In late summer of that same year in a past life, there was a need in the northern regions to use monster sap separately. However, since the Hurans made with the previous year’s sap had already been placed, many territories faced difficulties.

At that time, Kaiden was able to release additional stored sap. He had collected so much sap from breaking monster eggs to make his mark that there was an excess even after setting up the Hurans.

In the past, they had become affluent by selling the excess sap to other northern territories, but demand was particularly high that year.

Seeing this as a great opportunity to gain merit and build a reputation, Kaiden distributed the sap to each territory free of charge. This decision was partly influenced by Dana, who had been engaged for four years and had just come of age, making him feel uneasy.

Reflecting on that memory from the past, Kaiden prepared for that time in advance.

As a result, the soldiers preparing the Hurans and the knights adjusting the placement zones had a significant amount of work to do. The zones were also wider than before, adding to their workload.

While these preparations were underway, the higher-ranking knights were busy training at the training ground. This was necessary because they had to deal with mother monsters returning with food or male monsters guarding their habitats when setting up the Hurans. On the opposite side of the training knights, there were knights standing in the shade with their helmets off.

Among those standing by the pillars of the colonnade surrounding the training ground was Kaiden. Of the two knights sparring in the center of the training ground, one was from Leonas and the other from Khalid. The blades of the two knights, clad in chain mail and helmets with face guards, clashed continuously.

“Hey, damn. Did you miss that?”

Next to Kaiden, a knight grumbled as if he couldn’t bear to watch the sparring. The knight who spoke up, whom Kaiden secretly considered a bit of a slacker, was Ian Connors.

The nickname “slacker” was partly due to the impression his slick face gave and partly based on his actual behavior. With brown hair and eyes, a handsome face, and a slender build, Ian was a young man who disliked anything unseemly and loved to dress stylishly.

“He parried that one well, though.”

Next to him, a slightly older and more robust knight commented. This black-haired knight was Declan Dieter, currently the deputy commander of the Khalid knights. Originally, he was considered the second most skilled after Kaiden in Leonas. He became the deputy commander of the Khalid knights after winning sparring matches against them.

Around them was a mix of knights from both Leonas and Khalid. They stood together in the shade, watching the sparring.

Kaiden, who had become a duke through marriage to a princess, was originally of common birth but was already a famous knight in the north. Therefore, his ascension to duke was not an issue for the knights originally from Khalid. However, the merger with the Leonas knights under Kaiden’s command was a concern.

From the perspective of the Khalid knights, there was potential worry about the merger with the Leonas knights. It would be problematic if the new duke favored the Leonas knights or neglected the Khalid knights. After all, Khalid was the most historically significant territory in the north, and they were its knights.

Fortunately, the concerns of the Khalid knights turned out to be unfounded. The reason was that the duke treated all the knights equally and without favoritism.

Clang—!

A sword flew, and the sparring ended with the victory of the Khalid knight. The knights watching applauded, and the defeated Leonas knight raised his hand toward Kaiden and shouted,

“I object!”

The knight, who had been randomly chosen for sparring by the duke throwing a dagger at a board, objected to his defeat because he was immediately scheduled for another sparring match. At the end of the colonnade, there was a board with the names of the knights marked by Kaiden’s thrown daggers.

In response to the knight’s objection, Kaiden, who was preparing to throw a dagger to decide the next sparring match, paused. Without even looking at the knight, he aimed the dagger in his hand at him and said,

“Are you going to object to a monster too? Shut up and run.”

In the tense atmosphere, as if the dagger might fly at any moment, the knight’s squire hurried over. The knight, having removed his helmet, wiped his face with a towel the squire quickly brought, then put his helmet back on. Without a word, he began running along the sunlit edge of the training ground. Many knights were already running along the edge.

The duke’s dagger, which had been aimed at the knight, was withdrawn. Someone shouted that the courage was commendable.

The Khalid knight, having secured victory, wiped his sweat and walked into the shaded colonnade. The knights standing there reached out and clapped hands in camaraderie. Among those expressing their appreciation were knights from both Leonas and Khalid, now all part of the Khalid knight order.

When Kaiden returned to the past and became the Baron of Leonas again, he sought out the knights who had been the core of the Leonas knight order in his previous life. Frankly, it was a tedious and annoying process, having to spend time on these guys again.

He approached the knights who didn’t yet know him and, with a lackluster attitude, threw his gloves at their faces. The knights, surprised by the appearance of the handsome stranger, were thoroughly beaten in the subsequent duels. Needless to say, losing those duels resulted in them joining the Leonas knight order.

As he recruited the core knights and built his reputation, others eager to join the knight order came forward on their own. Some knights, having heard rumors of the glove-throwing man who sought out and challenged skilled knights, approached him with burning determination. From Kaiden’s perspective, this was beneficial, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that the process was extremely tedious.

As a result, the Leonas knights were treated more harshly by their commander than in their previous lives and became more accustomed to rigorous discipline. The Khalid knights, witnessing the Leonas knights being driven hard, anticipated hardship from the start.

The new Duke showed no favoritism, and there was no difference in how the knights were pushed. The young Duke wasn’t rigidly bound by etiquette and formality but had a relentless nature, sparing no knights who didn’t meet his standards. He kept them in constant training.

Beside Kaiden stood Yenton, a squire ready to hand him a dagger from a box of daggers. It was the dagger the Duke would throw to select the next sparring partner. Kaiden already held one dagger in his hand.

However, even as Kaiden prepared to throw the dagger, he wasn’t looking at where it would land. Instead, he gazed at the distant spire of Eluan Castle beyond the trees surrounding the training ground.

After the wedding, Kaiden, now a Duke, had many responsibilities. Khalid was incomparable to Leonas in terms of scale. Although Dana still oversaw the internal affairs of the territory, there was a mountain of knight order matters that required immediate attention.

Thus, even though he was married to Dana, he had no time to meet her. Kaiden woke up at dawn and went to the knight order to do his work. At night, he would watch Dana’s bedroom from a distance, as he wasn’t allowed to enter, and then head to his own room.

In the luxurious room with a soft bed he had never laid on before, he felt nothing but emptiness, devoid of any satisfaction or abundance. Lying alone, he fell into self-loathing because of the unquenchable desire he couldn’t fulfill. The princess was unaware and uninterested in this wretched man’s lust.

Eventually, after failing to hold back and releasing his pent-up frustration alone, he sometimes thought it was fortunate they didn’t share a bedroom. If they did lie in the same bed, could he restrain himself? What if the princess feared his excitement or decided to annul their marriage?

He worried about such nonexistent scenarios until he finally fell asleep. And then, morning came again.

Amid these repetitive mornings, Kaiden still couldn’t fully grasp his reality. Had he really married the princess? Was he truly the princess’s husband? He had married because he became a Duke, but what had changed?

In reality, he spent each day acutely aware of the heat of the training ground and the sweat of the knights. In this fantastical reality where his dream had come true, he felt no joy at all.

Looking longingly at the place where Dana might be, he felt like a beastling, no different from an animal hoping for food or a treat. No, perhaps he was even less than that.

‘At least a beast can perform tricks in front of its master and get something to eat.’

He couldn’t even properly see the precious face of the princess…

Unaware of his feelings, the knight Ian spoke beside him.

“Wow, how can a knight live without his wife? Does your wife leave whenever you step away for a moment?”

Pulled out of his thoughts, Kaiden aimed the dagger at Ian. Ian gasped and shut his mouth, and Kaiden said,

“You’re up for the next sparring match.”