Lazy but the strongest in the dimension

Receiving the Oath (1)

A few days after the harvest had ended, two men lay sprawled out like corpses at the entrance of the Rinus Plains.

Vice Knight Commander Hermin had already been defeated by Balen and dragged away, and now Balen and Knight Commander Malik, who had just finished their battle, had collapsed and could not rise.

Whooooosh!

The wind blew fiercely for some reason, and dust and sand kept whipping into people’s wide-open eyes.

Count Rinus was no exception—his eyes stung just the same.

Just what on earth had happened?

“Is this a dream…? A divine revelation? Or am I getting early-onset dementia?”

“No, Father. This is very much reality.”

The eldest son of the family, Kaion, also found the current situation hard to believe.

Even before using the Danmal, the swordsmanship Balen had displayed had been beyond this world.

His body had suddenly become sturdier, and he had even grown taller—it made some sense, given that he had received the divine oracle.

It was said that one’s physique was transformed under the goddess’s blessing.

Kaion had thought it was nothing more than a legend, but today, he had seen it with his own eyes.

After a long silence, people finally began to speak.

“That last moment… The young master did receive the Danmal, didn’t he?”

“That’s what I saw. Normally, when someone receives the Danmal, their body can’t withstand the immense power, and they end up fainting.”

“Then… was this the goddess’s blessing?”

“But what about that dazzling swordsmanship just now?”

“It must be the goddess’s blessing.”

If they claimed it was the goddess’s blessing, they could make sense of anything.

Even movements that seemed beyond the swordsmanship of this world—if they were techniques created by the goddess Kaldona herself, then it would be understandable.

The problem was that swordsmanship wasn’t something one could perform just by knowing it. It wasn’t as simple as jumping rope, after all.

The count spoke up.

“Is it true that he has been training every night?”

“No way. He was always too busy sleeping to have time for training.”

“But you saw it just now.”

“Maybe… we should just consider it a miracle.”

Kaion trailed off.

Even if they called it a miracle, it was still difficult to fully comprehend the situation.

The knights of the territory shouted.

“My lord! We need to treat them! My lord, please, come to your senses.”

“Huh? Oh, yes?”

“Shall we take them to the temple?”

“Y-yes. We should do that.”

“Carry them both!”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights hoisted Balen and Malik onto their backs.

Their injuries didn’t seem too severe, so receiving immediate treatment at the temple should be enough. In Balen’s case, he had simply fainted from the shock of receiving the Danmal, so he would likely regain consciousness with time.

As the people of the territory and the soldiers came to their senses, cheers erupted.

“Waaaaah! The young master has regained consciousness!”

“He’s more than capable of leading an army!”

A murmur spread through the crowd.

The area grew noisy.

If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they might have doubted it. But since everyone had witnessed it, the current situation had to be accepted as undeniable truth.

The count finally regained his composure and smiled.

Regardless of the details, the second young master of the count’s family had received the Danmal, a blessing from the gods. This was a cause for celebration in the territory.

“Hahaha! Today is a day for a festival! Let’s hold a grand celebration!”

“Waaaaah!”

Cheers erupted once again.

Declaring a festival meant that Count Rinus would provide alcohol and meat to the people and soldiers of the territory.

There was no reason for them not to be overjoyed.

***

Temple Infirmary

The count’s temple had a dedicated medical facility where soldiers and knights could receive treatment.

If they were injured during monster subjugations or training, they could receive medical care free of charge. This was one of the greatest strengths that had allowed the Empire to rise as the most powerful nation.

In the infirmary, Knight Commander Malik regained consciousness.

“Gasp!”

“Commander! Are you awake?”

It was Vice Commander Hermin.

Several knights stood in the room, their expressions solemn.

“What… happened?”

“You lost the due,l and—well, your eyes didn’t exactly roll back, but you did lose consciousness for a moment. And then, you activated Divine Aura.”

“I… did?”

Malik pressed his hand to his forehead.

No matter how much he had lost control, it wasn’t a duel to the death. Using Divine Aura first was a violation of the rules.

Besides, Balen was someone who had barely picked up a sword. Malik himself had trained every night, but no one would believe such an absurd claim about Balen.

His memory was hazy, with parts missing after he had activated Divine Aura.

“And then?”

“At that very moment, as if by divine will, the goddess bestowed the Danmal upon the young master. It was an incredible power. For a moment, I thought a Master had appeared.”

“A Master, you say…”

One did not simply surpass Owner and Great ranks to become a Master overnight.

Even after receiving the Danmal, one had to train relentlessly to advance their abilities. It was known that becoming a Master required not just effort but also ultimate enlightenment.

It was certainly not the level of a Master.

Hermin spoke.

“Perhaps the rumors of him training every night were true.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Or maybe he had been hiding his strength all this time.”

“What reason would the young master have for that?”

“We don’t know. He may have received an oracle long ago and was keeping a low profile.”

The knights nodded in agreement.

Without such an explanation, it was difficult to comprehend how he had grown so powerful so suddenly.

Religious people believed that everything had a reason.

And these knights were all deeply devout. Only through unwavering faith could the goddess’s blessings manifest in them.

Malik, too, was a knight of deep faith and believed that everything that had transpired must hold meaning.

“He may be the savior of humanity. Is it not our duty to follow in the footsteps of a great saint?”

“Ooooh!”

The knights rose to their feet in fervor.

A man destined to become a great saint.

Serving him was their destiny as knights.

Malik sprang to his feet.

“Let’s go! We must beg for his forgiveness!”

“Yes, sir!”

Despite it being late at night, the knights rushed en masse toward Lord Balen’s residence.

I regained full consciousness around the afternoon.

In truth, I had woken up in less than an hour after passing out.

Andrew, who had been anxiously tending to me, made a huge fuss, but I told him to shut up and be quiet.

After that, I just kept sleeping. My Laziness Level showed no signs of recovery.

Based on mt experience, it seemed to recover at a rate of about 10% per day. However, once we began marching for war, I had no idea what would happen.

It was a truly bleak reality.

“Young Master! Young Master!”

“Can’t you see I’m resting?”

“You need to come out for a moment!”

“Why?”

“The knights have gathered as a group and are begging for your forgiveness!”

“Good grief. They’re putting on a show. What nonsense.”

This was ridiculous.

It would be a problem if I ended up accepting any oaths from the knights.

It wouldn’t be an oath of absolute loyalty, but if they swore to obey my commands throughout the campaign, there was a high chance they would later become my faction. For now, they were loyal to my father, but once he passed away, they would naturally swear allegiance to one of his sons.

And if I gathered a faction, who knew what kind of trouble that would bring?

I would have to build relationships, spar with the knights from time to time, and even train with them. If that happened, my Laziness Level would plummet.

When my Laziness Level was at MAX, I received bonuses, but when it was LOW, penalties occurred.

I refused to let that happen.

“Tell them all to scram.”

“They’re prepared to kneel outside all night if you don’t come out!”

“Then let them do as they please.”

It had nothing to do with me.

The only reason I was joining the war was because the imperial decree had mandated it. Just because I was going to war didn’t mean I had to form my faction. My father had already ordered the 1st Knight Order to participate, so I simply had to go along. There was no reason for me to receive their repentance or have them swear temporary allegiance to me.

Once the war was over, I planned to live a peaceful life, leisurely fishing. Or, if even that felt like too much effort, I just wanted to lounge in a hammock and sleep.

If I performed well in the war, instead of being granted land in the territory, wouldn’t they just appoint me as the lord of some quiet rural estate?

That would be more than enough of a reward.

I felt my eyelids growing heavy. As drowsiness overtook me, I drifted back into sleep.

***

The Next Morning

Count Rinus received an astonishing report.

“The knights have been standing in front of Balen’s residence since last night, insisting on making their oaths?”

“More precisely, they are begging for forgiveness for having disregarded him until now. They are even willing to swear absolute obedience throughout the campaign.”

“And what about him?”

“He refuses to accept them.”

“Hah…”

At the servant’s words, Count Rinus sighed.

Why in the world was Balen refusing the knights’ oaths?

Of course, the knights were loyal to Count Rinus. It was only natural for them to swear allegiance to their lord. However, from their perspective, their next allegiance would be to Balen, and they wanted to express that. They wouldn’t say it outright, but the vow of absolute obedience throughout the campaign carried that implication.

And yet, Balen was rejecting them.

After getting up and hastily preparing himself, the count made his way to Balen’s residence.

His son did not live in the lord’s castle but in a secluded area on the outskirts. It was a house by a small lake, where he had been living for several years with a few maids and attendants after persistently pleading for it.

A bizarre scene unfolded in the courtyard.

The knights were kneeling while the territory’s residents had gathered to watch.

“You’ve arrived, Father.”

“You’re here as well?”

“It’s the biggest issue in the territory right now.”

“What do you think of this situation?”

“I believe Balen should accept their oaths. The campaign is expected to last at least five years. It’s a life-or-death situation, so wouldn’t it be beneficial for Balen and the knights to have a strong bond?”

“I agree, but Balen refuses to accept their oaths.”

“Hmm… He must have his reasons.”

“Was he ever one to think so deeply?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

It was truly perplexing.

Balen was rejecting them simply because he found it bothersome, but since he was the recipient of a divine oracle and had even received the Danmal, he was inadvertently providing people with plenty of reasons to misunderstand his actions.

My eyes were becoming bloodshot.

I had built up enough resistance to sleep through most disturbances, but the knights’ voices were impossibly loud.

Their voices carried traces of divine energy. With them shouting all night at full force, there was no way I could sleep.

“Ah, these damn bastards!”

—Hold it in! You know it’ll be troublesome if you cause a scene now. If you antagonize the knights, your future will only get harder.

“Ugh, seriously!”

I wanted to rush out and beat them all to death.

That’s how sleep-deprived and irritable I was.

I needed at least 15 hours of sleep a day, but thanks to their constant yelling, I couldn’t even come close.

More importantly, my Laziness Level was recovering too slowly. This wasn’t true laziness in the proper sense.

The knights were a problem, but what troubled me more was the lack of an effective way to restore my Laziness Level.

“Forget them for now. Erna, my recovery is sluggish—do you have any solutions? If I march like this, I’m bound to suffer penalties.”

—A way to restore it quickly? Of course, there’s a method to boost it rapidly.

“Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

—If you’re in a real pinch, why not try the Extravagant Indulgence System?

“Huh?”