"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 9

About two months after the assassination. At the usual tavern.

“Ahh… Nothing beats a drink after work!”

“Since the amount of food and alcohol has returned to what it used to be, I can eat my fill every day.”

This place was bustling again today with adventurers returning from their early morning escapades.

“The lord suddenly changed hands, and for a while, I was worried about what would happen… but I never expected it to turn out for the better!”

“Yes, yes! Long live the young new baron!”

At that moment, an adventurer forcefully opened the door and barged into the shop. The master remained silent, probably because he is usually a well-mannered regular customer.

“Hey, you guys! Big news!”

The adventurers who were enjoying the drinking party fell silent and listened to him.

And then.

It seems that the Mantesa Baron has declared war on the Arden Baron!!!

「「「「「！？！？！？」」」」」

The unexpected remark caused an uproar.

“Manster is the noble family that governs the neighboring territory, right!?”

“Why does it have to be now of all times?!!”

“Arden shouldn’t have done anything to earn the other’s resentment, but…”

“More importantly, is it true?? It’s not a rumor, right?!!”

“Whether it’s true or not, this is officially announced information from the guild right now!!!”

Hearing these words, the tavern became even more chaotic. Even the master couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

That’s only natural. Just when the Arden territory thought it had finally emerged from years of recession, now the neighboring territory is declaring war. They aren’t the only ones unsettled by this double whammy of a situation.

However, there is one adventurer party that remains calm even in such a situation.

“They finally declared war, huh?”

“Hmm. It is slightly later than the baron’s expectations.”

“Conversely, if you think about it, it means the enemy has prepared even more meticulously, right?”

“Kyahaha! War, war~♪”

“Let’s hurry and head to the branch manager.”

These individuals are the B-rank party that the Adventurers’ Guild, Arden Branch, takes pride in. Since they were informed in advance as the guild’s greatest force, they are not particularly flustered by this situation. On the contrary, they were immediately preparing to take their next action. As expected of a seasoned warrior.

Afterwards, as this information spread not only within the territory but also to neighboring regions, those who moved to other noble domains for their safety and those who returned to Arden to protect their homeland formed long lines and passed each other on the roads.

While a grim atmosphere was spreading throughout the entire territory, at the Arden Baron…

“Big brother, I want to be able to use magic too!”

“I see. Since Lena is already twelve, it might be a good idea to start studying magic soon. But the Imperial Academy entrance exam doesn’t have a practical test, you know? …Is that still okay?”

As Ryu said, the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy consists only of a written test. Therefore, most students take their first magic lecture only after enrolling.

“Yes! I thought that if I practice magic from now on, I might gain quite an advantage before entering school!”

“Thinking about it with the assumption of enrollment… as expected of my sister. Right, Sebas?”

“Yes. Since Lady Lena also carries the bl00d of the wise Lady Iris, it’s only natural, but I think it’s truly wonderful that she can put in proper effort separately. In the future, she will surely be remembered in history as a great person.”

“I completely agree.”

“Hehehe”

Of course, since practical skills are not required, the difficulty of the written exam skyrockets…

Well, if it’s Lena, there shouldn’t be any problem.

“Alright, Lena. I’ll give you the ‘magic book I edited’ later, so please take a look at it. After that, we’ll decide whether to hire a magic teacher or if I’ll take the reins myself, based on your feedback.”

“I prefer my older brother!”

“But I’m not very good at teaching.”

“I prefer my older brother!”

“Sigh… I understand.”

“Yay!”

Sebas watched the scene with the eyes of a grandparent.

Hahaha. How heartwarming.

And then, at that moment, Silva came rushing in. Judging by the tension in his face, he must be quite flustered. And unusually, he raised his voice,

“Lord Ryu! The army has been assembled! We can depart at any time!”

“Oh, Silver. Good work.”

“You’re quite calm again, aren’t you…”

Sebas says while stroking his beard.

“We have been preparing under Lord Ryu’s leadership for about two months now. All that’s left is to wait for the war to begin, so there’s no need to rush.”

“But this battle is not just a mere skirmish; it’s a fight to the death for the honor of both families, you know?”

“You were just telling the knights the other day, ‘Always remain calm in battle,’ weren’t you?”

“Ugh…”

Silver directed his gaze towards Lena, who still hadn’t lost her smile.

Leaving aside these two, even Lady Lena… what on earth is going on with Arden?

Lady Lena

“Hmm, what’s wrong? Captain Silver?”

“I’m sorry for being rude, but don’t you feel any tension or fear? This is a proper war, after all.”

“Not that it’s scary or anything, but…”

“May I ask the reason?”

“Eh, there’s only one of those, you know?”

Lena took a breath and said clearly.

“Because big brother said ‘it’s okay.'”

“！？”

Who exactly is Ryuu-sama, who commands such immense trust from those around him? Through reforms and mock battles, we know that his intellect and combat skills are exceptionally superior, but even so, it still seems strange. This might be better described as a kind of faith rather than trust. Like the gods in myths or the “dragon” that governs the azure sky…

“Oh my, oh my. I thought I heard some cheerful conversation.”

“Oh, Mom”

“Mother!”

“My Lena-chan is so cute today too~”

“Hehehe”

Everyone present here knows the details of the operation, so each person understands what they need to do. Therefore, I didn’t talk for too long.

“Well then, shall we get started? The war with the Mantesa.”

At Ryu’s words, everyone nodded vigorously.