The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 172

—

The group of 1,500 bandits accepted as residents of Frozen.

Among them, not all were rugged warriors.

They were people who had originally fled from the tyranny of their territories and became bandits.

Because of this, a significant number of them were farmers, hunters, and even women who had nothing to do with fighting.

Excluding these people, there were about eight hundred able-bodied men, and Aden decided to organize a “Frozen Security Force” primarily composed of volunteers.

In reality, although it was called a security force, it was nothing more than Aden’s private soldiers.

“I promise the members of the security force the same salary and treatment as the soldiers serving in the Duke’s household.”

For the villagers from the mountains, the salary that the Duke’s soldiers received was an astonishingly large amount of money.

It was an opportunity that was rare and unimaginably good for them.

As a result, many volunteers gathered, and despite only selecting volunteers, there were about six hundred.

In truth, nearly all of the able-bodied men who could fight came to volunteer.

Clap!

Aden clapped his hands as he looked at the six hundred people.

“Good, everyone’s gathered.”

Those among the applicants who were seeing Aden up close for the first time found it peculiar.

‘Is that really Aden Remes?’

‘He’s younger than I thought. And he doesn’t look very strong.’

‘He looks delicate, like a gigolo.’

At first, they were surprised that the Aden, who was said to be a Sword Master, was actually a young man.

‘He has less muscle than me, and he looks weaker… Is he really a Sword Master?’

‘Is he really the one who subdued Muscleless?’

Afterward, they even started to doubt Aden’s abilities.

People only believe what they see.

Those who didn’t know Aden’s true skills didn’t think much of him.

The fact that he was a noble, whom they despised, also contributed.

Especially the subtle noble aura that radiated from him just by standing there, and his gaze that seemed to look down on everything in the world, made that impression even stronger.

‘These brats.’

Aden, reading the distrust in their eyes, ignored it and spoke to them.

“First of all, welcome to Frozen. However, before anything else, as announced, there will be a test. Any questions?”

“I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

The one who raised his hand was a particularly tough and stubborn-looking man among the applicants.

“Will those who pass the test really be taught proper mana techniques?”

“Yes. Not only that, but the one with the best performance will receive an additional reward. I will appoint the test passers to the positions of security captains and treat them on par with veteran knights. If you wish, I will even use my authority as the Duke’s eldest son to confer knighthood upon you.”

“…!”

At the mention of knighthood, the eyes of everyone present changed.

Becoming a knight essentially meant becoming a quasi-noble.

It was entirely different from simply becoming a city security officer.

A knight was a position that promised wealth and honor, and naturally, greed sparked in their eyes.

Confirming the change in their eyes, Aden nodded.

“Then, if there are no more questions, let’s begin the test immediately. The test is simple.”

Ssk, ssst.

Aden dragged his foot across the ground, drawing a line.

The distance between the line he drew and the six hundred applicants was about 50 meters.

Pointing to the line, he said.

“The first one to cross this line passes the test. I will fulfill all the promises I made earlier.”

“…Do we really just need to run to that line?”

“Yes. Whoever reaches this line first passes.”

Hearing this, the applicants instinctively glared at each other.

They all had the same thought.

‘If I just get there…’

‘My life will change.’

‘I will be the first to get there!’

Even though they had just been comrades eating from the same pot yesterday, they now saw each other as competitors.

“Alright, I’ll start the countdown. Three.”

As Aden said “three,” they crouched low, preparing to sprint as if they would be the first to arrive.

“Two…”

At “two,” their eyes were bloodshot, and they eagerly awaited Aden’s final word, “one.” Those who could somewhat use mana drew it to its limit from their mana cores.

And finally.

“One.”

As soon as Aden’s “one” dropped, they all simultaneously took their first steps with a thunderous “thud!”

Rumble!

Aden unleashed the overwhelming presence of a superhuman, a Master Fear that only those who had reached the peak of martial arts could possess.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Huuuurgh!”

“Aaaaaargh!”

The killing intent of a being known as a superhuman dominated the space, crushing the six hundred applicants with a terrifying pressure.

Those who tried to run ahead were unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure and collapsed with screams.

“Wh-what is this…!”

“Keuh… Huurgh…”

“James! Get a hold of yourself!”

They were all pinned down as if crushed by a heavy weight, unable to even get up, and some had already fainted on the spot.

“There is no time limit. What I want is simple.”

Aden looked at them and said.

“Just step inside this line.”

—

The man who was originally the leader of the 7th mountain bandit group, Shaxpinner.

He was a novice martial artist who could somewhat wield mana and was considered a strong man due to his innate strength.

Because of this, he was arrogant and looked down on those weaker than himself.

‘Hmph, what a bunch of losers. I’ll succeed in your place.’

He was more confident than anyone in his victory.

Other than Muscleless, there was no one stronger or faster than him in the bandit group.

“Alright, I’ll start the countdown. Three, two…”

Up until the moment Aden began the countdown, Shaxpinner was filled with thoughts of living a luxurious life as a knight.

He dreamed of having his way with any woman he fancied and enjoying all the luxuries he desired.

“One.”

However, his ambition was crushed in an instant.

Rumble!

He had drawn his mana, intending to reach the line faster than anyone else, but he couldn’t even take three steps before his body froze, causing him to collapse.

A shiver ran down his spine.

He felt as if he were standing before a massive beast, baring its fangs right in front of him.

“Gah, gah, bleurgh!”

He trembled uncontrollably like a tree in the wind, feeling the urge to vomit.

‘My legs… have no strength…’

Fear drained all the strength from his legs, and even breathing became difficult.

And at the source of that fear was the man he had secretly looked down upon, Aden, standing there with a composed expression.

“Just step inside this line.”

Shaxpinner saw the line that Aden had drawn in his vision.

The distance that had seemed so close at the start now felt impossibly far.

To reach that line under such pressure?

‘That’s impossible…’

All six hundred applicants, including Shaxpinner, had the same thought.

Aden’s Master Fear made them feel an insurmountable difference in level, something that mere mountain bandits couldn’t hope to withstand.

‘He’s not human…’

A monster.

The person in front of them was a monster wearing a human’s guise.

‘Is this… a Sword Master?’

He was an existence that instinctively made one feel both fear and reverence.

Shaxpinner, with that final thought, lost consciousness and fainted.

Meanwhile, Aden, not even sparing a glance at Shaxpinner, looked at those who still retained their senses.

“About three hundred have already dropped out?”

In just ten seconds after unleashing his Master Fear, half of the people had lost consciousness and were eliminated.

But that was only to be expected.

Even a high-level sword aura practitioner would be helpless before the Master Fear of a Sword Master.

How could ordinary people, who had barely any mana, possibly withstand it?

It wasn’t because he believed they could endure it.

Curs asked Aden.

-Lord of Dragon Slayers, why did you go through the trouble of doing this?

“For two reasons. The first is to crush their spirit and firmly bring them under my control.”

Of course, since their chief, Muscleless, had already surrendered, Aden could use the underlings as well.

However, doing so would leave them with the identity of “Muscleless’s subordinates,” which would be problematic in the long run.

“They should now clearly understand who their master is and who they’re serving, having felt the Master Fear of a superhuman firsthand.”

-Ho, and the second reason?

“To assess their mental fortitude and to reorganize them.”

What is necessary for someone to become stronger?

Talent? Consistent effort?

Those are all correct answers, but Aden considered something else to be the most important.

‘Mental strength, persistence, tenacity.’

Even those with talent will decline if they don’t put in the effort.

Those who do put in effort might fare a bit better, but they eventually give up when they hit the wall of talent.

Those who possess both talent and effort will succeed early, and therefore, won’t be found among the bandit group.

If there was anyone like that, it would probably be Muscleless.

‘But those with tenacity and strong mental fortitude will always achieve something, regardless of their talent.’

Aden planned to select those who could withstand his Master Fear as the leaders of the security force and put them through rigorous training.

He was confident that he could make even the most talentless individual useful.

All that was

required was the tenacity and determination to survive the process.

“Kuh, is it really just a matter of reaching that line…?”

“Damn it, I knew the test was too easy.”

“Screw it. Whatever! Let’s see how far I can go!”

The remaining three hundred clenched their teeth and steeled their resolve.

They grabbed hold of their trembling legs and forced themselves to stand, taking one step at a time.

Seeing this, Aden smiled with satisfaction.

‘Yes, this much should be expected.’

Having rolled around the rough mountains, they had a stronger mental fortitude than he expected.

They were like weeds that had survived harsh and brutal lives, the very definition of commoners.

And soon, before 30 seconds had passed, the first to pass the line appeared.

As expected, it was the one Aden had anticipated.

The man who, despite lacking even a single ounce of mana, possessed monstrous strength on par with a superhuman—the mountain chief, Muscleless.

Though he was slightly out of breath, he appeared otherwise unscathed.

“Huff, huff. Hahaha! This is perfect for mental strength training! Brother Aden! Can we use this exhilarating thing for training regularly?”

“…I refuse, Muscleless. Anyway, you’re the overall leader of the security force.”

Since they had already submitted to him, he was the perfect candidate to lead the entire force.

As expected, after Muscleless passed, no one else managed to pass for quite a while.

Aden’s Master Fear grew stronger the closer one got to him.

Thud, thud.

One after another, those who couldn’t endure collapsed, dropping like flies.

By the time they had covered about half of the 50 meters, there were only about a hundred applicants left.

Seeing this, Muscleless clicked his tongue.

“They lack determination. I’ll have to give those who’ve fallen some special muscle training.”

“Nooo!”

“Anything but training… Please!”

Muscleless’s muttering skyrocketed their morale, and it reached the heavens.

As a result, about ten minutes later, the second person crossed the line.

“I-I did it…!”

“Good. You’ll lead the 1st unit.”

“Th-thank you… Ugh.”

The second person fainted immediately upon crossing the line.

And then, about twenty more minutes passed.

“Huff, huff, did I… make it?”

“Huh? Grandma? Why are you there, Grandma…?”

“Grrr…”

Thud, thud, thud!

The third, fourth, and fifth applicants crossed the line, and all three met the same fate as the second, fainting as soon as they passed.

The second through fifth were all strong individuals who had been sub-leaders in the bandit group, aside from Muscleless, who was the key figure among them.

With that, a total of five people were selected.

“Five out of six hundred, that’s fewer than I expected. But I guess it can’t be helped.”

For ordinary people, enduring a Master Fear was nearly impossible, so it was quite a lot that five out of six hundred managed to pass.

“They’re quite exceptional.”

The four of them had reached the level of enhancement on their own, without proper instruction in mana techniques.

This meant that they were remarkably talented.

‘This one has talent in spearmanship, and this one in swordsmanship? Wow, this one even has mana talent?’

With his insight, he observed that they had quite useful traits.

They had good mental strength and talent, making it seem like he had picked out true gems.

Aden looked ahead.

“They’re all knocked out.”

The six hundred people, all of them unconscious and sprawled out on the ground.

Seeing all those people lying there like pieces of wood was quite a spectacle.

“Hmm?”

Just as he was about to stop his Master Fear, thinking there were no more survivors, something caught his eye.

“What’s this? There’s still someone left?”

There was one person.

A man who hadn’t even made it halfway to the finish line that Aden had drawn.

“Huff, huff…”

He was panting heavily, but still walking forward, albeit very slowly.

But why is that guy…

‘Why is he so skinny? Oh, he’s just skin and bones. He looks like a dried-up anchovy.’

The last remaining person was a frail young man who looked so weak that even an anchovy would have bowed and called him “brother!”