How to survive as a beggar count

Chapter 15

Aemon pulled out the battle clothes he had worn in his youth.

A red robe, covered in a thick layer of dust.

Over time, it had faded to a pale pink hue.

As he inspected the faded artifacts, he decided to try them on once more.

The result was disastrous.

“…Huff!”

The waist, which used to fit comfortably in his youth, was now so tight that it seemed ready to burst.

The magic orb, which once fit perfectly in his hand, now looked somewhat ridiculous.

In the past, wearing this outfit would make him look quite impressive.

But now, it was an utterly unflattering sight.

“…I’ll need to get it repaired.”

In the next month, he would need to fix not only the clothes but also train for battle, leaving him little time.

“……”

As Aemon folded the battle clothes neatly, he fell deep into thought.

The cause of his worry was none other than his reckless son.

‘If it’s a duel trial, there’s no problem. I’ll handle it myself, or find a representative.’

“Heh…”

Thinking back to his son’s explosive declaration, Aemon sighed heavily.

“I knew he was crazy from the start…”

His son, the troublemaker, always drinking and fighting with others.

Yet, despite all this, Aemon’s son was still precious to him.

But now, for his son to propose a duel trial?

That was why, after spending decades sitting at a desk, Aemon had made the difficult decision.

He would protect his son, even if it meant dying in battle.

But now, his son said he would handle it himself?

And even claimed he would find a representative?

A representative.

Actually, that would be the best option.

If he lost the duel, it would be the representative who would die, not him.

The problem, however, was money.

The Aemon family had been stripped of everything by the Bener family, and all that was left was the meager taxes from a small domain.

It would be impossible to find a competent representative from such a poor estate.

‘This is nonsense.’

But for some reason, Aemon couldn’t shake the thought of, ‘Maybe, just maybe?’

‘I don’t know where his rank is, but it seems like he’s raised it somehow…’

Aemon shook his head, lost in thought.

His son, who had spent 17 years causing trouble, suddenly turning over a new leaf—or perhaps just losing his mind—was a possibility Aemon knew too well.

“What if I called a skilled cleric…?”

***

A man entered a luxurious room filled with ornate furniture. It was decorated in a somewhat unusual style.

As was typical of noble households, portraits of the family were usually hung on the walls.

But in this room, the walls were adorned only with magical artifacts.

And not a single one was related to each other; they were all miscellaneous items.

Anyone who entered this room for the first time might find the decor strange.

However, to the owner of the room, Count Bener, these artifacts had a special meaning.

They were all artifacts taken from the Impera family.

Count Bener had placed the artifacts he had recovered from his enemies on the wall as trophies.

In the center of the room, sitting alone, was Count Bener, a man with a mouse-like beard, sipping a warm cup of tea as he pondered.

“The duel trial is proceeding without any issues.”

“Very good.”

Count Bener smiled contentedly.

He was sipping his tea, leisurely enjoying a snack, but just hearing the news from the occupied territory was enough to satisfy him.

“Hoho.”

In front of him, a shabby-looking man was bowing his head.

Though he appeared to be an ordinary gardener, his true identity was quite different.

He was the one who managed the spies scattered across the surrounding territories.

If he were caught, it would be certain ruin for him in the noble conflicts. But as long as he remained undetected, it was just business.

This man had been doing the work Count Bener wanted without fail.

“You know, right? How many resources have been invested in this plan.”

“Of course.”

The count felt a slight headache as he recalled the bribes paid to the kingdom’s judges.

‘Damn pigs. How can they be so greedy for money?’

But once the duel trial proceeded, everything would be settled.

Count Impera would most likely lose, and then all that would be left was to drain the now-empty Impera estate, which would be reduced to a puppet.

“How did the knight we talked about last time turn out?”

“He’s from the Janis Knight Academy and is well-prepared. I’ve also told him to make sure to ‘smash’ Impera’s left hand, just as you requested. By now, I’m sure a letter has already gone to the Impera family, telling them to prepare for the duel trial.”

“Hehe! Very good!”

Things were starting to go well for once. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

It was all thanks to the reckless son of the Impera family.

That fool had gambled away most of the family’s remaining fortune, which was already in shambles.

And on top of that, he’d recently gotten so drunk that he collapsed on the street.

If Aemon Impera were to become a blank slate, all that would be left was to wait for his reckless son to self-destruct.

“Finally!”

After decades of animosity between the two families, the end was finally in sight.

***

A month had passed.

[Name: Ian Impera] Rank: 2 (Magic), 3 (Swordsmanship)

“Sigh. It’s not going up at all.”

Despite his best efforts over the past month, his swordsmanship had only reached rank 3.

This was the first wall.

A massive wall between rank 3 and 4. No matter how much he swung his sword, there seemed to be an invisible barrier blocking the way.

At least the Valhalla system was easier. Levels increased based on experience points, like in a game.

‘This isn’t a matter of enlightenment.’

It wasn’t an issue of enlightenment.

There were usually three ways to break through this wall.

First, one could forcefully increase their mana with a magical elixir.

But that was impossible for a penniless count like him.

Second, one could train with others, combining their sword skills with someone else’s.

This would naturally allow mana to seep in, providing a chance for rank advancement. But that was also impossible.

Such methods usually required a swordsmanship master, but, as mentioned, he was a penniless count.

‘Mana is only detectable, but I can’t channel it quickly enough with my body…’

Was this the wall of talent? His companions in the story could easily raise their ranks just by sitting cross-legged.

‘Maybe I should have gone monster hunting…’

That was the best third option.

Even a talentless, useless body would eventually raise their rank by hunting monsters.

But that was impossible.

There were spies of Count Bener hiding everywhere.

He had to remain a reckless fool of a son until the duel trial.

This way, Count Bener wouldn’t notice anything suspicious and would be confident in his representative with rank 5.

‘I’m glad I recruited Crode.’

Crode would easily handle a rank 5 representative.

Bener would never see it coming, and he was looking forward to seeing Bener’s face.

“Wait… Hmm…”

Suddenly, a clever plan came to mind.

One that would allow him to steadily raise his rank while also giving Count Bener a huge surprise.

“Hehe…”

He decided to save that for later.

For now, it was time to head to the Baldig Dungeon, where the duel was scheduled to take place.

Baldig Dungeon.

The duel trial was to take place in a clearing in front of Baldig Dungeon.

Of all the possible locations, Count Bener had chosen this one.

Just a year ago, it had been owned by the Impera family.

A duel in a place like that?

It seemed to be intentional.

‘Well, he must be expecting Aemon to take part in the duel.’

It was a tactic to assert dominance.

He intended to crush Aemon’s spirit right from the start by using the land that had been taken from him.

Sorry, but Aemon wouldn’t be taking part in the duel. It would be a completely unexpected representative.

As the appointed time approached, Count Aemon Impera walked out.

Under normal circumstances, seeing him like this would have made one laugh.

Aemon had awkwardly squeezed into a robe that had been forcibly stretched to fit, and it looked uncomfortable on him.

But his face was filled with determined resolve.

Who would laugh at him now?

Seeing a father rushing into danger for his reckless son.

“My son.”

“Yes, father.”

“Still, you’ve done well. I know you’ve put in a lot of effort, so it’s a shame things have turned out this way.”

“That is…”

“It’s alright. After all, I was once the head of the mighty Impera family. This duel trial will be easily handled, just wait and see.”

“……”

Seeing him try to act calm, Ian felt a pang of sympathy.

As a fellow human, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity. His eyes felt like they might tear up.

He almost brought up Crode at that moment but decided against it.

Crode was a member of the Eternal Knights Order.

It wasn’t a good idea to mention him now. If Aemon found out, it could become troublesome.

After all, Crode was also a noble serving the Isoether Kingdom.

‘I can talk about it later.’

***

“When are they arriving?”

“I’ve already sent the carriage, so they should be here soon.”

“Hehe! They’re just like pigs being dragged to the slaughterhouse!”

Count Bener chuckled, showing his teeth. The moment he had been waiting for was almost here.

It was almost time to cripple Count Impera and swallow up his lands.

Next to Bener stood a young man.

He had short hair and a handsome face, dressed in light armor and wielding a thin, long sword. He looked quite agile.

This was the expensive agent Bener had hired.

His name was Priyana.

Bener glanced at him and felt certain.

‘With him, victory is already in the bag!’

When Bener had first seen Priyana, he had frowned.

He’d heard that Priyana was a monster with a swordsmanship rank of 5, but seeing him with a thin sword and light armor, he didn’t look that strong.

But as soon as Priyana demonstrated his sword dance, Bener realized.

This man was incredibly strong.

‘He really is from the Janis Knight Academy, no doubt about it!’

The first time Priyana showed his swordsmanship was still vivid in Bener’s mind.

It wasn’t just a small amount of money that had been spent.

With thousands of gold invested, Bener couldn’t just pick any random agent for the job.

He had asked Priyana to show a simple swordsmanship demonstration, just to be sure.

Priyana had seemed a bit displeased but had complied.

As Bener silently observed Priyana’s swordplay, something happened.

Whoosh!

In an instant, a gust of wind rushed through the training hall.

At that moment.

…Slash!

The bundle of straw placed in the center of the hall was split in two.

“Ugh!”

It was shocking.

Count Bener, though a rank 4 swordsman himself, couldn’t even follow Priyana’s swordplay with his eyes.

That was the wall between rank 4 and rank 5.

In a fair duel, a rank 4 could never defeat a rank 5.

Bener knew this truth well, but now he truly felt it.

The sight of Priyana’s swordsmanship gave him chills.

Someone like that would be his agent.

Bener felt something, whether it was confidence or arrogance, rising from deep within him.

‘It’s over! Damn Impera fools!’

As Count Bener grinned maliciously, Priyana was lost in thought.

‘Sigh…’

He had graduated from the prestigious Janis Knight Academy, where only the finest swordsmen were trained.

It wouldn’t have been strange for him to be scouted by a royal knight order right after that, but now here he was, stuck in this backwater village.

If it weren’t for that person’s order, he wouldn’t have come this far.

He wondered what that person was thinking but quickly shook the thought off.

He was a servant, and his duty was to follow his master’s orders.

Doubts and questions were emotions he wasn’t allowed to have.

‘Yes, it’s because it’s my master’s command.’

Since this was just a duel trial in a remote village, only insignificant people would show up.

Even if they were ranked 4, that was nothing to Priyana.

It was unimaginable for him to lose to someone with such weak skills.

He just wanted to finish this quickly and return to his homeland.

‘Just bear with it until today.’

As the sun reached its peak, as promised, members of the Impera family arrived.

Count Impera, who had gained some weight, his son, and finally, a servant accompanying them. That was it.

‘No representative?’

Priyana quickly scanned the arrivals. Aemon was, of course, not suited for a duel, given his build.

What was surprising, however, was Aemon’s son.

He had heard that the reckless fool was always drunk, but judging by his build, he seemed capable of wielding a sword.

Though still, compared to Priyana, he was laughably weak.

With that simple assessment done, the kingdom’s judge arrived to signal the start of the trial.