Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.37 – The Knight Has Come to Hate Balls (3) – Afterword
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He was convinced, as if a divine revelation had descended upon him.
This dream demon was the culprit who would screw over the future black-haired protagonist.
There was no logical evidence, but somehow, just watching her made it clear.
'This is the seed of a villainess.'
The ruthless action without a shred of conscience, the brazenness.
The selfishness to create another personality just to survive.
And the audacity to declare, like that famous saying about climbing a mountain because it's there, that she eats essence because it exists.
The selfish, brazen attitude that rationalizes everything she does.
It was the very posture of a classic romance novel villainess.
'Right now, it's just the qualities of a villainess, but if she gets even more insolent from here...'
Honestly, at the moment, it was only mildly malicious—something that could be dismissed as a prank.
But if that malicious streak ripened for just five more years...
'A beast would be born.'
This wasn't mere intuition; it was something he'd learned as an instructor teaching cadets.
For example, Assistant No. 1.
Tae-chang had said that the guy originally helped a villainess-version mage chick pull off malicious stunts.
If he hadn't met him, the guy would've ended up as a thug, just like in the original story.
This was why having a strict educator to discipline insolence made a huge difference for cadets, and why the "rod of love" was important.
'Of course, not like those teachers who beat me as a kid for not giving bribes or having no parents.'
The rod of love is for when a student strays or abuses courtesy; swinging it wildly without reason is just violence and venting.
It's also a symbol of lowliness, flaunting their authority.
Thus, Lee Han felt a sense of duty as an educator(?).
'People should act like people, not beasts.'
This chance wouldn't come again.
The opportunity to turn such a rotten thing into a person.
You have to reform them young; adults with hardened minds never change.
It was one of the life lessons he'd learned.
"Judia, was it?"
"...Yes."
"From today, you're a transfer student to the Royal Academy."
"Huh?"
"Also, from now on, your status as an intern is permanent, and know that your education will continue until I say it's over."
"...Huh?"
"You heard me, so why keep yapping 'huh'? Answer once! Got it?!"
"Yes, yes!"
"...Sigh, looks like there's a lot to teach you."
"???"
Judia still didn't grasp the situation, and just like that, she became the first intern to receive a "permanent ban."
......For a dream demon, it was the prelude to a lifetime of hardships and trials that would haunt her nightmares forever.
Exactly at afternoon, as lunchtime approached, Judia—no, 'Pierre'—opened his eyes.
And he said,
"...Why didn't you kill her?"
"?"
"That beast was rude to you. You could've killed her."
"You... so you do have a sense of shame?"
"!!"
Pierre's personality was basically like a stoic, emotionless man.
Gruff, with almost no emotions showing, cold.
Completely opposite to the brazen, emotionally honest Judia.
Even for a split personality, such a stark divide proved dream demons were a peculiar race.
"You really hate the darkness one, huh."
"I loathe her with utter disgust."
"No wonder you try to commit suicide whenever there's an excuse."
"......"
"Anyway, I have a question. Is the darkness one awake right now?"
"...No. Dream demons are nocturnal like vampires. They sleep almost all day, and as long as my mind doesn't black out, she'll never wake."
"So she's asleep now?"
"Yes. But since we share memories, whatever conversation we have, that beast will know everything."
"Hmm, so that's why you're ashamed. All her carefully hidden secrets exposed."
"......"
Was this the first time he'd had such a long conversation with this stone-faced guy?
The thought crossed his mind; Pierre was unusually talkative.
He must be that excited.
'Can't blame him.'
From what he'd heard, Pierre's personality was born to endure torture and experiments in her place.
It was natural for his personality to form that way, starting life with pain from the moment of creation.
His hatred must be clogged up like tar.
A bit pitiful, really.
But pity was pity.
"By the way, how do you use holy power? I thought most mysterious races can't."
He asked how two mysteries could 'coexist' in one person.
It was a case he'd never heard of.
"......Because I can't use dream demon powers."
He hadn't expected an easy answer, but surprisingly, the guy spilled the truth readily.
Maybe he'd accepted his situation, or perhaps gratitude for beating up the darkness one.
"Conversely, the beast can't use holy power. It's proof from God—His grace and mercy—that I'm a separate person from her."
"Hmm."
...Or was he bragging?
That he's completely different from the beast?
'...If so, kinda childish... No, he has a right to be.'
Brushing off the guy's possible boasting, Lee Han finally understood some things as he listened.
Why this stone-faced guy became a priest and joined the fanatical Heresy Inquisition.
'Holy power is the means to prove he's not a dream demon, but a separate person.'
The desperate struggle to proclaim his faith, denying and hating dream demons as much as possible...
He could feel that intensity a bit.
...A complicated worldview, but understandable.
Thus,
"To prove that, you'd do any dirty deed. You can never leave the temple. Not even if it means betraying your benefactor."
"......"
This guy would do anything.
For the sake of staying in the temple.
He believed that even as a created personality, he'd be saved as long as he was there.
So this guy was unlikable.
And understandably so.
"The one who saved you was old man Raphael, right?"
"...Yes. I owe the cardinal much. He brought me to the temple."
"But that benefactor ignored you like a dog and attacked me? Thanks, makes beating you guilt-free."
"I won't... make excuses."
What a ridiculous statement.
"Not 'won't'—you have none to make. Still, here's some advice. Whether you kill yourself, trust fanatics, or betray Raphael, I don't care. To me, that beast you call or you are both equally clueless idiots."
"-!"
His expression finally twisted.
Being called the same kind as the dream demon must have been the ultimate insult.
To a third party, dream demon or traitor—both were revolting scum.
That must be the criminal mindset.
'One's the seed of a conscienceless villainess, the other a black—no, red-haired beast.'
At this point, the old priest was pitiful.
Why take in this ungrateful split-personality and suffer?
"Butthurt at being treated the same? Did I hit a nerve?"
"......"
"Good if so—that's why I said it. You're an ungrateful traitor anyway. I have a question."
"...Is that how you address me?"
"Don't interrupt. You and the group that kidnapped mysterious races. Do you know what happened to them? I'm a bit interested."
"......"
Lee Han had no interest in how this guy lived from now on.
If he messed up around him, he'd just take the rod then.
If he caused trouble after going independent...
'Sword instead of rod.'
Simple.
So his current interest was the ones who kidnapped mysterious races.
"...I don't know details. It was 10 years ago, and I was very young then."
"Fine, recall what you can. The faces or features of those who experimented on you, the facility layout—anything."
"...Do people normally ask victims that?"
"Not others. But you're Heresy Inquisitors, right? Torturing people is like breathing for you."
"We're inquisitors who punish heretics, not madmen."
Pierre defended the inquisitors, trying to correct his misunderstanding...
"Madmen don't know they're mad, they say."
"......"
"Spit out what you remember."
"...Now I see you should've been an inquisitor, not a knight."
"I'm too soft-hearted for that."
"......"
......Pierre felt pathos for the first time.
'He remembers.'
For someone who said he didn't remember much, he provided surprisingly detailed info.
Maybe naturally smart, or a dream demon trait—his memory was impressive.
Otherwise, recalling 10-year-old memories so vividly would be impossible.
'Tch, spellcasters involved again.'
Illegal mages.
The class Lee Han despised most, the ones he'd smash headfirst without mercy.
Confirming the kidnappers were such scum, his mind spun faster than usual, quickly organizing Pierre's info.
'Raphael raided the illegal mages' facility, but only one redhead survived; the rest died. The illegal mage escaped...'
The key was the spellcaster escaping, and high chance he was still alive.
Spellcasters had tenaciously strong life force.
'Appearance roughly like this?'
Lee Han sketched a 'composite' based on the traitor redhead's description.
Crude, but captured the features.
Seemed useless, but...
Screeech.
There was something he could do with just this; he opened the wardrobe in his room.
Hardly any clothes in the drawers; instead...
Shhhhwak!
A massive pile of papers.
"...It's been a while."
He hadn't opened it in the half-year since becoming an instructor.
'Wanted posters' and 'newspaper articles,' mostly descriptions of illegal mages and slave traders.
All collected by him personally; many now useless because...
"Ah, this guy's dead, right? These too... This one... Ah, tossed in a goblin cave? How'd I handle this one..."
About 'one-third' of the newspapers and posters were invalidated by his hand...
He ended up sifting through, discarding as he went.
Probably punishment for neglecting cleaning out of laziness.
Flip, flip.
But Lee Han seriously rummaged.
His eyes sharp as ever; after over an hour of thorough checking...
Halt!
"-This is it."
Lee Han stopped at a wanted poster from 15 years ago.
The case was closed, death sentence reported, but he didn't trust rumors or papers unless he'd seen the corpse himself.
Spellcasters were like cockroaches—reviving unless you severed their breath completely.
Thus,
"Assistant!"
He'd found it.
"Y-You called, sir?"
"Go to the Mercenary Union right now, tell Simon to find this guy."
"...P-Pardon? S-Simon? Y-You mean Union Leader Simon himself...?"
"Yeah."
"......I'll go mad."
"What's the problem?"
"...How can a lowly me demand info from the Union Leader?!"
"Say I ordered it."
"Then you go yourself, Instructor!"
"I'm busy now. If the Union is too much, there are others."
"W-Why didn't you sa...!"
"Galahad or Pendragon—which?"
"......"
"Which one?"
"......I'll go to the Union. Damn it...!"
"Tch! Watch your mouth!"
Lee Han sternly scolded Assistant No. 1, whose speech grew coarser lately.
This guy,
'Why's he getting more delinquent?'
This is why character education is tough.
Lee Han clicked his tongue at the pathetic assistant.