Chapter 89: The Knight Gives a Counseling (8)
by Afuhfuihgs
After that, Lee Han brought Levy to his home. He figured that his home would be safer for her than any other place. Also, there was another reason why he brought her here…
“Let’s have some tea and chat!”
“T-Thank you, Maid.”
“No problem! Please take it easy!!”
“…Yes.”
“Hehe.”
The maid, Leila Winter, always gave energy to those who saw her. Lee Han figured that her presence would make Levy feel relieved.
After radiating her unique human vitamin-like energy, Leila backed away. She even winked at Lee Han as she did, saying, ‘Good luck, Sir!’.
Her ability to exude such positive energy was something that even an Aura User wouldn’t be able to match.
And as expected…
“M-Maid Leila sure is amazing. Whenever I see her, she always looks bright and positive. Sometimes, it feels like she’s able to read other people’s minds…”
“You are thinking too highly of her. That girl is just a thoughtlessly bright person.”
“T-That could also be it, yeah…”
Levy regained her liveliness as if she was photosynthesizing using Leila’s positive energy.
It was a good thing.
However…
“Oh, my!”
…The other person didn’t absorb any of Levy’s good traits.
Leila stumbled and eventually fell over. With an ‘Ouch!’ and a crashing sound, one of the tables that Lee Han had been making as a hobby broke. If it were anyone else, he would be worried about that person getting hurt rather than thinking about the object. However, when it came to Leila…
“W-What should I do?! S-Sir! The table is broken, sob…”
“…It’s nothing new, just leave it alone. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“?”
“…I swear, you’re just…too healthy… You don’t realize that you could get hurt from falling like that, do you?”
“Hehehe.”
“…Just stay that way, okay? I’ll be satisfied with that.”
“Hehe, okaaay.”
Lee Han, who seemed to be used to her antics, sent his indifferent worries towards the maid. Meanwhile the maid just grinned sheepishly, like a golden retriever wagging her tail.
Meanwhile, the girl who was watching them…
Pfft-!
“…”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t laugh because I found it funny…”
“It’s fine. If anything, it’s nice to see you laughing. You know, you should laugh more often. Laughter can be the best medicine, you know?”
“T-That’s…”
“Especially after crying to your heart’s content.”
“!!?”
“Hahaha, it’s fun to tease you.”
“You’re too much…”
Levy’s face turned red and her voice was getting hoarse, but Lee Han kept urging her to laugh. He wanted her to do what her heart wanted to do.
“You finally started to look better now.”
He believed that people should cry when they were having a hard time.
That way, they wouldn’t feel too burdened by their emotions.
It’s fortunate.
Lee Han let out a sigh of relief inwardly. When he saw her for the first time today, she looked like she had resolved herself to die. Seeing that, his heart was moved, and he decided that he couldn’t just leave her alone.
He was worried that she might make a bad choice. That was how serious the girl’s condition was.
I absolutely cannot let her by herself today,
One of the most painful memories he experienced as a non-commissioned officer in his previous life was none other than suicide attempts of the newbies.
Group bullying or beatings by other soldiers…
Depression caused by not being able to adapt to the military…
A sense of deprivation from losing their freedom for two years…
Many soldiers who experienced stress beyond their limit due to these various factors end up choosing the extreme options.
Lee Han used to take care of such people.
It was an unreasonable task, but Lee Han still took on that task, the first task he was forced to do in the military, with passion. He just didn’t want to see people die in front of him. And he genuinely wished that they could endure a little longer and return to society.
Thanks to that, the number of such unfortunate incidents in the unit that Lee Han was in charge of was relatively low.
And now…
I have to do mental care again after a long time.
There was a girl who was showing such unusually serious symptoms, and that was him assessing it lighty. Her state was that bad. When he looked at her, he felt like he was looking at a candle that could go out at any moment.
More than anything, he didn’t want to watch his beloved disciple helplessly give up on everything like this.
“Levy.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“B-Because you’re calling me by my name, Master…”
“What? Does it sound awkward? Want me to call you Female Bear again?”
“Y-You can just call me Levy…”
“That so? I’ll do that then.”
“Yes…”
Was it because not only called her name correctly, but also in a kind way?
Levy blushed, clearly embarrassed. Although, the reason why she was embarrassed probably wasn’t just because he had called her by her name, but because it was the first time someone else called her by her name at such a close proximity.
What a rare, pure child.
Although she was already an adult age-wise, she exuded innocence like a ‘girl’.
But that was exactly why she was in such great danger.
Because she was still in an unstable state where she needed to be protected by society. She was like a glass that could break at any time.
That was why Lee Han approached her cautiously.
“If you have trouble answering what I’m about to ask you, you can just answer with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. Or you can just nod lightly, I’ll interpret it myself.”
“N-No, you don’t have to do that…”
“Alright. So, is dropping out from the Academy really your own intention? Or is someone trying to force you to drop out?”
“!!!”
“See? You’re already having a hard time answering.”
“…”
“Alright, no need to nod. Just listen to me.”
Lee Han moistened his throat with the black tea that Leila brought out. He was prepared to start talking his mind in earnest now.
“I can’t say that I know everything about you, but I do know this one thing. You’re not the type of person who will give up the opportunity to learn for no reason.”
“…”
“I know there’s something going on with you. You’ve suffered through something and came to the conclusion that you should drop out of the Academy. But, you should know that enduring the pain alone when you could barely do it is nothing more than a self-torture.”
“I… I…”
“I’ll say it again, if it’s hard to talk, you don’t have to. I just want to know your true feelings because to me, it looks like you’re suffering on your own.”
“…”
“But if I may give you one piece of advice as someone older than you, it’s that sometimes just telling someone about your worry can be comforting.”
“…Master.”
“Huh?”
“…Your speech sounds unusually smooth today.”
“…Is that a compliment?”
“Yes.”
Indeed. His speech couldn’t be any more perfect than this.
The Fault Family was a family that was known for producing many prestigious knights just a few generations ago.
Unfortunately, during the war with Britain a few decades ago, most of the knights, including the previous head of the family, died. On top of that, most of their Combat Techniques and their swordsmanship were also lost during that war.
That could be said to be the consequence of only passing those techniques orally rather than recording them through a proper archiving method. Because of that, the lineage of knights that came from them was virtually cut off.
As a result, the current Fault Family was in a state where it was embarrassing to even call themselves a family of knights.
After all, a family of knights must be able to prove themselves with their military power and honor. They had lost that military power, how could they claim to be a family of knights?
If it hadn’t been for the title of War Hero, as well as the small estate they had, the Fault probably wouldn’t have survived as a family.
And so, with only empty honor and title that remained, the previous head of the Faults…
-We will rise again! I will make it happen!!
Tried his best to regain the honor of a family of knights.
…Not knowing that it was merely a futile effort. A result of his refusal to face reality.
If the Fault Family had acknowledged reality from the start, and admitted that they weren’t a family of knights anymore, another path might have opened up to them. They could become a family of civil servants, or delve into any other field. In short, they might just enjoy a stable life, although with less privileges than when they were still a family of knights.
However…
“Our Combat Technique is a secret technique that has been refined over generations, while our swordsmanship is something that has been passed down since ancient times. We believe that both are the most suitable treasure embodied in the bodies of swordsmen. Perhaps, if my grandfather was as much of a genius as Young Master Roen, the result of him trying to restore such a secret technique and treasure would be different, but he was just a normal person. His effort has been doomed to fail from the start…”
Instead, the previous head tried to restore the family’s Combat Technique as well as its swordsmanship by gathering all of their assets. Of course, the process was by no means easy. Even if there had been some kind of record for him to start his work, it wouldn’t be easy, but he tried to do it without such a thing, and without anyone to advise him.
In the end…
“We went bankrupt.”
Indeed, the Fault Family went bankrupt.
The Fault Family, who used to be a Baron Family, sold off even their title and only barely managed to get their name on the House of Lords, remaining only as an honorary noble.
All of their assets were sold, and they lived in a small house, relying completely on their maternal family. In that state, anyone could see that they would no longer be able to rise as a noble.
-T-This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening-!
Levy’s grandfather, who refused to face reality until the end—proving his incompetence—aged rapidly and faced away.
At that point, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they only had their desperation left. It would be better for them to accept reality and give up their noble title.
But, people wouldn’t be people if they weren’t so reckless. At one point, everyone always thought that they were different from the others, and that they were smarter than they truly were.
-My father failed, but I’m different! I’ll definitely raise the status of my family!
The next head also made the same mistake as his father.
Levy’s father. The current head of the Fault family, or rather, the man who wasn’t even worthy of such a title, had such a dream. A dream of becoming a knight.
And so, he, Reynold Fault…
-Business, we should make money through business!
-Once we have enough money…!
-Look at this, Levy! It’s the Legendary Knight’s combat technique! I spent a lot of money to get this!
Reynold was a helpless man. Whenever he started a business, he didn’t end up making money, but instead just raking in more debt. He said that he’d get investments from others, but instead his clothes were taken away by those exact same people. He said he bought a Legendary Combat Technique but it was just a low-leveled one, even worse than a third-rate one.
He was a man who lived in delusion, a foolish adult who didn’t know the world.
That would be the perfect sentence to describe Reynold Fault.
Since that was the case, the result of his effort was pretty much set in stone.
-Pay me back!!
-Hey, noble guy, are you kidding me right now?
-How long are we supposed to wait!!
In the end, it was the family that suffered due to the mistakes of that delusional man. It was the same old tale that also happened in Lee Han’s previous world.
“My mother has already collapsed a long time ago. Fortunately, my younger sibling is living in the Academy’s dormitory. My maternal family is sheltering him too, but… It still doesn’t look good…”
“Why didn’t you just rely on your maternal family, then?”
“That is something that I cannot do. Our maternal family isn’t well off either. Besides, I can’t let my father cause them any harm.”
“…”
“That’s why…”
At that point, a normal person would’ve already come to their senses. After all, he should’ve realized that he had children to feed.
He should stop thinking about making money and stay still, but instead…
-L-Levy, d-do you want to get married?
He asked her daughter about marriage.
Then, Levy saw it. The gold bracelet on his wrist and the sword decorated with dazzling decorations on his hips.
-Ah.
And she realized that he had sold her.
“If I said I wasn’t upset, I’d be lying. But I decided to think positively. Him having a gold ring in his hand meant that the other family members can now live in slightly better living conditions.”
“…”
“Also, it’s true that the marquis is a good prospect. Although he’s a bit older, he’s still a Tristan. Besides, other noble ladies are still desperate to find a good match, that’s why, I…”
“…”
“I… Um… Why? Why can’t I say that I’m okay, Master?”
“…”
“…Why can’t I say…such a simple thing…Master…?”
To her quiet question, Lee Han kept his silence. He deliberately didn’t give an answer, thinking that the girl probably already knew the answer to that question.
Besides, telling her how painful it was to have her wings broken and her ankles tied up was…
Too cruel.
“…”
Lee Han left Levy in Leila’s care for a while and headed towards the quiet and deserted cliff in his backyard.
Did he come there because he was frustrated?
Nope.
Or was it because he was filled with anger?
That wasn’t it either.
The reason he came to the place where there was no one nearby was…
“I need to know something.”
“Yes.”
Step-!
To meet this guy.
The moment Lee Han asked that question towards the thin air, a gray-haired boy appeared with a whoosh. Lee Han already knew that the boy was nearby, while Derrick knew that if he waited here, the instructor would call out to him.
Derrick already knew what it was that the instructor was curious about.
And as he had expected…
“What happened to her in the ‘original’?”
“…”
“It’s fine if you don’t know. I’m not pressing you for an answer. I just became curious.”
“Haha…”
‘It seems he had given up on hiding it…’ Derrick laughed as he thought so.
However, Derrick wasn’t dissatisfied at all. Because curiosity was an extremely ‘human thing’.
So he…
“I-I’m just talking by myself here, s-so you shouldn’t pay any attention to me.”
“…Alright, let’s go with that.”
“Ahem.”
Decided to give him some [spoiler].
“Later on, the marquis will be poisoned, and will be driven to the verge of death. Levy Fault will be accused of being the mastermind.”
“…”
“A-Are you going to continue to listen?”
“Hmm…!”
For the first time in a while, Lee Han began to miss his hometown food.
Perhaps it was because of the spicy taste that suddenly hit him hard, he had the urge to drink some refreshing dongchimi soup instead of carbonated water.
Footnotes
Footnotes
Footnotes
- 1. It’s a variant of kimchi that was made of radish, cabbage, ginger, scallion, green chili, korean pear and brine. It has a refreshing taste as mentioned, and it isn’t spicy unlike the usual kimchi
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