I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble, Nothing More Than the Hero’s Foil: Since the Hero Can Only Bring Misery to My Favorite Heroine, I’ll Use My Game Knowledge and Over-the-Top Effort to Rewrite the Scenario and Make Her Happy. - Chapter 23

“The next head of the Ochival family, Gordon, reporting as summoned! Whoa!? What on earth are you doing, Lord Cain!?”

Gordon arrived, riding a swift horse. We were at the training grounds adjacent to the Schwarz estate.

Upon seeing the craftsmen I’d gathered engraving the Ochival family crest onto armor, Gordon’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Move faster, you lot! It’s time to repay the young lord, our hero, for all he’s done for us!”
“Aye, boss!”
“For Lord Cain, we’ll have everything finished by the end of the day, mark my words!”

I was grateful to see the craftsmen enthusiastically working for my sake. The progress was rapid.

“As you can see,” I explained, turning to Gordon, “we’re disguising my troops—the Schwarz Battalion—as soldiers from the Ochival family.”

“Huh…? Why?”

“Obviously, to rescue Selvia’s father, Viscount Fernando. The Schwarz family can’t act directly under Prince Leon’s orders. But if we pretend to be troops from the Ochival family, I can move my forces freely.”

“Wh-what?! If you do that, the Ochival family will be seen as defying Prince Leon! At worst, the family could be dismantled!”

Gordon’s voice rose into a shriek, like a chicken being strangled.

“Don’t worry. We’ll justify it by saying, ‘Gordon, the eldest son of the Ochival family, has volunteered to hunt down monsters threatening the Albion Kingdom.’ No one can accuse us of wrongdoing for acting in the kingdom’s interest. Besides, you’re not the head of the family yet.”

Not to mention, the King—who holds the authority to dismantle noble families—was bedridden. Although this allowed Crown Prince Leon to act freely, even he wouldn’t dare to go that far without the King’s approval.

“Still, but…!”
“Of course, Prince Leon might consider you an enemy and send assassins your way.”
“Assassins?! No way!”

“Relax. I’ll assign guards from my battalion to protect you.” I patted Gordon lightly on the shoulder. It would be troublesome if Gordon were killed—I still needed him.

“That’s not reassuring at all! I’ll become an enemy of the future king!”

Gordon clutched his head and writhed in despair. But as my slave, he couldn’t refuse my orders.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you if it comes to that. Besides, this will be a heroic act on your part. Even your beloved Lady Elise might come to see you in a new light.”

“E-Elise…?”

Knowing Gordon’s feelings for my elder sister Elise, I used it as bait to boost his motivation. Though he was obligated to obey me, I needed him to stay enthusiastic about the plan.

“Selvia and I will also disguise ourselves as your subordinates and head out as reinforcements for Viscount Fernando. Formally, you’ll act as our commander, completing the illusion. If this succeeds, Gordon, you’ll become a hero!”

“As expected of Brother Cain’s plan. It’s flawless. Please take care of us, Gordon,” Selvia said, bowing with a tense expression.

Her father’s life was at stake, so her anxiety was palpable.

“A…hero, huh? Not bad. Maybe Elise will finally acknowledge me, saying, ‘Oh, Gordon, I love you!’ Haha…well, maybe I’ll consider it…mumble mumble…”

It was fortunate that Gordon was an optimist. Even so, no matter how the world flipped, there was no chance Elise would fall for him.

“But wait! I heard the undead army near the capital has swelled to nearly ten thousand!” Gordon exclaimed, his face turning pale.

“The Schwarz Battalion only has about a hundred soldiers! And they were just a bunch of lowlifes shouting ‘Hya-ha!’ and terrorizing people not long ago! Can we really handle this?! Viscount Fernando only has about a thousand men, doesn’t he?! I don’t want to die yet!”

“Ugh…”

Selvia frowned at Gordon’s words. She understood the overwhelming difference in numbers all too well.

“Don’t worry. That’s why—”
“Lord Cain! The hundred mithril swords have been prepared!”

Lancelot arrived, driving a wagon into the training grounds. Its cargo was the mithril swords my father had secretly commissioned from blacksmiths.

“What?! A hundred mithril swords?!”

Gordon nearly jumped out of his skin.

“This is the trump card of the Schwarz family. With the entire battalion equipped with powerful mithril swords, most monsters won’t stand a chance. It’ll offset our numerical disadvantage.”

“Remarkable. To think so many have already been completed,” Selvia said, her eyes gleaming.

“Indeed, Lady Selvia. While only swords have been prepared for now, mithril armor and helmets will also be crafted for the battalion soon. Oh, I cannot wait!” Lancelot said with a blissful expression.

“A battalion armed with such powerful weapons… That’s comparable to the imperial guards of the Atlas Empire!”

Gordon was visibly overwhelmed.

The kingdom’s strongest force was the Royal Guard, but in terms of weaponry, my battalion now surpassed them.

Equipping a large number of soldiers with rare mithril swords required an enormous amount of funds—a feat even the royal family couldn’t easily accomplish.

“How on earth did you manage to gather so many mithril swords?! And to think you’ll eventually equip the entire battalion in full mithril armor… I’m so glad I didn’t make an enemy out of the Schwarz family!”

“On top of that,” I added, “the Schwarz Battalion has all mastered the skill [Swordsmanship Level 2] to maximize the potential of the mithril swords.”

“Indeed!” Lancelot declared. “Rest assured, Lord Gordon. I personally trained the Schwarz Battalion rigorously for two months. Their skills are now battle-tested and beyond reproach!”

“What?! Lancelot trained them?!”

Lancelot smirked darkly. “Heh, obedient slaves who don’t attempt to escape or defy orders are truly remarkable. I drove them to their very limits. They are the perfect soldiers—an ideal army!”

Lancelot’s ominous grin sent a small shiver down my spine. Honestly, he was a bit intimidating at times.

“So this is the ideal battalion Cain envisioned,” Selvia murmured, her breath catching in admiration.

“Well, it’s still just a prototype,” I replied, scratching my cheek.

“Cain, it seems the preparations are coming along nicely,” Father said, entering the training grounds. He held out a sword and presented it to me.

“This sword is custom-made for you. It will protect you. Take it with you.”

“This is… Thank you, Father!”

I hadn’t expected such a parting gift. Drawing the sword from its sheath, I admired its polished blade, which reflected my face like a mirror. Its beauty was captivating.

“Do you like it? This isn’t just an ordinary mithril sword. It has been enchanted with [Attack Power +10], increasing its damage by 10%.”

“Really?!”

This enchantment would stack with my skill [Swordsmanship Level 4], making it exceptionally effective. Enhancing a weapon with [Attack Power +10] required rare and costly materials. Father must have gone to great lengths for this. I was deeply grateful.

“Originally, I had this sword crafted for Lancelot to use as my bodyguard. However, the fate of both our families—and this kingdom—rests on your shoulders. You are more worthy of it now.”

“Oh, what a magnificent blade!” Lancelot exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “I rarely get to see such fine craftsmanship!”

Lancelot was truly passionate about weapons, and his praise was reassuring. This sword would still hold its own even in the later stages of the game.

“Cain, you must return alive with Selvia. Elise and I will be waiting for you.”

Father clasped my hand tightly, and I returned the gesture.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Cain!” Elise’s voice rang out as another wagon entered the training grounds. “Ril and Ash have prepared a large stock of [Enhanced Recovery Potions] (Ex-Potions)! With these, you must return alive!”

Elise jumped off the wagon and threw herself at me, hugging me tightly.

“Uh, ah! Yes, Elise, of course!”

“Lord Cain!” Ril chimed in, stepping off the wagon. “These potions are powerful enough to instantly heal even severed limbs!”

“Ril, great job! As expected of my talented [Alchemist] mentor!”

Ril, the young alchemist, gave me a thumbs-up. Selvia returned the gesture. Thanks to Ril’s guidance, Selvia’s [Alchemist] skill had recently advanced to [Level 2].

I had also learned [Alchemist Level 1] from Ril, a skill that proved incredibly useful.

“And… after much trial and error, we’ve successfully developed the poison you requested! My brother and I worked on it together!”

“It’s finally ready? Fantastic! This completes my [Overpowered Build for Taking Down Higher-Ranked Opponents]!”

“Cain, is this an improved version of that potion?” Selvia asked excitedly.

“N-not that one!” I quickly denied it, flustered.

Selvia was dangerously close to bringing up a highly inappropriate topic. No way was I going to meet my fiancée’s father while carrying the [Enhanced Dissolving Potion – Clothes Only Version]. That would be absurd.

Regardless, we were now fully equipped with our trump cards. No matter what awaited us, I was confident we could win.

“Alright, as soon as we’re ready, we set out for the outskirts of the capital!”

“Understood! This Lancelot will accompany you and clear the way!” Lancelot said with a bow.

Even with horses, the journey from this remote region to the capital would take over ten days. The undead army continued to grow, so we needed to act quickly.

Moreover, we had received news that Viscount Fernando, Selvia’s father, had already departed with his troops. We needed to join him soon to provide support.

“Oh! Lancelot is coming too? And a huge stock of [Enhanced Recovery Potions]?! Ahahaha! Amazing! We’re going to win! I’m not going to die after all!”

Relieved, Gordon burst into loud, foolish laughter.