The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 169

What is a bandit?

They are outlaws who live in the mountains and prey on travelers and merchant caravans.

However, the mountains are a harsh environment for humans to survive.

Being a bandit means dealing with scarce food, swarms of insects, and fighting off all sorts of terrifying beasts in a humid and challenging terrain.

Yet, none of these bandits are properly trained in mana or magic.

Those with such talents would have already become knights of a territory or at least soldiers, so they wouldn’t resort to banditry in the first place.

Therefore, all the ignorant ones who don’t know proper mana training methods can do is train their physical strength.

“Uraaah!”

As such, today, too, Muscleless Roider, the man who was the leader of thirty-six bandit strongholds and even feared by the nearby lords, was training his muscles.

A towering giant of a man over 2.4 meters tall, with a bushy beard and scars on his face, he looked every bit the part of a stereotypical bandit boss.

“Huuuup!”

Taking a deep breath, he lifted a massive boulder.

As he did, the lazy sunlight streamed down onto his bare upper body, highlighting the beads of sweat on his bronze muscles, showcasing their splendor.

His superhuman strength easily lifted the gigantic boulder.

It was indeed a strength worthy of being called superhuman, but he was nothing more than an ignorant brute who knew nothing about mana.

In other words, he was using pure muscle power to exhibit a strength comparable to that of a superhuman.

“One muscle! Two muscles! Three muscles! Four muscles…!”

With a grotesque chant that could make anyone’s face twist in disgust, the Bandit King Muscleless repeatedly squatted and stood up.

Each time he did so, his solid biceps and pectorals twitched and rippled.

He was currently undergoing lower body training.

It had been a long time since he had completely conquered the nearby bandit strongholds and merged them into one group.

It had been even longer since he had ruthlessly repelled the territorial army’s punitive expeditions sent to destroy them, and now the territory even brought him alcohol and meat as offerings.

Of course, he didn’t drink alcohol.

“Alcohol causes muscle loss and leads to obesity, my mortal enemy!”

Even when his subordinates went to the brothels to have fun, he didn’t go.

“Why waste time fooling around with women when I could be doing another round of deadlifts! What a waste!”

In any case, he was the strongest among the bandits and a man obsessed with muscles.

But he wasn’t always such a muscle monster.

Ten years ago, he was a feeble man who seemed like he would break with just a touch.

Due to some complicated and unspeakable circumstances, he had to leave his hometown and live in the mountains.

“The harsh world of the mountains! I had to get stronger to survive! I had to plunder!”

He had become just one of the many bandits, and after that, he realized the importance and potential of muscles.

“I may not have mana or magical power, but didn’t my parents give me this excellent physique?”

After that, he became a bandit who praised the beauty of muscles, gathered other bandits who claimed to be his subordinates, and spread the aesthetics of muscle.

And whenever there was another bandit stronghold nearby, he would invade and teach them the beauty of pectoral muscles and the joy of training.

As he repeated these actions, he unintentionally became the leader of a bandit group so strong that he was now called the Bandit King.

“Muuuuuucle!”

Thud!

Muscleless finished his thousandth squat and set the boulder down beside him.

“Huff! Shall we call it a day for now?”

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm.

The beads of sweat that sparkled in the sunlight as they fell emphasized his chocolate-colored muscles in both a beautiful and filthy way.

He smacked his lips in disappointment.

“My muscles don’t seem to be growing well lately. Is there no good solution?”

The muscle-obsessed Bandit King, Muscleless Roider, was currently deep in thought.

Recently, his muscles hadn’t been growing as well as they used to.

“Is there a limit to training alone? Is there no more revolutionary training method?”

He had already become a strong man called the Bandit King, and because of that, he hadn’t had a proper fight recently.

“The ogre in the back mountain was perfect for sparring… If only I hadn’t gone too easy on him. How could he just drop dead like that? Must have been a weakling. If only he’d trained harder.”

It was a lament that would have made the dead ogre cry in agony in the afterlife.

At this rate, he would struggle not just to increase his muscles but even to maintain them.

It was when Bandit King Muscleless was seriously contemplating what to do.

“Muscleless! Muscleless!”

“Bandit King, sir! Something terrible has happened!”

His subordinate bandits came running, huffing and puffing, to the main stronghold where he was staying.

These were also individuals who had been indoctrinated into the aesthetics of muscles, possessing bodies that seemed capable of crushing stones with their bare hands.

To Muscleless, though, they were nothing more than scrawny weaklings.

“Huh? What is it, you guys? Which stronghold are you from?”

“Huff, huff. We’re from Stronghold 18.”

“Stronghold 18? That’s nearby. But why are you out of breath after running here? You guys aren’t training enough.”

“What? Oh, no, that’s not important. Something terrible has happened!”

“Oh, right. You said something terrible happened. What’s the matter?”

“Our stronghold was conquered!”

“Conquered? By who? Don’t tell me it was the territorial army?”

“No, not them. It was just six people…”

“Six people? You mean just six people?”

Muscleless couldn’t believe his ears.

Stronghold 18 had over a hundred members.

And they were defeated by only six people?

It was a story hard for him to believe.

“We saw a carriage passing by and thought it was a good chance to loot. But when we opened it, incredibly strong guys jumped out!”

“Strong guys? Explain in more detail.”

“Well, at first, we sent out forty guys to collect the toll, but they got beaten to a pulp and guided them to the stronghold. Then, all the brothers in the stronghold rushed them, but we were utterly defeated! They’re monsters! Monsters! Please, Bandit King, help us!”

“Hey, didn’t I teach you guys better than to get beaten and come back? Have you guys been slacking off in training?”

As Muscleless’s eyes glared with fury, the bandits from Stronghold 18 flinched.

At this rate, they would be subjected to “hellish training” instead of getting help.

They would surely be bedridden for ten days if that happened.

They broke out in a cold sweat and frantically waved their hands.

“Gulp! N-no, absolutely not! We’ve been training hard every day!”

“Then why did you get beaten? Huh?”

“Well… Ah! Muscles! There was a guy with better muscles than ours!”

“Muscles?”

At the mention of muscles, Muscleless’s expression changed as if he was intrigued, and the bandit frantically nodded his head.

“Yes! Muscles! His muscles were so huge they could slap an ogre across the face!”

“He’s almost the same height as you, Muscleless!”

“Really?”

Muscleless’s eyes lit up with curiosity at their words.

To hear of such outstanding muscles. He had no choice but to go!

And it was perfect timing to clear his head of worries.

If he fought fiercely against such muscles, perhaps he could add another millimeter to his own!

“Kuhuhut! It’s been a while since I’ve had a good workout! Alright, I’ll go and handle it personally!”

“Ah, thank you, Muscleless!”

“We knew we could count on you, Muscleless!”

“But I can’t go right now.”

“What?”

“What do you mean…?”

“I just finished my lower body workout. I need to rehydrate and rest for about five minutes.”

“…”

“…”

***

Meanwhile, a feast was being held at the now-conquered Stronghold 18.

Of course, the bandits were not the guests of honor at this feast.

The stronghold leader, with his face swollen like a ripe plum, poured wine into Aden’s cup while laughing awkwardly.

“If you’re that strong, you should’ve given us a heads-up. Then we wouldn’t have been so rude. Hahaha…”

“If I had, we wouldn’t be getting this treatment in your stronghold, would we? Thanks for the warm welcome.”

“Ugh… Thank you.”

“Did you just grind your teeth?”

“What are you talking about! Hahaha! Please, have some more meat!”

“Here’s some more wine too! Hahaha…”

“Hahaha… Here, some fruit juice for the kids!”

“Wow! Thank you!”

“Hey! Listen, I’m not a kid, alright? I’m fifteen, so I can drink alcohol!”

“Just drink the fruit juice, Nine.”

“Damn it!”

The bandits, beaten and bruised all over, had no choice but to host a feast for Aden’s group and wait on them.

The bandits who had initially attacked the carriage were dealt with in just five minutes by Priest Bali and Lowe.

Afterward, they occupied the stronghold and used it as a temporary lodging.

—What kind of person uses a bandit hideout as an inn?

‘What’s the big deal? When I was a mercenary in my previous life, if there was no village, I’d occupy a bandit stronghold and stay there for a night.’

—…For the first time, I feel sorry for the bandits. Dragonslayer, you truly make me experience a wide range of emotions.

‘You don’t have to thank me.’

—…

Hermit chuckled beside him.

“Hehe, as I thought, my instincts were right. Things won’t be boring with you around.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Does it sound like one?”

“No.”

“Then why are you asking? Hahaha!”

Hermit laughed hysterically.

For someone who had lived so long, this old lizard really lacked composure.

—Kyu! Kyuut!

“Yes, little one. Eat plenty. Here, have some of this too.”

—Kyuuuut!

Leo, who had materialized his body, eagerly accepted the meat Hermit offered him.

She looked just like a grandmother doting on her grandchild, urging him to eat more to grow big and strong.

It seemed she had a fondness for Leo, the spirit dragon with dragon traits, since she was a dragon herself.

—By the way, these bandits have quite the extraordinary physiques.

‘Yeah, it’s odd how they all have such good bodies for bandits.’

Aden had plenty of experience subjugating bandits while working as a mercenary.

But the bandits in this stronghold all boasted muscles comparable to the leaders of other bandit groups he had taken down.

At this level, a little training would instantly make them an elite mercenary group.

—And why are they so friendly with that human who resembles an ogre?

‘I’m curious about that too, pal.’

As Aden observed, the bandits seemed to have a mix of awe and respect in their eyes as they fawned over Priest Bali.

“Here! Please, have another drink!”

“Here’s some more food too, Monk!”

“Oh, uh… Thanks, I guess.”

“You have an amazing physique!”

“…Thank you for the compliment.”

While they reluctantly and begrudgingly served others with forced smiles, they were eager and proactive when it came to serving Priest Bali.

‘Such incredible muscles!’

‘I’ve never seen muscles like that, except on the Bandit King!’

‘So beautiful…’

After being forcibly led down the path of physical training by Muscleless, they had unconsciously begun to revere muscles and strength.

At the same time, they silently gritted their teeth as they looked at Aden and the others.

‘How dare those muscleless bastards treat us like servants…’

‘I’ll never forgive this humiliation!’

‘Once the Bandit King arrives, you’re all dead!’

Though their points of anger were oddly specific, they were certain of one thing.

They had already sent someone to fetch the Bandit King, and once he arrived, he would take care of everything.

And finally, the moment arrived.

“Kahahahahahahahahaha!”

A thunderous laughter echoed through the mountains.

Then something fell from the sky and landed with a ‘thud’ on the ground.

“He’s here! He’s finally here!”

“The Bandit King has arrived!”

“What the hell is this? Bandit King? Oh, right. You guys said he was your leader.”

“Hahahahaha! I can feel it! Yes, I can feel it!”

“…But he seems a bit crazy.”

“Hahahahahaha!”

The man who made a grand entrance from the sky, carrying a massive sword wrapped in cloth on his back, was none other than Bandit King Muscleless. He burst into maniacal laughter, his eyes wide with excitement.

“I can feel it.”

Fwoosh! As he clenched his fists, his shirt couldn’t contain his swelling muscles and tore apart.

“The powerful scent of muscle!”

Muscleless’s eyes, filled with ecstasy, were fixed solely on Priest Bali.