Boar Hunter Rodin

"The truth is, there was an incident three years ago involving the son of a count who was said to be a Sword Lord."

'A Sword Lord born to a count? Hold on, didn't Sword Lords only go up to baron?' Allen thought back to the character selection options that he had seen in his old world. He recalled checking the social classes available for Sword Lord and seeing only serf, commoner, and baron.

The knight captain continued his story.

The boy was lauded as a Sword Lord and, when he came of age, was accepted into service by the royal family. He did indeed have a strong build and impressive proficiency with the sword. However, at a moment when he needed to activate his true power as a Sword Lord, what he managed was underwhelming, to put it mildly. There was at the time another Sword Lord in active service to the kingdom named Dverg, and the difference in strength between the two was like night and day.

"I see..." Gerda mumbled in response to show he was listening, but not fully understanding where the story was going.

"So then they re-appraised the boy. As it turns out, he was just a Swordsman, not a Sword Lord. The revelation was so shocking that many other nobles and their children were forced to be appraised once more. This revealed that there was a rather significant percentage who had been falsifying their Talents. Some were Talentless but claimed a Talent, whereas others had claimed a stronger Talent than their own, such as Mages claiming to be Archwizards and, well, Swordsmen claiming to be Sword Lords. The kingdom fell into a huge uproar."

'I see, so there were a large number of nobles embellishing their Talents.'

"His Majesty the King was furious at this and penalized all the offenders.

"The count who had passed his son off as a Sword Lord was stripped of his title and his land. And so that is why, this time, I was ordered to come and confirm Krena's abilities in person. Our review of the records of the Church had largely convinced us that there was no fraud involved in this instance, but we still had to be sure."

The appearance of a Sword Lord in the fief was a matter that necessitated a report to the royal family. However, it was just recently that punitive action had been taken against some of the most prominent members of nobility due to false reports of the exact same thing. The records from the Church gave credence to this particular claim, but this proved insufficient for allaying the feudal lord's worries. As such, he had deployed his order of knights to come investigate.

This explanation was actually far more than serfs had any right to expect in this world. The captain had meant it partly as an apology toward Gerda and Krena for testing them.

Everyone turned to look at Krena. She was currently focused solely on gorging herself with all the dishes that she had never seen before. It was clear that not a single word of what the knight just said had entered her ears.

Deboji cleared his throat. As the representative of the others, he said, "Thank you for sharing the circumstances of the situation with us, milord."

The knight captain nodded. "Make sure that the results of next year's Appraisal Ceremony are also reported without falsehood or inaccuracies. We would hate to have to punish you after all the work you did in this village.

"That said, we want accurate, undoctored reports whenever any issues or problems arise as well. Otherwise, we will be unable to provide you the support you require."

A short while later, as this topic seemed about over, Gerda asked, "Um, m'lord, what will become of Krena going forward?" He wanted to know what she would have to do—or what he had to do for her—now that she was officially acknowledged as a Sword Lord.

"For now, simply raise her with love and care," the knight replied, shooting a glance at the girl in question, who was still packing food away at an unbelievable speed.

"O-Of course, m'lord."

"When she reaches twelve, however, she is to attend the Academy to gain an education. After she graduates, barring any unforeseen issues, she will likely be entering the direct service of the royal family."

'Whoa, there's an academy!'

"The royal family?!"

What Allen reacted to was the mention of a school, but what everyone else, including the village chief, reacted to was the mention of the royal family. Serving the royal family was an incredible honor, needless to say.

Gerda murmured pensively, "The Academy..."

"That's right. Have you heard of Academy City before? It's a place that cultivates Talented children and helps them develop their abilities."

The knight captain also noted that attendance normally cost tuition, but because Krena was a Sword Lord, the feudal lord would be paying on her behalf.

"Can I become a knight if I go to school?!"

"Wha—?! Shush, Dogora! Don't interrupt them!"

It was Dogora, the Ax User child, who had suddenly cut into the conversation, his eyes dazzling. He had a rather stocky build and a bumpkin face.

"Hm? Who is this child?" the knight captain asked.

"I'm sorry, m'lord!" Dogora's father replied. "This is my son, Dogora. He is an Ax User by Talent and has always dreamed of becoming a knight."

Although he was apologizing, he was still promoting his son as best he could. Of course, the only reason why he got himself at this table was to directly appeal to the captain of the knights.

"An Ax User, you say? Our order is currently most in want of Spear Users, but we still value Ax Users. If he manages to score highly on the Academy's entrance exam, we shall support part of the cost of his tuition."

'Hmm, spears over axes. And he's willing to provide financial aid.'

Allen was surprised to hear that this world had a system similar to scholarships. However, it was easy to imagine that this likely came with the caveat that Dogora would be bound in service to the feudal lord after his graduation, at least until he could pay off the loan.

Dogora was just glad that he got a positive answer. He clenched a fist and shouted, "Awesome!"

The knight captain smiled and nodded, then said, "This will be a ways off still, but in order to ensure that Krena does not fail the entrance exam, I will make arrangements to send a tutor to this village. Make sure to study properly. And Dogora, if you are aiming to become a knight, then you should study together with Krena."

"Thanks!"

'Oh, so just having a Talent doesn't guarantee enrollment.'

The knight captain clarified that the tutor's top priority would still be to help Krena pass, and that Dogora would be allowed to join the lessons only if doing so did not negatively affect Krena's studies.

Dogora's father kept knuckling his son's head as if trying to drill into him to speak more respectfully. Still, he looked extremely happy while talking with the knight captain about the possibility of his son entering government service.

"Will you be studying too, Allen?" Krena asked all of a sudden.

"Hm?"

"What?! Black Hair is Talentless! Why does he get to study?! Weaklings can't become knights!"

"Allen is super strong too! He always plays knight with me!"

"No way! I heard he has no Talent and his stats are super low! Like poop!"

"Nuh-uh! Allen is super, duper strong! And he knows everything!"

'Krena, stop pouring oil on the fire!'

The more Dogora bad-mouthed Allen, the more Krena puffed her cheeks in anger. Their exchange quickly turned into a shouting match, drawing the attention of the adults nearby. Then everyone's gaze turned toward Allen, who had been simply eating and doing his best to maintain a low profile.

"Speaking of which, who is this black-haired child?" the knight captain asked. Although he did think the black hair and eyes a strange characteristic, he had not broached the subject earlier as he could not imagine him being more important than a Sword Lord.

"M'lord, he is my child," Rodin responded with a bow. This was the first time he had joined in the conversation, despite it having been some time since the feast had started.

When the knight captain asked who he was, Gerda introduced him, saying, "This is my friend Rodin, m'lord."

The knight looked up to the side as if attempting to recall something, then started. "Are you perhaps Rodin the Boar Hunter?"

'Oh? He knows of my father? More importantly, my father has an alias?!'

The knight captain's attention shifted from the black-haired child to his father.

"Ah, yes, m'lord. That's me."

The knight captain's attitude switched in an instant. "Oh! Please accept my sincere apologies. Why did you not name yourself earlier? Here I was, about to leave without knowing that I had shared a table with the champion of the village!"

"Um, you know of me, m'lord?"

"Of course I do! His Lordship has also praised you before. Increasing the food supply is one of the most pressing challenges facing this fiefdom. He was rejoicing at how a steady supply of great boar meat had suddenly appeared after this village was established and the fields were expanded."

Every year, processed meat would make its way from the frontier village to the feudal lord's city. The knight happily shared how the arrival of this meat had become so significant to the city that it was now said to be the herald of winter.

A single great boar yielded more than a tonne of edible meat. The frontier village alone could not consume even half of the meat that came from the hunts, and therefore would send a large portion to the feudal lord's city. The several tonnes of meat had become a precious winter provision for the city as well.

"And when we looked into it, we discovered that the hunting effort was led by two men by the names of Rodin and Gerda. Absolutely remarkable!

"And these are not words from me. Take them as praise from His Lordship himself."

Although it did not seem as if the knight captain would be directly rewarding Rodin, he did commend him in a loud voice that echoed throughout the room. The rest of the villagers had heard it clearly.

"Th-Thank you, m'lord." Rodin appeared overcome with emotion, as though he felt like his years of effort had finally been acknowledged. Allen found himself feeling as proud as if he was the one being praised instead.

After that, the feast ended without anything else of note happening, and everyone turned homeward. Allen was cradling four molmo within his clothes.

His step was a bit lighter than when he left, bouncing with the burning desire to tell Theresia about how Rodin had been praised in front of everyone.