Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.43 – The Knight Starts Anew (3)
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"You guys got dragged here too? Kunta's happy to have more comrades!"
"……."
Confirming the barbarian in a yellow hard hat and safety gear hard at work on the construction site, the cadets subtly prepared to bolt.
They couldn't help but wonder if this was some illegal labor operation.
However.
"Ah, yeah, I did drag those guys here by force, but you lot are just here as part of today's field lesson, so sit tight and watch quietly."
"I-Is that really okay?"
"You enrolled in the academy to study, not to work. If anyone's doing the labor, it'll be me—why would I make you do it?"
"……."
An unexpectedly considerate gesture.
He had his share of eccentric traits, but he certainly showed his chops as an instructor every now and then.
"W-We’re cadets too, aren't we?"
"Instructor, sir, did we do something wrong?"
Arno and Garand, dressed in construction gear like Kunta and tending to the tunnel, protested their unfair treatment.
This was downright unjust...
After all, they were cadets too—why were they the only ones stuck doing construction work?
In response to their grievance.
"Didn't you go around catching criminals while I was away?"
"……."
"You little punks... That's some fine nighttime mischief for cadets, tsk tsk."
"W-We just got a bit of real combat experience..."
"So, you think that makes it okay?"
"...No, sir."
"Then what do you need to do?"
Lee Han furrowed his brow as he asked, and they answered instantly to save their skins.
"Where should we start the construction?"
"We'll shut up and get to it."
They deflated, and Lee Han clicked his tongue.
Anyway.
'Who'd they get that habit of causing trouble from... ...Me?'
A single shred of conscience—one that could vanish any moment—chided him to 'get your act together,' and Lee Han fell silent for a bit.
The reason Lee Han, after barely surviving a brush with death in the Empire, passed out for two straight days, woke up, dug a tunnel into the back mountain, and built a straight shot to the academy wasn't because he'd lost his mind or just wanted to stretch his legs.
"-In this instructor's view lately, the Royal Academy and the capital aren't safe at all. If anything, I'd call it a 'wartime state.'"
"……."
"This isn't just to scare you. It's purely based on facts. So, this instructor felt the need for countermeasures."
"C-Could it be... that this is one of those countermeasures?"
"One of them, yeah."
The term "wartime state" caused a brief lull, but the kids held firm.
Of course—they'd already weathered an unprecedented monster terror attack.
For those who'd lived through the actual terror, they likely knew Lee Han's words weren't empty bluster.
'If that spellcaster bastard was telling the truth, another attack's probably coming soon.'
The fanatics targeting Pendragon was now an open fact.
For Lee Han, whoever came, he'd just lop off their heads and be done with it. But he doubted his disciples or the other cadets could move with that kind of boldness.
This wasn't about resolve—it was a difference in upbringing and whether they'd experienced war firsthand.
So, from the moment he woke up, Lee Han had been pondering.
A way to protect the kids more safely, or perhaps.
"Make a manual for emergencies."
"A manual?"
"Like a shelter, for starters. In a crisis, you need a place to hide out temporarily. This instructor thinks having a shelter and escape route for cadets will definitely help."
"Th-That's a fair point, but no orders have come down from above yet, right?"
Like from the headmaster, or the palace at least.
"You think those guys will issue orders anytime soon? This instructor's certain—if we don't prepare now, it'll be too late. Higher-ups only move after disaster strikes. It's an ironclad rule across all nations."
"...Not sure if that's true, but we get that you've been through a lot, Instructor."
At some point, they started listening intently to Lee Han's argument with full seriousness.
They could tell it wasn't an emotional decision but one born from genuine deliberation.
"...But it's surprising. For you to go this far for the cadets' sake."
"Huh?"
"N-No, I know you're not a bad person, Instructor. But to build a facility like this just to save cadets' lives... Impressive!"
From a family that prized noblesse oblige?
His disciple gazed at Lee Han with an expression of感动, and Lee Han felt a twinge of guilt inside.
And rightly so—the real reason he'd built something like an air-raid shelter was.
'So no one gets in my way when I'm fighting...'
......Hmm.
'Better not say that.'
Sometimes, keeping quiet was key to not losing points unnecessarily.
'Master probably made the shelter because other people might get in the way a bit, right?'
Heh heh.
Levy smirked faintly to herself, seeing right through him.
Not mind-reading—just the deductive skill of someone who knew her admired man better than anyone. Levy was convinced she was spot on.
And sure enough.
The moment he received admiring looks from the others, his smile stiffened for a split second.
It smoothed over quickly, but Levy's eyes were sharp.
'His pupils dilated 0.03mm more than usual—he must be pretty flustered.'
Sometimes, he wasn't great at hiding his inner thoughts.
"He's so cute."
......Her insight was razor-sharp, almost frightening.
It meant she was exceptionally good at observing others—a sign of rare talent. But anyone who knew the girl's life story wouldn't dare dismiss that observation skill as mere "talent."
It was a skill honed out of necessity for survival, constantly reading others' moods her whole life.
A gift born from a tragic existence.
But thanks to the man who first extended a helping hand to her, the girl's talent was now being channeled properly—and the future looked promising.
...Just one thing.
'Huh? But he seems a bit different from usual...?'
Was her talent blooming faster? Or was it sheer determination?
Levy's observations picked up subtle incongruities the more she scanned Lee Han's body.
It wasn't pain.
Simply...
'He looks a little uncomfortable?'
Like he was wearing tight clothes that didn't quite fit.
Levy tilted her head, wondering what was bothering him.
Then.
"Ah, right on time."
"???"
Before the cadets could puzzle over Lee Han's abrupt remark...
Whoosh.
...Someone appeared in the clearing where they stood.
"!!!?"
A man cloaked in black garb. The cadets recoiled at the stranger but instinctively reached for their swords.
"Not bad. But too slow."
Tak.
"Huh? ...Wha?"
"What the—?"
"...?"
...But they couldn't draw their blades.
They'd clearly tried, yet the swords slid back into their sheaths.
Not by their will.
Something had shoved them back before they could even pull them out.
...At a speed like an invisible gale.
And the culprit was undoubtedly.
"You always wear that getup? You were in proper armor last time."
"No point showing my face. And I have zero interest in playing the clown."
"Oh yeah? Discriminating against clowns? That's job discrimination."
"...That wasn't my intent. Ahem!"
...That black-clad figure.
Mysterious—
"Ah, it's Sir Lark."
...No longer a mystery.
Irene Windler, the golden-haired, blue-eyed beauty with a bright smile, pointed at the black-clad man.
"Sir Lark's here too? Did the Instructor invite you?"
"...Ah, miss."
"Oh, was I not supposed to say your name? Sorry, it wasn't on purpose..."
"No... You did nothing wrong, miss. Please, don't make that face."
The moment Irene Windler's expression turned apologetic, the black-clad man removed his mask.
What emerged was a strikingly handsome man with teal hair and red eyes, causing the women to cover their mouths.
Just as men can't help staring at a stunning woman, even women couldn't ignore someone with such striking looks and aura.
But while some gasped at his appearance, more focused on his name.
"Lark? That Lark de Duron!?"
"G-Galahad's Fierce Wolf!"
"No way...! Didn't you say he's your idol?"
"……."
"What're you—oh, you passed out."
Galahad's name carried weight, but for aspiring knights, he was an object of admiration. Having Galahad's champion right there was overwhelming.
They were ecstatic.
On the flip side.
"What's that? Some kinda monster...?"
"Kunta, you can't call people that. ...I get how you feel, though."
"...A guy even our old man couldn't handle? What the hell? Why are there so many monsters...?"
Those with real skill—like the trio—were horrified.
Just as the other cadets had improved markedly in the past half-year, the trio—who'd always been top-tier—had fully blossomed.
They were gaining confidence in their abilities, but facing this knight crushed it anew.
Thud.
"You're doing great. Don't compare yourselves to him. You'll just get ulcers."
"Instructor?"
"I didn't call him to make you feel inferior. Partly to show you. It'll help later."
"Wh-What...?"
Lee Han patted the three boys' backs and shoulders reassuringly, then approached the obnoxiously handsome bastard.
"Acting like you wouldn't come, but here you are."
"Only because a thug like you begged."
"Bullshit, you came 'cause that 'off' feeling in your body's bugging you too."
"……."
"...Whatever. I didn't call you to bicker."
"...We agree for once."
Lee Han started light stretches.
Lark did the same.
Some knights half-assed stretches just to look cool, but those types were second-rate at best—third-rate or worse.
The more confident in your skill, the more you prioritize peak condition. No time for posing.
Lee Han loosened his entire body like a yoga master, his flexibility and dynamic muscles drawing awed "whoas..." from the cadets.
"Watch closely to the end. It's just simple sparring—might help you anyway."
"...Pardon?"
"Hoo!"
Ignoring his disciples' questions, he spent another 30 minutes just stretching.
It could've been boring, but the cadets watched intently.
Even a knight at that level took body prep seriously—it hit home.
"How do you wanna do this?"
"Five minutes fighting, one minute rest. Ten rounds should settle it."
"Ten rounds? Kinda intense."
"Scared?"
"Sorta. Worried if I can hold back properly for ten."
"...You thug!"
"You started it..."
At some point, Lee Han and Lark closed the distance.
A circular mark had appeared on the ground unnoticed, and they stepped inside, facing off.
"……."
"……."
No more words from the two knights, and so...
Flash!
Whoosh!
—As a taste test, they first threw punches at each other's faces in a no-guard stance.