Chapter 104: The Knight Doesn’t Want to Be Reinstated (3)

Order of Silver Lion.

The best Knight Order in the kingdom.

They had a ginormous number of 300 knights. Considering that the cost of maintaining one knight was almost the same as the price of a warhorse, it was unbelievable how the kingdom could manage 300 of them. Perhaps it was why the monthly salary of the Silver Lions was much lower than other Knight Orders’.

Although, there was another reason for that. Those who came to Silver Lion weren’t knights who came looking for money. If anything, they would pay to join if they could.

The order had a long-standing legitimacy that began with the history of Pendragon itself, with countless legends that matched its long history, as well as the symbolism of the Knight Order that proved that the kingdom had formed an eternal alliance with Lionel.

Belonging to the Silver Lion meant becoming successors of that exact legitimacy, legend, and symbolism.

That was why the children of high-ranking nobles unconditionally wished to join the Silver Lion, as there was no greater honor they could attain than that. Moreover, this would also give them the opportunity to have a connection with the royal family.

This made anyone who entered Silver Lion an elite knight who entered through competition rates of thousands to one.

Flinch-!

“Huh!”

“W-Why is that guy…?”

“I heard he got demoted!”

“D-Don’t make eye contact with him…”

“…”

…Although, said competition wasn’t always a fair one.

It’s still the same here.

The Silver Lion uniform he wore after a long time felt extremely stuffy. He didn’t know if it was because his muscles or his bones had grown. All he knew was that it felt uncomfortable.

As he walked, enduring the uncomfortable uniform, he felt countless gazes from those around him pouring towards him.

The owner of those gazes were the punks belonging to the First Order, the Second Order, and even the Third Order—the order he belonged to.

Among all those gazes, there were none who looked at him with favor. Then again, he wasn’t very friendly with any of them either, so he just didn’t care. If anything, he was secretly laughing inside.

Not because of this unfamiliar hostility.

But rather…

It feels like I’ve entered the enemy territory.

The place just felt unfamiliar overall. It made him wonder if this was the same place that he used to visit every morning. While it was indeed his original workplace, he kept receiving unpleasant gazes from his surroundings, as if he had entered enemy territory.

Recently, he had only encountered pure students from the Academy and orthodox knights like the Red Eagle. So, it was hard for him to adjust to a place that was filled with ‘poisonous snakes’ slithering around.

Seriously, it hasn’t even been five months since I left. This place has become too fucking unfamiliar.

Back then, he stated that this Knight Order was similar to a major league team. They picked talented guys through countless competitions in the minor league, which made all the knights here among the extremely ‘talented’.

But this place was the palace, the center of the royal road. No one would be able to survive here by relying on their strength alone. One would need political power to survive, which meant, everyone here was involved in politics.

Hence why more than 80% of the knights of the Silver Lion were relatives of palace officials, or at least, were supported by them.

The First Order was for the royalists, the Second Order was for the nobles, while the Third Order was a place where lower nobles and some peculiar eccentrics gathered.

That was why Lee Han snickered inwardly.

Because the place was exactly like the Major League, filled with a hodgepodge of factions, connections, and bloodline mixed together.

That aside…

I guess my standards had grown too high…

After seeing a real and proper Knight Order, he could only let out a sigh when he saw these snake-like, sinister things.

Moreover…

How could these guys not get stronger at all from the moment I left?

Their average strength was so low that he couldn’t help but become even more disappointed.

He knew of this because he remembered some of their faces. Not a single one of them has improved in the past few months. They had a good talent, but instead of using that talent to hone their swordsmanship, they used it for political battles instead.

Fuck, I’m so pissed…

Perhaps, he gained an occupational disease somehow.

Now that he was in a position to teach others, he realized how frustrating it was to see other people wasting their talents.

And the woman who gave him this disease…

No.

She wasn’t just a mere woman.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, Isis Irene de Pendragon has summoned Knight Lee Han. She wished to meet you.”

A polite, but clear voice of a servant with the title of Baron rang out.

And following that…

[Come in.]

An Imoogi, who was about to ascend, called him, and Lee Han entered the White Lion Palace while feeling the unpleasantness of being in a snake den.

Ambrosia.

An elixir that was said to have existed in ancient times. Although unlike normal elixirs, it wasn’t the kind that restored one’s potential and strength.

To put it into words…

-Ambrosia?! THE ambrosia that can cure all curses and diseases in the world, even innate allergies and chronic diseases!?

-Wait, what? It can cure allergies??

-Oh my god… To think that it actually exists…

Those were the words of the guy who had the best alchemy skills—the Status Window Guy—when Lee Han asked him about the elixir. He nodded his head, thinking that it was good that he asked him.

-Can you make it?

He couldn’t stand being dragged around by that tyrannical older sister forever, so he asked Status Window guy if he could make one of these, thinking he could escape from her if he could.

-Uh… No, it’s impossible for me to make it.

-…

…But, even though he asked with great anticipation, the answer he received was negative.

He asked again with a slightly anxious expression now.

-Is it because you don’t have the ingredients? If that’s the case, I’ll try to get them for you.

-No, the ingredients aren’t the problem…

-The recipe then, in that case…

-No. The recipe is actually easy. I just need to mix mandragora, siren’s tears, and queen bee wax.

-…If so, why can’t you make it?

-It’s because only witches can make it.

-??

-Even among all the mystical races, only witches could make it. Because you’d need a witch’s touch, magic, and mystical ability. Basically, it’s a witch’s elixir. No ordinary human could make it, including me.

-How did they make this then…?

-They probably hired a witch. Whoever they are, they’re a terrifying person… Witches are the most difficult race to meet among the mystical races, and the probability of success in making the elixir is 0.000001%, you know?

-That means…

-The odds of us meeting a witch and having them make ambrosia are extremely low. No, even if we did meet them, they’d just try to kill us. Those guys detested humans, there’s no way that they’d willingly help us.

-Keuk…!

For a moment there, the face of the arrogant crown princess seemed to appear before Lee Han’s eyes.

She was wearing a mocking expression, as if saying:

‘Pathetic younger brother, do you think this lady won’t even know of your shallow thoughts? You’d better stop thinking nonsense, haha.’

A complete defeat.

Though he didn’t lose with his sword or fists, it was still an utterly humiliating defeat that made him want to grab the back of his own neck.

Nevertheless…

She really likes to toy with other people’s hearts…

Lee Han looked at her without hiding his nervousness.

Isis.

She greeted him with a smile, as if she found something about him funny.

“So, did you like the gift this lady gave you?”

“…Yes, I am so grateful that I almost cried.”

“That’s really fortunate, haha.”

“…”

“Then, this lady should also receive compensation for the gift.”

Thud-!

“Kiss it.”

“…”

…She stuck her foot out, urging him to kiss it. Instead of doing what she wanted, Lee Han just…

“Elder Sister, your tastes are a bit…”

While he wanted to respect his sister’s strange sexual preferences, he genuinely thought that it was a bit too much of her to force it onto others.

White Lion Palace.

A symbolic palace where only the next heir to the throne could stay among the royal family. Entering the White Lion Palace itself was an honor and a symbol of success for nobles and knights alike—at the very least, it was a valuable experience for everyone.

Moreover, the current owner of the White Lion Palace was none other than Isis Pendragon. Her beauty, befitting her title of the most beautiful woman in the kingdom—the title she held ever since her Debutante—was still being talked about. There was even a story that a royal family of a certain country fell in love with her beauty and continued to court her as if becoming lovesick.

Although a long time had passed and she no longer appeared at parties, she was still the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. As someone who inherited the noble blood of the royal family, she would maintain the looks of someone in their 20s for another hundred years. Therefore, there were many nobles and knights who were eager to enter the White Lion Palace.

The moment they entered, they could enjoy the honor of kissing the royal family, or rather, the current heir to the throne, as a sign of respect, and this honor was something that everyone in the kingdom wished to receive.

“Irreverent rascal. Kissing this lady’s feet is an honor that’s sought by everyone in this kingdom, regardless of their gender.”

“Is this country okay? Even its people are developing strange fetishes now?”

“Idiot.”

Thud-!

Her fan blitzed through the air and hit Lee Han on the head.

But…

“…This lady’s wrist hurts more than before…”

“My head’s hardened a little lately, so I’ve been wondering if it’s hard enough to break the hand of the person who hits me.”

“Hmm, so your skills have improved? Good, good.”

“…”

As she touched her sore wrist, Isis’ eyes glowed with a cold glint.

The look she gave him was like the look of a bear-owner who was expecting her talented bear to do a tumbling.

“…I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

As their eyes met, he regretted saying something unnecessary. Once again he realized that one’s own mouth was indeed the source of all evil.

“Haa…”

But soon he shook his head. As if trying to throw away any useless worries or rebellious feelings.

And then…

“…Elder Sister.”

“Why are you calling this lady?”

“The reason you hit me with that ridiculous temporary reinstatement thing is because you want me to do something complicated. Am I right?”

“Wow, you’ve gotten quite perceptive since you’ve been tasked to teach some kids.”

“I have three questions I’m curious about. Can I ask them?”

“Wow, if it were anyone else, this lady would take them as an arrogant cur, but, since it’s you, this lady will be especially lenient this time.”

“…I’ll assume that means you’re giving me permission, so I’m gonna ask three questions. First, are there really no other people in the Knight order? Why did you call someone like me?”

“There’s none.”

“…”

“It’s embarrassing to say, but there’s no one capable enough for this lady to trust and entrust with work. Even if there are, they’re just lunatics with a severe political illness. How could this lady trust and work with such people?”

“That’s why I told you to be careful when knighting those guys…”

“In order to do that, this lady has to dethrone her father first. Will you help this lady to do that?”

“…If it fails, that attempt will be called a rebellion. There’s no way I’ll help you doing something sinful like that, you know?”

“Yes, but a successful rebellion is called a revolution.”

“I-I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

As the conversation grew more and more dizzying, Lee Han quickly changed the subject.

“The second question is… Why did you call me all the way to White Lion Palace for a strange reason like ‘to praise the hero who saved the royal capital’ instead of meeting me secretly like you always do?”

Indeed. Normally, when she was giving him an order, she’d do it in secret instead of spreading all sorts of rumors about it all over the capital. In fact, the thing that he heard the most when he came to the palace was none other than people referring to him with the ridiculous title of the hero who saved the capital or whatever.

Needless to say, it was embarrassing to go through such an experience.

To that question…

“Why are you embarrassed? For a knight, fame is considered a glory for his three generations to come.”

She said it in a puzzled tone, but Lee Han knew what she was actually thinking about when he saw her eyes forming a crescent moon.

This auntie—!

She had done it on purpose to tease him. After all, she knew that he detested the thing called fame and whatnot, so there was no way that this was an accident.

Indeed, the princess had an atrocious personality.

“Haha, that was a joke. How could this lady not know that you are uncomfortable with fame and the attention of others? It was hard to have a secret meeting this time around, so this lady made up an excuse to let you meet her at the palace. So please understand her circumstances.”

“Then, since that’s the case, why don’t we stop doing that damned secret meeting for good. Or at the very least, stop calling it a ‘night raid’! It’s unpleasant to hear!”

“…You’re such an irreverent rascal. There are so many people who want to have a secret meeting with this lady. You really don’t know what glory is.”

“I’ll give that glory to South Korea.”

“…”

“Haha, forget it. Let’s move on to the third question.”

Thud-!

Lee Han put down a bottle from his pocket. It was a luxurious bottle containing a liquid that gave off a splendid glow.

Looking at it, Isis snickered.

“You haven’t drunk it yet.”

“It isn’t a finished product again this time, right? Which means, the effect won’t be much. I’ll drink it later if I need it.”

“But this one is quite finished, so it’ll last for a week. It’s good enough for you to relieve all the desires you couldn’t release until now.”

“…”

“Oho? Feeling a little excited now? If you want, this lady can introduce you to some pretty girls right now. Girls who want to have a one-night stand…”

“Ahem, f-forget it! I brought this because I was curious about something.”

Ambrosia.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was the only way to break his curse, but Lee Han didn’t drink it. He wanted to drink it right away and feel the thrill that he had been missing once again, but he had something to check right now.

“This thing. Will it work on other kids too?”

“…”

“I know someone who has been cursed…”

There was a hint of hesitation in his words. It was only natural since he was still wondering if it was right for him to say it. No matter how carefree he was, he still had morals, and his morals dictated that it wasn’t right to spill out about someone else’s secret.

“The Imprint of Obedience is a curse, but it also has a magical property. This lady think it might be a little difficult to cure it with just ambrosia.”

“…”

…This woman knows everything, huh?

“Are you sure you don’t have clairvoyance?”

“Unfortunately, this lady doesn’t have it. Instead, this lady does have a lot of ways to gain information, ohoho.”

“…”

It feels like I’m in a horror novel…

Isn’t this world supposed to be a rofan? You’re a royal family member in a rofan, you’re supposed to be a little incompetent…

Why are you so competent…?

…Lee Han grew a little scared of this person.

“…Hoo.”

Lee Han left the White Lion Palace, feeling as if his mind had been completely chopped by a threshing machine.

Talking to the marquis was hard enough, but talking to that older sister was twice as hard.

Still…

It’s not like I returned empty-handed though.

He received a positive answer, so he was satisfied to some degree.

-To answer your question, using only ambrosia is impossible, but there’s another way.

-Then…

-But, is there a reason why this lady should tell you the answer so easily?

-…

-Don’t make that face. As long as you handle this matter well, this lady will grant your wish, whatever it is.

-I saved the royal capital…

-Oh, you want to play that card? This lady was the one who gave you those gunpowders, so to some extent, she has a hand on it. Then, there was also the case with the marquis…

-…

…Although, he suffered a total defeat when he tried to wrestle her with words.

“My life…”

He was just trying to act as a proper teacher, and yet he had to suffer through this. So, he couldn’t help but lament his fate.

“…If I was just a little more evil than I am now, I wouldn’t have done it.”

He stared at the ring in his index finger.

Why does she trust me so much, seriously…?

He felt the texture of the ring and chuckled.

Somehow, he felt a little better from doing that, even though he was completely exhausted.

At that moment, when he was indulging in his feelings…

“It’s you!! The parasite who dares to cling to Her Highness the Princess Isis!!”

“…?”

“You! I’m going to kill—”

Slap!!

“Ugh…!”

“What the fuck is wrong with this idiot?”

Lee Han hit the jaw of the lunatic who picked a fight with him the moment he saw him. In an instant, his pupils dilated and he fainted.

Crunch-!

“…What should I do with him?”

He asked himself while grabbing the guy by the collar.

Inwardly, he was wondering if he should beat him a little more, or beat him until he woke up.

He had no intention of being lenient towards him, as the guy was the one who showed his hostility first.

While he was pondering like that…

“Huh? This guy’s hair…”

…It’s silver…?

“…”

Lee Han blinked.

Silver hair, could it be…?

“Your Highness the Eighth Prince! Where are you, Your Highness the Eighth Prince!”

“Commander!”

“Find the commander…!”

…At that moment, the voices of the knights could be heard from afar.

That confirmed his suspicion.

This guy was none other than the commander of the First Order.

The Eighth Prince who had had given up his right to the throne, but still remained a member of the royal family.

“…Ah.”

In other words, he had hit the Eighth Prince.

…I’m fucked…