As the sun began to peek over the eastern sky, I found myself in the garden of my residence, wooden sword in hand.

The chill of the morning wrapped around me, penetrating to the bone. Ciel had been complaining about the recent drop in temperature during mornings and evenings, and now I could fully appreciate the cold she spoke of.

However, having experienced the much harsher winters of Demon Island, the cold doesn’t bother me much compared to those in Ishka. Ciel, as a beastman with heightened senses, likely feels the changes in temperature more acutely than I do.

Ciel is an ocelot beastman, and ocelots are creatures of warmer climates. That might have something to do with her sensitivity.

With these thoughts in mind, I began my practice swings.

The sound of my wooden sword cutting through the cold morning air echoed around me. After repeating the same motion several times, I could feel blood circulating throughout every part of my body.

My body warmed up, and my mind sharpened.

I enjoyed this sensation. Especially since I had been feeling somewhat restless lately, the feeling was even more pronounced.

“Since defeating my father, right?”

I muttered to myself as I swung the wooden sword up and down.

Lately, I’ve been feeling as if I’m floating, detached from the ground.

Initially, I attributed this sensation to lingering exhilaration from defeating my father. Overcoming the curse of “the weak are unnecessary” placed on me five years ago must be making me feel this liberated, I thought.

With this in mind, I tried not to worry about it too much. I hoped it would naturally fade as I progressed with the relocation of the Kijin to Titis Forest. However, even after returning to Ishka and several days passing, the floaty feeling hasn’t disappeared.

It’s not an unpleasant sensation, so it wouldn’t be a problem if it continued, but if I remain detached from reality, I might fall into an unexpected pitfall. This is particularly true since my adversaries from now on will be not monsters or mythical creatures but humans—more precisely, nobles and royals. Being cautious is best.

Fortunately, or as expected, Kagari was amazed by the richness of Titis Forest upon seeing it and acknowledged it as a sufficient relocation site for his people.

Even considering the effects of the Hydra’s poison, he judged it to be land capable of supporting the Kijin. He even wondered why humans hadn’t developed such a rich forest.

In any case, with the Kijin’s agreement secured, the next step is to negotiate with the Kingdom of Canaria to allow the Kijin’s relocation. After that, we must proceed to the Empire of Adoastera to gain permission for the Kijin to pass through their territory.

“It’s going to be quite challenging. But, that’s to be expected.”

A wry smile naturally formed on my face, yet I did not regret the decision to move the Kijin.

Rather, thanks to the previously mentioned floaty mood, even the prospect of troublesome negotiations with the two nations didn’t feel burdensome. Whereas before, I found dealings with nations annoying, now I think, “This level of problem can be managed,” without bluster.

Whether this feeling stems from groundless optimism or represents a calm analysis backed by solid confidence will become clear as I continue negotiations with the various factions.

While pondering these thoughts, I continued to swing my wooden sword mindlessly for a while.

During the recent wedding ceremony of Prince Azar and Princess Sakuya of the Canaria Kingdom, the capital city, Horus, saw an influx of spectators from both within and outside the country.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to witness the ceremony with my own eyes, but it seems it indeed drew a considerable crowd. The scale of the influx was so massive that it was as if a whole city, or even a whole country, had mobilized.

Where people gather, goods accumulate, and where goods accumulate, money follows.

The Canaria Kingdom’s economy, which had been chilled by the previous demon beast stampede, was significantly revitalized by the wedding ceremony. It seems to have enriched the pockets of the Canarian people, both in the capital and the regions.

In fact, even before I left for the imperial capital with Claira, Ishka was bustling with a considerable number of people. It’s easy to imagine that the capital was even more lively. The excitement grew as the wedding approached, and with it, a considerable amount of money must have flowed into the capital.

This in itself is a very good thing.

However, where there is light, there are also shadows. The joyous wedding had its negative aspects.

Where did the vast crowd of spectators that had swarmed to the capital for the wedding go afterwards?

Of course, the majority returned to where they came from.

But among the spectators, there were people of various circumstances, including those who could hardly be called virtuous.

There were cases of homeless people who had drifted to the capital out of desperation, criminals banished from their hometowns, pickpockets targeting the spectators, and even bandits who disguised themselves among the spectators to infiltrate the capital. There were likely also spies from various countries sent to probe the internal affairs of the Canaria Kingdom.

Normally, the Canaria Kingdom would keep such individuals out with checkpoints placed at the borders and along the highways. However, due to the sheer volume of people attending the wedding, it seems that the security forces were unable to monitor every area effectively.

As a result, even after the wedding ended, these individuals did not leave the capital. Instead, they formed slums in certain areas, causing problems.

Moreover, after the wedding, there was an increase in bandit attacks on caravans along the highways. While areas west of the Kale River, where Ishka is located, were not affected much, villages and towns east of the Kale River, closer to the capital, were reportedly attacked.

This issue has significantly impacted the Canarian court, as Claudia Dragnaut, the Duchess, informed me.

Claudia was in the capital at the Dragnaut residence when I returned to Ishka. She had just returned to Ishka shortly before, specifically around noon on the day I was practicing with my wooden sword.

She didn’t come back because she heard of my return but because there was a request for the “Blood Spraying Sword” from the capital, and she flew in on a wyvern.

And the content of that request was—

“Subduing the bandits that have appeared in the Dragnaut ducal territory, you say?”

“Yes.”

Claudia nodded earnestly in response to my words.

When we reunited earlier, she greeted me with a beaming smile, happy to see me. But now, there was no joy in Claudia’s expression, indicating the seriousness of the situation at hand.

However, the idea that bandits could be rampaging through the territory of Duke Dragnaut, a major noble known to all in the country and dubbed the “Thunder Duke,” seemed almost unbelievable.

It’s possible that these thieves, having come from other countries, were unaware of the circumstances within Canaria and acted recklessly. If that were the case, the duke’s private army should have been sufficient to deal with them. The fact that Claudia has specifically sought out the “Blood Spraying Sword” suggests that the situation is not so simple.

Sensing my doubts, Claudia continued with a serious tone.

“My father, as the head noble and the leader of the Dragon Knight Order, must attend to the security of the entire kingdom. Therefore, my sister has gone to our territory to subdue the bandits. However, whenever she appears on her wyvern, the bandits scatter like spiders, making it nearly impossible to capture more than a handful. Those who escape regroup elsewhere and continue their thievery, as reported by my sister.”

“Hmm, from what you’ve described, their movements resemble those of an organized military rather than mere bandits.”

“Yes, my sister thinks so too. They are not just a collection of vagrants. We still don’t know their aim, but if left unchecked, the damage to our people will only increase. My sister wants to gather reliable forces and deal with them decisively.”

I nodded in understanding upon hearing Claudia’s explanation.

The “Blood Spraying Sword” is well-known as a clan founded by a dragon slayer. Even in the absence of the dragon slayer, members like Miroslav and Lunamaria, who regularly hunt monsters in the Titis Forest, possess considerable strength within Canaria.

Astrid, Claudia’s sister, is aware of this.

It seems she reached out with a request, not necessarily for front-line action. Probably, she’s considering having them as Claudia’s escorts.

Claudia, with her long blonde hair tied up and wearing knightly attire, appeared as a young, valiant knight at first glance.

Her pale purple eyes brimmed with strong indignation and equally strong determination. Regardless of the “Blood Spraying Sword’s” decision, it was clear she intended to rush to the ducal territory on her wyvern, Clarent, as soon as our conversation ended.

And realizing that, I knew I didn’t have the option to refuse.

Astrid likely senses something unpleasant about this enemy. She fears that the ducal family’s private army alone won’t be enough to protect Claudia.

Even if she told her sister not to come, knowing their homeland was being ravaged would undoubtedly compel the spirited princess to rush there on Clarent. Therefore, Astrid must have approached the “Blood Spraying Sword,” knowing Claudia’s close ties to them.

If I accompany her, not only can I ensure Claudia’s safety, but I can also provide Astrid with peace of mind. Again, there was no option to refuse the request.

Additionally, introducing the complex issue of resettling other races into a region already troubled by banditry would likely cause even Duke Dragnaut to frown. For this reason, too, the problem within the ducal territory needed to be resolved swiftly.

Moreover, there was the possibility of making a significant impact here and then leveraging that success to be appointed as the lord of Titis Forest.

Since King Torvald had already been considering bestowing a title upon me to win me over, depending on how I handled this situation, it might not be impossible to quickly advance discussions in my favor.

With these thoughts and plans in mind, I accepted the request from the Dragnaut ducal family.