Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.54 – The Knight Hates Soybean Powder (7)
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"...No, how on earth did you tame a bee that can slaughter hundreds of hornets all by itself?"
Lee Han shrugged lightly in response to his disciple's genuine curiosity, letting the gesture speak for itself.
"I didn't do anything. First time we met, we just chatted a bit. Second time, I gave it a potion as a gift. After that, they suddenly started coming up to me and built a hive in the forest near my house?"
"You got the champion of the honeybee world just like that? It's ridiculous..."
"Got it? What do you mean 'got'? They're just friends who eat with me."
"...Not servants?"
"......"
Buzzz.
Lee Han's newly befriended smart honeybee pals brought a glass of water to where he was sitting.
Just to show their strength, two of them effortlessly carried a glass weighing dozens of times their body weight.
Seeing this, I get why they have all those grandiose titles.
"Ahem, friends, I said."
Lee Han handed over a bundle of fruit to the bees—not servants, mind you—as a thank-you.
Buzzz!
Oh man, they're thrilled.
"F-fruit?"
"They eat pretty much anything. Carnivorous too, but they love sweet fruits the most. Pineapple, mango, that sort. They've got expensive tastes."
"...Didn't that strike you as weird?"
"Figured it's just how spirit bugs are."
"......"
"Anyway, why'd you come here without a word?"
Lee Han stopped fawning over his new friends and jerked his chin curtly, as if to say, Spit out why you're here.
His tone carried a distinctly cold edge, making Derek flinch.
"I-instructor, a-are you mad?"
"Mad? Why would I be mad at you for illegally skipping class and hanging out with your girlfriend?"
"You are mad..."
"I'm not. I just think you're an ungrateful punk."
"...That's being mad."
Derek hung his head low.
They say you know your own sins best.
Derek, who had more than a few—and quite a lot—things to feel guilty about, was sweating bullets.
...That said, if he had to make excuses.
"I-I've been pretty busy too. I analyzed the situation based on the valuable info you gave me, took care of the villains from the side chapters, teamed up with Young Master Roan to take down one big bad, and then..."
"And did some dating?"
"......"
"Not denying it now? Next time you'll show up as a dad, huh?"
"W-we just barely held hands..."
"So you were actually dating while I was busting my ass?"
"!?"
The world is filthy.
Everyone but me is dating and nurturing pretty little romances, aren't they? It's heartbreaking, damn it...
'Ah, this is why I hate Christmas.'
Christmas at least boosted national birth rates, so he tried to view it positively. But the 14th, when KakaoTalk gifts sold like hotcakes, was the day Lee Han despised most.
As he eyed Derek with a bitterly cold gaze, Derek hurriedly spat out excuses to change the subject.
"A-anyway, I didn't skip lectures for no reason. B-believe me, Instructor..."
"Bullshit. You think I don't know you? You only come to me when you need help or have something to ask. Otherwise, you don't show your face."
"......"
"See? Knew it."
"...I'm just trash..."
Derek promptly faceplanted into the dirt.
No point in more excuses; it'd only highlight his own ingratitude.
'...Kid's been working hard.'
Despite his words, Lee Han could see it plainly: the calluses on Derek's hands, the scars and wounds etched across his body. The kid had been hustling in his own way.
'Hm, took down that Black Sword guy and a trade caravan, right?'
Word was, Derek had teamed up with the Black Sword guy for a fierce battle against that caravan.
And that caravan was the cultists' funding pipeline, apparently.
'Toppling a megacorp. Should've invited me.'
In this world, trade caravans were basically megacorps—massive powers backed by wealth.
Not just financial clout, but they had mercenary bands and combat units to match.
For two cadets to dismantle one? Impressive as hell. Lee Han knew it better than anyone, but since they weren't bragging about who they fought, he wouldn't praise them outright either.
'Acting considerate in weird ways.'
Probably because they knew he'd been swamped lately.
Lee Han inwardly smirked with satisfaction at his disciples' thoughtfulness, even as he ribbed them.
It felt like the punks had grown a bit.
'...Am I getting old?'
His nose tingled for some reason.
But the sentiment didn't last.
Because...
"Instructor, you said you met the head of House Oppen recently?"
"Huh?"
"I-I know this question's kinda weird, but... was he... okay? Like, alive?"
"......"
"H-he wasn't, like, a z-zombie or something, right?"
"...Derek."
"Y-yes?"
"I'm gonna bash your head in, punk."
"......"
"Do it."
"D-doing it...!"
It was a ridiculous remark from Derek, treating a perfectly healthy man like a zombie. Lee Han clicked his tongue.
Always makes it impossible to praise him.
Guess that's why they say the mouth is the root of all evil.
"-He was supposed to be dead?"
"Y-yes..."
After a 15-minute barrage, Derek rubbed his head with a pout.
Lee Han pretended not to notice and tilted his head.
"...He seemed fine to me?"
Lee Han recalled Ilyad from half a day ago.
Far from unwell—he was so lively, covered in paint from prepping a new work.
But apparently, the guy was supposed to...
"'Die half a year ago'... Hm, you sure you didn't get it wrong?"
"N-no way. I remember clearly. As far as I know, the head of House Oppen was supposed to pass away half a year ago."
"...Cause of death?"
"Y-you believe me?"
"You're not the type to spout nonsense."
"Th-thank you."
"Save the thanks. Spill it already."
"R-right..."
Derek continued.
"I didn't see him die myself, but there's a line from Arno's dialogue."
"Game dialogue?"
"D-definitely from the dialogue..."
It was from a scene where second-year Arno, with sad eyes, bumps into the heroine and chats.
-Are you talking about my father? He passed away not long after I entered the Academy. His chronic illness worsened...
"...So, with his passing, Arno becomes the next head but hands the title to the Sword Sage to gain worldly experience. He joins the mercenary band Garand founded, rises to No. 2 alongside Kunta, and makes a name across the continent. That's the core of [Heroes of the Side Story], our side story."
"...There's a side story too?"
"Our studio put a ton of effort into it. The content's massive."
"......"
"Instructor?"
"...No matter how I look at it, it doesn't add up."
"Huh? Oh, you mean how a game like that could come from Korea? The investor was pretty amazing..."
"No, not that. ...That guy looked super healthy. Chronic illness?"
"??"
"Doesn't seem right..."
Lee Han wasn't guessing blindly.
He wasn't a doctor, but with his senses, gauging someone's health was a breeze.
Distinguishing healthy from sick? Easy.
In that sense...
"No chronic illness—he was fit as a fiddle, healthy enough to live forever."
Lee Han was certain.
Legs a bit wonky maybe, but no underlying illness.
So...
"Either your memory's off, or something's gone sideways."
"Sideways?"
"Be honest—we've stirred up a lot, right?"
"...Technically, you personally..."
"Ssh! Mouth."
"......"
As the cheeky kid said, Lee Han had already altered plenty of "events that should've happened."
A butterfly's wingbeat changes much; Lee Han had been a full-on typhoon.
'I've wrecked a ton.'
Lee Han splayed his fingers, mentally tallying his mishaps since becoming a knight three years ago.
"Gave those guys to Sis, killed all the spellcasters, slave traders... how many were there?"
"......"
"Ahem, minor stuff."
"...What the hell have you been up to?"
"Just living diligently."
"...Live a bit more diligently and a meteor'll drop."
"Saw one two years back."
"......"
"Stopping that was a pain."
"...What...?"
Derek burned with curiosity about Lee Han's exploits, but Lee Han pondered House Oppen.
Anyway, per the kid, his massive butterfly effect had changed things, letting Ilyad—who should've died—live.
Good news. Lee Han should feel proud.
'...But it's fishy.'
Lee Han reaffirmed: no chronic illness for that Ilyad guy.
Yet in the game, the "puppy wolf" died of one.
Inconsistent. Just to check, Lee Han started to ask more.
"By the way. That lady..."
But,
Crash!
"...?"
...Before he could continue, a massive bulk tumbled into his front yard, forcing him to stop.
"...Big guy?"
"I-instructor... K-Kunta... hurts."
"......"
Kunta, covered in wounds, panted and whined in pain. Lee Han had no time to worry, glaring at Derek.
"...This disaster god's fault?"
"......I-it's my fault!!?"
"Yeah."
"......"
Lee Han reasonably inferred that if the kid had kept his mouth shut today, this wouldn't have happened.
"K-Kunta... hurts...?"
Kunta made a sad face, aggrieved that no one was tending to him.
That's why living abroad as a foreigner is so lonely.