Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP. 15 – The Knight Throws a Party (4)
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...It sent chills down his spine, but contrary to his imaginings of a bloodbath, Lee Han let the guy off with a light flick to the forehead.
"My lord, are you alright?"
"It's bearable."
"...My lord, that wasn't me. That was a brick."
Well, a light flick didn't mean the guy walked away unscathed.
The cheeky cadet who had so brazenly given his master what was either an order or a notification got his due punishment.
A ridiculously mild one compared to what the spellcasters had suffered, though.
After that, the group dragged the half-dead or unconscious spellcasters into the tavern building without permission.
It was locked, but...
Bang!
"Crawl, you rat bastards."
"Eek!"
In the lawless slums of the lawless district, any lawlessness was permitted.
They chased out the lawless thug pretending to be the tavern owner and seized the place by force.
Then, after rummaging through the shelves, Lee Han...
"Here, if you don't want to kill the bitch, douse her in this and patch her up roughly."
"...Yes, sir."
Jake caught the liquor Lee Han tossed him.
It wasn't something every tavern stocked, but given the streets overflowing with the injured, they had disinfectant alcohol on hand.
Jake approached the ones they needed intel from to keep them alive, while Lee Han flopped into a grimy chair and stretched out.
"Man, it's no joke holding back and just subduing them without killing."
"...You made it look easy."
"I had to rack my brain to pull it off."
"......"
"More importantly, young master."
"...Am I a young master too?"
"No arguments. You know you owe me, right?"
"......I do."
"Good, as long as you get it. You've got some sense."
...He dreaded what might happen if he claimed otherwise.
'I'm the one who used him, after all.'
Roan had known about the spellcasters but couldn't step in without leaving traces.
If he fought, he'd inevitably leave the 'trace of power' tied to his Grand Duke lineage.
That would restrict the movements of the already scrutinized heir to the Grand Duchy.
So...
"Honestly, that letter was a gamble. I had no guarantee you'd know about them for sure."
"Lucky jackpot for you, huh?"
"...You seemed to hate spellcasters so much."
"Sharp eyes. Spot on. Spellcasters are one of the bugs this instructor despises most."
"......"
...Not even treated like people.
He hated spellcasters even more than expected, and a flicker of satisfaction showed on his face.
He seemed to get a sense of accomplishment from snapping their necks or crushing them.
"Just personal curiosity, but do you have some grudge against spellcasters?"
"Nah, just lived as an experiment slave for about ten years."
"......"
"No big deal, right?"
"...Yeah."
No matter how dense or foolish, anyone could tell those words weren't sincere.
Roan smiled bitterly at his own pointless question.
"-That bastard says he doesn't even remember why he rampaged six years ago."
"...Are you talking about Professor Odwal?"
Speak of the devil—he was glad conversing with someone sharp and smart was so easy.
No need for long explanations; they got it right away.
Lee Han nodded casually while tending to his dagger and hand axe.
"Yeah, that idiot."
"Mm."
It was a harsh assessment of Odwal Bernard, the youngest professor in the magic department, infamous for his prickly personality but renowned as a genius.
But Lee Han couldn't care less about a spellcaster's reputation. To him, they were either ones to kill or ones to spare—nothing more.
In that sense...
"The guy was just a dumb spellcaster who didn't even realize he'd been used."
"So there was a true culprit."
"He said he had drinks with Hans the night before the entrance ceremony six years ago... with that parasite whose name I don't know. Then nothing after that."
"Drugs or mind-altering spells, probably. All illegal magic."
"Who knows if it's true. He never apologized to the victims anyway, and couldn't care less why he went berserk. Guy's got a busted conscience. ...Or maybe claiming memory loss is just bullshit."
"Harsh judgment."
"Not harsh—pure fact."
Lee Han smirked, stowing his cleaned weapons.
Jake stared, surprised.
"What?"
"Y-You handle weapons really well. Figured you'd treat 'em like disposable junk from your vibe."
"Wanna test that?"
"...No."
"Listen up, Normie. If you wield blades, remember: no one who treats weapons carelessly or like disposables is any good. This could be my lifeline. Got it, you cocky ex-assassin?"
"I'm neither Normie nor an assassin."
"Sure, ex-assassin Normie."
"...Damn it!"
Couldn't deny it, and that stung.
But to Lee Han, whose past was far more glamorous, he just shook his head at the kid's sensitivity to trivial stuff.
The fragile emotions of a twenty-something were an alien subject to him.
Finishing maintenance, Lee Han equipped his gear and turned to Roan.
"Alright, you cheeky young master who dared order this instructor around."
"...The wording's a bit much."
"Be grateful I let that slide. Anyway, let's talk something productive."
"Go ahead."
Roan stared at Lee Han with a stiff expression.
He wouldn't dodge any question.
Answer what he could, deflect what he couldn't.
After countless calculations, Roan confidently—
"The 'real' Hans, Dorothy, Kam, Den, Arlen... Did you look for them?"
"......"
...Completely unexpected.
A perfectly reasonable question left Roan speechless for the first time.
People whose identities and faces were stolen by illegal spellcasters.
How to answer that?
Or did he already know?
In truth, if caught by those illegal spellcasters...
"If no bodies turned up, there's at least a 1% chance they're alive. Even if dead, their remains need to go to their families."
"......"
"You've got power and intel. And those pests know something. Torture 'em or whatever—find them."
"......"
"You can do it, right?"
"...It'll take time, but I'll find them."
"Good. That's all."
With that, Lee Han shot to his feet.
As if nothing else mattered.
Roan blurted out involuntarily.
"You're not going to ask anything?"
Reversing roles, he asked instead.
Nothing curious at all?
How he knew about the illegal spellcasters.
Why he was watching them.
What the Grand Duke's son was after.
He hadn't uttered a single obvious question.
Not normal.
Yet he urged searching for the missing.
What the...?
"Roan Dimitri de Lionel."
"!"
The first time he used his full name.
Roan flinched.
Not even scolded, but his stomach churned.
Lee Han's blue eyes bored into him.
"I don't know your goals. Don't know what you're hiding. Don't know if you're using me or plotting something. But I don't care."
"......"
"Why? No need to know. People shouldn't have too much curiosity. It's a beast that sometimes needs reining in. Especially a lowly wage slave like me."
"...Lowly wage slave."
White Silver Lion Knight and academy instructor weren't lowly positions.
"All the same to me. Blacksmith, carpenter, baker, gardener—folks busting ass in their spot to eat and live another day. Knight or academy instructor for nobles? Doesn't make me special. And other people's lives and fates? All equal too."
"!"
"Roan Dimitri de Lionel. Still don't care about your goals. But don't shirk basic human duty for them. Ignore duty and justify any means? You'll end up just like them."
He pointed at the sprawled illegal spellcasters.
Roan's eyes darkened further.
He gritted his teeth.
Couldn't say it.
He was ready to become 'evil,' just like them, for his goal—his vow.
So he—
Thwack.
"...?"
"You damn disciple. Don't hog it all alone. Act your age and consult an adult. Or lean on your folks—you've got powerful parents."
"...What kind of logic is that?"
"Advice for a brooding kid. What feels like the end of the world to you might be nothing to others. Remember that. Oh, not saying rely on me. I hate dealing with nobles and power games."
"...Ha."
Utterly irresponsible advice.
But why...
Did those illogical, improper words pierce his heart?
Because they were frank and sincere? Or just the man's presence?
Didn't know.
But one thing was clear.
"Feels like I just got babied."
"Twenties are kids."
"Mm..."
He clearly felt like the 'adult' here.
The light pat on the head...
Not exactly pleasant to be treated like a child.
He left abruptly, without lingering.
Asking nothing.
"Never thought I'd experience this."
Since the 'Miracle of Time,' Roan always treated others as childish.
Even adults older than him.
Few had lived denser years than he had.
So he saw others as green or naive.
But today...
'I'm the one getting treated like the naive kid.'
And it wasn't half bad...
"...Jake."
"Yes, my lord."
"Patch these up and start interrogating. Squeeze out every bit of intel."
"How far?"
"Don't break their minds. Tell 'em no dying till their lifespan ends. Endless agony."
"Understood."
The surviving trio's crimes made the dead ones look saintly.
A woman who killed for fun, a rapist-murderer of women.
And one specialized in abductions and torture.
No mercy death for them.
Torment till their last breath—
"Also, find the missing. Save any alive however you can. If dead, preserve their remains intact."
"......"
"Why the look?"
"...Just glad to smell something human from you again, my lord."
"Nonsense."
"Haha, yeah, total nonsense, haha!"
"......"
Roan fell silent.
More jarring than anger at the teasing was realizing he still had such feelings.
Still...
'Human... huh.'
For some reason, those words...
'Feels good.'
Not bad at all.
'...Got tangled with a headache.'
He'd known about reincarnators, and it didn't bode well.
And today, as predicted, the 'parasite' showed.
Worse...
'More might keep coming.'
Not prediction—certainty.
The reincarnator was plotting something, with defined [enemies].
He'd gotten dragged in once.
'Not twice.'
Today was because they were his hated type, so he played along. Next time? Disciple or not, excommunication.
Wuxia-style.
'Mm, varies by novel, but cripple the limbs, shatter the dantian?'
Or mull 'Severing Meridians and Bones'?
Might be easier.
'...Physically possible?'
With potions and troll blood, maybe vivisect flesh from bone—human disassembly show as punishment.
Mulling brutal excommunication, he walked.
At some point...
"Sir Knight! You're back."
"...Ah."
His aimless steps reached a destination.
Homecoming instinct?
Lost in thought, he'd arrived at his cozy cottage with a small yard.
And there, in maid attire with a bright smile, Leira Winter awaited.
"...Why are you here? What about the party?"
He'd told her to enjoy it, so why home?
Lee Han tilted his head questioningly; she beamed.
"To play with you, Sir Knight!"
"?"
"Oh, Princess wanted to join too."
...Only then did he notice she wasn't alone.
Clack.
"You're late."
"......"
"What kind of host keeps the guest waiting? Bad manners."
"...You telling a working man that?"
High heels clicking, she appeared; Lee Han gawked.
A noble lady utterly out of place in the humble cottage, Isis approached with haughty grace.
"...What about the banquet?"
"Hosts host and slip away so guests enjoy. Basic etiquette."
"Then head to the palace or... what?"
"Tending to a sibling is a sister's duty."
"......"
"Eyes wide open prettily."
"Jeez..."
Does what she wants, always.
"Leira."
"Yes, Princess!"
"It's 'Your Highness' for a princess."
"Hehe, yes~."
"Sigh, whatever. Bring finger foods and wine. ...And your share."
"Yesss!"
Setup was instant.
Perfectly prepped while he was out.
Lee Han felt teased by the two but...
'Can't complain.'
Grateful for waiting, filling his empty home. No room for gripes.
A banquet just for him.
Lee Han flopped into the prepared spot, resigned.
"...Thanks for the late housewarming gift."
"Your coming is the gift. Be grateful."
"Nah, not that."
"...Incorrigible."
Smack!
The fan sparked; then Lee Han, Isis, and Leira sipped white wine lightly.
Not flashy or grand.
"Why's this so good?"
"From the royal cellars. Only a thousand bottles from Britannia region fifty years ago, I think?"
"Real fancy stuff."
"Fancy? Hundred gold buys it."
"...Let's just drink, folks."
Utterly relaxed, heart at ease.
The knight's, princess's, and maid's quiet banquet stretched long.
Against a starry night showering like rain.