Chapter 197: The Knight Rides the Autumn (3)

The moment the word ‘Angel’ came up, the two boys started sharing information with each other, as if they were close confidants since the start. Of course, they didn’t share the key fact that they were a regressor and a transmigrator.

Even though they had similar experiences, their personalities hindered them from becoming that close to each other right away.

“What was the Angel you saw like?”

“Hmm, honestly, I couldn’t see its face clearly. It was just, the moment I saw it, I knew it was an Angel.”

“I also felt the same way.”

“Oh, one more thing. When I looked at it, I thought, ‘It’s pretty, but it also looks sad’.”

“Same here.”

“Hmm…”

“…”

The two boys became quiet after that. No, their conversation didn’t stop there, they were just trying to recall their experience when they met that Angel.

But, their expressions weren’t good.

“…The more I try to recall that moment, the more I feel like I’m trapped in a fog. I can’t see anything.”

“It’s as if some ink is scattered in a corner of my brain.”

“Ah! That’s exactly what it felt like!”

The more they thought about it, the more they felt like they were lost in a labyrinth, so they couldn’t do anything but let out a sigh. They clearly had met an Angel, but they couldn’t even recall what the Angel looked like, let alone recall any ‘critical moments’ that happened during that time.

On the other hand, Lee Han, who was looking at them, had a rough idea why they were like this.

I see. So these guys only have a vague memory of the moment before their transmigration and regression.

It was like when someone had a really intense dream, but couldn’t remember anything as soon as they woke up.

Does that mean the Angel is on the same level as the Spring Fairy? Or maybe even higher.

An Angel. A divine being who served as the messenger of God, who was comparable to the likes of Dragons or Fairies who control the seasons. If such a being exerted its presence, it wasn’t out of question that any memories about it would turn into a blur.

[Higher Being].

Considering that most people who met Fairies or Dragons tend to go crazy after, this kind of outcome really wasn’t a strange thing at all.

Anyway, does this mean the Chick also met an Angel?

Lee Han snickered at the thought that the girl next door also met an Angel like the two boys in front of him.

I got hit in the back of my head before I regained my memories, but the others met an Angel for that… I’m the only one who had such an old-fashioned awakening moment…

He laughed at the thought that he was the only one who had to experience the old trope.

Although…

I still prefer the classics.

He actually felt creeped out a little when heard those grown-up boys going ‘Angel, Angel,’ so he felt thankful that he wasn’t one of them.

After that, the two boys talked for quite some time, but they never talked about Angel again.

“We can’t get any new information even if we talk about it.”

“It isn’t something we can know more even if we want to.”

…That question has no answer, there’s no point talking about it.

Thanks to that, their conversation mostly revolved around the ‘future’ that they knew.

“In the future I ‘saw,’ the temple never went this crazy.”

“Same. They also aren’t this crazy according to ‘what I know’.”

But, even though they seemed to be sharing everything openly, they were still hiding what they needed to hide.

Then again, that was only natural.

Even if they experienced the same events, it didn’t mean they’d openly reveal everything to each other.

In fact, sharing the bare minimum of information like this was already a big decision for them, considering their personalities.

One was suspicious about everything, while the other was anxious about everything.

That was why…

“If you tell me the information I want, I’ll pay you handsomely.”

“Same here, I will pay you a reasonable price if you tell me what I need.”

They agreed to strike a fair [deal]. If they were to keep suspecting each other and try to hide all the information, it’d only end up being a problem down the line, so this was the best concession they could make.

However…

“What about you, Instructor?”

“Hm?”

“Would you like to make a deal with me too?”

“Me?”

Hearing Blackie suddenly proposed a deal to him, Lee Han blinked in confusion. He really didn’t expect to hear such a thing from him.

“…Honestly, seeing you being so shocked surprised me. Aren’t you curious at all? I have information about the future. It will be of great help to you to know about it.”

“…”

It was exactly what he said. Information about the future wasn’t limited to events that would happen in the future, but it also had information about how to gain the endless wealth that the two guys have.

Through his information, he’d be able to live in a mansion that might as well be a palace, and eat truffle and beef for three meals a day.

Roen had offered him a truly tempting offer, and even anyone with half a brain would accept this deal without thinking much about it.

“Uh…. I don’t really need it?”

“…??”

“You don’t have to tell me anything. I’m just a poor salaryman, I have no money to trade with you. What kind of deal can we even make?”

“…You still can give me something else in return.”

“Just forget it. Seriously, why is the rich still craving for more? You shameless noble, stop trying to take advantage of the poor.”

“I-I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you, Instructor. That’s a misunderstanding.”

Roen threw him a resentful stare after being cursed like that. After all, he never thought of charging him an unreasonable price for the information.

He tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but…

Swish-!

“I don’t need it, really.”

Lee Han firmly held out his palm as if to break his flow.

“…”

…For a moment there, Roen went silent.

“Huh?”

He felt his pupils shook as he looked at Lee Han’s palm. Meanwhile, Lee Han wondered why this guy was acting like this all of a sudden, but in the end, he just shrugged his shoulders.

“Ahem. That guy made a similar offer to me in the past, but I turned it down too. I don’t need it.”

“…”

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I don’t think your information is worthless, I know that it’s valuable beyond measure. It’s just, if a simple guy like me tries to move while thinking of the future, it’ll only give me a headache.”

“…”

“So, you smart guys should do your best on that part instead. I can only fight, but you two can do everything else better than me. So please, look after the Chicks and the Bears. Watch over me too, of course. If you need my help, call me. That’s the only thing I can do for you.”

“…”

“Anyway, I need to get ready for class, so I’ll leave first. Don’t be late, you two. Especially you, you noble bastard, show your face in class!”

Lee Han started nagging out of nowhere. He wanted to leave quietly but for some reason he ended up nagging instead.

Is this my occupational disease?

…Whatever. Maybe it’s just me having a little bit of a twisted personality.

Is it because I’m getting older?

Ugh, I don’t want to be an old fart.

Lee Han missed his youth.

…Even though the life he had lived when he was younger was far from the word ‘youth’.

“He called himself poor, but he paid for our coffee…”

“…”

Derrick turned his gaze at the silver coins on the table. Though Young Master Roen had already given the restaurant owner a lot of gold coins, the instructor still paid for their food, including his own.

In any case, this showed how sincere of a person he was.

“Hmm.”

Realizing that once again, Derrick had to force himself to keep his mouth from bursting out laughing.

So this is what it feels to be recognized…

As he digested those words, he felt a strange, yet joyful feeling.

“…He trusts us.”

From the words he left behind, in a way, they could take it as him completely trusting them with the matter.

‘Rather than me making a move while knowing what the future holds, you guys should do it instead, since you are smarter than me.’

After all, he wouldn’t say those words unless he trusted them.

Indeed, behind his bluntness was his immense trust in them, and that made Derrick feel embarrassed. This was the first time he had been recognized like this by someone, a man he respected, no less.

Hence why, on top of being embarrassed, he was also proud.

Then…

“-His hands…are a mess…”

“Huh?”

“The Instructor’s hands are a mess.”

“?”

Roen suddenly spouted that nonsense, and Derrick could only tilt his head because he didn’t understand what the guy was talking about.

“…Did you not see the instructor’s palm?”

“H-His palm? Yes, I have…”

“How was it?”

“U-Um…”

The sudden question flustered Derrick, but thanks to his [Perfect Memory] Skill, he managed to recall what the instructor’s palm looked like.

“…He had a lot of calluses, scars, and wounds. It wasn’t just his palms, his entire fists were covered in scars. Wow, when I think about it, he’s really amazing. Just how harsh was the life he had been living…?”

The more Derrick thought about it, the more he was amazed. Moreover, it wasn’t just his palms that were ridden with scars and wounds, but his whole body. Those were traces of the efforts he had made to live his life, and any human would naturally feel respect for him because of it.

However…

“But, is there anything wrong with his scars? They’re amazing, but it isn’t anything new…?”

“…”

“Young Master?”

“…You seem smart, but I see you have a bit of a clumsy side.”

“Huh?”

Why does he suddenly—?

“Did you already forget that he received the Fairy’s Blessing?”

“…!”

At that moment, Derrick felt a pain in the back of his head, as if something had stuck him.

“Ah…”

The Fairy’s Blessing.

Using the instructor’s terms, it was a complete transformation. True to that expression, his and the Mad Wolf of Galahad’s body were reconstructed thanks to the Fairy’s Blessing. In other words, the wounds that had accumulated in their body up until that point should have disappeared.

And yet, his body that he saw today…

It has so many calluses and scars…?

…But how?

That question made his head spin. But, before he reached the answer, Roan already gave it to him.

“All those scars and calluses were formed after he received the Fairy’s Blessing. All of them were formed in just a single month.”

It’s ridiculous…

Roen couldn’t even begin to guess.

Looking at his power alone, the instructor had already reached a level where it was hard to find someone who could match him even if they were to scour through this kingdom. And yet, he still found it lacking. Also, to Derrick’s eyes, the wounds on his body felt like something that he received through the course of his 30 years of life.

In other words…

He lived a month like he lived 30 years?

…Haha.

He couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh when he thought so.

In order to get wounds like that, it meant that he had to continue training while he was on the verge of death. Considering his unique and abnormal recovery ability, the fact that the scars remained on his body meant that he injured himself faster than he could recover.

…Fierce?

Even that word wasn’t enough to describe him.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was living every minute and every second with all his heart.

Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to know the future…

Someone who lived in the ‘present’ with all his heart wouldn’t want to worry about tomorrow, let alone about things that would happen a year from now.

For someone who lived a month like it was 30 years, misfortunes or crises that might come in the future probably didn’t mean much.

After all, they were the kind of people who lived each day without regrets.

“…I almost made a big mistake. I almost shackled him instead.”

“Well, he is the kind of person who’s at his best when he’s free.”

“I agree.”

Roen nodded his head. The proposal he had given him was completely useless.

However, although he felt a little guilty, the conversation quickly returned to the main topic.

“Young Master. In your eyes, in what way will the temple make a scene?”

“There are too many ways to consider… But, do you have any idea what kind of accident they will cause?”

“…”

“You do, I see.”

“Well, I’m not really sure about it, but…”

“Tell me.”

“…Haha.”

At one point, Roen turned into an excellent listener,  making Derrick feel embarrassed, but soon…

“It’s almost ‘that time’ of the year again. I think they will aim for that time.”

“That time?”

“Yes. The biggest event of the Academy at this time of the year.”

“…Are you talking about ‘that’?”

“Yes.”

-The Entrance Exam.

One of the most prestigious events in Pendragon where they’d pick new cadets for the Academy.

“If it were me, I’d definitely aim for the [Entrance Exam].”

It was also the time when the Academy was opened to outsiders.

“That’s the perfect time to strike, as you say. At that time, it would be easy for their spies to infiltrate the Academy.”

“…”

“You seemed worried. Well, I get it. If there are spies roaming around, other cadets will be in danger. But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to prevent that from happening.”

“…I’ll trust you.”

Derrick answered as if he was relieved, but in truth, he had something else to worry about.

It was none other than…

…It’s finally happening.

The Main Chapter where the story of the game would finally begin. The prologue when the [Main Character] would be introduced.

The heroine…

The so-called ‘female protagonist’ would finally arrive.