Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP. 39 – The Two Men Go All the Way (4)
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...When the blonde mage Hugh opened his eyes, what he saw was a ferocious glare that made his heart lurch.
“...Hup!”
He had already been suffering under the intense pain and pressure from some nameless knight choking the breath out of him.
But as soon as he regained his senses, facing that savage glare again left his mind reeling once more.
Still, he was a senior disciple of the Mage Tower, rotten or not.
In a position that demanded sharp situational awareness and quick wits, he widened his eyes upon realizing this eerie space held only the man with the fierce gaze.
'Eh, he's gone! Th-that monster's gone!'
The freak who had snatched him from the guest quarters in the blink of an eye.
Who had roughed him up, extracted every key secret of the Mage Tower through some unknown method, and finally unleashed that horrifying aura—the monster was gone.
Flinch!
And his body had even twitched a little.
'Ch-chance!'
Bound in ropes, with a watchful man right in front of him—but without that terrifying monster!
“P-pl...ease...s-spare...me...”
...Maybe he could try escaping?
Seventeen hours without water had turned his mouth and throat into a rusty harmonica, his voice barely scraping out.
But the fact that his sealed voice was working again was what mattered.
He desperately begged the fierce-eyed man for help.
A Mage Tower senior disciple who had never bowed to anyone, never begged for anything in his life—yet here he was, groveling.
Anyone from the Tower seeing this would rub their eyes in disbelief, but Hugh felt he could plead with the devil himself if it meant escaping that monster's clutches.
He was that desperate.
“J-just help me, and I-I'll give you anything. I swear on the Mage Tower's name... I'll keep my word...”
“......”
“P-please...”
...Objectively, begging this fierce-eyed man seemed questionable, but Hugh wasn't in his right mind.
Or put another way, proposing a deal even half-mad was pretty impressive, wasn't it?
And then,
“An interesting offer.”
“!!”
A positive response from the man, and Hugh cheered inwardly.
Yes! That's the reaction I wanted.
Hugh spoke up in a rush.
“Th-then get me some water and food right now...! I need to recover this battered body...”
He needed to restore his fragile balance.
Strength, stamina, willpower—all scraping bottom, even his mana unstable.
Couldn't cast basic spells in this state.
So food—no, water alone would do.
If he could just have that!
“......”
“Wh-what are you waiting for! The water—!”
He was frantic, but the man didn't budge, and Hugh snapped without thinking.
Old habits die hard—his tone toward underlings slipping out.
And that.
“......Right, so this is what it means to look down on me.”
The arrogant mage never dreamed it would touch a nerve.
Pshaaaak!
“Gaaaaaaah...!”
...In that instant, a blade speared Hugh's chest.
“Ugh... uuk...!”
Hugh writhed in agony.
Skin torn, ribs crushed.
Drip!!
His blood pooled on the floor, and Hugh...
“-Wake up. Just a little joke, and you're overreacting.”
“Huhk!”
...Felt death closing in, but he was fine. Alive.
“...Huh? ......Huh...?”
Dazed, he stared at his chest.
The spot he'd swear was pierced.
Pain still burned fresh, and Hugh shuddered violently, terror, fear, and hurt threatening to shatter his mind.
His second brush with 'unknown horror' today.
Staying sane felt impossible.
So...
“...Kuhuhuk...!”
Hugh blacked out again.
...Eyes rolling back.
Thud...!
“...What a clown.”
The man frowned at the fainted man.
Didn't look amused despite the words. And to him,
“Someone's trying to rest, and you're making all this noise?”
“......”
“Some guest treatment.”
“...Hm.”
The man—Lark—just knit his brows, shut his eyes, and ignored it.
“Ignoring me...”
Lee Han grumbled but chugged his milk with his usual nonchalance, like he'd expected nothing.
As if he never did from you.
“...Wow, damn.”
But credit where due.
This guy doesn't lie.
What is this milk...!
So good it's got me cursing? What was all the milk I've ever had...?
Best he'd tasted in two lives—Lee Han could forgive anything for this.
Clink.
“Here you go, sir.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“Not at all. It's the least we can do since we invited you.”
“......That stone-faced guy's really your brother? How can they be so different?”
“Hehe, I get that a lot.”
A lady knight delivering snow-soft milk shaved ice and ice cream.
Her looks vaguely matched the sullen spearman's.
But her eyes far gentler, her speech dripping courtesy—a real beauty.
A familiar face.
Galahad's lady knight who'd cared for the fainted Irene Windler amid yesterday's monster attack.
Never thought he'd see her here, much less eat her milk treats.
Well...
It's food.
Lee Han dug in without a second thought.
Fresh off the hot springs, already wowed by the milk.
Made from that, so obviously...
“...Damn, this is killer too.”
Another curse of delight.
“Only from cows blessed by fairies—a rare treat. Builds strong bones, satisfies you for three days straight.”
“...Precious stuff like that, and no rumors? Weird.”
“Bound to be. Fussy to raise, Galahad exclusive breed. Practically our specialty.”
“Hm, so to taste it again, gotta join Galahad? Damn tempting. Explains why you've got all the talent...”
“N-no one'd be swayed by milk, right?”
“Might.”
Clink.
Lee Han set down his spoon.
Plate empty in under a minute, gluttonous but savored—pure bliss.
“More?”
“Nah, tempting but moderation. Overdo even the good stuff, and it loses its spark.”
“Hehe, then how about some warm black tea?”
She left, and Lee Han thought she was a gem.
“Doesn't even feel like your sister. So sweet and hardworking.”
“......”
“Why the look?”
“......Never been waited on by that viper. Tsk.”
“??”
The spearman eyed her actions with clear distaste, leaving Lee Han to shrug—why gripe at such a sweetheart?
What kind of sister gripes about that.
Belly's full now, punk.
What a prickly bastard.
Though.
With killing intent like that, can't help being prickly?
His gaze flicked to the froth-mouthed wreck on the floor.
Terror-stricken face.
Like he'd brushed death—pure torment.
Lee Han didn't care if the spellcaster near-died or got hacked apart.
But that spearman's 'technique' piqued interest.
Blasted killing intent to inflict pain and suffering? Near-real...
Made him hallucinate his own death?
Possible?
Even fierce killing intent as an attack? Hard to buy.
Not some wuxia 'kill with heart' realm...
Hm, innate talent?
Awful bloodlust, overwhelming presence.
Not battlefield-earned.
Innate. Mystical, even.
Like.
This guy's a Heavenly Slayer Star?
One of the 36 Heavenly Stars born under that ominous portent.
Lee Han harbored a fleeting suspicion...
...Still wiped out?
But he soon snorted it off as fatigue.
Wuxia in a romance fantasy? No way that nonsense exists.
Lee Han shook his head—too tired for dumb thoughts.
No such thing in the world.
Dismissed as idiocy.
“Done playing solo?”
“Yeah, done.”
“......”
“What?”
“......No normal talk with you, huh.”
“Don't start. So, my notebook—read it good?”
“......”
“Think sneaking past me?”
“Hm...”
Lee Han stayed casual despite the spearman's awkward vibe.
Knew it'd play out like this.
Why drag him to Galahad's safehouse otherwise?
Buddy up? Fat chance.
So.
After my intel.
Tough luck.
“...Tons I couldn't parse.”
“Shameless prick.”
“......Weekly milk deliveries to your place.”
“...Tempting.”
No shock if the notebook stumped him.
Lots scribbled illegibly for outsiders.
Not past-life script—too risky for 'linguistic genius' labels.
Just army ciphers mixed with Morse.
(Morse exists here too. Why stumped?)
“'Salmon swimming upstream against the flowing river...' what?”
“Song. Song.”
“Song?”
“Yeah.”
“......'Salyeori, salyeoriratda'?”
“Poem. Poem.”
“......Doesn't fit your vibe, messing around like that.”
“What's wrong with my vibe?”
“......”
“Hey, answer me!”
...
Believe it or not, back in his past life, with a richer family he'd have been a poet, not a soldier—a sensitive literary teen at heart.