Chapter 25
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Even a Single Strand of Hair is Precious (6)
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Im going to live as Roin, not Rodri.
Helond couldnt hide his bewilderment at his words.
Dian felt the same.
Hey, what nonsense is this? Youre saying youre giving up everything you achieved before?
Giving up? Nah, Im not giving up my money.
No, I mean fame, status, all that stuff.
The unparalleled hero who saved the world, Rodri.
He was a man with fame so high he was called humanitys savior.
For him to abandon that and live as the youngest son of a fallen noble houseDian couldnt wrap his head around it.
But Roin had no intention of backing down from his stubborn resolve.
I like who I am now. So Im going to live as Roin, not Rodri.
Whats so great about it?
That Im handsome. Isnt that enough?
.
He wanted to shed the title of ugly duckling and live the life of a heartthrob.
And there was one more thing.
If I go back to being Rodri, people will come bothering me from all sides. This place is in danger, can you help? Yeah, Im done with requests like that.
In this life, he wanted to live as a heartthrob, not a hero.
A selfish heartthrob.
One who didnt care about anything else, only his looks.
That was Roins ultimate goal in life.
I finally got a new life. This time, Im doing what I want.
Haah.
A deep sigh escaped Dians lips.
Of course, it wasnt that he couldnt understand.
Rodri had saved countless people over the years.
Sure, his personal motives had been stronger, but the results had earned him the title of hero.
Hed suffered plenty in the past.
So maybe in his second life, he deserved to live for himself.
Fine. If thats what you want, I get it. I wont argue.
Helond thought the same as Dian.
My master is Lord Rodri. If Lord Rodri wants to do something, Ill just help him. Im in no position to meddle.
Thanks, Helond. But do one thing for me.
Roin emphasized this to both Dian and Helond.
Call me Roin, not Rodri. People might get the wrong idea.
Roin intended to completely discard his old self as the ugly one.
The life of a hero or the life of a heartthrob.
If he had to choose one, Roin would shut up and pick the latter.
Helond had one more question for Roin.
Then Im sorry, Lord Roin. I suppose we should avoid any actions that might reveal your identity.
Yeah. So dont come find me out of the blue like this anymore. Only show up when I call for you, Helond. Stand by otherwise.
Yes, Lord Roin.
And Dian. One favor from you too.
Dian, who had been wearing a whatever-happens-happens expression, gestured for Roin to spit it out.
Roin grinned and held out his right hand.
Lend me some more money. I need to buy some callus remover.
Dian let out a hollow laugh at the bold demand.
Only a few days remained until departure for Endla.
In the meantime, Roin had stuffed his bag full of beauty products hed use.
Theyll give me uniforms to wear anyway.
Wearing anything other than uniforms or training clothes was forbidden at the academy.
Even wandering around in pajamas was banned.
Pajamas were for the room only.
So he didnt need to pack other clothes.
This should do it.
His luggage was even bulkier than last time.
But that was fine.
It was all for Roins beauty regimen.
Once packed, he headed downstairs for a final family meal.
Perhaps because it was the last dinner before advancing to the Junior Knight course, the table was extravagantly laden today.
Elien had started preparing food two days ago, for the youngest son she might not see for a long time.
If you need anything, just write it in a letter and send it. Got it?
Yes, Mother.
Hed have to repeat the Junior Knight course until he passed the Mid Knight exam.
On average, most cadets passed between their fifth and seventh year in the Junior course.
Even the fastest took at least five years.
Thats what the family assumed.
But Roin was different.
Ill pass and come back next year anyway, so dont worry too much.
His family just smiled at that.
They thought Roin was just puffing up cutely to reassure them.
No one realized his words were dead serious.
Jerka Tayla, ready to depart for the Junior Knight course at the Loud Swordsmanship Academy.
He headed to bid farewell to his father, Kern Tayla.
Knock knock knock.
He lightly knocked on the door to Kerns room.
Father. Its me.
Come in.
Yes.
Kern, who had been handling paperwork in his study, turned his gaze to Jerka.
Jerka bowed deeply and greeted him.
The moment he saw it, Kern instantly knew why Jerka had come.
Getting ready to leave, eh?
Yes, Father.
Jerka had passed the Junior Knight exam.
Passing in just one year was an achievement worthy of recognition in itself.
Yet Jerkas expression wasnt bright.
Hed missed the top spot.
Having placed second in the Junior Knight exam left him ashamed to face Kern.
The Tayla family was extremely sensitive to the term number two.
Even Kern had languished as second fiddle for years, overshadowed by Rodri.
Jerka knew that well.
Which only made him shrink more from his results.
Ill definitely graduate first place this time.
Kern slowly nodded at his young sons declaration of ambition.
I believe in you.
Yes. Ill live up to your expectations, Father!
With that, Jerka left the study.
After Jerka disappeared.
Kern sank back into his chair.
There was one thing he hadnt told his son.
First place, huh.
Having witnessed Roins skills firsthand, Kern couldnt help recalling someone at the sight.
The Black Helmet Hero, Rodri.
He desperately wanted to cheer on his son.
Wont be easy, Jerka.
Roin and Gillion arrived at Endla after a long time.
The guards at the Loud Swordsmanship Academy entrance let Roin through without even checking his ID the moment they saw him.
Gillion gave a faint smile at the sight.
Looks like youre already a celebrity at the academy, Lord Roin.
Guess so.
Even the guards had memorized Roins face.
It was the prestige of the top apprentice enrollee.
Junior course freshmen began trickling in one by one.
These freshmen fell into two main groups.
First: Nth-year cadets whod failed the Mid Knight exam last time.
Second: New cadets like Roin, whod just passed the Junior Knight exam this round.
Naturally, the latter group was overwhelmingly smaller.
I wonder how many made it.
Roin had no idea how many from the 159th class had passed.
Previous classes seemed to have more success, judging by the groups chatting and celebrating among themselves.
So far, only Roin represented the 159th class, the academys new babies in the Junior course.
As Roin appeared, the cadets eyes locked onto him.
Thats the 159th guy who passed in one year, right?
Yeah. Roin Leyden, I think?
Heard hes from a fallen noble house. Still, not bad.
With so many noble kids enrolling, talk of family backgrounds was inevitable.
But the one drawing the most attention for lineage was someone else.
Jerka Tayla.
He arrived at the orientation site right after Roin.
Jerka greeted Roin first.
Congrats on top enrollee, Roin.
Roin forced a smile in response.
Thanks.
The onlookers were stunned to see them speaking casually.
Even if they were the same age, their family statuses differed hugely.
Was it okay to talk like that?
But Jerka didnt mind much.
After all, he was the one whod told Roin to drop the formalities first.
Lets have some good competition again this time.
With that, he moved to another spot.
Roin swallowed a bitter inward smile.
Good competition? As if.
Competition itself was never a good thing to begin with.
Still, he didnt want to spit in the face of a smiling man, so hed play along moderately.
Roin and Jerka.
Was that it?
No, one more was left.
Roin.
A familiar girls voice.
Remina Whisli.
She was the third and final passer.
You passed too, huh.
Thanks to you.
Thanks to Roins performance, Remina had passed the Junior Knight exam in one year.
Drake, Mering, and Cleng had to try again next year, unfortunately.
Thus, all freshmen gathered in one place.
The Junior Knight course had no separate entrance ceremony.
After orientation, classes started right away.
Before that, family and escorts had to leave the academy.
Before departing, Gillion gave Roin a final farewell.
Please take care, and I pray you graduate safely.
Thanks. You get home safe too, Gillion.
Yes, Lord Roin.
After the goodbye, Gillion exited the academy.
A man waiting for him called out.
Instructor Senior.
It was Lepid, an instructor for the apprentice course.
Bringing Apprentice Roin back?
Yeah, pretty much.
Before you go, how about a drink for old times sake? My treat.
You?
Yes.
It had been a while since seeing his senior, so they could catch up.
And
Id love to hear about Apprentice Roin too.
Satisfy some personal curiosity.
The orientation wasnt anything grand.
It simply explained how classes would proceed.
The moment it ended, the training chief responsible for their education stepped forward.
Thud, thud, thud!
A muscular man with heavy footsteps.
A rugged man with tanned skin introduced himself.
Nice to meet you. Im Barton, the instructor in charge of your training for the next year.
His voice carried weight.
Killing intent gleamed in his eyes.
The cadets gulped dryly at the sheer presence of this human weapon.
Did you catch the course explanation?
Yes!
Good. Then well start your first training now.
One corner of the human weapon Bartons mouth curled up.
He addressed the cadets.
Kill each other. Starting now.