Chapter 112: Prisoner Lee Han (5)

Even though a fight was happening, for some reason, not a lot of people showed interest in it. In the case of the soldiers, they only stood guard outside the tunnel and never really approached it. Of course, they wouldn’t care if a fight ensued or someone were to end up dying in it in the first place. In the case of the convicts, many had collapsed from exhaustion, so they didn’t even look at the fight. Especially considering that it didn’t even last more than two minutes.

However, to those who did, no one took the losing guy or the fight lightly just because it did not last more than two minutes.

“He’s pretty skilled. He may be suspicious, but with those skills, he is definitely a knight from a prestigious family.”

“I agree with your opinion, Senior. His skills made my spine tingle… Which is why it doesn’t make sense that Senior Lee Han was able to subdue him so easily…”

“…Monstrous bastard.”

Roy Bant’s skills were ‘real’. Compared to the half-baked guys in Silver Lion, he was at least twice as strong as them. In fact, Yord wasn’t confident that anyone in the Silver Lion would be able to subdue him easily.

However…

“S-Sir Roy! W-What are you doing…?! Just what kind of atrocious act did you dare to commit to such a weak man like Sir Roy?! Yes, Britain has already fallen, but how could you, as a knight of Britain, do such a cowardly thing?! Don’t you know any shame?!”

“…How did he become a general, really?”

Though he was supposed to be a general once, for some reason, Mustang wasn’t even able to assess the skills of the person he tried to defend, let alone seeing the nature of their exchange of attacks.

They gave him a cold, stern look. Seeing this, Mustang was enraged, about to shout at them even louder, but…

“You—!”

Bang-!

“Ugh…?!”

Thud.

“Too noisy.”

He was hit on the back of his head and fainted. It was only then did the surroundings turn quiet. All thanks to Yord doing the right thing. Although, Jake could only shake his head when seeing this.

“You are becoming like that guy.”

“Hahaha, but this is the quickest method to deal with him.”

“…You’re turning into something you shouldn’t.”

“Nah, he’s growing in the right direction, I say.”

“…Are you hurt?”

“Pfft, of course not.”

“…I-I see.”

Indeed. Lee Han, who approached them, was completely fine.

It was as if he hadn’t fought just now, but had just taken a short walk.

That skilled guy couldn’t even scratch him?

I knew it already, but this guy… His skills have grown so much compared to him from half a year ago.

Jake had guessed it after seeing him easily subdue 135 knights of Silver Lion, but his strength was already on a different level than before.

If half a year ago, he was comparable to a troll, now…

Even an ogre would kneel in front of him after seeing him…

Jake let out a wry laugh, thinking that, except for Sir Baltar, there would be no one in the Silver Lion who could stand against the brutal guy in front of him.

Fortunately, Roy Bant did not die.

As expected of a knight, he had considerable endurance.

The back of his head was cracked, and he was suffering quite a severe concussion, so there was a worry about partial memory loss, but all in all, he wasn’t hurt that badly.

Then again, the only thing that mattered was the fact that he was ‘alive’.

Thud-!

After dragging Roy Bant to a dark place where there were hardly any people around, Lee Han took out a vial from his bosom.

Clack-!

As he poured the contents to Roy Bant’s mouth, his wounds began to heal.

“Potion instead of medicine or herbs…?”

“Well, we need the guy alive if we want to get something out of him, no?”

“…He was on the verge of death, huh?”

Then again, it would be more surprising if he wasn’t. That blow could make a normal person’s head explode.

“Senior. Are you sure he’s a member of the Blood Cross?”

“Even if he isn’t, he’s still suspicious.”

“Good point…”

Considering that his Combat Technique wasn’t sealed, even though he was inside the tunnel, it wasn’t hard to tell that this guy was suspicious. Moreover, he had tried to approach them secretly.

Not only that, he…

“I think he was probably the one who sent that incompetent general to us.”

Also tried to test them. There was no way Mustang chose to talk to them on his own volition. Chances were Roy Bant urged him from behind to create an excuse for him to be able to talk to them.

“He probably thought that we’re knights from Britain, and he could use us to do his biddings.”

Most of the recent criminals trapped in the tunnel were from Britain. From soldiers to knights, most of the powerful warriors from Britain were all gathered in the tunnel. The guy probably thought that he could quickly befriend those guys.

“Though, I doubt friendship forged in the tunnel will be meaningful in the long run.”

“That might be true.”

“Might be true? No matter what country you go to, people will always talk about blood ties, regional ties, and school ties. This guy’s probably thinking about doing the same thing. Don’t overthink it.”

“…Good point.”

“Though, I doubt that sort of thing will work in this kind of place.”

“…And yet there’s a guy who’s still talking about his status in this place…”

“Ah, right.”

“…Why are you looking at me?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“…”

Ignoring whether Arren’s face soured because of his words or not, Lee Han silently did his job; checking to see if Roy Bant had hid anything in his clothes.

Usually, this kind of guy always hides something in him.

And as expected…

“What’s this?”

He didn’t know why, but unlike the prison uniforms they were wearing, Roy Bant’s uniform had a hidden pocket. There were about five suspicious items inside of it; a torn piece of paper, three elixirs that gave off a suspicious smell, and an inverted cross.

Just looking at them, he could tell they weren’t good things, especially the latter.

“This looks exactly like the belonging of a blasphemous apostate.”

I bet that it’s an unpleasant sight for any devout believer.

As Lee Han expected, the three people except for him made a cross with their hands, and recited some Bible verses. As if to prove their faith.

“Hmm…”

He just left the devout believers alone and stared at the inverted cross. Of course, he wasn’t thinking about how blasphemous the man was or something along that line. He was just staring at it because it gave off a ‘strange feeling’.

Then suddenly…

Crack-!

“Fuck, what is this, candy…?”

“Even candy doesn’t break that easily, Senior…”

“Crazy bastard…!”

He broke the inverted cross in half as if it was a cookie. Then, he looked at its inside.

“This is… A magic stone?”

“What?”

“Yeah, it looks like a mix of the same kinds of magic stones.”

“…Woah, you’re right!”

Fine grains sparkled in the parts Lee Han had broken. From that alone, it was clear that the magic stones were the kind of magic stones that came out of monsters.

However…

“They are using magic stones to make a single inverted cross like this? Talk about being rich…”

Magic stone was a rare stone that only appeared in one out of twenty monsters. Just like a gallstone in humans, it was a rare item that was quite hard to obtain. It was something that mages and alchemists were crazy about—something with a hefty price tag attached to it—and yet these guys were using it to make this inverted cross.

Even a billionaire wouldn’t do something like that.

“…It’s either they’re a bunch of lunatics….”

“Hmm.”

“Or they are so rich that they find magic stones cheap. So, which one is the correct one?”

“Lee Han?”

Everyone was puzzled by his sudden question.

However, they soon opened their eyes wide as they realized that the one he was asking that question to wasn’t them, but Roy Bant, who was lying down.

“…”

However, despite them raising his spirit, Roy Bant remained silent.

As if he was still unconscious.

At that moment…

Whoosh!

Lee Han raised his leg without hesitation and aimed straight at Roy Bant’s head.

Boom-!

As the powerful kick landed, the ground caved. It was a powerful enough blow to shatter a person’s skull into pieces like a watermelon.

Fortunately…

“…You are no different from a murderer. How can a knight be so cruel…?”

The bastard barely avoided Lee Han’s feet, panting in one part of the caved ground. If he had reacted even a little late, he would have died for sure. Also, he realized that if he pretended to faint again, he would have to say goodbye to this world.

At the bastard’s rebuke, Lee Han snorted.

You fuck, you have no right to say that. You’re the one who’s trying to deceive us first.

“I have to when I’m up against the likes of you. Do you want me to make you faint again? Though this time I can’t guarantee that you’ll wake up.”

“…”

“Answer me. How dare you glare at me.”

“…Ugh.”

Crack-!

Roy Bant flinched as he met Lee Han’s intense gaze. It hosted his blazing spirit, just like a flame. As the heat struck Roy Bant, he felt the kind of heat that he had never experienced before, as if his whole body was being roasted.

He had to acknowledge it. The man in front of him was a strong knight who he shouldn’t face.

At the very least he…

He is a champion, probably someone who represents the kingdom…

Was a knight who went beyond the confines of their region and brought fame to the kingdom they belonged to. Only a few knights in Britain had ever achieved that level.

Gulp-!

Roy Bant’s eyes darted around as he started to sweat profusely. He racked his brain, trying to look for a way to escape from the situation he found himself in.

Then…

“…I will give you half of the information I know. In return, I need you to guarantee my survival and safety. If you let me escape with you, I will give you all the information without missing a single one. By the way, the information I know is quite good.”

“…”

“You guys are the knights of Pendragon, right? Your skin is too smooth for someone from Britain. Oh, except for you.”

“…”

“Anyway, the information I had should be valuable even for Pendragon. I even know information that could shake up  the economy of the kingdom. So—”

“You need to know your place.”

Thud-!

Crack-!

“Kuaaaaaak!”

Lee Han crushed the bastard’s collarbone, as if he couldn’t stand to hear his nonsense anymore.

“Kuaaaaak!”

“Shut up.”

Then, a thick and strong hand covered his face. Lee Han’s palm—twice as big as a regular man’s—covered Roy Bant’s face.

And from that…

Crack-!

“!!!”

He squeezed the guy’s face hard, to the point that his face was distorted.

Since Roy Bant’s mouth was blocked, he couldn’t even scream properly. This lasted for three minutes.

Three whole minutes. Some might say it was a short time, but…

“Huk! Huk! Keuk! Keuk…!”

In that time span, Roy Bant’s face aged as if he had been attacked by time itself. His face became haggard in an instant.

The extreme fear he experienced due to the pain made him feel the three minutes that passed felt like three years.

“Do you—no, do shitstain like you think you have the right to negotiate with me?”

Lee Han’s soft voice contained the ferocity of a beast’s growl.

Anger.

Raging anger was bubbling in his heart.

The last time he had been angry was the time when he killed the magic freaks after the terror incident.

By now, he was certain that the guy in front of him was a member of the Blood Cross or whatever it was, so he let his anger explode.

Was the reason behind his anger was because of the fact that the capital was attacked?

No, of course not. Though he was a knight, he wasn’t that righteous of a knight.

Instead, the reason he was so angry was none other than…

“Do you shitstain think you can get away after ‘putting my people in danger’?”

His people.

They could be his students at the academy, the owner of the bakery he frequently visited, the owner of the butcher shop that gives him meat and other things as a service at a cheap price, and so on…

Basically, they were those who accompanied him in his daily life.

But these guys had the audacity to ruin that ‘daily life’.

That was the sole reason why he got so angry at the guy.

But, even after doing all that, the guy still dared to negotiate.

…An action that was the equivalent of adding fuel to an already burning fire.

Tap-! Tap-! Tap-!

Lee Han lightly punched Roy Bant’s body three times. Although, calling them taps would be more suited than punches.

Roy Bant thought that he was playing around with those taps, but seeing how Lee Han was making a colder expression than ever, it was clear that he was serious.

Crackle-!

“!!!?”

Then, in that very moment, a bizarre sound came out from Roy Bant’s body. The sound was loud enough to be heard from outside, prompting the ones who were looking at him grimace. They could only guess what kind of pain he was experiencing.

Unfortunately for Roy Bant, all the pain assaulting his body couldn’t make him faint. He drooled uglily, but that didn’t make Lee Han stop the ‘torture’.

“This is probably the first time you’ve experienced this technique. I’ve poured my Martial Power, my strength, into your muscles and bones.”

When he taught [Martial Power] to his disciples in Vulcan back then, he had directly injected strength into their bodies. It was an advanced technique that only Lee Han, who had a deep understanding of human’s body, muscles, and bones, could do. If someone other than Lee Han did it, nine out of ten people would have become disabled.

But, that also meant…

“It’ll hurt. A lot.”

He could cripple his opponent by pouring his strength into them.

Twisting the Flesh and Bones.

It was a terrible torture method that Lee Han created on his own.

Although, Roy Bant wouldn’t need to worry. Even though he’d suffer so much pain that he felt like he’d become a vegetable by the end of it, he wouldn’t actually turn into one.

However…

“Well, you can’t be so sure. Perhaps, the longer you feel the pain, the more stupid you’ll become.”

“!!… ?!… !”

“Tell me when you’re ready to open your mouth, and I’ll stop it.”

“…!!!!”

“Oho, planning on holding on? Alright, do your best.”

“!!?!!!”

“Let’s see who’s going to win, you bastard.”

No matter who looked at it, it was clear that Roy Bant was desperate to spit out all the information he knew right away, it was just… He couldn’t open his mouth.

Because Lee Han was still covering it with his palm.

However, even after meeting Roy Bant’s pained, desperate, and urgent gaze.

“You damn bastard, why won’t you open your mouth?”

Lee Han just kept repeating the same words at him.