Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.4 – Lee Han Has Been Demoted
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Recalling the memories and sensations from the day before, the mind that had been cleared through diligent training felt murky once more.
Torment.
Desire dominated his body, making him itch to feel those sensations again.
However, unfortunately...
The witch wouldn't hand over the medicine so easily.
'Tough auntie, what a vicious move.'
Ambrosia.
It was the name of the liquid he had consumed the day before—an incomplete version whose effects were only 1% compared to the finished product.
Yet even that mere 1% had shown Lee Han a 'miracle'.
The miracle of recovering a permanent disability he had inwardly given up on...!
"Hoo...!"
After finally giving up on that possibility, having firewood tossed into it now naturally sparked torment.
Lee Han closed his eyes like he was meditating, needing time to calm his mind.
...If he didn't settle the boiling rage from the past, he felt like he might explode right then and there.
'Damn bastards...!'
Grind!
Suppressing his anger wasn't an easy process.
During his time being raised as an assassin, Lee Han had ingested various poisons.
It was to build poison resistance, and back then, without any memories of his past life, he was just a compliant fifteen-year-old kid who obediently followed the adults' words—unlike now.
One day, while consuming different poisons...
One of them messed up and caused an accident.
[What's wrong with that guy!?]
[That poison... seems like one used in aphrodisiacs?]
[Crazy bastard.]
A trainee tried to assault a female executive and ended up dead.
Afterward, the assassins realized that the trainees' 'sexual desire' could become a problem.
Sleep, appetite, lust.
The three major desires posed major issues within the organization, whether in his past life or this one.
If it had been a normal guild or union, they might have handled it flexibly.
But the organization Lee Han belonged to was an assassin group, where extreme self-restraint of desires was taken for granted.
And so...
[Let's castrate them all.]
[Should we cut it off?]
[No, they might die during the procedure. Use Curse Poison.]
Curse Poison.
A mystical poison born from curses that doesn't harm the body greatly but leaves permanent disabilities—an extreme toxin.
Rare and seldom used, it could be quickly cured by a priest, so its value was undervalued. But the assassin organization not only possessed this rare Curse Poison but used it to strictly control its members.
The rest of the process is probably as one might guess.
Lee Han ingested the Curse Poison, lay bedridden for three days, and most of the kids called Numbers had their 'lust' 'removed'.
No, the lust itself remained, but it was practically unusable.
...Because it wouldn't rise.
However, no one saw it as a problem back then.
Why?
They were kids who had received no proper education.
They didn't even recognize it needed treatment.
Thus, it naturally became a permanent disability.
Lee Han was the same.
He never imagined the organization would collapse years later or that he would regain his past life's memories by coincidence.
And the moment he did regain those memories and realized his body was impaired...!
"Urgh...!!"
...Even recalling it now still filled him with resentment.
Thirty years in his past life, thirty in this one.
A total of sixty years as a celibate bachelor.
However, as time passed and he focused solely on growing stronger, he stopped paying much attention to his disability.
When unit members bragged about girlfriends or wives, his heart might ache a bit, but he vented by thrashing—no, through正当 sparring—and it worked well enough.
But now, Lee Han realized.
He hadn't overcome the painful hardship; he had simply given up.
And now that an opportunity had arisen, his heart was surging.
Flash-!
"...If I didn't know, my heart would be at peace. What am I supposed to do now that I know, damn it."
One thing he couldn't comprehend at all was how she knew his shameful secret.
Where did the information leak from?
He had never told anyone.
"Anyway, scary auntie."
Bang!
"Ouch!"
"...Stop tripping already. Just stay still."
"Hehe, I can't do that. Her Highness the Princess sent me here to assist the knight! I'll work hard!"
"...You really don't need to."
"Just leave it to me!"
"......"
Another mystery.
...Why did she send this airheaded pure girl to me?
'...No way, to investigate my background?'
Thud!
"Ah, sorry! The dishes...!"
"......"
...Probably not.
Lee Han quietly stood up.
Though mysteries abounded, staying like this...
'That woman will wreck my home.'
Lee Han ran to protect his household goods.
White Lion Palace.
The palace where only the king's successor among the Pendragon royals could reside.
It was also a temporary stop before entering the king's palace, the White Dragon Palace.
And Isis Irene de Pendragon, the current master of the White Lion Palace, was personally tending to the child.
"Auu."
"Your grip is strong. Unlike your stillborn father, you'll be healthy. Good."
"Uuu?"
She spoke freely in front of the baby without restraint, but fortunately, the infant couldn't understand her.
It was a blessing he was only five months old.
However, she wasn't alone.
"Heh heh, Princess. How can you badmouth the father in front of the child? This Albert worries the prince might pick up your speech habits later."
"Quiet, old man. Don't interfere with my child-rearing."
"Heh heh, is that even child-rearing?"
"Of course. It's the best woman doing it, so it's the best education."
"...Your confidence is something else."
"Hmph."
Arrogant words possible only from an Aura User butler.
Even calling the Crown Princess 'Princess' instead of 'Your Highness' was a special privilege, in a way.
Perhaps because of that, private questions were allowed.
"But Princess, how did you know Sir Lee Han needed Ambrosia?"
Albert was inwardly curious.
Lee Han, that young man, had never shown any weakness or flaw to those around him.
Even the royal intelligence network knew only that he was born to someone, sold into slavery, and ended up in some organization—but not about this illness.
Only one princess knew.
"Hmph, what's the intent of your question? Wondering if I slept with my sworn brother?"
"P-Princess...!"
An utterly embarrassing remark.
Albert shot her a reproachful look for a lady uttering such things, but Isis calmly sipped her black tea.
And then slowly.
"My sworn brother never succumbed to me."
"...?"
"Not even once did he feel arousal toward me. Toward this beautiful me."
"......Pardon?"
Albert thought his ears had failed him.
An Aura User's hearing didn't age easily, yet now he suspected it had.
Such vulgar words from her refined lips were unthinkable.
But she was brazen.
"My beauty is the kingdom's finest. That doesn't change with age. No man has ever seen me without being smitten, acting like dogs in heat. Yet my sworn brother never did, not once. Seeing no reaction at his young age, I considered two possibilities."
That her sworn brother preferred men over women, or had lost his male function.
"But my sworn brother doesn't like men. So I naturally concluded it was a functional issue."
"...Y-You made that deduction just from that?"
"Naturally. My beauty is unparalleled."
"......Your narcissism is astounding."
"It's simply fact!"
"...Heh heh."
Albert was dumbfounded.
No, she uncovered a secret even the kingdom's intelligence couldn't with just that reason?
Albert inwardly pitied Lee Han.
How did he end up having his weakness exposed to such a woman?
'...Well, at least he gets the medicine, so it's a gain for him.'
Mutual benefit.
Both get what they want, so it's good for everyone.
"Heh heh."
Albert chuckled lightly, forcing himself to accept her absurd statement.
"But why send Leira to Sir Lee Han?"
"Ah, the maid?"
The maid suddenly assigned not to the royal castle but to Lee Han going forward.
What was her intent in sending her there?
Perhaps she was discarding Leira...
"For motivation."
"......Pardon?"
"My sworn brother is still hesitating on my 'request'. But living with a young woman, his body will react, won't it? He'll realize accepting my request is beneficial."
"......"
"Her brains are lacking, but her looks aren't bad. Heh heh. She'll give him plenty of mental anguish."
"......You're truly ruthless."
Thinking again, he felt sympathy for Lee Han.
How did he get tangled with this woman...
The old butler shook his head at the cunning and wickedness of his master.