Chapter 248: The Knight Didn’t Utter Lies (4)

-Father, I want to be a hero like Mother!

When he was only five years old, he had said so to his father who was giving him a ride on a wooden horse.

Thinking back about it now, he was still immature. He should have said that he wanted to be like his father, yet he said that he wanted to be like his mother.

However, he was young at the time and couldn’t see his father’s bitter smile.

-Is that so? That’s a great goal.

Still, his father affirmed him despite his immaturity.

-Hehe!

He was delighted by the affirmative words.

Back then, when he was innocent and still had many dreams, he had clearly set ‘her’ as his goal.

-Hmm, does my son like your mother that much?

-Yes!

-Haha, she is indeed a great person. But remember, son. If you chase after light too hard, you will suffer greatly.

-What does that mean?

-You will understand when you grow up.

…I understand now, Father.

You were worried that I would become like this. You were a wise man after all.

The teachings of his father that he came to understand at this age. He smiled brightly like an adult who had regained his childlike innocence, recalled the past, and hummed a tune.

You knew that I might fall apart. My creative and financial abilities seem to be blessings from you. Thank you, Father.

Showing his gratitude and respect for his father who passed away a long time ago, he looked up at the sky and opened his mouth.

“Do you remember, Mother? Father really liked days like this. Days when the sky was clear and the stars and moonlight were bright.”

“…”

“Haha, you’re not even going to answer me?”

“…My son doesn’t laugh like that.”

“Do you have the intelligence to know the difference? This is the first time I’ve heard you saying that, haha!”

“Arrogant…!”

Slash-!

Felicia was furious, her spirit flaring up. Then, swords slashes appeared around her. It felt like she could cut everything down at any moment, and it couldn’t be anything other than the fearsome rage of the Sword Duchess.

However,

“-You still can’t hide your emotions, well. Rejuvenation, that thing really has serious side effects, you know.”

“…!”

He immediately saw through the anger Felicia was exuding.

“It’s a fatal flaw for a swordsman.”

To put it plainly, rejuvenation was not a blessing but a misfortune for a superhuman.

The reason?

“Isn’t your ‘will’ wavering? It’s so ugly too see you losung your maturity that’s appropriate for your age…. Mother.”

“You bastard!”

Felicia was furious and pulled out countless swords.

Dozens, no, hundreds of swords soared high into the sky according to Felicia’s will, and they moved like meteor showers.

“Return my son to me!”

Booom-!

Then, they poured down like rain.

“Hah!”

In a dizzying and life-threatening moment of crisis, the man swung his sword.

Heaving.

However, in the next moment, the sword that Iliad, the man, unleashed…

“As expected, it’s a weak swordsmanship, not like your usual swordsmanship, mother.”

Crunch-!

He cut down the meteor shower.

It was easy to subdue the rebellious swordsmen.

Clank-!

“I surrender.”

Most of them surrendered quickly.

Many people saw Gardin, the center of the rebellion, surrender without even drawing his sword. They also lost their will to fight because they witnessed Lee Han’s fighting power that overwhelmed the legendary vampire.

The process after that was easy.

The imprisoned Offen swordsmen were released, and the situation was quickly resolved as they formed a pursuit team to subdue or counter-imprison the Hlaf Demonic-Humans and catch those who ran away. All in all, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the situation was over…

“Do you have any idea where those guys are?”

On the other hand, Lee Han, who didn’t really care about how Offen was going, simply asked where the rotten Yokai and the fairy tale writer were.

“Hmm…”

Arno hesitated for a moment at Lee Han’s question, and then began to guess where they were.

The heads of the family whose whereabouts were still unknown despite the uproar. Since he couldn’t sense any presence anywhere, he guessed that they weren’t around…

“…They should be nearby.”

“Nearby?”

“Yes. They are probably in the Monster Forest.”

“But there wasn’t anyone there?”

The one who flew in through the skies of the Monster Forest said so. He didn’t sense the presence of the Sword Duchess, so it was a remark that made him tilt his head in confusion.

“It’s because of ‘space concealment.’”

“?”

“Even though it sounds grandiose, in reality, it’s just like a barrier created using aura. It’s a means of spreading aura in all directions to conceal all of your presence and power. By doing this, you can hide your presence and minimize the damage you cause by minimizing the effects you have on your surroundings. Because of that, it’s a useful technique, my grandmother said so to me.”

“I see…”

Lee Han was convinced of the existence of that technique as he heard that it was able to conceal their power and minimise damage to the surroundings. After all, with such technique, nothing would be really destroyed even when Aura Users ran wild.

“So, that auntie hid on purpose?”

“Y-you can see it that way.”

Arno looked slightly embarrassed at his grandmother being called an auntie, but Lee Han didn’t have the presence of mind to consider his tone at the moment.

‘Is this it?’

‘…I-I don’t know either, Instructor.’

‘What did your gut’s feeling telling you?’

‘Hmm…’

Lee Han and Derrick showed an amazing talent for communicating with just their eyes at that moment. It wasn’t because they were particularly close, it was just because they had similar thoughts.

Derrick had told Lee Han before that Iliad was a person who was supposed to die.

Based on the premise that it was true, it was only natural that Lee Han felt something ominous was looming.

…We have to find him quickly.

Even if it was to calm the anxious eyes of his disciple.

At that moment,

“Instructor, Kunta reporting!”

“Does that mean you have something to say?”

“Yes!”

A strong worker, no, a foreign student of the Barbarian rac, who was helping the Offen family members with the destroyed site, suddenly ran up and said he had something to say.

When Lee Han looked at him while wondering what he was going to say, he pointed his finger in the direction of the forest.

“Kunta has been feeling something strange over there. It’s scary!”

“Over there?”

“Kunta body is shaking. Kunta feels a presence similar to the ‘White Feathered Serpent’ he saw when he was young.”

“…I see.”

Some might feel that what Kunta said was just a strange remark that couldn’t be understood, but he was not a fool or an indifferent Instructor who could not understand the meaning of the words of his disciple who had been together with him for almost a year.

In particular, Kunta had said ‘White Feathered Snake’. It was a land god worshipped as a god by a Barbarian tribe living in a forest far from civilization. It was similar to the Black King of the North.

In other words, the White Feathered Snake could be said to be a transcendent being comparable to an Aura User in terms of presence alone, and Kunta’s statement that he felt something similar to such a being could be said as credible.

Someone might ask how he could feel something that even Ihan could not feel.

To answer that question,

‘The Mystic Race is not called the Mystic Race for nothing.’

Mystic Race. Those who embraced Mystic that ordinary humans couldn’t understand. Their senses were probably working at an unprecedented level that Lee Han couldn’t catch up with no matter how excellent his five senses were.

So,

“…Can you be our guide?”

“Kunta was the best guide in our family.”

Lee Han was not at all ashamed of relying on his disciple.

In fact, he showed his unsparing trust to them.

“Haha! Kunta is helpful!”

And it was only natural that the disciple would be excited by their Instructor’s unwavering trust.

“This way!”

Even though Kunta was clearly going through this forest for the first time, he chose the path without any hesitation as if it were his own home. He was literally guiding based on instinct alone, and if a professional guide had seen this sight, he would have cursed and said that he was bored of living already even though he’s still young. After all, he was going through the forest full of monsters, of all places.

However, Lee Han followed Kunta without any complaints. If there was anything he really didn’t like.

“Why are you guys following me?”

It was the fact that his other disciples were also following him like ducklings.

“Isn’t this my family business, Instructor?”

“I should at least run errands for you, Master.”

“Wouldn’t I be needed, Instructor? My healing skills, no, my medical skills will probably be needed…”

“…What a bunch of meddlesome guys.”

Lee han heard at the faculty meeting that students simply didn’t listen to anyone and were so arrogant to the point they did not treat their instructors well. But his kids…

Being too sincere is also a problem.

Who would think that the kids would cause trouble because they were too kind and sincere?

I can’t tell them to go back because they’re so set on helping me either.

They had shown their determination to help out even a little, and Lee Han couldn’t be a bad person to the point of firmly telling them, ‘You guys wouldn’t be of help, so go back.’

He barely managed to hide his bitter smile for a moment.

“It’s here, Instructor!”

“…Here?”

“Yes, here.”

“…”

“K-kunta is serious!”

“I didn’t keep quiet because I doubted you.”

To say it again, Lee Han trusted Kunta, or rather his abilities. Even though all that was in front of him was just an ordinary bush and there was nothing strange about it…

“─.”

Lee Han still observed the forest carefully, and then,

Slash-!

“-Everyone, stand behind me.”

“Yes?”

“Quickly.”

“U-understood! K-Kunta, come here!”

Lee Han shouted firmly and placed his students behind him.

If this was just a hunch, that would be fortunate, but if not, then…

Crackle-!

“!!?”

Before Lee Han could even finish his thoughts, the forest suddenly distorted, and Lee Han swung his sword urgently.

Whoosh-!

Plum Blossom Swordsmanship.

The blooming plum blossoms embraced him and his disciples like flower buds before blooming.

Then, as soon as the plum blossom flower buds were complete,

Stab-!

Swords pierced through the forest and fell upon them, even upon the flower buds.

“!”

Lee Han felt dizzy for a moment. A tremendous shock had struck him, and even though he was blocking it with the plum blossom sword, his skin was still burning.

It still hurts even though I blocked it?!

Lee Han was taken aback, but he didn’t have time to wonder at all.

Crack-!

The plum blossom sword was pierced, and as soon as Lee Han confirmed that the shield was disintegrating, he immediately raised his sword.

Slaaaassh-!

The sword that held the incredible power of destruction completely erased the blades that were falling on them, and when everything was swept away…

“-Ah, is that you, Instructor? Why are you here?”

“…”

‘That thing ’ was standing in front of him.

“This… You are surprised, aren’t you? Did I almost cut you down?”

“…”

“Fortunately, you are skilled as expected. No matter how roughly you swung, you still could block it.”

“…”

“Ah, I should apologize first. I’m sorry for swinging my sword—”

Wooong-!

“Seems like you are really angry.”

“…Not really.”

Lee Han swung his sword without the slightest hesitation, and as if he couldn’t block it, blood started to flow from his cheek. However, even after seeing that, Lee Han didn’t feel even a little sorry for him.

After all,

“F-father…?”

Thud-!

“…Derrick?”

“D-don’t come closer to him, Young Master Arno. T-that guy… He’s not your father.”

“What…?!”

“Even though he looked like your father on the outside… The inside is no longer your father. That thing is…”

Gulp…

──He’s a ‘Demon’.