Swordmeister of Rome

The Barons that went out to scout managed to return quickly.

"Viscount."

"Gerahim. What did you find?"

"They are… coming directly toward us. It won't take that many days and there are… a lot of Alphas."

Fortunately, not all the Graans had turned into Alphas. It looked like the Chief and a few Great Warriors had turned into Alphas. But it didn't make the situation any better as the race as a whole was much stronger now.

"Dammit."

'Did they follow him?'

Locke glared at Baron Raul as he thought. Locke was being gentle as he was in front of Stiel who was a possible Count, but Locke himself wasn't much of a calm person either. Baron Raul flinched at the glare, but he figured he had done nothing wrong and straightened himself up.

Locke then ordered the Baron and gave him a room. It wasn't time to think about petty matters. He then walked down to talk with the nobles from the other estates through the twins.

Raul was mad at what Locke ordered him to do.

<We will be fighting those Rotans soon. You must join the fight also.>

That was okay. It was expected as Raul had come over. But the problem was how the other two were being treated. There was the beautiful, gorgeous woman and a weak-looking fool. Both looked like lowlies but Locke considered them as VIP guests. It looked like they were offered to leave whenever they felt like it.

Raul couldn't complain to Locke so he complained to Kagera who was also a Baron, but Kagera said some surprising words to him.

<You can do whatever you want to do to them. Do as want to your heart's content.>

But he did not listen. If a noble was letting a lowlie stay within the trunk and treat them in such a way, there must be a reason. They were even given a better room, which made it even more frustrating. Also, Raul always needed a woman next to him to sleep but he couldn't do anything to the commoners of the Viscount's estate so he was even more frustrated.

'Ugh… whatever.'

He wasn't sure if he could trust Kagera's words, but even if these lowlies were important people, he thought a Viscount would not value them over a Baron before a fight.

Raul stood up and walked out to find the lowlies.

Sian and Stiel came out of the room out of boredom and were walking outside when they felt a guest coming to their room.

"Isn't that Raul?"

"Yeah. What is that fool doing there?"

"Hm… I think I know why."

"Sian."

"Yeah."

"We've been here for a short time, but I think this place has too many idiots."

"Well… I would say they're more primitive."

The world was created by the difference of sheer power. Power was the only thing that mattered and the weak were not spared. Raul was now looking in other places after checking to see if the room was empty. Raul was up to no good as he fiercely looked around for Stiel and Sian.

Sian felt Stiel becoming excited.

"Stiel."

"Yeah, yeah. The stick, right? But I'm not sure if this is going to be enough for a superhuman. What if I get hurt? Are you going to look after me?"

"…"

Sian agreed that it might be a little weak to use against a superhuman, so he took out the gauntlets and put them on Stiel's hands.

"Hehe."

"Do what you want."

Sian could guess what Raul was up to, so he didn't feel sorry for the man. At last, Raul came out at the empty room. It seemed he was even angrier as he searched around.

"He looks like a boar."

"..."

Raul walked fiercely as he noticed Stiel and Sian. Sian made simulations in his head. This was a Viscount's estate, so it didn't seem like a Baron would do whatever he wanted to do, so Sian was able to come up with three possible scenarios.

Bump into Sian and taunt to be attacked to act in self-defense.

Sexually harass Stiel so Sian will attack, allowing him to act in self-defense.

Curse and taunt Sian to be attacked, so he can act in self-defense.

'Which will it be?'

Whatever it was, the result would be the same. But Sian didn't know Raul.

Smack the man down and take the woman to bed for a good night's sleep.

This was the answer that Raul had found.

Sian could not help to let out a hollow laugh as he saw a punch being thrown at him.

"Huh?"

"Hmph!"

Raul was shocked when his fist was captured.

"WHAT! Let me go! What is this! You dog…!"

Raul tried to pull his fist out, but he couldn't. So he threw his left fist out too. But the weak-looking man easily flicked his head to easily dodge the attack.

'What…'

Raul then realized something wasn't going according to plan. It looked like the woman was taking out something.

"Huh? Stiel?"

"Why are you hesitating? Don't say you are just going to stand there?"

The woman handed over a steel stick to the man. Raul felt goosebumps rising on his skin as he saw the stick.

"UGH!"

Raul tried to back away with all of his power, but it was too late.

"Hm… yeah, maybe I should do it this time. I'm sorry, I've been relying on you too much."

"Hehe, no. Don't worry. I'll let you take it today."

Raul wanted to run as he watched the man swinging the stick, but he couldn't.

"What's with your face?"

"…it's nothing."

"No, it's not only the face."

"It's okay."

Locke was curious on what happened to Raul but he decided to move on with the meeting.

"They are coming directly at us. After talking with the other estates, fifteen Barons and five Viscounts will be coming to our aid. It's best that we get rid of them in the early stages."

"Oh!"

Raul moaned as he rubbed on his swollen eyes. If that many nobles were to join, it seemed it would be easy to wipe out a newly-born Rotan race with ease. That would increase the survival chance for himself also.

"It'll take some time for the Counts to arrive, but we'll stay by the Ciculus and defend ourselves first."

The distance between estates was too far so it took a long time for them to come. It wasn't sure how strong these Alpha were, but luckily there were only about fifty Alphas. It seemed it would be enough to fight it off with combined numbers and fight by the Ciculus Tree.

'We might not need the Count but maybe…'

As he finished the meeting, Stiel and Sian were standing outside.

Locke noticed Raul flinch when he saw them, so Locke realized where he got himself beat up like that. But it was surprising that Raul seemed to be afraid of Sian, not Count Stiel.

'So he does have something up his sleeve.'

If a Baron was scared, there had to be something. Locke thought it was a good idea to push this fool to pick a fight against them and greeted Sian.

"Good morning."

"Yeah. How is the preparation going?"

"We are getting ready. How is the Akra recharge?"

"It's slow."

"It takes a long time. You should take it slow."

Locke felt he was getting relieved as he talked with them. They were mysterious, but they were definitely powerful.

'I would help, but would they?"

It was good to think that they would come to help when the time came.

Kukuru was excited as he saw the great tree. It was a place he could never invade, but it was different now. They were different.

He tried to take the meat out through the well, but the meat melted away after it was put into the water. But it wasn't much of a deal as he could just eat it inside. He then planted Antaine eggs into the monster bodies.

His race had grown one or two steps stronger after consuming these bodies. There were some who became unlike Graans now, just like Kukuru himself.

He no longer feared anything. He wasn't afraid of the tree and the monsters living inside it. He was excited to eat them as he attacked. That was why he went straight to the closest tree. He did invade a few towns on the way, but the monsters that lived within those towns had fled.

But there was something strange coming to him after he ate the meat.

<Kill him…>

<The one who killed us…>

<Kill him…>

Kukuru decided to ignore it as it wasn't a big deal.