Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Every Single Strand of Hair is Precious (1)
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Roin stepped out of the Loud Swordsmanship Academy, where he had lived for nearly a year.
He had eaten, slept, and trained here, sweating alongside his peers.
But he didn't feel any particular sense of regret.
If anything, it was the opposite.
'If they'd let me take the Junior Knight exam and then the Mid Knight exam right after, I could've wrapped up my academy life in a year and headed straight home.'
That was a bit regrettable.
'If I'd known I'd have to re-enroll here, I would've overhauled the entire system from the start.'
As he hoisted two bags larger than himself and started to walk,
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
A man dismounted from his horse and approached Roin.
Gillion. He bowed his head toward Roin and said,
"I've come to pick you up, Young Master Roin."
"You didn't have to come all this way."
"Lady Elien was very worried. That's why I came in person."
From Gillion's or Elien's perspective, Roin was just a ten-year-old child.
No matter how strong his combat abilities, a child was still a child.
That worry had prompted them to send Gillion like this.
'He's come all the way here. Can't just send him back empty-handed.'
With no other choice, Roin decided to accept Gillion's kindness.
Without using a teleportation magic circle, reaching the Leyden estate in a single day was nearly impossible.
They would have to stay overnight somewhere along the way.
A sudden downpour forced them to take a detour, and before they knew it, they had arrived in the small city of Subt.
Gillion muttered with a troubled expression.
"I wanted to pass through Subt without stopping if possible... but given the timing, we'll have to spend the night here."
There was a reason Gillion said this.
Subt was a city with poor public safety.
Street thugs were a common sight even in broad daylight.
Show the slightest sign of wealth, and you'd be robbed in no time.
Already, a few ruffians were glaring at Roin and Gillion.
"Young Master Roin. Even if it's inconvenient, it might be better to camp outside."
But Roin rejected Gillion's suggestion.
"No. Let's just stay here."
"It's dangerous."
"It's fine. It's still a place where people live. Nothing bad will happen."
"......"
Gillion, who had been silent, reluctantly nodded.
"Understood. But please promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Don't step foot outside the inn. Got it?"
That much was easy to agree to.
"Okay, got it."
But Gillion still didn't fully grasp the situation in Subt.
'Whether inside the inn or out, the danger's the same.'
As soon as they entered the inn, a man with a menacing face greeted Roin and Gillion.
"Welcome."
"We need rooms. Got any spares?"
"We do. Separate ones?"
"No, that's not necess"
But Roin's thinking differed from Gillion's.
"Separate. I prefer being alone."
It was an age when one could be sensitive.
Thinking that was understandable, Gillion decided to go along with Roin's preference.
"Two rooms, then."
The nodding man led the two up to the third floor.
As they climbed the stairs, several men eyed Roin and Gillion closely.
Roin noticed but deliberately ignored them.
He didn't think they were worth reacting to.
As soon as he entered the room, Roin opened his bags.
He pulled out various cleansing products and headed to the bathroom.
The journey to Subt had exposed him to harsh dust winds and blazing sun.
His face was already sticky from dried sweat.
"Blazing sun is the enemy of skin."
Especially for sensitive skin, it could cause redness or flushing.
A child's skin was still delicate.
It needed proper care at times like this.
After cleansing, he wiped away residue and impurities with tissue and a sponge.
Then, after a damp wipe-down, he finished with toner.
"Now I finally feel refreshed."
He had been dying from the sticky sweat.
His skin had been stinging.
He'd wanted to cleanse his face right away, but the conditions along the way hadn't allowed it.
And he couldn't very well do it in the middle of a forest.
That was why Roin had rejected Gillion's suggestion to bypass Subt.
"Public safety isn't the issue. Whether my facial skin gets rough or not is far more important."
He didn't forget hand sanitizer either.
Having held the horse's reins the whole time, all sorts of germs must have transferred.
Hands were one of the body parts harboring the most bacteria.
Because they touched so many things.
'Might as well buy some gloves while I'm here.'
Roin, who hated germs almost pathologically.
If even one pimple appeared, he might wipe out an entire city.
Before lying on the bed, he sprayed disinfectant twice over everything.
"Good."
He dove onto the bed.
At that moment.
Knock knock knock.
A knocking sound came.
"Young Master Roin. It's me."
It was Gillion's voice.
"What's up?"
"I'm stepping out briefly to procure food for tomorrow. Absolutely do not leave the room until I return."
"Got it. Don't worry."
Dragging Roin along could lead to trouble.
So Gillion decided to leave him in the room.
Perfect timing, actually.
'Might as well take a nap.'
It's not just beauties who love sleep.
Handsome boys can be sleepyheads too.
As soon as Gillion left the inn, a man waiting on the first floor seized the moment the innkeeper was absent and quietly called to his crew.
"Lads. Time to get to work."
At his words, the men rose from their seats in unison.
One of them spoke up midway.
"Boss. That kid from earlier seems still in his room. You sure that's okay?"
"Doesn't matter. Can't we handle one little brat?"
Fair point.
The man called boss left two lookouts and headed to the third floor with the remaining three.
"From the look of that kid and the mustached guy, they seem from some noble house."
"Reeking of class. Definitely some young master."
"Let's teach this clueless young master all about the ways of the world."
"Yes, boss!"
The thieves began picking the lock with an iron bar.
They targeted Gillion's empty room first.
Click!
The sound of a door unlocking.
It wasn't from Gillion's room.
It came from the room next door.
Roin, stepping into the hallway after opening his door, wore an "I knew it" expression as he said,
"Looks like this place is crawling with lowlifes."
The thieves sneered at Roin's words.
"What do we do, boss?"
"What do you mean? Sell him off at some slave market."
"Pretty cute face too. Plenty of pervs who'd pay top coin."
The thieves let out creepy chuckles.
Seeing them, Roin smirked.
Then he said,
"You guys are ugly as sin."
Suddenly judged on their looks, the thieves were dumbfounded.
"Boss. Can I smash this little shit's face?"
"Hold it. He's worth good money. Don't ruin the merchandise."
"Tch."
The thieves clicked their tongues in frustration.
Still, Roin remained relaxed.
"Alright. Been a while since I loosened up."
This wasn't the swordsmanship academy.
And these were thieves trying to harm him.
Eager to unleash his true power after so long, Roin was in high spirits.
The thieves' boss couldn't believe the scene before him.
All three of his men lay collapsed, covered in blood.
The opponent was just a ten-year-old kid.
In physical condition or combat experience, the thieves should have had the edge.
Yet a single punch from Roin caved in faces, snapped ribs and arms, and left them with concussions as they fell.
Even more astonishing, not a drop of blood had splashed on Roin.
He pulled out wet wipes and meticulously cleaned his hands.
"Not even a single hair out of place."
He nudged the unconscious thieves' faces with his toe.
"These guys are out cold too."
Now, only one person stood on two feet.
The thieves' boss alone.
"W-What the hell is this...?"
"What do you mean?"
Roin curled one corner of his mouth upward.
"I warned you. You should've run when I told you nicely."
It wasn't mere bluff.
It was sincere advice.
Perhaps their last chance.
But the thieves foolishly threw it away.
Realizing there was no retreat, the boss charged at Roin in desperation.
He drew a hand axe.
Aiming straight for Roin's throat, no intent to sell him as a slave.
But Roin caught the flying axe blade between his thumb and forefinger.
"......!!!"
The boss's pupils shook violently.
With a slight squeeze from Roin, the blade shattered completely.
He picked up a shard and drove it deep into the boss's left thigh.
"Arrrghhh!!!"
A scream burst from his mouth.
Hearing the boss's cry, more thieves belatedly rushed up to the third floor.
But they met no better end.
As Roin dealt harshly with the thieves, he had already noticed the lookouts.
He grabbed the shattered hand axe and smashed the backs of the two thieves' heads.
They collapsed without proper resistance.
Now, truly, only the boss remained.
The boss fell on his butt, trembling in terror.
"W-Who the hell are you...!"
"Roin, the youngest son of the Leyden family. If you want revenge later, come find me anytime. I'll give you a full match."
He probably never would.
Because Roin intended to leave him half-crippled.
Snapping the left leg and right arm did the trick; the boss fainted from the pain.
Roin stood unscathed amid the fallen thieves.
He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times.
"I half-expected it, and sure enough."
There was a reason he deliberately lured the thieves into a fight.
A lingering question from his academy days.
"I'm getting stronger than I was in my previous life."
What he had suspected was becoming reality.