Chapter 258
Chapter 258
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.57 – The Challenge That Grants Tomorrow
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Whirr!
The bees swarmed their owner in a scolding welcome, as if demanding, "Where the hell have you been?!"
It had only been five days since he'd last seen them, but were they bigger now? Or was that just his imagination?
"It's not your imagination—they really got huge! What kind of bees grow to the size of puppies, damn it…!"
...To correct myself, the bees weren't just bigger—they were enormously so.
The name Tiger Peak truly lived up to its fierce reputation with growth like this.
"Don't stand there looking pleased—do something about it! Why are they still trying to attack me, you bastards?!"
"They're just not used to you yet, that's all. More importantly, Teach, where've you been? I haven't seen you around lately."
"Covering your shift... writing up paperwork...!!"
"I see. Keep up the good work."
"!?!!"
Damian Pollet, the infamous official slave—no, assistant instructor—of the Swordsmanship Department, renowned as a paperwork wizard, turned beet red with rage. His face looked ready to explode as he let out an angry bellow and stomped his foot.
And in his hand, his trademark hammer!
"Treason?!"
"It's a revolution, you bastard!!"
Damian raised the hammer of revolution high, steeling his resolve.
Resolve to land at least one solid hit on his opponent, no matter what.
Whoosh!
It was fast. Fueled by massive fury—like he'd received some kind of buff—he unleashed twice his usual power and speed. The hammer rang out.
Not Sword Resonance, but Hammer Resonance...!
In a way, this was the grand moment when the legend of the [Hammer Knight] began.
Crack!
"...Huh?"
"Must've popped some elixir, huh? You're a bit stronger than last time."
"??"
...The hammer was blocked effortlessly.
No, it wasn't just blocked. It was flicked away with the back of the hand, as if no real block was needed. And due to the springy muscles there, Damian witnessed the bizarre sight of his hammer snapping in two.
And his opponent, ever so kindly,
"My body's gotten a little tougher."
"Even there?!"
"It just happened."
"...Goddamn it. Even a massive beast wouldn't tank that."
"Never mind. Not bad."
Thud.
"Keep pushing yourself."
"...Shit."
Damian spat a curse as he stared at the finger approaching in his vision. The moment it flicked toward his forehead—
Snap!
He lost consciousness.
'Even the light shows no mercy...'
Already tough enough, and now even tougher—what the hell? With that complaint, Damian flipped the bird toward the sky as darkness claimed him.
Lee Han gazed down at the assistant instructor, passed out with eyes rolled back, and let out a genuine sigh of admiration.
"Not bad at all, this guy."
"I heard Damian bought mid-grade elixirs with the money he earned helping other departments lately. Guess they kicked in good."
"Real doping, huh?"
Lee Han felt a twinge of guilt for pushing him too hard upon hearing he'd even doped up just to land one hit. But feeling the hammer's lingering weight, the sympathy faded fast.
"Nah, he needs to be pushed. That's the type who gets stronger from it."
"For real?"
"You saw the Hammer Resonance, right? What more proof do you need?"
"S-So you're gonna keep pushing him like this from now on?"
"It's pain for growth."
"......"
Derek genuinely pitied Damian while admiring him. Taking on the instructor's duties indefinitely, and getting stronger this way—it was a talent in itself.
...A pitiful one, though.
Still, compared to those who sold their souls to grow strong, Damian seemed somewhat lucky(?).
"But why're you still hanging around here? Why not go home?"
"...Lady Karin is at my place."
"......"
Rubbing it in?
Lee Han clenched his fist a bit, but gritted his teeth and spoke as mildly as possible.
"Then go crawl to your girlfriend."
To reiterate, that was mild.
"...I-I can't."
"Why?"
"I g-got kicked out."
"?"
"L-Last time I came back pretty banged up, but I kept it secret from Lady Karin, so..."
"Your fault. Go grovel, man."
"If I apologize, she'll let me tag along next time she heads somewhere dangerous. So I can't apologize."
"You're more of a romantic than you look."
"Haha..."
"Don't laugh. Not a compliment."
"...Yes, sir..."
Taechang deflated, but Lee Han wasn't generous enough to comfort the smug bastard.
It was a lovers' quarrel for each other's sake, after all.
'There's levels to this salt-rubbing...'
Lee Han felt like he'd learned something, seriously considering flicking Taechang's forehead too.
No matter how he thought about it, the guy was annoying.
Then.
"...Instructor, I've thought it over deeply, and no matter how I look at it, Iliad surviving is thanks to you."
"Changing the subject?"
"No, not changing it."
"Then what's with the nonsense?"
He's already saved—saying it's your merit that he didn't die...
"Wh-What I'm saying is about the original story. In the original, Iliad should've died before the first semester even ended. But she's still alive—not just surviving, but safe. And I suspect all these changes are thanks to you."
"You think I'm omnipotent?"
Lee Han was dumbfounded.
Back in the first semester, saving someone whose face he didn't even know—and claiming it was him? What nonsense.
As he wondered if Taechang had a demon in his head and considered an exorcism,
"What if you hadn't stopped the monster terror?"
"?"
He started spouting surprisingly persuasive arguments.
"If you and the cadets you trained hadn't been there, the horde would've spread across the capital for sure. They might've even reached the Offen estate."
"......"
"Or if you hadn't caught that illegal mage hiding in the academy? Who knows what evil plot they were cooking up. They might've teamed up with rebels like Gardin or Elza."
"Isn't that a bit too imaginative...?"
"Yeah, I admit it. But that's how numerous the butterfly effects you've caused are. Plus, you said it yourself, right? In your three years as a knight, you crushed illegal mages and slave traders left and right? That's a massive butterfly effect."
"...I get what you're saying, but does it matter now?"
"We have to review past records to predict current impacts. That way, we gather more info, right?"
...A subtly insightful deduction, uncharacteristic of Taechang.
Was he rubbing off on his smart girlfriend?
"—That's what Karin told me. Keep a broad perspective."
"You little...!"
The感動 shattered, Lee Han shot him a cold glare. Taechang looked sheepish, as if realizing he didn't need to say that last part.
Unconsciously rubbing salt—pure evil.
Did he sense Lee Han's darkening expression?
"I-I just wanted to say someone survived thanks to you! S-Someone should express gratitude...! Uh, bye!"
True to his sharp survival instincts, he bolted at the first sign of trouble. Lee Han clicked his tongue.
"That guy's worrying about weird stuff."
He considered chasing him down for a scolding, but alas,
"—He's concerned about your sacrifices. Looks like you've been hiding all your achievements. That must be what's bothering him. He's a thoughtful kid."
He had a guest to greet, so he couldn't pursue.
"Enjoy eavesdropping on our chat?"
"I-I didn't mean to. Just timing my entrance... Really."
"Lame excuse."
"...It's not."
He'd already noticed from the bees suddenly going quiet and retreating to their hive. Confirming it directly just made him half-close his eyes in annoyance.
"Why're you here? Should've let family spend time together quietly."
"That was the plan, but I still owe you something."
Felicia floated there on her sword, a hearty grin on her face.
The sight of the woman flying ten meters up, using her sword as a foothold, was utterly mystical.
A fantasy world, sure, but it evoked an immortal fairy?
Not some yeou or anything...
"You've got skills."
"Oh, this? Nothing special. Anyone who can levitate a sword can do it."
"...Isn't that an insanely tough prerequisite?"
Felicia chuckled softly at Lee Han's retort and landed gracefully.
As if sorry for making him look up.
"Sorry again. No intent to eavesdrop."
"How much did you hear?"
"From the part about Iliad already being dead."
"...Everything."
"Heh, so that's why I apologized."
Felicia remained utterly composed hearing her son should've died, her eyes steady unlike her usual blowfish self.
Did his puzzlement show? Felicia continued with a relaxed smile.
"That kid must have some [Foresight] mystery. Saw a fortune-teller with something similar forty years ago. Though this one's sharper."
"No malice, so let it slide."
"I'm not mad. Just glad deep down. That my son's fate changed."
"......"
"If anything, I'm grateful. Thanks to you, Iliad survived two close calls in a row. How many thanks do I owe...?"
Felicia gazed at Lee Han with deep affection.
Honey-dripping eyes?
It was burdensome—downright chilling.
"Creeps me out. Look away."
"It's affectionate."
"Even creepier."
"...Cheeky brat."
Her words said that, but the intensity in her eyes didn't fade.
"First time I've felt this grateful to anyone. You saved my child and cleared the resentment between us."
Felicia recalled her long-overdue heart-to-heart with her son before coming here.
They talked a lot.
Really a lot.
And realized.
She truly...
"I'd never once praised Iliad. What I thought was praise was just condescension."
Was there ever such a pathetic mother in the world?
"Don't worry. The world's full of worse parents than you."
"Where?"
"Uh, the ones who sold me into slavery?"
"......"
"See? Don't worry. Beasts like that are a dime a dozen."
"Th-That's no comfort at all..."
...Felicia newly realized her mouth was the root of disasters.
Lee Han asked again.
"So, why're you really here?"
It was a chide—go lavish long-overdue praise on your son instead, and maybe don't visit for a while. But Felicia wasn't sharp enough to catch the subtext.
Though sharp in other ways.
"To give you my final lesson."
"?"
"Thinking it over, I haven't taught you much. Just vague clouds, no real substance."
She always kept her promises.
But.
"Realizing that now?"
On the receiving end, proper teaching this late felt absurd. She flinched a bit.
Lots to feel guilty about, apparently.
Still.
"H-Honestly, I didn't expect you'd handle intent this soon..."
To make excuses, she'd figured he'd need at least six more months of rolling in the dirt.
A miscalculation, not a mistake.
"You shattered my expectations and reached the intent you sought. Impressive... and sorry."
So, she had to fill this final gap.
"Do you get what intent is now?"
"Roughly, yeah?"
"Heh, still subtle, huh."
"Mm..."
Lee Han nodded.
Yeah, he got it, sort of.
Some 'power' inside his body.
But using it freely was another story.
Exactly.
"Subtle fits. I know what it is, but explaining it clearly? No clue."
"Natural. Intent's like a song. You hear it clearly, yet can't grasp its beauty."
"...?"
"Just sounded profound—ignore it."
"Looked that way."
Like something from a book—didn't resonate.
Intent wasn't some lofty song.
More like.
'A new muscle.'
Lee Han settled on a way he could grasp.
'Intent is muscle.'
Imagine if humans had wings or tails.
'You'd have to work to control them.'
That's what intent was—a new appendage.
A muscle to train, until the unfamiliarity vanished.
Natural integration.
"Once you get there, you can brag about beating me somewhere."
"Spot on. That's intent integration. Top practitioners: His Highness the Crown Prince... no, Duke Blake, Grand Duke Lionel, Marchioness Jenimia."
"......"
...That marchioness was a monster too, huh.
'Good thing I spared her that day.'
Lucky his gut didn't get pierced storming her mansion solo.
As Lee Han gave a wry, relieved smile, her advice continued.
"It'll be grueling and boring. Only steady effort and training build intent. But persist honestly, and you'll reach it. Even if tortoise-slow."
"Good thing. Slow and steady's my specialty."
"That's splendid."
Slide.
Felicia smiled warmly at his confidence.
A man needed that much self-assurance.
But what good were words alone?
"Words aren't enough—want to feel it physically?"
"...For real?"
"From my collection."
Seventeen blades of pristine white—material unknown—rose high into the sky.
"Swords infused with highly concentrated intent. Sparring them will help a bit."
"Edges are razor-sharp."
"Might slip into your body too."
"...Threatening murder?"
A person who could turn herself into a porcupine with wooden swords, now aiming dozens of real ones—chilling.
Sensibly, no need to risk life for minor growth.
"Hah, trying to kill me? Who does this shit...?"
"So, you backing out?"
"You know I'm not."
...Sensibly speaking.
Men are like that.
They charge ahead, even knowing challenge might kill them, even as fierce waves loom.
Because men live tomorrow through challenges.
...That day, Lee Han was stabbed by twelve swords and didn't regain consciousness until four days later.