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Vol 01 Chapter 25-2: The First Time

「Hey, Bartolo! What are you saying?」

Julia protested, her face flushing red

「I would like to refute such an egregious accusation, but first, let me introduce myself. I am Almus. Are you the general in charge of this country’s army?」

「That’s right. I’m in charge of the army on behalf of the king.」

That’s impressive. He looks to be in his thirties, so he must be quite capable. However, he does have the look of a drunkard.

Seeing my surprised expression, Bartolo familiarly put his arm around my shoulder.

You reek of alcohol, go away.

「A while ago, King Ferme attacked our country, you know that, right?」

「Yes, I’ve heard. It was a disastrous defeat, I believe.」

Some time ago, an army led by King Ferme invaded King Rosais’ Country. King Ferme’s five-hundred-strong army confronted King Rosais’ force of a thousand. This clash resulted in a crushing defeat for King Rosais’ army, with several villages subsequently raided and a significant loss of their food supply.

「Given the magnitude of the defeat, accountability was inevitable. Consequently, the aftermath saw quite a few heads roll—quite literally. Among them was that of the former general. In the wake of this, I stepped into his role.」

Bartolo said this cheerfully.

◇

「So, you’re saying our soldiers are weak?」

「Well, yes. At least from what I see.」

I answered honestly.

「Then, let’s put it to the test. How about you and one of our soldiers…」

「There’s no need for that.」

Ron interrupted.

「There’s no need for our leader to fight. I’ll do it. Sadly, I’m the weakest among us, so I’ll go first.」

Ron stepped forward, offering himself for the challenge.

Ron, with a confident tap on the hilt of his sword, spoke assuredly. When he said he was the weakest ‘among us’ he probably referred to me, Roswald, and Ron. As Gram, is an archer, he likely excluded him from the list.

「Great! I love guys with spirit. Let’s get to it right away.」

◇

「「No way…」」

The same words escaped both mine and Bartolo’s mouths. However, we were surprised by different things.

What likely astounded Bartolo was the sheer strength of Ron. As for me, the apparent weakness of the Rosais soldiers left me astonished.

No, I’m starting to get it now. Ron’s strength is what’s strange here.

Before me, ten men who sought a rematch with Ron were swiftly defeated by him. Judging by Bartolo’s demeanor, he must have had considerable confidence in them. Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that the Rosais soldiers had undergone training that justified that confidence.

Thus, they’re not weak; the only conclusion is that Ron is exceptionally strong.

No, it’s not just Ron; the people from my village possess extraordinary gifts. Certainly, Ron ranks as the third strongest in our village (with only me and Roswald surpassing him), yet his strength doesn’t drastically outpace that of the other children.

There’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. Why is it that they never fall ill?

The children in my village were all physically weak, and it wouldn’t have been strange if a few had died in the first year. But not a single one did. Well, this could be explained by my efforts in taking care of them and good luck.

Another thing that is difficult to explain is the size of our fields. We’ve expanded the fields we cultivate almost every year. As a result, the fields have grown significantly, now one and a half times their original size. That has to be strange when the main labor force is children.

Moreover, it’s not as though the children devote all their time to the fields; they also allocate time for study and martial arts training.

Their physical capabilities are exceedingly high. I assumed this was the norm for this world, but after witnessing the performance of the Rosais soldiers, it’s evident this isn’t so. Why are their abilities so much higher than the rest of the people? It’s odd. Abnormal, even.

I glanced to the side and saw Julia trying to suppress her laughter. Feeling my gaze on her, she turned to me, smirking.

「Sorry, it’s just funny to see you so surprised. You really had no idea, huh?」

「What’s that supposed to mean?」

「Hehe, alright, I’ll let you in on the secret. Hey, Roswald-kun, Gram-kun, can I borrow Almus for a moment?」

With those words, Julia led me away

◇

「What’s going on?」

「Well, you see, I also have a blessing. Actually, quite a few of them.」

Julia smiled mischievously.

「Also?」

「The most useful blessings I have are the [Blessing of Insight] and the [Blessing of Clairvoyance]. The former lets me discern the abilities of other people’s blessings. And the latter allows me to see faraway places. Actually, I found you using the [Blessing of Clairvoyance] while I was passing the time looking at the forest. You seemed to be doing something very interesting, so I wanted to meet you. That’s why I used that butterfly to call you.」

That came out of left field… But I had always wanted to know the reason why Julia found the village so easily all those years ago. This revelation clears up the mystery.

「So, what is my blessing?」

「Sigh, you’re so impatient.」

Julia slightly relaxed her expression.

「Well, if I were to name it, maybe [Blessing of The Emperor] would be good. Its ability is to increase your physical abilities based on the number of people who believe in and admire you. It also enhances, though not as much as the holder, the abilities of those who have sworn loyalty to you, it’s a remarkable ability.」

…

Loyalty, huh? It was never my intention to have anyone swear loyalty to me.

「Aren’t you surprised? I thought you’d be more shocked.」

「I was aware that I have a blessing to some extent. I just didn’t know it extended to those around me.」

I also didn’t know the conditions. Well, I guess I’ve gotten used to strange things happening.

「So, why are you telling me this now?」

There must be more behind Julia’s words.

「Actually, I thought it would be fun to stay quiet until you figured it out yourself. However, you never seemed to realize it…」

Julia paused for a moment.

「We can’t meet again. Today is our final day. My father’s time is almost up. So, I need to decide on a marriage partner and have children while he’s still alive. That’s why I can’t see you anymore.」

Tears were streaming down Julia’s face.

「That’s why I decided to tell you now. I won’t have another chance. Ahhh, I was expecting you’d have a bigger reaction.」

Despite the tears streaming down her face, Julia spoke with brightness, smiling through her tears.

「My father ordered me to cut my ties with you as soon as possible.」

Saying this, Julia came closer to me.

Her eyes, filled with tears, drew closer.

「!!」

Julia pressed her lips against mine.

Julia’s tongue entered my mouth, embracing it strongly.

I couldn’t resist; I simply let it happen.

What felt like an eternity passed, and Julia finally pulled her lips away from mine. A thin bridge of saliva connected us briefly.

「I’m certain you’ll marry many girls in the future. You’re strong, handsome, and have the makings of a king. Undoubtedly, many girls will be drawn to you, and your kindness will not allow you to turn them away. I too wished to be by your side in the future… but alas, that appears not to be our fate. But remember this moment.」

Julia stepped back and turned away.

「The first kiss you ever had, was with me.」

With that, Julia ran off.

…

「Damn it!」

In frustration, I slammed my fist against a tree.

AN: By the way, the Rosais soldiers, who were harshly criticized by Almus, actually have relatively high training and morale by the standards of the Adernian Peninsula. The King Guard go without saying, It’s just that Almus, being too accustomed to his own blessing, has a skewed perspective.