Ch.136EP.34 – The Knight Raised a Switch (1)

Scratch, scratch.

A man was writing on an old parchment.

Despite the recent availability of various pens including fountain pens, he still wrote with a quill made from a bird’s feather.

Yet his elegant handwriting and the way the ink didn’t smudge showed that the man was quite familiar with using a quill.

[When the 10th angel following the Light declared that he would bear all the sins of this world, the angel still-.]

Splat!

“……”

The hand writing the biblical content suddenly hesitated, causing the ink to smudge, and the man frowned.

This was rare.

If people who knew him well saw this, they would tilt their heads in confusion.

They would know that he was a person whose emotions rarely changed.

Therefore.

“…Is this what the monks call ‘anguish’?”

He recognized that his condition was not the same as usual.

His heart fluttered and pounded.

It was the first time… feeling so unsettled like this.

He pondered deeply about where this anguish originated from.

Still holding the quill.

Perhaps if he stayed like this, an answer would come…

“Pierre, prepare yourself.”

“…What rudeness is this?”

He had been trying to calm the tightness in his chest when he glared coldly at his colleague who interrupted his contemplation.

It was also unpleasant that the other had opened the door and entered without permission.

However, the other person lightly ignored his displeasure.

“Rudeness or not, get ready. We’ll strike in one go.”

“……”

“If even half the information about that knight is true, his combat ability is at least equivalent to a knight commander. So we need to strike quickly.”

“…The Cardinal told us not to cause a disturbance.”

“Yes, so we just need to finish quickly without causing a disturbance.”

“…You were waiting for the Cardinal to leave.”

“It’s merely a coincidence.”

“……”

…He was neither foolish nor stupid enough not to know that statement was a lie.

Pierre wondered if he really needed to disobey Cardinal Raphael’s words by working with such people…

“Remember, he is a heretic. Our role is to interrogate heretics who rebel against the Light.”

“……”

…Pierre still hesitated.

Is this right?

Is following this person’s words truly following the will of the Light?

As he swallowed countless doubts.

“How long do you think the Cardinal will protect you? Remember, [secrets] are not eternal.”

“……”

“If you understand, move immediately.”

“…Understood.”

He no longer resisted.

No, he couldn’t.

The anguish still made him hesitate, but…

‘I cannot afford to be unable to serve the Light.’

If his secret were revealed, he would no longer be able to stay in the temple.

Therefore.

‘…It cannot be helped.’

He rationalized himself that way.

…Though he knew it was cowardly, he—.

“—Being cowardly or self-justifying isn’t necessarily bad. Because humans can’t always be brave or smart animals.”

“…That’s a prejudice…”

A small rebellion.

But Ihan shook his head.

“That’s because you haven’t experienced enough of the world yet. Later, if you get the chance, visit a gambling den or back alley. You’ll see the limits of humanity.”

“……”

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is this. Assistant, it’s true that people can be a bit cowardly and less brave, that’s unavoidable. But…”

“……”

“An ‘arrogant’ ‘noble’s son’ ‘assistant’ being lazy and self-justifying is definitely a sin.”

“…Damn, that’s a lot of modifiers!”

“My, such language.”

Damian’s eyes welled with tears.

‘Is this right?’

Is it right to be treated this way just for taking a short nap and pulling fewer weeds in the field…?

But before that-!

“I have the right to rest too! Assistants are people too!!”

He shouted, pouring out his indignation at the unfair treatment, and Ihan, who silently watched Damian.

“An ‘assistant’ is indeed a person. But you’re not just an assistant, you’re an assistant with the modifier ‘arrogant noble’s son’? Then you’re not a person, you know.”

“!!!?”

“You don’t get to rest. You still need to suffer for another 2 years and 5 months. If you’re expecting to be treated like a person, your conscience is the problem.”

“Please stop that noble-hating already! You crazy person!”

Thwack!

“Aaagh!!”

“How dare a servant, no, an assistant talk back to his instructor!”

“…Damn.”

“This guy’s mouth is getting worse by the day.”

“……”

“What?”

“……”

“You’re crying, go ahead and cry. You’ll feel better after crying. And when you feel better, you can work harder.”

“…Urgh!”

“Look at this guy…?”

…Ihan clicked his tongue, saying it was the first time he’d seen someone so determined to faint just to get some rest.

* * *

With the assistant unconscious and the maid gone to visit her sister until evening, it was a time of solitude.

Though he had gained some rare leisurely time alone, Ihan didn’t do anything different.

He spent his day as usual, training after his daily routine, then eating.

Just the same everyday life.

“Hmm, what should I do next semester?”

If anything was added, it was planning for the Academy schedule?

He was thinking about and organizing the content for next semester’s classes.

Originally, he had planned to ask the assistant for opinions while deciding the content, but the guy had been sleeping for 30 minutes already.

It seemed to be due to the intense mental shock and fatigue.

“Damn guy. Kids these days are too pampered, really.”

Ihan just frowned in disapproval.

Shudder…

Though Damian trembled as if having a seizure, Ihan turned his attention away and looked at the next semester’s class content he had written on the blackboard.

「Chicks – Gained some stamina thanks to jump rope. Should start teaching strength training and light self-defense. Focus on teaching judo, eye gouging, groin crushing, etc. (Should make them able to take down at least one or two thugs before graduation).」

「Bears – Overall physical strength should be building up, so practical experience seems important. Might be good to have them fight criminals in ‘Parasite Hell’ (like a war on crime?). While building practical experience, cliff training and a week of survival in the forest with bare hands would be good, and additionally considering a 5-day training without sleep.」

「Young Master – If he’s gained adequate stamina and strength, could follow a similar curriculum as the bears. But since he’s learned martial techniques, might be good to test if he can survive 10 days without sleep or food (perhaps drop him on a ‘rock island’ in the middle of the sea so he can’t escape?).」

“…Hmm.”

Ihan read through the content with his personal opinions in detail.

And wondered if he might be going too far.

“But is it too much to have them fight criminals?”

He was considering whether it would be better to just have them fight a few bears or tigers with their bare hands.

After all, these kids are still too young to dirty their hands with despicable criminals who’ve ruined their lives.

“Sigh, I’ve become soft-hearted too.”

Ihan was worried that he might be raising his first disciples like flowers in a greenhouse.

“—What do you think?”

“…Are you asking me?”

“Who else would I ask?”

“…First, I recommend stopping that 5-day or 10-day training without sleep. It could lead to serious problems if something goes wrong.”

“?”

“…The cadets are pitiful.”

The man, a combat priest from the Inquisition, was horrified.

Drip…

He broke out in a cold sweat.

It wasn’t because of the brutal content the knight had written on the blackboard.

The reason his liver and gallbladder turned cold was.

‘…Did he already know I was here?’

He had heard.

That the <Concealment Holy Law> didn’t work…

But he dismissed it as a lie or coincidence.

Because he had such faith in the [Holy Law].

‘It should normally completely blend with the surroundings, making even one’s presence undetectable…’

But the moment he truly confirmed he had been seen through, he couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

Just the fact that he could see through the Holy Law meant this knight’s senses were comparable to those of a wild animal.

As the combat priest heightened his vigilance.

“Quite a crowd, nine people… No, eleven including the one trying to snipe?”

“!?!!”

“You guys are really going too far? Doing this as soon as old man Raphael leaves? Impressive in a way, you know.”

“……”

…This knight is indeed dangerous.

The combat priest gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes sharply, taking a stance.

“Ihan Turtle of the Order of the Silver Lion. You are suspected of heresy.”

“Why me?”

“…You appeared too suddenly and accomplished too much.”

“??”

“Huff…!”

The combat priest took a breath.

To focus the knight’s attention on himself, even a little.

“…A mere ordinary knight with no notable achievements in the Order of the Silver Lion suddenly started accomplishing many feats after being appointed as an instructor at the Academy, and most of your achievements are related to [pagans]. Also, there’s circumstantial evidence that you were involved in the collapse of the tunnel yesterday.”

An ordinary knight with no achievements suddenly accomplishing numerous feats was suspicious enough, but the timing was extremely peculiar and highly suspicious.

It was clearly a matter the temple would naturally question, and they wondered if this knight named Ihan might be connected to pagan forces, working with them to accumulate achievements.

A truly reasonable inference and doubt.

“If you want to clear these suspicions, surrender and allow yourself to be tied with rope. If you cooperate obediently, I promise we won’t treat you too harsh—”

“—I’ve listened to enough nonsense, right?”

“!!!”

Crack!!

…When did he approach?

The combat priest had no time to respond to Ihan’s movement as he suddenly appeared before him and punched him.

No, “punched” would be incorrect.

He merely tapped the center of his chest…

“Ugh, ugh…urgh…!…uh…?!”

The combat priest flipped over as breathing difficulties set in.

Tremendous pain washed over him, feeling as if his entire body was being torn apart.

No…

Crack!

Crunch…!

It was actually being torn apart.

“It’s called bone-splitting flesh-tearing. Stay like that for a while. …I’ll be right back.”

“…!…!!”

It was the knight’s calm pronouncement, and the combat priest shed tears of blood as blood vessels burst in his eyes.

His teeth cracked, and he was on the verge of fainting, but because of the pain, the combat priest couldn’t even lose consciousness and could only tremble and let out silent screams.

And…

“…Wow, I guess I was treating you humanely after all.”

A noble assistant who had regained consciousness somehow was still lying flat on the floor, observing the priest’s miserable state, and realized that he had been receiving relatively precious(?) treatment.

Watching his instructor walk away with leisurely steps as if taking a stroll, he thought.

“…Are those Inquisition bastards in their right mind?”

They should have brought the entire Holy Knights if they were coming, why did they come with so few, he wondered.

Hmm, ah…

‘Did they want to go to Avalon early?’

Well, I understand since life these days is pretty miserable.

Still.

‘Our instructor doesn’t kill people easily…’

─He just shows that life can become hell.

“…I ended up like this for doing something similar to him… Tsk tsk.”

As a senior who had once defied the knight, Damian clicked his tongue in sympathy.

Because he knew exactly what fate awaited them.