Published: January 13, 2026
【Venturi】
Adventurers occasionally report the discovery of demonic beasts. In most cases, reports of their defeat come in simultaneously, so the march proceeds without hindrance.
The idea of hiring adventurers, proposed by His Majesty, was undoubtedly a brilliant one.
However, even so, could adventurers really be this capable?
Generally, knights are considered superior in combat. This is because knights have passed rigorous selection exams and undergo constant combat training. They possess innate talent and are subjected to harsh training not only in individual combat but also in group battles. There are training sessions for small, medium, and large groups, simulating battles against foreign armies and large demonic beasts of various kinds.
In contrast, adventurers mostly undertake tasks like searches, explorations, gathering, and investigations, usually operating in groups of four or five. Their combat training focuses on fighting demonic beasts or bandit groups, using traps and neurotoxins to achieve mission success as safely as possible.
In short, since they rarely engage in direct frontal battles against groups of demonic beasts or bandits, adventurers are considered inferior to knights in terms of combat ability. Although there are some rare adventurers who can defeat large demonic beasts with only a few members, such cases are extremely uncommon.
That was the common belief, but the adventurers hired by His Majesty in Seato Village were overturning that notion.
When a large demonic beast was spotted a few hundred meters ahead, they took every measure to guide or drive it away, securing the path. When medium-sized or smaller demonic beasts were found, they defeated them immediately upon reporting.
Terrifyingly, even the so-called medium-sized beasts included formidable foes like the Red-Eyed Bear and packs of Scale Wolves — creatures that even the knight order would not fight on flat ground unless at least twenty knights were present.
If a Red-Eyed Bear appeared in their territory, they would likely dispatch a force of one hundred to two hundred knights to hunt it down, considering the possibility of a pack.
Yet, the adventurers in Seato Village split into groups of five to ten and each group defeated medium-sized demonic beasts.
“…What on earth is going on in this village…”
I racked my brain but couldn’t find an answer. Cost was a factor, but if everyone was equipped with Dwarf-made armor and weapons, their combat power would increase significantly.
However, whether they could actually afford such funds was another issue, as was the availability of iron ore pure enough to satisfy the Dwarves.
Judging by the forge, which was newly built, it hadn’t been constructed over many years.
As I pondered this, I suddenly remembered Baron Van’s magic. With that extraordinary magic, perhaps he could create armor and weapons comparable to those of the Dwarves.
“…If I can skillfully win over that brat, it might be easy to strengthen our knight order’s forces,”
I muttered quietly under my breath.
【Jarpa】
What a ridiculous story. Why, of all people, did Van end up with such magical talent?
Because of that, many nobles must have thought me incompetent for giving up a talented son. But that’s not true.
On the contrary, I appointed a son judged to have no useful magical talent as lord of a remote territory. Normally, this would be considered a generous appointment. From an outsider’s perspective, no matter the outcome, it wouldn’t be a cause for criticism.
However, this time, things were a little different.
A child who should have been lord of a sleepy, insignificant village managed to slay a dragon. His subordinates were just three knights who had volunteered as his guards and one elderly magician. The rest were a slave’s child and a maid who were useless in battle. A hundred villagers were insignificant in numbers.
How, then, did he manage to slay a large dragon?
Because of that, I initially judged the information to be false. There was a possibility that Count Ferdinand was manipulating things to puppet him, but the returns were far too small.