Chapter 239
Chapter 239
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.54 – The Knight Hates Losing Muscle (1)
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Shwaaaa!
The wind blew.
A cool, pleasant forest breeze.
It was a bit chilly due to the lingering cool season, but the scent of the wind wasn't bad at all.
Mixed in was the smell of rain from the early morning downpour, which he quite liked.
"Hm?"
Along the way, a sweet fragrance wafted strongly through the wind, brushing past his nose.
It was a deep, rich aroma.
Different from the sweetness of sugar, it drew him gradually toward its source.
Whish, whish!
He dashed freely through the forest, full of natural traps like slopes, rocks, vine tangles, and mud puddles, moving like a four-legged beast.
His heavily muscled body might suggest sluggish movements, but in reality, he was quicker and lighter than any animal.
And so, he arrived at a place where,
Bzzz! Bzzzz!
bees were buzzing about.
One might wonder at bees still flying in this weather, but in Pendragon, it was commonplace.
Due to the influence of , the south teemed with mystical creatures like spirit beasts, spirit insects, and spirit trees.
Those industrious bees working even in autumn were likely a type of spirit insect.
Bzzz?!
Confusion flickered in the bees' movements.
True to spirit insects, they possessed a hint of intelligence, marching in disciplined formation unlike ordinary bees.
'Sorry about this.'
On one hand, he felt a bit guilty.
Normally, no human should stumble into such a deep and dangerous part of the forest, so how could the bees have anticipated someone coming this far on a mere 'casual stroll'?
Once they got past the crisis of their habitat being discovered, they'd probably relocate immediately.
Even in Pendragon, where autumn lasted long, moving at this point wasn't wise.
He said,
"Relocating wouldn't be the best choice."
Bzzz!?
He tried talking to them.
"Not sure if you can understand, but here's some advice: just stay put. I don't want anything from you, not even your honey, and I won't blab about you to anyone."
Bzzzz...
"Whether you believe me is up to you. ...What the hell am I even doing?"
Talking to bees? Even if they had spiritual energy, anyone else would call him mad.
"...Farewell."
Feeling a twinge of self-loathing, he quickly turned to leave.
...But then.
Bzzz!
"Hm?"
Bzz-!
"This... for me?"
Bzzz.
"...Living two lives, and now I'm taking bribes from bees."
The man—no, Lee Han—scratched his cheek with a hollow laugh as he accepted a chunk of honeycomb from the bees.
He'd thought he'd experienced every oddity life could throw at him, but apparently not.
"...Mokcheong honey."
One of the famed wild honeys, alongside seokcheong.
And this mokcheong came from spirit honeybees, which possessed spiritual energy.
Mokcheong was valuable enough on its own, but honey from spirit honeybees was priceless in its rarity.
It was like stumbling upon gold on the roadside.
From Lee Han's perspective, however,
"...Nah, take it back. Feels like I'm extorting you."
Bzzz!?
"It's not that I hate it—really, it's fine."
Bzzzz...
"No, don't look disappointed.... Damn it, what am I doing with these bees?"
Why was he here, playing hard-to-get with bees?
In this bewildering situation, Lee Han ended up accepting the mokcheong.
And said,
"As thanks for this, I'll bring a gift next time I pass through."
Bzzz!?
"A potion oughta do it. Or maybe teach you some swordplay?"
Bzzzz!?
"Anyway, I'll enjoy it."
Lee Han shot down the mountain like an arrow, and the bees kept their gaze fixed on his retreating figure for a long while.
Bzzz!
Drip!
"What is this? Why is it so good...?"
He'd tasted mokcheong a few times before, but this was on another level.
Not just the floral fragrance blooming in his mouth, but a surge of vitality coursing through his body, like a potion's effect.
Spirit insects indeed—their honey wasn't ordinary.
As he savored it, marveling at the taste and effects,
Rustle.
"...Enjoying a treat all by yourself, are you?"
A white-haired woman scolded him, appearing without a sound.
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you coming out of there?"
"Shortcut?"
"...You're quite mad. Do you even know how many monsters and poisons lurk in that forest?"
"Grab any monsters that show up, and thanks to you, Lady Fairy, I'm immune to all poisons anyway."
"Immune to... what?"
"Never mind. Have some honey."
"Hey, listen to—ooh! What is this!?"
The woman, who had sampled countless delicacies at the palace and noble houses—Sword Saint Felicia—clapped like a seal over mere honey.
Lee Han shrugged and signaled her not to pry further into its origin.
He had a duty to protect the bees from this monster, after all.
She might wreck the ecosystem chasing more honey.
Felicia beamed endlessly at the taste but soon cleared her throat, regaining composure as if embarrassed.
"Ahem. Anyway, why take that forest path? The road would've sufficed."
"That wastes time. Cutting through saves three hours—much better."
"What a ridiculous man..."
Felicia had often said such things over the past ten days with Lee Han.
...Ridiculous man.
He was just going about his routine—why the judgment?
"Why not just stay in our territory instead of coming and going?"
"I'm not unemployed. I'm a full-fledged worker. Even getting professor offers lately."
"...Ha."
"I come for tutoring in my spare time after work. Can't focus solely here."
"......"
Defining Felicia's—her of all people—guidance as 'tutoring' left even her speechless.
She wasn't one to bask in flattery, but accustomed to awe and respect, Lee Han's indifference felt utterly alien.
"...The kingdom's knights would thrash you for that."
"They'd be the ones getting thrashed."
"...Insolent brat, trying to outtalk an elder."
The eternally youthful Sword Saint grumbled on, though she hardly looked old.
...Yet still,
"You do keep your promises, so I'll grant your diligence that much."
Felicia nodded, acknowledging at least his honesty.
"You've slimmed down a bit."
"...Damn it."
"Hey now."
Lee Han scowled, cursing under his breath.
To him, 'slimmed down' was no compliment.
Why?
"Feels like I've lost 2kg of muscle."
It wasn't fat—it was muscle...
Lee Han was glum.
"'20g' more like. You're exaggerating."
"To me, 20g is sadder than gold pouring down."
"Such a drama queen."
"...You wouldn't understand."
"Is it... that sad?"
"......"
Lee Han stared at Felicia in disbelief for asking such an inhuman question, but then thought, 'Typical of that yokai.'
Sword Saint Felicia, in his eyes,
'Doesn't get human feelings.'
More precisely, she didn't get a gym rat's feelings, but to him, it amounted to the same.
- Avoid training that burdens the body for a while.
Lee Han had been issued a training ban by Felicia.
And 'no burden on the body' really meant...
- No strength training?
- Precisely.
- Skip a day, and muscle fades.
- Hm? What's the issue?
- ...This conversation's going nowhere.
It hit him like a bolt from the blue.
If it were someone who never trained, fine—but he'd once devoted 18 of 24 hours to exercise.
Skipping for him was like skipping meals; naturally, he resisted, but
- Train with mind over body. It'll help you.
- ...What nonsense...
- Hey! Pretty words!
- ...You're like a puppy.
- That's cute, not pretty!
- I'm losing it...
Felicia spouted cult-like theory, and Lee Han felt his blood pressure rising.
If she weren't the great Sword Saint, he'd have cursed outright.
- Mind training at this stage? Come on...
Lee Han knew imagery training had merits.
But better than physical movement?
Eh?
He believed hands-on training helped more.
Besides, three years of strength training was ingrained in his life—switching to pure imagination was hard to swallow.
- Enough chatter. This trains willpower too. Trust and follow.
- ...Explain the theory, then.
- ......
- Hey.
- Ahem, my memory's fuzzy since my rejuvenation. I know it works theoretically, but detailing it...
- ......
- A-anyway, trust me. If it doesn't work, I'll compensate on my name.
- Note: 0.1g lost muscle accrues eternal grudge.
- ......
Lee Han reluctantly agreed to the cult theory.
Why so compliant?
Simple.
- ...She's the Sword Saint. No scams.
- I hear you, brat!
- That's why I'm saying it.
- ...Let's spar a bit today.
- Bring it.
This time, not branches but nine flying wooden swords targeted him.
- She's ridiculously strong...
The loser falls silent; beaten, Lee Han tearfully resolved to obey.
Zero training allowed.
No heavy squats, bench presses— all gear banned. Only walks or cadet spars remained.
But even those,
- Skip training, play freely! Focus mind only.
...Banned again by Felicia. Helpless, he halted spars too.
Instead, he sent cadets to repair damaged temple facilities as 'volunteer work'—skipping their training.
And now, about ten days later...
"-What? How is this possible?"
Shockingly, he'd lost 20g of muscle, yet
"Why are my bones denser?"
He was baffled by his tougher 'muscle and bone'.
Clang!
"...No hammer needed for nailing anymore."
His fist would do just fine.