Beastman Barbarians were sent flying from the center, one after another, slamming hard onto the ground like ragdolls.

Baisitina and Jos, who were watching from the sidelines, stood frozen like statues. The same was true for the Feder Remnants who had heard the commotion and come over to spectate. In their stupor, they absentmindedly dropped whatever they were holding.

"B-By the War God..." Jos stared blankly at the scene. His hands, usually steady as a rock from his sword practice, were now trembling uncontrollably.

He had witnessed firsthand just how formidable those Beastman Barbarians, built as they were like Giant Beasts, could be. They were certainly no mere show-ponies, like the strongmen kept by nobles for entertainment.

Yet before this relatively small and slender figure, they were being tossed into the air like old pillows and slammed back down to the ground, one by one. Their resistance was more futile than that of a little white rabbit.

Earlier, the Beastman Barbarians had told him stories of their "War God." Although he had smiled politely on the surface, he had been inwardly scornful.

He saw it as a common trick used by nobles: deceiving the ignorant by bestowing upon themselves all sorts of titles to solidify their rule.

But now, he believed.

Fifty Beastmen had been utterly defeated by a single human.

If this wasn’t a War God, then who was?

In about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the grassy field was littered with downed Beastman Barbarians, each of them clutching their sides in pain.

Even with their tough hides and thick muscles, being thrown into the sky and then plummeting back down was no pleasant experience.

And this was the result of Levi holding back.

"Now that was a satisfying fight!"

Levi stretched, feeling refreshed and invigorated as his joints let out a series of loud pops and cracks.

After all that activity, he had barely broken a sweat. It was just enough to be considered a warm-up.

"My Lord, your sword."

The look of worship in Hog’s eyes was fervent and intense.

’This is the Lord I follow! So powerful!’

"Keep training hard. In the future, you might get a chance to spar with me alongside Zat and the others."

Levi patted Hog’s shoulder, offering a word of encouragement.

As for saying something like Hog might surpass him one day, Levi didn’t believe it himself. It was better not to feed him that kind of empty encouragement, lest he become overambitious.

Baisitina sized up Levi with a mixture of shock and curiosity. But when she saw his bare upper body, she couldn’t help but blush and cover her eyes with her hands.

Still, she couldn’t resist peeking through a gap in her fingers.

"This isn’t something a little kid should be looking at."

Levi hung his sword at his side and pulled on his shirt.

Seeing that Levi was already dressed, Baisitina felt a strange pang of disappointment and muttered in dissatisfaction.

"I’m eighteen. I’ve already had my coming-of-age ceremony."

"Oh?"

Levi glanced at Baisitina.

He hadn’t expected that Baisitina, with her baby face and petite stature, was already eighteen years old. A legal adult, then.

Everything that had happened today finally prompted Baisitina to ask, "Levi, how are you so strong?"

"Because I have the bloodline of a Giant."

Levi said, his expression inscrutable.

"Huh? How is that possible?"

Baisitina looked at him in disbelief. How could a human and a Giant have a child?

She had read in books that Giants were seven or eight ren tall. No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible for them to have children with humans.

Besides, the Giants had vanished a thousand years ago when Magic disappeared. There were no Giants left in the world.

"Haha, I’m just kidding."

Levi ruffled Baisitina’s hair and then started walking down the hill. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d had the sudden urge to pat her head.

"Hmph."

Baisitina’s cheeks puffed out in a pout, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she immediately followed him.

Jos watched this exchange with an unreadable expression on his face.

He had watched Baisitina grow up since she was a child; she was like a daughter to him.

’Marrying a noble from Debei is obviously a better fate than marrying one of those barbarians from the Kas Mountain Range.’

The thought made him recall someone who, even on their deathbed, had shown no remorse, wanting to push Baisitina into the Abyss.

He shook his head, placed a hand on his sword, and called the Feder Remnants to resume their training.

’The Alliance Army from the Wilderness will be attacking soon. We have to prepare.’

But whereas before he’d only been seventy percent confident they could repel the Alliance Army, after witnessing Levi’s power, he was now ninety-nine percent certain they would win this battle!

If this Lord just donned his Three-Layered Heavy Armor and threw himself onto the battlefield, he would be an absolute meat grinder, more than enough to decide the outcome of a small-scale battle!

...

The looming shadow of war did not seem to affect High Cliff Castle.

By day, the Warriors of the Burning Corps trained under Zat and Muto, pouring sweat onto the training grounds. By night, they would leap into the river downstream from High Cliff Castle to wash away the day’s fatigue.

Although the individual prowess of the Beastman Barbarians was beyond question, without mastery of teamwork, discipline, and formation fighting, they were destined to remain a ragtag force that could never be taken seriously.

They might be invincible in small skirmishes, but on a battlefield with a thousand or more combatants, they would only be able to swallow the bitter fruit of defeat.

Fortunately, however, after becoming soldiers of the system, they were imbued with this knowledge. With just a little training, they could master this Power, which was distinct from their Martial Arts.

Even Jos found it incredible. A group of Beastmen was somehow more proficient in formations and coordination than humans.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the effect that Beastman Barbarians, who had mastered discipline and formations, would have on a battlefield.

Extrapolating from this small detail, he realized he had still underestimated Levi. Not only was the Lord monstrously powerful in combat, but he was also an expert at leading troops.

He felt as if he were witnessing a new star rising in the Wilderness. This Lord’s name would one day resound throughout the entire Debei Kingdom.

At this thought, the last shred of Jos’s pride was shattered. If they didn’t make a change, the Feder Remnants who had joined High Cliff Castle would gradually be relegated to the status of mere commoners.

To secure a place for themselves in High Cliff Castle, the Feder Remnants had to make a significant military contribution.

The Feder Remnants possessed sharp eyes, making them natural Archers. They only needed a little training to become proficient.

Conveniently, High Cliff Castle was lacking in ranged attackers, which gave Jos an opportunity.

During training, he began to intentionally focus on these skills.

Levi was unaware of this. He had planned to suggest that Jos train the Feder Warriors as Archers, but seeing Jos had already taken the initiative saved him the trouble.

Life in High Cliff Castle returned to a state of peace.

The Warriors of the Burning Corps trained every day, the Kobolds reclaimed barren fields, and dozens of Goblins built up piles of farm manure downwind, covering them with dry grass to wait for the fermentation process to complete before use.

The women and children of the Jackal Wolfman Tribe weren’t idle either; Levi had put them to work doing various odd jobs.

As for the notion that Jackal Wolfmen disliked work, such a concept simply didn’t exist under his rule.

He had even turned the Goblins into dutiful serfs, working them from dawn till dusk, seven days a week. The Jackal Wolfmen were no exception.

「Half a month later, one morning.」

"Lord!" Accompanied by two wolf howls, two Jackal Wolfmen galloped toward Levi like the wind. The Warg Mounts beneath them panted heavily, their tongues lolling out, the hot air from their mouths and noses visible in the morning air. One of them, Scarface the Jackal Wolfman, shouted, "Forty li to the northeast, a large enemy force is surging toward High Cliff Castle! There are some powerful Races among them!"