Ch.111EP.28 – I Am Sinner Rihan (4)

– Blood Crusaders? What’s that, some kind of Blood Church knockoff?

– Right? You think so too!

The status window’s comment was a welcome one – perhaps the only entity in this world that could understand Ihan’s sensibilities and romanticism.

So it wasn’t just him who thought they seemed like a cheap imitation.

But Taechang, no, Derrick was truly in a dazed state.

– A force from the temple? Parasites that survived despite being destroyed by the previous king? …What is all this about?

Derrick kept muttering to himself in disbelief.

His mind was confused by the emergence of a force he’d never heard of before.

– W-well, I was part of the development team, but I wasn’t in a high position. So I don’t know all the game content. So this Blood Crusaders thing might be something the planning team created or discarded. Or it could be part of the original work that I don’t know about.

– Game and original work, huh…

– Would you like me to tell you what I know?

– …No, it’s fine. Of course, knowing might be convenient. But knowing too much just complicates things. …Like with you.

– I-I can’t deny that…

Yes, just as he said, Derrick’s mind was always complicated.

It was because he knew too much.

Some might envy Derrick, thinking they could do anything with that much information.

– It’s terrible, really…

But from Derrick’s perspective, knowing too much was actually poison.

No matter how much information one has, utilizing and pushing it forward requires corresponding power and strength.

Not just simple power and strength.

At the very least…

– Without the authority of a military god or the strength of an Aura user, I can’t freely use the information I have.

No, having even one would be fortunate, but Derrick had neither.

Just like the previous day when he knew about the monster outbreak in advance but could do nothing about it.

That’s why Derrick was always stressed and often spent sleepless nights.

At least recently he’d been sleeping well because he had a reliable ally, but if that weren’t the case…!

– Sigh, like the instructor said, ignorance is bliss. I think I’d be more comfortable just being an information vending machine.

– Kid, don’t say that. Try to become an Aura user or gain military god-level authority.

– …Neither is easy, nor do I want either…

Becoming an Aura user wasn’t something achievable through skills or achievements.

And becoming a military god-level authority figure would require political skills to unite others, which he lacked both the ability and courage for.

– You could do anything if you just had more confidence.

– …You overestimate me, instructor. Anyway, the problem now is that an unidentified force has appeared.

– You really don’t know anything? Even though you predicted the monster incident.

– I know there’s a villain. But there definitely weren’t any groups with ridiculous names like “Blood Crusaders.”

– ……

– There must be some error or discrepancy. And to understand that discrepancy, I think I should move with you, instructor.

– Oh? Since when are you so proactive?

– …Haha, it’s nothing special. I’m just following your example.

– What did I do?

– You told me to have “responsibility” in whatever I do. I’m trying to do that.

Responsibility as a game developer.

Derrick was trying to put this into practice.

And so now…

“Wow, it’s been so long since I’ve seen clean water.”

“The bread is soft, and the milk is as fresh as if it was just milked. How on earth can they distribute such things to this treacherous place?”

“Mmmmm!!”

“Oh, Lord Aren. Please eat more slowly. You’ll choke.”

“Cough! W-water…!”

“…He does this right after being warned.”

Thanks to Derrick, the knights were able to enjoy warm meals and fresh milk like farmers savoring rain during a drought.

It was an amazing miracle only possible for a player with the cheat-like skill [Inventory].

“I never thought you’d know such a capable collaborator. I’m impressed, Ihan.”

“You have quite the network, senior.”

“I’ll acknowledge it this time.”

“All of it?”

“…I acknowledge it.”

“…Right. What could I expect from you?”

“……”

Ihan was, as always, taunting the sucker 8th prince, while also focusing on his conversation with Derrick.

“So, have you found anything?”

[Not yet. I didn’t realize the tunnels would be this extensive. I knew it was the kingdom’s largest fertilizer production site, but to this extent… It’s as big as five amusement parks combined.]

“…Was it that big?”

He knew it was large, but not to that extent.

Well, it was a facility that had to supply fertilizer to the entire kingdom, no, the entire southern continent.

It would be impossible if it weren’t this large.

“Investigation won’t be easy.”

[It’ll take at least 5 days to look around.]

“Hmm.”

That was probably just the minimum time estimate.

If they wanted to look around more thoroughly, even two weeks might not be enough.

After all, they had to find out about an organization that could be hiding anywhere.

‘Is this really the right place?’

A doubt suddenly arose.

In reality, Isis had selected three candidate locations, and they had come to the one she picked based on her intuition.

What if trusting her intuition was a mistake?

‘…No, it must be here!’

But Ihan decided not to doubt her intuition.

She occasionally showed mysterious abilities.

Abilities that bordered on the mystical.

So he should trust her and be confident that this was the place.

The more he doubted, the less likely they were to find anything.

“Well, it seems you’ll have to work a bit harder. I’ll try my best to search too, but as a criminal, I have many restrictions.”

[Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to look around the rest. I’ll go explore a bit more and see you in the evening.]

“Alright, see you then.”

[Yes].

Whoosh.

The presence disappeared.

It was an amazing stealth technique, or rather, skill.

If that skill developed just a bit more, would even Ihan be unable to detect it?

‘The status window really is a cheat.’

A combination of invisibility, stealth, and acceleration skills.

What else could it be but a human-form stealth aircraft?

While Ihan was feeling envious…

“Hey, you. I heard you’re knights from Britain.”

“?”

“Though we’ve just met, I can tell by your trained bodies. You’re clearly skilled. Pleased to meet you. I’m Mustang de Varga.”

There was an idiot who suddenly announced his name.

As if they would tremble just hearing his name.

However, they…

“??”

They just gave him looks that clearly said, “What’s with this fool?”

“…You don’t know my name?”

As Mustang’s eyes wavered in confusion, a response finally came from…

“…Mustang? Are you perhaps the Britain general who led the 3rd Corps?”

Jake, the knight who had read the most newspapers among them, mentioned his background, and Mustang welcomed it, but…

“Oh!”

“The one who helped Pendragon’s victory with his idiotic command, called Pendragon’s hidden supporter and spy…?”

“…Oh……”

“The madman who threw a party in the middle of the battlefield…”

“S-stop it! Stop…!”

Perhaps it would have been better if his background hadn’t been revealed.

The general called Mustang grimaced with each revelation of his past and desperately shouted.

But from the perspective of those who had already heard everything…

‘Wow, I’ve heard that Britain deserved to fall, but it really did deserve it if someone like him was a general.’

‘They say an incompetent ally is more dangerous than the enemy…’

‘A-amazing. Can even someone like that become a general?’

‘Come to think of it, you’re a commander too, so it’s possible, isn’t it?’

‘W-what’s that supposed to mean?!’

They could only give him cold looks.

He was an “incompetent fool” among fools.

It was impossible to view him favorably.

And as if to prove his incompetence, to those who were openly giving him looks of contempt…

“Ahem, a-anyway, if you know my name, you should know that I was your superior. State your names and affiliations and show some respect!”

“……”

…He started whining openly for respect, or rather, for better treatment, and this time they were truly at a loss for words.

Does he have no sense of awareness?

‘Wow… He’s making us marvel at his incompetence to this extent.’

If there were levels to incompetence, this guy would surely be at the master or grandmaster level.

Otherwise, he couldn’t inspire such amazement.

And then…

“Hmph! Demanding respect even in prison, do you have no shame?”

Pendragon’s White Lion, or rather, his precious child, who had sky-high pride in his status, was visibly annoyed and started an unnecessary argument.

“You dare! How dare you address me, the legitimate heir of the noble House of Varga, as ‘you’!”

“What a lowly fellow. What’s so great about this Varga?”

“What! This person dares…!”

A petty quarrel between Pendragon’s precious child and Britain’s troublemaker.

It would be best not to engage with such a person, yet the fact that he was arguing proved that the precious child was indeed precious.

The fight quickly escalated.

Isn’t that always the case?

They were men with strong pride and confidence in their bloodlines.

Such men don’t easily back down and fight until the other bows first.

So…

“This person truly!”

“Who are you pointing at!”

They started grabbing each other’s collars and fighting.

It happened within 5 minutes of meeting, but no one tried to stop the fight.

Or more accurately…

“What’s with them?”

“Th-they have so much energy.”

The bystanders didn’t have the strength to stop it.

They were already exhausted from fighting mini worms, so how could they have the energy to watch or stop a fight?

From the prisoners’ perspective, they didn’t care at all whether a fight broke out or who won.

But…

“General Mustang. Please don’t do this. We’ve finally met ‘countrymen’. Shouldn’t we join forces at times like this?”

“But he first…!”

“Haha, calm down, calm down.”

“…Hmm.”

A man with a particularly kind-looking face stepped in to stop Mustang, and the commotion subsided for now.

“I apologize. General Mustang didn’t mean any harm. He was just excited to see knights from Britain. I assure you, he had no ill intentions, haha.”

“……”

“Ah, I’m late with my introduction. I’m Roy Vant. Please call me Roy.”

“…Hmm.”

Roy Vant, who approached with a smiling face and offered a handshake, looked like a truly upright young man.

He appeared like a capable civil official, seeming harmless without any combat ability.

“Lord Vant! Are you telling me to leave such disrespectful individuals alone?”

“General. They’re still knights from our homeland, aren’t they? And isn’t it fortunate that they’re not from the corps you led?”

“W-well, that’s…”

Knowing his own mistakes, Mustang flinched.

Indeed, if he didn’t recognize that his trolling had essentially led to the corps’ defeat, he would be less than an animal.

So Mustang remained silent, and Roy Vant, with a relieved expression, turned his attention back to them.

“I apologize for the embarrassing display.”

“No, except for one of us, we didn’t even engage, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Haha, that’s a relief… Ah, your name is?”

“It’s Ihan.”

“…Rihan?”

“Hmm, it’s been a while since I heard that.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s fine. Just know me as Rihan.”

“…Did I perhaps offend you…?”

“No, it’s not that. More importantly, you. What’s your relationship with that guy?”

“…?”

Ihan’s statement felt somehow sudden and unnatural, and Roy Vant looked at him strangely. But he still gave a sincere answer.

“…I met General Mustang in the tunnels. He saved me when I was about to be killed by worms. He’s essentially my lifesaver.”

“Hahaha! That’s right, that happened!”

Mustang laughed exaggeratedly as if he had forgotten about it, but he kept patting Roy Vant’s shoulder as if wanting him to say more about his greatness.

It could have been unpleasant, but Roy Vant maintained his smiling face, and just as people’s impression of Mustang was about to drop further…

“-That’s strange. You don’t look weak enough to need help from someone less skilled than you.”

“……”

…For the first time, Roy Vant’s smiling face froze at Ihan’s comment.

“Really strange.”

“…What are you saying…?”

“Don’t you understand what I’m saying? I’m openly telling you that you’re suspicious.”

“!!?”

Whoosh!

Thud…!

“……”

“Good block.”

“…Ha, this crazy…”

The punch Ihan threw was not something an ordinary person could block.

It was a strike that could have been fatal if it had connected.

Yet Roy Vant easily blocked such a strike, which was already…

“Feeling good after taking the antidote, leaving your ‘lifesaver’ behind?”

“…Damn it.”

It was undeniable evidence that he was using ki techniques, and Roy Vant’s eyes filled with killing intent.

As soon as he detected this…

“Finally found you.”

-The suspicious one.

Ihan extended his fist toward the man with joy.

* * *

Bang!

Ihan and Roy Vant’s fists collided.

A series of strong sonic booms, like tires bursting, spread out, and with each boom, a sound painful to the eardrums rang out.

Whoosh!

Roy Vant’s leg traced a snake-like trajectory as he kicked at his opponent.

It was a complex trajectory that made one wonder if this was what a Brazilian kick would look like if performed by someone with snake-like legs.

Such kicks repeatedly threatened Ihan, but despite the complex movements, he…

Thud!

“Is that all?”

“!”

Blocked it too easily.

He was literally seeing and blocking, and Roy Vant’s face showed astonishment.

It seemed this was the first time his technique had been blocked so easily.

Whoosh!

But as soon as his technique was blocked, Roy Vant followed up with even more powerful and flashy techniques.

His fighting style was reminiscent of Muay Thai, with its practicality and lethality.

It was clear at a glance that he was a skilled practitioner who had perfected his techniques in real combat.

Crash!

And with his high-level techniques, physique, and ki methods all at a mastery level, the knight’s strike had the power to crush rocks and tear apart fierce beasts.

With footwork that left marks on the ground, a kick flew.

It was an ever-changing kick that was even more visually deceptive than before.

‘Wow, artistic footwork.’

While Pendragon knights generally had more developed fist techniques and wrestling, he had heard that Britain was extremely advanced in kicking techniques.

He had never properly fought a Britain knight before, so this was his first time seeing it, but it truly was footwork that had reached the realm of art.

Therefore…

‘It’s a shame, but no matter how good you are, you’re only second from the bottom.’

It was certainly a good technique, but unfortunately, he had witnessed more advanced techniques several times this year.

So Roy Vant’s technique was only second from the bottom, just slightly better than Aren’s.

Thus, Ihan dealt with the flashy footwork threatening him by…

Bang!

“Urghh…!”

“A bit light. Add some weight.”

Showing what simple brute force looked like by breaking through it directly.

The strange sight of the attacker being in more pain than the one being attacked.

But it made sense.

While it had enough power to crush rocks, it wasn’t enough to crush steel.

Vajra.

It was far from enough to cause any impact on his body, and Ihan, holding the writhing man’s ankle with one hand…

Whoosh!!

Crash!

Slammed him down onto the floor.

A crude swing with no technique whatsoever.

“Aaaagh…!”

“I’ve only slammed you twice, and you’re already whining?”

“T-this can’t be…!!”

“You’re still fine.”

Whoosh!

Ihan ignored whatever the man was trying to say and continued slamming him repeatedly.

Bang!

At one point, the man tried to attack him with his foot again as if making a last struggle, but…

“Still, you’re about three times better than the precious child.”

As if respecting his strong will and skill, Ihan lifted him high…

Whoosh!!

…And granted him rest.

Crack!

German Suplex.

There was a cracking sound as the head hit the floor directly, and Ihan suddenly felt a moment of regret.

‘Ah… I shouldn’t have granted him rest, should I?’

Only then did he worry about what would happen if he had cracked the opponent’s head.

…It was a concern that came far too late.