Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.31 – The Knights Call Themselves Losers (3)
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The moment blade met spear tip, he—no, not just him, but his opponent too—must have blacked out for a split second.
It was just a hunch, but he felt certain of it somehow.
Anyway, that blackout lasted roughly one to three seconds?
He hadn't exactly counted, so he couldn't be sure, but it felt about right.
His guess was that the massive shockwave from the clash between his Formless Sword and Skybreaker was too much even for them, blowing their consciousness away for that instant.
...And when he came to, what he saw was...
"...a shattered blade and an intact spear tip."
"......"
"But even in that advantageous spot, the guy suddenly pulled back. Didn't look like he was hurt anywhere."
"...Why do you think that was?"
"No idea. Maybe his judgment got foggy in that brief moment of unconsciousness. ...Or maybe there was some other reason. Either way, the match just fizzled out like that. I was left feeling unsatisfied, but he bolted off claiming I'd won or whatever. ...That's the whole story."
"Haha..."
Lee Han grumbled through the explanation about what an unpleasant situation it had been, while Derek couldn't help but chuckle.
He knew the reason Lee Han was bothering to recount such an unpleasant incident so kindly was to 'build up' to something.
Build up to what?
"...Still, sorry about that. I wrecked your precious sword."
"It's really fine..."
A build-up for an apology.
Lee Han, personally experiencing why debtors had no choice but to plead their case, averted his gaze, while Derek just smiled awkwardly.
Lee Han held out the gladius—or what used to be a gladius—reduced to splinters with only the hilt remaining, and apologized.
He could've played it off shamelessly under normal circumstances, but he wasn't the type to smash a precious sword and walk away scot-free.
However, the recipient waved it off, insisting it was too much.
"I-it's fine. It wasn't that precious anyway."
"If a named sword isn't precious, what is?"
He wondered if Taechang was just saying that to avoid burdening him, but Taechang shook his head.
It didn't seem like burden or anything—it felt like pure sincerity.
And then, surprisingly...
"Named sword... Ah, yeah, all those swords in that 'warehouse' did look pretty good."
He nodded as if realizing some fact Lee Han didn't know, prompting Lee Han to reflexively ask back.
"...Warehouse?"
"Yeah, [Dwarves' Trash Bin]. It's a storage spot for failed works from dwarves and hobbits. Abandoned about 200 years ago, so I use it as my 'Warehouse 5'."
"......"
"That sword was one from there too. Probably a bit tougher than your average blade."
He casually remarked that he'd picked it up because it was relatively clean among the junk rolling around on the floor.
Lee Han suddenly felt the stark wealth gap between him and Taechang.
"Now I see—the kingdom's richest man was right in front of me..."
"N-no, not to that extent... ...Well, top ten fingers maybe?"
"...I'll shut up now."
Thinking about it again, reincarnators or possessors were irrelevant.
'Status Windows are the real endgame.'
...What a lucky bastard.
Lee Han felt a surge of envy he'd never even had for Maximus's talents.
"-So who won?"
"Huh?"
Lee Han blinked at his junior's out-of-left-field question. Yord mistook the reaction and sheepishly lowered his eyes, thinking he'd gotten him angry.
But curiosity overpowered his fear, so he...
"Y-you fought Sir Maximus, right? The Black Lion of the North..."
Finally mustering the courage to ask, Lee Han realized what he meant and let out a hearty laugh.
A kindly, benevolent expression.
Lee Han smiled softly.
"Junior. You really gotta ask that while we're eating? I might just bite you."
A low warning escaped his lips.
"......Sorry."
Yord bowed deeply at the first warning.
They say don't bother a dog while it's eating, right?
Well, dogs don't bite if you don't bother them while eating, but Lee Han would if you poked him then.
Being a civilized person, though, he'd discipline lightly with his hand instead of his mouth.
"Better if I bite. If you try disciplining with your hands, you might end up committing murder."
"Cut the nonsense and tell us the situation."
"It's not nonsense, it's serious..."
Lee Han stuffed his face with bread, sausages, and such pulled from his almighty Status Window's inventory as he inquired about the current situation.
He'd veered off into a side path, so he had no idea what had happened.
"At least you didn't forget the mission."
Jake inwardly admired his friend for not forgetting his core duty despite the sloppy posture.
...Of course, voicing such sentiments aloud might get him bitten instead of the junior, so he kept it to himself and concisely summarized events.
Aren's exploits, the number of beastkin they'd taken down, and most importantly—
"Thanks to our ally here, we've secured the zealot captive. Mission accomplished, really. ...Just couldn't spot those hundreds of beastkin you mentioned."
"......"
News that could rapidly harden expressions.
Lee Han shoveled the rest of his food into his mouth and swallowed.
"...They already slipped out through some passage we don't know about?"
"Optimistically, maybe they all got buried in the rubble."
"That'd be best."
Lee Han had whittled down their numbers some, and the tunnel collapse likely prevented many from escaping fully.
Maybe down to 1/3—no, 1/5?
But even if reduced that much...
"Even one or two getting loose would be plenty threatening."
"Hmm, should we scour the area with the soldiers now?"
"Dunno? Probably pointless. They evaded detection for over ten years—no way it's that easy to find them now."
"...You make sharp points despite how you look. ...Sometimes."
"Skip the useless talk?"
They scratched their heads.
They'd gone to such lengths to take out the termite mound, only to worry some termites might've survived and headed for the city.
"......Haa, can't be helped."
Lee Han sighed, and Jake, sensing his thoughts, gave a weary bitter smile tinged with fatigue.
"Sticking around longer is one way... Half a month? No, a full month camped here?"
Their shared conclusion meant the classic grind.
Extend their stay to track beastkin, visit nearby villages one by one to protect them.
Pure, by-the-book hardship ahead.
"Life..."
The thought of the suffering ahead drew a groan naturally.
"...Seniors, you're really diligent."
Yord found his seniors amusing.
Truth be told, they didn't have to go through such ordeals—they were volunteering for it.
No one ordered them, no rewards for doing so.
Just to prevent potential tragedies somewhere...
...Seniors driven purely by duty. Yord suddenly understood why they hadn't risen in ranks.
'No wonder they can't get promotions.'
Once they took a job, no flexibility.
They stuck strictly to protocol, giving their all.
To ensure no harm to others...
Who works like that these days?
No one praises you for it—pure self-satisfaction.
...But that's exactly why.
"For now, I'll fetch a map of the nearby villages."
It was worth following.
And then.
"-We'll handle that from the 1st Knight Order side. You lot head back."
A man shouted, proving he wasn't the only one influenced.
"Sir Aren? What do you...?"
Gazes converged on Aren Pendragon's declaration. Aren wore his usual arrogant expression and declared again.
"Exactly as I said. I'll handle finding the beastkin and zealots."
"With the 1st Knight Order?"
"Yes!"
"...Why bother?"
"Grr! What do you mean by that?!"
"......"
"Answer me!"
...How could he say it to his face?
Trusting him and the 1st with it still...
"Trust the princess and halfwits? I'd sooner leave it to our bear cubs than rely on you lot."
......Ironically, someone could openly trash the royals and 1st Knight Order.
And regrettably, it was fact-based, riling Aren up.
He didn't know what "princess" meant exactly, but the nuance screamed insult.
Aren pointed a finger!
"Mention that princess crap one more time, and then...!"
"I might just yank that pretty finger off."
"...T-that's then and this is now... Ahem, it's not pointed at you. Don't misunderstand."
Even angry, he had enough learning capacity not to raise his voice at Lee Han outright.
Or was it the fist he feared?
"...S-still, leave it to us."
Just when it seemed deflated so easily, Aren mustered courage again.
And.
"I know the 1st Knight Order is sorely lacking in many ways. But how can I let them idle just because individuals lack ability? That's wasting manpower and no different from knights—or soldiers—shirking duty, a betrayal of the nation. Thus, as commander of the 1st, I, Aren Pendragon, have a duty to fulfill that obligation and responsibility."
"........."
...Lee Han blinked.
No...
'Why's this punk suddenly talking like a normal person?'
Even he was thrown by the adult princess's change.
Aren pressed on regardless of Lee Han's surprise.
"Of course, I know the 1st couldn't handle beastkin, nor would they diligently perform. But mobilizing the 2nd too and overwhelming with numbers—we might not win, but we could corner them. Plus, rivalry would force them to do their jobs properly."
"...You think that makes sense?"
It'd be ideal, but the 1st and 2nd were mortal enemies.
Like water and oil, itching to eliminate each other anytime.
Pair them up and what if knives come out or they kill each other...
"-If that happens, immediate execution for disobeying orders."
"......"
"They're soldiers of the White Silver Lion Knights and military first. Disobeying for personal grudges or ambition warrants execution. Can't watch everyone, but any squad losing even one to it gets decapitated on the spot."
"That's too extreme."
"Just doing what's necessary."
"...Ha."
Yord, who'd raised the objection, was sunk.
Not admiration—dumbfounded by the audacity.
"There'll be massive backlash."
"I know. But what choice? 1st are halfwits. Lacking skill, no redeeming qualities. 2nd's the same, useless. And! Useless knights are rotten roots of the kingdom. So!"
Snap.
"Pendragons have no use for rotten roots."
"......"
Jake was sunk in that instant too.
Tyranny.
Vicious tyranny.
His innate arrogance made Aren’s kingly path brim with extremes.
If he became heir, nobles would rebel immediately—no surprise.
But he was a prince irrelevant to succession, free to earn noble hatred.
He even bore the propaganda moniker White Lion.
Even arbitrary knight executions—royalists or nobles couldn't protest without having empowered him too much.
Nobles probably thought him hopelessly incompetent regardless...
Who'd predict the spoiled fool turning new man overnight?
"Why's the princess suddenly like that?"
"......"
Ah... right, not quite.
Aren hadn't turned new man voluntarily—he'd been forced into it.
Recalling this, Jake and Yord's gazes slid to him—the self-proclaimed authority on personality reform.
Lee Han, who’d whipped the incompetent royal into shape with love's lash(?).
"Princess, you hit your head or something?"
"I didn't! Stop calling me princess!"
"Still rude as ever? How'd he end up like this?"
"Grrr...!"
Oblivious to his own achievement, they just eyed him curiously.
"...Maybe he's actually a drill sergeant?"
"Yeah..."
For a moment, it seemed he might be suited for educator over knight.