73 – Intense Patience Competition

[Brad’s Perspective]

Some time ago.

I tested the extent of my durability. I thought to have Omoneil and the others cooperate…

“Brad-sama… I-Is this really okay?”

“Hitting His Highness with full force—such disrespect, I can’t do it!”

“Boff, I agree with everyone, boff.”

“Shut up! I’m telling you to do it! Do you think I’d die from attacks like yours? Even if I did, I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

I gave reckless orders to Omoneil and the others, who hesitated to attack me.

Of course. Even if told to attack their lord, few could do so casually. Especially since the three seemed to love me, in their own way.

At a drinking party, when my boss Ichinose declared “no holds barred,” a colleague, fueled by resentment, actually hit his head. The next day, that colleague was demoted.

There’s nothing less trustworthy than “no holds barred.”

“You lot… Choose, quit being my vassals here, or attack and leave your names in history as loyal retainers who followed your lord’s orders!”

Even I wouldn’t want to serve a boss like this! But Ichinose was just as bad in the memories of my past life.

The three discussed with troubled faces, “What do we do?” and after a few minutes, they reached a conclusion.

“Understood. If Brad-sama insists this much… But if anything happens, we’re prepared to follow Brad-sama.”

When Omoneil answered, Sontak and Kobiul nodded deeply.

“No need to follow me. Just come at me with killing intent, now!”

The three shed tears… Moved by their resolve, I was half-crying as the durability test began.

Compared to Freesia and the others, maybe it’s better it didn’t get too emotional?

No, maybe not…

While I thought foolish things, Sontak drew his greatsword, leaped lightly, and slashed at me.

“Sontak! Is that your serious strike? Start getting serious from today!”

“I’m giving it my all! His Highness’s outer skin’s durability is monstrous!”

Clearly timed to behead me, Sontak held back and swung from my shoulder. The sword bounced off, and like a batter whiffing a hard swing, Sontak spun around with it.

“Liebenrathia’s master smiths forged the Meister Sword, and it’s deflected so easily!”

“Lord Omoneil, we must combine our strength and soften His Highness’s skin with roaring flames, boff.”

“Indeed…”

[Roaring Fire that Reduces All to Nothing: Atom Flamme]

The two layered their chants, raising hands toward me. A fireball larger than Liebenrathia Castle appeared before them, and Sontak used the Meister Shield to protect them from the fireball’s heat.

That massive fireball closed in on me.

To be honest…

I could swat it away with one hand.

But I didn’t want to nullify their effort and resolve, so I chose to take the giant fireball head-on.

Atom Flamme, a small sun.

Before it hit, the radiating heat scorched my clothes. Already naked, it felt not like a sauna but like soaking in lukewarm water after exhausting paperwork, comforting.

No, I hadn’t taken it yet.

“Uooohhh!!!”

If it hit, I might not just burn but vanish. Thinking that, I dashed toward the flames.

“Brad-sama, what!?”

“D-Dodge!!!”

“Get out of the way, boff!”

It’s not that I can’t dodge it, but it didn’t feel like that kind of issue.

Even in a wasteland, if I didn’t absorb and reduce its power, it’d harm citizens and land. Soon, the roaring fire touched my skin, but no smoke rose, no burns formed, and the flames died out.

For about thirty minutes, the magical flames tried to burn me, but in the end, they only stripped me naked, with no effect whatsoever.

The scene before me showed soil and stone melted into a molten, magma-like red glow, cooling and hardening into obsidian.

“Your teamwork… Pretty good. Keep at it.”

“““Brad-sama!!!”””

The three wept.

Whether they were happy I was unharmed, thrilled at my praise, or sad their ultimate magic had no effect, I honestly didn’t know.

They just watched as I walked away naked.

Such things happened, and with legs trained by squats, I jumped, soaring past the stratosphere into outer space without a rocket.

By contracting my trained ciliary muscles, I saw events at Liebenrathia Palace from space with clarity surpassing a spy satellite!

Kobiul and his soldiers were bound to guillotines by Siegfried and unfamiliar figures. Their bodies, likely heavily beaten, were covered in purple bruises and welts…

Following this planet’s gravity, I plummeted straight toward the castle gate. Friction with the atmosphere burned my clothes again, but it wasn’t hot.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Accelerating like a meteor, I destroyed not just the gate but the city itself. Only the palace walls barely remained…

“You lot! Destroying the beautiful Liebenrathian capital I’m to inherit… I’ll never forgive you!!!”

Well, the capital was already damaged before I destroyed it, but only about a third was wrecked.

Brad probably planned to pin all the blame on Siegfried. When I yelled, Siegfried and the others stood with mouths agape.

(TL:  was he wearing two sets of clothes??)