Chapter 76: The Knight Teaches (1)

It wasn’t strange for an organization to be struck with incidents—whether they were big or small—every year. No matter how thoroughly it was being managed, at the end of the day, it was still being managed by people, it was simply impossible for the work to be flawless. That was why, it wasn’t wrong to say it was the way said organization handled the aftermath that showed the organization’s true capabilities.

In short, how well they handled the situation was more important, and they should never be too obsessed with the incident itself.

…However, that wasn’t exactly the case with Pendragon Kingdom.

“I heard that the royal family is sending their inspectors here.”

“Normally they’d be treading carefully around the prime minis—I mean, the dean. Anyway, they sure are using this chance well, huh?”

Currently, the royal family was stirring trouble in the Academy. Soldiers were scouring through all the departments, inspecting all the documents they could find, and as a consequence, disrupting the work of the faculty members. In this kind of situation, it wouldn’t be strange if the faculty members were to express their dissatisfaction but…

They knew not to blindly antagonize the royal family. After all, even they knew how serious the current issue was. In fact, they were completely willing to cooperate.

It was just….

“I heard the royal family was already aware of the terror before it happened.”

“Tsk tsk, this is a total witch hunt. Just what did the dean do to mess this up?”

“He didn’t! No one was blaming the dean at all!”

Even though the royal family and the Academy were in almost the same situation, the only one who received such criticisms was the Academy’s side.

With that in mind, it wasn’t strange that a wave of discontent permeated the faculty, as the members were fuming from this kind of treatment.

“It’s like the pot calling the kettle black.”

One of the faculty members lamented, which accurately described the situation.

Actually, there was a widely spread rumor going on that the royal family wasn’t the only one who had heard about the terror incident, but the Academy too. A certain knight had tipped both sides about it, it was just, no one bothered to listen to him.

It could be said that both sides should reflect on this situation as both of them were equally guilty, but… Neither of them could just step forward and take responsibility for this blunder.

After all, the moment they did that would be the moment they’d be thrown under the guillotine, and their family members would flood the execution ground with their tears.

Although, since the situation was like that, it was hard to trust both the royal family’s inspection and the rumors circulating within the Academy. The mud fight had already begun, the atmosphere between both sides would remain tense for a while.

“…But still, who was the person who tipped it first?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone knows.”

“Well, the rumors said that the person was a knight with a burly body…”

“A knight with a burly body… Don’t tell me…”

“Whatever it is that you’re thinking about, don’t. It’s rude to him.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right.”

The first informant.

There was a rumor going on about how someone had tipped both the dean and the crown princess that a terror attack was going to happen. This was a rumor that everyone had heard at some point, so it was natural for people to look for this particular person and paint their suspicions on him. After all, it was common sense to be suspicious of the first source of the information and dig deeper through them.

But, for some reason, nothing conclusive was known about this person.

Even the soldiers were keeping quiet despite them knowing about the rumors. The situation was unusual in a lot of ways, but it wasn’t like they could do anything about it.

“This is driving me nuts. If we chase after the informant, everything will be resolved quickly, but why are the higher-ups telling us not to do that?”

“Haa… Why don’t we try to do it ourselves? Who knows, maybe we can get some merit from it.”

“Dude, if you want to kill yourself, then do it on your own. Don’t try to drag others with you.”

Both the royal family and the top brass of the Academy didn’t order the soldiers to investigate the source of the information. They were told that he wasn’t the culprit, and that was it. On the contrary, they were even given a strict warning to not dig up anything about him, or think about causing any harm to him.

So the investigators could only do their job the hard way since they had to give up on the easy way to get a decisive clue. All of them agreed to not poke the beehive for no reason.

Meanwhile, the informant who was presumed to know about the whole truth, as well as the knight who earned the title of ‘Hero of the Academy’ because of his stellar performance during the incident…

“His name is Timid. From today onwards, he will be joining the Swordsmanship Department. Treat him well.”

“My name is not Timid, it’s Derrick…”

“If you want to be called by your name, you need to earn it.”

“…What is this place? The military?”

Was introducing a new face to the cadets of the Swordsmanship Department.

In terms of the exam results, all 80 cadets of the Swordsmanship Department received high grades. Not only did they showcase a stellar performance in their matches against the Rock Troll, the spirit and courage they showed when they were fighting against hundreds of gnolls were also worthy of the highest praises. Everyone acknowledged their potential through those battles.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the grades received by the current first-year cadets of the Swordsmanship Department were the highest among all cadets of the Swordsmanship Department throughout history.

Some cadets even received scholarships thanks to their high grades. Of course, it wasn’t just any normal scholarship, it was the kind of scholarship that would guarantee them to have enough living expenses.

For the bears who were always short on money, it was like a shower in a drought. They no longer had to worry about money while attending the Academy.

Of course, they weren’t the only ones who benefited from the whole ordeal. Together with them, the nobles—the young masters and the chicks—were scheduled to receive medals that were worth more than money. For the nobles, this was the golden opportunity to raise their family’s prestige.

Since everyone was rewarded for risking their lives in the battle, they were overwhelmed with emotion. However, none of them were arrogant enough to think that they survived because they were skilled enough.

“First of all, this instructor is grateful that no one died in that incident, and everyone can gather here safely. All of you. Good job.”

Because they knew. The only reason why they survived was because of the man in front of him.

Lee Han.

During the terror attack, he was the person who stepped forward to take action before anyone else. He was the one who moved in to defeat the monsters and save all the audience as well as the cadets. Furthermore, he was hailed as a hero who managed to save the royal capital.

The cadets looked at him with interest, as if they knew that this would happen someday.

I knew that he’d make a name for himself!

He really is an amazing person.

…Yesterday, I saw a mountain of love letters on the instructor’s desk… Those were all from noble ladies… Ugh, I wish that was me…

His notoriety that had spread throughout the academy in the past had long since been erased. Now, instead of fear and disgust, everyone looked at him with admiration and favorable gazes.

If those who had worked together with him were to say that they didn’t envy him for receiving more attention and honor than they did, it would be a lie, but… Even they could feel their hearts ablaze when they saw him.

Besides, he deserved all the praises he got. After all…

It would be stupid to not feel that way towards him when he stopped such a monster all by himself.

His accomplishments were just that great.

The monster he stopped was an ancient monster that was told in myths and legends. Everyone in the Academy saw how he fought against the troll that boasted a height that rivaled even a giant. If he hadn’t stalled that monster with all his life, not only the Academy, but the entire capital would’ve been thrown into great danger.

This was why he was hailed as a hero. He had saved countless lives and showed his noble spirit by going against the monster until reinforcements arrived, all by himself.

However…

“Instructor, a noble wishes to meet you outside. What should I do?”

“Tell him to stop disturbing the class and leave.”

“…But, he’s a count…”

“Do you want me to tell him myself then?”

“…If you go, you’re just going to break his neck. I’ll go and decline his request.”

The instructor didn’t seem to care at all about his accomplishments. If anything, he seemed to be bothered by all the attention he received and found it annoying.

It’s a good thing that the Assistant Instructor is here.

He’s too short-tempered to handle all these matters…

If Damien hadn’t been so skillful in dealing with the nobles and merchants who came to visit the instructor, the cadets suspected that he would have crossed the line a long time ago.

“Those unemployed bastards.”

“…They probably came for a good reason, Instructor. I mean, you saved some of them back then.”

“That, or you saved their families.”

The cadets tried to cheer him up by giving him reasonable excuses, but Lee Han just snorted at their words.

“If they’re grateful then the least thing they should do is to not disturb my class or trespass into my house. Or are you telling me that’s the way people are expressing their gratitude these days?”

“…”

“Huh? Is that really what it is?”

“A-Ahem.”

The cadets had nothing more to say at that statement. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they were completely clueless.

“…By the way, Instructor, I’m curious. What did you do with the trespassers?”

“Rather than asking what I did to them, you should ask me how I ‘dealt’ with them.”

“…”

…You know what? Let’s stop talking about this.

“Can I ask you something, Instructor?”

Since it was only four days since the terror attack, the cadets’ curiosity was still an all-time high. Perhaps because they were still young, they just couldn’t hold back their curiosity for too long.

This also applied to the guy who had been keeping his mouth shut all this time. He asked Lee Han a question all of a sudden.

“That new transfer student… Is he the one who scattered that mysterious energy in the sky back then?”

“…Hmm.”

Actually, Lee Han had been curious as to why the other cadets hadn’t been asking any questions about the new transfer student who appeared out of nowhere. Too bad that the one who finally showed their interest was a guy who had always been a pain in his ass.

The guy, the regressor from the north, gave an intense stare at the status window guy he suspected to use that skill—Sky Full of Flower Rain—on the day of the incident. This was probably his way to state that he hadn’t forgotten about that part of the incident.

“I-I…”

Meanwhile, the guy who was receiving that intense gaze was sweating profusely, feeling completely overwhelmed by it. In the first place, he was someone who found it hard to get along with others. Now that he received the attention of the most burdensome guy among the crowd, it was only natural that he temporarily lost his ability to speak.

Seeing the guy’s face gradually turning crestfallen, Lee Han decided to lend him a hand. He had gone out of his way to recruit the poor guy to his side after all. There was no way that he’d let the arrogant guy ruin the poor guy’s image.

So, he warned the arrogant guy ‘affectionately’.

“Blackie, I don’t mind about anything else, but get rid of that intense gaze. I know a way to extract ink from those black pupils, you know?”

“…”

“If the assistant candidate I brought all the way here were to run away because of you, my words won’t be a joke anymore, hahaha!”

“…Can you please not threaten to ‘kill’ me with that ‘affectionate’ tone, Instructor?”

“Kill you? When did I ever say something like that?”

“You just did.”

Only then did Blackie, no, Roen, look away from the new cadet. There was no way that he’d have the guts to talk back to the person who had fought on equal terms with the Ghost King.

Also, more importantly…

“I think you misunderstood me. The reason why I asked that question was because I wanted to express my gratitude. Thanks to the energy that rained down from the sky back then, we were able to finish the battle with no casualties.”

Of course, the energy he was talking about was the needles that resembled flower petals that fell from the sky during the incident. When those needles fell, a large amount of monsters were instantly annihilated, and at the same time, those who were injured or exhausted regained their strength. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a miraculous phenomenon.

“Back then, I was in charge of the command in place of the instructor. As the person in charge, it’s my duty to express my gratitude on behalf of everyone, that’s why I asked that question. In any case, let me express it right now. If you really were the one who scattered that energy, I pay you my respects. I swear upon Lionel’s name that I will make sure to repay this debt.”

Even though his gaze was still burdensome, the atmosphere it bore was completely different from before. There was respect, sincere gratitude, and recognition on that gaze.

It was simply impossible for a man to not feel some sort of warmth when he received such sincere respect and recognition, and Timid was no exception. He started to blush and bowed his head. Although, Lee Han actually had already told the arrogant guy about this matter prior to this—in other words, half of his words were just a show. Lee Han wasn’t a bad adult who’d get nitpicky with his disciple over such matters though.

That black rascal. He got a glib tongue.

Lee Han knew that there was power in words that were filled with sincerity. Personally, he found it a little cringey, but it was something that the arrogant guy was extremely good at.

Anyway…

It’s nice to see him showing this side of him once in a while.

Seeing the atmosphere had turned into something that would facilitate Timid to fit in the group easily, Lee Han smiled in satisfaction.

“Also, Instructor, I know it’s rude to ask, but, can I—no… Can we learn how to make flower blooms with sword energy?”

Glow-!

“…Huh?”

The moment the Blackie made his second statement, all the cadets immediately directed their hot interest at him. It was as if Timid was the appetizer while he was the main dish.

“You punks…”

Lee Han was left dumbstruck by this development.

I raised them to be Arhats—!

Yet, they want to be Plum Blossom Swordsmen¹?!

He furrowed his brows.

The pinnacle of Kangho is the Shaolin!² Why do they want to be the members of Mount Hua Sect?!

These rootless bastards!³

The small martial artist in Lee Han’s heart wanted to shout a thousand scoldings at them.