Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.60 – The Knight's Way of Treating Beasts (3)
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Four days—a short time if you call it short, but plenty sufficient to observe the surroundings and gauge the atmosphere.
And during these four days, Lee Han gathered four major pieces of information.
First off.
‘Traces..., they exist!’
He confirmed that traces of the vampire, that perverted lecher No. 2, were present in this household.
Though the culprit himself might not be aware of them, such traces did exist.
A foul stench like a lump of tar so rotten it made him want to gag...
Whether it was the vampire's own stench or the rot from that bastard's life, regardless, such odors were sporadically detected inside the mansion.
...However, unlike discovering the stench, pinpointing the guy's appearance or information was a pipe dream.
Whether he was hiding well or concealing his identity through some special means...
Whatever the case, it was utterly irritating.
‘But discovering the traces is what's important.’
Having gained certainty that the guy was here, Lee Han felt renewed meaning in enduring all this hardship.
And the second piece of information he'd obtained here was crucial.
‘Among the servants in this mansion, there are no vampires.’
There were a few unusual maids or gardeners who had learned Fighting Techniques, but that wasn't his business.
The key point was that these people bore no traces of No. 2, and at least among the servants, there were no collaborators with the vampire.
However, if you turned that around.
‘The mansion's owners, or perhaps... they might be involved...’
The mansion's owners.
In other words, the possibility emerged that Modred's bloodline was sheltering the pervert, but this could only be confirmed by seeing them in person.
But here's where the problem arose.
‘Are these folks hibernating or something?’
Third piece of information.
Modred's bloodline might be imprisoned somewhere other than the mansion.
In truth, this information wasn't something he'd heard directly from anyone.
Rather.
‘The servants show little interest in their absent masters... This isn't normal.’
It was intel derived through inference.
‘What a bizarre family.’
It felt alienating.
For servants of a noble house—no, a great noble house—they should harbor loyalty toward their masters, yet these people showed none.
They simply carried out their duties in silence, like NPCs guarding a lord's castle.
Peculiar. Eerily so.
Part of him wanted to directly address this odd situation...
- Ah, remember this. Don't show any curiosity about the lord or the young masters and ladies. If you fail to heed that, you'll never work in this castle.
It was the advice-cum-warning from the head maid who'd interviewed him the day before starting. Lee Han intuited that ignoring it and asking others would get him booted out for sure.
Appearance might provide some plausibility, but a clueless fool without basic sense would naturally be culled—that's just how organizations worked.
As such, fleshing out his guesses with more info was impossible. Even if he craved more, he'd likely need to toil here for over a year to scrape any together.
...He had zero intention of wasting time like that.
Thus.
‘The fourth piece of information is key.’
Swish.
Lee Han's gaze shifted.
The sole member of Modred's bloodline in this castle who didn't hide her presence, toddling about openly.
Flinch!
“Ah, miss, do you have something to say?”
“......”
“Miss?”
“......”
“...Hmm.”
Louise Iphera de Modred.
Direct bloodline of the Modred house, and the little miss who might know some hidden truths.
She was Lee Han's potential fourth piece of intel, but one major issue...
Thud thud thud thud!
“...She's quick on her feet.”
Whenever their eyes met, she bolted, leaving zero chance for conversation. A real headache.
“Haa...”
He let out a tired sigh, slumping down in the misty garden.
“Don't utter a word to Miss Louise.”
“Pardon?”
“Don't ask why. Just don't pay her any mind. Treat her indifferently. Got it?”
“...Understood.”
“Good. That's the proper attitude.”
His senior servant nodded in satisfaction at the unquestioning compliance.
‘These young ones— if a superior says don't, just don't. Why do they always ask why?’ The senior muttered authoritatively to himself nonstop.
Lee Han tuned it out with the one-ear-in-one-ear-out skill honed from his past-life military days, letting his mind wander elsewhere.
‘Treating a noble miss like this?’
Is this how noble houses operated?
‘Maybe she's not the legitimate daughter—illegitimate or something?’
Lee Han recalled clichéd romance novel plots from his past life.
‘Could it be? The birth mother died in childbirth, so the husband and siblings shun the youngest...? Or born powerless, something like that...’
It was the most common trope he'd seen, and every time, he thought the parents and siblings were utter trash.
Sure, a mother's death in childbirth was tragic, but what sin had the child committed?
Lack of talent?
Was that a crime?
A child's potential wasn't solely defined by innate ability.
In that sense, the kid getting this shabby treatment was downright unjust...!
‘...No. Don't get involved.’
Lee Han sensed he'd overthought it.
No way it was some melodramatic mess like that, right?
And even if it were, it wasn't his place to step in.
He was here for a purpose, not to babysit.
‘Don't get too immersed.’
He needed to keep his goal front and center.
-Splash!
“...Knew it!”
Lee Han dove into the water without hesitation to rescue the drowning girl.
“Achoo!”
“Wipe off the remaining water with this towel and have some tea. It'll keep you from catching a cold, miss.”
“...Thank you.”
“No need for formalities. I'm just a lowly servant.”
“Okayy.”
“......”
“Ah...”
The girl, looking like a drenched puppy with her tousled hair, widened her eyes and clamped her mouth shut.
As if realizing she'd slipped into formal speech despite being told not to.
But Lee Han just gave a wry smile, saying nothing.
Instead.
‘What the hell am I doing here?’
Lee Han wondered what he was doing, tending to this child and brewing warm tea.
It was enough to stir self-loathing.
Then.
“...Why are you here?”
“Told you, no formalities.”
“I-I feel more comfortable this way.”
“......”
“M-More importantly, answer me.”
“...Just happened to see you heading out fishing alone.”
“I see!”
The child nodded eagerly, satisfied.
It wasn't much of an answer, but her simple acceptance seemed naive—though typical for her age.
‘Not like I lied. I answered honestly, so no issue.’
No joke—he'd genuinely spotted her grabbing the fishing rod by chance.
Then he noticed the drizzle and worried about accidents, so he trailed her to the riverbank. Sure enough, the kid slipped and floated off helplessly.
‘What would've happened if I hadn't saved her?’
Lee Han pegged her as a walking time bomb.
Like any kid, she didn't grasp the dangers around her.
Innocence breeding boldness?
Take your eyes off her, and disaster struck.
“...Miss, not demanding repayment for the rescue, but can I ask one question?”
“Sure, go ahead!”
“When did you start fishing?”
“Age six!”
“......”
“Ah, but until last year, the grandpa who used to watch me came along!”
“Th-That grandpa, then...”
“He said he'd come back after sleeping a thousand nights. Hehe.”
“......”
“Huh? Why are your eyes misty?”
“...Just a cold coming on.”
“Eh!? Th-That's bad...”
“Haa, getting old...”
That's why aging terrified him.
Tears came too easily, didn't they?
Lee Han rubbed his dampening eyes dry and pressed his brow.
But no sooner had he stemmed the tears...
“Hey, Santa.”
“Pardon?”
“Th-There, over there...”
“?”
“C-Could you maybe be my friend?”
“......”
“If, if you become my friend, I'll give you this. I saved up from selling fish, hehe.”
Jingle...
“W-Will this make you my friend?”
“......”
“Santa?”
“......”
...Yeah, that must be why aging scared him.
- Grandpa said that to eat tasty food and buy clothes, you need money. S-So, with money, you can buy friends or family too, right?
Lee Han had heard the child's answer, and it struck him as so innocently heartbreaking.
Wasn't it?
Enduring harsh ordeals, feet numb from cold, just to earn coin—not for running away, but simply to "buy" someone on her side?
Lee Han found it utterly heartbreaking, and reality cruel.
What had this child done to deserve such a life?
“Hee...”
“......”
Lee Han glanced at the girl dozing on his back. Perhaps feeling warmth after so long, her face beamed with pure joy. It warmed his heart, so he tread even more carefully.
To not wake her.
“-Weren't you ordered not to meddle with the miss.”
...But while he took care, some rude bastard raised his voice without a thought.
“......”
“Know when to mind your own business. You'll regret that misplaced pity.”
“...Gardener.”
“Hah, call me Mr. Gardener, you insolent cur!”
The gardener.
A middle-aged man who seemed versed in Fighting Techniques blocked his path, issuing a warning laced with killing intent.
“There's always one like you. Flaunting pity like fools. Idiot—that compassion only burdens the miss more. Better to ignore her outright; she'd give up sooner. Hah! Enough. Waste of breath on trash like you. You're squandering my time.”
“......”
“Put the miss down and scram. Never show your face before me again. Next time you do...”
He was about to spit more warnings.
No, not warnings—threats, barked louder.
...Or so he thought.
“-Hey, shut it. You'll wake the kid.”
Crack!
...The man's mouth was forcibly silenced.
“Mmmph!!”
“I said shut it—you'll wake her.”
Crunch!!
“!!!!?”
The middle-aged man thrashed.
A hand—arriving unnoticed—clamped his jaw brutally, caving in his cheekbones.
He wanted to scream in agony, but the hand's pressure only intensified. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't shake it free.
And as consciousness faded, what the man saw was.
“Better not pass out. My wake-up call won't be gentle.”
“!!?”
“Curious? Go ahead and faint.”
“Mmmph!”
“Shh, you'll wake her.”
Witnessing the savage gleam in those eyes, the man thrashed anew with all his might.
To stay conscious.
And rightly so—that man's warning.
──Rang absolutely true, no empty threat.