Most people tend to complain when their daily life repeats on a cycle for many months in a row. People get bored with the day-to-day pretty easily and I can't say I blame them, but I actually enjoy the cycle of repetition to an extent. Anyone who's ever been in a supervising position should know that a boring day is a day when something or someone didn't fuck up. I like my daily chores, it makes sure I get something done even on my worst days. I don't like the cycle to be permanent, that's where most people get caught, they don't think of an escape plan from their cycle of repetition.

My tasks and goals every day are the same. First I wake up at dawn to eat a breakfast of eggs and some kind of bacon-like meat with Violet. Every day I am questioned about why I don't eat any of the pastries, and every day I tell her that pastries and sweets are not the best things to eat when training. After breakfast we go outside, dragging Aelia along to heal our injuries. When outside we spar and fight for hours. I teach her techniques to add to her fighting style making her far more capable even without her body-boosting magics. Eventually, as my body gets to its maximum strength over the weeks and I feel great she starts fighting me while utilizing her magic to help further her training. This fighting lasts until about noon or a few hours just before noon.

Zeyra sometimes shows up to watch us or throw a low-level spell at us to dodge to help with Violet's training. I guess she was just being cordial when she was greeting me as she has not spoken to me since our first meeting. She either ignores me or simply scowls and turns the other way when I speak or approach her for whatever reason. The look in her eyes is still of disgust but the more I look the more I can see something deeper, but in all honesty, it's not my problem. If she doesn't like me then I don't have to worry about impressing her or something.

After I shower and eat lunch I head to the library to learn to read with Zandra. She teaches me letters and words, and I teach her basic chemistry and physics. She eats up my lessons with gluttonous curiosity. Despite her utter lack of emotions, she is a decent person, just kinda bland. All she seems to care about is furthering herself despite her lack of an end goal. She just seemingly wants to know everything.

With help from Aelia, I am able to return to my former ability. Good food mixed with healing magic that automatically heals up any soreness in my muscles and cures injuries is really helpful with strength and speed building. By the time I fully understand the language of this kingdom I'll be back in business and ready to spread my wings and begin my own journey in life.

Every night I get lucky and have supper with Alice and little Heather. Alice is a very nice woman and really enjoys company, apparently, she isn't the most favored wife of the Duke and the other wives don't like her very much because of her lackluster intelligence so she is always happy to talk with me during supper. Heather on the other hand is a sweetheart. She was a little shy at first as most kids are but eventually, she warms up to me and I take on the role as big brother. During any free time during my days I have, usually due to conflicting schedules with the other girls, I spend it playing with Heather. While she is deeply loved by the Duke her closest sister is a decade older than her, and she doesn't really have anyone to play with. I'll happily play with her, plus because she is a rather spoiled little girl, it works on my patience and my self-control. Both of these things are important in business and general life as a whole.

After supper every night during late hours when everyone starts going to bed I head outside to the small forest grove on the property. It's about ten acres of mostly tame forest with paths running through it and a central area with a fountain and a gazebo. I go to the woods to work on myself further.

I at some point found a stash of weapons on the property, I don't know who originally owned them, but when I go out into the woods I retrieve them and work on my weaponry skills. I don't expect to ever become a master with any one weapon, so I focus on learning to pick up really anything and have the ability to use it effectively. While out here I also work on my ability to track and stalk. While there is no large game in this small wooded area, rabbits and birds are still plentiful. I rarely kill any of the animals I track as there is no need to. My goal is to simply hunt them down and get as close as I possibly can without being detected. Out in the woods, I work on general agility. While my body is capped in muscle mass as I found, how the muscles are sculpted is not limited by the curse. This means I can build my agility and stamina still.

Once the nights get late enough I stash the weapons again and return to my room and go to sleep. Then the cycle repeats over and over again. This cycle continues for weeks as I gain strength. It's strange to me though that I rarely see anyone else in the family aside from the ones I meet every day. Hell, even the Duke doesn't meet with me ever and I don't see him even in the halls. I assume it's just because the house is so large I may never run into anyone new. It's unimportant though as I approach my goals, once they are reached I can start working toward my end goals, and even maybe make some money...

One day Violet doesn't seem in the house. I simply do a little bit of a workout and get ready for the day. Around noon the head butler approaches me and announces,

"Master Isa, please come with me. The Duke wishes to speak with you."

I nod and follow the old man through the house and into the Duke's study. I enter the room after being called in. Duke Hasslerouge is sitting at his desk, I see his face is a little red and he seems frustrated. I then see Alice near him with her hands in her face sobbing loading and being consoled by an older servant woman. I feel my stomach drop to my balls and say without thinking,

"Whatever it is, I had nothing to do with it."

This makes the duke laugh lightly and he motions for me to sit. I do as he motions and he starts,

"Yes. I know you had nothing to do with the current situation because you were accounted for."

I nod and he motions for the servant woman to take Alice out of the room. The servant does as she is told and now I am alone in the room with the Duke. He locks eyes with me for a while before he starts,

"I'm sure you remember those men that attacked us on our way here.

Well, I've done my best to keep it under wraps as those men were in fact not random bandits. I'm sure you saw it as odd that nothing came from that attack aside from those men dying and why I never mentioned it. There is a reason. You said you wanted me to utilize your capabilities, I wish to do so now.

This is a secret, and I want your lips sealed. Can I trust you to do so?"

I pause for a moment realizing how odd both the attack was and how odd it was for nothing to come of it. I reply to him,

"My lips are sealed."

He smiles thinly and begins,

"Well, those men were part of a lesser-known but still capable mercenary group. They were hired by some... lower nobles who do not like my leadership position, and are rather upset I turned down alliance-based marriages. I also have put in place some policies that have damaged the finances of the lower nobles below me. While it increased general prosperity, the nobility did not see an equivalent increase in prosperity.

Their attempts on my life and the lives of my family are getting out of hand. I have brought this to light and currently, there is an ongoing investigation by the crown. If they are found out they will be stripped of their titles. They are quite angry about this so they hired a well-known mercenary group to perform their most recent action.

During a trip to town to go and buy some flowers, Alice and her guards were attacked. During the attack, the mercenaries managed to kidnap Heather. "

I feel my hands start to shake at this information. I then ask,

"Just tell me what to do..."

He nods and continues,

"The problem is, the nobility responsible are denying all responsibility and saying its a plain and simple ransom situation. Through my networks, I have discovered she is being held by a noble in the county over. For legal reasons, I cannot send soldiers to go and save her. However... I can easily disown you."

I laugh and reply,

"So you want me to go and get this done, and if I succeed no problem, if I fail and am captured you act like you had nothing to do with it?"

He nods and says,

"That's all I ask. Any weapons and armor you need its yours, but you are to do this alone. At the bare minimum confirm her location so that I can send the investigation crew their way. This is of course if you cannot complete the task."

I nod and stand up. With my hands shaking like leaves I reply,

"Lead me to the armory and get me there. Let's not waste time."

By nightfall, the cart carrying barrels of grain and one of me make it to the target county. The ride is rough as hell and I'm forced into a fetal position the entire time. I feel my ass and legs both fall asleep in the first hour. I manage to take a nap along the way and am only awoken by the cart driver who bangs his fist on my barrel to make sure I'm ready. The cart suddenly stops, there is a short conversation, and then I feel my barrel being unloaded and carried by two men. I am placed down somewhere and I feel other barrels being placed around me. I hear footsteps grow distant after all the barrels are unloaded. I wait for a few more moments then I remove the lid of my barrel. It comes off easily and I unfold out of the barrel. I stretch myself out a few times getting my sore body ready for combat. I open another barrel which causes the grain to spill out revealing multiple steel weapons.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

I affix the belts and straps to myself equipping a few throwing knives, a machete-like short sword, a short poleaxe, and various tools for infiltration. I pull my mask over my face and tie the strings around my neck, not tight enough to be uncomfortable, but just enough to be secure. My mask is a flour sack with eye holes poked out, I tied up the excess corners so that there are two "ears" on the top of my head. Effectively I made a baldknobber mask without any markings or coloration. Aside from that I'm in pretty simple peasant clothes, a simple cloth tunic and pants held up by a rope, and the leather harness holding my weapons and gear.

I stick to the shadows as I make my way around the storage area of the estate. The estate is far smaller than the Hasslerouge one, being a two-story building of Dutch style. There are dozens of guards walking the estate grounds or sitting around campfires eating, drinking, and joking. I notice a few tents propped up with different coats of arms on them, I assume not all these guards are of the same loyalty but are all dedicated to the same cause.

I use the lax atmosphere of an early night to sneak along the walls to get closer to the main building. I manage to make it to the garden and use the decorative flowers and bushes to get closer and closer to the building. There are very few guards in this area, only two but they are well-equipped so I assume they are very skilled, and fighting them would be a mistake. It seems I have been halted in my progress, there is no unguarded entry point. Now I'll have to create my own advantage.

Simply I move back to where the men are camping and with an expert stone toss, I knock over the evening's supper for one of the camps before diving into a bush without thorns. This almost immediately starts a verbal fight among the guards. The ones who lost their meal blamed a different group, thinking they were being antagonistic for no reason. Soon an actual brawl breaks out, I guess working conditions were slightly sub-par because these men are letting out some real stress. This gives me my chance as some of the on-duty guards rush to break up the brawl, giving me enough time to slip into the building through a staff door.

Once inside I creep through the halls carefully as the fight is broken up. I don't know where Heather would be held but I assume it's going to be something cliche like a basement or loft or something. The house appears to be tucked in for the night, but I decide to go above the call of duty. I slowly make it up the stairs and look for the study of the noble living here. I pass by what looks to be his bedroom and hear him and the lady having a wonderful night together, which means I have some time. I find the study as the next room and I slip inside. The pale mood illuminates the desk just enough for me to recognize multiple noble seals on letters, from my still basic reading capabilities I can tell these letters speak of conspiracy and of somewhat illegal monetary transactions. My belt has a pouch on it just for this reason and I stuff all these letters into it for safekeeping.

Once that's done I check every other room on the second floor and find nothing of note, just sleeping nobility. I then make my way to the first floor and quickly find a basement. The basement is a wine cellar but there is a back room with iron bars on the door. I hear faint sobbing so I assume Heather is located there, but there is one problem. The towering man guarding the door. In his hands is a poorly constructed poleaxe. Then I notice his face and recognize it instantly. Gray eyes, pale skin, and artificially sharpened teeth. Judging by his size he is of the group known as the White Mako, notable berserkers in the Frontiersmen. The iron bracelets tell me he is a slave. There is nowhere to hide so he spots me immediately. He begins to get defensive but I speak out in the Song of Diplomacy tongue,

"Wait, brother! I am just here for the girl. Will you let me pass?"

He pauses and replies,

"I cannot. I have orders from my master."

I then sing back,

"Those bracelets are made of untreated, unhardened iron."

The man pauses and holds his axe out toward me with a toothy grin. He states to me,

"Thank you brother, I cannot damage my own shackles, will you please do me the honor?"

I nod and take the axe. He places his wrists on the ground and moves his head away. I ask him,

"Do you trust my aim?"

He shakes his head stating,

"Nope, but I want blood. I want vengeance on those that have enchained this mighty shark. You are my only option brother. Our goals can run in tandem brother, I wish for freedom and revenge, and you wish to save this girl. I will use my strength to create a path for you."

I nod and bring the massive axe down. I hit the bracelet perfectly and due to the poor quality of the axe the bracelet is not split in half, but a quick stomp on the back of the head finishes the job. I do the same for the second and the shark is left with only a minor cut on each wrist. I return him his axe and his smile widens. He turns toward the door he was guarding and with a mighty roar, he shatters the wood with a single swing. He then heads for the stairs, before he leaves he says,

"Happy hunting..."

I laugh and go into the cell.

Much to my relief, the cell is decorated like an actual bedroom so Heather was not mistreated. I find her cowering against the far wall, staring at me in fear as I hear the first scream of pain fill the night air from behind me.

I crouch down and hold out my hand for Heather. She continues to shrink herself against the wall. I quietly and calmly say to her in her mother's tongue,

"Hey, come on over here. I'm a friend. I'm taking you home."

She hesitates clearly recognizing my voice before she slowly shuffles over and grabs my hand. I hold onto her hand firmly and pull her close before scooping her up with an arm supporting her rear. I start to move out of the cellar but the sounds of the slaughter upstairs get louder and louder. I look around the cellar and find a random sack on the ground. I take it and make sure it's a breathable material and hand it to Heather/ I then say to her,

"Put this over your head and do your best to keep it on. It's an invisibility mask. It's a super powerful magic item that will keep you safe from the bad men."

I watch her eyes grow wide with excitement for a second and she dutifully pulls it over her face and holds the bottom firmly to keep it secure. I smile and continue up the stairs. The first floor is in pretty bad shape, with blood everywhere and corpses to match. The shark really put in some work. I hear the sounds of combat coming from the front courtyard so I decide my path is out the back through the garden. I quickly rush out the doors and just manage to hear two voices say in tandem,

"Minor Body Strengthening, Minor Agility, Minor Pain Numbing, Minor Hardening..."

I quickly say to Heather,

"Hide in this bush, don't come out until I call for you."

She nods and I gently toss her into a soft-looking plant and turn around to face the two well-armed guards I saw before. They hadn't left their posts as I expected. I draw the machete sword and a knife off my belt and turn around just in time to dodge a precise slash toward my neck.

I roll to my back and get some distance between us. The second one stands a few yards back clearly there to only back up when needed. The one fighting me right now is clad in plate armor meaning simple slashes aren't going to be effective. My weapon isn't exactly designed for stabbing either. I throw my knife toward the guard fighting me and he just barely fails to parry it and it harmlessly bounces off his chest. It's good to see despite all his boosts his reaction time is the same. So I have a chance. I take the axe off my back, it's a little too long for a single-handed weapon so I choke up on it so it's far more manageable.

My attacker comes at me with a stabbing attack and I sidestep it narrowly and knock it away with my sword. I bring the axe around and it slams heavily against his shoulder, it is unable to break through the armor, but it knocks him off balance. I use this to sweep his legs. The heavy armor mixed with imbalance causes the guard to fall. They hit the ground with a thud and before I can finish the job a spear narrowly misses my head. The second one has come to help their friend.

They space me with the spear forcing me backward so the first one can stand up and join in the attack. Now they both begin attacking in tandem. I am on the ropes for a while as they attack in turns. The swordsman goes in for close slashes and stabs, and when I go to react the spearman forces me backward so I can't react, but in the end it's useless.

I manage to get even more space between us and bounce on the balls of my feet a few times. My hands start to shake and I steady my breathing, that was a good warm-up after such a long journey in a barrel. The next time the swordsman comes in for an attack I duck low under his blade, it's quick but nothing compared to the violent swings from Violet. I slam the blunt end of my axe into the side of his knee, I noticed earlier that there was no bracing on the knees of their armor. With a horrible pop, one or more of the tendons in his knee are torn. With a scream, he falls to the ground. The spearman comes to support his partner and as he thrusts his spear I raise my arm and catch the pole in my armpit. There is a crossguard before the spearhead so he cannot retract the spear. He swings his spear sideways tossing me to the ground but my grip is secure so he comes with me. I slide down the spear and climb on top of him.

Due to the magic, he is considerably stronger than me so I step to the side grab his wrist, and stick my other arm under his grabbing my own wrist. I roll forward and yank upward, dislocating his shoulder. He drops his spear to hold his shoulder in pain, even the pain reduction magic is useless to that level of trauma. I take a knife off my belt and put it firmly in the visor of his helmet and he falls still. I then stand up and calmly walk toward the swordsman who is still holding his knee. I stand over him and with two hands raise my axe and bring it down onto his neck. Blood spews from the wound but I step back just in time to avoid the spray.

I calm myself down as I stand over the two corpses before I head to the bush where Heather remains seated while holding the bag over her head. I smile to myself and say to her,

"The bad men have been beaten. Let's go home."

I scoop her up again and decide to walk to the front of the building. It's a massacre. The guards were torn to bits by the wild berserker. As I look around the courtyard I spot the shark leaning against a wall. I approach him and speak to him in the song of diplomacy,

"Will you live?"

He shakes his head and lifts his arm revealing that he had been almost completely disemboweled. I grimace looking at the wound and then he asks me in a pitiful tone,

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I know you are a frontiersman like me. Since you are alive... I assume you are a great warrior... I don't want to die of blood loss. "

I sigh and reply,

"If that's what you wish. So you know your executioner. I am of the Stella Coyote."

He laughs and replies,

"Good... I heard how well you all performed at the council... strong warriors... crafty...I accept my death."

I nod and in a single motion, I plunge a knife into his heart. I bow my head and pray for him, I don't know to who, but whoever hears it might help him on his way to a better place. I close his eyes and turn on my heel and leave the estate. I walk silently reflecting on what just happened. What I gave was a mercy, but the problem is that despite his size, from what I know about the White Makos, that man was a boy. He was far too young to even have a name yet. It was a mercy, but I feel empty because of it.

I walk a mile away from the estate and I feel that Heather has fallen asleep as her body became limp after a time and her breathing became slow. I remove the bag from her head as we are away from anything traumatizing. I make it to the meeting point where a carriage awaits us. Heather is collected by the servant waiting and I am told to enter a separate carriage. I almost immediately fall asleep in my carriage. It's been a long ass day, even with my nap earlier I am tired... mostly emotionally.

I fall asleep with the image of the Mako boy smiling at me as I ended his life... Not a good thing to fall asleep to.