Chapter 283
Chapter 283
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.62 – What Justification Does a Knight Have to Fight? (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Orthos was furious.
[Whine... squeak!]
To end up transformed into such a childish form!
Though it had miraculously succeeded in reviving with one head intact, this was truly the limit now.
It had consumed every last bit of its nutrients. Any more major attacks, and it would drop dead on the spot.
Orthos, reduced to the size of a baby puppy, teared up in rage and glared at the burly knight with eyes full of hatred.
Because of that knight, this happened.
[Grrr!]
But Orthos knew full well how pathetic it looked now. It couldn't bring itself to attack the knight.
So for now...
[Squeak.]
[Pip.]
[Grrr...]
...it needed time to build up its strength for revenge.
It might be just a puppy now, but if it started hunting prey from scratch and grew again, then it could get revenge on that burly knight who had handed it such a humiliating defeat.
[Grrr!]
Ten years was hardly a long time when it came to vengeance.
For the first time in its life, Orthos dreamed of a ten-year plan.
Chomp!
...However, despite harboring such grudges, Orthos was utterly pathetic.
"I was wondering where you'd hidden yourself, but here you are."
[!!?]
Right now, it was far too feeble to escape from that 'monster'...
"Don't we still have some unfinished business?"
[......]
"Well, don't worry. I'll send you off without any pain."
[Squeee...!]
Orthos gazed up at him—the one gripping its scruff—with eyes brimming with tears.
A monstrous human.
Not only had he beaten Orthos down, but he'd subdued even that burly knight with ease...!
Orthos put on the most pitiful expression it could muster, begging for its life with all the cuteness it could manage.
Humans liked cute things, so this had to work...
"A guy with two heads and a snake tail sure looks cute, huh."
[......]
...How did he read my thoughts?
Orthos even harbored the rational suspicion that this human might actually be one of its kin monsters disguised in human form.
But suspicions aside, the axe in his hand proved there would be no mercy.
A ferocious aura emanated from the blade itself.
An axe that had severed the necks of countless monsters, mages, and heretics—Orthos caught a whiff of its terrifying blood scent and promptly...
Drip...
...wet itself.
This human was too terrifying; it couldn't even dream of revenge.
At that moment.
"Hold on a second."
"?"
"It might be better not to kill it."
[!]
Orthos glimpsed a ray of hope.
Confirming that the monster's momentum halted at the slightly aged human's words, Orthos felt a surge of gratitude.
[Grrr!]
Old human, I like you!
For the first time, Orthos felt fondness and affection toward the human species...
"Orthos blood is a key ingredient for high-grade potions. It rivals or even surpasses potions made from pure troll vital blood. Grinding up the fur makes a salve excellent for burns, and the venom from its tail treats joint pain or gout. Keeping it alive and harvesting bit by bit would benefit you too."
"Oh."
"The heart and liver are delicacies as well. Family records claim it's the most delicious meat in the world. Plus, as long as the head survives, the organs regenerate on their own, so you can keep harvesting them."
"Oh!"
[......]
"Heh heh, does that pique your interest a bit?"
"Piqued? You've got me drooling."
"That's fortunate."
[...Guh-hung...]
Orthos let out a pathetic wail.
You cruel bastards, just kill me already!
...A wail no one heard.
Orthos cried like a dog.
...Knights were people with at least one major flaw.
It might be a narrow view, but at least all the knights he'd encountered fit that description.
Some were obsessed with a single pursuit, others mentally shattered.
Not hard to understand. They were said to guard honor and country, but in truth, a knight's job meant constant life-or-death battles with monsters, criminals, or enemy knights.
Just like deployed soldiers developed severe mental disorders on the battlefield, knights lived drenched in blood, so mental flaws were practically a given.
Thus, anyone choosing to live as a knight—standing on the edge of a blade—needed a rock-solid ego.
In other words, stubbornness. An unshakeable madness, akin to insanity.
...In that sense,
'This guy's on another level.'
Lee Han was convinced: among all the knights he'd met, this one had the most insufferable brand of madness.
"Just as lions and tigers rule the plains and mountains with nothing but their teeth and claws, those born as the strong should maximize their innate purity in battle!!"
"Lions and tigers are wild beasts."
"Humans are animals too, when you get down to it!!"
"The temple would have a fit hearing that from you."
"It's the truth! I'm proud!!"
"Got it, so lower your voice. You're loud."
"Got it!!!"
"......"
...He got the point, at least.
With their natural talent and physiques, knights learned fighting techniques, donned armor, wielded swords and spears—yet going further and using skills was just too cowardly...
"-Is that the gist?"
"Impressive. Paraphrasing that absurd theory so neatly."
"Eh, surrounded by weirdos."
"Feels relatable. Tough crowd for you too."
"......"
Lee Han felt sorry for the old man.
How'd he end up with a disciple like that, causing so much heartache in his old age?
"Heh heh, but the talent's real."
"...That obvious?"
"Never heard you're easy to read?"
"......"
"Heard it a lot, huh? Heh heh."
He looked like your average neighborhood uncle, but maybe that's what it took to be called Knight Commander?
His calm aura felt natural yet extraordinary, his speech steady and his insight razor-sharp.
Not just a brute-force knight, but a seasoned veteran.
'...That other guy's just a slacker, though...'
Lee Han shook his head, thinking of the only other Knight Commander he knew.
Why would that guy need cunning anyway? If he put his mind to it, nothing was impossible.
As Lee Han nodded to himself like he was beating a drum solo, he spotted the noisy one—still slung over the old knight's shoulder like baggage, yammering away.
"Master! We need to extend training time!"
"...Bulk up more and then what?"
"More power! Even greater strength...!"
"......Just shut it. My pants are about to burst."
"That's bad! Are you injured!?"
"......Why'd I take this fool as a disciple and suffer like this in my later years..."
"I respect you, Master!!"
"......"
...Maybe not. Living like a slacker might just be that guy's style as Knight Commander.
'Better than dealing with stress from a disciple like that.'
Lee Han vowed to bolt at full speed if anyone ever tried saddling him with a commander role.
Anyway.
"But didn't I beat you with raw strength?"
"......"
"Sure, techniques in the endgame, but from mid-fight, I overwhelmed you with power. So you lost to innate strength—doesn't that debunk your theory?"
"......"
"Even if your theory holds, I was more innately gifted, so aren't you the weak one...?"
"Urgh...!"
Felix let out a groan like he'd been struck by a heart demon, clamping his mouth shut and chewing over Lee Han's words with a grave expression, lost in thought.
Meaning he'd finally shut up.
"...Thanks. Feels refreshing."
"No big deal. No one's ever given him advice like that? You seem stronger than him."
"...I'd win in pure skill. But no one, me included, can beat him in raw strength."
"Even you?"
"Calls me weak too."
"......"
"Plus, with just that theory, he's racked up 198 wins out of 200 one-on-one duels. The rest were utter defeats."
"...Wow."
"Oh, wait—new loss record! And this time he met his match. Serves him right!!"
"......"
...He looked so refined, yet he seemed to harbor so much resentment toward his disciple that he gleefully savored the defeat. Lee Han felt a twinge of pity, wondering just how much the kid had gotten under his skin.
Then.
"Oh, right—you're Sir Santa Ri Han?"
"...Not really sir material."
"No need. A presence like yours can't be hidden. Who else could be called a true knight?"
"?"
"Ahem. Indeed. You've done us a great service. No... the entire Modred family owes you a debt."
"???"
What was that about?
Lee Han tilted his head, watching the man suddenly tear up mid-conversation.
...Was he even talking to me?
'Who the hell is he talking to?'
The moment he realized the man was conversing with something in the air...
Thud!
"Thank you, truly. For saving that child—my granddaughter—thank you so much..."
"......"
"It's hardly much of a reward, but those grudge spirits clinging to your back—I'll exorcise them all. Oddly, lots of mage spirits? Well, judging by their colors, they were all vile murderers in life, so they deserve it. But the sheer number—easily over a hundred. No heavy shoulders or nightmares?"
"......"
"Hm? Why the face?"
"...Don't you think you skipped way too much setup?"
"??"
"......This guy's not right in the head either."
Lee Han couldn't shake the suspicion that the Modreds weren't reclusive by choice—they were probably shunned.
'Who'd like hearing they've got a curse of ghosts out of nowhere?'
Maybe those five years of neglect had good reason after all. A perfectly rational doubt.