Lord: My Shop Connects to Modern Times

For the first time in his life, Kay Fleming felt that the saddle was the most inhuman invention in the world.

He rode on horseback and felt as if his backside no longer belonged to him—it felt like he had been cut with a knife for three days and three nights, and then placed on a stone slab and hammered flat.

The twenty-day journey from the capital to the eastern border redefined his understanding of "pain" every single day.

"Young Master Kai, we've reached the camp."

An old cavalryman beside him grinned and asked, "Are you alright?"

This veteran was specially arranged by his father to "take care" of him—to put it bluntly, to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't cause any trouble.

Kai tried to force a dashing smile, but his facial muscles twitched from exhaustion, resulting in a bizarre appearance.

"Good...very good."

He looked up and gazed ahead.

The temporary military camp of Grand Duke Rhodes of the East was set up on a gentle slope, with rows of tents resembling gray mushroom bushes, and wooden fences and watchtowers under construction visible in the distance.

The air was filled with a mixture of horse manure, sweat, and boiled beans. Kai wrinkled his nose—he had never smelled anything so pungent, not even in the most run-down tavern in the capital.

"Your Excellency Kai!" A military officer in his thirties, wearing half-armor, rode up to greet them. He had a scar on his face that ran from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth.

"I am Marcus, captain of the Third Cavalry Squadron of the Purifying Knights. Grand Duke Rhodes instructed me to come and fetch you."

Kai tried to straighten his back—even though the movement made his butt hurt even more.

"Just call me Kai. How's the situation now?"

Marcus turned his horse around and rode alongside him.

"Not good. The monsters are expanding their range. Last week they attacked Mill Village, which is 20 miles to the north, killing 17 villagers and stealing all their food."

He paused for a moment: "And...they retreated in an orderly fashion, unlike before when they were all in disarray."

Kai remembered the "Commander" mentioned in the letter from his family friend.

His heart tightened, but he maintained the composure expected of a nobleman—this was what his father had taught him: no matter how flustered he was inside, he couldn't show it on his face.

The military camp appeared more chaotic than it did from a distance.

Soldiers moved between tents; some were sharpening knives, some were repairing leather armor, and several were around a fire cooking something black.

Kai saw a young soldier holding a broken bowl, the paste inside of which was bubbling suspiciously.

"Is that...dinner?" he asked the veteran accompanying him in a low voice.

The veteran chuckled: "It's bean paste with a little bit of salted minced meat. My lord, this isn't the banquet hall in the capital."

Kai swallowed hard.

He remembered the roasted lamb chops at the Golden Oak Tavern, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sprinkled with spices... He couldn't think about it anymore, or he might burst into tears.

Marcus led him to a slightly larger tent.

"This is your tent. It's basic, but at least you won't have to squeeze in with other people."

Kai lifted the tent flap. Inside was a cot, a small wooden table, a wooden rack for hanging weapons, and a straw mat on the floor.

that's it.

His bedroom in the capital had silk curtains, a feather mattress, a silver-inlaid mirror, and a servant specifically responsible for lighting the fireplace.

"Thank you," he said, his voice a little dry.

Marcus seemed to have figured something out and added, "Grand Duke Rhodes wants to see you tonight. He... doesn't like the airs of noble children. You'd better be prepared."

Kai nodded.

After Marcus left, he slumped onto his cot—the bed was so hard it hurt.

The veterans who accompanied him helped him carry his luggage in: a leather suitcase for a change of clothes, a sword given to him by his father, and a small bag of gold coins—which his mother had secretly given him: "in case you need to bribe someone."

"Young master," the veteran lowered his voice, "I know you're not used to it. But many of the people here... they're all from farming backgrounds and were conscripted. If you act too pampered, they'll look down on you."

Kai gave a wry smile: "I know."

He certainly knew.

From childhood to adulthood, he had heard too many stories about aristocratic children making fools of themselves in the army—complaining about the poor food, the hard beds, and the tiring training, only to be laughed at by the soldiers.

He didn't want to become that kind of joke.

Especially... he didn't want to be outdone by Lynn.

Lynn, the boy I grew up with, the boy who was banished to the Southern Wastes, has grown up and now he has even conquered a viscountry.

Although the rumors in the capital were all over the place, saying things like devilish weapons and evil magic.

Kai didn't believe this claim, even though the two of them hadn't shown much talent since childhood and were considered a burden among the younger generation of nobles.

But after knowing him for so many years, Kay's intuition told him that Lynn had nothing to do with the devil, and neither of them were particularly religious.

This must be because Lynn has grown; this is Kay's opinion, and it's because Lynn earned it through his own abilities.

"I can do it all myself," Kai whispered to himself.

……

In the evening, Kai met with Grand Duke Rod of the Eastern Territory.

The Grand Duke's tent was twice the size of his, but it was still surprisingly simple.

A huge map lay spread out on a wooden table, its four corners weighed down by several stones.

Rhodes himself was standing in front of the map, pointing to a certain location, talking to several officers.

Kai was immediately stunned by Rhodes.

It wasn't because of his lion-like face with its full beard, nor because of his bear-like physique, but rather his aura—as if wherever he stood, that place was the center of the battlefield.

"You're Fleming's son?" Rhodes turned around, his voice booming.

"Yes, Your Excellency Duke Rhodes." Kai bowed.

Rod looked him up and down, his eyes full of scrutiny.

"Your father wrote to me saying you wanted to come and see the world. I told him that the East is no longer a place to see the world, it's a place to risk your life."

"I understand," Kay said.

"You don't understand." Rhodes walked up to him, and Kay could smell the mixture of sweat, leather, and rust on him.

"See those soldiers outside? Many of them won't live to see next spring. You might not make it either."

Kai felt his throat go dry. He regretted it a little and wanted to say he wanted to go home several times, but he held back.

He knew that if he spoke out, he would not only be despised, but he would most likely not be able to go home. Duke Rhodes was renowned for his strict military discipline.

He nodded.

Rod stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled—a smile that wasn't friendly, more like a test.

"Alright, you've got guts, Marcus!"

"exist!"

"This kid is yours. Starting tomorrow, he'll train with the team and do what he's supposed to do. Don't give him any special treatment—if he dies, it's his bad luck; if he survives, he'll be someone special."

"yes!"

When Kai stepped out of the tent, his legs felt a little weak.

The veteran accompanying him was waiting outside. Seeing his expression, he didn't say anything, but simply handed him a water bag.

That night, Kai lay on the hard bed, staring at the top of the tent.

Outside, one could hear soldiers snoring, coughing, and someone talking in their sleep.

He thought of Lynn, of the carefree days in the capital, of his father's silent face, and of his mother secretly wiping away tears.

"I won't die here," he whispered, more like trying to convince himself.

……

In the days that followed, Kai understood what it meant to be "not a place to see the world".

They would get up before dawn every day to train with the cavalry in horsemanship, charging, and horseback combat.

His horsemanship was considered good in the capital, but the training here was a completely different story—he had to charge at full speed the whole way, maintain his balance while riding, and accurately hit the wooden target.

After the first day, his arms were so sore that he could barely hold the water bag.

The meals consisted only of bean paste and hard bread, with the occasional salted meat.

Kai almost threw up the first time he ate it, but seeing the soldiers around him wolfing it down, he forced himself to swallow it.

Now he can finish a bowl without changing his expression, and he's even starting to feel... a bit used to the taste.

The worst thing is taking a shower—or rather, not taking a shower.

There was a small river near the military camp, but the water was freezing cold, and everyone was crammed together to wash. His noble status did not grant him any special treatment.

When Kai first went there, he saw dozens of naked men splashing around in the river and almost turned away.

But Marcus pushed him in.

"Lord Kai, here, cleanliness is not important, survival is."

Kai shivered in the cold water, then looked at himself—fair skin, without scars, a stark contrast to the dark, calloused, and scarred bodies around him.

Never having experienced anything like it before, Kai felt an unprecedented sense of shame.

He started deliberately tanning his skin and doing rough work with the soldiers, and blisters quickly formed on his hands.

The blisters burst, bled, scabbed over, and turned into hard calluses.

The process was painful, but every time he felt pain, he would think of Lynn—the Lynn who cleared land, built walls, and fought in the southern wastelands.

His former brothers might not be doing any better than him, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

The situation in the East was more severe than Kai had imagined.

He and his fellow recruits, including himself, began their first patrol mission on the tenth day.

The patrol, consisting of twenty men led by Marcus, headed north along the border.

They said they wouldn't give Kai any special treatment, but they still put him in the middle of the group.

Kai didn't say anything.

He knew he was indeed a burden.

The sights along the border that he encountered while patrolling the area shocked him.

We passed through two villages along the way, both of which were deserted.

The house was half burned down, there was dried blood on the ground, and the crops in the field were trampled into a mess.

At the entrance of a village, they found an unburied body—an old man with a huge, rotting, and blackened wound on his chest.

This was the first time Kai had ever seen a real dead person.

His stomach churned, but he held back from vomiting.

He saw the expressions on the other soldiers' faces—a numb anger.

Although they were all new recruits, most of them were local recruits from the Eastern Territory. It was clear that, apart from him, the others were already used to this kind of scene.

In the afternoon, they rested by a stream.

Kai was squatting by the water washing his hands when he suddenly heard a low growl: "There's movement!"

Everyone stood up instantly, some drawing their swords, others drawing their bows.

Kai drew his sword, his palms sweating.

A rustling sound came from the woods in the distance.

Then, the monster appeared!