Ch.107EP.27 – The Knight Doesn’t Want to Be Reinstated (6)

…Aren hadn’t yet admitted his defeat.

‘I haven’t lost!’

Though he’d fallen with a single strike, that was only because his body wasn’t in perfect condition, and he’d been caught by a surprise attack. Aren didn’t think for a moment that he was weak or that his opponent was overwhelming.

And for good reason—he was the “White Lion,” the pride of the Order of the Silver Lion.

The White Lion of Pendragon.

It meant he was the knight representing the current era…!

Therefore, he denied his defeat and was convinced that if they fought again, the result would be different.

‘Although I can’t deny the opponent is strong, if I had drawn my sword, the result would have been different!’

He was strong when he drew his sword.

Aren was armed with such self-confidence, and until just a moment ago, he had been full of this conviction.

But then…

‘W-what is that…?’

Aren couldn’t close his mouth as he witnessed the chaos unfolding before him.

“L-Lord Baker? Lord Liman…”

Baker and Liman.

They might not be experts, but they undoubtedly possessed knightly strength.

And yet they…

‘Were defeated so pathetically?’

It was unbelievable.

If they had been caught in a surprise attack, it might have been understandable, but the ruffian had roared like a beast directly at them from the front, and the two knights froze and collapsed.

As if some invisible force had overwhelmed them.

But this seemed to be just the beginning.

“L-Lord Delin. Lord Temeren, and even Lord Tobaros…”

The fierce warriors that the First Knight Order prided itself on.

They all lay defeated with their eyes rolled back.

They had drawn their swords and charged, but they were all thrown aside as easily as adults tossing playful babies.

Even he would have struggled to subdue them…

But what was even more astonishing than subduing them was!

“Ha! Does he think he’s really a troll because we call him that every day? Why has he grown so much?”

“…This is different from when he crossed swords with me. I’ve been working hard too, but to think the gap would widen this much…”

“It’s not that you’re lacking, it’s simply that he’s grown abnormally… Still, I wonder if ‘subduing over a hundred knights’ can even be defined as growth, but even that…”

—Without a single injury.

…Yes, that monster had easily defeated well over a hundred knights of the Order of the Silver Lion.

‘What kind of monster is he…!’

Though he was sweating and panting, there wasn’t a single wound or injury visible.

That fact made Aren’s complexion even paler, and finally, that monster…

“Anyone else want to come at me?”

“……”

“I guess not. Then I’ll speak with the victor’s authority. Don’t bother me anymore. I hate political games, and I especially hate getting entangled with you people. If you ignore my warning and come at me again, know that there won’t be any mercy next time.”

A calm warning.

He was warning the First and Second Knight Orders.

He was addressing those who symbolized the military power of both the royalist and noble factions.

Yet no one dared to ignore that warning.

The power he had just displayed was truly…

‘This is insane, he’s not even an Aura user…’

…It was enough to remind one of an Aura user.

The knights couldn’t hide their trembling pupils, and among them, one knight who seemed particularly proud couldn’t contain his anger and spoke up.

“…Do you think you can get away with this?”

“Threats are fine, but you need the skill to back them up. Threats made without skill are worse than a dog’s bark.”

“!!?!”

“If you’re frustrated, improve your skills. For your information, with your current skill level, you couldn’t even handle one Crimson Eagle. I think it would take at least ten of you attacking at once to make it a good match.”

“You…!!”

The knights’ faces turned red with anger as he compared the Crimson Eagles to the Order of the Silver Lion, evaluating them as far inferior, and in such a public place.

Even though they had been so thoroughly defeated, they were still the Order of the Silver Lion.

They were the kingdom’s finest knight order!

It couldn’t be anything but humiliation, and it was natural for them to be incensed…!

“I told you, if you have complaints, come at me. Just know that ‘there will be no more mercy.'”

“……”

A low warning echoed, and they had to experience what it meant to have one’s hair stand on end.

Because his aura completely overwhelmed them.

…It was a complete defeat for the Order of the Silver Lion.

*

*

*

Ihan was in the royal prison.

He hadn’t been dragged there by force.

It was just that the pathetically weak soldiers, trembling at their superior’s orders, had approached him and…

– Um… C-could you p-please come with us?

…He had come along because they looked so pitiful.

Even if he had been dragged there…

– Prepare food and a bed, or I’ll tear down this prison.

– Uh… that…

– Or should I continue beating those who are already down?

– …Is there anything else you need?

Though he was behind bars, no one could treat Ihan carelessly.

He was imprisoned, but he could wash himself with clean water, and if he wanted, the soldiers would bring him whatever he needed, making it quite comfortable.

He thought it would be fine to stay here for just one day, but…

“Ahahahaha! I knew this rascal would cause a big incident someday, but this is truly an enormous one, kwahahaha!”

“…Could you laugh a little more quietly? My eardrums are about to burst.”

“Haha! How can I not laugh when it’s this amusing, kwahahaha!”

“…This is maddening.”

It seemed impossible to stay quiet.

Ihan’s body trembled every time the man laughed because his body vibrated.

It felt like a giant speaker blasting right in front of his face.

Just his laughter reminded Ihan of his own lion’s roar.

‘Why do they call me a monster? The real monster is right here…’

A middle-aged man with a smaller build compared to Ihan.

He clearly had a frail body that could be compared to a dry branch.

Yet he overflowed with strength, and the sharp light in his eyes revealed intense vitality and energy no less powerful than that of a young knight.

Despite being over 70 years old, he was undoubtedly still a vigorous man.

Baltar Grace.

He was a living legend and great hero, or rather, the strongest and greatest knight of Pendragon.

‘…This man, he was this strong.’

Ihan felt a chill.

Perhaps because he had experienced unusually large incidents this year?

He had been forced to grow, and fortunately, he had succeeded in surviving.

And as he survived, he grew stronger.

It was as if the experience points gained through training that transcended physical limits, miraculous leaps, and life-or-death struggles had finally leveled him up.

Thus, Ihan had prided himself on having grown considerably stronger.

…But.

‘Not even close.’

*Drip…*

Ihan finally broke into a cold sweat as he realized the gap between himself and Baltar.

It was because he had grown that he realized it more acutely, feeling the immense difference in power between himself and the man called Baltar.

…It was immeasurable.

‘I thought I had caught up… but in reality, the opponent was more than a hundred laps ahead of me.’

He couldn’t even see his back.

“…People really should be humble.”

“You’re only realizing that now?”

“Damn it…”

A sense of insurmountable distance enveloped him as he wondered if he could ever escape this man’s shadow, but Ihan didn’t give up his determination to resist.

‘I will definitely catch up to this man.’

Even if the opponent was a hundred, no, a thousand laps ahead!

He just needed to run harder and faster to somehow reduce the gap.

The moment you give up because it seems insurmountable, that’s the end.

Self-affirmation and extreme happiness circuits.

Like a losing pitcher or a soccer coach who must remain confident despite ruining the team, Ihan demonstrated extreme mental care.

His mindset was that even if he lost now, he could win later.

Looking at him…

“Hoho, how varied your expressions are when you’re alone.”

Baltar laughed again, but with a different meaning, saying he never got tired of watching him.

However, that laughter contained a certain satisfaction, like watching the growth of a disciple or child.

* * *

Baltar hadn’t come to the knight order in the middle of the night just to scold or tease Ihan.

He wasn’t that idle.

“You are idle, aren’t you? You hardly work and just play with your lovers.”

“Oh my!”

“…Am I wrong?”

“Your mouth is so foul, it seems you need a beating.”

“…I’ll just keep quiet.”

Ihan closed his mouth, not wanting to be knocked out all day.

“Heh heh, you’ve caused quite a commotion in the palace.”

An incident where 135 people were pulverized by one person.

Because of this, Baltar, who was nominally the captain of the Third Knight Order, had also been summoned in the middle of the night.

Some were making a fuss, demanding punishment for the one who had caused the disturbance, but…

“They should be ashamed of themselves. How pathetic must the knight order’s level be for all of them to be defeated by a single ordinary knight.”

Baltar didn’t think Ihan had done anything wrong.

Rather, they should be ashamed and reflect on the fact that over a hundred of them had been defeated by one individual.

“Foolish ones. Would they still quibble over right and wrong if such a disaster happened during war…”

“…Ahem.”

There seemed to have been many serious signs.

Ihan felt somewhat guilty for causing trouble for an old man who should be enjoying his retirement.

…Since he was aware that he had gone too far.

However.

‘I do feel a bit wronged…’

To be honest, Ihan hadn’t intended to go this far.

He had planned to just lightly discipline a few instigators who had started the trouble and be done with it.

But then.

– You scoundrel! Don’t slander us!

– How dare you say we used His Highness the Prince…!

– I’ve never seen such an immoral person!

…They got angry like this.

It was a case of the thief accusing others, and they were the ones raising their voices, and gradually…

‘They escalated the situation themselves.’

When he took one down, another came, and when he took that one down, suddenly they called for allies.

And when he took down those allies too, they started shouting…

– A-attack! Attack…!

They shamelessly cried “attack,” and so…

“Even the Second Knight Order came to join in?”

“…They know no shame.”

Beyond accusing others, they even sought help from others…

This was truly the shame and embarrassment of the knight order.

But the greatest shame was…

“To think they would even request my help after attacking so cowardly and all being defeated… My goodness. Not even a mercenary band would act like this, let alone a knight order.”

The cowardice of requesting help from a (supposedly) powerless old man.

This was truly a spectacle.

“How did it look to you?”

“What? The level of the knight order? Or them losing to me despite attacking in a group?”

“Both.”

“…Hmm, they were definitely pathetic. Many of them had individual skills that barely reached the ‘average’ level of knights. Some seemed like they hadn’t trained at all or had stopped growing—those ones will probably self-destruct soon.”

External training, which he had emphasized to the Swordsmanship Department while teaching.

This meant that the Order of the Silver Lion was full of people who trained only their inner power and neglected external power, making their bodies as fragile as glass.

Although they might be managing now with youth, talent, and fighting techniques, when they age and their bodies deteriorate, youth and talent will be gone.

They won’t be able to withstand the explosive power generated by fighting techniques and will self-destruct.

…But in reality, the bigger problem was…

“You know, I had to fight a knight order recently.”

“I heard. You crushed those red chicks.”

“…That was supposed to be a secret, how did you know?”

“I have my ways of knowing everything. Anyway, what are you trying to say?”

“…Well, just this. While the individual skills of knights in a knight order are certainly important, cooperation and trust between knights are also important.”

Although he had won the duel against the Crimson Eagles, Ihan had truly felt a chill down his spine.

He learned how terrifying the knights’ formation could be and understood the true strength of a prestigious knight order by experiencing it firsthand.

That’s why his whole body still aches when he thinks about that day.

If he had slipped up, or if the knight order had been a little more underhanded?

If they had fought without any consideration for honor or dueling rules?

If they had put their all into killing Ihan…

What would have happened then?

It was easy to reach a conclusion.

“I would have died.”

That’s how strong the knight order, or rather Tristan, was.

But on the contrary, the Order of the Silver Lion…

“They all acted separately. Moreover, they were so wary of each other that it actually made them easier to subdue.”

Even with an enemy present, they didn’t focus solely on the enemy but kept an eye on others.

It was visible that they feared others might stab them in the back.

In other words, the knights of the Order of the Silver Lion didn’t trust each other.

They saw each other as political opponents rather than comrades, and such a knight order…

“If I had wanted to, I could have subdued them even faster. They should have been focusing entirely on me, but they were acting separately… Honestly, that annoyed me so I beat them up more.”

“Hoho.”

“Anyway, from what I saw, this isn’t a knight order. If they want to call themselves a knight order, they should move more organically. So I didn’t fight a knight order today. I fought a series of one-on-one battles, defeating pathetic opponents one after another.”

People who become weaker the more they try to cooperate.

His words essentially meant that the Order of the Silver Lion was not a knight order.

It was a cutting criticism of a knight order with a history as old as the kingdom.

It was a shameful assessment that should make the high command of the knight order hang their heads in disgrace.

However, the unofficial ‘pinnacle’ of that high command…

“That’s right! Perhaps because you’ve been teaching others, your perspective has broadened. In the past, you wouldn’t have noticed such things.”

…His joy was not just his own delusion.

Baltar was delighted despite hearing Ihan’s harsh criticism, and Ihan felt awkward.

“…Why are you so happy?”

“I’m happy because you’ve finally understood what a knight order is. No matter how much I taught you about chivalry and knight orders, it went in one ear and out the other, but now you finally understand something, haha!”

“……”

“Now it’s about time for you to return to duty. As soon as you return to the knight order, I’ll hand over my position to you, hoho!”

The knight order had suffered a historic humiliation, but what could be done?

It had contributed to broadening this young knight’s perspective.

Even though the entire knight order had suffered humiliation, he was delighted to have confirmed Ihan’s growth.

Thus, Baltar now hoped that he would finish his teaching duties and return to his position.

Now that he had proven himself through skill, wasn’t this the perfect time to return and become the captain?

With such expectations, Baltar…

“-I’m not going back, though?”

“…?”

…Unfortunately, Baltar’s expectations were thoroughly betrayed.

As if to prove that while he had grown, his manners had deteriorated even further, he shrugged his shoulders impudently.

“Of course, I won’t be the captain either. Why would I do something so troublesome?”

“…It’s an honorable position.”

“Give it to someone else. There must be many who need it.”

“……”

“What?”

“…I feel like your manners have gotten even worse.”

“Want to try fixing them?”

“…I haven’t given a beating in a while.”

Ihan and Baltar’s gazes met.

Neither of them looked away first, and as they contained their fierce aura, as if it were the natural course…!

*BOOM!!!*

—They collided violently.

…That night, only after twenty iron bars were half-destroyed did the clash between the two men, or rather beasts, stop.

It was only natural that no one could have predicted that the reason these two monsters fought was simply a trivial dispute between a knight who didn’t want to return to duty and a knight who wanted to shirk his work.