"???"

Staring at Mier, who was half a head taller than him, Levi had no idea when he’d suddenly acquired such a big brother-in-law.

"Mier, what nonsense are you spouting? You have to call him ’Lord’!"

Baisitina was both angry and anxious. She jabbed Mier in the waist with her small fist, her face flushing red with embarrassment in the darkness.

Baisitina’s punch didn’t hurt Mier in the slightest, and a look of vivid disappointment crossed his face.

In truth, he had seen the Lord’s heroic prowess below the city walls and had always assumed he’d be a burly man with a full, bushy beard.

He never expected that after taking off his helmet, the man would be as handsome as an Elf.

If Levi wasn’t his brother-in-law, he really couldn’t figure out how his sister had persuaded this brave and handsome Knight to personally rush to the battlefield to help.

From any angle, Baisitina’s brother was being far too rude. Levi didn’t know how old he was, but his mind was as immature as a child’s.

Perhaps witnessing his relatives die one by one before his eyes and having the mountain-like weight of responsibility thrust upon him had brought his inner world to the brink of collapse. The unventable pressure was like a cold north wind, constantly eroding his fragile heart.

So, upon finding someone to rely on, he had temporarily regressed from his brief stint of maturity, causing him to act a little strangely.

Levi couldn’t bring himself to be angry about it; instead, he felt a bit of sympathy. After all, this was a burden he should never have had to bear.

Levi ignored the siblings’ little exchange and said to Zat, "Come over here and help me out of my armor."

He still hadn’t taken off his armor, and the bloodstains on it had long since dried into dark patches.

Zat and Muto came over to their boss and began to remove his armor.

After two battles, some parts of the armor had been struck and were now dented, causing damage to the joints.

The two Beastmen had to use pliers and a bit of force to unlatch it.

CLANG!

With each piece of armor removed, blood that hadn’t yet congealed spilled onto the ground, and the scent of blood, which had been fading in the night breeze, grew thick once more.

Zat and Muto looked on with faces full of awe and admiration.

The number of enemies their boss had killed alone was almost as many as they had killed combined.

When that terrifying Giant Sword swept out, enemies fell in droves, just like the ryegrass they used to cut for livestock back in their homeland.

"Tina, can you find a place for me and my men to rest? We’re exhausted after fighting all day."

Freed from the heavy weight of his armor, Levi felt a little lighter and stretched his back.

"The Tribe has built some spare houses, but they might be a bit short for your men. Still, they’ll be fine for resting."

Baisitina led the way, guiding Levi and his men toward a row of unlit wooden buildings.

The two walked side-by-side, and Baisitina hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Levi, Mier can be a bit mischievous, but he’s not normally like this..."

"I don’t understand it. He clearly has the natural talent to be a general, yet he acts as immaturely as a child," Levi said as they walked. "Heaven gave him this gift, but he lets it go to waste."

Levi had a sharp eye for people. In his view, Mier didn’t have some kind of genetic disease that impaired his intelligence. He was very smart—smarter than ten Zats combined.

The way he was now was purely because he’d been too sheltered, to the point that he’d lost the ability to be independent.

"Honestly, if we hadn’t rushed over tonight, if we had waited until tomorrow, there would be nothing left here but ruined walls and corpses."

"Levi, you’re being a little too harsh. Mier is only sixteen," Baisitina said, sounding helpless.

"Mier is actually very smart. He just uses his talent for tinkering with strange things."

Levi stopped walking and looked directly into her sapphire-like eyes.

"Tina, I can understand that he’s young, but the world won’t, and our enemies certainly won’t!"

"Do you know what I went through when I was fifteen?"

Levi shot back, but continued before Baisitina could answer:

"A Powerful Count wanted to make me his male favorite. I cut down dozens of guards to escape his castle. After that, I worked as a Mercenary, served as an attendant to a Noble Lady, and fought in the Gladiatorial Arena. I wandered for three years, going through all that before I finally built what I have now in the Northern Lands."

"Huh?"

Baisitina was dumbfounded. She never imagined Levi had a past like that, nor that he was actually the same age as her.

Levi paid no mind to Baisitina’s astonishment and gave her a deep look.

"What I’m trying to say is, a doting mother spoils a son. And, well... a doting sister, too!"

With that, he turned and walked toward the camp set aside for the Barbarians without a backward glance.

’He’d said all that only because he didn’t want to see a promising young talent be ruined by Baisitina’s coddling.’

’For Mier to have a physique like that at sixteen, he was absolutely prime material for the battlefield.’

’Especially since the kid was also very smart. With just a little training from him, he was bound to achieve great things in the future.’

’Right now, High Cliff Castle was short on talent. When it came to leading troops into battle, besides himself, there was no one else up to the task.’

’If he could train this kid, he would surely become one of the pillars of High Cliff Castle.’

’As for his experiences at fifteen, that was right when he had first transmigrated.’

’His predecessor had been a Desolate Baron who had become so poor he was about to sell his body. Fortunately, he transmigrated just in time to stop all that; otherwise, his predecessor’s reputation would have been ruined at the last moment.’

The women and children of the Feder Remnants were preparing food and ale for the warriors from High Cliff Castle. The hundred-year-old town was well-stocked with supplies.

According to Baisitina, the food reserves were enough to feed everyone here for over a year.

Levi, who had only had two bird eggs for a snack that morning, was indeed a bit hungry after a full day of rushing around.

He walked into the house, grabbed a bread roll stuffed with vegetables and meat from the table, and began tearing into it hungrily. He also scooped up some beef and potato stew, nodding in satisfaction as he ate.

’When it came to cuisine, you still had to rely on humans,’ he thought. ’The Beastman Barbarians might be good at roasting meat, but the meals they cooked were barely edible.’

The bread, soaked in hot milk, gave off a milky aroma. With one bite, the milk burst out and filled his mouth, accompanied by the savory scent of roasted venison.

This unique combination of ingredients made Levi’s eyes light up.

The potatoes were stewed until they were incredibly soft, having perfectly absorbed the rich broth. The beef was tender, not tough, and practically melted into a paste in his mouth.

This was the most satisfying meal he’d had since leaving Duchess Fulina’s Mansion.

However, Levi stopped after he was about sixty percent full. No one could say for sure when the next wave of enemies might arrive, and eating too much would affect his performance.

As battlefield veterans, the Barbarians obviously understood this principle as well. They all just ate enough to fill their stomachs before stopping.