and storage method to maintain quality. It should easily last several years, but it could vary depending on the storage method."

"All right."

Although it was a lot of work, the people who went did not object because it was absolutely necessary.

Claude also clapped in agreement.

"As expected, it is our lord. He is truly an outstanding person!"

"...okay."

Claude seemed so easygoing and selfless.

Jiselle shook her head for a moment as she looked at him, then looked around at everyone and said.

"Everyone, now it's time to help me with my cultivation."

Everyone's eyes widened at the unexpected remark.