Episode 620
Episode 620
"I thought you'd be surprised I didn't collapse."
"......"
Giselle stared at Balpatan as if he'd lost his mind, but he was being completely serious.
Among those who'd had one-on-one conversations with Jiklin, few remained in their right mind afterward.
Most would collapse, faint, or suffer breathing difficulties...
And from then on, they'd flee in terror at the mere sight of Jiklin approaching from afar.
Yet astonishingly, that junior from the Wardanaz family was actually exchanging words with Jiklin.
"Don't tell me he's..."
"?"
"...Actually having a 'conversation' with her?"
Though it was irritating how Balpatan spoke of an ordinary chat as if it were some legendary swordsmanship technique, Giselle understood why he was acting this way.
Her older sister wasn't exactly skilled in conversation. To be more blunt, her conversational style tended to choke the life out of people.
So normally, sitting someone down with her would inevitably lead to deathly silence...
"She does seem somewhat... excited."
"What? You call that excited?"
Balpatan was shocked anew.
That she was talkative at all was surprising enough, but to call it excitement?
No matter how he looked at it, her expressionless face didn't convey any excitement. Plus, with her armor on, anyone might mistake it for interrogating a captured mage.
"Your sister can get excited?!"
"Is there a problem if my sister gets excited?"
"N-no... Of course she can. It's good if she's excited..."
Under Giselle's sharp gaze, Balpatan immediately backed down.
'I can do this.'
As Lee Han listened to Jiklin's explanation about "The Steel Knights' Flanking Tactics and Their Analysis During the Siege of the Fortress of Water Droplets 17 Years Ago," he clapped his hands.
"Amazing! I had no idea such a thing happened!"
"Mmm."
Jiklin nodded slightly before falling silent.
Anyone else might have been flustered, but Lee Han had already sized up his opponent.
"But how exactly did the Steel Knights flank the hill?"
"Very quickly."
"...Right! I gathered it was fast. What mounts did they use? And which path up the hill..."
Jiklin might have been an overwhelming conversational partner, but she was neither the first nor the last such person Lee Han had dealt with.
Frankly, Jiklin was on the easier side to handle.
At least she bore no ill will. And she didn't attack mid-conversation.
'She's just not good with words.'
She knew nothing of trivial daily matters, and even when discussing battles or wars—her sole interests—she'd bluntly state only the bare essentials without any embellishment, making the conversation naturally stall.
Recalling the mad professors he'd dealt with before, Lee Han patiently enriched the dialogue.
"They borrowed Fire-claw Leopards from nearby ranches."
"My. Didn't the knights riding those leopards complain?"
"Some knights suffered burns."
"Oh dear. What happened to those burned knights?"
Zzzzz...
Eandurde beside Lee Han had long since fallen asleep. Jiklin paid no mind.
"May we come in?"
Giselle and Balpatan, who'd been standing outside in shock, finally collected themselves and knocked.
Jiklin brightened upon seeing her sister. Though her face remained expressionless, she personally opened the door and said:
"Giselle. I was talking with your close friend."
"...Yes... my... close friend..."
As she entered, Giselle shot Lee Han a look that said 'What are you doing?'
Lee Han returned a look that said 'I had no choice because of the Skeleton Principal.'
-Well, it's not like we're not friends.
The most infuriating opponents were those who said things you couldn't refute. Giselle closed her eyes to compose herself.
"Balpatan. I thought you went to make up your training quota. Why are you back?"
"Huh? Oh, well, I was guiding them here..."
Jiklin fixed Balpatan with an emotionless stare.
At that sight, Balpatan felt like he was suffocating.
"...I'll go train again right away!"
"Balpatan. If you neglect your training even once more, you will be punished."
"Yes!! I'll keep that in mind!!"
Balpatan shouted with a demeanor several times more tense than before.
While the senior had everyone's attention, Lee Han whispered to Giselle.
"What kind of punishments do they have here? Do they have a disciplinary chamber or something?"
"Big sister's punishments are separate from the family dungeon. Climbing that cliff bare-handed is the lightest punishment."
"......"
Lee Han was shocked.
He'd thought Professors Alarong and Ingoldel were particularly strict and training-obsessed even among swordsmen, but here was a madwoman who surpassed them both.
'Yeah, she did seem kinda crazy.'
"...Don't think my sister is weird. She's not a bad person."
"What kind of nonsense slander is that? Who in their right mind would think Sir Jiklin of the Moradi family—the one who personally subjugated the Twin-head Ogre—is weird?"
'Just how much did this punk hear about her?'
Normally, Jiklin would barely speak a few words even if left sitting in a room for an hour, yet in that short time he'd even heard childhood subjugation stories.
Anyone seeing them would think they were so close that he was from the Moradi family rather than Wardanaz.
"Speaking of Moradi—"
As Lee Han's expression turned serious, Giselle's did too.
She knew that when this punk adopted that kind of attitude, he had something relatively important to say.
"What?"
'What is it? Something related to the Headmaster? Einrogard? Some change happening next year? Or the Moradi family? If it's about the northern regions, maybe the Great Mountain Range?'
"That, about Sir Jiklin. You called her your older sister, right?"
"Yeah."
"Not "big sis" but "eonni." Right?"
"She's my eonni. What are you getting at?"
"Hmm... I see."
Lee Han nodded as if understanding.
At first, Giselle stayed still, not understanding what he meant, then belatedly realized and was shocked.
Don't tell me this bastard...?!
"Hey, you... don't tell me...?"
"Sir Jiklin! I'm curious about the tactics you used when subjugating the Twin-head Ogre!"
"Hey. You little shit. Hey!"
"Giselle. Mind your manners."
Jiklin sternly admonished her sister.
No matter how close they were, she couldn't let such rudeness slide. For her own sake too, it needed correction.
"But big sis, that little sh—!"
Jiklin fixed Giselle with a stern look. Giselle was so aggrieved she nearly grabbed the back of her own neck.
"Since when have we treated guests like this?"
"We're close, so it just happened! Sorry!"
Lee Han quickly interjected.
In good conscience, there'd been a misunderstanding on his part, so he couldn't just let it be.
"At Einrogard, it's normal for us to speak casually like this. Haha. Right?"
"...Right. Haha. Hahaha."
"Hahahaha. Hahahahaha."
Lee Han and Giselle looked at each other and laughed dryly.
Seeing this, Jiklin relaxed her stern demeanor and allowed a faint smile, like morning dew before sunrise.
She was glad her little sister had made a trustworthy friend at the Magic School.
"Giselle. Friendship is a wonderful thing."
"Yes..."
Then the conversation died. Lee Han immediately fanned the embers of the extinguished discussion.
"Sir Jiklin. I'd love to hear your thoughts on friendship."
"The Wardanaz seems overly fond of conversation."
"Haha."
At Jiklin's joke, Giselle stomped hard on Lee Han's foot. Not understanding, he whispered,
"What was that for?"
"Hey. Don't just casually joke around with big sis."
"......"
He'd rather she stomped on his foot for the year-long misunderstanding—that would've been less absurd.
After the exhausted junior woke up (Giselle was very intrigued to hear Eandurde was a junior), and the informal gathering without formalities was wrapping up, Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.
Now he could just return to the dorm.
'In good conscience, Alsicle owes me about ten sardines eaten right in front of me.'
Given all the hardship he'd endured alone, Lee Han's complaints were only natural.
As Lee Han vowed to himself that he would watch the sardine performance regardless of Alsicle's satiety upon returning, Jiklin spoke up.
"Wardanaz. I'd like to invite you to tomorrow's hunt."
"...Wait, hold on!"
Before Lee Han could respond, Giselle cried out in shock.
Separate from her discomfort at an outsider intruding on an outing with her sister, Jiklin's hunts were absolutely no trivial matter.
One shouldn't imagine them as the noble-style hunts where beaters and drivers do all the work herding prey while hunters relax comfortably.
Jiklin's hunts were closer to training meant to experience and push the limits of knighthood.
While the Moradi family knights could be dragged there even if they collapsed from exhaustion since they were family, Wardanaz was an outsider, wasn't he?
If problems arose or complaints surfaced...
"It... it seems dangerous..."
"Specify exactly which aspects you're referring to, Giselle."
"Well, he's a mage first and foremost. There'd be physical limitations."
"I heard Wardanaz ranked first in swordsmanship lectures."
Giselle turned her head to glare at Lee Han.
Her eyes demanded whether he'd gone and mentioned that too in their brief time apart.
Lee Han explained with his eyes: 'Senior Balpatan mentioned it.'
'Useless bastard!' Giselle regretted not having pushed this cousin off a cliff earlier.
"Moradi. Hang in there. I'd rather just rest tomorrow too."
"Tsk tsk..."
Giselle gnashed her teeth at Lee Han's muttering from behind.
"Even if he has swordsmanship skills, you should consider his personal inclinations too. Wo-Wardanaz is a born mage who prefers researching indoors to challenging ordeals."
Giselle desperately fabricated reasons, clearly not wanting to take Lee Han along.
Jiklin nodded silently as if understanding.
Then she replied.
"Giselle. Earlier during conversation, Wardanaz showed interest first."
"...Hey, are you fucking kidding me?!"
Giselle couldn't hold back and shouted at Lee Han behind her.
Just what the hell had this bastard talked about during their earlier conversation?!
"Tch. I should've dragged Lord Alsicle along..."
Lee Han lamented his past self as he mounted his horse.
He'd desperately wanted to bring Alsicle, but unsurprisingly, the mage from the Pengerin family wasn't so easily persuaded.
-You've really had it rough. Finished talking with that knight?
-Haha. It was enjoyable, Lord Alsicle.
-Sorry for leaving first. Wish I could do something for you.
-Then I have a request, Lord Alsicle. Tomorrow...
-Don't tell me it's joining some knights' hunt? I absolutely refuse to join knights' hunts. I'd rather you throw me off that cliff over there.
-......
Having lived longer as an imperial noble than Lee Han, Alsicle knew exactly how bothersome hunts could be.
At least noble hunts were somewhat comfortable—knights' hunts were extremely inconvenient.
They'd invite others to build their own skills while making everyone else suffer too.
Rugged terrain without paths, no beaters or drivers, no servants or porters to carry supplies...
If everyone suffered equally, it might've been bearable. But in such situations, mages had it worst.
The knights would subtly pressure them with expectant glances, secretly hoping they'd use magic.
If they wanted that, they should just bring servants and porters!
-Those bastards drag mages along just to flaunt their status while tormenting them! I won't go! Can't go!
-Understood. Then please eat all the sardines here instead.
-...
You're not angry, are you?
Lee Han, who'd suddenly found himself working at Einrogard again after coming to relax, sighed as he packed his gear.
Giselle, who'd been watching nearby, remarked:
"That's why you should've moderated your words with my sister. Do you have any idea how excited Jiklin big sis got? She kept chattering about where to hunt next."
Lee Han tried imagining Jiklin looking excited.
He couldn't quite picture it—it was as hard as imagining Professor Voladi bursting into happy laughter.
"Hey. More importantly, that insane question yesterday—don't tell me..."
"Lady Jiklin! Let me enchant your saddle!"