The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 29

His skill was undeniable. Although his personality and attitude were displeasing, putting aside personal feelings, Count Pongk was perhaps half a step above him in terms of ability. However, he couldn’t entrust the Terra Barrier to Count Pongk.

‘Why would His Majesty send such a man to replace me!’

He would have felt more at ease returning to the capital if they had sent the Sword of the South instead. In his judgment, Count Pongk might be the world’s best charge leader, but he was unqualified as a commander.

“Come now, don’t glare so much. Now that I’ve received the order, I’ll do my best to reduce the number of monsters.”

“…Did His Majesty really order you to replace me?”

“Do you think I forged the order just to come here? Me? Why? I’d rather sleep an extra hour. Spending too long in the frontier has only made you more suspicious.”

Clench-

But there was no way to avoid it. The seal on the order was undoubtedly genuine, and the handwriting was clearly the Emperor’s, unmistakable to him. Whatever the circumstances, Count Pongk, not him, would be the commander of the Terra Barrier for the time being.

“Aha! Is it because I fight so well that you’re no longer needed? Hahaha. Don’t worry. When you return, I’ll go back to my territory without a second glance.”

He would fight well, fight like a madman. But the battle at the Terra Barrier was different from ordinary battles. While ordinary battles aimed to expand gains, the battle at the Terra Barrier prioritized minimizing losses. After all, no matter how many monsters they killed, it was like trying to bail out a lake with a gourd [a small, round container].

“You. Don’t even dream of doing anything foolish until I return. My sword will be the first to be aimed at you then.”

“Ah, I’ll carry out the order itself once I’ve received it, okay? I’ll keep the Terra Barrier safe no matter what, so can you leave now?”

Having received the Emperor’s order, he would carry it out, even if he thought the order was inappropriate. He would try his best to persuade if he were nearby, but if the Emperor’s will was firm, it was his duty as a subject to obey.

“Count Pongk is one of the Three Swords, isn’t he?”

“Yes. That’s why it’s a problem. Why else would he come here? Something must be about to happen!”

Everyone was uneasy at the sudden appearance of Count Pongk. Both Duke Zieg and Count Pongk possessed power that was beyond our reach, and if such individuals suddenly appeared, it wouldn’t be without reason. It was no wonder they were anxious, seeing it as a sign of a major event. But I felt like I knew why Count Pongk had come here.

“I don’t think you need to worry too much.”

“Don’t worry?”

“Actually, when I went to the capital, this happened…”

Omitting the detailed inside story, I explained only the information they needed to know. Even so, most of them were able to shake off their anxiety after I finished speaking. However, the topic shifted from the reason Count Pongk came to the circumstances of the Zieg family instead.

“How long has the Duke been here?”

“Well, he’s been here since before I arrived, that’s for sure.”

“Me too.”

“Mr. Ild, did you arrive later than the Duke as well?”

The one who had endured the longest among us was Ild. This was his eighth year. In just two more years, Ild would be able to leave this place honorably. But even he was a newcomer when Duke Zieg was already present as the commander of the Terra Barrier.

“As far as I know, it’s been almost ten years.”

“That’s a long time.”

“He’s an amazing person. Honestly, it’s not like the Duke had to come here. He could have enjoyed wealth and glory in his territory, but just seeing him fight at the forefront every time a battle breaks out shows that it’s not something an ordinary person can do.”

“It’s not just any matter, but a family issue. He’s allowed to take a leave.”

If it were someone other than Duke Zieg, or if Duke Zieg had been living comfortably by using others as shields, such a reaction wouldn’t have been possible. But because he had fought harder and more diligently than anyone else, not a single person complained about the commander taking a vacation.

“So, Count Pongk is staying in place of Duke Zieg?”

“I guess so… Shouldn’t there be any major problems? After all, the lieutenants will take care of commanding the soldiers.”

“Well, we’ll have to see. As you know, dealing with people and dealing with monsters are completely different matters. No matter how great Count Pongk is, it will be impossible to fill Duke Zieg’s void in a short period.”

And our worries and concerns became a reality.

Bang-

“What are we supposed to do! Is he only satisfied if he can fight to his heart’s content!”

“Lower your voice. Other people will hear you.”

“Let them hear! I knew we wouldn’t be able to fully fill the void since the person changed, but this is too much! It’s no different from saying it’s just a game to him!”

I tried hard to calm the agitated Laurent. His voice was too loud for someone complaining about a superior. But perhaps there was no need to stop him. He couldn’t have failed to hear Laurent’s words because his voice was so loud, yet no one rebuked Laurent.

“What? Monsters aren’t fun to cut down, so he’s bored? Does anyone think it’s fun to be here! We’re risking our lives, and he sees it as a joke!”

In the first battle that Count Pongk faced as the highest authority, Count Pongk fought really well. Monsters would avoid the area where he was. The problem was that, as feared, there was a big difference between human-to-human combat and the battles that took place at the Terra Barrier, and Count Pongk didn’t care about that at all.

As I’ve said many times, the Terra Barrier wasn’t just any town wall. It was a massive structure with a wall stretching for several kilometers in a straight line. No matter how much the existence called Masters had surpassed the limits of humans, there was bound to be a limit to what they could do with their individual strength.

That’s why Duke Zieg was constantly moving. He didn’t bother with monsters that he didn’t need to deal with, and he focused on eliminating higher-level species that were difficult for the soldiers to handle or that could directly damage the barrier. Thanks to this, he was able to reduce the overall burden on the barrier. However, Count Pongk didn’t care about any of that.

“I’m already starting to miss the Duke.”

“If he was going to come, he should have come after the Scorpions were deployed.”

“At least he should have come with reinforcements. He comes alone and acts like this.”

His actions were simple. He charged forward from the center of the barrier, cutting down enemies. Where it was dangerous and where it was relaxed was not important to him.

He simply swung his sword because there were enemies in front of him. Of course, monsters weren’t without intelligence, so it was only natural for them to move to avoid a disaster they couldn’t face. The problem was that this natural movement was very unnatural for us.

At first, we coped by appropriately moving personnel from the center to both sides. This experience was almost new, but the response of those who had faced monsters for years was not slow.

However, before long, those who had moved to the sides had to rush back to the center. As Count Pongk moved further forward, the monsters that had moved to the sides to avoid him gathered back in the center.

It was only natural that more damage occurred in the process. We could understand up to that point. It was the first time, so he could do things his way. But the one word he uttered as he returned after the battle was enough to enrage everyone.

[As expected, it’s not fun to swing a sword against monsters. Well, what can you expect from guys who only have instincts left? Next time, I should try fighting with my magic sealed.]

“Shouldn’t we have a plan?”

“A plan? What plan is there? It would be great if Count Pongk could just be like Duke Zieg.”

I knew the plan, you knew the plan, everyone knew the plan. Just like Duke Zieg had roamed around the barrier and played an active role, if Count Pongk did the same, he could adapt, even if there were some differences. But that was like putting a bell on a cat [attempting the impossible].

“Don’t you know Count Pongk? Only the Emperor can give and receive orders, but if we speak, it’s fortunate if he listens with one ear and lets it out with the other, and it’s common for him to swing his sword if we dare to tell him what to do.”

Everyone nodded at those words. They were driven to the frontier, but if they had their ears open even a little, they couldn’t help but hear the rumors about Count Pongk. The only thing to look forward to was that, like a cat putting a bell on its own neck, he would realize that he needed to change his method during the battle and act accordingly. But it didn’t take long to realize that this hope was futile.

“Damn it. It’s the same again today.”

“But wasn’t it a little better today?”

“Is that thanks to that guy? It’s just that there were fewer monsters. What’s the point of the predecessor giving a handover? He doesn’t listen.”

Clearly, before leaving the Terra Barrier, Duke Zieg had clearly told him what he needed to do before heading to the capital. Nevertheless, he was moving in his own way. He had ears and eyes, so he knew that the atmosphere wasn’t good and that the damage was increasing, but the fact that he didn’t change his method meant that he was only going to carry out the order to ‘protect the barrier,’ regardless of whether the damage increased or not.

In the end, that night, the squad leaders, team leaders, and veterans who had been defending the Terra Barrier for a long time gathered for a meeting. I also lacked experience, but I was able to attend with Ild.

“What should we do? Even if he runs wild as he pleases, he’s our superior, so we have to adapt to him.”

“It’s not like Duke Zieg will be staying here forever, and there may come a time when we have to defend against attacks in the same way as now. Let’s think of it as preparing in advance and come up with a plan.”

They couldn’t exclude the commander as they pleased just because they didn’t like his actions. They didn’t have the power to do so, and it was better to have him than not. They were just dissatisfied with choosing the second-best option when they knew what the best option was.

“Um, a plan…”

“It will take a month for reinforcements to arrive.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but we don’t have any more leeway. Each person is already responsible for over 100m of area, so we’re already struggling with just doing what we’re doing until the new recruits come.”

There was a shortage of mages from the start. Moreover, especially this year, a large number of mages had died. As Ild said, it was almost impossible to do something new without giving up the existing work.

After that, only basic content filled the conversation. In fact, it was true that there was no clear plan. The situation had changed so much just because one person was showing completely different movements, and there was no way a plan to compensate for that would come out in an instant.

“How about this method?”