Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.45 – The Knight Savors Autumn (1)
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Long summer had finally ended, and the season had arrived when the maple leaves turned beautifully red.
The pride of the south, autumn, had come.
One might wonder how a season could be a point of pride, but it was because autumn was one of the unusually long seasons in Pendragon. While winter lasted as little as half a month or at most a month, autumn often stretched for three to four months or more.
There was a theory that the northern territories under Grand Duke Lionel's rule absorbed the winter, but nothing had been conclusively proven by scholars.
In any case, thanks to this, Pendragon's autumn was exceptionally long, and the streets were filled with breathtaking scenery everywhere. With clear blue skies, red-tinted maple trees everywhere, and well-maintained lakes and parks, how could it not be magnificent?
It was also the time when maple syrup became cheaper and tasted the best, so desserts and dishes made with it proliferated.
As a side note, in the south, each household had its own way of making, aging, and storing maple syrup, so every shop offered a unique sweet flavor. This led to a surge in sweet-tooth enthusiasts, and not a few people gained weight rapidly.
It truly suited the phrase "the season of appetite and slumber."
Of course, this was only possible because the south was at peace for now—
"This pancake is delicious. Oh, no, actually? It's the maple syrup that's insane! What is this subtle sweetness...?"
He exclaimed in admiration while eating at the restaurant, as if possessed by a food critic.
He had ordered it on a whim, but it exceeded expectations.
Crispy bacon, three sunny-side-up eggs cooked to runny perfection, two juicy sausages, and a five-stack pancake tower sprinkled generously with nuts and maple syrup between each layer. The simple coffee was just okay in taste but had a great aroma, and it paired excellently with the sweet syrup to balance it out.
It evoked the image of a lumberjack breakfast, but he was endlessly satisfied.
Just like how unexpectedly delicious food ordered without high hopes made one feel lucky, he sensed today would be a good day.
"One more plate here, please."
"Y-You've already had over ten plates?"
"I'm still a bit hungry."
"...Just a moment. I'll throw in a special menu item too!"
"Eh? You don't have to do that."
"This is a matter of pride! Our restaurant has never sent a customer away hungry for generations! Don't worry about the cost!"
"?"
He just had a bigger appetite than average, but did it really wound their pride? Still, Lee Han didn't say anything unnecessary.
Free food was always welcome.
'Meatballs. And they're bigger than my fist.'
The aroma of juicy meatballs wafted from the kitchen hearth.
With tomato sauce spaghetti on the side, it was definitely worthy of being called a special dish.
"Nice."
"...Aren't you overeating a bit from the morning?"
"The academy's restaurants are all cheap and delicious, right? Once I start, I can't stop."
"......Even so, do you usually eat over ten servings?"
"I'm at that age where I'm always hungry."
"Hmm..."
...
Derek swallowed a groan at his confident declaration.
Derek, who had entered the inn-cum-restaurant, ordered just a simple cup of coffee instead of food.
He said watching Lee Han eat made his stomach feel full already.
In contrast, Lee Han loved the meatball spaghetti and only stopped after ordering five more plates.
"Satisfied?"
"I ate just enough. Overeating is no good."
"N-Never knew that... eating twenty servings by normal standards is 'just enough'..."
"Different mileage, you know? Different mileage. Why do you eat so little, on the other hand?"
"Hmm, habit, I guess."
Derek smiled wryly, glancing back and forth between his own skinny frame and Lee Han's build.
His expression said comparing to that body was unfair.
Still, for a swordsmanship cadet, he was quite slender.
Thanks to skills, he could unleash strong combat power, but in daily life, he might lose arm-wrestling to a housewife.
"Eat more. I'll plan a diet for you."
"...Haha."
At the scolding that wasn't quite scolding, Derek laughed awkwardly to defuse the situation.
Lee Han didn't push him to bulk up forcibly.
He was strong anyway, regardless.
Skills and status windows were indeed beyond spec.
Before pointless envy twisted his guts, Lee Han spoke first.
"So, did you check what I asked?"
"Yes, more or less."
Derek nodded but wore a bitter expression.
He felt uneasy even though he'd investigated it himself.
"Hmm, first off, these guys seem to be planning a 'national scam'?"
"?"
"Like, a scam claiming an oracle has come down."
"Wh-What tac?"
"......An 'oracle'."
"......"
"You heard right. So believe it."
"...Damn it."
Lee Han fell silent for a moment.
Then.
"Here! One extra-large five-stack pancake! Triple the maple syrup!"
He placed an additional order.
As if craving an enormous sugar rush.
...
What Lee Han had asked Derek was simple.
He wanted to know what was happening at the temple right now.
Derek nodded eagerly without hesitation.
For someone who wasn't usually so straightforward, it was an unusually quick acceptance.
- I'm curious too.
Derek wanted to know exactly what the temple was up to, so he sneaked in for about a week and observed.
As the world's only game character armed with thief skills, infiltrating the temple was a breeze when he put his mind to it.
Lee Han had been confident he'd bring back something useful, and sure enough.
"-So you're saying they plan to 'issue a fake oracle declaring the temple will directly select a saintess to restore the temple's lost ancient authority due to the War God'?"
"Spot on summary."
He'd brought back staggering information.
"......For real?"
Lee Han asked repeatedly.
He had to; it was that hard to believe.
"I doubted it hundreds of times... but it's true."
"What the..."
To explain in detail:
During the era when the War God reigned as king.
The temples couldn't hold their heads high and had to grovel before the royal family.
The pope at the time, who founded the heretical crusade called the [Blood Crusaders] or whatever that now threatened the kingdom, reportedly knelt before the War God and crawled on his knees to the throne to beg forgiveness.
Please spare me, please forgive me, show mercy...
He begged pathetically, and in the process, the temple surrendered over eighty percent of its influence in the south to the royals—no, to the War God.
The pope was demoted to 'Pope-King,' and the authority of the Light's proxy was drastically reduced, turning him into a figurehead.
It happened about forty years ago, an undeniable humiliation and downfall for the temple.
Forty years.
It might seem short to some, but it was an immensely long time. Take celebrities: even top stars fade from memory after a year off. For a temple controlled for forty years, the lost authority and benefits were incalculable—impossible to price in wealth terms.
It survived only because the era still needed religion; any other noble house would have vanished long ago.
...Even so, for the temple, it was a time for endless tears of blood.
Without the War God, they would still reign above the nobles.
And...
"Finally, that War God is gone."
"Yeah, seventeen years already..."
Seventeen years since the War God's death.
Old habits die hard; these persistent bastards were finally preparing their [national scam] to stretch their limbs again.
"They're creating a plausible 'puppet' to solidify the temple's power."
"I saw the list of puppet candidates too—mostly noble ladies or royal collaterals with royal blood."
"A love call to the great nobles?"
"Something like that."
You couldn't just prop up any puppet (saintess).
The temple needed a credible one, apparently preferring good bloodlines.
"...Power-mad?"
"Or maybe they think this country was originally theirs?"
"......"
"Forty years. Forty years of sharpening their revenge blade. They'll do anything to reclaim what they see as 'originally theirs.' That's probably why they targeted Lady Irene too."
"...Why her?"
"If they make Lady Irene the saintess, the temple gains Duke Galahad as a powerful ally."
"They know the Duke is the War God's son and still go for it?"
"Politics has a saying: no eternal allies, no eternal enemies. Alliances or betrayals shift with circumstances and desires."
"Hmm."
Lee Han nodded.
It made sense.
But he gave a slightly uneasy look, wondering.
'Why is this guy so pissed off today?'
Lee Han noted how this usually timid guy spoke coldly and rapidly without a single quiver, like a bomb about to go off.
So.
"Why are you so heated?"
"......"
"Something happen?"
Lee Han asked directly.
Why so angry?
At that.
Grind!
Derek ground his teeth.
Lee Han's question was the fuse; he finally revealed his true feelings.
"...Lady Karin was on the puppet candidate list."
"......"
"They seemed to plan kidnapping or blackmail..."
"...Oh man."
Lee Han groaned.
The temple had poked the reverse scale of the status window's timid owner perfectly.
'Quiet kids turn scary when pushed too far...'
He'd felt it in the military: don't mess too much with the meek or weak-looking ones.
Why?
'...You might get shot.'
Knowing how the meek could snap extremely, Lee Han clicked his tongue.
...
One misstep, and heavenly retribution might rain on the temple.
-Ding-a-ling.
The table was thick with tension, but fortunately, an acquaintance appeared, giving them a chance to lighten the mood.
"Master?"
"...Huh?"
"Here for breakfast too? ...Oh, you've already eaten a lot."
"What are you doing here?"
"Uh, this is my regular spot—cheap and tasty, you know?"
"......A marquis's lady..."
"Hehe, habits are hard to break."
The woman approached with a shy smile, beaming brightly.
Just her nearing brought a floral fragrance, brightening the atmosphere.
She used to have a more melancholic air than the guy before her, but since the curse like heaven's punishment lifted, she naturally smiled like a happiness virus carrier.
After all the gloomy talk, seeing her oddly brought satisfaction?
Lee Han brightened, feeling he could breathe now.
"If you're here to eat, it's on me. Sit."
"Th-That would be too rude..."
"I'm fine. Sit alone if you want to eat solo."
"-No, I'll definitely sit here."
"R-Really?"
She sat firmly right next to him, and Lee Han scratched his cheek.
A bit too close?
'Hm? Come to think of it...'
Lee Han paused mid-scratch, a question arising.
Specifically.
'Wasn't she the original saintess by canon?'
...An 'unofficial saintess' not recognized by the temple?
Levi.
The woman who would have been called the Mercenary Queen and War Saintess if Lee Han hadn't interfered.
'...Well, that's a future that won't happen now.'
Lee Han decided to let it go.
No need for pointless worries...
"Oh, right! The first thing I wanted to tell you, Master. I've finally got a new name."
"What?"
"Joan Dark, [Levi Joan Dark]. That's my new name, Master!"
"──Why?"
...
Lee Han reflexively retorted as if nitpicking.
"Nee?"
"N-No, why of all things..."
A name that burned like wildfire...?
...
Lee Han couldn't bring himself to say such rude words aloud.