Chapter 51: The Knight Holds a Banquet (2)

Having one or two weeks worth of preparation before holding a banquet was common sense, especially if the banquet was grander and nicer than usual like a noble’s banquet for example. That was why, holding one on the same day as when it was announced was unheard of.

“This lady hopes the banquet will be held today.”

But, when the princess said those words…

No one objected. She said she wanted it to happen, so it would happen no matter what. Though it was unheard of, though it was impossible to do, they figured that as long as they threw enough people to work on it, it would be possible.

And so, they threw hundreds—no, thousands of elites for the banquet preparations, and those elites managed to complete it in half a day.

Needless to say, the sight amazed the cadets. After all, the garden that had been empty this morning had somehow transformed into a magnificent-looking banquet hall. Such was the fruit of the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of people, something that humanity could manage to achieve if they put their damn hardest in it.

“Huh? When did this fountain get here?”

“Wasn’t this place just a sandy patch? How could there be a garden here…?”

“Those are all…jewels?! Holy fuck!”

“…One of these could get me five years of living expenses if I were to sell them…”

From fountains and decorations, to a band and a mobile kitchen. They even installed a magic tool that illuminated the dark night sky in real time. It didn’t take a genius to tell that the budget used to prepare for this banquet was enormous to say the least, a complete money sink if one were to exaggerate it a little.

…Actually, no, calling it a money sink wouldn’t be an exaggeration. After all, even if someone had the money, they still wouldn’t be able to replicate what happened here.

“The princess is truly amazing.”

“She’s not just a princess, she’s THE crown princess.”

“Ohhhh.”

“But why are we all crowded together like this? Shouldn’t we go somewhere else?”

“Like where? To where the nobles are? If you want to go there, just go by yourself.”

“…Hell no.”

Because of this spectacle, the cadets were feeling a new sense of awe towards authority. That was why they—who had been given a strange name, 18 Arhat Bears, by their instructors—were all huddled together in one place.

The banquet was held for them, but they felt extremely burdened.

Just like the saying, ‘Pine worms have to live only on pine needles’, they, who lived their entire lives as commoners, found it difficult to mingle with the nobles. While they would probably get used to it later, right now, just the thought of it made them feel uncomfortable and burdensome.

Especially…

“Huh…? Kunta, maybe wrong, but Kunta and the bears become a spectacle…”

“You aren’t wrong, we do turn into a spectacle…”

“Can’t blame them, this combination is interesting.”

Farmers, beggars, street urchins, mercenaries, and barbarians.

The attendee of the banquet couldn’t help but notice them even if they didn’t want to be noticed. However, their attention didn’t come from positive feelings, but negative ones. Among their curious gazes, sticky jealousy mixed in; probably because they were envious that these cadets had won the favor of the princess.

But why was that a big deal exactly?

Because the cadets hailed from the lowest class of the kingdom.

While yes, they were cadets of the Academy, but the status they were born with wouldn’t just go like that. This was exactly the way their predecessors were treated; no matter how skilled they were, they were discriminated against just because of their social status.

However…

“Why are you all huddled together like that? Are you trying to become meerkats? Or did you guys commit a crime when I wasn’t looking, huh?”

There was someone who possessed overwhelming skills and was free-spirited by nature. He didn’t care about status or whatnot.

And that person had just arrived at the banquet.

“Instructor…”

Lee Han, their instructor, slowly approached them, uncaring whether others were looking at them or not. The nobles and cadets from other departments who were watching them like they were some kind of circus attraction immediately turned their gazes away.

All of the nobles and cadets had already heard about the incident back at the Entrance Ceremony, so there was no way that they’d dare to play with fire after that. But, even if they hadn’t heard it, the intimidation that the instructor exuded unconsciously was enough to make even those who were used to moving their fists tremble.

The bears who had seen him tear an angry boar apart with his bare hands in Vulcan knew the true nature of the intimidation he exuded, but the man himself glanced at them with a kind gaze.

“Hm, it seems like the entire Swordsmanship Department is gathered here.”

“But, Young Master Roen and Assistant Damien aren’t here…”

“Cadet Roen said he had something to do, so he went somewhere. Well, that guy can do whatever he wants, that’s just how he is. As for the assistant, he has reports to write, he has no time to enjoy a banquet.”

“What kind of report?”

“The kind of report that needs to be handed to the dean.”

“I-Isn’t that supposed to be your job, Instructor…?”

“Huh? Why would I do that myself when I have an assistant?”

“…”

…Now that they think about it a little more, they realized that the one who had suffered the most, as well as the most pitiful guy out of them all, was none other than Damien Paulet.

When such thoughts appeared in their minds…

“You guys worked hard.”

-…

The instructor dropped that statement, prompting everyone in the Swordsmanship Department to blink in confusion due to how unexpected it was.

“When I say ‘You guys worked hard,’ I didn’t just address it to the bears.”

“I thought you called us Bear Arhats?”

“You know, I should just call you guys Teddy Bears from now on.”

“Um, I think, just bear is fine!”

“Tsk, you rascals, this is why you shouldn’t fret about weird things. Focus on growing your hair instead.”

In that relaxed atmosphere, filled with banter, Lee Han made an earnest eye contact with all the cadets. Not missing a single one of them.

“First of all, the chicks.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“You guys have worked hard too. I’m proud of you for always doing your best in the jumping rope exercise and never cutting corners. But most of all, I’m proud that you even went as far as doing the bear’s liberal arts’ homeworks and assignments alike, and submitting them under their names. I genuinely appreciate your meticulousness and kindness.”

“I-It isn’t…”

The chicks dismissed it, as if it was nothing special, saying that they were just trying their best to help. Lee Han didn’t say a word to refute them. Instead…

“Bears, bow your heads 90 degrees and thank them right now. They are your benefactors, commendable people who took it upon themselves to take care of your grades.”

-Ah!

They instinctively followed their instructor’s order and immediately bowed their heads to show their gratitude. Of course, they weren’t doing this just because they were following orders, they truly felt grateful to the chicks. There wasn’t a single hint of playfulness in their gratitude.

And they also realized that the key to today’s victory wasn’t solely because of their efforts. They realized that they had been receiving help from others without them knowing about it.

“U-Um…!”

Embarrassed, the girls covered their faces with their fans to hide their expression. The bears always thought that they were proud noble ladies, but seeing this spectacle, they finally knew that these noble ladies weren’t bad kids at all.

“Next, the young masters. You guys did well too. I heard you took care of the guys who were making fun of the bears.”

“…We only did it because they were insulting our Swordsmanship Department. Those guys are part of our department, insulting them means insulting us as a whole.”

“That’s why I said you did well. When I first met you guys, I thought you were just arrogant and evil young masters, but now I see that you are kind young masters.”

“If you’re going to praise us, please stop calling us bastards or young masters!”

“Nah. You guys still have a long way to go.”

“Ughhhhh…”

“Ahaha!”

Hearing this exchange, the bears couldn’t help but feel surprised, and touched. It was the first time that they heard about this, how the young masters got angry and moved their hands for their sake. They turned their gazes to the young masters, prompting the latters to avert their gazes in embarrassment.

Camaraderie. It was a trusting bond they felt with each other because they were struggling together to climb the steep cliff called Lee Han. This was exactly what it meant to become close through suffering.

Although they weren’t exactly friends, they have developed a relationship that transcended even social status.

The bears felt like they were about to cry because of it.

“Lastly, the bears.”

“…”

Since it was Lee Han who called their names, they were ready to actually shed tears. All of them were looking forward to what he was about to say.

“—I won’t say that you did well. After all, you only won because you were lucky.”

“…”

…Before they knew it, their tears had completely disappeared, and their hearts were beating quickly, but in a completely different way. Instead of anticipation, their beats were fueled by disappointment.

“Instructor…”

“Don’t be disappointed. Haven’t you heard a lot of praises from others today? Which means I should be that one person to criticize you.”

“…”

…As they had expected, he always acted in unexpected ways.

When everyone else applauded them, he went against the current and scolded them.

However, he didn’t do it just because. He was serious, just like when he gave his speech to the other groups.

“The only reason you won that match was because the magic freaks let their guards down. If they actually put more thought into their strategy and fought carefully, you would have lost, if the fight lasted more than three minutes, you would have lost all your stamina and self-destructed.”

“That…”

“Anyone want to refute my statement?”

“…”

…None of them said anything.

Because he was telling the truth..

As Lee Han had stated, they could only fight at full strength for 3 minutes at most. Actually, when they tried to look back at the battle, they were already out of breath the moment the battle crossed the 2 minutes mark.

Demonstrating their skills and techniques in real combat was a more difficult and brutal experience than they expected.

If the mages had been a little calmer, if the first spells they used were the ones they showed at the end—the ones they used to rob them off the bears’ mobility—or of they just utilized a slightly better tactic to disperse their firepower, the bears would have been defeated miserably.

Instead of becoming the winner, they would become pathetic losers who couldn’t even do anything during the battle.

Lee Han had accurately hammered in those points to them.

“Your opponents were careless, you could utilize the element of surprise because you had two more people than them, and lastly, lady luck was on your side. With that in mind, I can’t praise you for your victory. I can’t praise you for the things that you clearly lack.”

“Yes…”

The bears bowed their heads at that moment.

Just a moment ago, they were receiving bouquets from countless people, and started dreaming of a rosy future, but when the person who taught them spoke so frankly, the wind in their lungs couldn’t help but rush out. The mistakes they made today became truly visible to them as their instructors pointed out all their shortcomings one by one. When those moments flashed through their minds, their faces turned pale.

They couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.

However…

“Still, I can commend you for not giving up.”

-!!?

“For not running away because of the crowd, for not chickening out from that fireball, and for not giving up when everyone thought that you’d lost the match as a whole at the end. Honestly, seeing that courageous display, I would still be satisfied even if you had lost, because at least I could be proud that the ‘disciples’ I had raised aren’t cowards who would abandon their comrades. That’s why… I think you did well. The match was horrible and I can’t praise your performance, but I can definitely praise your spirits.”

Tap-!

Lee Han passed by, tapping the left chest of those who had competed today.

Pat-!

But, he still showed his meticulousness by just patting Levy Fault’s head instead of tapping her chest.

“You’ve worked hard. I’ll admit that.”

-…

They opened their eyes wide and stared at their instructor. Not only had he touched their chests and heads, he also aroused a warm feeling from deep inside their hearts. Indeed. Their instructor finally ‘acknowledged’ them for the very first time.

“Tapping the heart and head. That’s a form of encouragement among the mercenaries.”

“What kind of encouragement?”

“One that’s given to the mercenaries who have safely protected their heads and hearts in battle and returned. One often given to rookies.”

“I see.”

It was a style of encouragement that fit the instructor—whose background was shrouded in mysteries.

“As for the others, listen to me. I’ve told everyone before, but Martial Power is not omnipotent. That’s why, don’t be jealous of those guys and instead cherish what you have. What you have learned is something that’s more stable and superior than what they have learned.”

Those words were directed to the young masters, whose bodies turned frozen stiff the moment they heard them. Even though they congratulated the cadets outwardly, they still had regrets about not being able to go to Vulcan, and seeing what happened in today’s battle only deepened their regret even more.

However, the instructor seemed to have already noticed their feelings.

“C’mon, you don’t need to feel disappointed. You guys are young, and I’ll still be your instructor for a few more years. I promise you I’ll train you properly during that time.”

“…When you put it that way, Instructor, I don’t want to do this anymore…”

“Don’t worry, it isn’t like you’re gonna die from it or anything.”

“…Is that supposed to be a joke…?”

Though his words sounded like a joke, the cadets couldn’t take it as one. Nevertheless, perhaps it was because they were still immature, the assurance that they wouldn’t die from the training comforted them a little.

“Anyway, keep this in mind. Just because you learned both Combat Technique and Martial Power, doesn’t mean you’ll become stronger. You won’t grow stronger just by adding one thing, there are cases where you fumble in both things and you end up growing weaker because of it. That’s why, you should just think of Martial Power as a training wheel. Don’t put more meaning into it.”

“You are nagging us too, Instructor?”

“Of course, you guys are my disciples too.”

“…”

“Alright, that’s the end of it. Enjoy the banquet and rest well, you lot. I’ll give you three days off, you don’t need to show up to class during that time.”

“…”

“You punks, I’m not joking! Trust me!”

-Waaaaaaaah!

The cadets’ joyful cheers rang at that moment. However, whether this joy was due to them getting vacation or due to them being recognized by their instructor…

─Perhaps, only they would know.

“…Rascals.”

As if Lee Han’s words were a detonator, the bears quickly dispersed the tension they felt before and started to enjoy the banquet in their own ways. Seeing them going off on their own, people from the other departments also started to slowly approach them to speak to them.

This wasn’t a strange thing. After all, the bears had been huddling together like hedgehog’s spikes, deterring the others from approaching them. Naturally, others would rather wait for them to disperse before approaching them.

If it’s not here, where else could those guys speak to them?

And Lee Han understood their feelings well. The banquet was originally a means of communication between different departments which rarely interact with each other. It was also an opportunity for those who wanted to make friends with the cadets from the Swordsmanship Department.

Our She-Bear is going to have a hard time.

In the case of Levy Fault—who was promoted from Chick Number 1 to She-Bear—she received a lot of attention from a lot of men. Considering her cute appearance, it wasn’t a wonder that she’d be this popular. If anything, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were a lot of guys who’d do all sorts of things to make her fall for them.

But of course…

If someone actually tries to mess with her, they’d spend at least three months together with the priest in the recovery room…

Messing up with bears—regardless of their genders—was always a bad idea. The bears that Lee Han raised in particular, though they weren’t strong enough to tear people in half, they were still capable enough to fold their waists like paper.

He could only hope that there wasn’t anyone who was idiotic enough to get their waists folded.

“Huh? Where are you going, Instructor?”

“I have something to do.”

“But, the princess is going to be here soon…?”

“That’s why I need to go now.”

“??”

“You enjoy yourself here, Irene. I could see a lot of guys who are interested in you.”

“Eh~ no way, I’m not interested in those kids. I can’t even see myself getting along with them.”

“What are you talking about? You’re also a kid.”

“Ah!”

“…”

…That was the perfect answer to come out of a clumsy transmigrator’s mouth.

Lee Han shook his head before leaving the place and Irene, who was staring at his disappearing back.

[Why are you looking at him like that, Arin? Are you staring at his biceps? Or latissimus dorsi?]

“Who do you think I am, a pervert like you?! …A-Ahem, w-well, I-I stared at them a little, but unlike you, I just happened to stare at them!”

[As expected, our Arin! You are something else, haha!]

“Seriously! It’s not like that!”

A blush appeared on Irene Windler’s face as she scolded the ghost. Her actions prompted the men who were approaching her to take a step back as they watched.

Though they were charmed by her beauty, they also thought that she was just like the other mages—not right in the head in some aspects—thus, making them treat her like a poisonous rose. Since those men valued their lives, they decided to not even try and approach her.

Poisoned Rose Irene Windler, who unintentionally rejected a group of approaching males, called out to the ghost.

“I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but the instructor’s eyes…”

[His eyes?]

“From his eyes…it looks like he’s…smiling…?”

[…Huh?]

Wouldn’t it be nice then?

The ghost girl tilted her head in confusion, but Irene Windler shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t put her fingers on this odd feeling she felt from the instructor.

But, if she really had to put it into words…

He looked so happy, but…he also looked so…scary…

Thinking that she was thinking nonsense again, she let out an awkward laugh.

Gallop-! Gallop-!

A group of people could be seen, riding horses across an empty street of the royal capital. Their destination? A secret place. They were all moving at a constant, yet quick pace—as if they were in a hurry. At some point they entered the royal capital’s extraterritoriality, which was located extremely deep into the city.

Parasitic Abyss.

The street where people of the lowest class lived.

No matter how many times the kingdom tried to erase this place from the capital, its residents could always hide themselves like cockroaches or parasites, and they’d pop back up again at some point. Hence why this place could be called as the hidden darkness of the capital that they just couldn’t eliminate even if they wanted to.

The reason why they called it Parasite Street was because they treated the royal road like a host and lived off of it. Also, there was another reason. Once someone entered this place, they would never come out again. While the other reason sounded exaggerated, the danger of this place was as real as it could be. Only notorious criminals would intentionally come to this place in the first place.

And yet, the people who rode the horses while wearing luxurious clothes entered the street on their own accord. It was a strange sight, to say the least.

But the thing that was even more strange was that no one in the abyss stopped them. The street was strangely quiet, as if everyone collectively decided to not leave their homes today.

“Huff, huff! W-We’ve come this far… I-It should be fine, right…?”

“Yeah, we can rest easy now.”

“But, is there really a need to run away like this? Don’t you think you’re being a little too paranoid…?”

“What nonsense are you even saying?! The princess being there means that the crazy heretic inquisitor is also there! He would definitely notice that there’s something suspicious about us! There’s no way we could just stay there! Running away was our best option!”

“Ugh…”

Heretic Inquisitor John Ray Albert. The moment his name was mentioned, goosebumps appeared all over their bodies. They had only read about him from reports, but they still reacted this way; his track record was just that scary to the point that they felt an instinctive fear toward that man.

If he managed to discover their existences, it was already a done deal that he’d be coming for them while carrying a cross behind his back.

A superhuman knocking on their door, gifting them a painful death wasn’t exactly something they would welcome.

“In any case, we’re lucky. Though it didn’t go as planned, we still managed to escape safely.”

“I never thought the Abyss would be a great help for us…”

“Remember that it wasn’t Narak that helped us, but it’s [The Organization] that gave us strength. That’s why, we must never forget to be grateful—”

“Can I ask what the organization’s name is, friends?”

Flinch-!

“…”

At that moment, light footsteps echoed in that empty street. They belonged to a man, who was walking along the path, approaching the group of people with a slight smile on his face. His gaze was locked in towards one of the men in the group who was staring at him in disbelief.

As if asking, ‘How did you get here?’.

However, the man just laughed as if he was disappointed.

“How could you not know where your friends are, Instructor Hans?”

“…”

“That was a joke, hahaha! C’mon, Instructor, laugh with me! Why so serious?”

“S-Sir Totle…”

The instructor of the Metallurgy Department, Hans, called out Lee Han’s name with a trembling voice.

Hearing that, the latter…

“Ah, are you really that curious about how I could track you all the way here?”

Lee Han playfully tapped the ground. Contrary to his playful gesture, the longsword at his side exuded an ominous vibe.

“Well, it’s not that hard, honestly. I just happened to have a good sense of smell.”

Woong-!

“I could easily sniff out those magic freaks, and even more so…”

Woong-!

“─If they are ‘stinking’ magic freaks.”

When his words dropped, the hatchet in his hand exuded an ominous ferocity.

As if it was hungry to hunt the ‘beasts’ that had given up on being human.