Chapter 61: Irene Windler Is a Villainess?! (4)

On the contrary to the status window guy—Derrick—who couldn’t hide his shock after seeing Lee Han’s ridiculous stats, Lee Han himself faced the boy in a calm manner.

It’s about time for us to meet.

He wasn’t that surprised by the boy’s sudden appearance as he had expected to meet him at some point—it was just a matter of time. And his prediction was right, he did end up meeting him.

The first impression he got from the boy was…

He seems to be an earnest guy.

In the case of the regressor, he acted like how a typical youngest son of the northern archduke in regression novels would act. It was the same case with the transmigrator, she had the same personality as the female protagonists of rofan novels who took over someone else’s body who had secret circumstances regarding her birth and also had a special talent.

So far, all the protagonists of this world that he had met fit to the archetypes of their roles. However, in the status window guy’s case, he couldn’t tell whether he was a transmigrator or a regressor just based on the way he acted.

He also seems a little bit melancholic…

No, it isn’t ‘a little bit’, his melancholy is quite a severe one.

Despite that, Lee Han actually thought that his personality was quite refreshing.

I can also tell he’s quite the shy guy.

He probably has a hard time dealing with strangers.

As if to prove that conjecture, the boy in front of him…

“I-I…”

Looked so flustered as he stuttered through his words, a typical behavior from a social outcast. If it was anyone else but Lee Han who was facing him, they’d misunderstand him already, or maybe feel offended by him.

I’ve seen this kind of guy a lot of times.

But to Lee Han, this was something he was pretty much used to.

Back in his previous life, he spent his time as a soldier for ten years. The number of social misfits he had encountered probably exceeded a thousand.

The worst thing is that the number isn’t an exaggeration…

If anything, Lee Han wished that those numbers were nothing but a joke.

Seriously, if those guys were just loners, it would be easier on me, but they kept on prattling about some stupid beliefs while doing nothing but causing trouble.

Although, the boy in front of him was just a loner whose troublesome trait was that he spoke too slowly. He was leagues better than those troublesome misfits. In his case, Lee Han could just wait for him to speak out what he had in his mind without lashing out at him. This would allow the guy to return his words as sincerely as he could.

And the status window guy did exactly what Lee Han had expected.

“D-Did you know that I-I…approached you on purpose…?”

“Of course. It would be strange if I don’t.”

“…I thought I was being quiet enough…”

“Yes, your footsteps were quiet enough. Actually, I couldn’t even sense your presence.”

“…B-But you still knew…”

“Because I have a good sense.”

“A-Ah… T-That’s…true…”

“Oho…”

“!”

When Lee Han gave him a meaningful look, the guy flinched in surprise like a squirrel caught stealing food. After all, Lee Han’s expression suggested that he had seen through him and knew what he did.

And of course…

So he had seen my Status Window.

He already had a rough guess on what his Status Window looked like.

And so…

“Did you see something fun?”

“!!?”

“Don’t do that again. That’s a rude thing to do when you first meet someone.”

“T-That’s…”

“Answer.”

“…I-I’m sorry.”

“Alright, since you apologized, I’ll let it slide this time.”

“…”

“Here’s a towel. Wipe off your sweat.”

“…”

Every time Lee Han spoke, the status window guy’s body flinched, prompting a snort from Lee Han. They hadn’t even had a proper conversation yet, but the guy had already apologized over and over, although all his apologies were sincere.

He doesn’t seem like a bad guy.

Pop-!

Since Lee Han figured that he didn’t need to gouge the guy’s eyes out anymore, he put the knife he had pulled out back into his pocket.

D-Did he just see through my skill?!

The situation was shocking for Derrick. For the first time in his life, he was facing someone who might be aware that he was using a skill. That was why, his heart was racing in surprise.

However, he still thought that the other person didn’t know exactly what he had seen.

T-The [Player] trait isn’t listed in his trait list, so he is the resident of this world… H-He shouldn’t know about the existence of [Status]…

Why exactly did Derrick approach Lee Han today and throw away his status skill that had three months cooldown?

Because he wanted to check whether the man was another player like him or not. If the [Player] trait was listed in the other person’s trait list, that meant the man came from the same world as him. He figured that he should try to gamble and find out. After all, the existence of another player would become a huge variable no matter what. If, by chance, the other person was a villain, it would be a huge problem for sure.

Fortunately, after he checked the other person’s status after making such a determination, he couldn’t find the word ‘Player’ anywhere in his trait list. Which meant that he was a resident of this world, and not a player.

With that newfound knowledge, Derrick was happy, but at the same time, he felt a little regretful.

Because at least for now, he was the only player in this world.

However…

D-Did I just get caught?!

The moment he felt relief over the new revelation, the other person struck him with a sharp gaze. Not to mention that from his words, it was greatly implied that he was using his skill on him.

It wasn’t strange that Derrick’s liver went cold because of that.

N-No, I-I wasn’t completely caught, t-there’s no way…

However, after a little while, he calmed down a bit and managed to think about the matter in a more rational way. Chances were that the man in front of him had sensed something strange thanks to his [Beast Sense] or [Veteran’s Intuition].

Since those traits’ levels were ridiculously high, it wasn’t strange that the man was able to notice that he was using his skill on him. Although, it didn’t necessarily mean that the man knew exactly what kind of skill that he had used.

S-Still, that was dangerous…

Derrick’s assessment was pretty much correct. In hindsight, it was still a dangerous situation. If the man in front of him immediately lunged on him the moment he sensed something, he would have been ‘killed’ before he could realize it.

After all, he wasn’t strong enough to deal with a Lv. 7 Warrior.

Also…he doesn’t seem as violent as I imagined…

There was another thing that Derrick noticed about the person in front of him; he was a lot calmer and seemed to be more intelligent than he thought. Even though the man sensed that he had used a strange skill on him, he tolerated his actions, even not showing any discomfort towards it. Despite that though, the thing that impressed Derrick the most was…

He’s being considerate of me…

Derrick was often bullied. People mocked him for stutterings often, and they’d even call him a mute at times. They also often raised their voices or got angry at him because of his slow and awkward way of speech. Sometimes they’d accuse him of having a bad personality.

For him, his past was a past filled with resentment. There were many problems in his life that could easily be avoided if other people were to be more patient with him and actually tried to give him the chance to speak his mind properly.

In both of his lives, he had only encountered two people who were willing to do so. One was Karin, who was currently giving out a great speech in the middle of the debate hall, while the other person was…

Come to think of it, his atmosphere is similar to that person…

A mentor-like person that he met during his two years of military service that he thought would be hell.

His appearance too… It’s similar to the platoon leader…

The platoon leader.

Sergeant Lee Han…

…Maybe he also got reincarnated to this world…?

“…Ha…”

Pfft, there’s no way.

Derrick shook his head. The probability of meeting the reincarnation of a dead acquaintance in another world was so miniscule to the point that he felt stupid for even thinking about it.

I have better chances to meet a regressor or a transmigrator instead. Besides, how could such a cliché development happen just like that in this world?

Derrick denied his own thoughts, thinking that he was just being delusional for thinking so.

In any case…

I should consider myself lucky to meet another good person.

And so, he slowly opened his mouth to the third ‘good person’ he ever met in both lives.

“M-My name is D-Derrick… I-I’m a first-year from the History Department…”

…Funnily enough, the status window guy casually revealed his name and his affiliation. Meanwhile, Lee Han just stared at him with a calm expression.

“You revealed everything quickly, huh?”

“S-Sorry…”

“Stop apologizing for every little thing. Anyway, the History Department? Are they teaching Combat Techniques to their cadets these days?”

“!!?”

“The Combat Technique’s level is pretty high too. Only high-ranking nobles got to learn that kind of Combat Technique, you know?”

“…”

“So, what’s your last name?”

“…S-Sorry.”

“Can’t reveal it, huh? You’re getting more and more suspicious by the second.”

“U-Um…!”

The status window guy swallowed his murmur. He looked even more scared than before. He was probably aware that there were too many things he couldn’t reveal, and if he kept hiding things from Lee Han, it would only make him distrust him more.

Anyone could see the confusion and anxiety in his eyes. He looked quite worried over the possibility of offending Lee Han somehow.

Although…

This guy doesn’t look like a troublemaker at all…

Lee Han was already well-aware that he was the rumored troublemaker second prince. The high-level Combat Technique he had was one thing, but the clearest hint was that he exuded the same atmosphere as his older sister; a unique atmosphere that only the members of the Pendragon Royal Family had.

This alone made Lee Han certain that he was a member of the royal family. He was just pretending not to know about it for the time being.

After all, by doing so, he could pressure him to give him more information.

Well, it’d be better if he were to tell me all the information willingly rather than me forcing him to do it.

Lee Han had extracted information from countless people before. He was pretty proficient in torture and threats, but those methods usually wouldn’t work on certain type of people. And this status window guy belonged to that type.

It isn’t like I’d need to do all those. Once he talks, he’ll naturally spit out what I want to hear anyway.

He could tell that the boy was rather naive. Once he let his guard down, chances were that he’d spit everything out.

Which meant, what he had to do now was…

“Cadet Derrick.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Let’s put aside how suspicious you are in my eyes for now.”

“?!”

“Well, you’ve probably known that you are extremely suspicious already.”

“T-That…”

“I know that there is a reason why you were approaching me. I can still sense that something strange is going on, I just hadn’t done anything to you yet because I didn’t sense any hostility or murderous intent from you.”

“…”

“That’s why I’m suggesting that we continue this conversation in a Q&A format.”

“…Q&A…?”

“We’ll ask each other questions in turn. You can go first.”

“T-That.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t rush you.”

“…”

With that, silence fell between them.

Though it was a sudden offer, the status window guy seemed to take it seriously. He probably felt grateful for this development. While he didn’t know Lee Han’s intentions, this was a great chance for him to gain information from him.

Although, he was probably wondering how things turned out this way. Because if it wasn’t for Lee han’s consideration, this outcome would definitely never have happened.

After that, Lee Han had to wait for about three minutes.

And then, the guy suddenly…

Snap-!

“[Silence].”

Woooosh-!

“…Oho, that’s a strange talent you got there.”

All kinds of sound disappeared from their surroundings. At the same time, their presence also became thinner to the rest of the world.

Lee Han took a glance at the maid, the female bear, and Chick Number 2. They didn’t notice his gaze at all and instead put all their concentration on the debate. It was as if they were completely absorbed by the words of that girl with strong presence—Karin.

At that moment, the status window guy opened his mouth.

“I-I don’t know if this is enough as an apology, b-but I-I think, if I were to reveal my ability, I can gain a little bit of your trust…”

“It’s quite an interesting ability. What was it called? Silence?”

“…You heard that?”

“Of course.”

“…It’s a good ability when I need to talk secretly with someone…”

“Mhm, it isn’t bad.”

Damn, I envy this guy now… This should be a ‘skill’, right?

The first time Lee Han recalled the memories of his past life, this was the exact thing that he wanted to have. A cheat skill.

While he was able to grit his teeth and pretended not to know, he was still bitter about this whole thing. After all, if only he had this kind of thing with him, he’d probably have lived a better life than what he currently had.

While Lee Han was mulling over what happened in the past…

“I-Instructor, a-are you someone from the temple?”

“…Hmm?”

The status window guy finally asked him a question. A rather ominous question at that.

Another one asking about the temple…

He remembered that the regressor’s subordinate asked about a similar thing in the past, and so, he tried to organize his thoughts about it.

Both this guy and the regressor guy are concerned about the same thing. I guess that means there’s something fishy going on with this so-called temple…

As he arrived at that conclusion, he shook his head.

“I am not.”

“R-Really…?”

“…Haaa… If you are going to doubt my answer anyway, why are you asking such a question to begin with?”

“N-No, I-I don’t think you have a reason to lie to me, Instructor. I-I will try my best to trust your words…”

“Good, good, I like that answer, Cadet Derrick. Alright, I’ll allow you to ask one more question as a reward.”

“T-Then, may I ask about your relationship with Irene Windler?”

“…”

There, he took the bait.

Just as Lee Han had expected, they just needed to talk for a little more to get the fish to bite the bait that he cast. Of course, he didn’t show his joy in his expression. Instead, he just made the most bewildered expression he could muster.

“Irene Windler, as in Cadet Irene Windler? Why are you asking about my relationship with her all of a sudden?”

“C-Can you answer my question first, Instructor…?”

“…Alright. Well, my relationship with her could be defined as that of an instructor and a cadet.”

“…”

“But, if I may add more, she’s also my neighbor.”

“…Your neighbor…?”

“Yeah, she is living right next to the cabin I live in.”

“…R-Really?”

“Of course. Why should I lie to you?”

“O-Other than that…”

“An acquaintance. That’s the clearest word to define our relationship.”

“…”

“Why don’t I ask you a counter question? Why are you so curious about my relationship with her? Do you have any ill feelings towards her?”

“T-That’s not the case, i-it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Ugh…”

The status window guy let out a groan, he clearly didn’t want to answer this question if he could help it. However, he was someone with conscience. Since he could answer the question to some extent, he would definitely do it.

And so…

“I-It might sound strange, b-but the Irene Windler I know wasn’t someone like that.”

“What kind of person is she?”

“S-She doesn’t normally smile, o-or have the bright vibe like a girl her age…”

“And?”

Lee Han poked him in a subtle way, trying to dig for more.

“She is a vicious and evil person whose heart is enveloped in jealousy. I actually suspected that she’ll try to take over the Academy with her magic and her family’s influence…”

“…”

“…She’s like a wicked villainess that often appears in plays…”

“…Who are you talking about again…?”

“Miss Irene Windler…”

“…???”

Lee Han turned his head slightly as he looked at the girl who was leaning on the maid’s shoulder. It seemed like she was whispering something to the maid.

That girl is a villainess…?

…Well, she’s a magic freak, maybe she’s hiding her true nature all along…?

Although he had a natural aversion towards the magic freaks, Lee Han still shook his head in denial of that possibility. The Irene Windler that he knew was unlike the normal magic freaks who reeked in nothing but filth.

However…

“…But, why did the mid-boss become like that…?”

“…”

The status window guy muttered something to himself again, but Lee Han could hear what he was saying.

‘Mid-boss’.

The moment he heard that shocking identity of Irene Windler, Lee Han blinked in confusion.

What…? I thought she’s the female protagonist, or at least, a heroine of a rofan…

But…she’s actually a boss mob…?