Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.32 – The Knight is Reinforcing (5)
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'This has more potential for expansion than I expected.'
The technique of gathering power, mimicked after watching that guy Max or whatever his name was.
The framework was based on Sword Resonance, but the ways to utilize it would produce countless variations depending on individual aptitude.
Like drawing out lightning or threads, or...
'-Or capturing starlight.'
Lee Han felt a slight amusement at how the technique he'd mimicked from that man wasn't half bad.
After all...
'I could do all sorts of different things with this.'
Since it seemed like he could create all kinds of fun techniques from now on.
...Well.
......Whoosh....
Not right now, though.
"Hm, it's tricky to maintain, maybe because I'm not used to it. How do you keep something this tough going so effortlessly, Swordboy? Is this another talent gap?"
"...Just curse me out instead."
"Why?"
"The way you act like you genuinely don't get it is seriously pissing me off."
Roan was dumbfounded.
The guy had just improvised a superior version of his own sword aura on the spot, yet here he was whining about lacking talent—what did that make him?
'Now I get why everyone glares at me and spits curses whenever we fight...'
Roan reflected on himself as he finally understood why his allies and enemies alike shot him those looks every time they clashed.
He'd been a mess as a commander in the past, but maybe he'd been a failure as a person too.
It was excellent mirror therapy.
A lot had happened, but the sparring session dragged on for over 80 minutes.
It felt too long for a duel, but they hadn't just been swinging swords and axes mindlessly, which was why it stretched out.
Sword debate, was it called?
Lee Han and Roan weren't just testing each other with their bodies—they clashed swords through words and discussion too.
Pointing out each other's shortcomings and flaws to explore new directions.
"If you come at me with a quick draw, I'd block like this and immediately smash your head with my axe."
"I'd deflect it and thrust straight for your throat."
"...Mm, want to try it for real?"
"......Is this really sword debating?"
"It's practical sword debating."
"...Just calling it sword debating doesn't make it one."
They bantered like that fiercely, then sparred without killing each other, and time flew by.
And afterward, naturally...
"The stamina drain from sword aura seems to come from wasting power indiscriminately. If you could control it as delicately as when you use your aura, Instructor, the duration would extend much further. Since you've mastered Fighting Technique, it'd be easy to pick up the knack, but you haven't learned it, have you? Hm, if you want, I could teach you the basics now. With your talent, you'd grasp it in no time..."
"Forget it. Learning that now would just mess everything up."
"...You're right."
Review.
They reviewed the spar while exchanging fitting advice for each other.
"You don't have any real flaws. In swordsmanship, you're already at a master's level—your movements and judgment are top-tier too. If I had to nitpick, your focus is too narrow? Positively, it means you're great at concentrating on your opponent, but it also means you ignore everything else once you're locked in. In a one-on-one, that 'flaw' becomes an advantage, though."
"Should I fix it, or leave it?"
"Learn to switch it on and off properly. Do that, and you won't have any flaws. ...Actually, there is one. You're too 'perfect'—that's the problem."
"...Wordplay?"
"No, for real. You try too hard to be perfect."
"Trying to be perfect is the issue?"
"Being perfect means living by the textbook, right? Which also means walking the path others paved. Do that, and you'll lack creativity and unpredictability. And guys without unpredictability are pretty easy to counter."
"......"
"Unless you become some monster who cleaves the sea with a single stroke someday, this will trip you up eventually."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
Some might take it as an insult, but the guy listened earnestly.
As if it hit home.
And that sore spot was...
"If I ever fight people like you, Instructor, I'd probably panic and lose."
"Me?"
"No one else has your kind of unpredictability and unique ideas."
"I'm pretty straightforward, though?"
"...Please don't say that anywhere else."
"?"
They spent a pretty meaningful time like that, and as night's curtain began to fall around them, they finally sheathed their blades.
"It's late—want to crash here?"
"No thanks. I don't want to be that oblivious guest."
"Since when do you have a sense of tact...?"
"...What exactly do you take me for?"
"Got the guts to hear it without getting hurt?"
"......I'll just pretend I didn't."
"Haha!"
Teasing him in other ways was fun too.
He looked like an ice sculpture on the outside, but he had this oddly human side.
'Not a bad guy.'
Human in his own way, made mistakes, had rough edges.
And also...
"Next time, I'd like to see 'that' too. The beast growling inside you."
"!!!!"
Unnecessarily kind in weird ways.
His eyes went wide in shock.
As if to say, how did you know?
"Just a hunch."
"A hunch?"
"My instincts have gotten sharper lately."
Whether from fighting him, or from his senses sharpening further after leveling up yesterday, Lee Han had sensed a 'very large beast' slumbering inside Swordboy.
A bit smaller than the Grand Duke's beast from the academy...
But a black beast whose power couldn't be ignored.
"...That's mystic-level intuition."
"It's weird to me too. Anyway, it reacts to your emotions flaring up, right? If I'm not wrong, it doesn't listen worth a damn... You're raising a dangerous one."
"......If you told me to buy some suppressant right now, I'd probably do it."
"Good thing I'm not a peddler."
Lee Han grinned teasingly, but Swordboy's expression only grew graver.
Probably rattled that his secret was out.
But Lee Han...
"I won't blab. Relax."
Fortunately, he didn't have a hobby of spilling other people's secrets.
"Besides, what would I even gain from blackmailing you?"
"I'm pretty wealthy, so money's always an option."
"You calling yourself rich? ...Forget it, what would I do with your dirty money?"
"I'm offering this much."
"What an arrogant punk...!"
Lee Han glared at Swordboy, who was flashing five fingers, calling him cheeky.
This guy, trying to buy people off like that...!
"For the record, that's 50,000 gold coins."
"......"
"50,000 gold could buy a vineyard or a modest estate with decent revenue."
"...You really are loaded."
......He couldn't deny it was tempting.
-In conclusion, Lee Han turned down the offer.
It'd be a lie to say he felt no greed hearing that sum, but taking it felt like he'd end up with a headache-inducing leash.
'I've already got one leash from someone—don't need another.'
So it was a wise call on his part.
'...Maybe I should've taken 500.'
Still, he couldn't deny the lingering regret.
[Grrr!]
"...Fierce kitty."
As he mulled over that regret, he heard the 'beast' roar in threat.
Swordboy said normal people couldn't hear it, but for some reason, it rang clear in his ears.
'Black King, was it?'
Its presence and voice came through vividly.
The Grand Duke Lionel's mystic.
A mystic derived from the Lion King, on par with Duke Galahad's demon sword and the kingdom's Aura Users.
'No way the North has two of those beasts. If it did, they'd have declared independence ages ago... So is that thing a [Returner's Privilege]?'
Lee Han judged that while the Black King originated from the North, this wasn't the 'current' one.
If there were multiples of that power, it would be weirder that the North hadn't seceded yet.
So he pegged it as a fragment from the 'future'.
One of the most common clichés in returner stories: coming back in time with a bonus ultimate power.
Probably that.
'Hmm, weakened due to some penalty?'
But the power presumed from the future wasn't all that impressive.
'Weak compared to the Grand Duke's.'
It was just a glimpse, but the Black King integrated seamlessly with the Grand Duke was overwhelmingly strong.
Even Maximus couldn't budge it, and just sensing it had chilled Lee Han to the bone.
Yet the beast inside Swordboy was fierce but noticeably weaker.
Like the gap between a cat and a lion compared to the Grand Duke?
...Well, even if it was weak...
"Fighting that thing would be life-or-death. Hm, now I get why you ended our first spar so anticlimactically. Afraid that feral guy would go berserk? Kid's got more consideration than he looks."
"...Let me ask again: what do you normally think of me, Instructor?"
"Your run-of-the-mill noble brat?"
"......"
......What did 'noble' even mean to this guy?
Roan could only feel utter bafflement at the casual noble-bashing that flowed as naturally as breathing.
Sizzle!!
The late dinner began after sparring ended.
Hearty slabs of pork went onto the quality charcoal and cast-iron grill he'd gotten from an acquaintance.
15kg of meat prepared.
For reference, 10kg of that was for Lee Han alone.
Sizzle...!
Pork fat met the hot coals, wafting a delicious aroma.
As his acquaintance claimed, the top-quality pig had no gamey smell whatsoever.
'Surprisingly well-developed in all the right areas.'
The kingdom surprisingly had advanced animal husbandry, and with its vast lands, meat was affordable.
Beef was premium due to cows often turning into monsters, reserved for noble tables. Commoners thus ate more pork.
Usually as bacon, ham, or sausages, though—so grilling it fresh like Lee Han was doing was still novel in the kingdom.
"Barbarian-style grilling. I vaguely recall hearing barbarians grill raw meat like this. Supposedly for stamina and nutrition. Didn't expect you to be interested in foreign cultures, Instructor."
"...Not really."
Lee Han felt awkward at suddenly being pegged as a scholar versed in exotic races.
His pork shop owner buddy had gifted him acorn-fed premium pork, and he was just grilling it up for nostalgia—no weird misunderstandings needed.
"I-I see. I thought there might be someone else from another world besides me... My mistake."
"......"
...The guy from another world was right in front of him, yet why didn't he notice?
Pity—he'd dropped a blatant hint, but the fledgling mage just nodded to himself in satisfaction.
'When will this kid catch on?'
At this point, it was getting curious.
How long would he keep this up?
"Eat up. Here, wrap it in veggies."
"Whoa, you guys have wrap culture here too?"
"Beats me."
"No way! So you invented this, Instructor?! Genius...!"
"...Is it that praiseworthy?"
"Yes, insanely so!"
"......"
...Was he doing this on purpose?
No way he could miss such an obvious hint?
'Is this some romance novel curse?'
Female leads in those often acted oblivious as a falling leaf—maybe something similar.
"Wow! Delicious! This radish wrap is killer too!"
"...Good, as long as it tastes good."
Whatever, so what if the kid was slow.
Sweet, eats well—that's enough.
It would've been even more heartwarming without the spellcaster, Lee Han thought, shaking his head as he grilled in silence.
"......"
"What? Not to your taste?"
"...No, it's delicious."
"Your face looks weird, though."
"...Just unfamiliar. Eating so peacefully with someone..."
"......"
Tricky to respond to that, so Lee Han just...
"Here, more meat. Veggies and pickles too—should taste great."
"Yes, delicious."
"You too, Normie."
"To think someone would look out for me—today's full of luck!"
"...Why are all my disciples such pitiful bastards?"
It felt like stepping on a landmine every time he tried to care, drawing a sigh.
Still...
"Master, it's so good!"
"...Yeah, eat up."
"M-Master, don't just grill—eat some. Sh-Should I feed you?"
"Nah, I'm eating on the side. You eat plenty."
"......Okay."
Watching the kids eat heartily did feel rewarding.
Is this what being a parent feels like?
"Isn't it the chef's heart?"
"...Maid, stop with the mind-reading."
"Hehe, I can't do that. Anyway, ahh."
"......"
"Ahh."
"...Ah."
For some reason, it felt wrong to refuse Leira's kindness, so he opened up.
......Tasty.
As he thought her bite somehow tasted twice as good as his own...
"-Instructor."
"Yeah?"
Swordboy, mid-meal, brought up something unexpected.
Like he was paying for dinner.
"Might be sudden, but my visit today wasn't just to share info."
"?"
"You'll probably get dragged into some real headaches soon."
"...Already kinda am."
"Different league. Here's why—."
"......"
......Through what followed, Lee Han understood why he'd phrased it as 'headaches'.
Definitely.
"The temple—the 'heretic inquisitors' have their eyes on you, Instructor."
......Religious solicitation was quite the hassle.