How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary-Chapter 40

Chapter 40
‘No, this isn’t the time for that.’
A great guest was coming.
I couldn’t neglect the reception.
“How many are there?”
“Roughly about 800.”
“Oh-ho. Really?”
Not bad.
From what I had roughly heard, the Black Lions were all outstanding warriors.
If the Black Lions joined our territory, that meant several hundred more combat troops would be added.
With the Horned Rabbit ranch established and the Rabbit Tribe having joined, the territory’s production had risen quite a bit.
So, an increase in combat troops was certainly something to be welcomed.
‘But, will these guys even submit to my control?’
-Hmm, that’s a difficult question.
If they’re Lion Beastmen, they’re bound to be quite rough.
I had heard that the Lion Tribe, by nature, had extremely strong pride.
“Don’t Beastmen usually follow the strong? I doubt they’d want to join our territory unconditionally.”
“You’re right. Actually, there is a condition.”
Of course, it couldn’t be that simple.
Suppressing the unease rising inside me, I asked Leisha.
“What condition?”
“The Bear has to defeat the representative of the Black Lions.”
Of course.
The condition Leisha laid out was that only if I defeated the representative of their group would the Black Lions join our territory.
“The representative of the group. It’s not you, is it, Leisha?”
“I do have that much conscience. The Lion who will fight the Bear is the male lion representative, Rimond.”
“Really? Well, thank you for having that much conscience.”
At least that was a relief.
It wasn’t Leisha.
If the opponent had been Leisha, I would have just given up without making a fuss.
But since it wasn’t her, it seemed worth a try.
Didn’t the very fact that the opponent wasn’t Leisha show something?
That the Black Lions truly wished to join our territory.
It was certainly not a bad situation.
“But, are you sure about this? The Black Lions are quite the gluttonous bunch.”
“Ah, yeah. I’ve heard a bit about that. But shouldn’t it be fine? You’ll be there, so I don’t think they’ll cause any big trouble. More than anything, when it comes to fighting, you’re reliable, aren’t you?”
“That’s true. If nothing else, I can guarantee that part.”
“Then that’s enough. So, when will these friends be arriving?”
Even before hearing Leisha’s answer, the door to the Lord’s office burst open.
“My Lord! Urgent news. A ranger on patrol has spotted a group of Beastmen. They’re four hours away from the north gate.”
“Well, no need for an answer now, huh.”
“Then I’ll go and personally bring them in.”
“Alright. First, bring them into Johnson Castle. If they settle, we’ll assign them an appropriate place inside the castle walls.”
“Good. Then I’m off.”
As soon as she received the ranger’s , Leisha left to bring the tribe.
Four hours wasn’t all that long, so it seemed we should notify the key figures of the territory and start preparing a welcome.
“If they’re Black Lions, then naturally they won’t be able to resist meat. Alright, let’s win them over through their stomachs first.”
It looked like today, we’d have to bring out the meat we had stored in abundance.
Most of the important figures of the territory were of the same opinion.
Of course we had to accept them.
“I hear there are several hundred warriors on their side.”
“Really? About how many exactly?”
“The warrior women here said that aside from the children, they’re all warriors. By our standards, about half of them are below knight level. Still, it looks like they easily have over a hundred at knight level.”
“What kind of warlike tribe is that? My Lord, I’d say we absolutely must accept them.”
Rudick, who had interacted with the warrior women for several days, had grasped the general atmosphere of their side.
At Rudick’s explanation, Peter clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“For the sake of the territory’s standing, we must accept them. It might have been different in the past, but now we have the capacity, don’t we?”
“Right?”
“Yes. The residents will probably welcome it too. It’s not like the Lion Tribe is a complete stranger to us either.”
“Well, the Rabbit Tribe adapted just fine.”
Butler Harold also agreed.
He said the residents wouldn’t oppose it either.
“Didn’t the Black Lion also contribute during the last escape? The Rabbit Tribe will surely be delighted.”
“Wouldn’t they?”
Even Dr. Nickel added his voice, and the scale tipped completely.
At this point, I could assume there would be no particular problems.
“Good. Then Butler, please prepare the welcoming event.”
Once I made the decision, everyone began preparations for the welcoming without objection.
The so-called welcoming event was simply setting up food in the wide clearing in front of the territory.
We also had to prepare a place for them to rest, but that was something I’d have to ask Leisha about once she returned.
We knew nothing about the housing culture of the Lion Tribe.
‘What if they’re a tribe that requires a special sanctuary like the Rabbit Tribe?’
-That probably won’t be the case.
‘Didn’t you say even the Rabbit Tribe weren’t originally such a people?’
-Well, yes, but still…
Honestly, that sort of thing didn’t matter much.
The problem was that I had to duel their representative.
If I lost, we might just have to serve them the food we prepared and then let them go.
That would be quite a bitter pill to swallow.
“My Lord! The Lion Tribe has arrived at the castle gates.”
“Provide food immediately to the elderly and weak, and escort the warriors to the training grounds.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Alright, let’s go and greet the Black Lions.”
After giving instructions to the soldier, I immediately headed to the training grounds.
That was where I would face off against the representative of the Black Lions.
The training grounds of the territory were crowded with the sudden influx of people.
Thirty of Johnson’s knights, soldiers, and nearly all of the Rabbit Tribe rangers were gathered there, and on top of that, the Black Lions had arrived.
Roughly 300 Black Lions had gathered here.
There were over a hundred warrior-class individuals who could rival human knights, with the rest being soldier-class adults.
‘The atmosphere is insane. Though, it’s a bit ridiculous that the majority are warrior women.’
At this scale, they were double the strength of our territory.
Our Johnson Territory also had a fairly substantial reserve force for emergencies, but the Black Lions went a step further—excluding the small children, every single one was a reservist.
-As expected, lions are lions.
‘And among them, the ones said to be especially unusual were the Black Lions.’
On one side of the training ground stood me, and on the opposite side were Leisha and a Black Lion warrior.
My opponent was Rimond, the representative of the Black Lions.
He was a man with a massive build, his entire body packed with muscle like Rudick.
Looking closely, he strangely resembled Leon.
“That guy looks like Leon.”
“Rimond is Leon’s brother. And he’s also my older brother.”
“Ah, really? But why’s he so worked up?”
“The Lion Tribe always takes even a spar seriously. Don’t mind it.”
My opponent, Rimond, for some reason seemed extremely fired up.
I understood that Beastmen took duels seriously, but still, something about it felt strange.
Had I done something wrong?
“Larkbeladus, Arisasiana. Leishia Krattdamensos. Shiraisaidomato!! (Arrogant human bastard. I’ll make sure you never even look at Leisha again!)”
Just as the duel was about to start, my opponent muttered something incomprehensible.
It was the Beastman language.
A Beastman using it toward a human?
It seemed this Beastman, the representative of the Black Lions, didn’t know human speech.
If they were to settle in our territory, teaching them our language would clearly have to come first.
“What did he say?”
“He said he wants us to have a good match.”
“Oh, yeah? Then tell him I also wish for a good match.”
“Dodora! Rakkutto Mashiita! Robenosa Popa Geaorunadar! Rashisiosona.
(Shut up, filthy Beastman. I’ll grind your face off with my greatsword. That’s what he said.)”
“Haha, Haiojani Araonador. Nadarumashio Rakanadora.
(As expected of a tribe’s chieftain, you’ve got guts. Let’s see whose face gets ground off.)”
“He says he understands.”
“…He said something much longer than that. Well, whatever. Let’s just start.”
This woman again.
It was obvious Leisha wasn’t translating properly—just looking at Leon tilting his head in confusion made that clear.
If I hadn’t been tricked before, maybe I wouldn’t have suspected it, but since there was precedent, there was no doubt.
Still, it didn’t really matter.
What mattered was that winning this duel was the only way to naturally absorb the Black Lions.
‘Just from his appearance, I can guess his style.’
-He feels similar to the muscle-head of the territory.
Like Leisha, Rimond seemed to be a martial artist, armed with gauntlets, hand protectors, and greaves.
He was obviously a muscle brute who relied on raw power, though his style might differ a little.
Still, it was a style pretty common in Johnson Territory.
Just look at Rudick.
‘He’s not a Master, so at best he’s around my level.’
Considering that my defense-oriented fighting style was optimized for defeating weaker foes, I figured I could pull off a win if I fought as usual.
‘Besides, I’m quite used to fighting martial artists.’
Recently, with my repeated spars against Leisha, I had grown accustomed to facing martial artists, which made it easier.
No matter how impressive this guy was, compared to Leisha, it was the difference between the moon and a firefly.
‘But to win against someone of similar level in such a plain way would be a waste.’
If I wanted to gain something, I should fight in a way that awakened my senses, even if it was a bit risky.
With Leisha being too overwhelming, just when I felt like I was grasping something, I’d get beaten down and knocked out.
But this guy wasn’t at that level.
“Graah!!!”
While I was briefly considering this, Leisha signaled the start of the duel, and Rimond, ever aggressive, charged at me immediately.
His footwork was similar to Leisha’s.
But much rougher and cruder.
‘Hoo.’
I opened my senses as much as possible and felt for his movements.
Left or right.
His steps suggested a leftward strike.
But my senses pointed to the right.
Without time to think, I slammed my greatsword into the ground to my right, using it as a shield to hide behind.
-Clang!
His feint to the left was false, and the real attack came to my right flank.
His fist, imbued with mana, clashed against my blade, producing a sharp metallic ring.
It was quite a strong blow.
But relying only on raw strength like this always left openings.
As his right hand rebounded off my blade, I caught the opening.
I lifted my greatsword and thrust it straight toward the gap.
-Clang!
Rimond shifted his weight by sliding his left foot slightly, then kicked my blade with his right.
That too carried significant power.
Absorbing the impact rattled my chest open again, and Rimond stepped forward with his right foot, this time pushing in with his left arm.
‘Too slow.’
But I was already sensing his attack.
Using the force from his kick against my blade, I spun around, adding my Aura to the momentum, and slashed into his torso.
My attack came just a moment faster.
With the added advantage of my weapon, Rimond had no choice but to abandon his strike and use his left hand to push away my blade.
“Ha!”
Back and forth.
With each exchange, the training ground grew hotter.
Everyone gathered here lived by the sword, and even to their eyes, the duel was of impressively high caliber.
Leisha as well.
She watched me with eyes full of curiosity.
‘But… how am I even able to notice things like that right now?’
It was already tough enough just facing this guy head-on.
Yet the longer the duel continued, the more something strange seemed to stir inside me.
I started to feel as though I could see through his movements, even sensing the external flow as if time itself slowed.
I had felt this occasionally when sparring against Leisha, but back then I was beaten down and knocked out too quickly for it to develop further.
But Rimond was a warrior about my level, and as the duel dragged on, I felt my body getting used to this new sensation.
‘Kuh.’
How much time had passed?
At some moment, something electric shot up the back of my neck, and I felt a shocking clarity, as though my head had lit up.
And from that moment, my opponent’s movements became vividly clear.
‘No, not just my opponent’s movements.’
I could feel the movements of everyone in the training ground, even their breaths.
It was a sense I had never once experienced before.
With this, facing Rimond was absurdly easy.
I simply needed to drive my blade into the openings of his fierce movements, and it was over.
-Bang!
“Kuugh…”
Struck in the side by the flat of my greatsword, Rimond was sent flying, and the duel ended anticlimactically.
The knights of the territory and even the Beastman warriors, all who had been fired up, now fell silent, unable to find words at the unexpected result.
Then, with solemn composure, Leisha declared:
“Dakaa Raoshi. Rashiken Jonsai Rodoku Hinasiodas Jonsai Rodoku Raoshidaromeo! (The duel is over. The victor is Lord Johnson. From now on, Lord Johnson is the representative of the Black Lions.)”
“Wor, Rashiki Rodoku! Hinasahanas! (Wor! Human Lord, not bad!)”
“Rimond went down in one blow!”
“Yeah, that’s the kind of man who’d be worthy of combing our Great Warrior’s tail mane!!”
“Rakirodos! Karadioraso Hahadarutyuk! (Alright, done. Now we can eat our fill!)”
And amidst the chaotic mix of incomprehensible language and familiar roars echoing all around, I ended up fainting on the spot.