Chapter 96: No Secrets Left Unturned (1)

…I lost.

I can’t even make excuses. It was my complete loss…

“That old man was too strong.”

“…Ahaha.”

Derrick could only let out a wry laugh as he stared at the man lying on the bed. The man had been fine yesterday, but now he was lying on the bed as his whole body was a mess.

The boy couldn’t even begin to describe his shock when he took off the bandages that had been roughly wrapped around the man’s body. Of course, he also didn’t expect that he had to sew his torn flesh that much.

Indeed, Derrick did all the stitching himself. The ‘Suture’ skill that he had was a big help throughout all this.

“Thank you for treating me, and good work.”

“…The latter should be my words for you, Instructor. You were the one who endured being stitched up without any anesthesia. Even Guan Yu¹ wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“What, are you trying to tell me that you had to scrap my bones clean like what they did to that guy²? Surely my state wasn’t that bad?”

“Um, actually, your state was way worse than his.”

Haa…!

Of course, it wasn’t like Derrick didn’t want to use anesthesia on him. It was just, the man’s [Poison Resistance] made him resist the anesthesia as well, which really couldn’t be helped as most anesthesia in this world were poison. So, Derrick had no choice but to boldly perform the surgery—suturing the man’s flesh—without using any. Which meant, the man had to endure the pain on his own. He could still remember the man’s body shaking greatly during the process—which in turn made his hands shake too.

Thankfully…

The nearly 7 hour surgery was a success.

He never complained about the pain. Not even once…

What a great—no, what a strong person…

Once again, Derrick was reminded of how powerful the person in front of him was. Of course, it wasn’t just because of his brute force.

Not only is he strong physically, he’s also incredibly strong mentally.

However, that also wasn’t all. He didn’t call him strong just because he didn’t scream while he was suturing his flesh. It was the fact that he could make such a bold decision for his student—a girl who was pretty much just a stranger to him—that made him evaluate the man as such.

The boy didn’t even know if he could do that.

Also, he didn’t do it because he dislikes the future that the girl holds, but because he wanted to create a [possible future] where the girl named Levy wouldn’t get hurt… Or was he?

I don’t know, I’m most likely wrong about that…

Fighting against the marquis to create a future where the girl could be happy? That just doesn’t make any sense. Even if the developers were drunk, they wouldn’t insert such an absurd Easter Egg into the game…

Because fighting against another Ghost King would make more sense rather than fighting against Tristan…

To put it into perspective, all the knights in the Red Eagle were at least level 5 or 6. The deputy commander himself was at level 7, which was the same level as the man. If a hundred of them gathered together at once, they would be able to exert strength that was equivalent to, or higher than level 8.

Not only that, there’s also the marquis…

Level 8.5.

He hadn’t achieved level 9 yet, but he was one step away from it. No one could beat him except for the actual level 9 monsters.

Coming back alive from fighting someone like that was already a huge achievement in itself.

Winning against the whole Knight Order, surviving a fight against a monster that’s comparable to a level 9… Yeah, he’s definitely…

A level 8 hero-class…

Now, Derrick was certain. This man was indeed one of the strongest men in the world.

…What an amazing person.

The fact that he reached that level at such a young age proved that he had led a difficult life. After all, that wasn’t at a level that could be reached simply because he was strong or was talented enough. Derrick imagined how much effort the man had put into honing himself, and felt his heart started to beat faster.

If only I could use my skills… I’d love to check his stats right away…

While Derrick was experiencing those kinds of emotions…

“M-Master…”

A girl who looked extremely haggard compared to yesterday opened the door and came in.

The girl was none other than Levy Fault.

She looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“Ah…”

Derrick’s body stiffened, but her reaction was only natural.

After all, she knew that she was the cause of all this, yet she couldn’t do anything but succumb to her fate helplessly. However, as if to prove that helplessness of hers meaningless, the instructor took the mantle of her spokesperson and confronted the marquis directly.

If it were him, he probably would be overwhelmed by his emotions.

And as he expected…

Trickle-!

The girl burst into tears.

Joy, worry, disappointment, regret, and self-loathing.

While Levy was struggling with those countless emotions and unable to even speak properly, the instructor looked at the girl with affectionate eyes.

“Female Bear…”

“M-Master… I…”

“Can you cry later? Help the maid bring me some food first. I’ve been lying down all day, I’m hungry.”

“…”

“I’ve worked hard for you, surely you won’t mind making me some food, right?”

“…”

“…Do it quickly.”

“…Yes.”

However, too bad that the man’s emotions were too dry for a melodrama. At least, that was what Derrick thought.

“…No rumors spread?”

“Yes, not even groundless rumors…”

“…How is that possible?”

“My thoughts exactly.”

After eating more than ten servings of beef stew, bread, as well as three roasted chickens made by Leila and Levy, Lee Han blinked in confusion as he listened to the information that Timid had given him.

Apparently, the news about his attack on the marquis hadn’t spread at all in the capital.

I went wild like that, and no one knew?

It was embarrassing to say it himself, but he really went wild without thinking of the consequences back then.

The degree of chaos he caused was so great that even if the marquis mansion was in a forest with few people, people would still know of it. And yet, no one knew.

“If someone who has complete control interferes with the circulation of the information, it’s possible to hide such a thing, but someone like that usually has great power and considerable ability… Instructor, do you happen to know the duke…?”

“…Hmm.”

He indeed knew the duke, but he didn’t think that the man would come forward in such a situation.

It’s probably older sister’s doing…

Thorough control of information. To pull off something like this, one needed to employ countless people, including mages. As far as he knew, the only person who’d have enough of such resources to pull this off was the silver-haired crown princess.

Realizing this, Lee Han shook his head. Indeed, she had to have this level of influence to become the monarch.

“…Don’t you find it regretful, Instructor? If things went well, you could gain a lot of reputation by defeating Tristan.”

“What are you talking about out of the blue?”

“D-Don’t knights love that kind of honor?”

Timid seemed to really find it regretful that Lee Han’s name didn’t become more known due to this incident.

He muttered to himself, ‘If he won the public sentiment and gained some fame, he could just get some new traits…’ but Lee Han heard everything.

And he burst out laughing.

This guy’s thinking too much about things that others should have rather than things that he himself should have.

To the boy who was thinking like that, he…

“I don’t need that false fame. Because at the end of the day, I lost that fight.”

“…”

“Did you think that because I came back alive, I won that fight? No, I lost. The only reason why I survived was because of the mercy of the marquis and the Knight Order. Don’t fret about this too much.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Han didn’t think he won. The reason he defeated the hundred knights was because his opponents didn’t know him well, and so they were caught off-guard by his strange technique. Moreover, the marquis could have killed him at any time, he just chose to let him live. With that in mind, there was no way that he could say he had won. Instead, he felt like he got hit in the back of the head.

“W-Well, the overall result was your victory, so, it’s your win…”

“Sure, if we only focus on the results, but I value the process more. That’s why, I don’t feel anything special about that ‘win’.”

“…You are more old-fashioned than I thought, Instructor.”

“That’s what happens when you reach my age, hehe.”

“…I don’t think so.”

Timid stared at him with a meaningful look. The moment Lee Han was about to criticize him for being arrogant…

“…W-Why did you do that?”

“…”

“W-Why did you go that far? I-I’m not—”

“That question again? Just move on already.”

“N-No! H-How could I do that?! Y-You got hurt like this—!”

The girl who was watching from the side started to weep, upset that he got hurt this badly because of her. Tears were dripping from her eyes, accompanying the words that she spouted with much difficulty as he choked. Seeing this, Lee Han just stared at her silently.

“Timid.”

“…I understand. If you need anything, just call me.”

Showcasing his ability to read the room, the boy immediately went out as soon as his name was called.

Leaving Lee Han and the girl alone inside.

“…”

“Sob… Sob…”

The room was filled with a frustrating silence.

In that silence, Lee Han just quietly waited for the girl to calm down.

“Do you think it’s wrong for an instructor to protect his disciple who is about to walk into misfortune against her will?”

“…!?”

Feeling that it was the right moment to say his piece, Lee Han opened his mouth.

The girl who had been sobbing froze. Her eyes widened as she looked at Lee Han.

Lee Han met the girl’s gaze and continued.

“The Cadet Levy Fault I know is a smart and strong girl. She endured the harsh training in Vulcan, and she didn’t run away from the magic that the magic freaks unleashed. Not only that, she also confidently commanded the other guys in front of the great army of gnolls, and she was one of the greatest contributors to that victory. All 80 cadets of the Swordsmanship Department know about her bravery, and so do I.”

“W-What are you saying all of a sudden…?”

“But!”

“…!”

The way he shouted his words made it seem like he wouldn’t allow the girl to ask questions right now, and that got her to shut her mouth.

“…Why does such a smart, brave girl keep acting like an idiot? Why did she keep making stupid choices? I just don’t understand.”

“…”

“Because she’s a filial daughter? For the sake of her family? I could see that since she’s a ‘good girl’. She’s definitely the kind of person who’d accept her fate out of filial piety. That far, I could understand, but… No matter how hard I think about it, I can’t understand your parents at all.”

“-!!”

…Hearing that, the girl was left speechless. But this time, it was out of shock.

She realized…

That Lee Han had noticed ‘something’.

“If what you said about the Faults is true, then that family is already ruined. But then I put more thoughts into it. The reason why they are in such a bad state is because they tried to make a comeback as a knight family and failed. But then, why did they choose to abandon you—someone who has the talent to be a knight? You could say that it’s because you were born a woman, but that isn’t enough of a reason for them to do that. Especially considering that they were oh so desperate to reach their goal.”

“A-Aa…”

“The moment you become a knight, your family’s wish would come true and the Fault name would be restored. Why can’t your parents see that? Are they that ignorant about how the world works? Or are they looking down on you that much just because you’re a woman? If it were me, I would’ve never abandoned someone who works so ‘blindly’ like you. No matter how I try to look at it, I just can’t understand your parents.”

“M-Master…”

“…So, what could it be? What makes you follow their order so blindly?”

Lee Han racked his brain, connecting the hints he had gotten so far.

Blind effort. That was something that symbolized Levy Fault.

She was a noble young lady who tried her best to learn swordsmanship, all while being armed with an indescribable spite, as if she was struggling to have her worth recognized.

Lee Han pondered over the reason that had made the girl struggle so much.

“Why did you push yourself so hard? Why did you follow your parents’ words—no, ‘orders’ without any resistance like an idiot?”

“…”

“…If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t bring this matter up ever again. I’ll bury these doubts deep in my heart. Just think of this as nagging from an old man and just forget about it. Or if you think you could cheer yourself up by doing it, you could just slap me.”

“…”

“Only if you want to though.”

“…You’re right.”

“…”

“Your predictions… All of them are correct, Master.”

“…”

The girl started to shed tears silently. Then, a smile that made her look pitiful appeared on her face.

“As expected of Master… Despite your appearance, you’re very perceptive…”

The girl, who had difficulty speaking, couldn’t stop crying, and Lee Han just shrugged his shoulders.

“It has nothing to do with that. I just thought that while you might think it’s natural to follow your parents out of a duty as their child, the extent you did it was unnatural.”

“…I-I see. A duty, huh…?”

“You don’t have to say anything anymore. I didn’t ask all those questions to interrogate you.”

“…B-But, you already did that…”

“Nope, what I did wasn’t interrogating, but counseling. That’s why I need to know my disciple’s real circumstances to some extent.”

“…What are you even saying, Master?”

Hearing those words, the girl let out a bright smile—completely contrasting her crying face. She was grateful that he still treated her as usual, even though she had lightly revealed the ‘truth’ that she had been hiding, or rather, that she had been desperate to reveal.

“Hehe, you’ve caught me.”

She felt relieved.

Because she thought that she had to hide this for the rest of her life. After all, there was no way she could avoid criticism if she ever got caught.

But, for some reason, even though she was caught this time, she felt relieved instead.

So with a mature smile, the girl, no, the young woman, told him her story.

“You’re right, Master. Just as you thought, I…”

─Have no parents.

Crack-!

An illegal gambling house was destroyed.

The guard dogs guarding the gambling house—where the flames were spreading—had long since collapsed, meanwhile the gambling addicts were all piled up outside with broken limbs.

But there was one person who was still conscious in that gambling house. No, it was more apt to say that he was forced to stay awake.

Bang-!

“W-Why are you doing this–?!”

“…”

“What kind of resentment do you have toward me that you’re doing this to me?!”

“…”

“Answer me…!”

“-Close your mouth. It stinks.”

“!!!?”

The blue-haired man was grabbed by the collar and lifted to the air.

He was simply being grabbed by the collar, but he could feel an incredible amount of pressure coming over him, making him unable to even breathe properly.

However, the black-haired young man who grabbed him by the collar didn’t show any sympathy and just added the pressure he exuded, as if he didn’t find any value in showing even the slightest consideration towards him.

“Reynold Fault, from now on, you will have to answer my questions. If you can’t open your mouth, at least nod your head. If you can’t nod, at least blink your eyes. But if you are even slightly late in answering, just straight up lie to me, I will definitely erase you— no, your entire family from this world!!”

“!!?!!”

Reynold Fault. The man who could be called the current head of the Fault Family shook his head madly as he trembled with fear, showing an unsightly sight.

Someone else might have sympathized with him, but to the black-haired young man, Roen, he was nothing more than a disgusting creature.

Crack-!

This was the first time that he, who had always maintained his composure, showed such anger. He was barely able to suppress his desire to immediately suffocate the disgusting thing in front of him to death.

“Reynold Fault, 43 years old this year. You have a wife who was born a commoner and two daughters. Am I correct?”

“!!”

“Am. I. Correct?”

“!!!”

Reynold Fault shook his head madly.

It was the correct answer.

Because he did have a wife and a daughter.

“You don’t have two daughters, you have ‘one’ right? Why did you lie?

“?!!”

“It’s not two, it’s one. And you know that. Even if you do have two daughters, why would you engrave the ‘Imprint of Obedience’ on one of them—?!!”

“Ke….Keugh…”

A hidden mark.

It was a secret technique passed down in the past, and just like poison, it could never be used in a normal way. In modern times, the ‘Imprint of Obedience’ was only allowed to be used on livestock or monsters.

Because the kingdom’s law prohibited its use on a person. It was a great crime that one should never commit.

However, Roen didn’t come all the way here to talk about the kingdom’s law.

Rather, what he was trying to do was…

“You piece of trash! Who do you think you are to play with a person’s life!”

Enacting justice for his comrade whose life had been toyed with by such a trash and ended up living a miserable life.

That alone greatly angered him, and in response to that emotion…

[Grrrrrrrrr!]

The ‘black lion’ roared.

Eager to tear apart the sinner who had angered its master.